Pages

Been a while since I posted anything, but that's because I've been busy working on this:

I've got the first two pages done, and here they are, albeit minus dialogue (I'll be saving that for when it's posted in full on the actual site.)

The first page is a basic introduction to the mythology, and I attempted to draw it in the style of Mayan heiroglyphics (I was specifically inspired by the finds at San Bartolo).  This won't be the style of the entire comic, obviously, but it may be an occasionally recurring motif.

Lines first.

And now in color.

You may notice the dark lines on the line copy.  My process is to draw it in pencil, scan it, and enhance the lines.  I do a little clean up and then remove all white, making it an outline over a transparency.  Then I color behind the outline.

Now page 2, which introduces the primary art style for the comic (and the first of our luchadores).

The last panel on page 2 (with the fight breaking out, and some other background things) is not part of the narrative, it's just a way for me to flesh out the background.  In the final copy, it's blurred, I just figured I'd show you guys a fully detailed version here.  And, for anyone familiar with the website The Chive, that is a "Keep Calm and Chive On" luchador there.  Just for fun.

Hope you enjoy.

Title Cards and Banners

Been working on some title cards, title fonts, and banners.

Let's start with the general, all purpose logo.

Just for fun, it's patterned after the Mayan calendar carvings.

Here's the title letters alone.

A large scale banner.

And a smaller, imbeddable one.  Seriously, click it, it comes back here.  Just copy and paste and it anywhere.  You know, in case you want to post this anywhere and get people to come check it out.

Técnicos vs. Rudos

One particular point I feel the need to explain is the basic difference between good guys and bad guys in general within this world.  In real life Lucha Libre, wrestlers are divided into two groups, the técnicos and the rudos.  

Técnicos are the good guys, and are marked by their adherence to the rules, by fighting fair, and by their complex, spectacular moves.  Technically impressive moves are their defining characteristic, their name even translating directly to "technician".  Rudos, on the other hand (literally translating "rude ones") are marked by their brawling, scrapping styles of fighting, less spectacular but more quick and brutal.  They often resort to underhanded tactics, being sneaky and cunning rather than overwhelmingly skillful.  In general, these are the good guys vs. bad guys, and becoming bad or good means changing your fighting style also.  

Now, in real life, the marked distinction between fighting style and inherent heroism or villainy is possible because there's isn't anything outside of the ring at stake; this is essentially a sporting event, and good guy vs. bad guy within that context isn't the same as good guy vs. bad guy within the context of a fictional adventure and world.  Therefore, there will be a bit less of a straight, clear line between good guy and bad guy within the world of Lucha Quest.  

One particular way you can expect this to come up is between Tacto and Vellon.  Tacto is a world hardened, rough and tumble character, and while he is distinctly good, he's the closest to the border of the group, and also has the most amount of Rudo within his fighting style.  As a personal philosophy, he believes that there isn't a difference in inherent goodness within the fighting style chosen by a luchador.  Vellon is the opposite.  Vellon will essentially be the best luchador ever (in theory and philosophy, at least), and he firmly believes that choosing the fighting style of a rudo means you are an inherently bad person (specifically, selfish and unprincipled and undisciplined), while choosing the style of a técnico means you are a good person (patient, self controlled, and wise).  This difference of opinion will feature heavily when dealing with these two characters together in particular.

The real life distinction will serve as a general basis, though explorations of the boundaries and exceptions will be looked into.  We'll see plenty of técnico vs. rudo action, and true to real life, we will explore what it's like when a tag team is composed of a técnico and a rudo at the same time.  We'll also see what can make a person truly bad or truly good, regardless of what style they fight with.

Hope this clears up a little about Lucha Libre, to anyone previously unfamiliar.

Our Heroes, Ladies and Gentlemen

I think we've waited long enough to find out the heroes of this story.  Below are the five main characters of this team, and a little bit you might want to know about them.

This is Tacto, the de facto leader of the group.  He never really wanted to join or form a group, but the five of them meet, and they're all heading to the same place, so they end up working together to get there.  Tacto is brash, rough and cocky.  He tries to cultivate a mysterious loner vibe, but fails.  Don't let that fool you, however, as he is still a great luchador.  He seeks the ultimate move so that he can be the greatest.

This is la Hija de la Sol, or Sol for short.  She's from a desert village which has been taken over by a horde of bandits.  She's tough, pragmatic, and wise.  She has a quiet, serious demeanor.  She seeks the ultimate move to free her village.

This is Pescado, a prince from a river village deep in the rainforest.  La Reina de los Rios (who I showed you earlier) is his mother, though the rest of the team doesn't find this out for a while.  He's grown up in the shadow of his mother, a powerful luchadora, and while he loves and respects her, feels he needs to make a name for himself where people won't think of him just as her son.  He seeks the ultimate move to open a mystical seal on a cave that contains his family's inheritance.

This is Maiz.  She is sweet, fun, and cheerful.  Her father too is a great luchador, and she seeks to make a name for herself too, but for a different reason.  Her father will only let her marry the man of her choosing if she can prove herself capable of fighting on her own; therefore she must defeat her father in the ring to prove this.  She seeks the ultimate move to free her destiny.

This is El Vellon.  He is a kind, sweet young man, from a mountain village to the north.  He is the most inherently good of the team, and strongly believes that the way of the technico is the way of a truly good and moral person (which contrasts with Tacto's belief that your fighting style has nothing to do with your morality).  He seeks the ultimate move in order to perform it for an old man in his village, who is cursed to live forever until he witnesses the ultimate move in the flesh.