T&D Questions & Answers 2.0

Story-Related

1. WHY IS SHE NAKED?

   BECAUSE SHE DOES NOT CARE. 🙂
   However, that’s only one reason, of course. There are others:

   • plot-wise: in the beginning, she has virtually nothing but herself. She just made the step from one universe to another. Maybe this excuses her …
   • symbol-wise: I like the “Eve” analogy.
   • attitude-wise: she really doesn’t care. She’s member of a people and part of a culture, where taboo and shame of the own body is a completely alien concept (like collectivisms, desire for power, authority, governments … but that’s another subject 😉 ), so why should she go and look for clothes, as long as she doesn’t need them for climatic reasons.
   • effect-wise: don’t say you don’t enjoy it. 😉

2. She is naked – is this an adult comic then?

   No.
   Not in the sense you’re asking this question.
   The story clearly targets adult readers with a faible for epic fantasy, but if you hope for supply of explicit imagery as a fetish for your erotic fantasies now, then you’ll probably be turned down rather soon.
   So: NO again.

3. It is a comic – is it for children?

   No.
   Just that simple: no.

   However, truth usually is a matter of shades of gray, but no black-and-white thingy. There are children who have viewed the story TOGETHER with their parents, and they survived it without harm, but I know they have very responsible and intelligent parents. If you have children and decide to guide them to the story, that’s ok, I guess. But anyway, you should have READ IT FIRST to know what to make your decision about, and please note: it is your and your responsibility only to do so!

4. Why no colors in the comic?

   The simple truth is: I don’t have enough time for it. I’ve a long story to tell, and I would like to tell it well. If I want it to be finished some day, I *have* to restrict myself to a style I can draw quickly. This also allows me to put so much more thought on the plot & storytelling itself, that I tend to believe: it’s just a big deal *better* in B/W than it ever could be in colors. That put aside, I WILL provide detailed illustrations around the story line, which, in a way, do provide color to the comic, like illustrations provide glimpses of visual impressions around prosa text.

   However, the above doesn’t completely exclude the possibility that someone someday will add these colors (probably not me, I prefer to carry on with telling the story 😉 ).
   That is, IF the lot of you is interested enough to support such an enterprise by helping me pay the colorist, or offer me your free support. 🙂

5. Is this another never-ending story?

   NOPE! Definitely not. It has a beginning, a middle and an end. 🙂

   The tale of Telaya and Dioman exists in my mind since a very long time. It has developed a big deal over the years – originally it was meant to be more of a short story, being part of a much bigger tale: the “Wars Of Mel”.

   Among time, it grew into a full-fleshed (graphic) novel in it’s own rights, but still, it’s major story arc is already laid out. However, details are still in the flow.

6. Are there Elves, Orcs, Goblins, witches & magicians, level12-warriors

   Of course, like most epic fantasy, T&D is inspired of the genre’s great archetypes. However, except from men and dragons, none of the classic “races” made it in the story (and as I’ve never been a role playing addict, there are no levelXY-whatever characters for sure). You’ll now say: what about these pointy-eared humanoids, then? Don’t claim they aren’t Elves.
   Yeah, I do claim.
   Theyre not Vulcan either.
   But I admit they’re heavily inspired by the Elven cliche. However, they’re MY vision of an incarnation of a transcendent, immortal race – they’re NOT these semi-religious types of guys and gals, who sit around and worship kings or other leaders, and behave chastely and engrossed otherwise.
   They’re individuals by birth, hedonistic, with no sense for power nor obedience or collectivism at all. If they meet, they do it for pleasure or necessity only. Their native language is free of grammar supporting collectivisms or authority. They’re wanderers among the stars, the archetype of free minds, independent of biological constraint, at least in the world they came from in the beginning.

7. Where can I read about the background story?

   At the moment: nowhere (except here at the T&D website, depending on what I choose to publish.
   However, the “Wars of Mel” is an already written Novel, which is under rework at the moment. It will be published somewhere inbetween the T&D book releases, but not too early, because, except requiring more tweaking, it’s also a maior spoiler. 🙂

8. How will “This Side of Darkness” be presented on the Web?

   As you may have noted, there have been some changes concerning the original plan to publish the book episode-wise online, for free. I came to the conclusion, that the story, originally written without episode-splitting in mind, does not lend itself to such a presentation. Instead, there’s the “movie” version available for download now, and printed copies are sold by Epsilon. However, now and then I’ll continue to publish snippets of the comic for free.

9. So, what are your further plans with T&D?

   There are four instalments planned at the moment, but it may happen, that I decide to split one or more books into two, because they get too large otherwise. I hope to finish one book a year as of now.

10. Will I have to endure your Pidgin English in the comic, too?

    No.
    There is a top-quality English translation by my good friend Jenny Dolfen, proof-read by Duncan H. Greenwell.

