Welcome to Zatswan: Multiversal Guardian. I hope you are ready for an amazing adventure!
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At last, I finished all the redraws for Chapter 1 of Zatswan: Multiversal Guardian. This is a big accomplishment and I’m very proud of the work I have done. It took time and effort, but I know these revisions have significantly enhanced Zatswan, and I personally feel better about the book in general. Here is the final batch of pages!
I received advice from trusted confidants who suggested that I should continue moving forward, leaving the original artwork untouched and allowing people to witness my artistic progression on their own. I do understand the rationale behind this advice. However, it’s crucial to recognize that you only get one chance to make a first impression, and I’m determined to make Zatswan captivate new readers right from the very beginning. After all, the potential for million-dollar deals could very well hinge on these initial pages.
I wanted to feel good about my work. Zatswan is something I poured a lot of energy and heart into, and I knew I could do much better than the previous draft of artwork. While I’ve mentioned it before, the old art wasn’t dreadful by any means, but I saw numerous avenues for improvement. I wanted to free myself from the constant nagging thoughts about its potential every time I glanced at the first chapter or contemplated it.
I know what some may be thinking. That I’m eventually going to feel that I can do much better than the redone pages. That day may come, but I can objectively assess these pages. With my experience as an artist, I can confidently say that the redone pages already meet a very high standard for comics, and this is unlikely to change even as I continue to improve. So, long story short, the redone pages are definitely here to stay.
Regarding this specific batch, my strong motivation for the redo stems from the fact that these pages provide our initial glimpse of Zodoss, a crucial setting in the Zatswan series. It’s vital to me that this locale leaves a powerful and lasting impression right from the start. Please note that the final page of the chapter is not included here, as it was already redrawn some time ago.
This isn’t the end of the redraws. There are a few pages and panels that I want to work on for chapters 2 and 3, but I want to stress that they really are few. I’m certainly not going to give those chapters a complete visual overhaul. I don’t feel they need that, but there are a few niggling instances that I want to see to.
Even though I still have some work left to do, I felt this accomplishment deserved a celebration, so I treated myself to donuts. A cherry frosted sprinkle, raspberry jelly, and glaze twist!
See you soon, Zatswan fans!
I’ve been planning to create updated artwork for the site, and I’ve gradually been doing so. It began with a painting for the banner and a character profile piece for A.C. Cooper, which is available here. While on a vacation with my girlfriend, I opted to take a break from my usual work for the comic. I brought along only watercolor pencils and paper, borrowing her fancy fountain pens for inking. This allowed me to focus on crafting more character profile artwork for the site without overpacking my supplies.
Check out this Allecka Xona character profile work that I did while in the hotel room:
Watercolor pencils are highly portable and versatile, allowing easy blending for a variety of colors, negating the need for numerous pencils. Unlike markers, which necessitate many to cover a wide color range, a single watercolor pencil can achieve a broader spectrum through water dilution and pigment variation on paper.
However, watercolor pencils shine best with water, unlike markers which are more or less dry. Consequently, using watercolor pencils to their potential requires pricier paper to endure water application, unlike marker paper. This balance of pros and cons applies to all art mediums, with no ultimate choice. This is why I enjoy using various mediums.
During a hotel stay, a fire alarm malfunction caused my girlfriend and I to have to leave the building and sit outside. I used the opportunity to discuss mainstream Marvel and DC Comics versus her Webtoon preferences.
Her insights can be found in the video below!
Here are some new old pages from Zatswan, featuring A.C. and Marlene in a wacky pocket universe. Readers have taken note of the pretty bizarre and detailed backgrounds in Zatswan, so now is a good time to talk about some of them.
One of my loves is retro gaming, in no small part due to my older siblings who always had game consoles around when I was growing up. I’ve always been fascinated by the amazing 2D pixel art in some of my favorite retro video games. The way the artists crafted outlandish and detailed scenarios over and over was truly impressive. Sega, in particular, was a developer that constantly pushed the boundaries with their creations. The environments from games such as the original Sonic: The Hedgehog games, Space Harrier, and Phantasy Star really drew me into their worlds and ignited my imagination.
One of my all-time favorite old games is Fantasy Zone II: The Tears of Opa-Opa!
I sometimes draw inspiration from the wild backgrounds in that game when creating my own unique environments. While I put my own spin on them, the zany concepts in Fantasy Zone II provide a solid foundation to build upon. See if you can catch the similarities between Zatswan and Fantasy Zone.
The third image showcased here captures the epic hero shot of Zatswan, A.C. Cooper. As a comic artist, I understand the importance of each instance in which you depict your hero. It’s an opportunity to truly sell readers on their character and essence, so I approach such illustrations with great care. In this particular artwork, the biggest challenge was creating a convincing glow effect. However, I’m pleased with the overall outcome and how well it turned out.
I’m proud of the design I created for Zatswan. Going back to the retro gaming influence, his boots and color scheme were partially inspired by the Metroid character Samus Aran, and her design while wearing the Varia Suit in the original 1986 Nintendo Entertainment System game.
While it’s understandable that people draw comparisons to Green Lantern, Zatswan possesses a subtly more aggressive appearance that sets him apart, as depicted in the severe and sharp lines seen in the costume, in contrast to Green Lantern’s more neutral and rounded lines, which can be seen in the Lantern logo. It was also a deliberate choice on my part to ensure that Zatswan’s energy looks distinct and unlike any other hero’s power.
The Zatswan logo is something I’m particularly happy about. Not only does it have an incredibly awesome visual appeal, but it also provides significant insights into the character. The incorporation of two squares within the logo represents the tesseract, which serves as the source of Zatswan’s power. The prominent “Z” is a clear symbol representing the name “Zatswan,” while the star field in the background elegantly captures his cosmic nature.
