Spoilers, obv.
I originally planned issue 2 in the arc to basically do the filling in the gaps – explaining what has been going on up to here. When I broke it down tighter, it simply didn’t fit. I realised it’d be better to put it off for ANOTHER issue, where there was a plot-specific reason for it.
Instead, we dive on…
Jamie/Matt’s cover
Dionysus, who makes his return this issue. The Dionysus colouring remains one of my favourite things in the book. Same three-level white-border structure.
Kris Anka’s cover
Oh, Hello.
I suspect the most (er) popular cover in quite a while. I saw quite a few people tweeting about not being able to get a copy as their shop had sold out.
Honestly, Kris killed with this. I suspect that Baal’s standing in the WHICH GOD DO I WANT TO “DO” poll question may have something to do with his appearance here.
The Inanna tattoo was Kris’ idea, and beyond perfect. I believe I suggested the lightning on the champagne. Colouring was Kris’ own.
Page 1
I mentioned we’d be returning to this scene last issue, so Jamie could re-use his background.
Minerva’s dad’s pullover is the most sinister fashion choice in the whole comic.
“Clever girl” seems to be a catchphrase for Ananke. She also said it to Cassandra way back in issue 9. She is very patronising.
Page 2
Hardcore RPG references. I tweeted this for a reason I can’t really remember, and was in need of a chapter heading.
Page 3
The colouring shift from the pop to the openly dingy is very much the point.
We haven’t seen much of Dionysus since issue 8 – bar an appearance in 15 – so him re-appearing in the plot is key. With a cast as big as ours, there’s obviously some pacing to get everyone in the same place.
But yes – this perhaps highlights what’s been going on with Dionysus. Yeah, I’m concerned too.
Page 4
Honestly, South London Chicken shop is the ultimate case of Write What You Know. Now I’m hungry for fried chicken. This book is bad for me, in many ways.
In the original draft, I didn’t have the TV speaking, but when issue 1 came back, I felt the need to stress the situation of what happened there. As in, no deaths.
Three panel in the middle on a steady angle, showing full body. “Comedy lives in the middle shot,” to paraphrase Tracy Jordan.
The Underworld again. Our mission to continue to be the comic that wastes most black ink in the history of the medium continues.
Page 5
Group shot! They’re the kids in the underground, etc.
We were looking to have a very casual take on the classic comic group hero shot. As in, here they are.
Still haven’t got used to Persephone’s abs.
Page 6
Set up for the reveal in the end of the issue, of course.
Woden and Ananke scenes are always fun to write. Woden brings out the worst in Ananke. Hell, Woden brings the worst out in everyone.
This issue has a different purpose to the last one, but it’s still leaning on that short-scene structure. One page, one page, etc.
Page 7-8
These lights really do make Amaterasu look pallid. Sun god, get some sun.
I’ve mentioned how I break down an issue? Google KIERON GILLEN MASTERPOST, and it includes a link. The basic one is that I write a hyper-rough synopsis, and put a number by it to show how many pages this takes.
This one basically read “Ananke talks Valhalla gods into going after Persephone and crew.” But the process of writing it is working out the arguments. What would Ananke say? Amaterasu gets the top level… and it’s worth noting that she’s not talked into actually fighting people. I write Baal, and the line is obvious – she uses Inanna as leverage.
(And great close up on Baal’s hand there, Jamie.)
And then I get to Sakhmet, and I realise Sakhmet doesn’t need convincing, and the scene twists another way. That was one of the moments when writing which made me smile most.
The extended fingers are a lovely gesture.
I said I’d add a line to the last panel if Ananke’s expression didn’t carry the beat. It’s Jamie. Of course the expression carried the beat.
Page 9-10
Another steady angle shot to open the scene. Yet more physical comedy… though really for the dramatic beat.
Obviously lots of clues and referentiality here, but that can wait.
(In passing – I doubt I’d have written this without you knowning Baphomet this well. That is obviously a Baphomet line, so we don’t need to show him.)
Structurally, this is a mirror of the last one – there Ananke convinces the overworld gods. Here, Dionysus is recruited. In the same way as above, my synopsis was “Dionysus gets the situation explained to him – he is convinced.” When writing it, I had no idea how exactly that was.
Dionysus is one of the more tentative characters in the book. He clearly doesn’t like a lot of what much of the Pantheon lives off. So I wandered around the argument – do they believe Persephone? How is Morrigan and Baph’s relationship?
(And the two panels at the start of 10 are great by Jamie – the mirroring, the sense of drawing a line between them.)
Anyway, I hit Minerva who gives the download… and then I realise exactly what convinces Dionysus. Minerva doesn’t use facts. Minerva just says how she feels… and Dionysus instantly gets it…
…and then I remember Dionysus hasn’t met Minerva, which gives us the final beat.
Honestly, there are times when your characters just delight you. This arc has a string of moments which I’ve come to think of as a character’s finest hour, where you see them at their best. This one was Dionysus’.
