[Concept Art] Wonder Island Roughs (150+ Pages!)

It’s been a while since our last update but while other people are coming up with villainous schemes and kayfabe, Yuka and I have been working hard.

As of the time of this writing it is looking like WONDER ISLAND #1: HERO OF BRIGHTWATER will be around 150 pages.

So, how does something like that happen?

When I first drafted Wonder Island, it was intended to 60 pages long and took us much further in the story. It’d be a brisk read with hidden object/puzzle elements scattered throughout. I’d commissioned the construction of the gold-plated pendants and [a secret number] of golden statues to be located as part of a global scavenger hunt.

However, all of that changed when Ody unexpectedly and suddenly departed his role as Conquest Lead Artist. The company was turned on its head. I needed a new right hand and after some deliberation and heavy consideration, we ultimately decided that Yuka was the right person to fill that role. That meant bringing her up to a professional level quickly and making significant adjustments to Wonder Island.

The training wheels were off, so to speak. After wrestling with my illness, I identified that Yuka’s primary weaknesses in art were secondary to her lack of confidence. So, I set about building up her self-esteem and encouraging her to peruse her own creative vision.

The first rule of Improve is to say “Yes and…” so that is what I did. When Yuka asked whether we could include a female character, I said “Yes… and…” we began development on Otome Hime.

Otome began her humble beginning as another one of the Heroes of Brightwater (a Teela to Arrowyn’s Adam) but we shifted away from concept rather quickly. Her second incarnation was a Rogue, something of a ninja. But ultimately, we would settle on the obnoxious self-aggrandising Princess we know and love today.

As a Beguiler (an Illusionist) Otome would retain the roguish elements that juxtaposed Arrowyn so well, while bringing a versatile magic-user to the team. As a Princess she could play into the fairy-tale stereotype and as an obnoxious schemer and a thinker, she could serve as a natural comedian, commentator and strategist in a way the other protagonists couldn’t.

However, with Otome came a considerable additional bulk to the middle of the story. We’d need to come up with an introduction, a showcase for her personality, powers and then include her throughout the rest of the book. Including Otome, easily added at least 20 pages to the project above and beyond what was intended.

It could have been less but it was important that it was done right. Thus, Princess Otome Hime found her way onto the pages of Wonder Island: Hero of Brightwater and her quest for Eternal Beauty began.

But Yuka was not done. After nearly 30 pages of drawing, Yuka wanted to include a darker more serious rival for Arrowyn. I’d planned for Lt. Caspian to fill the role later in the series but she had such a fondness for the character and his design was done so well, I instead restructured and increased his prominence and overall significance to the story.

While Arrowyn represented the bright summer hero, full of hope and optimism, Lt. Caspian of the Wild Hunt embodied the child soldier. Someone raised from a young age to fill a very important and serious role in the protection of the realm. He would silently admire (or perhaps envy) and publicly resent Arrowyn’s free spirit. Seeing him as a constant reminder of his own lost youth, one sacrificed on his behalf by his parents so he might ultimately serve a higher purpose – one which Arrowyn does not seem to take all that seriously.

Including more Caspian meant showcasing his abilities. Which was good, because it was important Yuka build on framing combat in her sequential pages. By this point in development, she’d come out of her shell and was freely singing in the studio. She’d made a real transformation and I was tremendously proud of her. But that didn’t change the fact that I was facing what could have been a terminal condition and she still was not confident in her combat.

Enter Swordo, Son of Swordo. Our fearsome fan favourite sword-hunting hare started out, with some providence, as a joke between Matt Tobor (Creator of Savage: Shard of Gosen) and myself one night late while discussing the rules mechanics for his LORDBREAKER TABLETOP RPG.

At the time I’d been playing around with the Concept of a Sword-Hunter Mercenary and his role in the story, but the character had not yet taken shape. After Matt and I shared a huge belly laugh, I decided that I’d take this sword-obsessed swordsman and use him as a teaching aid for Yuka.

After a lot of careful planning, I decided that Swordo, Son of Swordo would be one of the Auren. A mercenary from a race of pacifists that had sacrificed his ability to see the future by taking up the blade so he might change his fate and face the many enemies that plight his people.

Yuka immediately fell in love with Swordo, Son of Swordo.

So, the time came and I gave her the opening for the fight and how it would end. Then put her through a master-class in sequential combat pacing and battle. She still was not entirely confident, but what she brought me was satisfactory… significantly over the assigned 8-pages she’d been asked to work within… but satisfactory nevertheless.

I worked over the dialog and smoothed out the roughs with her and by the time we finished it, she’d improved significantly. But at the cost of a further 18 pages (to 20 to 22 pages) added to the book size.

By this point in development the story had to be cutdown from the original ending and split into two books. What had started as the first steps on a heroic adventure had turned into a sprawling epic all on its own. And that is okay. Expensive. Demanding. Time consuming. But okay.

Wonder Island: Hero of Brightwater is not just another Shonen battle manga, it’s a brilliant, beautiful, funny and exciting fantasy adventure set against the growing pains of Yuka into a Professional Artist. She’s improved so much over the last year and as we approach the close of the book, even her roughs are so alive and full of energy compared to when she started.

It’s been an intense year of work but its all been worth it and I can’t wait for you guys to get your hands on this fantastic book.

A sincere thank you to everyone for your support – your donations keep our artists fed and keep the lights on!

We couldn’t do this without you!
Liam Gray
CEO and Founder of Conquest Comics