That's it everybody, the story's over.
For those of you that followed LONER, thanks a lot and I appreciate your comments. It was fun for me to publish the book this way- there's a sort of neat interactiveness (not a real word) that I enjoyed. I think that I'm going to miss my weekly postings.
As for the blog- there'll be no more posts, I suppose. It will stay up, as I intend to link it to my website, which is getting pretty close to becoming a reality.
If there are questions or comments, please feel free to ask away.
Later- Jim
Thanks for sharing, I've enjoyed it very much!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jim, for the great story! I was happy when it turned out to be a long-format tale and not a 22-pager.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to see a second collected volume of Paleo now that there's, I think, a substantial amount of newer material.
I know you didn't get a whole lot of live feedback but that's due to the deliberate pacing - it's not a wild comedy with zingers on every page or something wacky like that. Please know that a lot of us have been reading and enjoying it very much!
- Austin
Speaking to fellow readers here --
ReplyDeleteNow that the book's finished it might attract new readers who wouldn't be interested in reading incrementally - please spread the love on Facebook, Twitter, etc.
Also, there are a bunch of other printed Paleo comics available! They're very hard to find through normal distribution but Mirage Studios has them:
http://www.miragelicensing.com/paypal/zeromayo.html
It was great! Thank you. I loved the art.
ReplyDeleteIt was really great to experience this. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteIs that just a random, anonymous T-Rex corpse the pteranodon is feeding on at the end? It can't be "Loner" because he's squashed under a giant rock, right? And it can't be "Mommie Dearest" because she's already been dinner for some other dinosaurs.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, it's an awesome and epic opus. You managed to create a believable dinosaur story that makes the reader care about the characters without resorting to talking, anthropomorphized dinos... not an easy task... and the artwork is excellent as always.
Loved it. Robo, Im guessing we saw a ghost on the last part, but most dinos sensed him, so I'm not 100% sure.
ReplyDeleteThat was great, Jim!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your generosity. We all appreciate it!
No, you guys got it- Loner, the protagonist I guess, died on the mountaintop when he was struck by the lightning bolt. From that point on he was a ghost or whatever....
ReplyDeleteAfter his death the other dinos in the story perhaps have a sense of him (or his essence) but my point was is that he was not actually there.
At least that was my intent.
The dinosaur that the others were sensing was the little T-Rex. Well, the scene where the little T-Rex runs from his mother to join Loner I set it up where the mother has some sense of something but actually never directly acknowledges Loner. Hopefully as I've told it in the story, it was only the young Tyrannosaur that could truly see Loner. And in the end it was Loner who led the young T-Rex to the sea where he could fend for himself.
So yeah- it was kind of a dinosaur version of "The Sixth Sense".
I never caught that. Makes more sense now. XD
ReplyDeleteWhere does the opening fit into all this though? (The part before the title panel, where we see what appears to be the Loner trying to kill two young T. rex.)
I really enjoyed reading it Jim, thanks for putting it all up for free. Hopefully we'll see more of your work soon
ReplyDeleteIn the opening scene of the story, Loner imagines how easy it would be to attack the female T-Rex's 2 young. I set this up to show his character and how much he hated families, basically. Later, as the story evolves, we find out why- the reason was because he had a miserable childhood and was pretty much unloved.
ReplyDeleteI really loved the story and the art and I loved the pacing. I tend to race through comics if I'm not careful so I liked being forced to take my time with this book.
ReplyDeleteJim, thank you for explaining. I see what you're saying now. "Loner" actually died around page 33 and I see some clues to that effect after re-reading the story. It's a great idea but I just wasn't smart enough to pick up on the clues before and make the connection that "Loner" had already been dead and it was him on the mountain top at the end... even though "The Sixth Sense" is one of my favorite movies.
ReplyDeleteActually I had to watch the movie three times before it all sunk in, but I did understand on the first viewing (SPOILER!) that Bruce Willis had been dead. I guess part of the difference is that Bruce is so clearly Bruce, whereas one T-Rex looks pretty much like another so it wasn't obvious to me that it was "Loner" at the end of your story. Maybe if had a unique and conspicuous scar or something I could've pieced it together... but maybe not... sometimes I'm just too literal minded! ;-)
Oh well, it all makes sense to me now. I loved it before I got the twist and I love it even more now! "Loner" by M. Night Lawson! Definitely a prehistoric classic! :-)
Mmmm- it's funny. As I read the comments it becomes time for a little reflection about how I could have made the story better. Yeah, I did realize that there was a problematic similarity between the T-Rexes so I put a little backwards "G" on Loner"s left side from where he got struck by the lightning. Obviously not obvious enough. As I was driving around yesterday I was thinking that I should've made him a black-headed tyrannosaur, or something along those lines. Something very noticeable and unmistakeable.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I noticed the backwards "G" when it happened but didn't recognize its significance ("G" for "Ghost" perhaps? ;-)) so I had forgotten about it by the time it appeared on the last page and it didn't help me recognize the Loner. I don't know about a black head but maybe something like that, yeah. The whole thing is just so cool in so many ways I wouldn't want to mess with it too much, but maybe it could've been a little clearer. Part of the challenge as well is that it's all in black and white. I love your handling of b&w but if the backward "G", for example, had been bright red or something it would have read more clearly. I think even then I still would have had to struggle with the end though without something more in the text to spell it out for me.