Minerva’s expression on the “Mum and Dad” panel is heartbreaking. I’d go and fight gods for that too.
Also – we give the owl a name. It’s working title was Owly, and was thinking there would be something else that would occur… but in the end, we liked Owly.
(I also realised it could be taken as a plug for the excellent Owly comics, which cemented it in place.)
Page 11
Primarily about the atmosphere, obv. Would it have been better to have the Owl eyes appear on the end of the last page? Probably, but there’s far more interesting things happening on that page, none of which could be sacrificed for a little fake tension.
I fully admit to grinning when writing BEE-BOOP!
Page 12
And we kick off.
Purple suit is obviously loaded with Inanna being dead. Good colouring choice there by Matt. Once more, I wish I had the suit.
This arc is very much pop-video as fight scene, so we certainly lean into a little swagger.
Lightning crackle panel borders, obviously – this whole section is written in Marvel Method, perhaps unsurprisingly. Good call by Jamie.
Played with something a little more meta and leaning into our theme in the last panel (“TRACK TWO”) but we’re really not that kind of book, at least when things are as serious as this.
Page 13
And here’s the team! Colour choices are interesting by Matt here.
This is a fight arc. It’s not just a fight arc as you’ll see, but the escalation and changing of stakes is key. This issue is a fight between two groups. I played with bringing the Valkyrie along too… but that escalates too quickly (and there’s an inworld reason why they’re not here too, of course.) What can be interesting?
Basically, it’s about pairing people up and showing personality. It’s a visual medium, etc.
Yeah, Morrigan is pissed.
Page 14
Vivid and sickly colour choices here. Really exciting and unusually – oddly brings to mind some of the choices that Bettie Breitweiser makes. Which probably means “is good with pink.”
Another alternate-panel structure here, using the ravels to delineate space. After an issue which has been very formal grids, this obviously captures something of the chaos.
Also, by far the least comforting the Morrigan has been for a while.
Page 15
I was thinking of those pop-plate things that send dancers bouncing into the air from beneath the stage with Baphomet here.
Anaterasu’s armour on the arm in the second panel is clearly this month’s cosplay challenge.
Sakhmet/Dionysus is a fun pair up. As a marvel method scene, I had a variety of dialogue here, but went in this direction…
(“I’m not a lover or a fighter. I’m a writer” is one of my standard crap one liners.)
Page 16
Obviously shitloads happening here. I was suggested David Aja as an influence to Jamie, but looking at it some more, this looks like a pop take on Daredevil era Miller. Is that just me? The 16 panel grid structure always brings Miller to mind of course.
Sakhmet had a bad showing last issue, of course. Always worth stressing that no, she’s about as deadly as everyone thinks she is.
The multiple-image tricks in the penultimate panel works really well too.
Page 17
Another page unit worth looking at – The triangle structure Jamie creates interacts with the laser-structure of Amaterasu’s motion here. The whole thing has a angular momentum to it – it’s particularly strong on panel 4, with her laser emerging from the thinned part to the widest part of the triangle seeming to add to her speed.
I like frozen time beats – panel 1 and panel 3 basically happen simultaneously. Amaterasu is fast.
I asked for the second panel to evoke Amaterasu’s glance in the first sequence I the gig. Her Eclipse eyes are one of my fave “things”.
If I said that the main influence for her laser movement in the third panel was Darkseid’s Omega Effect beams would you throw stuff at me?
Page 18
Nice panel breaking by Jamie here on the second panel.
Yes, surprise attacks against people who aren’t expecting it is Baphomet’s go-to move. Three so far in this arc, by my count.
Sakhmet’s in the fourth panel is my favourite expression of hers in the whole issue.
I originally had Baal have a different moniker for Sakhmet here, but it was too complicated, irrelevant to the current situation and broke the mood. Instead, I went much simpler one – Blundercat – which is actually much funnier than it shold be in context.
(His original one liner will find a place eventually, I’m sure.)
Page 19
My first draft for Badb’s dialogue in this issue really did leave a lot to be desired, and C interrogated my pretty heavily over it. Much happier with where it ended up. “Slake” is a good word.
Badb reforming works really well here, in an uncomfortable way.
“Hedwig” was on the list of alternate names for Owly, but that would have mean losing Baphomet’s line here about Hogwart’s tat.
Standard same-angle change-pose mode.
Gentle Annie! Long time, no see, etc.
Page 20
Oh noes!
Woden’s last line allows us to realise when this would have been recorded – or at least, is a very good hint towards it.
Page 21
The first two panels lines were much more complicated, but we realised that a mid-word transition was much more powerful.
“Cute kid Foie Gras” is very Baphomet.
And, yes, we clearly should do skull-icon contacts for WicDiv merch.
Page 22
Title a Socrates nod, obviously - “THE ONLY TRUE WISDOM IS KNOWING YOU KNOW NOTHING.” Glad to finally get my classical education into play. As in, repeatedly watching the first Bill and Ted for years.
Next: Cassandra’s back. And is she happy? Of course not. She’s Cassandra.
Thanks for reading.