From Street Routes to Graphic Panels: The Making of District Files
Every empire starts somewhere. In StoneGate City, it began with a delivery… and a decision. BHL District Files is the official graphic novel series launching the StoneGate Cinematic Universe — a layered, character-driven saga told district by district, betrayal by betrayal. And Issue #1? It’s the ignition point.
BleakStone Point: Where the Smoke First Rose
The story begins in BleakStone Point — a district carved by silence and shaped by scars. This is where we meet Sincere Cross, long before power, before revenge, before the name Hank Luciano ever held weight.
At the time, Sincere wasn’t chasing anything. He was a quiet, observant delivery driver for a local legal cannabis dispensary, running orders across the city. Late-night runs. Small tips. Low risk. But his eyes were always open. His instincts were sharp.
And then, one order changed everything.
The Desert Delivery That Changed Everything
Most deliveries happened after sundown — when the heat dropped and the city slowed down. But this one was different:
Large quantity. No name. No address. Just coordinates.
Sincere followed the route out past the city, where the pavement turned to dust and the GPS lost signal. The sun was sinking low — painting the sky in burnt gold. Just him, the open desert, and a sense that something was about to shift.
Two cars met, hood to hood. His beat-up delivery sedan. A matte-black Benz, idling like it had nothing to prove. Out stepped a man who wasn’t just a customer. Silk shirt. Cartier frames. Designer chain. Calm and calculated.
He studied Sincere, then said:
“I seen you around the neighborhood. You move different. My cousin’s building something. He’ll want to meet you.”
That cousin wasn’t just another plug. He was one of StoneGate’s most powerful drug lords — moving silently through shell companies, real estate, offshore accounts, and global channels.
That desert drop didn’t just change the route. It changed Sincere’s entire future.
The Blueprint Behind the Graphic Novel
Every page of District Files is built like a cinematic pilot:
🔥 Scriptwriting with real dialogue and real tension
🎬 Storyboarding like scenes from a crime drama
🌆 Visual worldbuilding of districts, crews, and safehouses
📖 Pacing that hits like a trailer in slow motion
We’re working with dedicated illustrators and visual artists to create an immersive graphic novel experience — one that directly ties into our upcoming 3D animated film and serialized digital show.
Powered by Unreal Engine
Our film project is being developed using Unreal Engine — the same advanced tech behind:
- The Mandalorian
- The Matrix Awakens
- Fortnite, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and more
Unreal allows us to create real-time cinematic environments, motion scenes, and visual effects that hit harder than traditional animation — but it comes with serious production costs.
Support the Vision — Crowdfunding Launches Fall 2025
This isn’t just a passion project. It’s a full cinematic universe built independently — from the ground up.
This Fall 2025, we’re launching our first official crowdfunding campaign to support:
🎨 Illustration & design of the graphic novel series
🎬 Animation development with Unreal Engine
🗣️ Voice casting, sound design & cinematic audio
🧱 Lore building: characters, factions, districts
📦 Print & distribution of digital + collectible issues
🧢 Exclusive merch, apparel & campaign rewards
Even after this campaign, we’ll be exploring additional support through private investors, future campaigns, and platform partnerships to keep the vision moving.
Follow the Campaign (Coming Soon) on Indiegogo
Issue #1 – BHL: BleakStone Point
This is where it begins.
Before the empire.
Before the name.
A dispensary delivery driver.
A desert meetup.
A silent deal that changed everything.
Sincere Cross didn’t disappear.
He evolved.
And what rose in his place…
was Hank Luciano.