Hey all. This is my new attempt at making reMINDblog better. From now on I’ll try to add a bit of dialogue about each page creatively in this area so here we go.
Similar to last weeks pages, these went through their own set of revisions over the last year. First I was going to have Victuals run to the King’s secret room and notice the doors were open so he couldn’t help but look inside. Like I said last week, this never worked right with the story and I eventually added the giant crab to escort him and force him to enter. So basically the left page was completely redrawn about a month ago. I have to admit it’s very simple now but I really like it compared to the old version. If anyone is curious to see what it looked like I’m sure I can dig up an old version and post it here.
Once again, I made the crab SUPER RED, and showed my wife and she said, “Why is the crab SUPER RED?” Believe it or not, this red crab is only a remnant of the redness it once wielded. Now, when I look at the old, SUPER RED, version my eyes start burning from the RGB gamma overexposure. I can hardly believe I thought SUPER RED looked good at one point. It amazes me what we think looks good when we’ve been staring at something too long. For this reason I love to work on a page and then open it up again a few weeks later to see if I was crazy.
Anyway, hopefully you think I sane after you see this.
You are killing me in a good way … but you are killing me.
The mystery of lizard land is awesome, but I ache for some closure now. It wouldn't be so bad if I didn't check back each Monday. It would be better if I could look at 6 pages at a time, but your comic is too awesome to allow me to be patient. Thanks, hehe.
Keep it up, I love the mixture of the quality comic with the blog. I really look forward to each Monday.
I appreciate the comment. Hopefully soon SOME closure will happen but it's a long way till the end. haha I'm glad your enjoying it all though.
Maybe my color palette is skewed, but I would have loved SUPER RED. I've been a fan of neons lately. :)
(I think you want "One thing *is/was* for sure… I was not the first.")
I see what your saying with the line. Thanks for the suggestion.
The SUPER RED crab is crazy red! I might post all the old versions later this week like I did last week.
Eeeeeekkkk! Hah, sorry, I just really love how this story's going so far. Lizard guy is absolute awesome.
The crab robot/monster thing looks nice at non-SUPER RED, pretty darn mysterious.menacing vibe.
Can't wait for next week. :)
Thank you thank you thank you!!!
Wonderful fantasy. Consistently excellent art and story. I wonder at the fate of the original, non-speaking Victuals. I don't mind having to wait a week for the next installment when the quality is this good. Carry on. I'm hooked!
Thank you! I'm glad the art quality can make up for the once a week posting. Glad you are enjoying it so far.
Just wanted to say that I love this and I can't wait for more. Your style is excellent – I love the coloring.
:)
Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment. Glad you are liking it so far.
Your sparing use of Dutch angles is deeply appreciated, but here that long vertical shaft of light from the door, and the minimal setpiece of the crab with that little whisper-ma-phone attached to it, is really well played. There's something Lovecraftian about the whole development here – I dig this work in a major way.
You are also running up on the "why only once a week?" thing, I see – though people are being more polite to you than they have been to me with the same message. Fact is, artists have to eat and pay the rent, and I don't know about you, but it's the fact that the time is so constrained that makes my comics drawing so valuable to me. I know you've implied having similar feelings, from time to time. As you've said before, work expands to fill the time available for it. And I can't imagine you producing anything more spectacular if you did it full-time: the quality's already so good, any more would probably give me a heart attack!
–M
Funny you should talk about dutch angles. I looked back at my pages after reading this and saw what you were talking about. To me dutch angles are great if used right. If you use them in every other panel then they have little or no impact. The best use (in my opinion) is when you want an uneasy feeling. If done right, the reader will feel uneasy but not know why. I learned that while working as a storyboard artist.
Yeah, the weekly schedule is even hard to pull off and I had a giant back log of pages before I started posting them online. I know it must be annoying to only be able to see one new page a week for readers but it's the only way it can be done. Honestly, I'm wondering how I'm going to be able to keep it up after I finish the first book (136 pages) because the second book has so little started plus I'll be dealing with all the printing and selling and distribution on top of everything.
I might have to take a 6 month break once I finish the first book to get caught up drawing the pages before I start posting the second and final book online. I'd hate to take a pause in the middle though. Only time will tell.
Gah, so amazing! You now have another dedicated reader. =]
Nooo! I need to read more >.<
Awesome graphic novel by the way ^^
I stumbled upon your graphic novel via a link from The Phoenix Requiem (http://requiem.seraph-inn.com/), and am now a follower of your interesting storyline! The art is superb and I look forward to the future pages to come. :3
I dunno what the first version was like, but I love the simplicity of the lefthand page here. My favorite part is the blue haze right around the border of the door — you're a master of dramatic lighting! And yes, you'll have to show us the SUPER RED crab at some point. :)
I'll try to post some of the previous versions tonight. Glad you are enjoying it!
"I was not the first"
I'm very excited for the next spread–especially leaving off with that single step, I'm sure it will be impressive.
(Also, saw that you were linked from Phoenix Requiem. Didn't know you were with Dreamworks, so that's cool.)
This is starting to build up nicely…You got me terribly curious already! :D
And yes: i wanna see more of the SUPER RED crab!
Btw:The quality of your work is amazing: you should definitely not rush things, this is worth the wait.
Thank you everyone who just came over from The Phoenix Requiem and commented! Sarah really hooked me up by linking to me! I'm soooo grateful to all of you!
I'm taking note of all the typos and going to address then soon. Much love!
Sarah Ellerton recommended this and I decided to check it out (I see I'm not the only one she sent) I'll be forwarding this to my comic buds as well. Its good!
<3
Thanks for the word of mouth advertising. That is about as good a gift as you can give me.
Haha it'll be fun to see the super-red version,
But I agree this looks great if it was bright red I don't think it would match the style of the page/comic.
Nice to see Sarah gave you a front page link, :D
You should get some dedicated followers with a Ellerton recommendation, we are a great bunch :)
Thanks! I'm happy to have you all! Hopefully I can keep up with her quality to keep you all interested.
Lookin great my friend! I'm lovin where this is going. I totally love the revisions you made on the last page as well. Great job man!
I too followed Sarah Ellerton’s recommendation, and I am really enjoying the storyline and the beautiful artwork! I will follow this comic weekly now :D Keep up the good work!
I'm new here from The Phoenix Requiem too!
The story is really sucking me in.
Keep up the great work!
Just read everything up to now in less than 24 hours. This is seriously amazing artwork. I'm extremely picky with my web comics since they have to both interest me and be high quality. This does both on a scale I never thought I would find for free. Trust me, when you publish, I will be buying it – hopefully through the iPad Bookstore since the pages look gorgeous on this screen. =)
Can't promise a comment for every update, but be assured you've gained a reader.
Welcome! Hmmm, publish on the iPad. I've thought about doing that but I end up stumped with the whole idea. Maybe by the time this is ready there will be some easy streamline way to convert it all over. I'd love to make it available that way with high quality images instead of super compressed jpgs.
I've got a minor continuity question — between page 57 and 58, when did Victuals put his glasses on? He said in the last spread that he needed them, but they were nowhere near when the crab attacked, and now they're just… on.
Oh, and at the top of page 59, I believe the second text box should read "One thing is for sure" or "One thing's for sure."
That aside, I've been reading this comic for a few weeks now, and I really love the art. The story is looking pretty solid so far, as well. I'm excited to see where this goes!
Great observation, Nina. I never thought about that before. In fact, now that you mention the glasses, I think I will toy with the idea of him being lead to the room without them.
Or I could just add them in his hand in page 57 as if he grabbed them right before the crab broke in.
are they still underwater???