SeanMartin posted at 12:41AM Fri, 06 September 2019 - #4361250

_ I dont use a lot of faux-line post work on my comic strip — I tried it a few times and found the results less than convincing. It is possible to emulate pencil and ink, but man it's a lot of work: you might as well just say screw it and draw it all out by hand and be done with it._

This is a point where you and I differ. I think considering the enormous cost in manhours, it's a lot faster than penciling, inking, coloring and lettering. I believe the results are more than convincing when you consider that you want to do is tell a story. In the end, that is all I wish to do. Tell a story the best way I can.

_ So instead, I opt for either a simple 2x2 or 2x3 panel layout... or else something more extravagant like this, where the colours are used to define who's saying what and move the eye down the page._

I agree. I first this saw this in the modern Supergirl's origin story. Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman each had a different color assigned to the thought dialog. It just plained worked and I adopted this in my stories as well. I did notice that you didn't do this on your published page above. As for the layout, 2x2 or 2x3 that is up to the artist. Whatever is your style for telling your story. I've grew up watching Jack Kirby break all of those rules just as Curt Swan predictably used a six panel layout for the majority of his pages. Both styles worked in their day. Today there isn't any rules. I read an entire comic that told the story just as your example did. That is my rule too. Whatever the mood or action call for to tell the story. Obviously what worked for Doc and Raider isn't going to necessarily work for Temple (My comic).

These are certainly a lot more fun to do, and they're all pretty well impromptu creations: when I"m putting one of these together, everything — the writing, the layout, the hopelessly overworked finish — is all done to whim of the moment. And it usually results in things I would consider my better work.

Very interesting story. Plus an all male cast! Considering the plethora of female characters in Poserdom that is difficult to do. It was only one page but I wanted to see what it was all about and where it led. Overworked finish? That's like Salieri telling Mozart that he used too many notes (See the movie Amadeus). I love those uniforms (Your two heroes do resemble Doc and Raider) and if I thought I could get them to fix my characters, I'd sure like too see how they fit. Thanks for the contribution and I hope to see more of your work. That is a wry sense of humor straight from Doonesbury!