At this writing, the current page and some of the previous pages of The Warstar Gambit storyline have discussed conflicting ideologies (Evolution and the idea the universe is billions of years old vs. Creationism and the idea that it may be only about 6,000 years old).  While I intend to keep such sections brief (more on that regarding a reader’s concerns in a moment) in the interest of not becoming “preachy”, such topics and conflicts we see in the real world will indeed be woven throughout the entire saga.  Tomes of Atlantis has come to the point that it is beginning to establish its identity beyond merely an attempt to do a military sci-fi adventure.

I fell in love with storytelling in third grade via Creative Writing exercises that my teacher had the class do every Friday.  Being a child of the 1970s and 80s, I had the privilege of growing up with shows like Star Trek: The Original Series and The Next Generation, G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero, Transformers, The Dukes of Hazzard and Knight Rider, and Airwolf.  I remember the awe I felt seeing Star Wars in the theater, and how I was blown away by a Reader’s Digest article written shortly after The Empire Strikes Back was released that said all of those iconic characters, vehicles, and locations came from the mind of a single man: George Lucas.  While I readily admit that some of the aforementioned shows have aged better than others, it was nevertheless an awesome time to grow up, and my imagination was influenced heavily by the countless hours I spent watching them in front of our bulky, wooden-framed television.  By the time I’d reached high school I had ambitions to do my own epic saga, and I spent more time than I’d like to admit in classes drawing conceptual art for The Star Hunters, which over the course of time would become Tomes of Atlantis.

During college I was presented with the first brutally honest critiques I’d encountered to my writing.  While I initially bristled at the criticisms, I had to step back and realize that at the time my characters had faces but no souls, no real personalities beyond the odd regional accent here or there.  They were cardboard cut-outs and stereotypes whose inspirations were clear, but they had no identity of their own, no motivations for why they did what they did.  Why was one side in the Atlantis/Zentonia conflict “good” or “evil”, and what could possibly cause them to wage a war that has lasted millennia?  I wrestled with such questions for a long time before I found my answer: I needed to draw from my own experiences and convictions, and I hit upon the idea of intertwining my story with real world history and topics.  Religion and ideology would be key to the overall theme, but not in the sense of a vague spirituality that is commonly depicted in sci-fi.  Instead there would be real-world beliefs and topics discussed; they will no doubt ignite some controversy from time to time, but that’s the price for daring to transcend mere allegory.

Developing my characters was at once painful yet immensely rewarding.  In my idealism and naivete when I had initially begun drawing up my main characters, I wanted all the “good guys” to be Christians, to think and act alike.  I loved every one of them, and though this may sound weird for talking about fictional characters, I had a really hard time accepting the fact that to reflect the way things really are, I had to make most of them lost.  But after I took that step and I began to write the story, I found that giving them a voice of their own that was contrary to mine and that asked questions that real people would ask not only created tons of interpersonal conflict and storyline opportunities, but it made me care about them even more.  I have friends and family who are not yet saved, yet I love and care about them nevertheless, and realizing that dynamic helped me to render all of my characters, even the most argumentative and agnostic ones, in a sympathetic light.

A reader recently told me that the discussion between zookeeper Jan Peller and the four Star Hunters on Page 117 made it appear as if they all became instant converts to Creationism and that George was made to “look stupid” by not being able to answer Jan’s “smoking gun” question regarding duplicating the supposed origins of life.  By the current post (Page 121) Jack Surhoff has made it obvious that’s not the case; they don’t have answers for everything they’re seeing, but they’re far from prepared to accept the idea of a Creator.  Nevertheless I felt it necessary to address the reader’s concerns regarding the Jan Peller/George Eaton exchange.  George is anything but stupid; he’s an ex-US Navy S.E.A.L. and knows several languages.  The same goes for the rest of the men, especially Jack, who sees the world through a pragmatic lens that’s dependent on observable data.

The reason the conversation is so brief was one of necessity, not because I only wanted Jan’s voice to be heard.  Originally I had MANY pages of passionate debate happening, but I quickly realized that not only was it highly impractical for a comic (and admittedly the story’s pace has been slow for awhile anyway as the team tours Atlantis for the first time), but that if I lingered too long there it would turn off readers.  People want to read an entertaining, engaging story, and it’s okay if it occasionally gives them something to think about, but being preached to is an entirely different matter.  So I wrote a brief exchange, posed a couple of difficult-to-answer questions, and moved on in a single (still wordy) page.  It wasn’t until the reader responded that it even occurred to me that I could have balanced the dialogue better, and for that I apologize.  Much like the story itself, I’m a work-in-progress as a writer.

In the coming pages The Warstar Gambit is going to take some significant turns.  The initial awe and sense of wonder will wear off and most of the newly formed Star Hunters will begin to consider the meaning of living in a society where suddenly it’s their own views that are the minority.  Not only will some of them be less than pleased with the idea; there are going to be lots of interpersonal conflicts and outright suspicion between them and toward their hosts.  Certain events will soon occur which will test the team’s very cohesiveness.  Some of these conflicts may take many storylines to resolve, if they ever are at all; just as in real life, we typically tend to leave a lot of loose ends.

Look at any major science fiction saga and you will see the imprint of its creator(s), particularly their worldview.  Gene Roddenberry pioneered such storytelling methods by way of using Star Trek’s episodes as (sometimes blatant, as in all the “Earth-like planets” depicted in the TOS series) allegories for topics of interest.  Beyond the crews, the ships and technology, and the galaxy full of new life and new civilizations, the guiding theme was one of mankind’s ability to overcome our current problems and create a borderline utopian society.  That theme, perhaps more than Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, or the U.S.S. Enterprise, is why the franchise still has legions of devoted fans long after his death.  While I don’t share many of those views (Mr. Roddenberry was an agnostic if I recall correctly), I am able to enjoy and appreciate Star Trek for its many merits, and I learned a lot from his example.  Tomes of Atlantis will obviously be guided by my own worldview, which is Christian.  I understand that most of the world today doesn’t share my faith and indeed some are outspoken opponents of it, but I have to be true to my story’s vision as well as to who I am (a follower of Jesus Christ); however my hope is that you the reader, regardless of where you stand regarding worldview or faith, will be able to find this comic worth reading and perhaps a refreshing departure from mainstream secular ideologies found throughout most science fiction.  But I will do my best to keep its underlying themes primarily in the background most of the time.  Occasionally, just as in real life, there will be less subtle dialogue, but I will be keeping such exchanges generally brief so the story can keep moving forward.

Thanks very much for your continued readership and for your patience with me as I continue developing as a writer and artist.  Speaking of which, come May you will begin seeing some changes in the way my human characters are drawn.  This is in response to some kind constructive criticism I received from peers in the Webcomics.com community.  The new style will have a more animated/cell appearance and uses fewer lines to accomplish its goals.  Be sure to keep an eye out for it!