Since this week’s page is a gigantic double-page spread, the next new page will be in 2 weeks instead of next Wednesday. That’ll give me a little more lead-time, as I’m currently working on page 15 this week. My goal is to always stay about 8 weeks ahead of schedule and so far that’s the case. In the meantime, I’ll try to get a new WIP video and some other things posted here to tide you over.
About page 6-7. I love double-pagers, but only if they actually serve the story in some way. When I was starting out in the comics industry, back in the long ago times of the early 1990’s, there was a widespread trend of including gratuitous splash pages or double-page spreads that did little more than detract from the story. Why would there be so many of these in a comic, you are asking yourself right now? Splash pages are usually more valuable to collectors, so in an industry where there’s typically not a lot of money on the front-end, creators sold their original splash art at a much higher price. The other reason was pure laziness. Writers and artists provided filler with what was essentially a full stop, so the heroes and villains could strike a dramatic pose. It was ridiculous.
On the other hand, when done right, implementing a spread can create a powerful moment. Some great examples of this are in the works of Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima, creators of the acclaimed comic book series Lone Wolf & Cub. They introduce somber, panoramic silence interspersed with ultra-fast Samurai violence that make every issue a breathtaking experience. They accomplish with ease what I’m attempting with painstaking effort in my own work; building tension in the quiet moments, as visual foreshadowing of impending action.
SR