Sometimes fiction becomes reality.

When Karla Nappi set out to write a comic book in 2013, she didn’t know her fictitious piece would go on to mirror present day.

Nappi, of Lehighton, said her comic book “Duplicant” was adapted from a pilot script she started working on.

“I was inspired by the movies ‘Minority Report’ and ‘Repo: The Genetic Opera,’ and also articles at the time about the burgeoning field of medical 3D printing,” Nappi said. “It’s been surreal having a comic about a pandemic out during an actual pandemic, and seeing how close to real life my fictional world turned out to be.”

About the book

Nappi said “Duplicant” is a thriller about the forces conspiring against the one man who offers hope during a pandemic.

That man is Matt Travers, a scientist who creates duplicate organs that saves humanity from the organ failure contagion, only their high cost forces people into indentured servitude.

A dangerous black market arises, run by a religious fanatic and Matt’s former mentor. Following Matt’s life-changing encounter with a “Duplicant,” a recipient of his technology, he questions everything he knows as he strives to learn the truth behind his encounter.

Creating a comic book

The process of creating a comic book is pain­staking.

“After the idea for the story is fleshed out, I usually start with what’s called a page-by-page breakdown where I write a general idea of what I envision happening on each page,” Nappi said.

She reviews the breakdowns with a group of fellow comic book writers. Then she goes to script.

The script details how many panels are on each comic page, and what she envisions each panel to look like.

Nappi said she also writes all the dialogue and captions for each panel. The descriptions can be a couple of paragraphs to a couple of sentences.

“Then after I have the script read by my comic book friends for feedback, I’ll do another couple passes at the script, and send it off to my artist,” she said. “My artist does the pencils, inks and colors for all the interior pages, but that can often be three different people doing each stage of the interior art.”

Nappi said, “She’ll send me sketches for each page, I’ll give her notes and we go back and forth like that until the page is complete.”

It can take four to six months to draw one issue of the comic. Cover artists are working on the cover in the meantime.

“We have a set theme for this book so I tell them a few different ideas what I’d like to see that’s in line with that theme, and let them decide which ones they like best. We usually have a few sketches passes that we discuss before landing on the final that’s inked and sent off for coloring. This can also be three different people doing the pencils, inks and colors.”

Nappi said she has two people who create her covers.

One does the linework - which encompasses the pencils and inks.

Another does the colors.

A third does the lettering work, deciding which fonts to use and what type of special bubbles and colors those captions and dialogue should be. He adds special effects sounds and production work, which means getting it ready for the printer to whatever their specifications may be.

“Carlos will do one pass at the lettering. I’ll review and make sure everything is working with what I wrote and we’ll go back and forth a few times until it’s finalized.”

The process takes at least six months from start to finish.

Getting started

“I was going out for staffing season in California, and was looking for a way to distinguish myself by having a companion piece to go with my pilot script,” Nappi said. “I thought having a mini-comic depicting the world I created would be a good way to do this.”

She enrolled in a class on making comics at Meltdown Comics in West Hollywood.

“It was there I met my friends who are all comic book writers themselves and are part of my group of trusted advisers on my own comics. We read each others’ scripts for everything we write.

“I fell in love with writing comics in those classes, and decided to instead turn my pilot script into an actual comic book series.”

Nappi is excited to see her dream come to life.

“When you work in TV, you’re often writing material that may never see the light of day, so to be able to create something and get it brought to life was amazing, and I feel incredibly fortunate to continue to be able to make this series.”

Nappi said she was able to pay for the first book because she was working two full-time jobs.

She did a personal loan to fund the second issue, while Issue 3 was funded via the “fabulous backers on Kickstarter.”

She’s currently running a Kickstarter campaign through early March, to fund issues 4 and 5.

A character’s journey

“My hope is readers feel a connection to the story, and are moved by my lead character’s journey to uncover the truth about what’s being done with his technology, and his ultimate goal to do right by humanity,” she said. “Matt is a person who doesn’t give up, no matter what’s thrown his way, and I think especially in today’s world having someone who keeps going and keeps trying to do the next right thing is uplifting.”

Get your copy

“Duplicant” will be in shops April 7, and available at previewsworld.com.

Order code FEB211508 to order Issue 1 from a local comic book store.

Issue 1-4 available on Kickstarter now through March 4, visit bit.ly/duplicant4 to support the project.

About the author

Originally from New Jersey, Karla Nappi’s father is a graphic artist, and her mother is also an artist.

“My dad’s uncle was Rudy Nappi, who did the covers for Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys, and many pulp fiction covers as well,” she said.

Nappi went to school for film/TV at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, and worked in New York City and Hollywood for almost 15 years.

“My husband and I opted to move back east so we could afford to have me stay home with our son who was born in 2017, but I’m still writing,” she said. “I’m creating an animated series set in the Philippines with writer/animator and paranormal expert Sapphire Sandalo that we’re hoping to sell.”

Nappi also has a few other comic projects lined up.

“We decided to move here because it’s near my husband’s parents who live in Kunkletown, and Lehighton offered a community that had many conveniences within walking distance like a playground and a grocery store, many state parks to enjoy the outdoors, and a quiet way of life,” she said.

They bought the house in late 2018, but it needed some work.

“My husband, his father and his uncle did all the work themselves and we moved in July of 2019,” Nappi said.