Tag: Sorcery 101

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.

Chapter 30 part 2

Title page
This is one of my weaker title pages. I wanted Pat to stand out from the rest of the picture. That’s why he’s in all red. I have him walking away from Ally and Suzanne cause they are both closer to what he used to be. Like I said it doesn’t quite work.

page 1151 – 1152

Pat signing up for Alpha Phoenix should be taken as a sign that at least for now he wants to live but is lost. The Mage Council still wants to kill him and his relation to Ally is his only protection from that. He will need to sign up own his own eventually. So he’s thinking about the future, which is a start.

Suzanne picks up on the giving up theme from the other part of the chapter. She’s also not in a great place mentally. Her exchange with Ally is something I wanted to have a lot of edge to both sides of the conversation. Suzanne and Ally’s mom have a lot in common except for one big difference. Suzanne lost EVERYTHING. Ally’s mom just lost her husband. So Suzanne’s judgement is from not immediately realizing she is kinda saying Sarah’s vengeance is more important than Ally getting to have her mom again. Her apology is because she realized she would want that too.

page 1153 – 1157

Pat’s lost. SYSBOLISM BAM.

Not gonna lie, this whole scene is mostly because after writing like a chapter with Aaron I thought, him and Pat would probably get along. He should get to drunk together and talk about how Seth is terrible. Aaron calls Pat, Steven which is Ally’s dad’s name. It’s probably good Pat didn’t end up going to Sarah’s house.

I maybe should have colored dark circles under Pat’s eyes to show he is still under fed. So it’s clearer he doesn’t look well and that’s why Aaron is giving him the bottle. This whole scene is kinda just Pat taking things in. That last panel on 1156 came out jsut how I wanted it.

While Pat’s all grumpy about being a vampire, I think this is the closest I get to making it 100% his guilt/angst/depression doesn’t come from killing people as a vampire. It comes from the ones he did before. Becoming a vampire and not instantly becoming evil means all those he killed might not have been as evil as he thought and his whole life was a lie.

page 1158 – 1163

They are all just talking weapons and fighting. Ya know, girl shit.

Everyone in this room is a great role model of Rebecca. I figured I’d make it clear that Rebecca is going to a special werewolf/mage power safe school.

I had more dialogue for Ally and Sarah on page 1160 at first but I cut it because Suzanne being alone and left out is more important. So the dialogue comes back once Suzanne and Sarah start talking. Suzanne’s lack of response for after she kills Seth is supposed to reflect Pat’s lack of answer about what to do next.

I tried to make the lily’s obviously the same ones Aaron bought earlier. Sarah’s instant violent reaction is cause I wanted to show her pain was still there. Even though she took the path Suzanne doesn’t really have, they both still have the same pain and rage there. So I wanted to end on a sad picture of Suzanne because she is basically doomed. Her “Why” can really only end one way.

page 1164 – 1166

Pat is looking at his bottle of blood the same way Suzanne was looking at her beer bottle. I wanted to tied them together. Also both her and Pat are separate from the family scene/connection between Ally and Rebecca.

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.

Chapter 30 part 1

Title page
I went with blue green cause since this part of the chapter’s title page. That’s cause it’s mostly in one location and deals with Pat’s suicide attempt. I also kept it mostly monochrome since the only none room scenes are flashbacks. The title is from another Barenaked Ladies which I was also trying not to have this whole chapter be melodramatic.

page 1134 – 1136

I wanted Kayla to come in slowly since she doesn’t know what state Pat is in. I wanted a slow build up until Pat says he can’t stand. I also wanted to show that vampires end up immobile before they starve to death. Also I wanted to build up to Pat’s statement about not caring. Kayla taking it to mean something different is supposed to be a comment on how he has treated her in the past.

page 1137 – 1139

So I read A Man’s Search for Meaning in high school and one line stuck with me. I would need to look up the exact wording but to paraphrase it’s a man with a why to live can endure almost any how. It was something I always kept in mind with Pat and I’ll probably keep in mind for any extremely depressed characters like him. Before this chapter Pat’s why for going forward was the possibility of a cure. Kayla’s question about Danny, Will, and herself are her clumsily trying to find Pat a knew why. And since she doesn’t actually know much about him, they don’t stick. She can however through his asshole remarks back in his face, which is maybe not the best way to deal with someone who is suicidal.

page 1140 – 1145

Pat is full of shit when he says becoming a vampire instantly changes you. That’s just what he was brought up believing. It helped him be more ruthless while killing demons, werewolves, and vampires. Pat’s exchange with Kayla about his wife is cause I wanted to make it clear they weren’t some whirlwind romance. He says what he had with her before the flashback. That’s community, family, purpose. Stuff he is severely lacking now.

Flashback scene is based off pictures I took in Southern France while I did a semester abroad. That guy with one arm is Pat’s brother. Remember how Pat instantly knew the cult who nabbed William’s deal? Basically that’s how his brother lost an arm. I nothing you is statement wish popped more in media. Obviously stronger emotions cause more drama but this can be so much more brutal if you really do care. This isn’t that case but I did want their overly formal pragmatism be a contrast to what Kayla probably imagines after hearing that Pat became a vampire to save his wife. Even Pat putting his wife on a train to save her is fairly calm.

page 1146 – 1150

Kayla should never work for the suicide hotline. Hey Pat, you aren’t killing yourself correctly! Also, Pat is going with what he thought would be the least painful.

