Since we’ve looked at pages 1 and 2 so far, I figured we might as well go the rest of the way and check out the remaining four pages of the Footprints: Bad Luck Charm story. Whereas Page 2 takes a lot of liberties from the script in terms of what Jonathan did with the art, Page 3 is a great example of how Adam’s lettering really helped the flow of the story in a significant way.
You’ll notice that Adam shifts the balloons around a bit, most notably Devil and ‘Resa’s lines as scripted in 3.2 to 3.1 and Devil’s line as scripted in 3.6 to 3.5. While the moves might have been related to space issues within the panels, they both help punctuate particular moments that would’ve been lost under dialogue otherwise.
In the first case, the punch-in to the security guard in 3.2 is more effective, putting the sole focus on this dude to let the reader know that he’s onto something. In the second case, keeping only the dealer’s line in 3.6 better matches the action of the panel with everyone clenching up in anticipation.
On this page you can also see how much detail Jonathan adds in the coloring stage. You’ll notice there are no lines for the design of the chips; that’s all added in the coloring stage. And as a devout lover of roulette, I greatly appreciate his color accuracy on the table and the wheel. The thing I love most about the art on this page, though, is the background work, which in 3.1 is written as having a “blanket of cigarette smoke over it.”
I love that you can see the hints at lights in the background, obfuscated by a layer of smog. It gives a disorienting effect; the same kind you feeling when you’re actually in the thick of casino. No discernible exits or navigational landmarks. The goal is to get you in and keep you in, and I think this hazy depiction of the background gives the reader that feeling.
Footprints: Bad Luck Charm only has 12 days left on Kickstarter — we’re 63% to our goal with just over $2000 to go and 107 backers already pledged. Please consider donating — every single $1 counts.
