Thoughts on Project Aether: Aether Clash

So, Aether Clash is finished! I'm happy to hear everyone's thoughts on the project. Aether Clash can be thought of as a pilot for a bigger project involving this premise and these characters. Here are a few things I'll be changing for the next book: 1. Lymselia Will Have a Simpler Design Lym's hair and scarf got in the way of a lot of compositions. It also contradicts her lacidasical personality. She'll have shorter hair, less accessories, and a hoodie rather than a leather jacket. 2. Lymselia and Alessa Will Be Aged Down The themes are fairly non existent in the pilot, but placing the two characters at the end of middle school rather than at the end of high school fits the themes planned for the story better. PA is about, among other things, determining what you want to do in life and how that may conflict with what you are told to do. I believe your message should inform every design decision of a story. 3. Lymselia Will Have a Different Personality It won't divert too much from the pilot, but I did have an issue with how little Lym was a participant in her own story. Lym will have less of a apathetic approach to the Aether and more of that of an absent minded professor. Like, she's easily distracted from the fantastic sights before her (this also informed aspects of her redesign. She looks more like a nerd now) 4. Spells and Summons Look Different When you make a comic it is important to remember that it is a visual medium and much of the story is conveyed non-verbally. I thought that card plays could read better. In the pilot the image of the card appears on the player's barrier, however in the full version a giant card will appear on the field and the entity will step through it like it was a portal. It reads better and is more dramatic. 5. More Card Game Jokes Finally, there will be more jokes around the mechanics of card games. This was always the plan, but I didn't really do that with the pilot other than Gary having a ridiculous ability and Lym showing Alessa her hand. Jokes around the mechanics of a card game will be instrumental in how players win or lose matches. Right now I'm story boarding the next Project Aether. I'm giving it another re-wrie, but I like a lot of it and currently have 50+ pages thumbnailed. I'm hopeful that I'll be uploading pages in 2019.