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Under Level One

Under Level 1 is where much of the 'Underground' action takes place, as it is accepted as communal space by many species. Under Level 1 performs two functions in regards to the Underground and it's inhabitants; Egg chambers and Common Travelways.

Egg chambers are constructed surprisingly close to the Surface Level, as many eggs need to be dragged into the sunlight for warmth, and then back into the earth to cool down, this maintenance is carried out by the workers of the colony. Once the larvae hatch, the workers will carry them deeper into the colony to the 'nursery' chambers.

Common Travelways are a necessary component of the Underground, as many insects travel...UNDERGROUND ...logically their paths will cross, and so a sophisticated network of caverns and tunnels is spread out just below the surface level. Often times these paths will lead into a rival colony, if an aggressive insect or group of insects should enter an enemy colony, the colony would release an 'alarm' pheromone to alert the soldiers of the invaders.

More to follow soon enough!

The Underground Cross Section

-The Initial Cross Section-

This is a rough copy of my initial cross section of the Underground. I wanted to show not only how colonies function, but also how the Underground as a whole functions. This cross section is the first step in doing so. I will be discussing each level and its functions individually as I complete their respective sketches.

The key thing to notice here I think is how the construction of the levels change as you get deeper and deeper UNDERGROUND. Caverns and tunnels will become more complex the deeper you go, and the actual look of them will differ greatly. I hope this starts to bring you deeper into the world I've tried so hard to create.

SPI Update

By Ian Shires
5/26 IDOL REPORT POST
Hi folks. WHEW!!! It took some doing to catch up after the weekend out-of town thing (still have some bits and pieces, but we're getting back on track now)A few things to say: If you have a complaint about something - please send it to me, the Idol forum section is not a place to post a thread complaining about something, and I've moved/deleted a couple posts. If there's a bug, there is a bugs forum section. If you just need to vent, go to General Chatter. I'm not going to let the Idol section get cluttered up with that kind of stuff. I am working as hard and as fast as I can to catch up, and I'm sorry I took a few days off.
Anyway, the PROJECTS haven't been taking any time off, and we're seeing bigger and bigger numbers as we get this round into full swing. The top 3 is digging in it's heels - Faction even moved up a spot to #2 - sticking Steel Rising on the edge. Their security is limited, as there are projects below them, getting bigger numbers than they are. So even as hometown Heroes nudged Diary of a Teenage Heroine down a notch, will the final shuffle have it in the Cover Project slots?I was asked if I can send the names of who has voted each day to the projects...as in the previous round, the vote system afforded people the ability to know exactly who voted for them each day. I thought long and hard on that one, cause, it is POSSIBLE...however, what that does, is make it OK and easy for everyone to spam the voters. I think we're going to keep the records of votes, a sealed thing, OK!
One last thing...I've noticed a number of projects that have posted NO additional art, revisions, eye candy of any sort, to keep their forum threads active and interesting. Just pointing it out. Here's those numbers...
1.) 284 Votes (+40) - 95 Voters (NC) Varsity Squad - Judges Vote: 2 Yes.
2.) 232 Votes (+40) - 113 Voters (+4) Faction - Judges Vote: 3 Yes.
3.) 229 Votes (+27) - 104 Voters (+1) Steel Rising - Judges Vote: 3 Yes.
*************** ********The Line for #0/R4 Contention********** *******************
4.) 169 Votes (+19) - 78 Voters (+2) The Associate - Judges Vote: 3 Yes.
5.) 155 Votes (+23) - 90 Voters (+4) Hometown Heroes - Judges Vote: 3 Yes.
6.) 152 Votes (+17) - 66 Voters (+3) Diary of a Teenage Heroine - Judges Vote: 3 Yes.
7.) 145 Votes (+22) - 141 Voters (+1) Maddie Scientist - Judges Vote: 2 No.
8.) 120 Votes (+25) - 70 Voters (+2) The Machine - Judges Vote: 3 Yes.
9.) 116 Votes (+16) - 48 Voters (+1) Dogman and Lester - Judges Vote: 2 No.
**************** ********The Line for Cover Projects************ ******************
10.) 101 Votes (+55) - 126 Voters (+2) The Underground - Judges Vote: 3 Yes.
11.) 95 Votes (+39) - 146 Voters (+1) The White Rose - Judges Vote: 3 Yes.
12.) 52 Votes ( +6) - 56 Voters (NC) Haxxor - Judges Vote: 3 Yes.
13.) 18 Votes (+18) - 59 Voters (NC) The Doorknob Society - Judges Vote: 3 No.
14.) 6 Votes ( +6) - 46 Voters (NC) Boulder Colorado - Judges Vote: 3 Yes.
15.) 1 Votes ( +1) - 50 Voters (NC) Mr. Man - Judges Vote: 2 Yes.
16.) 0 Votes ( 0) - 29 Voters (NC) Project Mercury - Judges Vote: 3 NO.
17.) Earthman - Has taken Ill, will eventually be a back up feature.
17.) Dead Duck - Needs personal time, will eventually be a back up feature.
17.) Monsters of Love - Did not turn in pages, will eventually be a back up feature.
17.) Nevil Von Dunst - Did not turn in pages, will eventually be a back up feature.

