PRINCE OF SATURN
I’ve given quite a bit of thought to the broad strokes of my idea of a displaced Earthman finding himself on the golden ringed planet far from his home. Unfortunately for me, the broad strokes of a story idea is all I usually end up with. It’s the smaller moments– the character moments and construction– that I find myself frozen up about. I’m sure if I actually sat down and started to write some of this stuff out, it would begin to flow from me pretty easily. I recall…. what must be about 5 years ago now…. that Todd and I were discussing possible ideas for another TELLOS story arc. I remember Todd talking about the possibility of introducing a new character– a rebellious young girl who could end up a playing a pivotal role in a new story. She would represent a way of reintroducing our cast and also becoming an important part of the overall story. That was about all Todd had at that moment. I remember saying I would do some character designs and begin to perhaps flesh out some ideas in writing for the beginning of the new story arc. I sat down to my computer and began to write… and before I knew it, I had pages and pages of character descriptions and the outline of the introductions to these characters and how they would impact the beginning of our new story. The writing began to come to me very easily– so easily I was thrilled and quite surprised. Unfortunately, all that writing was on the hard drive of my old computer… my Mac G4 tower… that died a very gruesome death, and I never made backups. Fortunately, Todd and I remember most of the details, so it’s easily recreated for future use.
All that is to say that one day, when I have the time, I’ll sit down and begin to flesh out the story for the man from Earth who finds himself on far away Saturn, embroiled in a struggle for the throne of the greatest kingdom on that distant world. In the mean time, though…. I had a flash of an image of … for now I’ll call him Jesse– having borrowed a flyer, standing on a rocky peak, trying to come to terms with the events that have led him to this point. Just a small moment in what I hope is a big, epic story that will one day come to fruition… but a moment I really wanted to draw.
OK… that’s it for the beginning of another week.
This is Entry 410.
Mike
August 6th, 2007 at 9:22 am
Very cool character and vehicle designs Mike. I also really like the expression on his face, very contemplative.
August 6th, 2007 at 9:28 am
Wow one of your best yet for Saturn Kid! You know I love every bit of the story you reveal! I come to this site hoping for a little more on Saturn Kid every time! Thank you for fulfilling that need today! and I can’t wait till you get some time to try and flesh out more!
On another note, you gonna check out Sci-fi channels new take on Flash Gordon this Friday?
August 6th, 2007 at 10:02 am
An excellent composition indeed, Mike. Dare I say that it warrants inks and coloring?
I’ve been burned with the hard drive/corrupt files blues before, too. Now I’m pretty much a back-up packrat. The downside to that is that I’ve got too many copies of stories and ideas that I forget which ones are the most up-to-date versions sometimes.
August 6th, 2007 at 10:51 am
After reading the recent interview that you did, where you tell of your fashion illustration training, your attention to clothing/costuming/draping detail makes perfect sense. That’s evident in this piece as well. Nice work.
August 6th, 2007 at 5:42 pm
Wonderful outfit.
And I love the hair, who knew Saturn had wind.
August 7th, 2007 at 3:42 am
That looks like Guy Pearce in The Time Machine. Still a nice piece of art, though.
August 7th, 2007 at 8:48 am
Hi Mike,
Your site is the first one of my 20 or so blogs I check every morning. I don’t think I’ve ever commented before though. This image was one I could not pass up commenting on.
I love the concept, very Flash Gordon/Buck Rogers and one that I’d love to see developed into a real full fledged story.
The imagery is perfect. I feel like its a teaser poster in the making!
Just wanted to say hello and let you know that you’ve got/had one more reader for a pretty good while now. Keep it up!
Ian
August 7th, 2007 at 11:09 pm
I think Saturn’s pretty much all wind, being a gas giant and all. Now, Saturn having ground, that’s a surprise!
Very nice image, though!
August 8th, 2007 at 10:24 am
Dear Mr. Wieringo,
I’m a longtime lurker, first time commenter, but I had to break my silence to say, “PLEASE DO THIS STORY!”
I’m a sucker for Edgar Rice Burroughs/Alex Raymond influenced sci-fi stories, and this illustration is so beautiful and tells such a fantastic story, in and of itself, that it demands further exploration (no pun intended).
P.S. I also appreciate your candor about the state of the comic book industry, particularly your strong stand about how the artist is often ignored in the comic industry press, and your remarkable professionalism and work ethic.