Tavland #1: 5-page preview below!
This preview showcases the transition from the real world in the comic (with it’s black-and-white Duoshade toning) to the dreamworld of Tavland, with its vibrant color.
2014 version
From here on are images from the first version of Tavland—called Tales of Tavland—back in 2014. This version, which I sold at 2014 Wondercon, was perhaps too esoteric, drawing from way too many sources; from Russian folklore to African mythology. It was finally a comic book instead of an illustrated novel (see way at the bottom of this page), but it was still too much for people to delve into, I think. I’ve streamlined the idea over the years so it’s more approachable. Case in point: Beginning with a creation story was probably too much. I do still intend to incorporate that mythology and the Dandelion-headed Zurvanites (at the end), but they’ll all have different names and will enter the story at different times.
BTS: Below is a picture of me selling this ashcan version at the 2014 Wondercon in Anaheim, California.
Issue 2
PICS TO BE ADDED HERE
2019 version
In this version from 2019, I was in the process of changing many things, such as the princess’ name. She switched from Marya to Gala (short for Galatea, from the Greek myth of a statue of a woman created by the sculptor Pygmalion and brought to life by Aphrodite). You can still see this transition in that her name is Gala, but she’s using the name Marya as a cover (see page 4 below). Friz still looked more like a cat than a ferret, and Diz was still a dog/dingo.
I did this 20-page version to send pitches around. That never happened, of course, because the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world and everyone went on lockdown. During the pandemic, I ended up working not on Tavland, but on a webcomic adaptation to the unused Star Wars: Episode IX script by Colin Trevorrow & Derek Connolly. Check it out! That of course, led me to making my documentary film “Creativity”, which finally led back around to me thinking about Tavland again. Ultimately, I’m glad that I didn’t go with the 2019 version, for many reasons.
Here's an example of the original page on the left and the colored page on the right. Coloring sure is a laborious process for me, but it does look better in the end. Now I just have to color the other 23 pages... © 2013 Andrew Winegarner
