Hey There!
Happy Thursday! There’s a lot of exciting stuff going on this week, starting with a new page from No Spell Lasts Forever, which I’m excited to share with you (scroll down to see it). As always, feel free to continue reading and/or check out my video update (and find out why I’m pointing at my glasses in the thumbnail).
Okay, so a couple weeks ago, I shared page four of NSLF. I started with that one because I think it’s the most visually exciting of the handful of pages that the amazing artist I’m working with, Aimee Hawley, has finished so far. It has this cool magic effect she came up with, which looks so impressive. But this week, I wanted to backtrack and start at the beginning with page one. So check it out! And keep scrolling to see how it progressed from thumbnails (then keep reading, there’s more important info after the images!).
I’m working on the lettering for these pages now, so I’ll be sharing the final, lettered version of the page soon. And if you’re enjoying Aimee’s artwork, be sure to check out her Instagram and her website!
I also have an update about a project I’m working on for an urban fantasy anthology called Concrete Arcanum. My story for it is a four-pager called Olive and the Ogre. It’s about a young girl living in New York who feels out of place until she befriends an ogre named Glarf. A couple days ago, Sara Setna, the awesome artist I’m working with on the project, sent me her thumbnails and they look really great! I love her page layouts, and some of the shot choices she went with were unexpected in the best way. Her pages have a lot of variety and dynamism, and I can’t wait to see the pencils! I highly recommend you take a look at her work on her Instagram and her ArtStation page.
As far as comics I’m reading, I finally got around to Three Jokers, by Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok, like I mentioned I was planning to do last week. I liked it a lot. I especially enjoyed the interaction between Babs and Jason. I’m not necessarily sure it needed to turn romantic — their kiss kind of makes things awkward between them. But I love the empathy she shows him. I think one of Jason’s big struggles in life is allowing himself to really feel that there are people who care for him, so that kind of support from Babs is exactly what he needs. The scene where she tells him she really would have been there for him after A Death in the Family if she’d known he was alive just pulls at my heartstrings. It’s so good.
I also read The Me You Love in the Dark by Skottie Young and Jorge Corona. I have mixed feelings about Ro becoming romantically involved with the monster. (Is this a theme for me? Am I just not in a romantic mood this week, lol??) But overall, I really enjoyed it. I think Ro uses her experience with the ghost monster as a way to explore her own darkness and challenges, and she learns more about who she really is as a result. So I liked what was going on thematically. And the artwork is beautiful!
Also, a reminder that the Doctor Strange giveaway I’m a part of is still going on. Click here to share your email with some amazing indie urban fantasy comics creators and you’ll be entered to win $300 of Doctor Strange merch!
And finally, on a slightly more personal note…I got contacts earlier this week! It’s nice to have the option of not wearing glasses, but it makes me feel so exposed to the world to not have them on my face! It reminds me of that moment in Batman: Year One (by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli) where Batman has just saved an infant James Jr., but as Bruce, not Batman. And Jim Gordon, who sees the whole thing, tells Bruce, “You know, I’m practically blind without my glasses.” Of course, this is Jim’s attempt at plausible deniability…he knows Batman’s identity now but he’s going to pretend he doesn’t. Anyway, the point is, that feeling of being vulnerable without your glasses is definitely relatable!
Well, that’s it for me this week. As always, I’d love to connect with you on Instagram, @sarahcookewriter and @nospellcomic.
Have an awesome day!
Best,
Sarah