Cover
So I told Shazzbaa that the chapter pages would be cool monotone. Before starting the comic I gave her drawings of Lope and Suzanne since I know how they’d look in Sorcery 101. So they’d have a similar body type even though our styles are different. I also gave her notes on mannerisms, like Lope doesn’t touch strangers without asking.
page 1 – 8
I thought starting with a comparison of how the two main characters handles puddles would be fun. I also thought starting out with an argument about Lope’s faith in fate would also be a good contrast. I let Shazzbaa know before hand that all Lope’s signs of his Goddess should be lucky but not unbelievable, like the tiny rocks in this scene. So Lope thinks his Goddess is taking care of him because he is looking for evidence of that.
This fight was important because I wanted to show Suzanne being competent and a quick thinker while Lope mostly powered up his spell. Spells, especially powerful ones, take while to say. So Suzanne is mostly keeping the werepanther busy.
All of Suzanne’s spanish is thanks to Jose who drew From Scratch. I now know how to say a lot of curses.
Lope’s spell is the one Danny tries and fails several times in Sorcery 101. One other thing is the effect it has on Lope is something you never see happen to Danny because of Danny’s blood bond.
page 9 – 12
Lope and Suzanne on the street the next morning is a way to get some exposition about them across in a way that felt natural. I wanted it immediately clear Lope isn’t human so when you see what he really looks like it’s not a surprise. Also while Seth isn’t ever present in the comic he is important to everything going on and needed mentioning early. I also wanted the background to do the storytelling of them being followed.
page 13 – 17
The first scene with Nam is mostly in Lope’s native language. I put a key in the book and ebook. But I tired to keep Nam’s dialogue unimportant except for what Lope repeats to Suzanne. All the reader is really missing out on is Nam being an asshole. But here is what they are saying:
Nam? Is that you?
Yes, dumbass. Now get this bitch away from me!
What are you doing here?
Looking for you.
For what?
Ozar has been caught. We need you to be present for his exicution.
Can I take Suzanne with me?
No humans on the island.
I would like her to be my companion.
Fine. We’ll tell people she is a shifter.
Really? Thank you!
There is a lot of Lope’s culture that I made up but doesn’t getting fully explored in the comic. But companion can mean anything from a close friend to a lover. Lope and Suzanne aren’t having sex but Nam does take it that way.
page 18 – 22
So the dock scene is just catching Suzanne up on some of the info that she missed in the conversation she and the reader didn’t understand. I also wanted to show that Lope is pretty well trusted and taken at his word on things. His saying Suzanne isn’t human is never challenged the whole time they are in Nistay.
As I said most of the dialogue in the crypt gets repeated if it’s important. But here’s whats said in this scene.
Did you tell her yet?
Um… I’ll do it now.
You are on your own. I barely know enough emough human to introduce myself.
Your companion is a bitch.
She has been through a lot.
Does it have something to do with the scar?
Vampire.
Nam is impressed with Suzanne fighting a vampire because Nistay only hears about the super powerful vampires. They don’t have them.
page 23 – 25
Here we have Suzanne’s family getting killed. I wanted her flashbacks to go backwards. So we get the most terrible stuff first to explain her coarse attitude. I told Shazzbaa to use red so it matched Sorcery 101 Seth flashbacks. I wanted Seth curb stomping to be forceful. So it’s over several thin tall panels. Seth’s instructions for Suzanne’s dad to put his mouth on the step is what he tells Suzanne before killing her. Again Suzanne is resourceful even before learning to fight for real. She stabs Seth with his own knife.