I did my first real, multiple panels a page, multiple pages comic, TERAFORM 8 year ago now. I had made various single panel cartoons for decades before that so a long single story with drawing the same character over and over was new. I re-read it this morning for the first time in years, after seeing in my website logs a couple of visitors had read it recently.
I could only get to work on it a few hours on weekends and it took months to finish using the traditional drawing, inking and coloring each frame. My goal when just half way through was JUST to finish it.
It looks rushed, which is understandable, but I do like the take on Climate Change, AI, the Media and Corporations I have in it. My love of THUNDERBIRDS, a secret organization doing good must had something to do with the approach too. Maybe it is more like a film pitch/treatment as a comic that just hits the main points, where in a longer/better comic those points would be revealed much more slowly rather than the characters just explaining it all. I was trying to be subtle, with the intentional misdirection with the early images of Mars. Implies Terraforming Mars, but that isn't what it is actually about.
If I had spent longer on it, the art would have been better, and with more panels of world building. Even characters drawn better. Doing it in all color added many hours and I would have been better off just doing it with line and gray tone and make it more manga like.
I did 2 other related comics after it, a page from the second one:
They are what they are.
I initially posted a link to them in a webcomic related site. I have only received one comment on them in 8 years.
I imagine that the color in the first two stories took a lot more work, but I found their style a bit easier to read than the third one.
The first was very much like a documentary, which reminds me of Arthur C. Clark. The second one actually has a character, so was more like Issac Asimov. Each style has its place, but the latter attracts a larger audience.
I agree with what he said, especially with the number of years since since doing it. The second comic has a sentient robot as the main character.
Rewatching the DEVO documentary again, I feel they too were rather too subtle for the public to understand their thesis that America was obviously de-evolving. Seems all to true now.
Other Things
Well it is the Christmas/New Years break now. For me that involves the kids and grandson visiting for a week and thinking about what happened this year, and what I think I want to do next year.
So far, I think I will attend the May 2026 Osaka Sound Messe and that is about it. There are tours by KRAFTWERK and DEEP PURPLE early in the year, but I don't care for huge crowded concerts anymore. A small sound house with a band I know is a much better experience.
Haven't made any new music in about 2 weeks, as the last 30 things I did all sound the same and I need to change my composition method a bit before continuing. I need to recharge.
Thinking about other interests I could get back to too, like where to go with my comics. I haven't done a comic book in 2 years now. Am I done with them? I don't know.
I did the last Stop Frame Animated Rock Opera episode 3 years ago and I know I aren't trying that again. A bunch of too long scenes, a few I actually like, strung together that don't make ANY sense, and the music doesn't help at all. It is a mess. The 5 episodes could be edited into a single MUCH SHORT thing that is actually interesting, possible with some voice over. Maybe one year, but I just got really sick of it.
Star Trek leaves Netflix Jan 8 2026. In the last few years I managed to finally get to see all of Deep Space 9, Voyager and Enterprise via Netflix. Missed most on their initial broadcasts back in the day, other than ST:TNG. They were mostly great. The original STAR TREK was on for many years, like Sunday afternoon, when I was in high school and I mostly didn't watch it. I have no memory of any S2 or 3 episodes and catching up with them at the moment. So dated, but also interesting stories.
Seasons Greetings
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