Generally speaking, you don’t want panels arranged like I did here with panels 2-4. Reading order can be confusing when you have two vertically stacked panels to the left of a single tall panel on the right. Since you read left to right, you might read the top panel and then move on to the right panel, instead of the top panel, then bottom panel, and THEN right panel. In this case, the actual order of panels doesn’t really matter since it’s just a flurry of fighting, and the word balloon order isn’t impacted. So I was ok doing the layout here, but for something where exact sequence is important, I would avoid it.
Illaryn Jayd is a character I have been looking forward to for a long time. I’d love to say more about her here but I’ll save it for another post when it’s more fitting. All I’ll say is I can’t wait to reveal she’s Bennesaud’s mom. JK.
Ending the fight with the thrown daggers panel has my preference, but it’s fun to read the fight panels in different orders and they all make sense.
I also like the different colours of blood in the second last panel. Will you keep track of the colours for each alien type?
Hmm. Daggers would have been a cool one to end with. Maybe the scene is deliberately in reverse order. It’s my special “Memento” issue of RUNNERS!
Nice spot with the alien blood colors. If these particular alien races show up again, I will certainly try to keep track of the colors if there is a bloodletting. Now I feel the need to work in a catastrophic group woodshop accident scene.
You know she must be tough, as she brings a knife* to a gun fight, and wins.
(* Well, multiple knives and a sword)
I do think bladed weapons are cool, and I like to have characters wielding them. But they really do pose problems in a sci-fi world where most characters are carrying guns. But if I’ve learned two things from Star Wars: 1) with the right sword, you can deflect laser bolts, and 2) a good number of henchmen are really, really terrible shots. 🙂
I dunno why one bother drawing armour at all when it’s just cosmetic. Or why ppl would bother wearing it if it stops nothing. Almost as if there’s a reason to wear armour.
Good point! To be honest, I wasn’t necessarily thinking of those henchmen as wearing armor. I just drew them as “random sci-fi costumes” without really thinking of them as actual protective wear. But the metallic coloring choice for some of it does add to the armor look, while a different color might’ve conveyed a different material. But maybe we can just say energy weapons cut through them anyway!