I like the series of silent panels where Kayla is done arguing with Pat and just feeds him. I wanted to show how quickly Pat gets some of his strength back too. He is also hungry enough that survival takes over fairly quick even if he is still suicidal.

I tried my best to draw the same panel before and after the flashback. This flashback could maybe thought to show Pat loved his wife more than I meant it to. Really he’s thinking about what he was looking for/his why before the books. Kayla mentioned 47 years and well Pat’s about a hundred. He definitely had a few decades as a vampires before his book search. And now he needs something else to keep going.

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.

Chapter 29

Title page
Still playing around with ways to make covers more designy. I looked a little at the opening of Cowboy Bebop when I did this one. I tried the lack of contour lines out on one side.

Page 1109 – 1112

Their outside Damien’s palace which has been scene once before but I didn’t assume people would know that by looking at it. So I made sure to mention it later in the chapter. I also wanted to show there was more going on in the country Damien lives in than the plot is involved in.

Everything Lope and Suzanne do in this scene is to quickly establish who they are for people who haven’t read As We Were. So we get Lope’s English lesson and them quickly taking care of a demon that is following them. Suzanne doing most of the violence while Lope hangs back. Then is establishes that everything is delaying Suzanne from hunting down Seth.

page 1113 – 1117

So I looked up how long it takes a broken femur to heal. And then made a note that Danny needs to stay on cruches for that long. And then tried to think of stuff he’s not gonna do while on those cruches, such as go down a long flight of stairs.

I had fun drawing the street while Danny waits for Brad and Ally. Suzanne immedately assumes Seth did it, but she’s pretty victum blamey about the whole thing. I figured she is pretty harsh on that end because she is also victum blaming toward herself when it comes to Seth.

Lope and Danny’s conversation is to tell people who don’t know him from As We Were a few things very quickly. I always have it that he usually understands English but doesn’t talk to humans a lot. So he learned mostly by listening and not getting an explaination. So he doesn’t know that boyfriend is different from boy friend. His dealing with humans is limited enough that he doesn’t actually know what humans are capible of. So he whispers even though him and Danny are outside. Also he is behind the times tech wise. No cell phone. And finally him and Suzanne travel a lot so no landline or mail box.

I wanted the transition to be the exposition both Lope and Suzanne give rather than wasting time repeating it.

page 1118 – 1122

Even though Suzanne assumed Seth did it, she does at least check to make sure it wasn’t Damien, given her recent experience.

Danny’s always has stilted conversations with Suzanne. I figure her friendliness goes to Ally first, then Brad, and she just tolerates Danny. Their whole arguement is kinda a passive verse active way to deal with the same problem. Neither of them really have the reasources to deal with Seth, to the arguement switches to Damien to is an easier antagonist to deal with. Also, Danny’s dismissel of “I donno, he’s crazy” is to show how little thought Danny has paid Damien.

Suzanne storming off and Lope’s expression are supposed to hint that this isn’t an uncommon occurance for her.

page 1123 – 1130

Connor being a dick all through werewolf lessons is basically what Danny deals with everyday that Connor’s not asleep in class. Him asking about Seth is more signs that he and Seth have been sleeping together. He is sorta hopefully standing up with Seth with the little info he has, only to learn the whole story. His bad mood should be understandable once he has learned how bad a decision he has made romantically.

Lope and Danny’s conversation goes much better than Danny and Suzanne. I wanted to make sure while Suzanne’s dislike of Danny was clear. Lope and Danny are on good terms. Also that Lope’s mission isn’t to help Suzanne kill Seth. It’s more complicated than that.

page 1131 – 1133

And while everyone is thinking about Seth, we check in with the antagonist no one thinks about. Damien gets dismissed as crazy and not having a reason for focusing on Brad. I wanted to show he does have a reason. Even if it’s one he doesn’t understand. Also, Cassia is very much not giving a shit about Brad, but supports Damien when he gets shouty about it. So Damien is honestly getting played as much as Danny.

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.

Chapter 28 part 2

Title page
This title page is pretty on the nose. I think after now I’m more fond of the later pictures I’ve drawn of Danny where he is tangled in ropes of blood. But the knife to his throat worked at the title.

page 1077 – 1080

This whole set up is designed to give you JUST enough info that someone could guess she was running from Seth without saying it. I had fun drawing the run down alley way and I like the detail I came up with that the werepanther lady has her tail disguised as a belt.

panel 1081 – 1087

Seth gets to make his dramatic bad guy enterance. I wanted to show Danny’s face right before I showed Seth’s to make it clear Danny knew exactly who it was. Seth’s face came out really good in that reveal. What came out less good, is Seth casually tossing his knife on the next page.