And the Judges Say....Yes?

That's right another 3 yes vote from the judges this round! Yay!! I was admittedly concerned at first when I read Sam's initial thoughts on the material and it's target audience. I think this really boils down to perspective though. Sam and I seem to have a pretty similar idea as to the age range that the book should appeal to. I believe that my softer approach to the book has been a result of being a father. Maybe I'm wrong...the theory sounds good to me though!
In any case the judges have passed the project along with three more yes votes, and it once again passes over to the public. And THAT may be the problem this round...we're not yet getting the voters that we did in the last round, while we are only on our third day of public votes time IS limited. We've got two weeks to make it into the top 3, and the number 1 guy had 244 votes at the last poll. Please everyone, take the time to check out the Small Press Idol, and all the awesome projects therein. You CAN make a difference.

Round 3 Entry!

Well, after a whole lotta work, the Underground's Round 3 entry has been submitted in the Small Press Idol! Whew! Lemme tell you this was a little more involved than I had originally thought, but I was determined to make this submission the best it could possibly be. To do so, I did things a little different from how I've usually done them.
The judges have not cast their votes yet, but it is not stopping the public from pushing their votes through! Ian Shires has done a great job of streamlining the voting process, and I'd like to convey a well deserved thank you and congrats to him for all of his hard work in keeping this machine running. While we wait for the judges I'd like to detail some of the changes I've undertaken for this round.
First; Panels: I used an irregularly shaped panel layout for these three pages. I found that this keeps with the 'Underground' theme! I'm also hoping that I can 'bend' the panels somewhat to help carry the flow of each page! It's a comic book, lots of action, straight-edged panels have no place here!
Second; Grayscale: When I published the Underground: Beginnings I did so in full colour, and LOVED it! The original guidelines for this competition instructed us to submit black and white, or grayscaled pages. I chose to take the grayscale route, and let me tell you...at this point I prefer it that way. It's dark, it's gritty, it's love.
Third; Shading: I usually don't set up 'masks' when I'm shading, I just used a gradual blend from dark to light. I found in hindsight that I don't get very strong highlights, or hotspots this way. Unfortunately, this leads to a less dynamic lighting. I've started to block off what sections I intend to highlight, and I am discovering that this develops a much more dramatic feel. Love it, but I am interested to hear from the fans, on this and the grayscale point.
Anyways, and as always thank you to everyone for your continued support!
Let's get voting!!!

Round 2 Final Standings Part 2.

-By Ian Shires -
Dogman And Lester deserves some talk before I make a decision on it. It started out Round 2 soft, with the first 2 No vote from the judges in the round (there eventually was only one other, but it didn't matter because the other did not end up above the line) and slow voting followed. By April 13th, I included on the standings report: "I don't know what to say about Dogman and Lester, they seem to be giving up. I'd love to see some fight from the project.". They remained in last place till other projects posted, and then maintained it's position ok...starting to generate some stronger voting.
Then, on April 20th, for the first time, they moved UP in the standings. It was short lived, as all the rest of the projects came in then, and many took off on their journeys up the standings. Meanwhile, we start seeing some new drawings, and other explanations about the project, which showed me this project indeed wanted to be there. It indeed went toe to toe with 3-yes projects, and held it's position well.Now, I'm gonna go way out on a limb right now, and state up front, this project does not seem like something I personally would ever seek out to read. I don't find the characters artwork turned in on a level that would sustain a series at this time. I do however like most of the additional artwork turned in as the round went on, as pieces of art. I have solid reservation that the sequential art resulting from this project has any chance of winning.That said, I don't know everything. I am fairly confident that the project not just brought in it's own fans, but connected with the SPA community enough that I know there were voters from other projects, and long time members, rooting this project on. However. I am looking at the bigger scheme of things too. Let's look at the rest of the numbers...
13.) 253 Votes (+25) - 55 Voters ( +3) Earthman - Judges Vote: 3 Yes.
14.) 247 Votes (+12) - 50 Voters ( +1) Mr. Man - Judges Vote: 2 Yes.
15.) 236 Votes (+16) - 46 Voters ( +1) Diary of a Teenage Heroine - Judges Vote: 3 Yes.
16.) 227 Votes ( +8) - 29 Voters (5NC) Project Mercury - Judges Vote: 3 Yes.
17.) 184 Votes (+16) - 45 Voters ( NC) Monsters of Love - Judges Vote: 3 Yes.
18.) 165 Votes (+14) - 36 Voters ( +2) Dead Duck - Judges Vote: 3 Yes.
19.) 164 Votes (+21) - 61 Voters ( +2) Nevil Von Dunst - Judges Vote: 2 Yes.
20.) 161 Votes (+21) - 47 Voters ( +2) Boulder Colorado - Judges Vote: 2 Yes.
*************** *******The Dreaded Line**************** ************
21.) 143 Votes (+23) - 37 Voters ( +5) Dinos - Judges Vote: 2 Yes.
22.) 130 Votes (+15) - 30 Voters ( +3) Thread of Valor - Judges Vote: 2 Yes.
23.) 108 Votes (+13) - 32 Voters ( +4) Quick Draw - Judges Vote: 2 Yes.
24.) 96 Votes ( +5) - 37 Voters ( +2) Chaoskind - Judges Vote: 2 No.
25.) 68 Votes (+11) - 23 Voters ( +2) EAST - Judges Vote: 3 Yes.
26.) 26 Votes ( +3) - 12 Voters ( +2) APOC: Hel's Kitchen - Judges Vote: 3 Yes
27.) Parahero Will be a Back Up Feature in Mysterious Visions Anthology.
If I were to cut Dogman, it would effectively bring DINOS back into the top 20. I honestly feel that Dinos belongs above the line, and, it is unfortunate that it is not. Is that enough of a reason to cut a project I don't actually care for? Well, Dinos only has a few less actual voters than Dogman. So, if Dinos had gotten in earlier, they could easily have been above the line. Neither project really set the world on fire with number of voters, but, we also know how hard it is to actually get people in here voting.I think Dinos is going to be a funny comic to read. I also think it failed to really connect with it audience. I read many a person saying that they got the jokes, but didn't laugh. Dogman, stood up to me challenging it to do better. I can respect that. It is for those reasons, that I am going to make my decision in FAVOR of Dogman and Lester moving on to Round 3. I am not going to cut it. It will be in Round 3.

