Double Cross Scene Compilation - CH3 Pgs 74-82

Howdy, everyone!

Here's the next scene compilation with "DVD-style" commentary from Double Cross. I'll keep posting these scene compilations weekly(ish) until I start getting the completed pages from Gabriel and Vero for Fallen Chapter Two soon. I'll let y'all know when I have an exact date for that.

On the personal front, my Mom is out of the hospital again. Every time she goes in, it definitely takes a toll. Even now, she's not 100% back mentally. But she's strong. She'll come back. And I'm doing okay.

And on the writing front, this week I'm auditioning potential copy editors for the MM urban fantasy novel I've been working on. I've sent them the first chapter so they can create a sample edit for me to review. It's honestly quite exciting as the publication of this book becomes more and more real. And I'll definitely be sharing that first chapter with all of you once it's polished. :)

Anyway, in this scene comp, Teen Spooky pops another monster vial cork. Check out what happens under the fold!

These pages were first published way back in March 2021. If you want to read the previous scene compilations (and, even better, read the whole first two chapters all at once), you can find them on the TYP:DC Scene Compilation Collection page. 

My DVD-style commentary is below the comic pages. And the pages themselves are full-resolution here on Patreon, so feel free to zoom-in! (Especially on that double-page spread!)

Time to blow stuff up!

 Cloudy with a chance of flaming debris

I'm sold on showing the action scenes this way

Before I get into my general recollections about these pages, I do want to give a shout out to one of your fellow patrons, Camelotcrusade, who suggested creating these scene compilations. When I play these scenes out in my head as I'm writing, there is of course no delay between the pages. But I know on the webcomic site, that isn't always the case. This scene comp format feels perfect for a scene like this where there are big, powerful monsters exploding into view. Being able to scroll down is an even better experience for me than clicking through the pages in my file browser. I have to say I really dig it.

I hope you're enjoying this format, too! :)

Reincorporation

Jumping into the action for this scene, I always try to reincorporate bits from previous scenes into current scenes as the story develops. As they were planning this fight, Teen Spooky protested that he was "smart most of the time," but now that things have started to go south, it's time to throw caution to the wind, and he quips that he's going to do something "definitely not smart."

And the hell-worm he summons is also a reincorporation. We first saw them in the previous Past Sins story arc.

Those are small things, but in terms of world building, I feel that drawing on previously established elements helps things feel more real.

Shades experiences something new

Shades reacts to the worm with a "That's new." This is the second time he's implied that he's familiar with Spooky's tactics, but this time, it's a little less subtle. I didn't want to hang too big a lamp on it, but I was hoping that by the end of this scene, readers might be asking themselves, "How does this guy know what he knows about Spooky?"

Teen Spooky takes the lead

Amanda points out that our heroes have an opportunity to retreat here. And she has good reason to suggest that: Shades has shown that he's more than ready for them, Flyboy's blue glow is back and hurting him, and they've already been hit with two devastating traps. From her point of view, it's time to cut their losses and regroup.

But that's not something Spooky of any age is willing to do, not when there is an innocent he thinks he can still save. So he convinces her to stay.

I included this to provide a contrast between her leadership style and his, and also to help to explain why she wound up in charge of The Young Protectors team instead of him (despite all his years of experience in the field.) There will be consequences to this choice, consequences that Spooky in particular will have a hard time dealing with. In my mind, similar situations would have played out in the original timeline outside of the time he forgot, and when it came time to choose a leader of the team, ultimately, he was happy not to have that responsibility fall on his shoulders.

Flyboy talks through his actions

Last time, I discussed some of the limitations of the static comic format vs. motion picture, and here's another one: back in the day, clear story-telling in comics was even more difficult due to the printing technology of that time. Pre-digital, the art just couldn't be that clear. When I look back at the comics in the 80s, the ones that inspired The Young Protectors in the first place, I find there's a lot of dialogue where the characters are essentially just talking out loud and explaining in minute detail what they are doing. It certainly seems a bit clunky now, but I'll admit, I also find it charming.

So, every now and then, when I'm looking to compress the amount of time it takes to explain something important, I'll lean into that technique. When Flyboy explains what he's doing while Spooky and Amanda take on the minions and Shades, and why he can't help them right now—this is one of those places.

Wizard battle!

Finally, hopefully it's clear we're getting closer to another direct confrontation between Shades and Teen Spooky. In fantasy, I do love me a good wizard battle, and here we have two very powerful spell-casters, who are running out of options. Shades is strong enough to take out the worm, but it brings him to his knees. Spooky can summon a freaking dragon, but it's the last trick up his sleeve.

Soon, they'll have to face each other directly, and my hope here was to build some anticipation for that as the tension builds throughout this scene.

Let me know what you think!

Anyway, those are the things I was thinking when I was creating these pages with Adam and Vero. Please let me know your own thoughts below. It's your feedback that makes it fun for me to create these, so please jump in and share!

And thank you, as always, for making this comic possible. Sharing these scenes with you helps remind me of how much I enjoy creating this story. And it's only possible because of your support.

I hope you all are doing well and having a great January. More soon!