Seth is intentionally saying think in both sentences. I maybe should have had him say it 3 times to be clear. This whole exchange I had a lot of fun writing. I like Seth throwing a rock at Danny to stop the spell. I like the low angle I used when Seth makes fun of Danny stuttering. I like Danny taking a stand against Seth. I like the tiny panels were Seth pokes Danny’s bleeding head then licks it. And of coarse I like how brutal the panel of him breaking Danny’s leg it.

And while the focus is on Danny and Seth, I made sure we say Eartha getting something out of her pocket. Her whole breif conflict with Seth is about undercutting all his cockiness as he messes up Danny. Her last panel showing her calmly walking away from an unconsciou Seth and Danny is intentional.

panel 1088 – 1092

Danny definatelly has a few broken ribs and arm to go with his severely broken leg. I tried to keep both phone conversations on Danny’s side as much as possible. It gives some distance between him and his friends. Him throwing a rock as Seth is a little bit of pay back for his own rock to the head. Thats one of those little motions that I don’t think it as successful in the comic as I would like.

Danny hearing the big emotion kick while he’s already down is something that need it’s own page. I wanted a page that was just Danny reacting to that news. Also, no one in Sorcery 101 says Fuck until this point. I think if you want something to have maximum impacted you should us it sparingly. So because I wanted this moment where Danny shouts fuck to have more a punch, no one could say it before this. I’m not as careful with the word fuck in other stories.

panel 1093 – 1095

In this scene, I had fun with Kayla testing Will’s vision while he uses his powers. Also, it was important to me that they took care of Danny best they could but Seth is kinda tossed into a corner. And before we get Asagi’s reveal I wanted to hint at how badly this is going to go for Pat before the party starts.

page 1096 – 1100

Asagi’s intro was something I rewrote a few times. Aaron and Loki asking for permission to investagate Seth was the one constant. His whole deal is supposed to be he comes off as nice, friendly, pleasant, and a little fussy. The only hint that Asagi is a bad person is supposed to be his association with Seth. He also is wearing gloves in this first appearance cause I was playing with the idea that maybe he has a scarred up hand from something invovling Suryu which he hides.

But that attention to appearance is something I mantained in the rest of the comic. And him being fussy about appearances and detail is why this is the only scene where Aaron has combed his hair and shaved. He dressed more fromally than usual. No one else gets this from Aaron. Also all of Asagi’s words are carefully chosen. he doesn’t tell them he gives them permission or approval of killing Seth. Just that he won’t interfere and he complement Aaron on being smarter rather than putting them down or expressing his doubt.

Asagi is however just as brutal as Seth. He is just cleaner about it. As show by how he just grabs Pat without a word and procedes to crush his skull under his foot.

page 1101 – 1108

Asagi once again being poliet and nonthreatening. But tilts his hand of being as nice as he seems, cause he does ask to BUY Kayla. And to contrast that, even though Pat does care about Danny he does literally kick him when he’s down. Even though it’s to keep him awake.

So Pat’s little breakdown happens while he is in private cause he buys into all that repressed emotions are manly bullshit. I wanted kinda a slow build up to the crashes in the storage room. I maybe should have put in one panel of Pat’s faces before he decides to leave the room.

Seth awakes to get a slap and a lecture. And just as Asagi is the only one Aaron shaves for, he is the only one Seth apologizes to.

This last page came out well. When Danny gets his leg broken the colors became more red, this scene I slowly do that again. Each panel has a little more red into the pallet. This is a slower injury to Danny. That last panel as Seth walks away I wanted Danny to look as small as possible as Seth takes up more of the panel.

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.

Chapter 28

Title page
Since this is the quiet before the storm sorta chapter I wanted the title page to reflect that. And since Danny spends most of his time in the lake I figured something peaceful and kinda sad with him in the water would work.

Page 1060 – 1062

So sexy times with heavy shadows to keep stuff pg-13. And there are only so many angles you can do that and make it not weird so I got to the mood killer right away. The “AGAIN” gets it’s own panel so push this is a conversation that has happened several times before. Also because it’s something that has happened before I didn’t want them to have a big long fight.

page 1063 – 1066

This whole chapter I like because it’s one of the few times Ally and Danny get some quality talking time and I had a lot of fun drawing the water and their reflections. Over all I like this chapter a lot. Also Danny is skinny dipping for symbolism. This is him at his most vunerable so having him be naked I thought was fitting.

I really like how the art turned out on these pages. Especially Ally’s reaction to putting her feet in the cold water.

page 1067 – 1070

Danny’s face is obsured in a lot of these pages cause I thought it would be more dramatic and isolate him more. There are also a lot of quiet silent panels cause I wanted this to get built up to. He really does need to think it over. There are also a lot of upshots of Ally and down shots of Danny because he’s the one who feels small in this scene.

page 1071 – 1076

The “camera” stays very close until Ally sorta changes the topic. Then it pulls out cause they are very briefly talking about something less intamet or at least attempting too. Then it goes back in when they start talking about the blood bond. This continues until Danny’s “I donno” cause I wanted Danny to be a small central figure. Then I do that again when he says “I’m scared.” That’s when he is his smallest in this chapter. Then the close up of Ally’s hand on his should is supposed to contrast that. Kinda he’s not alone and as small as he feels.