Archive for annotated-chapter-8

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Annotated Chapter 8 Page 27

Dec14
by Erin Ptah on December 14, 2021 at 12:01 AM

Yomiko ReadmanOne more fantasy cosplay sequence! Starring Patrick as Pikachu, Bianca as Yomiko Readman, and Sparrow as Sarah Jane Smith.

And with that, I’ve annotated a whopping 240 pages of this comic. Two trade-paperback volumes! Approximately a quarter of all the BICP content! Which means, if we keep up this pace, we have about 3 more years to go.

Phew.

Gonna slow down and take a breather for the rest of December. Annotated bonus features every Friday! Nothing else until we kick off again in 2022.

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Annotated Chapter 8 Page 26

Dec13
by Erin Ptah on December 13, 2021 at 12:01 AM

sliced breadHey everyone, please take a minute to stop and appreciate that detailed, hand-drawn, long shot of Sparrow and Bianca’s apartment building in the top left.

Also: more environmental details in the kitchen! Compare a similar angle back in chapter 1. Less detail on the stove and the microwave, no dish towels or oven mitts or fridge magnets, no bag of sliced bread sitting out. This is the greatest visual upgrade since…uh…funny, no comparison’s coming to mind.

And hey, Sparrow’s the second person in this chapter to be hanging around with wet hair. Not the most orthodox way to make a subtle visual link between two characters, but we’ll go with it. (Insert your own “besides, neither of them is Orthodox” joke here.)

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Annotated Chapter 8 Page 25

Dec10
by Erin Ptah on December 10, 2021 at 12:01 AM

sparrowsYears before BICP, I liked bird names in general, and had a vague idea of doing a comic where everyone was named after birds.

Sparrow here is the only survivor. Still a fan of bird names, but I kinda transferred the overall vibe into my comic where everyone is named after plants.

For in-universe history: Nana and Abba Applebaum are old-fashioned conservative Jewish. But not so conservative that they didn’t do a decent job of supporting Sharon, even when she ditched all their traditions and got mystical.

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Annotated Chapter 8 Page 24

Dec09
by Erin Ptah on December 9, 2021 at 12:01 AM

Fish tankHey, is it weird to give your comic Cameo Background Fish? Because I’m 99% sure these little fishes are an homage to 95 Gallons.

And in front of them we have Sparrow and her mom, last seen leaving for dinner, a full chapter/30-ish pages (and multiple dramatic scenes with at least half the other main cast) ago. Don’t worry, by the end of this chapter I’ll have their conversation wrapped up.

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Annotated Chapter 8 Page 23

Dec08
by Erin Ptah on December 8, 2021 at 12:01 AM

Tansy Lavande and familyHidden in the text there is the detail that Bennett was born in Grass Valley, CA. Perhaps we can assume that he lived on Bennett Street.

…I did in fact use some blocks of lorem ipsum for the text, but hey, a few more bits of Genuine Canon Information: he went to Dartmouth College (same as the fictional Colbert); his wife’s name is Phoebe (?!); he’s a Leo.

Also: Bennett’s mom, a geology professor, has a suspiciously similar vibe to Tansy Lavande, notable mom/geologist from Leif & Thorn. Is this a known character type? Am I subconsciously riffing on anyone in particular? A mystery for the ages.

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Annotated Chapter 8 Page 22

Dec07
by Erin Ptah on December 7, 2021 at 12:01 AM

Hay Adams bedroomOh, phew, back to a setting with extensive pre-designed details.

Drawing a character with “soaked in water” effects is tough. So much so that TVTropes has a whole page of canons where the artist(s) didn’t even try. Finding that page was kind of a jaw-dropping moment of “wait, I could’ve been not bothering this entire time??”

…but no, even if it’s hard to nail, I like the visual of dripping-wet hair and what it brings to a character moment.

Besides, at least I don’t have to animate it.

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Annotated Chapter 8 Page 21

Dec06
by Erin Ptah on December 6, 2021 at 12:01 AM

Bugs Bunny behind prison barsPoe is wearing his jacket from all the way back in chapter 7, in case the eyes weren’t enough of a giveaway.

…Wish I’d put some more detail and complication into Cybele’s cell design. Sure, unlike the hotel from the last several scenes, it’s not a thing with real-life details that you can find documented online in plenty of photographs. But a sufficiently determined artist could’ve done more with it.

Bonus: wish I’d gone on Reddit and said “hey, worldbuilders, if you were designing a prison for a creature with capabilities X Y and Z, what would you include?” Or some other forum, but this seems like the kind of question Reddit would really dig into and come up with good chewy details.

Also! I wish I’d thought to make the setup “there’s a camera and a speaker on the ceiling, and a video screen in the next room, and that’s how people talk to the prisoner.”

Only in combination with the previous two wishes, though. As-is, that weird little slot-window is one of the few points of visual interest in the whole setting.

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Annotated Chapter 8 Page 20

Dec03
by Erin Ptah on December 3, 2021 at 12:01 AM

Colbert face on black backroundSometimes, when you’re up against a deadline and just want to get the page out rather than stewing in overtime, you cut a few artistic corners.

This isn’t one of those times. From the start of the chapter, when I thought about the staging of this particular Shocking Realization, I had “stark single face against an all-black background” in mind.

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Annotated Chapter 8 Page 19

Dec02
by Erin Ptah on December 2, 2021 at 12:01 AM

Madoka Magica car crashNot sure how much of a useful reference it ended up being…but I distinctly remember checking the car-crash scene in episode 3 of Madoka Magica when drawing that bottom-left scene.

Lots of readers already guessed, and here’s the on-page confirmation that Bennett isn’t married anymore. At least one person even guessed “Cybele is playing stand-in for a child he would’ve had.” Good eye.

I didn’t spell out “the injuries from the crash caused a miscarriage,” largely because Bennett still doesn’t want to think about it in that much detail, but that’s what happened.

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Annotated Chapter 8 Page 18

Dec01
by Erin Ptah on December 1, 2021 at 12:01 AM

Hay Adams hallwaysMore deliciously-fancy interior. (Check out those reflection effects on that mirror!)

Clip Studio Paint has amazing perspective tools for patterns, which could have a great automatic effect on surfaces like this striped wall here. Highly recommended. You can hack together your own manual size-changing, like in the center-right panel here, and have it work out okay — but that’s a lot of effort. When there’s a background detail that most people won’t consciously notice anyway, you want to get it done fast.

Also: Cohen, you should drink less, it’s definitely not the sugar.

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