Mazzic's "Invasion" fan comic Page 2 - Work in Progress

I'm sure REAL comicbook artists don't tackle a comic the way I do...but I like to jump around and work on different pages, depending on my mood. And since this is a fan project, I can afford to take my bloody time!

That being said, this full-page spread of a half-dozen droid Jedi is kicking my butt. Technology has never been my strong suit, and finding interesting, different poses to stick the Jedi in has been a challenge! Especially this full-page.

Because of my misgivings, my approach for Page 2 was a bit different. I roughly sketched the scene as I first saw it in the computer. But I also envisioned the page to be very dramatically lit, and wanted to capture that these heroic Jedi had just broken down a door. I redrew the page, with a significant amount of detail and rough lighting. But the scene still didn't feel dramatic enough.

The next few pages of the story take place in a reception area, so I knew that I would need to design the space ahead of time. I created a rough ground plan (inspired by architect Santiago Calatrava), made a rough foamboard model, and photographed it with proper lighting and camera angles. I then dropped my rough Jedi illustrations into the scene, and moved them around until I found a composition that I liked.

Then I started hacking away at the Jedi. And have been doing so whenever I get a spare chance...and this page has so far taken me about 3 months. Ha!

Anyway, I'll continue to post my works in progress. Let me know what you think so far! So you have some context, here's the page's description from the script:

Int: Kalarban office building. Full-page panel: a group of Jedi bursting through a lightsaber-cut hole into the building’s well-appointed main lobby – this was clearly a place for very important dealings until recently; now, there are huge metal blast shields where the windows would’ve been, and furniture and equipment - droid parts in particular - are lying around randomly.

The intruders consist mostly of a motley collection of battle-scarred Iron Knights, the motley-est of all being Luxum, whose Juggernaut war droid body is draped here and there with bits of the typical Jedi ensemble, and splattered with equal parts oil, lubricant, and blood. The only non-droids in the group are Sey, in full Jedi regalia, and Sage Kelsey, human smuggler-turned-resistance fighter. Kelsey is brandishing a DL-18 and has a pummelstave, taken from a Red Knight sometime earlier, strapped to his back. He looks comparably ragged to Luxum – but far more entertained.

Title: EARLIER

LUXUM
Fan out!

NARRATION
Even for a Jedi, I’ve never liked fighting.