The Fifth Columnist 2 print previews ^^

Hello again and hope you're all alright this blissful (and scorching! -_-) Friday afternoon :D

Just picked up the first proof print of Fifth 2 from my editor's office next door and am now trying to get it ready for an April release ^^; *darn those moire patterns!*

Enjoy! xD



Inside front cover -- am currently lobbying to get this printed in colour on art paper! ^^



Helix looking wet... and willing? xP (No, nothing that provocative actually...)


That's about ALL I can spare unfortunately T_T

For more fun activities and whatnots, check out the recent Helix and Snatch alternative hairstyle parade, courtesy of comediennes @raina_lie and @failedravenclaw. I WAS supposed to craft a post about this amusing 'parade' but haven't got round to doing it yet, so sorry about that... +,+

Until next time, folks! :)

s

The Fifth Columnist 1 half-time assessment :)

FINALLY, IT'S OUT! *tears of joy*

After several months of waiting (which felt like forever!), the release of Fifth 1 in the Indonesian manga market on Jan 13, 2010 came like a huge relief for yours truly. This has been my first manga release and to be honest, I wasn't quite sure what to expect.

Admittedly, one of the best things about having your work out in the open (ie. displayed in the bookstores right next to Masashi Asaki/Yuma Ando's Kunimitsu and Jun Mochizuki's Pandora Hearts! >,<) is the feedback you can expect from readers -- both the negative and the positive. These precious opinions are exactly what a manga artist needs in the quest for producing better and greater things.

So, without further ado, here's a very brief summary of the real-time and real-life feedbacks on Fifth 1 hitherto (as per Jan 22):

Plus points:

* Attractive cover
* Interesting, enticing storyline
* 'Fresh' espionage theme
* Distinct drawing style, not necessarily manga-esque but not typically Indonesian

Minus points:

* Finishing: inking is often sketchy, distracting and confusing

* Story is built up to take a clichéd romantic direction

* Puzzling backstory due to large number of non-present characters

* Content does not closely resemble cover

Then, on to some interesting points:

* A majority of readers consider Helix their favourite character because he's "cool" and "gentlemanly"

* One reader expressed fascination to Bishop's bust size X3

* One reader questioned artist's motive for using a Japanese-sounding last name (how observant! ^^)

* A couple of readers thought the cover drawing is reminiscent of Manhwa-style art

Response to feedbacks:

I will definitely try my best to consider all the above points when editing Fifth 2 -- which was originally scheduled for release in February but could now come out as late as March or April! One emphasis would be on making sure that all loose ends are tied and another could be on patching up/redoing some pages to improve drawing quality (oh nooooo...)

That's it for now, my humblest gratitude to everyone who has read/bought/borrowed the book and given their comments! ^^ Feel free to add your personal opinions below; constructive criticism is always welcome :)

s

Fifth 1 release date slated to January 2010

Somewhat expectedly, the release of The Fifth Columnist vol.1 has been postponed to the first week of January 2010. I remember feeling more relieved than disappointed when hearing the news -- especially after seeing the drastic font changes made to the book's front and back covers! :P

Hopefully the second volume can directly follow suit and be out by first week February 2010 (still keeping all those fingers and toes crossed!) x{>.<}x

s

Preview in Elex Komikologi for December 2009

Finally, the long-awaited moment of truth is nearly come! The last time I heard from my hardworking comic editor (bless her heart!), Fifth 1 is scheduled for release in the fourth week of December. I can't tell you how giddy/anxious/nervous I am counting the days... if only those proof prints could get done in time!! >,<



Elex Media's 'Komikologi', December 2009



A simple statement was all it took to be doubtful of my new alpha-agent of a partner. How did a former German army recruit end up as a British spy? More importantly, why couldn't our unit chief stop bragging about how good this man was?
(Sorry, some things inevitably got lost in translation... T__T)


Thank you for the preview, Elex! ^^
s

The deadline draws nearer...

It's mind-blowing to think that The Fifth Columnist manga project was first kicked off in May 2007, and is still not finished now come June 2009. It is also a bit scary. Among the aspects that make it necessarily so is the fact that I've set October 2009 as the release date for volume 1, and that prospect seems very bleak right now.

As of now, there are two more chapters in Fifth for me to sketch, ink and tone -- and it really doesn't help that they are both the story's climax and denouement. Chapters 11 ('Verdict') and 12 ('Endgame') would have to be thoroughly worked on so they could reveal all the truths, motives and sub-texts only briefly glimpsed in previous chapters.

With that in mind, here is what I envision these two last chapters to do:

1. Tie up all loose ends
These chapters will provide solution to all conflicts introduced in chapters 1 through 10

2. Build a sense of imminent, inescapable conclusion (particularly in chapter 11)
I'm still a bit concerned about this, since contrary to some of the past chapters, there will be no bloodshed/all-out action scene of that sort in the climax. It worries me because I still want a bit of a bang in the climax instead of a fizz (seeing how much I hate flat Coke!)

3. Make more logical twists and solve them right there and then
This can be hard to do within 70 pages, but so far it's looking promising

4. Maintain and increase tension despite lack of straight-forward action scene
One way to do this is by using stark black and white contrast and strategically placed tone work

5. Evoke reader's sympathy
If possible, I want the reader to sympathise with other characters and not just the main lead -- as that is what the script requires!

Phfew! Will it be possible to incorporate all this in one go? I certainly hope so. However, it seems that I won't be able to reach these objectives with my current level of artistic skill. I'll need to brush up a lot (and fast!) to meet the August deadline in order to get the script and pages ready for October release ;___;

It's not impossible, but very tricky! And I'm keeping my fingers crossed as always!

s