Official Discussion Thread, Issue 10: Volcanic

[ShastaB24]

It makes me wonder: what was the dialog for the page in the original script, when Kiki was still Pele? After all, him calling here Pele and her saying that from here on out it's Pele to him doesn't make any sense. Also: I'm still not used to the new name and constantly think of her name as Pele.

[Verdant]

@Prince Blanche - Thanks for mentioning the shift. I appreciate you noticing!

@Shasta - The name changed happened before I wrote the script for Issue 10. The change was tough, but I felt that it made the most sense given the feedback I received. Fun fact, the new team name, Maka Koa (Hawaiian for Eye of the Warrior), was given to me by a Hawaiian friend and co-worker. It was the name of the fire truck at the fire station she lived nearby .

[ShastaB24]

While I know it's most prudent to talk about what's been posted for everyone to see, but I have to say, I'm personally excited for the next page, having seen it on Patreon. This issue is exciting overall, actually, as I know the fallout from it is going to be immense (well, high school-immense, which is pretty big for the students).

[ShastaB24]

Now that it's posted, I can say more about it: I really do love Amber getting a speaking line. I'd assume the issue officially makes "Developing a Sense of Self" non-canon. I mean, it's speculation at the moment, but it would seem she's seen as the way she was at the beginning, which is that people don't know about her soul powers and think that George's power (water manipulation) is her power (and don't know George exists). Nothing wrong with that as it is, but interesting to note. My stories have her outed (both in powers and her being trans) early in the school year, but the stories being non-canon in the end doesn't have to be too bad.

And I'll maintain, it's nice to even see her in the comic (and I thought that cameo at the beginning of the issue was going to be the only time I saw either of my characters in the issue, so this is especially great).

[Verdant]

Thanks for understanding! This sequence originally had a different character, so I needed to take some liberties to fit Amber in. Perhaps it can all fit with Developing a Sense of Self by shifting the timing of things a bit?

[ShastaB24]

Eh, maybe. Not really sure about that. Maybe I could re-write the whole thing entirely (it could do with some polishing), or whatever. I had been wanting to turn it into a comic eventually (when I had the time to draw it), but this just means an overhaul would have to happen, or at least altering when events take place (last I left the story, I'd shown Amber and Vince on Christmas break, which is still some time removed from the post Spring Break events here). But maybe if I go the comic route, I'd completely re-work the story, anyways (especially because otherwise one of the chapters would have to be based off an RP whose characters aren't all on the boards anymore). As it is, there is a major event that's supposed to happen shortly after Christmas break, and I wanted to do that in comic form, because it best fits that medium. I always knew there was a chance something in the comic would be irreconcilable with the story as it is (unless Cascade is horribly out of the loop, which I sincerely doubt) and had an idea a rewrite may be needed.

[ShastaB24]

Seeing the latest page and Thursday's, things might still possibly work for a small tweak, not a major one. But it's still so satisfying to see Amber not only on the page, but being given speaking lines.

Of course, on top of that, the driving conflict of the issue is also fun, the fight between KO and Kiki. The school seems it might need to pay a decent amount for repairs when this is all over.

[Prince Blanche]

I think this tone shift helps update the storytelling and style a lot AND makes it far more streamlined and easy to digest. Admittedly, something I've felt rereading the old comics is that they sometimes get too dense in terms of either text usage (not so much dialogue but simply using too many text bubbles) or using too many small frames when a single large one could easily fit the scene. NOW, the limitations of being an indie comic certainly were at play AND it didn't deter at all from being interesting and good, but the current style helps the story's pace and development to run far more smoothly.

The art style also brings out well the facial expressions and combat scenes, which while relatively simple right now, get a stronger sense of pacing and dynamism than in earlier comics (the previous comics' fight scenes were pretty amazing, but looking at the last issue and this one, we're seeing what time has done to improve both script-writing and art in this regard). I feel the series has matured a lot, while retaining its original presentation as being mainly directed at teens, in that sense.

As for Amber's character arc, I've always thought that the RPs and Fanfics, while generally used to flesh out character development and backgrounds, were deutero-canon, and while elements would crop up in canon proper and maybe it would be entirely validated by canon or Word of Verdant, I find it's actually interesting to see how Verdant develops his take on the fan created characters rather than how close he keeps them to original intent. I like to see her development here because it's like seeing the differences between say O5 Jean Grey and the traditionally seen Jean Grey, but I'm glad at least there's window for elements of the deutero-canon to show up in canon per se.

(I've spent way too many years up at TV Tropes, does it show?)

[ShastaB24]

I know the board stories were never 100% canon, but it's interesting to see something come up that I wouldn't have thought would have been contradicted. In the end, I also know Tommy's storytelling is his own thing and his stories supersede the boards. I was mainly responding off my initial reaction to seeing the pages up--and of course I'm going to really notice what could contradict. But heck, now that I think about it: inconsistencies might actually make sense right now. After all, this takes place before Reality Check, so we may be seeing little bits that the manta ray-like being would later fix (in this scenario, making everything fit the comic, not the board stories). Or that could just be wild mass guessing (I spend some time on TV Tropes, too).

[ShastaB24]

Seeing the latest page, as well as Thursday's, I'm loving how this is heading. I'll maintain I was being a little silly complaining about deviation from my story canon earlier, because of course Tommy shouldn't have to shackle his writing to the boards canon (which is closer to fanon). And I can see how changing the Developing a Sense of Self stories just slightly can work. I think it seemed like I was raising a bigger stink than I intended--it was a slight gripe at the time without all the information--this will just drive me more to revise what I already wanted to do.

[Verdant]

Thanks for the feedback, PB and Shasta! I couldn't say much earlier on due to spoilers, but I'm glad you're enjoying Amber's inclusion in Pride High canon. And yes, I too can get LOST in TVtropes .

[ShastaB24]

Yeah, from the beginning, I thought Amber and Vince would just be background characters (and Vince seems to have been just that), but this has been great. And an appearance of George, too! Definitely wouldn't have expected that, and it's great. I think I'm spoiled by the amount of screentime my characters have been given here.

[ShastaB24]

That last panel really shows how Brian's art has evolved since the beginning. It looks so good! And I'm wondering now who that "P" guy is. Something about him especially jumped out at me. Is he on the boards, or otherwise?

[Verdant]

I believe the character is one of his own, but yes, Brian's work on this issue has been fantastic!

[ShastaB24]

I wonder if Kiki's going to be expelled, or the like. Her actions were quite monumental in this issue (when I'd mentioned "high school serious" before, I hadn't thought really about how this was a student violently attacking another student--maybe I'm still used to the rather no-consequence violent confrontations between superheroes that have been in comics from the beginning) and her denial is a little troubling. "He can take it" isn't far off from "he deserved it", and there are shades of a domestic violence situation (no matter how one-off this is) and the possibility that one could possibly see it as a hate crime (as far as I can tell, it's not and she was reacting to him kissing someone else and breaking up with her rather than the revelation that he's bi), so there are possibly serious charges that can be brought up against her.