Step inside the mind of comic artist and illustrator Brightside. His new comic series is a freestyle project where he picks up a piece of paper and just starts drawing to see where it takes him. Broken up loosely by genre, he explores topics as varied as a detectives, hell, and partying. “I start with a basic plot, then I improvise as I draw without knowing where the story will go,” he says. “For all I know, the story may never end.”

His new series will be about 20 episodes long, depending on how he feels. It’s inspired by his own life and movies that have captured his imagination. One piece follows an underdog detective investigating a the theft in a castle. Another explores the history of man and the possibility of ancient aliens. One piece is simply a meditation on how he’s feeling at the moment.

Bright was born and raised in Chiang Mai and was inspired to start drawing by manga, anime, and films. Once he realized that illustrations show up in every type of media, from magazines to music videos to fashion editorials, he started to take it seriously. He landed on his current style back in 2009, beginning with doodles in sketch books until he found linework and character design that he was happy with and he just took it from there. Usually his outlines are drawn on paper and then scanned and colored digitally, unless he’s making an original work on paper.

Movies and graphic novels are the biggest influence on Bright’s current work. One piece in this series is an homage to retro action movies from Hong Kong mixed with American crime flicks. He cites books like Frank Miller’s Batman and Alan Moore’s Sin City as holding a particular sway over him. “I love that noir mood, the tone of black comedy and violence,” he says. Once he’s finished, he’s going to put it all together into a zine, so keep your eyes peeled.