GGAKickstarter.com
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]]>Poor Bubblegum is having to fight for her very identity in court, over the strenuous objections of her helicopter mother. Super powers, a great bod and freedom, but at the cost of family and possibly even her legal identity. Modern problems for modern superheroes, all backed by the same old human behaviors.
ED’S NOTES
Now we move on to a little more emotion.
Sure, it’s common to draw anger, fighting, guns shooting, explosions.
We’ve done two guys in a diner, a Tiki Lounge, and flashbacks.
So drawing this emotional, debate-inspiring, heart-string plucking interlude?
Kinda caused me to ease up off the throttle and combine a few things that I’d learned for the sake of being well-rounded and understanding character work in the panels.
It’s sometimes not enough to help the readers see and read the story progressing. Sometimes, I’ll need to help them feel it, as well.
]]>As Ed has worked on this book, the challenges change with every page. But sometimes we go back to something he’s done previously, and he gets to revisit it with new skills.
As Hawkins walks along the classic Fremont Street strip in Las Vegas to collect his thoughts, we are there, wondering where this is all going and why. I watched Ed develop a number of techniques to illustrate this page, and I’m so impressed.
Crowd work. It’s good for ya!
ED’S NOTES
It’s no secret that this first issue of Danger Team is a proving ground and classroom for my skill and knowledge as a comic book artist. I THOUGHT I knew a bunch, and there’s a lot of truth in the old adage that when someone realizes that they don’t know much, they begin to learn more.
The crowd scene in Panel 2 was a callback to one of the earlier pages, where Hawkins was going into the Diner. Sabrina and I like to refer to the guy that drew this page, as Page 4 Ed.
Page 4 Ed had no idea that he could make a crowd scene like Page 41 Ed could. So, my advice here is to be patient with yourself, don’t be afraid to try new things and learn new things.
Page 4 is a REALLY far distance from Page 41, but you’ll never get there if you don’t pick up your pencil and try.
]]>So Meteor Man might still be alive, and that’s the real takeaway. Other than the mysteries which the former Cold Knight acknowledges, but realizes he might never recieve any answers.
You will, and it’s not that long in coming, now.
The pattern has been laid out, and with one or two pieces missing, we’ll start bringing this story home now. While the webcomic format isn’t a friend to my style of storytelling, hopefully when the entire story is laid out, it will hopefully make more sense.
ED’S NOTES I’m of the mind that superhero comics without character development and obstacles to overcome are just bland. Sure, a well-drawn fight page looks great, and a bunch of them peppered in drama and introspection can turn into a great book. I’m trying to push myself over and shove myself outside of my comfort zone in order to draw some guys in a booth, dialoguing about the main parts of the overall storyline. THIS page, I wanted to focus on and show just how much Linwood keeps under wraps and to give the readers just how deeply affected he was by his team’s mission. I hope that I gave you readers some insight into his mind and maybe even some hints about things that may or may not be discussed and revealed in the future. Also? That Tiki Lounge is just REALLY fun to draw. Beats the diner.
Orbiter blowed up, no engines, falling out of control to earth below. Cold Knight passed out, and the Contortion saves the day after Major Catastrophe did his bit.
Which ends in partial tragedy, as both of them perish saving their teammates.
In comics, it is often the story that the heroic actions of the characters combine to save them all, nobody suffers any losses, and they all live to tell the tale. Real life tends not to work that way, so I thought the Danger Team might be much the same. Not unlike Danger Team 1999, they do everything right, as superheroes- but it doesn’t save them.
Yet it does save countless civilian lives- which is the overall theme of superheroes- those with power helping the powerless.
It’s a theme, that is hopefully reverberating throughout the story.
Again, sorry we're late, but we're getting back on schedule slowly but surely.
ED’S NOTES
So. Did Sabrina deliver, or what? I mean, team effort all the way sure, but our illustrious Writer/Editor really went hard with the feels, yeah?
In this page, there was a LOT of emotion and gestures that just flew under the radar. Panel 1 for example, the Contortion more or less looking at his best friend in a really vulnerable spot and steeling himself to try and save them. Then not making it, so that panel becomes two friends saying goodbye in a pretty emotional way.
The Major suffocating on the back of the shuttle debris, but still guiding it all to safety.
Then a happy ending, right?
WRONG.
I’d like to think that I did some fine work here emoting through gestures and facial expressions. If you felt it in any of those panels, then yes. I did.
]]>Orbiter blowed up, no engines, falling out of control to earth below.
It’s hero time.
Major Catastrophe is out there, keeping the orbiter upright and on course. He’s doing his part to save his friends, even though we get the feeling he’s prepared for the worst. Inside the cabin we can see the Contortion leaving his spacesuit- a bold move on the stretchy guy’s part, but clearly he has a plan in mind as well.
Meanwhile, the prettiest girl he’s ever met is counting on the Cold Knight to get them home safely.
Turns out re-entry is fascinating if you look into the science of it all. Doing it in just the cockpit of a shuttle orbiter makes it extra exciting, as we see chunks of the ship ripping off and hurtling away, even as death Moth’s glove gives us a good idea of just what happened to the living dead girl.
This one is a dramatic tension page, and Ed really came through on it. I hope you are enjoying it as much as I am!
ED’S NOTES
I’m not sure about the learning itinerary in your grade school when you were growing up, but mine had a slight home economics slant to it.(Please bear with me, I’m going somewhere with this.)
We were taught at an early age, how to make simple recipes, like oatmeal cookies, or even scrambled eggs. The intent was to start small, show us how to follow simple instructions and build up to more difficult and delicious meals.
Drawing Danger Team is exactly like this for me.
Sure, you might look at this page and think to yourself; “Wow, Ed’s doing a pretty good job on this story. It looks good and he’s really getting across Sabrina’s script in a pretty decent visual manner.” All the while forgetting how Page 1 looked. It’s ok. I needed to start there, to arrive here.
Each new and interesting page, even when we were in the diner, is a class I undertake in pushing myself outside of my comfort zone artistically, for the sake of growth.
Even if it costs us a few superhero teams.
Enjoy! Leave your comments. Good, bad, or indifferent. I love to read them.
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