COMIC PAGES
For this section, my two main goals were to figure out an atmosphere/color palette for the prologue comic and to make a tentative presentation of my work so far. For final assessment, I will be refining some things and adding some images, but this is closest to a final draft before that.
Colored in page samples
I experimented with different palletes using the first three pages of the Prologue. I tried out using cooler colors for a cold, somewhat supernatural atmosphere, which fits well enough in the panels with the monster. It feels paranormal, and I like the purple with the blue. However, I ended up preferring a more yellow color palette in the end, because it drives home the dry/dusty/dying environment which is rather important to the story.
Black & White vs. Color
The color adds so much to the images. I admit that somewhere at the back of my mind I was hoping to pull off just black and white with this story, because it’s much less work. Don’t think that will be possible, not when the results are so much better. So much of story is emotion, and color is all about emotion. I don’t know if I’m just biased or if I simply do not know the difference between telling a story in black and white vs in color.
There must be some rules that I’m not aware of. Most manga is in black and white and those stories are told marvelously. This is definitely something to look up, in addition to how one should color a comic in the first place. I did find some wonderful tips on YouTube from various creators, but the practical aspects tend to boil down to “make it readable”, “the most important thing is the story”. The technical aspects are all specific to one’s style, so not all advice is equal, but I did my best to approach the scenes like a cinematographer/lighting expert on a film set, working to push the given scenes in the right direction using light and color.
Project Presentation
Verner’s Tale is a project born out of the stories of Hans Christian Andersen, a project that seemed to grow all on its own once the characters took shape, as if they were just waiting to tell their own stories. What started out as a simple collection of designs meant to fill a portfolio, quickly coalesced into something bigger. Something with potential.
Original brainstorming session
I had intended to create completely separate projects for each section of this course, and the first had been character designs. But the questions I asked about each character, to flesh them out and give them life, built into a real story. Instead of staying separate, they interacted with each other, carving paths until they all reached the same road.
The story follows Verner as he goes on a quest to save a kingdom he doesn’t particularly like from a drought-curse of mysterious origin. There are no more magic users in Cederbjerg (or so they think) so at his sister’s request, he reluctantly departs from their dying island for the mainland. On the way, he allies with other familiar characters like Thumbelina (known as Maia, the Queen of Flowers) and the Brave Tin Soldier (known as Morten, recently turned human). But he also encounters new and old enemies like the monsters who seem to have followed him from Cederbjerg, Morten’s archenemy (a strange wizard, who has no intention of releasing Morten’s lady love, also turned human), and even Verner’s stepmother.
A journey to the Flower Kingdom turns into a journey to the Frozen North, where they somehow have to convince an irate Snow Queen to aid them, which in turn becomes a rescue mission. Just when it feels like they will never return to Cederbjerg to break the curse on his sister’s kingdom, old wounds are reopened and the dormant evil in the kingdom’s own walls is revealed. Will Verner’s and his new friends’ effort be in vain? Breaking a curse is no simple business, and despite all of his effort and grueling training, what can a minor disowned Princeling with a single swan wing do?
Verner’s Tale Intro:
Years ago, Verner and his ten brothers were turned into swans.
Their sister saved them… mostly.
But every action has consequences,
And though he has no love for his sister’s Kingdom, Verner, the youngest brother must travel far away to the Hidden Flower Kingdom to beg their queen for help.
The road will be unforgiving… and dangerous,
But perhaps there may be some pleasant surprises to be had on the way.
Hans Christian Andersen created the little brother who keeps a swan wing at the end of “The Wild Swans”, but he never quite explained what happened to him later. So, this is Verner’s Tale!
The Characters
Verner
The single-winged Prince himself.
May his posh appearance not fool you, for he was entrusted with this vital quest with good reason!
Young Prince Verner lives in a small kingdom with his sister and brother-in-law. He loves her with all of his heart, and for this reason resents everyone else, especially his brother-in-law. To make a long story short, the King and his kingdom had all believed her to be an evil witch for simply making shirts out of nettles and had nearly burnt her at the stake for it. A few years before, he and his ten other brothers had been cursed by their stepmother to travel the world as swans. The only person able to save them had been their sister who made shirts to turn them back into humans. His shirt had not quite been completed before they reached the executioner’s side, so he will forever have a swan’s wing instead of an arm. She had forgiven everyone almost instantly, but Verner is not able to do so quite yet. But when the kingdom is in trouble because of a mysterious curse and the last witch is found dead, he must set out on a quest to find the Queen of the Flowers, who might know something about breaking it.
Morten
Morten is on his own mission to rescue someone dear from a nefarious wizard.
But his path is derailed so he joins Verner to the Flower Kingdom. Will he find a way to defeat the wizard there?
A little boy throws his tarnished toy in the oven and both it and a little paper doll turn to ash. All that remains is a tin heart and a tinsel rose. Then the boy’s mother discards the remains in the forest. A gnome walks by, and even though she isn’t very magical, even she can sense the strong will-to-live, wish-to-exist, hope-for-something-more, in other words, Steadfastness exuding from the ashes and creating strong magic all on their own. All she does is give the little tin heart and tinsel rose the slightest of magical nudges and two people literally spring to life. They have little time to be in equal parts overjoyed and discombobulated before a strange and greedy person attacks them and snatches up the newly human dancer. And the man who used to be a toy, still confused and missing a leg, is barely able to make sense of what happened before he is knocked out too. His mission in life becomes to find the evil creature (who is also a wizard) and save the only person in the whole world who is like him. It is as he’s chasing the wizard that he meets Verner and joins him on his quest, hoping that the Queen of the flowers would be able to give him an advantage over the evil wizard Azdar.
