UnCONventional

So the big difference between Peregrine Lake and my earlier comics is, obviously, that I’m not the one drawing it. When I was doing my earlier comics, I never wrote down what I was planning, I just had it in my head and would translate it directly to the page. At most I’d write one sentence lines about strips so I could plot out pacing. I did a few thumbnails early on to figure out page layouts, but more often than not the pages didn’t exist in any form until I wrote them.

That obviously isn’t a way we can work for this comic.

I can’t sit there over Ethan’s shoulder while they draw, since that would be weird and we don’t live in the same city. So I do what comic writers have been doing for quite some time. I write scripts. That’s where every page for Peregrine Lake starts. Then, if Ethan needs any clarification on a description or has an alternate suggestion for a setting or scene, we talk about it.

But again, we start by my writing a script.

So I thought it might be fun to take a look at a recent installment and compare the final art to the initial script I wrote. Our example is the October 22nd page titled “Greg.” It is, unsurprisingly, the first page where we see the final of our four main characters.

I love this page, but let’s see the initial script:

Panel 1

Greg emerges from the curtained doorway. Tall panel. If this were television or film, we’d smear some Vaseline on the lens for the best gooey soft focus shot we could get. God damn, we want everyone seeing this to want a piece of Greg. Like take a second slice home in a take out box and eat it while watching Netflix. Let’s make this far more detailed than any other panel. Let’s get people to demand we print this man on body pillows.

Panel 2

Close up of Bev’s face. She wants to just lay Greg down and cover him in butter.

Bev: (tiny ass words, whispering to self) Yeah… not talking good.

Panel 3

Greg leans on the counter towards Lynn, Bev is… “reacting” quietly, but no one’s paying her any attention

Greg: Hey Lynn, Bob hasn’t gotten me those antique iron nails yet. I said I’d call when they come in.

Lynn: Thanks, but not what I’m here for. I may have an… off the books job for you

Greg: How off the books

Panel 4

Close up of Lynn. Lynn is very serious.

Lynn: Off the books off the books. Greg, this is my new friend Bev.

Panel 5

Back to a shot of the three of them, Greg turns to Bev smiling

Greg: Hi! Nice to meet you.

Bev: (tiny words) Hello tall man

Yep. That is… that is pretty close to what we got. We moved some of the dialogue around to fit better with the art (moving some of Greg’s stuff to panel one from panel three), but overall we stick pretty true to it. Ethan read my ridiculous descriptions and understood the assignment.

And yeah, I think it’s safe to assume at least some of our audience wants a piece of Greg now.

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