I thought it was an excellent introduction. Having the seemingly regular deer be on a remote planet -- just because! -- is such a Jonas move. Hehe.
It could have been used as a technical excuse for why Space Deer is able to walk on two legs and talk, but apparently not, because all the other deer seem normal enough.
This is not a criticism but a compliment. I think, perhaps, when you get real comfortable with what you're doing, that you end up making those kinds of "just because" decisions that just feel right to you for whatever reason. Those kinds of "decisions" create wonder for the reader. I still remember that old page you did with Blackbeard and the spirit bear; that page was full of those "just because" "decisions", but you resonated with it and it resonated with me -- and still does.
I saw a couple of comments on Twitter saying that technically it shouldn't be "404 ERROR!" but "500-something..." If you changed that number, I'd argue that you might appease a couple of developers out there but the emotional resonance for you, me and countless others -- when it comes to that number -- would be lost.
My point with all of this, is just to say, I think:
hope you keep doing what feels right to you. It's the reason why all of these people started paying attention in the first place. So I'd invest in that, if I was you. ;)
This is another one of your compliments/comments that hits me right in the feels Hasse, I feel so seen ahah. Seriously thank you.
I love that you picked up on and reflected on the other deer. I remember feeling like the other deer should be normal because it reflects how I felt being a weird, dreamy kid who didn't care about grass, just unrealistic stuff. It was such an intuitive thing though, I never considered anything else. Love that you noticed that detail, I feel like most people would gloss over it and not consider it very consciously.
I need to have a look back at that BB and spirit bear comic cause I don't remember what those decisions were, hmm. Maybe I could pull something from there to Space Deer...
I think you are exactly right about the "404 error" ahah, it would just be overly logical, it's a tiny thing but 404 is so much more relatable than those other numbers. Also this gets the developers picking on it, which is just a good thing ahaha
I'll do my best to trust that feeling, thank you so much my friend! <3
"Who is Spirit-bear and where did it come from?" (its design is very distinct)
"Why did BB ask such a savage question out of nowhere?"
"Why is Spirit-bear more than OK with it?"
"Why did BB say "Thanks" instead of punching it immediately?"
And with the final panel: "Where are they? Is this the spirit world?"
I'll be real. A reason why it resonates with me is probably quite personal. It reminds me of my own relationship to my imagination, specifically/especially at the time when I first read it.
Whether people can stomach the absurd darkness of it or not though, its unanswered openness and striking aesthetics stand on their own, I feel.
In fact, aesthetics might be what this is mostly about, rather than say narrative choices. Lana Wachowski is one of my favorite artists and she has talked about how aesthetics is a largely overlooked aspect of art -- I think she has described it as the DNA of art or something to that extent.
She describes a movie which has an enormous, beautiful real-life castle on a beach. It is there because the director wanted it there; because it has a certain air about it; it is romantic and striking in a certain way. In real life, it would make no sense to build the castle there and it might start to tilt or collapse on that sandy foundation -- but a movie isn't real life; it is symbolic and it is expressed through the aesthetic sensibilities of the artist. From this point of view or with this definition of the word, an aesthetic is more than just visual design but it actually affects the internal logic of the world as well.
That is what I mean, that these "just because" "decisions" of yours might in some cases be better understood as having to do with aesthetics, rather than with narrative or anything like that. There might not be "logic" behind some of these decisions but there might be a kind of aesthetic logic. There's a certain way you want it to look and feel -- end of story -- "just because"...
Anyway, I suppose that with all of this, all i really want to do is to underline what I wrote in the last comment but from a different angle -- and say that aesthetic logic is a type of logic too.
So cool! Congratulations.
I thought it was an excellent introduction. Having the seemingly regular deer be on a remote planet -- just because! -- is such a Jonas move. Hehe.
It could have been used as a technical excuse for why Space Deer is able to walk on two legs and talk, but apparently not, because all the other deer seem normal enough.
This is not a criticism but a compliment. I think, perhaps, when you get real comfortable with what you're doing, that you end up making those kinds of "just because" decisions that just feel right to you for whatever reason. Those kinds of "decisions" create wonder for the reader. I still remember that old page you did with Blackbeard and the spirit bear; that page was full of those "just because" "decisions", but you resonated with it and it resonated with me -- and still does.
