Page 8: issue 4 - A Saucerful of Secrets
shastab24 on April 12, 2012
I found out that I can't draw somebody dancing very well. And that skeleton hands can be very difficult, especially if you forego actually using any references. Last page I did a little better for some reason, though.
I found what really makes Steve pop is when I color in the robe. Due to an unwillingness to use up my ink, I color-filled the robe in GIMP these last two pages, and once I did, he looked much better–more like Death. And Steve is from Life and Death, a very funny comic by Joff, who was kind enough to let me use the character. Check out the comic.
Fractal mentions at the beginning of the page something about his universe. I've extrapolated on TV Tropes's levels of superhero prevalence. Type 1, the type found in the Golden Age, is where Eiderdown's world stands (superheroes are not prevalent and generally face common criminals, rarely meeting another superhero in their world). Type 2 is the Silver Age version, with superheroes at a moderate prevalence, seen less as urban legends as in type 1. Type 3 is where the companies are currently at, with high saturation of superheroes who regularly cross over with each other. TV Tropes doesn't have it, but I figured Fractal would be in a type 5: superheroes are so common, they have become the law. My reasoning is that you get so many people fighting crime for free, there will be less public demand for police, and the government wouldn't be able to feasibly afford them since they have so much less to do. I don't think it's a good situation, but it seems feasible. And I do think there's a type 5. That would be where everybody is a superhero (or supervillain) and secret identities are obsolete, as well as the traditional superhero concept.
Tomorrow: Watch as Eiderdown gets drunk.
Hogan at 12:48PM, April 13, 2012
Yeah, some things are not for the sober of mind... time to get drunk. Steve looks like he is doing a mix of the "Chicken-Dance" and "Boogi-Wooki" :)
Escutcheon at 6:36PM, April 12, 2012
OH! one last note- you might want to check your image sizes/ text sizes in the last few pages- some of your images are really hard to read in the last couple of pages. Once I zoomed in enough, it was great, though.
Escutcheon at 6:35PM, April 12, 2012
Oh hey, that's really cool. I like your research on the topic, too. Been thinking about that, myself. Now I know what to say later! Awesome. Also, I imagine the type 4 you're mentioning is considered an extreme, so it may actually be the more frightening offshoot. On another note, I really like Fractal's story- and Fractal's restraint is good reason to give props! Great work!
shastab24 at 5:33PM, April 12, 2012
I meant Fractal is in a type 4, not 5. I find typos annoying.