From the comic book writer

Hey all,

I read through a lot of the comments and some of the critiques of the initial preview that's out. I'd ask that you give the full first issue and maybe even the full first arc a chance before you decide exactly how you feel about it. I've never really done this kind of work before, adapting someone else's work like this. It's challenging, daunting, exciting and scary all at once.

The comics aren't meant to be the definitive versions of these stories, those already exist with Weber's novels. These are intended to be an introduction of this amazing storyline and these unbelievably well thought out characters to people that have never heard of Honor Harrington before. And also a pre-visualization (and yes trial and error) on how the film should look.

Most of you have loved these characters for years, I'm new to them but I love them now too. I've seen films based on books I cherished and have been sometimes disappointed with who they cast or how something was visualized. Nothing will replace the imagination, it's just not possible.

Just know that we're trying and that I especially pay attention to what the readers say about something. I want you to like the comics and so does David Weber. What we really need is a rally of support from you to help spread the word about the Honorverse. You probably already do this, but now is a good time as it is in the news and topical. There are a lot of people who are today and tomorrow learning about this character for the very first time.

Note that we will be using different artists on different arcs and you may like some of them more than others. These are things I actually do want to know. I'm not great at getting on message boards and responding or keeping up with things but I'll try to hop on here and become part of your community.

You can also reach me on twitter @topcowmatt or on https://www.facebook.com/Selfloathingnarcissist

I appreciate the support, I want your feedback. A little about myself, I actually have a Masters in Physics from UCLA and have been writing and publishing comics now for about 20 years. I've got two kids, two dogs, one cat, an ex-wife, a future wife (getting married 7/5/14) and live in Los Angeles. Hopefully I'll get to meet/see you at the next Honorcon. I'm looking forward to embarking on this journey together!

If you are curious about my other work you can read a free digital book of my Think tank book here:

http://www.topcow.com/moos/43-latest-mo ... ank-1-free

Best and respectfully yours,

Matt Hawkins

Hi! Glad to hear from you. Hope we didn't scare you too badly.

Duckk wrote:Hi! Glad to hear from you. Hope we didn't scare you too badly.

I've got relatively thick skin =) Like I said, we're working on trying to make it the best it can be and all of your feedback will help with that.

I am, timing appropriate, working on the third issue plot tonight!

I'll check back on here tomorrow if I can remember!

Matt

Welcome! First drink's on the house.

I've pre-ordered the first four issues, so if I get issue #1 in the mail tomorrow, you have a critique from me then. I'm looking forward to it, both with excitement and not a little trepidation. What little I saw in the preview looked and read okay, within the limitations of comic writing, but I have to admit that aside from the Walking Dead trades, I haven't read a comic in decades, unless you count lots of manga, but that's a whole 'nother style of writing, complicated by translations.

I'll try to be fair, and I hope anyone else posting here is as well, but just in case, you *may* want to put on something flameproof.

Congratulations on the upcoming nuptials! I'm a comic book fan, but I tend to wait for the trade books-- this series may well be my first blow-by-blow experience.

So far I like your comic better than some of the more context-free art that's been posted. Looking forward to more!

And welcome to the forums!

Welcome to the forums, Matt. I'm the class clown and wish to thank your art department on behalf of the Solarian League for the perfect propaganda art:



Remember the old Navy quip, "If you can't take a joke you should not have joined."

We tend to be older and more wedded to Honorverse canon than your typical comic book purchaser this will give an idea of our demographic:



The art seen so far has manged to touch several third rails, messing with canon uniform, ships, and treecats but, none have suggested breaking out the torches and pitchforks yet

Poker

I'd also like to join with the others in welcoming you aboard. It's very nice to get confirmation that many of our comments and critiques on the work that you have let us see has actually been looked at and evaluated. Thank you very much.

Since most of the members here on David's Honorverse forums tend to be very... enthusiastic, we (me) wouldn't mind any thoughts or comments from you (as time permits) as to how many of the art conceptions are created and why certain aspects result as they do. It would be nice to see how much our own comments and suggestions are helpful to you and the other artists so perhaps we can provide more beneficial criticism (both positive and negative).

I'm not in graphics art, but have enough sense to realize there are certain restrictions within that format to allow it to tell a story in a way that appeals to a wide range within the constriction of 30-40 pages. Explanations why certain things that are pretty solidly described in David's work won't or can't work in this format would also go a long way in helping us understand better what and how this project evolves.

As you mentioned, the project is a work in progress with different artists involved in different aspects, and how you desire our feedback in order to improve the overall product. If you want feedback, you have definitely come to the right place...

I'm looking forward to picking up the first issue later today to see how your vision meshes with my expectations. I expect there will be an awful lot of feedback in the next few days, hopefully more positive than not. Again, thank you for taking the time to talk to us and we look forward to hearing from you more as time allows.

Servus, Matt, glad you popped by.

Any and all criticism (which was sometimes very harsh) was present only because certain aspects of the story mustn't be tampered with, point in case being Nimitz, looking like a pony with a rather nasty disposition going Gangam style on Honor's posterior...

But we do know that some things that work in a book need to be adapted for the visual media, and we are OK with the changes as long as they don't violate the spirit of things (or Nimitz Honor )..

As someone suggested, perhaps it would be beneficial for all if we knew exactly what issues are presenting the biggest challenge, that way we wouldn't scream bloody murder if needs must and we'd be able to offer some constructive criticism, maybe even advice..

As for spreading the word, you will find that Weber has a very loyal audience (similar to G. R. R. Martin and his Game of thrones series which is an astounding visual success, my only wish is for Honor to have the same broad base following in years to come). Cheers!

Hi, Matt! Thanks for stopping by, and for being open to comment.

Did my part and picked up issue 1 today. I only had time to read it once, but here are my thoughts:

* I really enjoyed the retrospective structure. It gave a lot of opportunity for explanation and flash-forwards. (Eg introduction to Paul Tankersley)
*. Some of the settings were spectacular in their detail, like visualizing the command deck at readiness one.
*. I wasn't expecting the character art style to be so...photo like? My apologies for not having the right word, but the people seemed to almost be drawn over photographs. I have to digest that style.
*. Nimitz will give me nightmares. He looks so demonesque that when Honor calls him "stinker" it makes me think he smells like brimstone.
*. What is the thought behind the font used for Lettering? It is very irregular and wavy, and I'm not sure if it's a style or trying to connote Honor's weakened condition in the "present". If so, bravo! It immediately brings to mind a prisoner scratching out her memoirs. Either way, though, I found it hard to read.
*. Loved the concise impeller diagram on the back. It made things very clear.

Again, thanks for listening! Good luck.

Norm.bone wrote:*. What is the thought behind the font used for Lettering? It is very irregular and wavy, and I'm not sure if it's a style or trying to connote Honor's weakened condition in the "present". If so, bravo! It immediately brings to mind a prisoner scratching out her memoirs. Either way, though, I found it hard to read.

I have not picked up the book yet. But from the preview, I can say that the lettering is fairly standard comic book lettering. It's one of the features comic fans expect, a standard part of the format. In the old days, it was hand-drawn, though this obviously isn't. It's just designed to look hand-drawn to fit the style.