I saw a couple of comments on Twitter saying that technically it shouldn't be "404 ERROR!" but "500-something..." If you changed that number, I'd argue that you might appease a couple of developers out there but the emotional resonance for you, me and countless others -- when it comes to that number -- would be lost.
My point with all of this, is just to say, I think:
hope you keep doing what feels right to you. It's the reason why all of these people started paying attention in the first place. So I'd invest in that, if I was you. ;)
This is another one of your compliments/comments that hits me right in the feels Hasse, I feel so seen ahah. Seriously thank you.
I love that you picked up on and reflected on the other deer. I remember feeling like the other deer should be normal because it reflects how I felt being a weird, dreamy kid who didn't care about grass, just unrealistic stuff. It was such an intuitive thing though, I never considered anything else. Love that you noticed that detail, I feel like most people would gloss over it and not consider it very consciously.
I need to have a look back at that BB and spirit bear comic cause I don't remember what those decisions were, hmm. Maybe I could pull something from there to Space Deer...
I think you are exactly right about the "404 error" ahah, it would just be overly logical, it's a tiny thing but 404 is so much more relatable than those other numbers. Also this gets the developers picking on it, which is just a good thing ahaha
I'll do my best to trust that feeling, thank you so much my friend! <3
Aw, I'm so glad my comment hit you like that. You're welcome, buddy.
> Love that you noticed that detail, I feel like most people would gloss over it and not consider it very consciously.
I think "consciously" is the keyword here. It probably has an effect on just about anyone who's seen it, however seemingly subtle it might be.
https://www.deviantart.com/indianajonas/art/Spirit-bear-Introduction-426467945
Here is the BB comic :)
"Who is Spirit-bear and where did it come from?" (its design is very distinct)
"Why did BB ask such a savage question out of nowhere?"
"Why is Spirit-bear more than OK with it?"
"Why did BB say "Thanks" instead of punching it immediately?"
And with the final panel: "Where are they? Is this the spirit world?"
I'll be real. A reason why it resonates with me is probably quite personal. It reminds me of my own relationship to my imagination, specifically/especially at the time when I first read it.
Whether people can stomach the absurd darkness of it or not though, its unanswered openness and striking aesthetics stand on their own, I feel.
In fact, aesthetics might be what this is mostly about, rather than say narrative choices. Lana Wachowski is one of my favorite artists and she has talked about how aesthetics is a largely overlooked aspect of art -- I think she has described it as the DNA of art or something to that extent.
She describes a movie which has an enormous, beautiful real-life castle on a beach. It is there because the director wanted it there; because it has a certain air about it; it is romantic and striking in a certain way. In real life, it would make no sense to build the castle there and it might start to tilt or collapse on that sandy foundation -- but a movie isn't real life; it is symbolic and it is expressed through the aesthetic sensibilities of the artist. From this point of view or with this definition of the word, an aesthetic is more than just visual design but it actually affects the internal logic of the world as well.
That is what I mean, that these "just because" "decisions" of yours might in some cases be better understood as having to do with aesthetics, rather than with narrative or anything like that. There might not be "logic" behind some of these decisions but there might be a kind of aesthetic logic. There's a certain way you want it to look and feel -- end of story -- "just because"...
Here is a long video where Lana Wachowski talks about aesthetics and a bunch of other stuff: https://youtu.be/ARoKJ00cEZ8?si=LqySYZ358H5r_eYV
Anyway, I suppose that with all of this, all i really want to do is to underline what I wrote in the last comment but from a different angle -- and say that aesthetic logic is a type of logic too.
So trust that feeling! And all the best, Jonas!
Woo! I'm happy for you, you got lots of cool stuff ahead! That's incredible. You both made a good thing *and* people liked it!
Very pleasing comic. I like how free the naked deer looks - like a child.
Thanks! It's a great combo of feels ahah
Lil baby Space Deer right here, maybe we'll get to see elderly Space Deer some day