09
Jan

Page 30  

Posted by Ben in ,

Previously: Click here for the beginning of the series. Click here for the beginning of this issue. The musical villain The Troubadour is making trouble. There's really only one person for the job . . .




COMMENTS:

Finally . . . some action is about to happen!

~ Ben

“Ace” of Diamonds, Remix Comix, Whisperingloon Studios, and the other stuff I made up for this webcomic are TM and (C) Ben Avery, 2010. While the original Black Diamond Western is in public domain, “Ace” of Diamonds (the story and the artwork) and the contents of this page are NOT public domain.

08
Jan

Page 29  

Posted by Ben in ,

Previously: Click here for the beginning of the series. Click here for the beginning of this issue. The Troubadour is making trouble. There's really only one person for the job . . .




COMMENTS:

Lots of exposition here.

That's one talent we've lost. I was reading a couple collections of old Marvel comics and in each issue, one or two pages were dedicated to just explaining who the book was about how how that got that way. In old X-Men comics, it could be a little humorous, trying to show in a natural setting the usage of each character's power. So maybe Angel would knock over a tea cup with his wings, and Marvel Girl would use her telekinesis to make sure the tea didn't get all over the carpet (I made that example up, but it's almost -- ALMOST -- humorous how in those old comics Marvel Girl and Invisible woman would use their powers, sometimes directly and sometimes indirectly, for domestic-related duties).

These days, it's possible to open a comic and not even know the names of the characters you're about to read about, let alone their powers. It seems that modern comics are, more and more, not just being written for the ultimate collection, but being written for readers who are already familiar with the characters.

Sorry, my rant is over. At least those old Marvel comics tried to show, not tell. Here? Lots of wordy exposition. I tried to "show, not tell" . . . but it just became "showing people telling" in my dialogue. :)

~ Ben

“Ace” of Diamonds, Remix Comix, Whisperingloon Studios, and the other stuff I made up for this webcomic are TM and (C) Ben Avery, 2009. While the original Black Diamond Western is in public domain, “Ace” of Diamonds (the story and the artwork) and the contents of this page are NOT public domain.

07
Jan

Page 28  

Posted by Ben in ,

Previously: To read from the beginning, click here. Last issue, Ace confronted the ruthless and deadly Faro Kid. Now, a new threat is making itself known . . .




COMMENTS:

I went back and forth with The Troubadour's "music". Do I write songs for him? Or do I find songs for him? At one point, I was going to use public doman hymns, make him some sort of religious singing bandit, which could have been cool. Or have him sing renaissance era love songs. If I wrote songs for him, would it be intentionally funny songs? Serious songs? In the end, I went with "earnest" songs. I think he makes these songs up on the spot, to suit the situation. He does compose real songs as well, but I kind of view him as a cowboy version of a freestyle rapper.

~ Ben

“Ace” of Diamonds, Remix Comix, Whisperingloon Studios, and the other stuff I made up for this webcomic are TM and (C) Ben Avery, 2009. While the original Black Diamond Western is in public domain, “Ace” of Diamonds (the story and the artwork) and the contents of this page are NOT public domain.