Pickup Pages
Because sometimes, more is better
Sometimes, a story needs to be cut down by a few pages. I’d say that happens more than often, actually. However, in rare cases, adding pages might help. It’s not often, though — you don‘t want to find yourself adding too much, or shoehorning in unnecessary scenes.
After wrapping and reading the first Illümon book, I realized I could add in a page to flesh out a scene. The scene was originally 6 pages and written intentionally restrictive, as I was considering publishing this story in single issue floppies with a publisher. That meant cutting down on pages and really conforming to a certain page count. But, because I went with the self-publishing route, there‘s more breathing room with page count. The only restriction is the cost of paper!
So I’ve added this page to help let the scene catch its breath! It’s a splash page showing an up-close and personal shot of one of the monsters from the book. It’s (hopefully) impactful and effective.
Well, it would be, but now the pagination is off. This means that pages on the right side of the book will now appear on the left side of the book instead, and that’s not great. This can ruin the storytelling and devastate double page spreads, so that means there needs to be a second page created to correct the pagination.
So, there’s a new problem: what do I add to the story when it doesn’t need anything else? Well, one of my favourite things is silence! Shout it with me: silence! Three cheers for silence! I love pages that are essentially a moment frozen in time. Simple reactions, simultaneous and telling. This scene is a particularly tense one, where two girls have unleashed monsters they can’t possibly hope to contain or fight, and they’re unable to escape. So here’s what now follows:
No dialogue, just two monsters having a stare down while two girls watch on in horror and suspense. It lets the scene breathe, and lets the reader catch their own breath before the maelstrom of action on the subsequent pages. Mission accomplished, and it didn’t add anything unnecessary!
All of this is to say: if you need to add or cut one page, consider that you may need to add or cut two. If you’d like to read ILLÜMON: Seven Rays of the Sun, you can scoop up a copy here!
Update: New Power Rangers Pages
A couple of months ago, I was given the reigns to write and draw a short story in the world of Power Rangers. I just recently submitted it all, and it’s good to go! You’ll find it in their Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Deluxe Edition Three in 2024. For now, here’s a sneeky peeky at one of the un-lettered pages. If you’re interested in owning a page from the book, shoot me a message.
New Samurai Grandpa Music Drop
Last up, Samurai Grandpa is getting its own retro-video-game-inspired soundtrack, and here’s a new track from that. It’s been fun putting these together. Just a few more to go before it’s all wrapped.