ReplyDeleteOh well, nothing is set in stone before it's printed on paper! You could always make changes... including maybe correcting the errors someone pointed on page 40 about the correct number of fingers for a Daspletosaurus and the question of sauropods vs theropods! Of course those were only minor errors and didn't affect the way the story reads. My confusion at the end wasn't the result of any error, per se... it's more that all your previous Paleo stories were told straight and this one was a bit more tricky. When I got to the end I thought well, if that's Loner he must have jumped out of the way of that rock off camera! I couldn't think out of the box and realize there was a little supernatural element going on here.
From my part the story was understood, it being not that ovious is part of the charm. Though I never assosiated the G with "ghost" until they ponted it out. Great comic with great dinosaurs, thanks!
ReplyDeleteI agree it probably shouldn't be overly obvious... for example if "Loner" only appeared in half-tones after he was struck by lightning so we could see he was obviously a "ghost" then it wouldn't be a surprise at the end like it is in The Sixth Sense. But on the other hand I don't know that I would ever have figured it out if it wasn't explained to me, so it's a tricky balancing act.
ReplyDeleteHere's hoping you keep storytelling, and bringing us your incredible art! Can't wait to see what you create next. Maybe someday, something set in the Planet Racers universe? But, thanks for sharing Loner, Mr. Lawson, I'll definitely miss the weekly postings. Good luck with the website, I look forward to it!
ReplyDeleteI second all of that. It was actually kind of embarrassing for me to admit that I didn't understand the twist to this story, but I think that has to do with the context. In The Sixth Sense it is clear all along (even in the title!) that this is a story of the supernatural, so it's not so hard to accept the surprise at the end. On the other hand, all the previous Paleo stories (and correct me if I'm wrong) were all told realistically without any hint of the paranormal, so this one totally threw me for a loop. Clearly some readers (or at least one) got the end of the story and some didn't. Anyway, I still think it's the coolest dinosaur comic ever and I hope some day it's published as a book... although apparently books are now facing extinction much like the dinosaurs once did. :-(
ReplyDeleteCooooool stuff. Thanks again so much for posting all of this; it's very much appreciated. I hope it gets physically published someday.
ReplyDeleteGreat story. I enjoyed it a lot.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this, Jim! I especially loved the twist ending. I figured that he had imagined the entire thing as he was dying but I see now that the ghost thing makes sense. I want to read the rest of the Paleo comics now, even though this was very standalone-y I'm curious to see your others. I missed them when you originally published them, as I was all of 3 when TMNT started out. ;) Thankfully someone gave a link where I can purchase them now in 2011! :D I also really enjoy your writing style and was never once bored while reading this. Thanks again, Jim!
ReplyDeleteAlso thanks for leaving this up and not deleting it. Now I can link my friends to it and they can read it too. :)
ReplyDeleteI keep coming back and looking for an epilogue or a sequel or something... even though I know that's not really going to happen. Rest in Peace, Loner... you're still with us in spirit! ;-)
ReplyDeleteThe ending was absolutely clear. The ghost intent was loud and clear - but maybe more so because we read it all in one sitting. (Easier to follow the narrative that way.)
ReplyDeleteAlthough, as Marie recently commented, you could also read it that he imagined the sequnce as he was dying. That gives it an "Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" feeling which works just as well.
Either way, in the second half, Loner gets a chance at psychic redemption. He is able to care for the little male t-rex in a way that he was never cared for. He ties up this emotional loose end from his childhood.
And, if he really is a ghost, it also suggests possibilities to the reader; namely, that you can't kill a ghost with a rock. One can imagine, if so inclined, that Loner's story could continue beyond the end. Perhaps he journeys through the Cretaceous, righting various wrongs committed against him and by him in life. Perhaps he is still alive today, helping some hapless young reptile in need right now. You never know! We like stories that open possibilities!
Amen Brother...
ReplyDeleteI was too dumb to get the end, but reading it all in one sitting might have helped. In fact I did that after reading all the comments and it all made perfect sense, but of course then I already knew.
ReplyDeleteI like to think that Loner's ghost was free to leave the world of the living and ascend to Dino-Heaven after helping the little survivor get to the beach, but there could still be a sequel about "Loner Jr."!
I just recently checked to see the latest pages... the waiting was too much for me so every few weeks I checked for new pages. This is an amazing ARTWORK i loved it. The story is also great but mostly I loved it for the composition, inking, it's great! Will you be publishing it? If I'd buy comics, I would really love to have this as a book. Congratulations! I hope I'll see soon more from your artworks! great stuff!
ReplyDeleteLain-
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the great comments.
To answer your question, there's no plan to publish LONER as an actual book. That said however, I've not forgotten about this and all the other PALEO material and there is a possibility that there might be something going on with this at some point in the future. How's that for being vague?
Also- I'm working on a new project right now.
Look for more of my work at jimlawsonart.com.
Thanks!