Choco Log 2 - SMQ Things

So, working on a long-format comic is tricky.

SMQ has a story that is about 90% "set" in my head. It took me years to get to that point: if I'd somehow been able to conjure the story into a graphic format, straight out of my brain, three years in the past, it would've been a much different (and clumsy) one than what I have right now.

I say 90% because there's still things that change, and even things that I had to accept would only begin to make sense as soon as I plowed right into them. For example, a lot of Binks' mental health: I know his overall mindset, but often, when I'm illustrating his thoughts, do I then discover how he works through it. It's raw, spontaneous, and often gives me a headache.

As such, the reason SMQ is going "slowly" (is it? Even as I type this I have no idea how fast a comic should go) is that I want to have enough of a buffer: enough of the story set in stone that I can confidently post it without writing myself into a corner where I have to go "oh, wait, this page I published a month ago could've been done better/could've resolved more effectively."

In Lindsay Ellis' Game of Thrones Video, she explains that one of the problems that beset the production of the famous, eponymous show, was that the writers did not accept that the story had organically grown to a place that wasn't the ending they intended. In forcing it, the story fell apart. It's one of those things I keep in mind. You need structure in a project, but you also need leeway.

I've had to accept this is part of the process: the years of cultivating the story, with thorough planning and analysis, have given me a strong foundation, yes, but I will never be able to finish it unless I allow for these things, because some of the most powerful moments in the comic rise from those tumultuous, troublesome sharp turns on the road. I just have to keep my eyes on the destination.

That said, I have 4 chapters presently thumbnailed/sketched (see the image on top of the post, from CH9, and the 2nd one here, as an idea of what thumbnail vs. "sketch" is for me). Chapter 7 is very action intensive, and that itself took a while to plan, let alone execute.

 So when are these things coming out? I'm not sure yet. I'm trying my best and on a good week I'll thumbnail/sketch 9 pages - I feel that once I have enough of a buffer, I'll start posting pages in a "finish two, post one" sort of way, so that I never run the risk of hitting a hiatus.

But, I will be posting a lot more work in progress stuff here, from now on: I think that's one of the fun things about Patreon. You guys are the reason the story can happen, so you should have exclusive access!

QUESTION FOR THIS CHOCO LOG:

What are you looking forward to, in terms of SMQ? Any specific character you want to see more of?