I said we would be taking a break, for “a few weeks,” and that’s what we did . . . although the break ended up being six weeks, which may be longer than your definition of “a few.” But we needed the time to recharge and repair, and now we’ve finished up work on the print edition of The Electric Team #6, and are filled with boundless enthusiasm for our new storyline, so let’s get things moving again.

Today sees the release of Page 199 , the first page of Chapter 8: Swann Castle. I am so excited that we have made it to Swann Castle . . . it’s been two years since we first saw the castle in a flashback, on October 23, 2015, on Page 34. I love that page. This whole time I’ve wanted to write scenes set at the castle, but I had to wait until we got there in the story, and now we’re here. Life is good. I’ve also been eager, this whole time, to introduce the castle’s captain of the guard, Beowulf. You may have heard of him; he’s got an epic poem.

Beowulf and Swann Castle figure prominently in the stories Abi and I tell when we play with her toys. They’ve brought us a lot of quality entertainment over the years, and we are glad to be able to share them with you, Dear Reader.

 

Just outside Swann Castle

 

Speaking of Swann Castle . . . if you look at that panel, above, you’ll see that there are five word balloons. I’m happy to report that Abi wrote two of the five. She’s also the one who came up with the idea of Marmion sleeping on the job. When we first started this project, and Abi was five years old, she created characters and concepts, but didn’t take an active role in writing. Now she is old and wise enough to collaborate on the script, and I’m proud of the work she’s doing.