Round 2 Final Standings Part 1.

-By Ian Shires-
Well here we are folks, Round 2 of Small Press Idol has come and gone, and one thing is very clear: Idol is very big this year. Bigger than ever. Record big. We had 27 projects that made it into Round 2, and we can only send 20 of them into Round 3. Things started fairly normal, early favorites made their mark, layed their foundations, while other projects posted as we went, and fought their way into the spotlight while traffic at the site, skyrocketed. By the time all the projects were posted, it was clear we'd struck a chord this year, but it was the week that followed that really changed everything. As late posters pulled out all the stops to catch up to early posters and record after record was topped, the true nature of Idol took over, and projects started voting for each other, and joking back and forth, and the party atmosphere made this all a lot of fun for everyone...but me...
Record vote levels meant longer voting count times than every before. By the time the final week was in gear, it was taking over 5 hours to count all the votes each day in the same system we'd used for the last 2 years. I finally struck on the idea that would at least keep the voting open while I counted...instead of using the posting of results as my marker of where I ended counting the day before, I simply made a post that marked the line, and when I got to it, I stopped counting for the day. Simple idea...can't believe it took so long to think of it. Yes, there will be a change in how I collect and count votes next round, but I'll post more on that later, right now, we want to keep focused on results.
So anyway, we saw some HOT competition at the top, but Faction ran away with the round...both by posting early, and by having the most repeat voters. They managed to be our first ever project to top 1,000 votes in a round...and did it with fewer total voters than the next 3 projects in the list. The Underground connected and skyrocketed up the list...eventually bumping down early fan favorite Maddie Scientist. It was a battle between RPG fans and a High School that was a pleasure to watch. Maddie Scientist is our improbable queen of the contest, as the team has our youngest competitor ever, but has really transformed how their whole school views indy comics through this contest. The white Rose - rose hard and heavy as well... eventually beating out our other early top 3 fan favorite, The Machine...whose very loyal fans dug in and kept them up top in very heavy competition.Below that, the movement and positions held by each project were in a constant state of flux...but we did watch as a number of early projects that had that voting advantage, fell below the line. There were no last minute big changes, though, and that leaves just one big question on everyone's lips: What about Dogman and Lester???
They got a Judges majority NO vote, and are above the line, which means they are the ONLY project subject to my making a final judgement on them. right now, I have tallied the numbers, and have to go pick up my daughter from school...so...I will post up to them...and be back in a bit...
1.) 1101 Votes (+36) - 103 Voters (3NC) Faction - Judges Vote: 3 Yes.
2.) 797 Votes (+77) - 121 Voters ( +1) The Underground - Judges Vote: 3 Yes.
3.) 767 Votes (+55) - 136 Voters ( +5) Maddie Scientist - Judges Vote: 2 Yes.
4.) 718 Votes (+76) - 139 Voters ( +9) The White Rose - Judges Vote: 3 Yes.
5.) 548 Votes (+30) - 61 Voters (3NC) The Machine - Judges Vote: 2 Yes.
6.) 457 Votes (+17) - 69 Voters (2NC) Hometown Heroes - Judges Vote: 3 Yes.
7.) 449 Votes (+16) - 59 Voters (4NC) The Associate - Judges Vote: 3 Yes.
8.) 445 Votes (+25) - 91 Voters ( +2) Steel Rising - Judges Vote: 3 Yes.
9.) 376 Votes (+15) - 59 Voters (4NC) Haxxor - Judges Vote: 3 Yes.
10.) 338 Votes (+20) - 54 Voters ( +1) Varsity Squad - Judges Vote: 3 Yes.
11.) 275 Votes (+29) - 61 Voters ( +2) The Doorknob Society - Judges Vote: 3 Yes.
12.) 269 Votes (+12) - 40 Voters (2NC) Dogman and Lester - Judges Vote: 2 No.