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Post by ctso74 on Jul 31, 2017 15:50:00 GMT
Yeah the story's interesting and all, but... those sideburns. I am curious, though. This is supposed to be the chapter wherein Surma and Tony get together, but Surma looks considerably younger than she did here, when she was clearly dating Eggers. I dunno what to make of it. Also her hair's much longer, which I don't know the significance of. There could be jumps in the flashback. This could be the first kindling of love, followed by more fire years later, then an affair behind Egger's back. Anja did say, "Worse. They fell in love." Love and betrayal is hard between friends, especial when two people are following their hearts. |
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Post by ohthatone on Jul 31, 2017 16:00:44 GMT
I wonder what filter Tom is using to make everything seem softer in these flashbacks. I don't think it's as simple as adding a sepia tone to everything.
Oh! if Surma and Tony are going to get some alone time with each other in the wake of one of their friends in distress about a parent, maybe we'll learn a bit about Surma and her mom, giving Tony the idea that he can help.
Donny, if you are going to see your girlfriend's dad, get a haircut.
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Post by faiiry on Jul 31, 2017 16:02:33 GMT
Yeah the story's interesting and all, but... those sideburns. I am curious, though. This is supposed to be the chapter wherein Surma and Tony get together, but Surma looks considerably younger than she did here, when she was clearly dating Eggers. I dunno what to make of it. Also her hair's much longer, which I don't know the significance of. There could be jumps in the flashback. This could be the first kindling of love, followed by more fire years later, then an affair behind Egger's back. Anja did say, "Worse. They fell in love." Love and betrayal is hard between friends, especial when two people are following their hearts. That's very plausible. Surma does seem like the sort of duplicitous person who would two-time Eglamore if she wanted to, without regard for who it would hurt. Dunno about Tony, though. I feel like he would approach the situation analytically rather than morally. Like, "How likely am I to survive Eglamore's wrath if he finds out?" And if he calculated that everything was in his favor, he would go right ahead. |
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Post by faiiry on Jul 31, 2017 16:06:33 GMT
I wonder what filter Tom is using to make everything seem softer in these flashbacks. I don't think it's as simple as adding a sepia tone to everything. He did that with Ties and Microsat 5 - the past scenes weren't softer exactly, but everything was dull/sepia. When it comes to flashbacks, I kind of like the duller tones better; it's like looking at an old photograph. But the soft focus is beautiful to look at. |
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Post by nero on Jul 31, 2017 16:12:24 GMT
It all comes down to what Anthony's words are in the next page, well if he actually speaks. Donald and Anja don't seem like the type to lie about family like that.
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Post by faiiry on Jul 31, 2017 16:13:18 GMT
It all comes down to what Anthony's words are in the next page, well if he actually speaks. Donald and Anja don't seem like the type to lie about family like that. I'm all but certain his first words are going to be, "Unacceptable! That's an unacceptable answer, Donny!" |
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Post by The Anarch on Jul 31, 2017 17:10:58 GMT
The saddest face!
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Post by saardvark on Jul 31, 2017 17:11:19 GMT
Edit: I've also found out something that surprises me a little. I thought it was odd and coincidental that Anja and Surma would have their daughters in the same year, but it turns out they didn't. Annie is a year older, apparently. So why are they in the same classes? Huh. Food for thought. Maybe Kat and Annie are born nearly a year apart, but placed such that they still fall in the same school class (eg, Annie in October, Kat the following August). Or maybe Kat's IQ tests or something indicated early genius, and she skipped a year of school in the early grades. Some systems do that... |
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Post by fish on Jul 31, 2017 17:16:44 GMT
There could be jumps in the flashback. This could be the first kindling of love, followed by more fire years later, then an affair behind Egger's back. Anja did say, "Worse. They fell in love." Love and betrayal is hard between friends, especial when two people are following their hearts. That's very plausible. Surma does seem like the sort of duplicitous person who would two-time Eglamore if she wanted to, without regard for who it would hurt. Dunno about Tony, though. I feel like he would approach the situation analytically rather than morally. Like, "How likely am I to survive Eglamore's wrath if he finds out?" And if he calculated that everything was in his favor, he would go right ahead. Huh, I don't agree with either characterisation. You don't have to be duplicitous to get yourself in a cheating situation. And Tony is not a robot but a guy who doesn't know how to properly deal with emotion. There was probably not the least bit