You wander away from the strip for a couple of weeks, and next thing you know you're in the middle of a madcap action sequence. Well, better catch up, then.

Monday - No Strip (Labor Day)

Tuesday, Strip 49 -- Smiley's grabber is broken in this rough housing. And looks like they'll make a Rebel out of Raal just yet.

Wednesday, Strip 50 -- Raal's dilemma touches on a theme I talked about in the first Rookies strip. That is, this quartet aren't larger-than-life heroes. They're not the best smuggler in the galaxy, a princess Senator and the secret child of the galaxy's Chosen One. These are heroes-in-training, and as such, they're more likely to fail and face real jeopardy. It's not meant to be grim or anything, but I hope to make these characters very relatable and down-to-earth.

Thursday, Strip 51 -- And now we enter the big action setpiece from the "Rebel Breakout" adventure, modified a bit to better suit the webstrip format. Staging this is a bit complicated, so the labels next to each doorway are there to help visually anchor the scene. The Rookies doorway is 7A. Their hoped-for destination is 6B, which is one across and down.

Friday, Strip 52 -- ... and the big freakin' plasma fire is clearly a problem.

Monday, Strip 53 -- Here's an example of modifying the story to make it a bit more cinematic, and to tie it into the saga. When "Rebel Breakout" was published in 1987, there was of course no mention of booster rockets in R2-D0, because Episode II was years away. But with the benefit of prequel hindsight, why not give Deo a set of rockets. Besides, Smiley thinks its cool.

Tuesday, Strip 54 -- Enter the complication: Barezz and his troops. Now, Barezz is on level 8B, which is one above and across from the Rookies, and two above their destination.

Wednesday, Strip 55 -- For the curious, I actually modeled this chasm set in crude 3-D geometry to keep the perspective and angles realistic. Panel #2 is shot with a very skewed lens. Deo turns from flying droid to deadweight, and drops straight down, taking Smiley with him.


Thursday, Strip 56 -- Time for Sammie to show off those biceps. I'm particularly fond of that Smiley illustration in panel #2.

Friday, Strip 57 -- Kestrel almost lands a shot in panel #2. You know if she did, that trooper would just have to yell the "Wilhelm" as he fell, right?


Oh, and in answer to Korpil's comment:

So, Raal's got what? 3D in blaster? And I assume he uses a CP in strip 49! Just in time!

Actually, his skill wasn't bad for a starting character; his player just kept rolling really badly. That darn wild die.

ph