Okay just before I release Skybloom #2 (which is taking a while as I need to add speech bubbles to 150 pages!) – quick query for one person who commented on my blog a while back …
Desertfox, if I was to turn the more sofabed-based parts of your personal story into a ‘based on real life’ one-off comic – would that be okay? It’d still be anonymous, we’d just know someone, somewhere, had actually had that happen? (Which I think adds to the joy/excitement of it) – Or would it be too weird for you?
I setup a basic studio apartment scene yesterday, just while idly thinking about the potential, and … it looks kinda cool as a draft, I think. But I know the second part of your story was super tough, so I’ll take your feeling on it seriously dude. I wouldn’t cover that darker personal part of it, it’d be just a celebration of the fun bit.
I also have like 30 concept comics, and most of them won’t get made, so if it’s a “No thanks”, that’s totally fine I’ll just mothball the idea along with all the others!
If you are up for it, I have lots of questions about the place / other details, but I’ll leave them for now. You can comment below, or if you’d like to respond on private message – best place to get in touch with me is Sitemail on Renderosity (you’ll need a free account, sorry). Thank you!
Here’s a few concepts, me trying to guess the view out the window, mostly …
… aaaanyway. Good fun to have a daydream, either way.
… and for everyone else … Skybloom #2 will be out in the next 24 hours, for sure. Thanks everyone for the feedback on the cover – I changed their positions slightly, neatened it up –
*squidge squidge*
Out in the next 24 hours, goes and checks time of posting. Awww. 😂 Tomorrow it is, can’t wait.
*Whispers* it’s just uploading right now … don’t go to bed x
Sorry to butt into your and DesertFox’s dialogue as an outsider, and you don’t have to take my comment into account if you see something different in the story than I do. DesertFox’s story is so uplifting and valuable because it has both depth and height. If you leave the depth and darkness out of the story, it loses its weight and becomes just plain buffoonery. It’s a very fragile story thread, because there’s very little in it that can make it different. Suffice it to think that his mother doesn’t move into a studio apartment and so on. So many similar stories start that way, but all end differently. So, if you were to do DesetFox’s story, you would have to do the whole story, because then it would be just as heartbreaking and emotional as DesertFox’s writing.
Thaaat’s … a fair point, thank you. I could go either way, though – I also think it’s fine to write gentler / less heartbreaking stories. I was thinking of writing the whole narration from her point of view and exploring the feelings that way, though without going as far as the true story does at the end. My priority is to honour that dude’s bravery sharing what he did. Perhaps we’ll end up with a hybrid plot / slightly alternate ending, or perhaps it’s best to leave it, and the only record is that comment, we’ll see how DF feels about it.
Yes. To the depth and power of the complete story.
Wow – just commenting on your “studio”, having lived the better part of my 60 odd years in two different studio apartments…..what a mansion!! I’m still having a hard time getting used to having to walk from place to place in the house I now share with my partner, which in a third world country would likely have several large families living in it:)
Hehe, yeah it’s a fair point. It’s hard to guess someone else’s visions of stuff though, and I agree this development concept is too big. I was basing the scale assumption on my personal experience visiting american apartments, where the places I’d been to have tended to be quite … what’s a polite way of saying it … resource ‘ample’. Seemed space wasn’t at a premium, anyway. If this comic does ever get made, hopefully DF will let us know more details of what the place was like
Good day Ms. Sindy Anna Jones,
Oh my gosh I honestly don’t know where to begin except to start off by saying I am so terribly, terribly sorry for not seeing your posting sooner regarding my story. When you get to be my age, well…. life (translation: medical) happens. Yes, I would be deeply honored for you to create a “based on real life” one off comic of my story. TBH at first I was inclined to say please leave out the heartbreaking ending, instead focusing on the earlier aspects of my parents divorce, then me reconnecting with my mom those few years later which eventually lead to the amazing, loving relationship we had until I went in the Navy. And that would be a good place to end it, on a nice heartwarming, upbeat note. But then I thought, the story would not be complete without the heartbreak ending that happened way too soon. That ending, although sad, could serve as a gentle reminder to everyone to please, please cherish and treasure the time you have with all your loved ones as you never know when one day they are gone.
And so I cannot think of anyone I would rather have than you bringing my story to “life”. I know you will do it with all the tenderness and humor and style and grace you have shown in all of your other comics. From the bottom of my heart I thank you so very much for your most gracious offer.
My Deepest Respects,
DesertFox
Oh darn it, silly me, I forgot about the pictures. I definitely liked the layout, with the kitchen off to the side, along with the bathroom door. That is very nice. As for the outside view, I like the last one that has the large tree with the white branches. To me that kind of makes for a soothing, peaceful and relaxing atmosphere, at least to me anyway. I will leave it up to you if you want to create a “period” piece (i.e. – late 60’s early 70’s) or bring it forward into the modern world. If you should decide to go “period”, remember they didn’t have cell phones, computers, internet, DVD’s, streaming service, microwaves or any of that other stuff like that back then. We did things the old fashion way. For example, we actually put a pot of water on the stove for coffee. In fact I still have my dad and step-mom’s old Corning Ware coffee pot and every once in a while I’ll get it out and just for giggles and grins fix a pot of coffee the old fashion way. Oh, and your telephone actually plugged into the wall and it was usually rotary dial or touch tone. TV’s were the old tube type and had “rabbit ears” for antenna.
On second thought you might want to go ahead and bring it forward into the modern world. I don’t know if you can find any props to use that would bring out that late 60’s/early 70’s vibe. 🙂
Again, thank you very much for your most gracious offer!
DF
DesertFox – wow man, I’m really happy you are okay with the idea!! I was all ready to mothball it, but here we are! No problem on timings, heck we all have lives and they can be bumpy at the best of times, sorry to hear you may have ongoing medical stuff on the agenda, that’s never fun and I appreciate you responding at all.
So … yes, what I’ll do is write the script and start moving production forward. I think I’ll keep it mostly vintage – I’ll try and get hold of a proper TV and wall-mounted rotary dial phone as well – nobody will probably notice but those sorts of details have always been how I try and approach my comics; believable means sexy, after all. I’ll steer clear of the ‘retro’ rose-tinted glasses version of the 60s/70s – there won’t be a lava lamp nor a Panton Chair in sight. And thank you for your bravery on the ‘full story’ version – I appreciate this is a big thing, after all. I’m also touched that you trust me to [at least try to] do it justice, treat it with care. ‘Cherish the time you have’ I think is a wonderful steer for the overall arc of the story, so I’ll write it with that trajectory in mind. Ultimately I will not be able to do it real justice, and will not be able to include all the details that make it yours – but I will be happy to give it a good go.
Finally – are there any further details you could give me, any memories of joyful moments in that apartment, conversations, even (dare I say it) some of the more intimate things that stick in your memory? Sorry that’s a super personal question but I’m hoping the anonymity of this buys us some leeway!
Please accept this big high-five from the direction of Europe!
Sindy