wise_mommy

When Death Comes, I Will Follow - Process talk, Pencils 1-6

Published: March 27th 2023, 8:54:00 pm

Finally got around to starting pencils for my project for Shortbox's Comics Fair. I know I said I ended up having to go with a shorter story, but this one still clocks in at around 50 pages (trust me, it is still much shorter and less complex than my other idea).

I wanted to try my hand at writing something more explicitly horror. Even so, I don't think this story quite fits the genre as cleanly as I intended. I think I'm alright with that 

My biggest inspiration for it comes from the Knifepoint Horror story "Let No One Walk Beside Her", which I've been thinking about since I first listened to it last year. There's something really evocative about Soren Narnia's work that I think is especially strong in that more "fantastical" story (for lack of a better word). He's able to resist the urge to let a moment outstay it's welcome, or to give the listener too much information, in a way that makes a fantasy world seem so much bigger than the tiny piece of it we're given.
He has a way with simplicity that I really admire. It's something I want to achieve with my writing as well, especially since the visual nature of comics makes the urge to show too much a strong one, and often a difficult one to avoid. 

I've also been watching my roommate play through The Walking Dead games. I was never into them when they were popular (tho I watched a good chunk of the show as it was airing), and zombies aren't really frightening to me. Still, I wasn't expecting to be struck by how cruel the world and the characters feel, and how honest and almost outside of morality that cruelty feels. I wrote the script for this story before we played the second game, but it really had an influence on how I view the story I've written.

I know I'm not saying much about my comic, lol. I think the pages I've posted set up the premise in the context that is needed. 

Artistically: I want to work totally within the live area of the canvas. This is a challenge for me, but it will make eventually printing this thing way less dramatic. 

The studies I did for March's sketchbook have also helped me develop a style for this story. I like the idea of using the borders to give some more context for what's going on, what has happened in each characters' past, and what they are thinking and feeling without having them explain it to you. Idk if it will work, especially with some of the scenes I have planned, but I'm excited to experiment. 

Also...font is a placeholder. I'm not hand lettering this one!! 

Idk how many pages I'll post here. I def don't want to give everything away. We shall see....

I also plan to post full process (thumbnails, pencils, and page scans) for Two Hearts soon. I'll probably make a .pdf for each and throw them up in one post here. That'll be coming sometime in April. 

Thanks for reading, as always! <3