Trouble is My Business (page 6)

 

The conversation continues and I think I actually have the sad Mario on the bookcase asking me why I punished myself by setting the story in a book store. It’s a theory really. I hadn’t settled into a groove of drawing the characters yet, which led to radical changes from panel to panel. (Which is now more than a little embarrassing to look back on now)I also remember wanting to get to some action, but quickly realising that it simply wasn’t going to be that kind of story. I learned early on that Isaac and Lee were in control of the story and calling all of the shots, with me as a mere observer taking notes.

Trouble is My Business (page 5)

 

Ah yes, back in the days before I started striving for uniformity and also before I understood the importance of word balloon structure. I think I can safely say that these panels would not look like this today. It’s when I see pages like this one, I am sorely tempted to pull a George Lucas and redraw them entirely. If I didn’t have more stories to tell I’d probably do just that. This is also one of the pages where I wound up writing dialogue that was very similar to a conversation that the real life Isaac and Lee had. There are more of these to come.

Trouble is My Business (page 4)

 

I would later go on to put “Oh, the tragedy of the lowly, local bookstore owner” on many different  items. I just really liked that quote. This would be the part where you begin to get a glimpse of Isaac’s penchant for drama and wise-assery (it’s a word now). Also, you can tell that I am beginning to grow tired of drawing plain bookcases and so, have been putting random items on the shelves in the background. I got the idea from this scene from the movie “Better than Chocolate” where there is a sub-plot involving problems trying to get books into the bookstore “Little Sisters” (an actual alternative bookstore in Vancouver, BC).

Trouble is My Business (page 3)

 

 

This is where Isaac and Lee get the first impressions of each other. Begin character development………Now!! Also note the Clerks reference in the background (I’m not going to tell you, just look for it). I also remember feeling guilty for re-using illustrations for panels. But the page turned out fine.

In the Beginning… Isaac & Lee #1: Trouble is My Business Part 1

 

Ah yes. This is the first page of the first book. It seems like a million years ago. I remember when I was constructing this page. The book was (and still is) created one panel at a time. The first panel? Took forever. I was stressing out about making sure that I put every line on paper, ever so carefully. I knew that I wanted to have a complex background with simplistic characters. It would be a reflection of the story. I got the idea for the style from Hergé. This was my first minicomic and everything was a big deal. I was so scared just to get everything right.

For new readers, you’ll notice the change in style over the years as I play around with hairstyles and backgrounds. I also had changes in editorial staff over the years which has also effected how I create the books.