Prog 2201 - Fiendish Origins

[Jim_Campbell]

Those are some lovely balloons...

You certainly know how to flatter a man, you old smoothie, Bolt!

[The Monarch]

I love to know how lettering is done. I make too many spooling mistooks to be one myself

[Jim_Campbell]

I love to know how lettering is done. I make too many spooling mistooks to be one myself

We don't type anything if we can avoid it! 

I recorded this process video of lettering a complete page, start to finish, for anyone that interested in how it's done. I meant to add a commentary V/O track but never found the time, so I stuck the whole thing up without.

It's about ten minutes long — so unless you're absolutely fascinated by the process, once you've seen me do a couple of speech balloons, you can probably skip to the 7:20 mark if you want to see how sound effects are done.

[broodblik]

So basically coloring is almost done last. I think with the modern tools it is much easier to do before we had computers

[Jim_Campbell]

So basically coloring is almost done last. I think with the modern tools it is much easier to do before we had computers

I should maybe split this process stuff off into its own thread rather than derail the prog thread any further, but, briefly — the turnaround time on comics is so fast that, on US comics, the letterer will often be working on the B&W pages at the same time that the colourist is doing their thing. Usually (but not always, which is a source of constant annoyance to letterers) the colours will get sent to the letterer right at the end and we do a quick once-through as part of the proofing/correction process swapping the B&W out for the colour and adjusting the sound effects so that the colour SFX work with the art.

[broodblik]

Fascinating stuff. I never apprenticed lettering and only the last few years I started valuing it.  I have even seen strips devalued because of poor lettering.

[SmallBlueThing(Reborn)]

That was brilliant- thanks Jim. Fascinating stuff. My old art teacher used to moonlight as a letterer for war comics of some kind, and I'm led to wonder what he would make of that.
SBT

[Leigh S]

Oh dear - the curse of being an Annual Subscriber is that Tharg really doesn't trust you - I'm presuming the reason I haven't had 2201 (or indeed this weeks) is that they only took the Annnual sub again on the 1st.... Could I suggest you take the money a bit earlier if it is going to feck up my thrill supply?

grrrrrrrr

[norton canes]

A couple of weeks ago I said how strange it was that Dredd stories in jumping-on progs often referenced the preceding story when doing that might be confusing for new readers - instead, they might be better making a clean start. It's since dawned on me that the whole point of referencing previous events is so those new readers eventually buy the collection version. Of course! Sensible strategy

As a corollary to this, and a quick business tip to any emerald-hued editors who might be reading - rather than use a caption box to reference progs/megs in which previous events took place (as happens in this prog's instalment of Carry The Nine), instead include a tinyURL link to the appropriate collection on the 2000 AD shop pages. Thanks, you can have that one on me.

Of the two Edgy stories currently running in the prog Fiends is definitely the superior, with its frosty atmosphere and gratifyingly gnarly artwork. Stickleback was last around before my time and is therefore unfamiliar but it seems to suffer from the lapses into florid prose to which its author is often susceptible (never mind Brass Sun, aren't we due some more Scarlet Traces?). And Hookjaw intriguingly refuses to put its cards on the table - unlike Skip Tracer, which invites us to stick (around) or fold (I shouldn't have carried on with the cards metaphor, sorry)

[The Enigmatic Dr X]

A couple of weeks ago I said how strange it was that Dredd stories in jumping-on progs often referenced the preceding story when doing that might be confusing for new readers - instead, they might be better making a clean start. It's since dawned on me that the whole point of referencing previous events is so those new readers eventually buy the collection version. Of course! Sensible strategy

As a corollary to this, and a quick business tip to any emerald-hued editors who might be reading - rather than use a caption box to reference progs/megs in which previous events took place (as happens in this prog's instalment of Carry The Nine), instead include a tinyURL link to the appropriate collection on the 2000 AD shop pages. Thanks, you can have that one on me.

Of the two Edgy stories currently running in the prog Fiends is definitely the superior, with its frosty atmosphere and gratifyingly gnarly artwork. Stickleback was last around before my time and is therefore unfamiliar but it seems to suffer from the lapses into florid prose to which its author is often susceptible (never mind Brass Sun, aren't we due some more Scarlet Traces?). And Hookjaw intriguingly refuses to put its cards on the table - unlike Skip Tracer, which invites us to stick (around) or fold (I shouldn't have carried on with the cards metaphor, sorry)

Way to stick it to the subscribers who have piles of progs in their shed and might go looking them out.

[norton canes]

Well, there is that, yeah

[TordelBack]

Good prog.

Hookjaw surprise MVP, definite uptick in Skip Tracer too.

Dunno what they're feeding Boo Cook, but when I'm torn between him and D'Israeli for top eye candy, it's the right stuff.

Sinister Dexter better be back soon.