Maybe this shows a small lack of imagination, but I find it easier to write the stories for this comic when they're set on planet Earth. I enjoy having the crew visit other space destinations, but there is so much variety on our planet that going outside of it seems like way more effort than is needed. Not to mention the fact that finding reference material for Allison is only a google search away, and forces me to actually research locations I want to place the crew in.

There is also something to be said for better creativity coming out of constraints. Its why creators of all types often like having prompts to work with, rather than a blank slate. Its why creators can produce beauty from minimizing words (haiku) or colors (black and white photography). We talked in our panel at KrakenCon about why we stick to the 3 panel format, rather than allowing ourselves multiple panels, or doing full pages. One reason is that 3 panels twice a week is quite a bit of art to be producing while also working a full-time job. But the 3-panel format also forces us to distill our ideas down into just what is necessary. 

Some creators take this a step further, and their enforced constraints create works that we devour. Atlas, our Webcomic O' the Week for this week, almost completely limits itself to telling its story in two panels per update, and that format delivers a one-two punch that emphasizes everything the creator wants to say. I will admit I haven't read much of the work, but Allison has read quite a bit, and thinks the art is beautiful. Based on Allison's description of the story, Atlas is a work I'm going to add to my reading list. Sprawling technicolor cities, fabulous future fantasy, stories filled with real talk about segregation and overcoming bigotry, the suggestion of mutants in the populace - Atlas seems tailored to hit as many of my buttons as possible. We hope you add it to your reading lists, and enjoy.  

Thanks,

Philip