Electric Team

The penultimate page of our story is here! Read it, then come back for the notes. 

Let’s start off with some comments from the artist, the illustrious Mr. Joshua Burnett . . .

Notes from Josh

1. I really needed to sell that last panel, so not only are the sound effects and images bursting out of the frame (something I do a lot), but Beowulf’s words are bursting out of the word balloon. You can’t contain him!

2. Mark “Commander Mark” Kistler was an early influence on my drawing style. He taught us that there’s no such thing as too much foreshortening, so yeah… big giant fist coming at you!

3. LC’s script suggested to maybe have a couple of teeth flying out of Totenkopf’s mouth. I took that to heart and… big giant tooth coming at you!

4. I loved making Totenkopf’s face all distorted from the punch. The rolling eye, the slack jaw, the spittle, the crazy tongue… the silly look is designed to show how disempowered he is. Take that, Nazi!

Thanks, Josh! And now we continue on with . . .

Notes from Leighton

5. When Josh asked me when I’d have the script ready for this page, I told him not to worry, that it mainly just be a big punch. Writing the script didn’t take long at all, except for Beowulf’s dialogue. I left it blank for a couple of days, as I tried to think of something cool for him to say as he punched Totenkopf.

My first thought was something along the lines of, “You look tired . . . let me help you get to sleep!” But “help you get to sleep” didn’t sound active enough, so I changed it to “Let me help put you to sleep!” Then Josh politely pointed out that it would be punchier without the “help,” which is true, and I was embarrassed I didn’t write it that way in the first place.

6. I think it’s a good idea, in a story like this, to put a splash page or a page with a big panel, like this one, near the end. It sends a message to the reader: Hey, look at this, we planned ahead and we have the room to do this.” As opposed to a story that starts out with big panels, and then gets more cramped at the end.

7. Abi was grossed out by the teeth. She messaged Josh, asking him why the roots were brown. He explained that Nazis, in addition to their many other sins, do not take good care of their teeth.

8. This reminds me of the splash page near the end of “Swords & Serpents,” the Mr. Amazing story Josh and I did together. Even with the same writers, the stories Josh draws have such a different feel from the stories that Sam draws. It makes me wonder, how will the tone of the comic change when our new artist debuts?

9. Nothing definite on the new artist front, BTW, but I should have some information for you VERY SOON.

10. It’s hard to get to 10 notes when your page is just three panels long, but look, we made it! Next week: the last page of “Ubermensch Unleashed!” The thrilling conclusion!