Extra: Part 3 outtakes (Patreon)
Content
So part 3 of FFC was... complicated.
I had lots of different possible ways how the story about Kalita and her joining the team could play out. I dismissed various ideas like an underground tournament led by Gantus or Kalita actually being part of the "Urban beautification project" in order to ban the homeless from the underground which would get used as a place for the illegal tournament.
I realized though that this arc would blow out of proportions considering the main story. I planned to make Kalita bond with Muko by beating Gantus together in the end, but that meant too many problems. For one it´d take forever to tell that arc. Kalita beating the homeless would make her too unforgivableeven if she tries to make amends to them. And if they beat a threat like Gantus that´d set the bar too high for the next opponents.
Here you see some stuff that didnt make it into the comic.
First I planned to let Freydar appear in a promo led by Shun, rolling in a wheelchair. She´d stand up to show she rehabilitated and crush the wheelchair. It was better to let her crash the Tendonchi challenges-show instead. This was a way to still show some of the Challenges, even if our heroes don´t participate in them, and had an element of surprise.
I was unsure about Daikarins design for months. I first planned to make Dai a polarbear.
And as a special treat I share the first beginning of part 3. As you can see Kalita still serves Gantus at this point. In this alternative I considered them to join forces to get the underground tournament going, until they´d turn against Gantus. I´m also glad I got rid of Gantus eyebrows.
There had many changes be done, and I had to draft out many chapters in advance to grasp what to get in and what to let out. I dismissed two whole chapters about Daikarin joining the team. I added the Snuggly vs Sleepy-Fight which became the actual beginning of part 3 far in the story, realizing it´d be a good set-up for the promo of team Starkiller. The taste of pancakes also was added later on, to show some of Muko´s training and how she reacts to the Spotter-campaign. I´m glad I was able to squeeze in her dad as well, without taking too much place.
In the end I was so burnt out I didn´t want to FFC at all for some weeks. Luckily I got over it and continued. And although it will be the most challenging thing to draw at least I know very well how part 4 will play out, as it leads up to the biggest payoffs and the ultimate heart of the story. The next one or two years will be tough, but I´ll give my best to bring act 1 to the end it deserves.
I hope these insights were enjoyable in some way. Hope you continue reading my comic and thank you for your support!