New Readers
Welcome to Marooned! Marooned concerns an oddball couple, Captain John and A.S.I.M.O.V who have landed on Mars, only to find themselves stranded. Things get interesting in short order when one of the locals shows up at the landing site.
There is constant stress (bickering) between John and A.S.I.M.O.V (who just goes by “ASIMOV”). John is egotistical and a whiner, but he’s actually quite a skilled pilot. ASIMOV is the most advanced artificial intelligence ever created with a full personality. The long and the short of it is John is threatened by ASIMOV’s intelligence and problem solving skills and ASIMOV is annoyed by John’s overconfidence and human weaknesses. So neither one cuts the other any slack.
What the locals (Ugo and Olaf) are up to remains to be seen, but there are some interesting things happening that will soon change everything.
Arrivals
As a new reader you haven’t missed much since the strip just started. We’re currently in the opening story arc “Arrivals” which concerns not only Captain John’s landing but the arrival of the locals on the scene. Key strips in this arc include:
The Landing (first strip) where we find out why John and ASIMOV are stranded.
Ugo’s Arrival at the landing site. Over the next few strips we get an idea of John’s character and his reaction to stressful situations. This in turn causes Ugo to think that ASIMOV is the one in charge.
Ugo brings them to the Dome. Our heroes find out Ugo not only has a brother, but a dwelling place on the surface as well. Here we meet Olaf, which pretty much sums up what has happened so far.
- Q: Do people really frequently ask you questions?
- A: No. But I like to make it look like I actually have fans.
- Q: How do you make your comic?
- A: My process is currently under review by the head referee, but right now I measure out the comic strip on Strathmore 300 series smooth Bristol board. I lightly pencil in the dialog (which has already been written) and then lightly sketch in the artwork. I try to avoid over-pencilling because 1) there’s too much cleanup and 2) I want the art to be spontaneous. When pencils are done, I ink them using a Micron #05 pen. I add in some texturing/shadow stuff using a Micron #03 and I ink the borders using a Micron #08. From there it gets scanned into PhotoShop, where I clean it up, add colors and text and export it for the web and post it.
- Q: How is it that Captain John breathes fine with that ridiculous fish bowl on his head for extended periods of time with no equipment?
- A: Why do you assume he has no equipment? That fish bowl is highly effective! In the future, Agency scientists were able to modify the Sabatier reaction using highly advanced nanotechnology contained within the structure of Captain John’s suit and helmet. His helmet does more than help him breathe, it also protects him from the harsh environment of Mars.
Have a question? Let me know.