Runa
Runa invites herself along.
She’s not been on a proper quest yet, and she’s long due!
Her first meeting with Verner and Morten involves being held at gunpoint, but what’s a bit of highway robbery between friends?
Runa is an expert robber among robbers and very proud of her profession. She has matured much since the time she first met Gerda and took her to see the Snow Queen, and is only a brat when it suits her, rather than all the time. She and her men snatch up Verner and Morten whilst they sleep and she has plenty of fun goading them to distract herself from the still-aching grief left behind by her dearly departed mother. When she finds out about their quest, she invites herself along and they reluctantly allow her to join, seeing as they need a guide in the mountains.
Maia
Her Excellency the Queen of Flowers had absolutely not planned a research trip this year, but Verner’s case is too interesting to pass up (much to the consternation of her Royal Council.)
However, she does not have all the materials she needs to find the solution to his Kingdom’s curse so a little trip to the North is, unfortunately, necessary…
Maia is the Queen of the Flowers, who has both the power granted to her by her station and one the most extensive magical libraries in the world, which she has studied extensively. When the adventuring trio arrive at her doorstep, she is instantly fascinated by the problem they describe and does her best to find a solution. She has a few ideas to experiment with and prepares to depart with them for Verner’s kingdom. Then, just as they leave the kingdom, they are attacked by Morten’s evil wizard, Azdar, who curses her to stay at her size, greatly limiting her magic. They are then forced to travel up north to the Snow Queen’s realm, because Maia requires a specific book she just happens to not have in her possession.
Ida
The Snow Queen is the owner of the most complete library on the subject of curses.
She has also never been on good terms with humans.
Good luck with that, Verner!
Ida, the Snow Queen, used to live very peacefully as an only slightly more magical polar bear than most polar bears. Then, one day Old Man Winter rests just outside her cave, and she cannot help herself from asking one or two questions about magic, the stars, and the ice and snow. What she did not know was that the Old Man was dying and needed to name a successor as soon as possible, and seeing her curiosity, intelligence and love for her home, he decides there will be no better candidate. He transfers his magic and title then pretty much immediately dissolves in the ether, leaving a very confused, and now much-more-than-human-or-bear Ida behind. The solitary, immortal life of the Snow and Winter Queen did not bother Ida much at first, but loneliness can reach even the most cold hearted of people, so when a little boy attaches himself to her sled, she thinks nothing of taking him with her. And when little Kay leaves, she experiences loneliness like she never had before. So when a group of miscreants barges onto her land a few years later, and one of them (Runa, who else?) taunts her about Kay, she is not best pleased.
Glimpses into their adventures:
Verner and Morten, caught in a Robber’s Den. Runa has not been this entertained in years.
They don’t get along at first, but when push comes to shove…
Morten hasn’t liked much of humanity so far, but the little brat with a swan wing is alright.
If there’s one thing Ida and Maia can agree on, it’s the unnecessarily cryptic writing style of mage academics.
They must have lost their supplies at some point… foraging it is!
Ida is surprisingly accommodating in her bear form, though she will never admit it.
Someone seems to have bought an outdated map
In a world where magic can be anything from mysterious to mundane, to horrific, to spectacular magic users are both revered and feared in equal measure. To be a queen or an ancient winter spirit with useful abilities and access to all the ancient teachings is one thing, but to be nothing but a malformed victim of a stepmothers’ petty anger is quite another, especially when there is no benefit to Verner’s condition… unless…
The Comic
A three page (plus cover) sample of the comic prologue! Verner is caught unawares by one of the monsters lurking about Cederbjerg. The full prose version of the chapter can be read here: Verner’s Tale Prologue
More Progress Images!
Cover ideas
Sketches for the swan transformation scene
Sketchbook character explorations
Shapes! Each character has a specific shape, this isn’t all that obvious in a superficial sense, but it does help me when I’m drawing them.
Colors! It’s helpful to have a color key when drawing the same characters a lot.
Each character required quite a bit of research in terms of clothing, and in Ida’s case species. She was originally a bear, before Old Man Winter retired and thrust the responsibilities of an entire season upon her.
Some traditional work, in color
Original lineup
All in all, it was a wild process. I had zero plans to write a story, but the characters decided they wanted to exist all by themselves. Arriving to this point took a lot of trial and error, and I learned a lot about tackling a bigger project. Mostly about stepping back regularly and re-assessing. It was especially necessary here, because the face of the original concept changed so much. I had only wanted to make separate, simple portfolio images with only some stylistic elements to connect them and instead came up with an entire potential graphic novel project. Perhaps even a series of graphic novels. Judging by the fact that I tend to underestimate the number of pages needed for a single chapter and the sheer amount of notes I have on this story… a series probably isn’t out of the question, if I were to complete this.
In any case, I’m still learning to step back and not lose sight of the project goal as I work. I was flexible here, since the process was far more important than the product itself, but I had originally put quite some time into making concepts for a book cover, thinking that the direction of the whole project would be different. I wouldn’t say this was wasted time, but I will not use the work I did in the very first part of this series at all:
Front hardcover of a Wild Swand retelling.
