On the one.

One down, almost. It's got another couple hours to go, I think.

First impressions count for a lot. They often times set the tone for what's to follow. I find it a rare occasion where a film's sequel trumps the original. The apex of the thrill just isn't there on the second round of the roller coaster. And the second helping of delicious collards seldom satisfies you like that first round did.

Well...that last one may not be true. Lawdy ha' mercy. I love a collard.

Either way, it's not an absolute, but generally, it applies - first impressions do matter. This applies to you too, Mr. Clever Catch Phrase T-Shirt Guy, who doesn't like the looks he's getting.

I feel like today's post is a little more fulfilling than the past couple have been. And possibly a bit more interesting. I've discovered that in order to fully embrace the world I want to convey to my readers, I can't just be a comic book artist. I have to be a graphic designer, an architect, an editor...and wear a number of other hats. I actually sat down to illustrate this page yesterday, and realized I hadn't designed the most important structure in the story. So, after 2 days of toiling with it (and a trip to Target - yes, Target) - to gather some reference and/or inspiration on how to handle this complex, I finally concocted something I was satisfied with.

You'll notice very little physical ink on the original. I love perspective, especially linear perspective. I love it too much to leave it to my own judgment (with or without a straight-edge). So, while the bottom character got a nice brush-over, I relied on more precise measures to achieve the layout for the building that I wanted - like, some good ol' Photoschloppin'. And I'm glad I did. This page probably took me twice as long as the others will, simply because of the precision I was seeking. But once again, first impressions count. I do plan on shipping this baby out to publishers. So,they need to see that I have some idea of what I'm doing.

And since I don't have any idea what I'm doing, I need to be able to fake it.