Ten Notes on Page 249
1. As usual, I didn’t break the script up into individual panels, I just wrote actions, captions, and dialogue. So, when given “Once we had the Amulet, we left Kreos and made our way to the Vault of Varlo” and “It was a long journey,” Sam could have easily fit those lines into one panel. Because she’s a professional, though, she spread it out over four panels. I didn’t give any details; the journeys past the castle, over the sea, and up a mountain were all Sam’s ideas. I think she did a good job selling the idea of “a long journey” in very limited space.
2. That’s the point of this section of the story, pages 247-251, trying to convey a long process in just a few pages without making it seem too quick or easy. On the one hand, I want you to feel like Jason and Brianna worked hard for that magic cloak, but on the other hand, we can’t spend too much time on the process.
3. I like how Sam keeps changing Brianna and Jason’s outfits. I mean, they’ve been together for years now, and it makes sense that they would own different clothes, it’s just not something you always see in comics.
4. Speaking of Jason and Brianna being together for years now . . . I knew going in that this story was a risky move, since it’s entirely a flashback, and we’re releasing a page a week. That means that, by the end, we will have gone at least seven months of The Electric Team (probably more like eight) without actually seeing the Electric Team. I miss the Electric Team too, I really do, but over the course of years we had flashbacks for every member except Brianna, and I knew that when we told her story, we’d tell it in a big way. I think doing Brianna’s Story really freed us all up to try new things and push ourselves and, I don’t know about you, but I’m glad we went down this path.
5. I’ve had the name “anathemites” in my back pocket for a few years now. I used it once in my comic Laser Brigade, though those kind of looked like generic robots. When Sam asked me what the anathemites should look like, I didn’t show her the generic robots, but I sent her this picture for inspiration:
6. That comic, Doom Patrol #37, will always have a special place in my heart. Grant Morrison took over writing Doom Patrol with issue #19, which I bought when it came out, and which was mind-blowing and weird, but which didn’t turn me into a regular reader. I was a kid and it was hard to keep up with comic book series, especially when our local comic book store went out of business. I wanted to read Doom Patrol, and I gave it another shot with issue #37. This issue was the beginning of a new era, when the series switched over to For Mature Readers, and it was a Great Jumping-On Point for New Readers. The first page was a summary of everything that had gone before, to get you all caught up. That comic hooked me, and soon Grant Morrison’s Doom Patrolbecame my favorite comic book series. It’s still probably my favorite run of any comic book.
7. Some of my other all-time favorite comics include All-Star Superman, The Invisibles, and Flex Mentallo, all written my Grant Morrison. Man, I love that guy.
8. Anyway, Sam designed the anathemites, and she said she was inspired by Halloween to make them extra creepy. Aren’t they cool? I’m a fan, I want to bring them back sometime.
9. KRAKA-BOOOM! Jason Occult has vast magical power now! I’m sure that will go well for everyone. Also, I think it’s to Sam’s credit that she didn’t just draw Dr. Strange’s cape, but went with a slightly different look for the magic cloak. But what does Jason mean, by “second phase”? We’ll find out next week!
10. I don’t really have ten things to say this time, but nobody wants a list of nine, do they? So let’s pretend like I’m saying something interesting here.