11. Will I have to endure your Pidgin English on the website any longer, then?

    Depends on how long you intend to drop by and/or stay. 😉
    I’ll (have to) continue to write the website’s English articles myself in the near future. Can’t hire someone who takes care of that task (but feel free to offer me your help, if you can translate German-English well 😉 ).

Workflow-Related

1. Why don’t you draw the traditional way?

   I do.
   But not the comic.
   Why?
   Because sequential art has it’s focus on a different spot than a single image, and because an all-digital workflow allows to shift attention to that focus much more easily, than a traditional one.
   I found that working digitally, in a very rough style, is the least limiting technique, while blocking out the plot details. Using that technique, I can always change anything, from text to page layout to single drawings, with minimal effort instead of having to copy stuff at the light table, doing extensive redraw sessions causing sore necks, shoulders and so on. For me, having these options around, means tremendous increase of creativity, and quality of output, in particular in a storytelling-related context. It removes my fear of errors (and their costly consequences), and allows me to drop and replace bad drawings/pages/page layouts much easier, than a traditionalworkflow would, meaning that I can try out much more, optimize much better the sequence of text and images, to match the scene they should describe, the atmosphere they should transport, the story they should tell.

   In short: it allows me to put focus on the story itself, just like the already mentioned abundance of colors.

2. If you work digitally, why don’t you use industry standard tool XYZ to create your comic and the illustrations, as anyone else does?

   Because I used the tools I use now, right from the beginning. And because using them doesn’t hurt enough to justify a change now. 🙂

   I have almost two decades of Unix background, and got in touch with Open Source software at depth. Choosing Open Source tools with cross-platform-compatibility was a natural choice for me – they survived any platform change, and allowed me to carry on with creative work without having to relearn new workflows over and over again.

   On the other hand I have no need to maintain compatibility with some co-workers or customers – my creations are all mine. For me, it’s of much more interest to maintain software compatibility across time (which cannot be taken for granted, if you look at the roadmaps certain market-dominating software enterprises are currently following).

   Recent developments even confirmed my attitude: in times of all those nice corporate and government big brothers of ours trying to watch all our steps, I really don’t want their eyes and noses inside everything I draw (and otherwise do). So, I won’t provide backdoors for them willingly, by using closed-source commercial, state-intelligence-bugged software products. Period. Suckers.

Author-Related

1. Are you a professional Illustrator?

   I’d say I have been a semi-pro illustrator, and also have been hired for some commercial 3D stuff at times. However, I would not call that “profession”.

2. Are you a professional Comic artist, then?

   I spend most of my available time working on my comics, and as that is exactly what I always wanted to do I guess I am … even if it’s not yet a source of income to make a living from it.

3. So, how the hell do you survive?

   Yeah.
   That’s what I’m asking myself continuously, too.
   Usually, I’m still there at dawn, drawing another T&D page.

   … I also do some programming now and then (did more of it in the past, less of it in presence).

Getting/Using works of mine

1. Do you accept commissions?

   I do, if one of the two conditions below is met:

   1. One of my fictional characters should be shown in a custom context/situation, which HAS TO suit the character, i.e. should be compatible with the environment she/he belongs to, OR
   2. A custom character and/or scenery, which COULD be part of my fictional world, and hereby presents a challenge for me to depict it

2. May I use image XYZ for purpose UVW?

   In general, every piece of visual (and only visual!) art I publish at http://www.telayaanddioman.net is released under liberal terms as defined by CC-by-sa (see http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ for details). In short: you’re allowed to use, copy, modify, create derived work, even use it commercially, as long as you include my name into copies/derivative works.

   However, this applies for image files AS I PUBLISH them here, and derivates. Should you, by occasion, stumble across non-flattened hi-res originals (*.svg,*.xcf), these are by a 100% chance not online legally, and may NOT be used by anyone but me, without my explicit permission.

3. Are you anti-intellectual-property, then?

   By NO MEANS!
   But on the one hand I asked myself, whether I’d like to spend my time with prosecuting anyone, who’s fond enough of one of my artworks to use it for something of her own, or whether I’d rather accept, that I can’t keep control on anything I created, as soon as I have published it … put in other words: if it’s not kinda “natural” to, at least partially, let go, and maybe even enjoy, what others do with your creations, if you just let them.
   On the other hand, I used free tools to create my artwork, and owe a lot to these generous font designers, who released their work for the public – I’m a noob in that arena, could never have created one of these myself, and as I did not buy commercial ones, I guess it’s just fair play to release my own artwork under similar conditions.
   At the moment, I don’t know what the consequences are – it’s an experiment for me. I *hope*, that you, the reader, and potential user of my artwork, will treat my work with the same fair approach and respect.
   And I’m optimistic you do. 🙂