Page 14 and Back to Basics

This page really brings me back in many ways. Black Snow started as an image of a bunch of superheroes sitting around a bar talking some ten years ago, and here we find ourselves again. Various versions of this scene have been drawn and redrawn by me so many times that it feels a bit like my comfort zone. This is basically my specialty at this point. So it felt good to get back to it.

And expect it to continue for a bit, as this scene ain’t over, and won’t be the only bar scene in the story. I can’t say why I originally fell in love with this ridiculous image, but it’s always stuck with me. My style may have improved and grown more complex, the character’s looks may have been updated, and the art may have gone digital but it feels familiar all the same. And I still love doing it.

As for the particulars of this page, I really like that stylized flat screen tv. A modern device given an old fashioned style. Eric and Elephant Boy are basically the same guys, as is Black Snow really, we’ve just gone out of our way to really show the reader what a prick he is. It was a bit more ambiguous in the comic books. There were a few ways to interpret some of these lines, but I wanted to make each one focus on Eric being a good hearted and sensitive dude, Elephant Boy an aloof oaf, and Black Snow a real jerk. He is a user in every sense of the word.

Speaking of, I often talk about the drinking but seldom reference the smoking. I wasn’t a drinker or a smoker when I first came up with the character, but I’ve made no secret of the fact that I’ve become a social drinker. I like to drink, and I like the drinking culture (well, certain aspects of it anyway). I can honestly say that I’ve never smoked a cigarette in my life. I don’t just mean weed or something, I mean even the plain old nicarrette ones as well.

I find smoking disgusting. It stinks up everything and my delicate sense of smell doesn’t need it fouling up my space. So I’ve never had any interest in it. I never sat down and made any kind of vow to myself that I’d never smoke or do drugs, it’s just always been part of my nature. So why draw it so often? Because I’m not Black Snow. He is the kind of guy who would chain smoke. I’m not here to make role models for kids. I’m here to tell an adult story. Oh, and I think smoking looks cool.

Originally this scene opened with very different dialogue, but I recommended to Alex that we change things a bit to really show new readers who these characters are and to get some more exposition out of the way. I’m glad we changed it as I think this is a much stronger info and in a single page we’ve learned quite a bit about these main character’s relationships.

Look forward to more good bar times to come.