KREDDING THE THICKNESS
Dear Steve,
Many thanks for your excellent work on Justin Zane. The first time I checked out Justin Zane, I only read the first dozen or so episodes (which was still enough to see how rich and detailed the universe you’re crafting is). This time, I started over at the beginning and read the whole run in two sittings. That was a little overwhelming, truth be told, and it took me a while to have my thoughts congeal into something coherent, but now I’m ready to give you some more detailed feedback.
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First, irrespective of the rendering and storytelling (which are great), I have been particularly impressed by your page designs. What you are doing with your pages knocks my socks off! Episode 14, for example: panels without panels! 18 and 25 both use irregular panels that make the overall page layouts look fresh and innovative. I’m especially enamored of #35 (and also the coloring there) and #39. And even when you work in a reasonably traditional panel layout, like #5, your pages are still visually arresting and interesting (of course, Glimmer Starborn is going to help with that, too. I would be completely distracted all the time if she was my therapist).
What has been really floating my boat in Justin Zane is the message about human worth and dignity. Catrina’s “Your life is amazing” soliloquy from 53 was great, as was Glimmer’s “The most powerful thing is a mind that dares to be different” from 54 – back to back hits! I think it is important to say such things explicitly, at this particular moment in history.
And I’m appreciative that Dr. Cranius has convinced himself of the purity of his cause and motives, but what makes him evil is his disregard for the worth of the individual (our hero). Nobody thinks of themselves as the Bad Guy! And Justin has a hard time (especially at the start) thinking of himself as the Good Guy – especially when Cranius is telling him he isn’t. Especially given Justin’s childhood. Good characterization!
One reason comics were so meaningful to me as a kid was that every cover on the spin-rack was a window on a more imaginative and exciting world than the stultifying, conformist suburb in which I lived (and by which I felt trapped). I also read and watched a lot of science fiction. Reading Justin Zane really takes me back to those feelings (and I doubt that the inclusion of The Idle Reich, the galaxy’s greatest skrok band, is an accident, either… rock and roll helped save my life and sanity when I was an angsty teenager). So, many thanks for bringing
us all along for the ride through this imaginary, imaginative universe. I look forward to kredding more of the thickness!
Best Regards,
Dan Shoemaker