SMILES Part 1

What if grunge music was a comic book? Enter SMILES. A neo-noir crime story about the different stages one has to go through dealing with the loss of a loved one. It's about the anger and powerlessness you feel when you just want to go back and make things right. The guilt you feel, knowing you can never make up for your mistakes. The ever-consuming urge to change the unchangeable, to tear open the hands of fate, and to redeem oneself from worthlessness inside, only to learn that all that won't bring you peace. In the end, it is about accepting the past and embracing the future.

I was always drawn to a specific type of character. A broken soul, tortured by life itself. Someone, who after all they endured, would have every right to become a villain, but decides every day to choose kindness, to help those who can't help themselves. Characters like Max Mockatanski (Mad Max), K / Joe (Blade Runner 2049) or Jason Todd (Red Hood). They can be rough, they often seem like they don't care, but in the end they'll always be good people, and they'll always be there to help. Milo Caine / SMILES is such a character. He has no superpowers. He's not a genius billionaire. He's not the greatest martial artist. He doesn't even like the city nor the people he's protecting. But he does so regardlessly, for the one person he'll always love.

Autorentext
Christian Heerbeck wurde 1994 im Musikwinkel Deutschlands, im Vogtland, geboren und ist dort aufgewachsen. Noch bevor er laufen konnte, verbrachte er jede freie Minute mit einem Stift in der Hand und zeichnete. Nach seiner Zeit an einem musisch / künstlerischem Gymnasium studierte er Design und arbeitet bis heute noch aktiv als Designer. Seine Leidenschaft war und ist aber die Kunst. Egal ob Romane, Comics, Malerei oder Film - alles muss ausprobiert werden.