When I put together the first Lore trade paperback, I did not think the end of Lore #3 connected as smoothly as it could with the start of Lore #4. Reading the individual comics provides a different experience, because of the time it takes to set one comic down and pick the next comic up. That natural delay offers a “break” for the reader.
In a trade paperback, though, the jump from Lore #3 to Lore #4 would be instantaneous and jarring. I wanted a “break” for the reader, and I saw two ways to do it. I could insert a blank page for an obvious “break.” So the reader would come to a blank page, turn it over for another blank page, and continue reading on the right-hand side. That would have been the quick way, but also potentially abrupt for the reader.
I instead created two pieces of “transition” artwork. I tried to create a feel of “fading” into the next scene. I also wanted to maintain the style of the first eight issues, which used only black ink on white Bristol board, and almost no grayscale tones. So, I used no grayscales here, just black-and-white, even though I had Manga Studio 3.0 EX at my disposal.
So, here’s one of the “transition” pages from Lore #3 to Lore #4 in the Lore trade paperback. As WALL-E once said to EVE: “Ta-da.”
