Work notes: Secret Knot’s process this week consisted mainly of struggling with the script for the next comic, which I really like up to the mid-point, and then, the final portion has been changed so much that it looks like a ‘choose your adventure’ branching entry. I’ve made storyboards for different endings, and I’m still trying to land properly the one that seems to work the best. I think all this fiddling will be a bit surprising, dear reader, when you see how nonsensical the story is, but even non-traditional stories require a seeming of conventional structure, something that has a lot to do, I believe, with pacing and intensities. One can notice this in David Lynch movies, for instance: even when the viewer loses track of the causalities in the narrative, the why’s and who’s and how’s, movies like Lost Highway or Mulholland Drive still feel like a story in a conventional way, because all the punches, accents, tension and consequences are in the right places. (I’m aware that other Lynch works may stretch out even further the conventional narratives, such as some parts of the new Twin Peaks, but it’s arguable that in the grand scheme of the series those digressions work as accents as well)

The main characters in my story are XX century surrealists, so the research has been very interesting, and it’s already giving me a lot of material for the comic dossier on Patreon. Speaking of which…

On Patreon

I’ve been sending out some Patreon portraits from the 80s STARS challenge. It’s been much fun:

In this one, partly inspire by Siouxsie’s look, the phone in the reference became a Polaroid in the context of this game.
This one was of course inspired by the look of Kajagoogoo’s singer Limahl. (who also sang the hit song from The NeverEnding Story movie, by Giorgio Moroder). Very complex hairstyle.
This one is based on a spacey suit I found in some Gary Numan photos, with a bit of geometric New Wave makeup. I thought a picture of 80s Tokyo was a suitable background for it.

From the Secret Knots Discord

Amy Bee shares the link for this guide: How To Destroy The Earth

Gyrgir shares a glimpse of the giant puppet Mocco in Japan. (Twitter link)

Remember, you are welcome to join the Secret Knots Discord. Here’s an invitation.

What Else Is There

Dario Argento Japanese Posters. (Tumblr post)

The Internet is rotting

Good Night (Music)