of rationality in his decision making regarding Surma. My new idea for the developement is: Surma gets to know this Anthony guy better and realizes she enjoys his company. So whenever the subject of Anthony comes up with James around, who can't stand the guy, Surma is now defending Tony which leads to contention (She is not the person to silently endure unfair criticism of a friend, I feel). They get older and at some point things between Anthony and James escalate. Maybe a physical fight is involved. Maybe cheating allegations are thrown around. The truth might be that they did have an affair, but maybe they didn't and James is just a jealous jerk. Or, most likely, something in between. Though there could have been some 'business with James' without any cheating at all. Surma dumps him because she never loved James the way she loves Anthony. James can't deal with this fact (who could ever like this guy, he must have done something to her) so he does some desparate stupid shit that just drives Surma further away. |
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Post by faiiry on Jul 31, 2017 17:40:22 GMT
Huh, I don't agree with either characterisation. You don't have to be duplicitous to get yourself in a cheating situation. And Tony is not a robot but a guy who doesn't know how to properly deal with emotion. There was probably not the least bit of rationality in his decision making regarding Surma. I was just thinking that Tony doesn't tend to think about girls with anything other than cold rationality. He thinks of things as black and white, and if it isn't black and white he can't make sense of it. Like when he couldn't understand " You either like her or you don't" because he didn't feel either way. (I kind of relate to Tony in this respect.) My thinking was not that he's a robot, but that he was the kind of guy who approaches things analytically to a fault, including relationships and moral quandaries. As for Surma, she has a history of hurting people who are in love with her. She willingly tricked Renard and dumped Eglamore pretty hard. Although it's more the former than the latter that tells me she's duplicitous. Everyone gets dumped eventually, but not all people get hoodwinked, dumped, and trapped by a malevolent organization at the same time. Sure, it was her job and she was asked to do it, but she just looks...so happy about it. Almost smug. I dunno, it was just an assumption on my part that she probably wouldn't be too morally torn about cheating on her boyfriend if it came down to it, based on the other things she has done. Basically if it's revealed that Tony and Surma had a hush-hush relationship for years before this happened, I won't be shocked. Another thing I'm thinking about is that page 1097 is a very brief piece of the puzzle, but very telling. James Eglamore is not present in the current chapter, it seems. And here, Surma mentions that James is gone all the time for his training. And in 1097, Eggers has a bag beside him, indicating he's about to leave... or maybe that he just returned. I'm thinking that Eglamore left Surma just a little too long, and she found someone she liked better in his absence, and when he got back, he was blindsided by the revelation. Maybe that's not quite a cheating situation, but it's close to it. |
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Post by faiiry on Jul 31, 2017 17:45:22 GMT
Here's something interesting. Tom's tweet indicates that, even for the time in which this chapter takes place, those outfits are retro. I would read a whole spinoff comic about the adventures of young Donny and Anja, by the way. |
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Post by warrl on Jul 31, 2017 20:47:38 GMT
I am curious, though. This is supposed to be the chapter wherein Surma and Tony get together, but Surma looks considerably younger than she did here, when she was clearly dating Eggers. I dunno what to make of it. Also her hair's much longer, which I don't know the significance of. The earlier page, she and Anja were wearing heavy clothing and it appears their exhalations were condensing into fog. It was winter. Here she's wearing what looks like a late-spring outfit. That could account for the apparent youthening. |
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Post by fish on Jul 31, 2017 22:25:39 GMT
Thinking about visual effects on this page: there seems to be a kind of diffuse soft shadow behind the contours of the characters (and the carpet) which makes them stand out a bit from their surroundings, a bit like in pop-up pictures.
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Post by faiiry on Jul 31, 2017 22:38:26 GMT
I've always been sorta fascinated with the vastness of the Court, and how many rooms the scenes take place in never return in the story. That being said, I need Tom to tell us what's up with this particular room. I don't know why. I just need to know.
It's a moderately large room with like 3 couches, a stereo, some books and some boxes, and a bulletin board. So what is it - what purpose does it serve? Is it a common room for the "apartment" dorms, or just some random room somewhere, or a room to chill out during breaks at school, or what? And also, why's there no TV? Are there whole buildings in the Court that have no real purpose and are only there for people to hang out in? How many janitors does the Court employ? I must know.
