So I know I’ve posted some of these pages before but as I’ve been making a few changes to some of them over the months I figured I’d (repost?) them.
So each day this week I’m going to lob over the first 5 pages one page a day! Here’s page 1!
I always had the idea of the gaps between the panels to have the title of the story but also thought of having Fenton Hud in the top space but it just didn’t work so yeah, issue number instead.
(I feel it has a real Russo brothers Marvel movie feel – USE BIG TITLES TO SHOW LOCATION!!!! No?)
My better half questioned the 3rd panel and said it wasn’t quite clear why Bear was crying. In my mind I figured it was quite obvious but then maybe I was wrong? *gasp!*
So the charity shop scene. I had this planned out from early on although I don’t recall what shop I used for photo reference but yeah, Bear ended up in the window of a charity shop.
There’s two things with this.
It’s Lloyd’s father that passed Bear over to him which was very much Bear in some way taking over the fatherly role to Lloyd.
From what we learned earlier in issue #1 Bear collapsed on a pile of bags so you’d think it was bags left outside the charity shop, right?
The time I told a swear (okay, I didn’t it almost feels like I did!)
So yeah, short one today but this panel has caused me a bit of a panic at conventions and I wanted to talk about it.
See, I get asked at conventions by concerned parents if there’s any bad language in the book (hey, it’s a fair question) and I always say there isn’t except the word ‘bum’ is used once in the first issue.
I’ve never had anyone be shocked by this and it’s totally a nod to Blackadder where it was said many a time but I feel weird having to explain that ‘bum’ is said but at the same time I get in to a right panic in case it is regarded as a dirty word!
So there was no way I could discuss this next bit by referencing only one page! The Shoal ships!
I don’t think I’ve shown this before(?) but yeah, the original designs I had for the ships and cockpit were very different when I first pencilled the book.
Lookit! The cruiser ship!
So yeah, it’s weird. I had a lot of wee additions (it’s what I did back then – embellish, embellish, EMBELLISH!) but it’s also so weird that the hanger bay was curved but the ship was pretty rigid where in the end the look was the complete opposite.
Having a peek through the entrance to the cruiser ship you can see the doorways stayed the same as did the front of the ship (kind) but yeah, otherwise totally different.
Now, the fighter crafts looked similar to a point but yeah, there was still some changes…
(And look how quickly I forgot/ignored some of the details on the cruiser with the lines on the thrusters!)
But yeah, there was a real mix of ideas. Like, them wee bits at the front of the vessels? Sure, that’s where the guns popped out but still, weird…
Anyways! The cockpit! (And hey, checkit! I DID do Kirby dots again!)
I do not dislike the seat designs (I dislike the straight lines to the cockpit itself) and it’s something I might need to go back to but it absolutely didn’t work for any Shoal sitting on them! Like, zero!
But yeah, there was a lot of change (and lookit how Lloyd looked back then! Whuh?!?)
So yeah, of all the panels this was the biggest thrower revisiting!
More soon! Bear hugs!
PS. The more I look at the cockpit it’s just the side consoles I like, hmm…)
So I know I’ve posted some of these pages before but as I’ve been making a few changes to some of them over the months I figured I’d (repost?) them.
Okay, final thoughts, and page, of issue #1.
