Without Fear

Blame Eric Zawadzki. Blame him for everything that went right here.

HEADSPACE #6 – 99c – all good.

COVER

Best. In. Show. This is my favourite cover of the series, hands down. So simple, so elegant. I love it, and Eric.

PAGE 1

It was Dan’s idea to match the cyclical redundancy of the film reel ended and spinning constantly with the caption of violence essentially doing the same thing in our worlds. This is why I love him as an editor, he thinks on all the levels.

And once again, Eric nails the emotion. It’s moments like these I’m going to miss getting in my inbox when this book ends.

PAGE 2

Using a black panel as a jump cut to get them from inside the house to outside it, and straight into the next scene. I’m surprised this works as well as it does. I didn’t want to fit some other panel of them going outside, getting outside, bumping into the Maxs. I just wanted the drama, so I reached out and took it. Kinda makes Page 1 look like prologue in retrospect, and I’m fine with that.

I think I wanna add this move to my toolchest and use it in the future.

Dig that red panel, that’s all Zawadzki.

Like Chandler, when I split my infinitives, I mean to split my infinitives.

PAGE 3

Gil speaks Latin. Of course he does.

So excited to script his return. This sequence here, man, it went through a whole mess of drafts before landing here. Originally, Shane spent more time moping inside, but it took up too much time, then he confronted all these Maxs outside and had a huge convo with them. Nothing felt right.

Then Max returned, on the ‘gator, and all was perfect. Sometimes you just know a scene isn’t working, well, you gotta keep punching it in the face – and letting it punch you in the face – before you get something better, something worthy.

PAGE 4

Yet another character based moment for Shane. He is our holy lead, bless him.

Also, yet another colour moment from Mr Z. Always love his choices here.

PAGE 5

Suddenly Gil kicks into convenient wrap up/exposition mode, bless him, also.

This whole page is a transition scene, but totally needed and it wraps a few loose ends up – because I did not wanna pull a “LOST” and ask more than I answer [NOTE: I love LOST, always have, always will.]

PAGE 6

RAND International. Behind it all. We should have known.

Sebastian asked me if I would mind him playing with this page. Look at that middle spread, so gorgeous. As if I would ever mind. The more Sebastian and I worked, and the more time we took, the greater things started to pop. The guy is amazing.

And wordplay was a fun idea to play around with, and a science I could completely make my own to serve the narrative. I love sci fi.

PAGE 7

So much happening, Max is unstoppable. Seb does a masterful job of packing all of this in. That final panel is fantastic.

I wanted Max to feel like the terminator, unstoppable, like he’d decimated everyone before it all even really started. I think Seb nailed that speed and efficiency.

PAGE 8

Loooove that double head tap. Great flow, great colours from Marissa. Perfect moment.

Shout out to Tim McEwan 🙂

Also love that helmet, makes me think of Christopher Walken in BRAINSTORM, ha.

PAGE 9

Slow burn set up page for the page turn. A small quiet moment for Shane before we turn up the volume.

PAGE 10

And our volume goes to 11.

When I came up with this idea, I instantly saw it in Eric’s art and I know it’d be immense. Eric did not fail to deliver, this is so grotesque and gorgeous. I figured the Id needed something bombastic, a real entrance, and here it is.

Also, look who is on the very front of the boat? Everything comes together, from the first page to the last. Poor Laura.

PAGE 11

A Bond villain moment ruined by…something strange. I like that the moment is completely interrupted by something different and no one knows what’s going on, not you, not Shane, it just happens and ruins a moment that is building. I like messing with that structure.

And it’s this end that’s all Eric’s idea. I had the script for #6 already written and he said that Shane should get out of the Cove, he should get what he wants, so here we leave him. It’s fantastic drama.

PAGE 12

Salvation, the most key term on this page…except for those of us who know the face of that guy waiting for Shane 😐

BACK MATTER

As always, all hail Christopher Kosek, Designer Supreme of Carpenter Cove.

Seriously go hunt out the back matter, all the back matter, for CASANOVA. Thank me later. And see what a ersatz version you’ve been steeped in here, go guzzle the real deal.

Ambient Yeast link.

ESSAY

Dan Hill makes me hate the world and fear the future – and that’s how I know I need to read his stuff and drain his brain.

PIN UPS

Sandy Jarrell draws Gil and my heart swoons.

Matt Horak, with Marissa Louise colours, just becomes this black velvet/black light poster I wish existed.

——-

This sends us into the final reel. From here, two issues to go, and the business gets real.

We’d also appreciate it if you spread the good word. Indie books live and die on the vine due to exposure and word of mouth. Hit up twitter with #headspacecomic to share your thoughts. Chat with myself @ryanklindsay or Eric @ericxyz and let us know your thoughts. We love to chat about the stuff we create. Or just about other stuff. Tell your friends about the book on Facebook, or in person, actually phone a friend to talk about Headspace, or gift the comic to someone. It’s all appreciated.

We’ll see you for #7 very soon, we’ve already completed and sent the issue in. Til then, have a think about our trade collection from IDW bringing you the entire story at the end of April. Talk to your LCS about preordering it from Previews now, and tell your friends how much they need this in their life, and just stock up for Xmas, or get in for an Xmas in July now.