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Post by pyradonis on Jul 31, 2017 22:51:49 GMT
Edit: I've also found out something that surprises me a little. I thought it was odd and coincidental that Anja and Surma would have their daughters in the same year, but it turns out they didn't. Annie is a year older, apparently. So why are they in the same classes? Huh. Food for thought. Maybe Kat and Annie are born nearly a year apart, but placed such that they still fall in the same school class (eg, Annie in October, Kat the following August). Or maybe Kat's IQ tests or something indicated early genius, and she skipped a year of school in the early grades. Some systems do that... Actually, in that quote Tom does not state how far they are apart, only how old the two of them were at the beginning if the story - Kat could have literally turned twelve the very next day. Other possible reasons, if they are indeed a year apart: - Annie was homeschooled by her mother, maybe the Court insisted she was not far enough in her studies to start in year 6 - Surma and/or Anja wanted their kids to be in the same class |
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Post by pyradonis on Jul 31, 2017 22:52:21 GMT
Here's something interesting. Tom's tweet indicates that, even for the time in which this chapter takes place, those outfits are retro. I would read a whole spinoff comic about the adventures of young Donny and Anja, by the way. Those pants tho. |
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Post by Jelly Jellybean on Jul 31, 2017 23:34:55 GMT
Maybe this isn't like the other popular magical boarding school tale, and our gang was relatively old when they decided to get children. If the adults are in their 50s in the present day (set in vague 2010s), they would have been born in the 1960s, and thus they would be young adults in the late 1970s (when this flashback would be set). And then they were in their late 30s when Annie/Kat were born. I also like to think all parents in fiction are stuck with having 70s flashbacks, like the Simpsons. They must all be cursed with sideburns. ![]()  |
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Post by Trillium on Aug 1, 2017 3:07:25 GMT
Opps s posted before I saw the topic was already covered. My bad.
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Post by faiiry on Aug 1, 2017 3:54:12 GMT
I like how Donny's glasses are expressive. Wait - maybe that's his special ability?? Maybe the glasses are bionic???
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Post by Runningflame on Aug 1, 2017 4:48:55 GMT
This is gonna be good! It's true--Surma in this page looks just like present-day Annie with different hair, whereas Surma in p 436 and following looks a lot more grown up. I like the "multiple-eras flashback" theory. But if that doesn't prove to be true, here's another option: Tom is drawing her this way to visually represent Anja's memory being " She looked so much like you, Annie..." Oh, and Donny looks a bit like college pictures of my dad.  He just needs to add a beard and mustache. |
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Post by pyradonis on Aug 1, 2017 13:17:22 GMT
I like how Donny's glasses are expressive. Wait - maybe that's his special ability?? Maybe the glasses are bionic??? They must be, since he had them early on, and they must have grown with him. |
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Post by bicarbonat on Aug 1, 2017 19:33:03 GMT
I wonder what filter Tom is using to make everything seem softer in these flashbacks. I don't think it's as simple as adding a sepia tone to everything. Oh! if Surma and Tony are going to get some alone time with each other in the wake of one of their friends in distress about a parent, maybe we'll learn a bit about Surma and her mom, giving Tony the idea that he can help. Donny, if you are going to see your girlfriend's dad, get a haircut. Reminds me of a low opacity duplicate of the linework (or line-and-color work) layer + low Gaussian blur, with something similar to Color Burn as the blending mode. |
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Post by faiiry on Aug 1, 2017 23:17:33 GMT
I like how Donny's glasses are expressive. Wait - maybe that's his special ability?? Maybe the glasses are bionic??? They must be, since he had them early on, and they must have grown with him. Could also explain why he's gone the better part of 30 years without changing their style... I mean, as someone who's worn glasses for a long time, I'm pretty sure no one does that. |
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Post by jda on Aug 2, 2017 14:45:36 GMT
Edit: Maaan, just realized this is the second scene we see Anja crying for a loved one. What kind of sad role has Tom put her in? I'm glad she has Donny. Anja's hiding her face, but what little we can see indicates that her face is not red. [...] That's kind of what made me think she might be faking. Well, there you have it. |
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Post by faiiry on Aug 2, 2017 14:51:33 GMT
Anja's hiding her face, but what little we can see indicates that her face is not red. [...] That's kind of what made me think she might be faking. Well, there you have it. Yeah, that theory is pretty much six feet under. Unless Anja is using magic to make her face red. How devious! |
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Post by jda on Aug 3, 2017 4:21:33 GMT
Yeah, that theory is pretty much six feet under. Unless Anja is using magic to make her face red. How devious! Or she is REALLY commited to set her friends up. |
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He just needs to add a beard and mustache.
