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.
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!
Yes, I panic too much…
Told you this was a short one! More soon!
Bear hugs!
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 page 14 allowed me to have some fun giving a nod to the popular lines used by some awesome comic book characters.
(Okay, a hefty nod and also a wee moment of Bear being moody and knocking one of the lines!)
It was a throwaway panel that I just wanted to have some fun with but then when I re-did issue #12 I had the opportunity to revisit the scene and have Bear coming out with a line!
Which (thankfully) Lloyd didn’t recognise. Hey, he’s not old enough to watch Terminator 2 yet!
I had a hard time with the issue #12 panel as I wanted it to look similar to the panel in issue #1 but obviously my style had changed a lot over the years (like, so, soooooo much!)
I’m really happy tying those two moments together, especially as issue #12 was the end of the first big arc on the book!
Okay, more soon! Bear hugs!
PS. I TOTALLY saw movies above my age range as a kid so, um….
Bear dancing!
I was so happy with this that I ended up re-jigging it and making it a print!
But I realised after I had come up with this idea of Bear being able to control people that he could easily do it every issue so other than a reference in issue #7 where he’s asked how was he taught the skill it’s not been used again!
It’s not that I’ve forgotten it though, I just didn’t want the ‘power’ to keep being used. In my head (although it’s not been explained) it does take a wee bit of time for the dancing to control someone’s mind so it’s not something that can be used at the drop of a hat.
And then in issue #7 there were some questions on how he was taught it…
But I do have a plan and it will be referenced (and the power used) again! Promise!
As a side note, I came up with this idea years before the movie Suckerpunch got released. I feel the cute, fun, happy dance I came up with now feels a bit icky.
Humph. Ah well… more soon! Bear hugs!
