Page Commentary No. 256 (Patreon)

Gunwild: We skipped this page last week. Oops.

Brellom: I knew it, yet said nothing. Between this and the last page, which use very similar colours, imagery, and settings... It becomes really easy to tell which one of us did the heavy liftering between Psu and I. The easiest identifier is the highlights, I think.

Gunwild: Can you give some specific examples?

Brellom: One of the easiest ways to tell is to look at the hair of a character. In this page, the shading of a character's hair looks a bit more "realistic" in how light (and shadow) cascades across the surface. Take a look at Dr. Botz' in the final panel, for instance... Or even Peia in the previous panel. Notice how you've got this very light streak of light circling around the form of the head? It's super subtle, but you could probably make out the suggestion of strands of hair. Whereas, on the previous page, this highlight was a lot more stylized -- a single stroke of light, albeit broken up into pieces. There's almost something a bit more "anime" about it, or like the material isn't hair, but rather, something like a shiny plastic of some kind. Y'know, besides the harsh edges in the shading.

Gunwild: A shot of feet running down a hallway is also very anime. In a good way!

Brellom: As we proceed into the chapter, you'll start to see my colouring techniques take over for the next few pages. My colours tend to be more saturated, and my shadows are more defined -- almost like there's a hard spotlight cast onto the characters for each individual scene, rather than a global light source that's gradually dispersed across the forms of our characters. And a lot of rim lighting (when a light source is behind the object, so there's a strong light along the edge -- or the rim.)

Gunwild: Dr. Botz calling out others for taking the moral high ground is a little rich, though. She is a confessed supervillain.

Brellom: I'm finally glad SOMEONE mentioned it. All these viewers think Cassiopeia's a good guy, but let me remind you that she stole Maddy's ship at the start of the comic just to sell it for money, and made it a new year's resolution to steal more. Frankly, I don't believe she'd actually be paying her taxes.

Gunwild: Well obviously you only pay taxes on the legitimate business. Then The Man doesn't look into you and find out you have a bunch of naughty money too!

Psu: Speaking of taking over, thanks for the hard work brellom, while I was off eating dinner.

Brellom: Psu was late to the commentary interview, but none of you realized that because I distracted you all!

Gunwild: What do you enjoy on this page, you ol' dinner-consumer?

Psu: Well I think even after all these years, it's only you or I who can really tell which page was more mine and which ones were more colored by Brellom. But I think this one it was super dramatic and interesting. And I'm really happy with the result. Especially the last panel. However I do have a certain number of fans who are very happy with the webbing blast. The whole page is great though. It's like the only time in the entire comic we really get a super villain looking character and that she's still fun to read and watch made this one special.

Brellom: No wonder it's the best part of the franchise. Dr. Botz is the best.

Psu: "I want his intestines" is a really good line. Maybe we should have a Dr Botz spin off. Botz, Minx, and Penny as awful lab partners.

Brellom: Maybe it'll end up like Frasier, which somehow managed to be significantly more popular than its original property, even though Cheers was way better.

Psu: Well people do like how we write and draw sexy cute cyborgs.

Brellom: Sexy cute cyborgs are good. Everyone should become sexy cute cyborgs.

Gunwild: I guess I do enjoy situations of "Bad vs. Evil" and always consider them the best way to put the degree of villainy different characters are capable of in perspective. Like, Cassiopeia has stolen a lot of stuff, but she'd probably never eviscerate an unarmed guy. That's the kind of thing that can put you off your all ice cream dinner.

Brellom: I guess she's okay with eviscerating an unarmed space ship and selling its disemboweled parts for money though. ;_;7

Gunwild: Rest in Pieces. Uh, it was pretty armed, though.

Psu: Hey, things are just things and people are people. You usually can survive someone taking your extremely expensive car, but you probably aren't gonna survive someone taking your spine. I think that's the plot of Battle Angel Alita.

Brellom: HE HAD A FAMILY. AN ENTIRE ARMADA.

Psu: That's also probably the plot of Battle Angel. A very successful sexy cyborg comic, I might add.

Gunwild: "Theming" is a word of somewhat imprecise definition, but it sure is useful in artistic endeavors intended for a mass audience.

Psu: I never really thought to use it before, and wasn't sure that was a word to use in this context. But it seemed like it worked. The point got across. I'd say it... stuck.

Gunwild: We'll jump back to where we were in the page order after this one, Patrons. Sorry for the confusion.

Psu: It's no big. It just gives them reason to click on last weeks' commentary and read it again! Maybe they can find the secret messages we left to solve our mystery ARG. We do not have a mystery ARG...

Gunwild: Or DO we? No. Not yet.

Psu: wink