Ok, the finished comic. The pages are all different dimensions and that's fine. This version is better drawn than the original and easier to read. Tried to keep the different layers here, the Shakespeare play, Joe's thoughts (poem), his general dissatisfaction with life and lack of drive to do anything about it. Not a happy story, sure. Not meant to be. It's not even bleak as that would take more ambition than Joe has. This and he are meant to reflect those of us that feel adrift in life, that our few moments of screaming are met with quiet apathy. For Joe, life is a shrug. There's beauty all around him, and he knows it, he just can't be bothered to look up and see. This is starting to sound too much like an artist's statement. Hate those. So, here's a comic. The main character's an otter because.
Ok, so this is indeed a somewhat unpleasant image. It's the same as the original, though pulled back a little. The point of him being on the can while playing the Nintendo is to really show isolation, escape and as mundane an activity as possible at the same time. Everything he's doing here is meant to show a lack of reaching out, of dealing with the world pretty much on every level. Thick and thin metaphor I don't really expect people to get (which is not to say that I'm particularly clever). This whole comic is based on things I've gone through in one way or another, except page 4. No girl's ever directly asked me out like that. Anyway, this is the last page without text. Today I decided on how the various bits of text will appear, so that's a job for tomorrow.
Next page. A straight on view is, I think the hardest as it's so easy to try and do things utterly symmetrical. That would look unnatural but if the details are TOO far off, it's even worse. Still, this seemed the best angle for what I needed. Using a bit more of the linework in the final image. Moving on.
Here's the re-draw of page two. I altered the angle a LOT from the original, deciding to go worm's eye instead of straight on. That's one thing lacking in my work, a change of angle and it's a weakness. Took photos of me for ref, though this is all freehand. I wish I could skip a step, but to get that organic feel to the lineless Illustrator image, I need to do a pencil and ink drawing then drop out the lines as a last step. Which is fine as it means I get a nifty inked drawing out of the deal. For this, though, I really like the plain color version and think it works best for the story. Why am I redrawing a story? Can't I leave well enough alone? Well, no, I can't. Why? I'm the only one I know that actually -liked- "Sound and Fury," which is reason enough to leave it alone. Thing is, I never felt like I really gave it my best shot. Now that I've found the right way to approach it, I'm going to finish it. Too bad. I can be buried with it, doesn't matter to me. It's something I feel strongly about, so I'll keep going. Besides, it's only five pages long...
Just some morning warmup with Joe. This is a personal character not because he represents me but more because I continue to draw him in the face of general apathy. "Sound and Fury" is a favorite of my own stories as I think it really represents a subset of today's youth. Joe doesn't reach very far or try very hard. He's sort of awash in the middle somewhere, a part which is akin to me. He's a decent guy, but unremarkable. He's the friend you only later realize is there in the group. He's not totally forgotten; he is included though usually because he's with someone else. He works in retail or perhaps food service. He might make it into an office someday, though he won't rise very far. He's kind of a sad character I suppose yet reflective, I think of a lot of people. I like him but he's his own worst enemy.
