Our latest episode is a single image, of Dr. February’s machine collecting magical energy and, at the same time, bending the songlines and warping reality. I asked for this in the script–“Show the machine bending the songlines and warping reality”–even though I had no idea how one would do such a thing. Fortunately, Sam rose to the challenge, and decided to do “a sort of offset screenprint effect,” which ended up looking super-cool.
On our brand new page of comics, the heroes talk about songlines. “invisible lines of magical energy that crisscross the world.” I’ve been eager to work this discussion into the comic, both because it’s relevant to the plot, and because it’s a tie-in with the ENnie Award-winning RPG Hobomancer, which my friends Steve, Josh, Carter, Colin, and I wrote. We didn’t invent the term “songlines,” but we adapted the concept to our fictional setting. Poor Leeta gets interrupted before she can recite much of the ancient unicorn song, but if we look to the opening pages of Hobomancer, we can get more of an idea of how the songlines work:
Although the Song of the omniverse permeates every part of the cosmos, its power is not uniform. The omniverse is made up of an ever-changing pattern of magical energy created by the ebb and flow of the Song. On a cosmic scale, beings and forces beyond the scope of human comprehension manipulate the pattern to create reality itself. On a more local level, the pattern changes according to the movements and deeds of individuals and civilizations and, more importantly, the songs and stories that those actions create. Beings who can hear the Song are compelled to travel to places where it is most powerful. Once there they add to the music they hear, strengthening and renewing the Song. On Earth, these locations are often recognized as sacred, and temples, shrines, and even whole religions have sprung up around them.
There’s more, in the core Hobomancer book, which you can order here. Also lots of information about being a hobo in the 1930s, and about how you can play a magical hobo fighting the forces of evil. Until March 13th, it’s on sale, marked down 30% to just $10.49. I tell you what, that’s a good deal. If you’re hesitant to buy, you can also check out the Hobomancer Preview, absolutely free.
While I’m at it, I should mention that Josh Burnett, the talented cartoonist who drew the Mr. Amazing story “Swords & Serpents,” also wrote and illustrated (with friend-of-the-Electric-Team Jeffrey Johnson) the Hobomancer Companion, which expands on the main book. My good friend Carter Newton wrote a Hobomancer novel, Suicide’s Run, which is also illustrated by Jeffrey Johnson. Those are also 30% off.
That was a lot of sales plugs. Not what I intended when I set out to write this blog post but, hey, Hobomancer ranks up there with The Electric Team in my All-Time Top Five Creative Endeavors I’m Most Proud Of, and I’d like for people to check it out. Especially since there’s a sale on and all.
Our latest page reveals that there are secrets among the Electric Team . . .
But we’ll talk more about that later. Right now, we’re excited to announce that issue #4 has arrived from the printer! We’ve worked hard to make every issue better than the last, and I feel fully confident saying that #4 is our best issue yet. The story, the art, the colors, the covers, the text material in the back . . . it’s something that makes Sam, Abi, and I all very proud.
And it’s going on sale soon!
