Otherworldly Goods – Page 2
“Kill your darlings” is often attributed to Nabokov, but I don’t know if he really said it. How do you know if your darlings need killing, anyway? If you don’t get some enjoyment or thrill out of your work, why do it? It doesn’t seem like useful advice, like “Fake it until you make it” or “God helps those who help themselves.”
You may notice a difference in the artwork with this story compared to previous Fetch strips. In the past I drew strips with ink on paper, scanned them, and colored them in Photoshop. Now pages are drawn entirely in a digital environment using a Cintiq and an iPad, Photoshop and Procreate. I chose this approach for a few reasons: increased productivity, more potential to experiment more, and to save my back from strain. It took some time this summer to get used to drawing this way, but I am liking it more and more. Stylus and pencil tools have their own odd limitations, but they also have a lot of advantages and I am discovering new techniques all the time.
Fetch’s buddy in these early pages was inspired by this critter in Hieronymous Bosch:
I love that guy.
Bird Demon remembering, Fetch rolls eyes.
DEMON: It wasn’t so bad at first. People were nice, the instructor encouraged us
and helpful.
FETCH: All’s well until group critique.
PANEL 2
Bird Demon agitated. Fetch watches.
DEMON: Yes! They get to my story and tear it to pieces. “Too many adjectives!”
“Too many women!” “Contrived!” “As a Christian, I can’t read this!”
Wanh wanh wanh.
But the worst came from the instructor.
PANEL 3
Demon stands up, really angry, revealing the egg he’s been on was a human head of a tormented soul.
DEMON: She hands back my manuscript — every page covered in red ink!
She says: “Kill your darlings!”
PANEL 4
Demon sits back down. Fetch amused.
DEMON: So I slaughtered the whole group.
FETCH: That seems fair.
PANEL 5
As Bird Demon talks a RAVEN flies in with an envelope in its beak. Fetch turns to face it.
DEMON: They had it coming.
RAVEN: Letter for Fetch! Are you Fetch?
FETCH: I’m Fetch.
Bosch? And here I thought it was inspired by Tom Terrific.
http://www.skooldays.com/images/sa1421.jpg
That is a pretty cool cartoon, tho.
Many thanks. I like this.
Thank you!