Years ago, Journey drew Journeyman (take a look at the prints for sale: It’s the robot wearing a mask under a tree) before he even knew who Journeyman was. All he knew is that Journeyman was a robot that wore masks, and that he ran into trouble as he traveled.
Now that Journey is drawing again, he wants to revisit Journeyman, and he asked me to help him do so by writing Journeyman’s stories, which Journey will layout and paint.
It’s been tough going for Journey and I, two old dogs trying to relearn old tricks, never mind new ones. My first attempt was an origin story for Journeyman, a tale full of mythological symbolism and human frailty. But Journey did not want the character’s origin told first. He wanted Journeyman to remain a mystery, and I see his point. The origin will be much more poignant at the end of the Journeyman series, rather than the beginning.
My second attempt involved an awesome spectacle of a journey: Journeyman wandering around a sci-fi / fantasy battlefield, after the battle has been fought. I blame Journey for this one: Read Azrach (by Moebius) he said, and I did, and I was inspired, and it was too much, too soon. Journey reminded me that when a writer composes a sentence, even a simple one, the artist has to do a lot of research and design work. When I write “Giants and siege machines” — four words — Journey has to design a race of giants, their culture, and the weapons of war, all while not ripping off Attack on Titan. And I wrote more than four words.
And now, I am lost, but not for long, I hope. I want to get Journey something by Saturday, if not earlier. I will see you soon.
P.S. A poem for you:
No Title
The empty rustling of leaves–
Nothing there–nothing here–
nothing is, I fear.