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Part Two: Agitation continues today with the next scene.

“We have a firefight in progress at 36th and Iron!”

READ THE NEW SCENE HERE.

Part Two: Agitation continues today with the next scene.

“You guys smell something funny in here?”

READ THE NEW SCENE HERE.

Part Two: Agitation continues today with the next scene.

“One warrant as promised.”

This panel was totally inspired by a famous scene from Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction.”

These aren’t exactly the armor vests used by the Chicago police, but I had a hard time tracking down an authentic source.

Mike’s comment is a reference to the “Sneak and Peek” searches authorized by legislation passed since 2001. I know I play a little fast and loose with the law in this story, but it frightens me that our government seems to be doing the same these days.

READ THE NEW SCENE HERE.

Part Two: Agitation continues today with the next scene.

“Heard you boys need your hands held.”

This is actually the old Cook County Hospital. The John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital was built in the late nineties to replace it, but I stuck with the old building because I prefer the classic architecture. There was a debate whether to tear down the old structure before the city decided to renovate it.

I just think the old building has a ton of character, so I decided to use it instead.

READ THE NEW SCENE HERE.

Part Two: Agitation continues today with the next scene.

“Where ya think he’s goin’ in such a hurry?”

This is the north end of Lincoln Park, which stretches for miles along the shore of Lake Michigan all the way from North Avenue to the end of Lake Shore drive at Hollywood Avenue.
As with many American cities, Chicago still has a housing problem. There tend to be a lot of homeless people who sleep in the park, especially near Uptown between Lawrence and Wilson.

The story the witness tells on the final page actually happened to me one night. It was too weird an experience to not put into the comic.

READ THE NEW SCENE HERE.

Part Two: Agitation continues today with the next scene.

“Aren’t there some witnesses we need to interview?”

Most police work isn’t glamourous. It’s taking statements, finding evidence, and filing unending reports. And sometimes it means telling people the news that someone close to them is dead.

Paradigm Shift — Part Two: Agitation continues today with the next scene.

Awakened by an early morning phone call, Kate gets ready to investigate a second murder…

This scene is set in the Chicago neighborhood of Wrigleyville, just north of the friendly confines of Wrigley Field on the narrow, alley-like Dayton Street, just off of Belmont Ave. For those in the know, this is also the home of Ragstock, a go-to thrift shop for the young hipsters looking for street chic clothes at a rock-bottom price in the late 90’s and early 2000’s.

I love the moody urban feel of this part of town and decided it would be the perfect spot to set Kate’s apartment. Later on, those fire escapes will prove useful, too…

Read the new scene here.

Paradigm Shift — Part Two: Agitation begins today!

Detectives Kate McAllister and Mike Stuart return to the streets of Chicago to hunt for a savage nocturnal killer, but are they searching for man or beast?

And does Kate know more about these grisly attacks than she realizes?

Their investigation may have to wait, though, because a new lead opens in an old case that forces them into a deadly showdown with a band of gunrunners.

“The lead characters are quickly endearing… a pleasant blend of Japanese-style design underlaid by American narrative.”

– NEWTYPE USA

“A wonderfully written and drawn police thriller that takes a sharp supernatural twist.”

– Marc Mason, Should it Be a Movie? www.moviepoopshoot.com

“Paradigm Shift is the total package: a thrilling cop drama, a supernatural mystery, and a lovingly-drawn portrait of Chicago. Do not fail to read it!”

– Shaenon K. Garrity, creator of Narbonic and Skin Horse

The second book of Paradigm Shift debuted on the innovative and before-its-time subscription webcomics portal ModernTales.com in 2002. It picks up right where Part One: Equilibrium left off at its original home on dynamanga.net.

This first scene is set in the neighborhood where I used to live in Chicago. My old apartment building is in view right there in panel one—the second building to the left of the construction site. I took photos from a number of angles to capture the look of the block, including from the roof of my building.

Read it here.

Watch for the next scene on Monday, April 12th.

Back to where it all began…

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Paradigm Shift, the story returns to beginning, to run with weekly updates starting in April. The first book—Part One: Equilibrium—is now up and ready to read in the archive.

Part Two: Agitation will begin updating on Monday April 5th, with a new scene updating every week until the archive catches up with the new storyline—Instinct—debuting in 2021.