Anatomy of a Page pt 1

Greetings Programs

In the next few posts I'll be covering the progression of page 8 for the Rent comic.
Giving you an idea of what goes on in the building process of a single page.

The first image I'm posting is the three phases page 8 has gone through so far.

This comic is a commission, so there are certain plot points and details the commissioner wants.  So that dictates on how I approach the staging.  I also have to keep in mind how the last page ended, so the continuity can hook up correctly.

The commissioner wanted a large group pushing in at the start of the page, which was set up in the last panel of page 7.  He also wanted the party goers to start to make out with the main character.  So my dilemma was how to cover the crowd going in and also cover the party goers getting frisky with the main.

The issue is, I have two points of action happening in two different parts of the room.
So I had to make the action flowed in a natural way, but also show what is going on, AND not make it redundant or boring.

The first two versions, panel one was pretty much set.  Showing the crowd starting to stuff themselves in.  But I couldn't figure out what I was going to do for the next part of the page.
I had to step away from the page and think about it for a few days, I really didn't know what I was going to do.

Then I had a idea hit me and that's what the third version is.  I figured I needed to show the progression of the crowd down the shaft, and that set up how the party goers were now sitting on his balls and ready to make out with him.  Seems obvious now, but it took awhile to get to that point.

The dialogue is temporary, and mainly there to get the over feeling for the moment.
It might stay, some of it might change.

A page like this evolves several times, and can be tricky when dealing with large amounts of characters in complicated positions.

The third version has been sent off to the commissioner for his notes, and any changes or suggestions he may have.

I'll have more updates on the progress of the page, showing how it will evolve.

That's it for now.