Annotations

I had a couple of problems with this page. First, the heavy backpacks were too much for Dundorious' Stikfas knees. Even with Handi-Tak sticking him to the floor, he toppled over backward at the knees. I had to prop him up from behind. So, I applied some super glue to the ball joint of the thigh piece, enlarging the ball joint every so slightly, and let it dry. Then I reinserted it into the socket of the calf piece. This seems to have tightened the joint and solved the problem a bit.

The second problem was with the composition of the page and panels in relation to the speech balloons. The two viewpoints - standard front shots and the over the back shots - made the sequence of speech balloons impossible in panels with all the characters. The speech balloons in about half of the panels would have been over the wrong characters and their balloon arrows would have been crossing each other haphazardly. Therefore, I had to break up the first row of panels so only one or two characters were in each. And I removed the characters completely from panels #5 and #6 (I think you're smart enough to figure out who's saying what).

I also figured out that resizing a photo in PhotoShop, saving it, and then importing into Visio reduces the image quality. I can get better image quality by cropping in Photoshop and resizing in Visio. Anyone know why that is? Anyway, photo quality will be as good as this page henceforth.

Panel #5 - New set pieces! I spent the last few weeks casting several new modular wall pieces in HirstArts plaster bricks. I also made two archways, a handful of pillar pieces, and a bunch of extra little set decorations such as the wall shelves holding the statues in the next panel. This means that you'll actually get to see something besides a floor and one wall!

For the writings above the doors in panels #5, #6 and #7, I originally wanted to use PhotoShop to create some cool etching rune text that I would paste in over the image. Unfortunately, that would have left no room for Maldonado's translations. Also, I don't know how to make that kind of text in PhotoShop yet and I didn't have time this week to learn how. So, I went the easy route and just put Maldonado's speech balloons over the location where the runes should be! Tricksy hobbit!

The bronze gate pieces are from a MegaBloks dragon set, as are the dragon heads.

This is also the first panel not to feature an action figure since POTB #3's flower panel.

Panel #6 - The two wall statues are repainted MageKnight shades. The two bronze skeleton statues are repainted MageKnight bone golems. Moathe is the god of death.

Panel #7 - A privy is a room equipped with toilet facilities.

Panel #9 - Here you can get a good look at the new backpacks. Even though they come from WWII and modern day military action figures, they fit in pretty well in the fantasy setting.

Panel #10 - Thanks to David Maguire and Hal Zucati for their input on the script. And, yes, the Bold have left what the cast and crew affectionately call the Room of Three Banners. The adventurers have spent pages #3 - #9 here. This won't be the last time you see this room, but at least Dundorious and his companions have moved on to other areas of the Endless Dungeons of Netherdoom! Will they reach the privies? What perils lurk in the depths? Does Kamik have enough stout for the entire foray into the dungeon?