Fallout: Call to Arms comic series update
Hello everyone!
I figured since I'm paying monthly for this website to stay active, I should use it in the way I'd intended from the start - with consistent blog updates and news on projects I'm working on (outside of my day job, of course!).
One of those projects as many of you know is a Fallout fan comic that I've been writing and illustrating for some time. It finally has a name - Call to Arms (a name fitting of the Brotherhood, I think!). I wanted to explain a bit about why I'm making this comic and talk about some of the details about its setting so that new and existing readers have some context around it.
To be honest, it's a purely self-indulgent project. As someone who has been a huge fan of Fallout since I first exited Vault 101 way back in 2008 (I can't believe how quickly time has flown...), I've created fanart on-and-off for years for this game series. Something about it really jumped out at me compared to other games; its setting, the lore, the characters - the whole 'vibe' of it, really. It was the first open world game I had ever played. Exiting the vault on that autumn day at University and being presented with this huge map with many paths and stories to immerse myself in is a core memory of mine to this day and the impression it left later influenced my art style and interest in similar genres/games. Until I played Fallout, I the games I played were mostly platformers and so I wasn't used to having so much choice and a giant stomping ground to wander around in.
So, about the comic.
Fallout presents players with so much worldbuilding which takes the form of character dialogue, notes and holo-tapes, and even carefully placed objects. Characters will often talk about past events which to me present the possibility to tell a whole new story not covered in detail by the games themselves. For a long time, my artwork lacked a story. Though I would draw (and draw a lot!) for fun and to improve my skills, I felt a bit stuck creatively and I wanted to use those skills to form a narrative of sorts. Fallout's world is the perfect playground for that. It is also a perfect opportunity for me to work on several skills at once; namely layout, storytelling, writing, sketching and inking! (a hell of a lot, but each one SO fun).
Call to Arms takes place in 2275, 2 years before the events of Fallout 3. It is largely focused on the Brotherhood of Steel's settlement in Washington DC at that time, following their expansion and recruitment progress and tug of war between themselves and the Enclave. It follows characters referenced in Fallout 4 - Paladin Krieg, Cutler, and characters from both Fallout 3 and Fallout 4 (Arthur Maxson, Sarah Lyons, Paladin Danse, Owen Lyons).
So much happens between the events of Fallout 3 and Fallout 4 - which I'm sure many of you are aware of if you've played both games! - and a lot of this centres around the BoS such as the construction of the Prydwen - Maxson's airship. This is discussed with the player character in the games but in reference only. This comic is my take on what that story might look like and how the characters who are key to this story may have been presented (also who wouldn't want to draw Danse's fluffy hair for several panels?).
Shown above: Fallout: Call to Arms cover sketch (a work in progress).
Alongside my original story 'Hiraeth', this comic is a fun way to express my creativity in a way that feels authentic to me, and as a homage to a series I have loved dearly for many years. It's likely to take some time to complete however as a creative person, having something artistic to focus on outside of work is the key reason I have decided to make this comic. So far, I've loved to sit in cafes on weekends piecing together the story/plot and churning out sketches! (a full-time job in itself!) and I'm having an absolute blast with it (no pun intended...).
In terms of timings to get this done, I'm aiming for a new comic page every couple of weeks. This of course depends on other responsibilities in my life in terms of work, friends and family, but by the end of the year the goal is to have the first chapter completed. Work on this has been sporadic over the years, and so I'm holding myself accountable to a structured approach!
I hope anyone who reads it will find some joy in it, as well as in my other artwork. Thanks to social media, I've met so many passionate likeminded fans and fellow artists who have held me up and inspired me over the years. If this makes you just as happy as it makes me to write and draw, then that's the best thing I could ask for!
I'll see you soon in another update.
Laura
