Here is how I start the page. It's my rough line art.

For the first panel, I mocked out a 3d layout of what I had in mind. The truck is a tiny dot in the lower left part.

Here is my reference for what I'm going to make the combat burn look like. This stuff gave me nightmares growing up, so I'm drawing it now. It's iconic. I'm not going to be totally tied to the look, but it's very good scary reference.

First pass at the panel. I used the 3d as my perspective guides, and filled in the details of the ruins. I watch ET with my son, while I inked this. I've always hated that movie. But now, I can see it would an enjoyable movie for kids. It's amazing that was all done with mechanical special effects, no CG.

I still need to give more line thickness variation to my lines, and do the grey scale work.

Impressive! your backgrounds always look awesome; I guess they show all the work behind them, I like the way the first panel its turning out.

I'm always interested in seeing people's thought processes as they construct their work, and especially artists since I have no artistic skills whatsoever. Even your rough thumbnails are more than I'm capable of most days.

Thanks for sharing this process. I just reviewed “Paradigm Shift” for www.comicfencing.com last week, and it was obvious he uses a ton of photo reference for Chicago. It's great that you're also using it, in your own way, for Freefall.

Many years back, DC wanted to put their secondary comics across the US, to be more regional. They set Green Arrow in Seattle. The guy who was drawing Seattle was not from here but got a lot of photo reference. He felt compelled to put the Space Needle, a local landmark, in so many shots to show it was Seattle. The problem was the Space Needle would need to be on treds and be able to roam over a 50 mile radius.
It's like the Empire State building being visible from New Jersey to Connecticut, with sightings as far west as Detroit.

Starting on the grey scale.

Added the ubiquitous rain and started putting variation in the destroyed blocks.

And still more. Did this while watching kid shows with my son.

Not sure on the crater. Good in theory, but don't like a lot.

This is my poser generated bodies for reference. In my defense, you can see in the later line art, that I do not follow the poser art exactly, it's just a guide.

Starting the line art of Ruun. His face is not that awful poser expression.

Had time after breakfast to ink Dante's rough lines. I narrowed Ruun's eyes, he's angry and scared, so his eyes are tighter.

Then the next day I woke early, so I finished the panel. It's amazing to me, how changes in sleep and mood, change the style of rendering I do.

The start of my other landscape shot from the side.

Line art done and starting the grays.

Look how Ruun's faces changed as I drew and redrew the panel.

And the last panel, has no evolution. I was able to draw and ink it in one sitting.

Wow, it looks like you put alot into your pages. I didn't know you used poser to do your pages. I like it. I like the photo ref's you use. Also, I didn't know all that info about DC and the Space Needle. Thats something I make sure I don't do. I've been watching your pages and make sure i keep it up.