Here is another batch of writer notes on Sorcery 101. If you want to read ahead on these got ahead on these head over to my patreon.
Title page
Trying to keep up the symbolic designs. So I tried to combine the two more important elements of the story: the werewolf ghost and a silhouette of Cal who is getting set up for his last chapter. This is the only chapter without Danny in it.
Page 1209 – 1212
This scene is mostly exposition from a different story most of the cast isn’t directly involved in. I always like smaller scale stories but with hints of something the characters aren’t involved in are going on elsewhere. I kinda wanted to show what all the big powerful folks are focused on. Mainly it’s about keeping the supernatural a secret. Which isn’t good for Damien since he runs around telling everyone.
Asagi calls Frost Jim, which is the closest modern name to his real name. Frost not doing anything is supposed to show that for one Asagi is old and powerful enough to address Frost in a more familiar way and that Frost doesn’t protest means they are on okayish terms, despite Seth and Frost being an on going thing.
Also, Asagi the best at making “accidents” happen or having convenient coincidences work in his favor. This next scene is him starting to pull a string that will get him want he wants. One that’s isn’t obvious, so Mr. Tamura and Lucy who have all the facts maybe don’t realize his goal. He starts by buttering up Lucy about the job they are doing messing with Damien’s mind because he has done his homework on what Alpha Phoenix could be doing to handle Damien. Then he gives Lucy a nudge to maybe go looking for new recruits.
page 1213 – 1217
Brad is a nervous wreck. I purposely didn’t say Ally was pregnant here because I wanted the reader to find out for sure when Danny did. Brad’s extreme worry is also explained later in that scene. They have been through this several times and it only once ended well. But Brad’s nervousness is why he goes instead of Ally and Ally doesn’t really challenge him on that because well she hates Cal.
With Danny still injuried Lope is really the only bet. Still broken.
page 1218 – 1221
This is most exposition and establishing character interactions. It doesn’t get mentioned in Sorcery 101 but it does in As We Were, but Lope is a holy man of his religion. It’s why all the spells Danny knew when he started his lessons with Pat were light based and healing magic. Lope always tries to help and heal. So out of all the cast, he gets the most respect from Cal. However, Cal is still an ass to the memory of Suzanne.
I wanted the discover that it’s a werewolf ghost to be a team effort. Lope is the one you makes note of the dates even though he doesn’t know how human calendars work. Brad would be the one to know immediately the dates were all full moons after Lope read them out loud.
page 1222 – 1226
Lope mostly leads the way cause this is basically what he does with his whole life. This whole scene is mostly showing how he compitent he is, even when in mourning.
Also, as I said, Lope is about helping and healing. So his spell isn’t something that forces the ghost out. It’s about talking it down.
page 1227 – 1232
So for the wolf ghost design I went for a more monstrous looking wolf than what I make my werewolves look like. Cause it’s supposed to be magic memory wrapped by emotions. So since the ghost sees themself as a monster they are one. I maybe should have taken the time to work on this design more. But I was fairly crunched for time. There is a reason the chapter after this one is when Andrew starts coloring.
I used this conversation for Brad to work through his own werewolf related doubts. While the ghost starts to make Brad transform, you get the cliffnotes of the backstory I made. He was a priest who became a werewolf, then was hanged for witchcraft after being found out.
I tried to give Brad’s words STOP as much visual power as possible. That’s why I dropped everything except him and Lope.
And to immediately show something as changed about their surroundings I used that big pulled out down show and brought their surroundings to warmer colors.
page 1233 – 1235
This scene is happening while the others are inside dealing with the wolf ghost. There is mention earlier that something caused the ghost to be more violent. The mark Cal finds is the same one Lucy put on Damien’s chair. Cal recognizes who’s handy work it is. I always like Lucy talking while sitting in the air. It’s kinda fun to draw them free floating about. They also give Cal quick the list of times he has fucked up. Them all listed out like that is what screws Cal over. As long as Cal’s mental gynastistics could keep up making it seem like he’d not broken any rule, he wouldn’t fall. However, he was holding up well all through the comic. Hense being extra defensive about and shitty to “creatures of darkness.” So Lucy is pushing him over and getting a possible new recruit.
And luck just so happens that this recruit is so very close to the edge that even a vampire like Seth could see it coming a few months ago.
page 1236 – 1238
I made it dark to show these three were waiting for Cal for awhile. Lope’s whole reason for traveling with Suzanne was to stop her from doing what happened in Come Undone, but in a way that getting her to chose not to follow that path. Healing and helping. He’s really feeling like a failure right now.
Jay Edidin told me it was very heartbreaking to have Brad be the one to say “You can’t save everyone.” That line should be extra sad for folks who have finished the comic. A lot of the next few chapters I wanted to show what Lope calls hurting Danny in quieter ways. A lot of his lines in future chapters show Danny in a sorta hopeless state of mind.