I’m coming pretty close to finishing up the redraws for Chapter 1. The next batch of pages will be the final stretch. After that, I’ll do a bit of touching up on Chapters 2 and 3. Nothing nearly as extensive as the work for Chapter 1. After that, Multiversal Guardian will be converted to Webtoon’s vertical scrolling format and posted on that site, and then…Zatswan: Stardust Romantique will be upon us!
Here are a couple more redone MULTIVERSAL GUARDIAN pages. Take a gander:
We have A.C. Cooper and Marlene Ja Lee on…is it a date? I guess that is up to interpretation. I have come across a number of readers who like the idea of A.C. and Marlene as a couple. However, at this point, readers will know A.C.’s real love interest is Princess Allecka Xona. At least for the time being. I confess there is still a possibility of A.C. and Marlene as a romantic item. I gave A.C., Marlene, and Allecka alternative love interests to build drama and uncertainty. Each of those characters has a romantic rival of sorts. Currently, it goes like this, but it is always subject to change as the story progresses:
A.C. Cooper’s love interests:
Main – Allecka Xona.
Alternative – Marlene Ja Lee
Marlene Ja Lee’s love interests:
Main – Gerald
Alternative – A.C. Cooper
Allecka Xona’s love interests:
Main- A.C. Cooper
Alternative – Lord Agryph Creojeanne
Just because someone is an alternative love interest to a character does not necessarily mean that the character has strong romantic feelings for them. For example, A.C. Cooper seems pretty happily enamored with Allecka Xona, but as we see in the above pages, he recognizes Marlene as an attractive woman who he doesn’t want to totally blow his chances with.
Keep reading to see how the relationships with the characters play out. You may be surprised. Or not! As I’ve mentioned in previous updates, the upcoming installment, ZATSWAN: STARDUST ROMANTIQUE, will dive head first into exploring A.C. Cooper and Allecka Xona’s romance. MULTIVERSAL GUARDIAN sets up the stage and players, and STARDUST ROMANTIQUE will deliver the action-packed adventure Zatswan fans are used to while going considerably deeper into the characters and their developing relationship.
Regarding the artwork of the above pages, it was largely painted with Dr. Ph. Martin’s Watercolor concentrate, which I am a massive fan of. I love collecting and using these little bottles of watercolor.
Dr. Ph. Martin’s Radiant Watercolor Concentrate is what was used extensively by Valiant Comics during the Jim Shooter years. Valiant had a really original and striking look, and these dye-based watercolor paints had the great majority to do with that. Take a look at this awesome page from MAGNUS, ROBOT FIGHTER.
Milestone Media also utilized the Valiant Comics method, but to my eye, the results came out quite worse, typically. From what I have seen. Of course, the results are not just a matter of the tools, but also how good one is at using them. Valiant had the benefit of Janet Jackson, who is a brilliant colorist and art director. Obviously, it’s all subjective, though. I just can’t recall being inspired by Milestone Media’s coloring as I have been with Valiant’s.
Anyway, as you might be able to tell, I’ve decided to be a bit more vocal about Zatswan and my thought process behind its creation. I’ve thus far taken a somewhat Steve Ditko approach in that I’ve largely been silent and simply let my work speak for me. This certainly has its benefits, but I also think letting the readers in on some behind-the-scenes information is good for building a connection with them. Annotations seem to be popular with comics writers these days, so I guess you can kind of think of these updates as something like those.
There are a number of things I’d like to talk about. For instance, I still get approached about my time running a Green Lantern website, so I think I will address Green Lantern and how it all relates to what I’m doing now. I’ve refrained from doing so because I want to keep the focus squarely on Zatswan here, but it will make for interesting content so I will comment on it. Look forward to that and more pages of Zatswan!
Those who have been keeping track of updates will know that I have been redoing some of the early pages of Multiversal Guardian. I have a few more pages to show today! The following pages are especially interesting because they’re the first glimpse into A.C. Cooper’s weird dreams, which have huge story significance. They also cause me to ruminate on another subject.
This will likely come off as at least a little petulant, but since this is my platform where I can do whatever I please, I’ll go ahead with it. What irks me a bit is an expectation from some that I would be a stupid writer. As if I’m of the regular crop who have been contracted by DC or Marvel Comics in the last fifteen years or so.
For example, there is a character that appears on the second page here, and some readers were stunned to see him followed up on much later in the book at the beginning of Chapter Five. Well, of course I followed up with him! I didn’t write and draw this scene for no reason, after all. There is nothing in this comic that is done for no reason. A regular writer (not even an especially good one) wouldn’t randomly put in scenes and introduce plot points that don’t go anywhere.
What is likely happening is that some readers are so used to reading “Big Two” comics that are poorly written and edited, which often completely disregard recent continuity, constantly change continuity, suddenly shift directions with no warning, have threads that lead nowhere, have stories and characters that don’t get anywhere, and so on, that when they actually encounter a story that simply does what a regular story would do, they get surprised!
On the one hand, I appreciate people feeling that I was especially clever, but on the other hand … I don’t feel I was especially clever here. And I guess the silly thing that sort of annoys me is a thought that I would be as bad as the people at DC or Marvel, or that my comic would work like theirs do. By the way, I don’t mean to sound like I’m envious or have some kind of sour grapes toward DC or Marvel. I legit just don’t think the comics are typically that great over there.
Anyway, I really love how these pages came out. I’ve been improving my watercolor technique and I think it shows in these images. I’m now in a place as an artist where I can totally capture whatever image I have in my head and do it justice. When I first began this project, I clearly was not totally there. That’s why I feel it’s worth it to redo these early pages. I want to do the story justice. It deserves it.
Enjoy!
