Skies of Fire ­ Stylistic Guidelines 06/09/13

Take these guidelines with a grain of salt. They are not doctrine. Ultimately, we respect that the art of the book is your providence :).

Color/Shading:

Generallylookingforpastels,mutedcolors.Popsofblue and red with industrial earth tones.

We don’t want superhero colors clean look, bright, shiney.

Samples: Porco Rosso, Tintin; WWI, WWII propaganda posters & postcards.

Should feel like a WWI movie (always remember: we’re shooting on film :)). Rembrandt lighting, Chiaroscuro. Sepia­like look for interiors (due to tungsten lighting).

Panels:

We love cinematic. 2.35 (widescreen) panels are our preference.Welikesplashpagesforepicwideshots.The battles.

Smaller panels are good for Close ups, smallactions,or for rapid­fire action sequences (keep things moving fast).

For the Expanse, we’d like to see the panel frames disappearforthemostpart(maybemini­panelsstillhave frames). The Expanse is a storm where ourcharactersget lost in, and the lack of frames, I believe, will add to that lack of structure.

Samples: The Ultimates, the Authority, any other ‘big budget’ comic book.

Lettering:

We’dliketoseetheletteringdoneinasimilarstyleto Herge’ssquareboxesinTintin.Wethinkthesquareboxes have a vintage aspect to them, and fit into the stories time (with the notches on the side of the boxes).

People:

Try to keep the accessories to a minimum. The two gun holsters are cool, but it becomes a little too cartoony whenasingledudehasarifle,apistolinhishand,and three others strapped to his body along with belts of ammo.

We love women, but keep things proportionate. We really like the bomber jackets and military costumes.

Though the breastplate on the soldier’s outfit is cool, we would like to see the soldiersinclothuniforms.The pirates would do well with breastplates. Also, we like how you keep clothing as realistic to the situation as possible.

Kaiser helmet is cool, but we prefer a WW2 variant.

We love your realistic approach to their bodybuildsand faces!

Ships:

We really like your airship designs. They have a great balance of fantasy and realism.

What we want is for people to look at the ship and say “this could be something that can fly. Its not just fantasy.” That’s something we believe you do really well.

That said, we would like to seetheCallistowithoutthe huge fins in the middle of the ship. Also, the airships don’thaverunwaysinthestory,theyjustdropthemfrom underneath. It is a precarious process, but we feel it adds some danger :P

Your 3 broadside cannons are great! Wewanttoseemore! Likemaybealineof15or20oneachside.Theycanbea little higher up on the ship, just below the middle (integrated into the hull).

As for interiors, we would like to see it be cramped, almostclaustrophobic.Itsastruggletokeeptheseships in the air. The weight of the people/guns/fuel/planes takes its toll. To stay up, space is sacrificed. Any weightthatcanbeshavedoff,is.Laddershavepatterned holes along their rungs and sides to save weight. Its a struggle to get through an engine room without stepping on someone else’s toes.

Ship designs aren’t necessarily stuck to dirigibles. Dirigibles are predominant for military and heavier commercial and cruise ships. But, there can be semi­rigids and balloons for other purposes. Short transport,guardwatchesetc.Theycanalsobepaintedor have emblems and designs that should fit the period.

Location:

Italian architecture is key. We want that Stone and mortar style to most places. Montere is like Rome. Architectural styles are continually changing, jumbled over one another. Roman, Renaissance, Enlightenment, Industrial.

Cupidoros has a more Spanish feel. Its more plaster homes, haciendas, narrow roads. Think of the Lowlands as La Mancia.

Port Prince is again with the italian style. Think San Gimignano with taller towers interconnected and big enough to bring the nose of the airship into a hanger.

The Expanse is a hurricane that nevermovesordies.Its sleet snow etc.

Ryder’s Peak is like a port on the Caribbean.