Everything’s Going to Be Okay is a study in time. I’ve always been interested in mediums utilizing techniques that are rare, such as comics focusing on a still image moving through time. Here by Richard McGuire leans on this a little. Following the same place throughout time from a “still camera” perspective, Here twists the familiar and safe comic book formula.

When I set out to make Everything’s Going to Be Okay I wanted to do something a little off kilter. One of my favorite tools in comics is a still image repeated across a page with character dialogue but no motion. McCloud said “By stripping down an image to its essential “meaning”, an artist can amplify that meaning in a way that realistic art can’t”. I wanted to communicate cold, quiet, and a long awkward silence where the characters search for what to say.

The moon was also an interesting part of the composition. I wanted to have something small to show that time was passing as well as something to show that everything isn’t as it should be. The red moon does both: drifting across the sky lethargically as the people talking watch. It also serves as a symbol for why they’re talking: something is wrong. Whether it’s the moon and it’s unusual color or something a little more personal is up to the viewer to interpret.

Communicating something like that without many words can be difficult. I drew inspiration from McCloud’s quote, trying to distill the image to it’s basic parts. I was hoping this starkness would communicate cold to the viewer. The leafless trees and the distant mountains also served to further this goal I also wanted to focus on using the image to communicate instead of with speech bubbles. Minimizing the amount of speech helps cultivate the quiet I was going for.

Everything’s Going to Be Okay

Print vs. digital is an interesting debate. I think there are legitimate advantages to both, though at the end of the day print feels more real. Some visual fidelity may be lost, a little crispness in the colors may go away, but I think it’s worth it. To hold a work in your hands, to feel it’s weight and worth is something that shouldn’t be discounted.

Everyone has had an uncomfortable conversation. Everyone has been outside on a cold night. I’m hoping that with this piece people are brought back to that moment, even if it’s just for a few seconds.