The Uniques news and more from Comfort and Adam's Blog #

Uniques: Preview page process

Fri, 09 May 2008 22:38:59 GMT

 

Welcome back! We've spent the week busting into Uniques #3, and final pencils have started to roll right along. Yep, we're back in the swing of it. One tricky part of our particular method of comic making is that, if you aren't careful, you can wind up losing your groove every time you switch mediums. See, since we do pencils and color, we have to arrange our production schedule so that we aren't just penciling for weeks then coloring for weeks. It would work, but it also would mean that every time we went back to one or the other we'd be a bit rusty from all the other stuff.
 
We didn't work this out for issue 2, so by the time we finished penciling it all we had to do a bit of re-learning for our color process when we sat down to the computers again. It didn't hurt the issue, but it wasn't the easiest way to operate. We're trying to do it a better way for #3.
 
Anyway, here's a look at our drawing process. We've said before that we'll alternate doing the thumbnail layouts for the pages, each taking different scenes for different reasons. But while Adam will do such tight, clean thumbnails (he's really good at drawing tiny), Comfort will have to do a looser thumbnail that she then blows up to 8x10 and tightens up. So here is one of her thumbnails and then the tighter rough that came from it:

   
The tiny thumbnail that is drawn at about 1 inch tall by a 1/2 wide.
  

The rough page drawn at 7 1/2 x 10
 
After that, Adam pencils the foreground characters and important back bits and Comf takes the backgrounds. Some changes are often made as we go along - on this page, the top panel was adjusted quite a bit from rough to final as we nailed down the perspective and shuffled the characters around. Some poses shifted a bit, and it was decided to make the shoe guy a unique as well. 

 

The final page all in is penciled glory!

One of the things we deal with is that Michael has those big wings hanging off his back, and due to normal comic book logic you expect him to have to hide them somehow. In our world, seeing a unique with a physical mutation like wings or scaly skin or spots or something isn't necessarily something that freaks you out or even stands out too terribly in a crowd. Making the bowling alley guy a big, ugly unique was part of our attempt to show that this world doesn't abide by the same rules you might expect.
 
Anyway, there's your preview for the day. Enjoy, and we'll be back on Monday for more fun.
 
-Adam & Comfort

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Uniques: First preview pages from issue #3

Tue, 06 May 2008 00:20:14 GMT

We've been chugging along on Uniques #3, and thought we'd take a breather today to post a preview. First, a secret revealed: we're opening the first several issues of The Uniques by flashing back to April of 1994 - the day of the New York disaster. This world-shaping event will be seen through the eyes of each of our characters, in a way showing the Kennedy Effect of asking "Where were you when this moment occurred'" It's such a defining event for the people of our world in general and the seven teens we follow specifically that we felt it important and revealing to see how each of them reacted to what happened and how that event may have shaped where they are now.
 
So in issue 2, we open on Quake and Singe two years prior to the 'present day.' They're at Singe's house, watching the events of the day unfold on TV. Naturally shocked, a decision is made that will change both of their lives forever. What is it' You can read and find out when Uniques #3 hits in June!



Page 1



...and page 2!
 
See ya all later,
 
Adam and Comfort
 
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Uniques: Katie Can Draw the Uniques Girls!

Fri, 02 May 2008 21:49:51 GMT

Hey, gang - back again with something fun we got at the Pittsburgh show. We don't get a lot of commissions for ourselves, mostly because we're poor as heck, but every now and again there's a person who is just too good to miss. In attendance at the 'Burgh and sitting at the booth of our pals at Comic Geek Speak was li'l miss Katie Can Draw. We're big fans of hers, mostly because her style is so dang adorable, but it's high-quality cute and not just sloppy sweet. If you like things that make you go 'Awwww'' then you needs to give her a look.
 
We had Ms. Can-Draw take a whack at our Uniques gals - Telepath, Kid Quick and Motherboard. They turned out so great! And she even nailed the personalities, which was an extra treat. Just one more reason Pittsburgh was great!

 
In other news, Green Ronin's latest Mutants and Masterminds book, Worlds of Freedom, should be in stores by the time you're reading this, and we've got a whole chapter in it full of our art! So if you dig Superhero RPG's (of which this is the best one, and Adam can speak with some authority on this), or if you just like steampunky Victorian stuff, give it a look over. It's at least worth a flip-through, and is nicely affordable to boot!
 
We've got a lot of work in an upcoming book of theirs, Freedom's Most Wanted. It's a villain book, and we got some pretty fun characters to illustrate. Since they've already previewed one of Adam's pieces, we can put it up here for you all to see. This is the golden age Crime League, a collection of the archvillains of the 50's. Adam went nuts with it, adding a lot of fun flourishes, like the liquid-nitrogen filled freeze gun of Doctor Zero, the slick, sloppy seaweed on Tom Cyprus, the crazy detailing on Marionette's tabard, and - of course - the out-of-his-mind look on King Cole in the back.


 
You may now commence your Burger King jokes. Be assured, the resemblance was unintentional but hard to avoid. If you want to do an image of the typical fairy tale king, he's gonna look a certain way. What could be done'
 
Adam's favorite bit of the whole piece was playing around with the lighting effects. There are a lot of different light sources in this one, and each effects the figures in different ways from different angles, making it all much more dynamic. Then he overlaid a rough paper texture to give it more of an old pulpy comic book feel.
 
