2007 saw me complete my undergraduate degree in animation. 2008 also unfortunately coincided with the global financial crisis. The GFC could not have happened at a more destiny-altering time for me. It saw many animation studios cutting back on staff dramatically, or closing down entirely.

In an environment where seasoned animators struggled to get work, I couldn’t even get an interview. Add to that the usual artist’s lack of confidence and self-defeating self-talk. My projections of success in the field was somewhere between forget about it and why bother.

The nurturing bosom of Griffith University was still there for me though. I enlisted for an extra ‘Honours’ year of study in 2008. The bonus was that I could embrace comics entirely, with complete autonomy. This was something I had sought with my undergrad final animated film, delivered as a solo project.

Polishing a turd

For the honours year I decided to pull out an old comic project from the archives. I created SuperForce in my prepubescent years and developed it on and off until the end of my teens. It’s been through a few iterations. One of which saw the team leader die and be resurrected years into the future, waking to a reality in keeping with the 90’s Image Comics’ antihero trend.

The comic eventually petered out, but with the honours year, I took it another step further. I was taken with the idea of superpowers as both gift and curse. This was nothing new. Adventures of Superman #466 was a direct inspiration early on in this same vein, and it’s now something of an old trope.

I used the Honours year of 2008 to develop a script, which ballooned beyond 20 thousand words. Not the best planner, me. An array of model sheets and character/situation concepts, in various states of altered consciousness. Character designs, piles of sketches. Much ado about nada.

Making a baby

I could only fit a small percentage of it all into my final deliverable, a single first issue that I rebranded as Fault Lines. While the comic didn’t end up going anywhere, the Honours year itself was invaluable. It afforded me three months at a Film School in India on scholarship, entirely thanks to the hard work of my ever-diligent supervisor and close friend Dr Andi Spark. This was in itself a life-changing experience. The year also played to my strengths in research, writing, and project development. As a bonus, graduating with first class marks allowed me to slide comfortably into doctoral studies.

The year also played to my strengths in research, writing, and project development. As a bonus, graduating with first class marks allowed me to slide comfortably into doctoral studies.

Less than success

Fault Lines debuted at Supanova 2009 and sold less than 20 copies before sinking into the mire of things done and dusted. I still have a place in my heart for these characters and their exploits, and superheroes in general. It’s looking a bit dated now and kind of embarrassing, but in the spirit of sharing, I present Fault Lines.