It has been a busy day around here. @insanity issue 12 was released to the public earlier and hey, we had feedback! Well, Ralphie “Respect the Cape” Watts reposted it and told people to read it, so that’s feedback and a big plus. It really made my day and it’s good to know that it’s being promoted as his character had his first on-camera fight scene this week.
I spent the rest of the day working and figuring out issue 16 of the Flashback project’s Media Elite issue. I’ve decided that the two full length specials are now just going to be included as regular issues so the numbering has to change. What used to be 16 is now 18 and the Media Elite will go 27 issues once the revamps are done. The previous mini-specials will be integrated into adjoining issues as bonus content instead of being featured as stand alone issues.
Issue 16 of the old Media Elite was pretty important because it featured about 20 total characters and four or five sets. This means I had to work to get all those new characters done plus make major decisions on what sets to use. I’ve decided update the old sets and get rid of the primitive lighting schemes I used in the past. The older versions of the sets just didn’t look “right” in the style of the series with the old lighting and bringing them up to date is going to give me the chance to reuse them as we move along in a style that retrains continuity with the rest of the series.
I’m also working on trying to keep characters distinct from series to series. I am currently rewriting three series and producing new issues of another series all using variations of the same characters. For me, it’s hard enough to keep track of which version of each character I’m using, so I am trying to be extra careful in giving the reader visual clues to track them and not lose track of what series you’re reading.
I’m also giving characters minor make overs in the @insanity series to reflect their new roles. A little bit of time has passed between issues 11 and 12 and people are settling in to the feel of Starshine Downs. Roles are changing, things are moving forward and I think by revisiting the past I’ve really enhanced my writing style and there’s a lot of fun stories in your way for future issues.
With that, I had a long story about how my style is changing. We’ll save it for another time as I close my eyes and end another long night…
Jim