RATING: Mature, I suppose? There's a fair bit of swearing, some violence and the occasional dead body.
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There's something you should understand.
Nobody arranged this. Nobody chose you. It just happened.
You're not special.
*****
The following is an except from the
Off-Worlder Registration Induction Booklet (page 1)
[Translations are available on request for the languages listed on pages 20–26]
“I know what you're thinking.
'Why am I here? What did I do wrong? Am I cursed? I wish I could just die.'
And yes, it's true that you're alone in a strange city, separated from everyone you love, with no hope of ever seeing them again.
But this could be the chance of a lifetime! Think of it, here you are, standing in one of the greatest cities in existence, real or otherwise*! You've been given something other people only dream of – a completely fresh start, in a world where anything is possible! I want to see all of you grasp that opportunity and make the most of it!
And always remember, we're here to help you**.”
- [welcoming speech given by the first Director of the O.W.R. on 27L05L18.]
*Disclaimer: This is an expression of civic pride only, and should not be taken as fact. Other cities are available, many of them with central heating and better sanitary arrangements.
**Once you have left the building, the O.W.R. takes no responsibility for your health and / or safety. We advise keeping your doors locked, though cannot guarantee this will make any difference. The police can be contacted at any time via mirror-view, please scream to be connected.
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Some ramblings on how the comic came about
This story has been sculling around in my head for years in one form or another.
Unfortunately, every time I tried to write it down, it died on the page (usually from embarrassment). It's strange looking back on all the permutations it's been through - like how the Captain started off being evil (and in no way a member of the police force. I'm still not sure how that happened). Or how Sam was briefly some kind of uber-genius. And as for Caroline, her backstory has changed so often it's a wonder she doesn't have multiple personality disorder by now. But whatever I did, it never got anywhere - I'd end up with pages and pages of writing that even
I found dull, which is never a good sign.
I always did better at drawing, but what good was that for telling a story? I’d pretty much given up on getting the damn thing out of the brain by the time I started reading comics. This was my sister's fault by the way, she lent me some of hers and I instantly fell in love with them. It was amazing - you could tell a
proper story, but
using pictures! Yeah, okay, you know that, but for me it was a revelation; I’ve led a sheltered life. So I started reading every comic I could get my hands on, and it did occur to me to start drawing my own … but it looked really difficult and I couldn’t be bothered.
Then I went to university. And of course I had to do the obligatory university comic – complete with the usual cast of evil geniuseseses, lakes of custard, jumpers of monotony and stuff. Big thanks to Amna for the collaboration and actually getting me started on something. This was followed by lots more jokey pages and strips – some of them pretty incomprehensible to outsiders. In fact, at one point I managed draw an eight page comic where half the jokes were aimed at my friends, and half at my sister – which meant I was the only person in the world who could understand all of it.
Finally, after a lot of messing about, dithering and generally making excuses like 'I'm not good enough' and 'I hate drawing tables and cups and things' (seriously), I finally sat down and drew the first page of Kaspall. This would have been around December 2004. And you know something? I can't remember why. Something must have convinced me to give it a go, but I have no idea what. I do, however, remember thinking that there was
no way this was going to last longer than three or four pages before I gave up again.
Shows what I know.
I really hope I’ll be able to keep going with this. I love it – the writing, the drawing, being surprised by the story, making this website (for all it frustrates me sometimes). Perhaps I’ll throttle myself with plot-line half-way through – but even if that does happen, at least I’ve finally managed to get something of this story down on paper.
And thanks to
everyone who reads this comic – there’s nothing like having a bit of an audience keep you writing.
- Lucy
Kaspall the webcomic and all related material is © 2005 - present Lucy Lyall. All rights reserved.