We'll check in again Monday with more stuff. See you then!
-Adam & Comfort
 
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Uniques: Issue #2 Released!

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 15:44:11 GMT

We're back after an unexpected hiatus, but we're back with great news: Uniques #2 is now available for purchase from UniquesComic.com! As always, we've got $5 printed books for sale as well as digital downloads in PDF and CBZ format for a mere 99¢.



 
But that's not all-- we've got a new Director's Commentary up on the Extras page of the site that talks all about the second issue and its ups and downs, including some character info that you won't see elsewhere. We like using the commentary podcast as a way of talking about bits of the world and the people in our comic that you wouldn't get the chance to learn otherwise. Though that information will often make it into the book at some point and in some form, it won't always be obvious, if you follow us. The commentary lets us talk plainly about these people and their motivations, while still keeping some important secrets for later.

 
So check out Uniques #2! We're really pleased with it, and while it's got a different feel from #1, it's all part of the journey. When you're done, log onto the Uniques Forum and tell us what you thought. We're on there regularly enough, talking back with people and generally having fun.
 
In related news, we've gotten confirmation that copies of Uniques #2 will be arriving to us in time for the Pittsburgh Comic Con this weekend! So if you're going to be at the show, you can come see us for copies of both issues, autographs, sketches, prints, and other fun stuff. Even if you just come by to chat, we'd appreciate seeing you. Look for us at booth #5078.
 
We'll close with a bit of bad news: We've found out that some people who ordered Uniques #1 through Indy Planet have received a faulty copy of the book. See, we had a print proof made that has various color levels throughout the pages and was sent off before we had done most of our edits. The thing is rife with errors and every page's color looks slightly different. While it was very helpful in color-correcting the comic for print, it was never meant to be seen by anybody.
 
Indy Planet has told us that they're fixing the problem, but some bad copies have gone out. Fortunately, it's easy to spot if you've gotten the wrong version. If you have this cover, then you've got the wrong book:


BAD COVER!!!
 
This is the cover you should have:


GOOD COVER!!!
 
So if you've gotten the proof copy by mistake, write to Indy Planet and tell them about the mix-up. They should get all this straightened out, and if they don't then let us know about it, and we'll make sure you're taken care of.
 
So we'll be out for the weekend at Pittsburgh, but we'll blog again next week and tell you all about the show.
 
See you then-
Adam & Comfort

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Uniques: Issue 2 finished! Now, meet The Ghost...

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 01:05:26 GMT

Well, we did it. We finished Uniques #2 at our deadline, and now we await the printing to find out if we'll have them in time for Pittsburgh. One way or the other, it will be released through our website at the end of April, along with all the fun goodies you'd expect from us - a new podcast commentary, a new soundtrack, all them fixin's.
 
Today we're taking a break and posting a page that debuts a new character to The Uniques. Sure, #2 is the first appearance of the team of teen heroes we follow through the series, but you already knew who they are. No, we're talking about the enigmatic, shadowy vigilante that haunts the nightmares of corporate criminals: The Ghost.
 
Ghost wages war on those who twist the law to their own ends, and as such isn't very popular. Having fallen out with the League of Seven many years ago, Ghost continues this unending battle from the shadows. Unknown, unseen - few even believe the myths of The Ghost are true.


 

This scene features Ghost and a 13-year-old Scout in their secret lair, the Tomb, just after the destruction of New York in 1994. What are they talking about' Why is Scout so distraught' You'll have to buy Uniques #2 to find out!
 
$5 for the printed book, ¢99 for a digital download-- how can you lose' But if you aren't convinced, we'll be showing some more previews in the weeks to come. We hope you'll enjoy them anyway, and perhaps be moved enough to give The Uniques a try.

In the mean time, we're taking a couple days to relax and have some fun. It's been a hard couple weeks, and now we intend to reset our happy clock before diving into Uniques #3!
 
See you Friday-
Adam & Comfort

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Uniques: Issue #2 Cover

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:48:57 GMT

Hey gang! Today we're putting up the new, improved cover for Uniques #2! Hot off the Photoshop, so watch your hands - you don't want to get burned'
 
This is actually a kind of old piece, now. It was the first finished illustration Adam ever did of the team, and has been part of our Convention backdrop ever since. Surprisingly, it's held up really well over time and we still felt like it worked nicely for the second issue and the debut of the rest of the team this comic will be about.

 
It did need a little tweaking, though. Scout needed to be put in his new costume, and just generally touched up to look more like himself in age and disposition. The original was a little dark and old and still had that chinstrap beard thing. Also, Adam retouched Telepath's face, which had always felt too young and round for his tastes. The hairline had been too high, the cheeks too chubby, and it was generally too soft and girly looking for our tough gal. Here's the original of those two for your comparison:


 
This weekend we wrap production on Uniques #2. We'll find out whether the books will arrive in time for Pittsburgh in time, and will announce it here as soon as we know.
 
See you later-
Adam & Comfort

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