Two different versions of a Black Axe page

I don't want to say that Fabio Nahon has some perfectionist tendencies, but sometimes he will send me page that I think looks amazing... and then he will change his mind, take it back, and re-draw everything!  Wow -- that is true dedication to craftsmanship.  You have to admire a man with such high standards.

Here's a peek at his process, as he sent me the opening page of Black Axe #1.  Then he decided he wasn't thrilled with the results, and sent me a different version of the same page.  See for yourself.

Here's Fabio's take on the first draft:

And here's the page that he was eventually happy with:

It's kinda like playing one of those "Spot the Difference" games!  As you can see, he made different choices in terms of rendering armor, rock formations, shadows, trees, and more.  Fundamentally, very similar pages. But at the level of fine detail, a very different approach to the two versions.

It's kinda fun for me to see the way an artist's mind works, the stylistic choices they make, and the different techniques they have at their disposal.  Very cool.

Four versions of a single page

As you probably know, I'm sorta knew to comic book self-publishing. Sure, I've been a fan who has read and enjoyed comics for a long time, but I had no involvement in the creation or production of a comic. So it seemed unusual to me when I ended up receiving four different versions of Page 1 of my Battle Team Omega script. I thought I would share the various versions with everyone, as a interesting peek "Behind the Scene." (Click any image to enlarge.)

1) First is Fabio Nahon's lay-out for the page. As you can see, the thugs start out as generic tough guys:

2) Next is a detailed page with full pencils. Here, the mercenaries are now equipped with high-tech gear. Fabio obviously put a lot of time into this page, and it shows...

3)...which is why I was stunned to see that he made an independent decision to re-draw the page! That's a true sign of professionalism and craftsmanship when an artist takes a perfectly functional page and decides to go back to the drawing board (literally.) The improvements Fabio made are obvious, cleaning up the composition and making everything less cluttered. The page certainly reads better in this revision:

4) Unfortunately, I was informed that Fabio would be unable to continue on the book and Nel Angeiras stepped in to take his place. Which led to a fourth interpretation of the book's opening scene. It seems like Nel used Fabio's pages as a guide, while also bringing his unique artistic vision to the page. Check it out:


So there you have it! Four very interesting versions of one page! I think it offers a fascinating insight into the work process of these artists (while also serving as a handy guide for all the different ways Blade Superior can sneak up on a bunch of armed mercenaries.) Hope you enjoyed it.

Two versions of a double-page spread

(Make sure to click to enlarge.)