NOVEL WEB “Is it a comic drawn after several months?”
Unlike illustrations for fairy tale books, I couldn’t hide my excitement as I drew with the purpose of making a comic, something I hadn’t done in a while.
Since I initially became a webtoon artist because I loved comics, I was thrilled to the point that it didn’t feel like work at all.
While the artisans were researching and developing the materials and tools, my task was to work on the storyboard.
Comics are a genre where the weight of the text is extremely minimal. Thus, the essence of carrying the narrative relies solely on dialogue and character actions, making the distribution of panels crucial.
The process of arranging how to allocate the panels in such a comic is referred to as the storyboard.
“It’s most natural to read from left to right.”
As the first step in creating a storyboard, it was necessary to determine the direction.
Although it varies by comic type, it is generally best to conceptualize it based on the premise of reading from left to right.
The reason is due to the nature of the language. The language of this world is horizontal writing, much like most countries on Earth that predominantly use horizontal scripts.
Japan is notably the exception, clinging to vertical writing.
Because of this influence, comics from Japan, regarded as the home of comics, have the peculiar structure of being read from right to left.
“Because of this, those who are new to comics had quite a bit of trouble.”
Humans inherently prefer reading from left to right, making it less than optimal.
Once the direction was decided, the next step was to allocate the panels.
While sometimes there are more than ten panels on a page in special cases, usually it’s most pleasing to resolve it with around eight panels.
It’s free to either divide eight panels into equal sizes or to adjust their sizes variably.
As long as it’s not cumbersome to read and provides enjoyment, any format is acceptable.
This was one of the biggest reasons I loved comics.
A genre that strips everything down to the core fun of the experience.
No matter how good the content may be, if it’s not entertaining, it will receive poor reviews.
Conversely, a work with little content can still be a masterpiece if it’s enjoyable, which is the nature of the comic world.
“The panel distribution would go like this… No, here I should narrow the gaps and show an overlapping format…”
This is my area of expertise. The reason I was selected by the publisher’s representative in my past life to adapt ‘The Youngest Son of the Royal Family’ into a webtoon was due to this skill in panel distribution.
The process of transferring scenes that came to mind from the original novel or movie onto paper.
During that process, I instinctively figured out how to allocate the panels.
And perhaps my distribution was quite good, as I received praise for making comics that flowed easily while reading, proving that my skill was still intact.
However, my ability to create original stories was withered, and I was sometimes regarded as a writer optimized for adapting works with original texts.
“Even in this world, that inspiration to create something from scratch doesn’t just spring forth.”
The power to create a story isn’t a gift bestowed upon me.
Reluctantly, instead of creating something from nothing, I had no choice but to work on adapting ‘The Kingdom of Ice’, which already had an original tale.
“However, I can’t just copy the original story verbatim.”
While fairy tales are already established classics where altering them would be a form of disrespect to the original, it wouldn’t be right to simply recreate the comic ‘The Kingdom of Ice’ as-is.
It’s necessary to maintain the basic framework while modifying the intricate details.
“The dual protagonists aspect is attractive, so I’ll keep that, but the setting needs to be adapted for this world.”
It seems promising. The character dynamics of ‘Elza’ and ‘Hanna’ have contrasts that make them appealing, and since magic actually exists in this world, attaching a setting for the curse of the ice witch would suit it well.
Elza, cursed by an ice witch that causes everything to freeze, and the king and queen who locked her away in fear that she might harm others.
Hanna, who was in the situation to inherit the throne thinking that Elza had died without knowing anything.
“I really wonder how far my drawing skills can go.”
While sketching the storyboard, I couldn’t help but marvel at Rupert’s talent.
The illustrations in fairy tale books and comic books differ greatly. In comic books, the art must be simplified to highlight the characteristics of the characters.
Rupert’s artistic skills were so exceptional that he executed this perfectly. At this level, one could truly call him a ‘god of art.’
Swiftly, he captured the characters in a style suited for comics, and the storyboard work began to align with the narrative.
*
The artisans of the Somerset territory were profoundly shocked by Rupert’s recent behavior of surrounding himself with blackout curtains to avoid sunlight.
“Sunlight? Are you joking? All a person needs is water and bread. They aren’t plants; sunlight can be absorbed after work is over.”
There were suspicions that the young master had turned into a vampire due to Rupert’s statements; however, those suspicions were put to rest when they saw him gulping down a Vitality Potion as if it were water.
The artisans were horrified each time Rupert seemed to enjoy the Vitality Potion like a fine wine.
Although they were human and had been surprised by the existence of a potion that rejuvenates them when tired, they had unknowingly tasted it before.
“Uh… why is my head spinning? Ugh!!!”
After some time, the dizziness and nausea that inevitably crashed in made them dread the potion, leaving them unwilling to touch it again.
To the artisans, Rupert was an incomprehensible monster for downing it like water.
Additionally, he was notably fastidious about the quality of the products.
