Another one down. This is the third time today I’ve seen my lifeless face. I guess, in theory, a clone detective can get more done.

Welcome to the world of Aidan 5, a web series created by John Jackson and Tim Baldwin, right here in Columbus. Adapted from a 48-hour Film Festival entry (which won Best in Show at the Columbus level and took second runner up at Filmapalooza at the Miami International Film Festival), the series follows detective James Aidan, who is in pursuit of the man responsible for killing off his clones.

An intriguing concept bolstered by superb writing, the series is also visually arresting – think Sin City meets sci-fi meets film noir. The series is billed as a “living comic book,” and man, oh man, have the folks at Room 101 Productions delivered on that promise.

“I actually attended the festival that week, and I was blown away by what [Jackson and Baldwin] did,” said executive producer Ben Bays. “I had to know more about the story, and I wanted to be a part of writing it. We spent the next six months writing, and we began shooting in June of 2009. We’ve been in post-production since then. Every single shot is a digital effects shot. We have illustrators who make hand-drawn pencil sketches for the background and blend it in with the live-action footage that we shoot.”

The first installment of the 15-episode series was posted to the web on March 4th, and new episodes will be posted bi-weekly. The total run time of the series will be slightly longer than a feature film, which is quite the accomplishment considering that it’s all being done on a volunteer basis.

“We have no budget, and we’ve been very fortunate to work with some very talented people,” said Bays.