CHAPTER 3: THE RABBIT HOLE
Writer: John Lees
Artist: Jonathan Rector
Colorist: Mike Gagnon
Letterer: Kel Nuttall
Editor: Steven Forbes
Hey folks! John Lees here, and after my absence, I’m back doing commentary for THE STANDARD! A big thanks to ComixTribe publisher Tyler James for filling in for me last week, we’ll have to get him back on at some point to talk about the serious from a publisher’s perspective. With Chapter 2 wrapped last week, a new week gives us a clean slate from which to start a whole new exciting chapter!
I’m really happy with how “The Rabbit Hole” turned out. Issues #1 and #2 of THE STANDARD were the first comic scripts I’d written, and I very much feel like those were a feeling-out process of me learning how to write a comic. By this issue, I was feeling more confident, and though there were stumbling blocks (which we’ll get into over the course of our commentary), I feel like it’s this chapter where we really hit the ground running.
First off, how amazing is that cover! Jon, as he always does, sent us a whole range of thumbnails for possible covers, and this one instantly jumped out at me. As you’ll see as you keep on reading, it nods to both the past and present narrative strands of this issue, but does so in a truly creepy way. This cover has been eye-catching enough to draw people who profess to not even being superhero fans over to my table at conventions to learn more about the series.
Another noteworthy thing to mention about Chapter 3 is that, from this point on, Mike Gagnon takes over as our main colorist, and remains in that role for the remainder of the series. Hopefully we can get an interview with Mike at some point over the course of our commentary for this chapter.
Finally, I should mention that it was for THE STANDARD #3 that I won my SICBA award for Best Writer. Winning the award was a lovely cap to a fun day at Glasgow Comic Con, with the awards ceremony held in a swanky hotel. Here’s a pic of me looking very pleased with myself as I show off my newly-won prize:
And as a bonus, here’s a little-seen video of my acceptance speech. The bald guy sat on the sofa is none other than the legendary Jim Starlin, so trying to talk in his mighty presence was a bit intimidating!
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