“Hmmm… there’s a huge issue with this paper.”
“Pardon?!”
“What I mean is, this kind of paper has only just now appeared!”
“Is that so? We indeed worked through the night on it.”
“If I had seen this earlier, I wouldn’t have let you off last time. Again!”
Did Rupert realize that, as he turned away, the paper artisan’s knife gleamed ominously?
Still, the reason the artisans had not revolted thus far was that Rupert was the one who worked the most in the workshop.
Seeing someone who was clearly drawing at their desk when they left still sketching upon arrival was enough to confuse anyone’s sense of time.
Not only that, but he also took time to check others’ work during his drawing sessions, giving critiques and even discussing business with the Guild Leader.
The astonishing part was that he managed to do all this while entertaining his younger sister, Aida.
There was no one among the artisans who could be as brazenly shameless as a noble leading the way with such diligence.
“Here’s your paycheck for this month.”
“Wait, young master, this amount is more than last time. There must be some mistake…”
The artisans were flabbergasted upon checking the sum on the paycheck that Rupert handed over.
Even though they were already quite well-off compared to artisans in the capital, this new amount had increased even further, so there had to be an error.
“It’s no mistake. This month, particularly, there was a lot of overtime, so it’s all calculated correctly.”
“Young master…”
The artisans had no intention of complaining, even if they were offered a much smaller amount than this.
Hearing about the situations in other territories, they learned about the yearly tax increases, being summoned for their lord’s private projects with little to no pay.
In contrast, their lord, Count Bradley Somerset, had never once increased taxes despite the notably poor financial situation after the war.
He never exploited the artisans for personal projects either. Thus, even though they were poorer than other nobles, the territory inhabitants respected him more than anyone else.
Even if the beloved successor of the noble, Rupert, should exert authority over them, they all thought to repay his kindness through their hard work.
Rather, being treated this way left no room for complaints.
“Well then, since we’re feeling good about getting our pay today, let’s pull an all-nighter!”
“Wait? We did that yesterday, though?”
“One day has passed; that’s quite a while. We have a lot of new things to make this time, so we can’t waste time on trivial words.”
However, seeing him dash off after saying what he wanted to say made something well up inside me.
Still, the artisans, who had become accustomed to such situations, suppressed their feelings and quietly returned to their places to begin working busily.
*
“Thank you for your hard work, young master. I spoke directly with the Head Attendant of the Imperial Family and secured some funding.”
“That’s a relief. It’s good you’re not trying to settle it with something like a Thank You Plaque again.”
“Young master, treating Thank You Plaques as ‘something like that’…”
To me, a Thank You Plaque is nothing more than a counterfeit prevention sticker—something that can’t be sold or eaten.
“This time, the money for purchasing the latest printing machine for the Magic Tower as well as the research expenses has all been taken care of.”
The Guild Leader explained to me the specifics of the funding and its intended use.
“Indeed, you’ve certainly worked it in.”
“Of course. I also enjoy spending others’ money.”
Although disguised with plausible descriptions in the specifications, supplies for our goods business were interspersed throughout.
There were countless tools and equipment we needed, and getting everything would likely deplete all the money we had saved.
Thus, we decided to purchase them using the funds from the Imperial Family after discussing it with the Guild Leader.
Of course, since these tools would also be used for making comic books, there was no room for doubt outwardly, allowing us to thoroughly plunder the Imperial treasury.
I felt a sense of satisfaction as if I had somewhat avenged the grudge of the Elf fertilizer just by looking at it.
“However, all of this will depend on the young master’s work.”
“Indeed. No matter how much we brought in support funds with the princess before us, if things go wrong, I could get grilled about it.”
“Still, I’m confident. The new ‘comic book’ that the young master creates will surely have a greater impact than a fairy tale book.”
Originally, we had planned to create a storybook in the format of a fairy tale and distribute it under the princess’s name, but we ended up expanding the business this much.
This change came after the Guild Leader previewed my comic book manuscript.
He insisted that the comic book would undoubtedly succeed and proposed that we siphon significant funding from the Imperial Family.
He confidently suggested that by using that funding to cover the costs for our goods business, we could progress much faster, and I agreed.
“By the way, how far along is the work?”
“We’ve completed about 70%, and it will be almost done once the artisans develop the required tools.”
“The pace is incredibly fast.”
“No, I’m still dissatisfied. However, the artisans look so fatigued that even the Vitality Potions don’t seem to help, which is disappointing. Do you happen to have any Healing Potions?”
“Young master, Healing Potions are intended for regenerating wounds, so a healthy person wouldn’t get anything from them except hunger.”
Tsk. It seems there are realms where even the mysteries of this world cannot help. In that case, what about the Church?
“If we bring in a priest from the Church for healing, wouldn’t that mean we wouldn’t have to sleep?”
At my suggestion, the Guild Leader looked at me as if I had proposed something ghastly, prompting me to quickly retract my statement.