SOLAR TERROR - Interactive Webcomics
Readers were "co-authors" of the comic by voting in polls at the end of each episode. The world and themes of the comic are inspired by classic fantasy shows, role-playing games, Slavic history, and the passage of time in the context of the solar calendar. The name of the comic refers to the passing of time (solar) and the rigor associated with weekly publication (terror). Voting took several days, after which the script and drawings for a new episode had to be created quickly. Slavicism in the comic manifests itself through references to the Malopolska region, the use of a Slavic bestiary, and inspiration from the Slavic pantheon. The plot of the comic concerns a group of of travelers who are fighting a curse that is robbing them of their strength over time.
Designed elements:
• Website
• Pages on social media
• Logo and other symbols used in the comics
• Welcome gif on the website
• Character designs and hero card designs with information about them
• Solar Terror world calendar
• Terrain map of the comic's plot
• Pages of the comic book in color
• Cover designs (with typesetting the comics and surveys in books)
• Solar Terror compendium
• Six animations that serve as an introduction to each chapter
• Website
• Pages on social media
• Logo and other symbols used in the comics
• Welcome gif on the website
• Character designs and hero card designs with information about them
• Solar Terror world calendar
• Terrain map of the comic's plot
• Pages of the comic book in color
• Cover designs (with typesetting the comics and surveys in books)
• Solar Terror compendium
• Six animations that serve as an introduction to each chapter
Overview
The subject of this work was to create a web comic in which users would influence the development of the story. Episodes appeared weekly, and at the end of each episode an anonymous poll was available to readers, in which users could vote for one of the options that the comic's story could take further. The option that received the most votes was then introduced as a further part of the comic. The comic's themes are inspired by classic fantasy shows, role-playing games, Slavic history, and the passage of time in the context of the solar calendar.
Who is the user?
The project is mainly aimed at teenagers, students and young people interested in fantasy pop culture, comic books, role-playing games, as well as pagan and ancient Slavic customs. The intention of the project was to create interaction between the user and the comic. Collaborative storytelling was intended to give readers a chance to become co-authors of the comic, the development of which depended on their decisions in surveys.
The project is mainly aimed at teenagers, students and young people interested in fantasy pop culture, comic books, role-playing games, as well as pagan and ancient Slavic customs. The intention of the project was to create interaction between the user and the comic. Collaborative storytelling was intended to give readers a chance to become co-authors of the comic, the development of which depended on their decisions in surveys.
Where did the name of the comic come from?
The name of the comic book "Solar Terror" has a dual meaning. For readers, it signifies the title curse faced by the comic's heroes, as well as their struggle against the sun cultists. Its second meaning refers to the passing of time ("solar" as a reference to the solar calendar) and the associated "terror" to keep the imposed deadlines associated with the publication of future episodes of the comic book.
The name of the comic book "Solar Terror" has a dual meaning. For readers, it signifies the title curse faced by the comic's heroes, as well as their struggle against the sun cultists. Its second meaning refers to the passing of time ("solar" as a reference to the solar calendar) and the associated "terror" to keep the imposed deadlines associated with the publication of future episodes of the comic book.
When was the comic published?
The publication of the comic began on December 21, 2017 (the day of the winter solstice), which is also reflected in the story. With the passage of real time, time in the comic also passed in a similar way. It was very important to show this in the story, through various holidays and customs, which often ruled the fate of the characters, and at other times played out only in the background. By depicting these customs, users were able to deepen their knowledge of primordial beliefs related to the phases of the Earth's movement around the sun. Often, natural phenomena, related to the weather, changing seasons, diseases and even various mental states, which influenced the beliefs of ancient peoples, were intertwined in the action of the commission. The story of the comic could continue, regardless of the success of the characters' original mission, by creating a world to which new characters, new heroes, new adventures could be added, which readers would influence by voting in polls.
The publication of the comic began on December 21, 2017 (the day of the winter solstice), which is also reflected in the story. With the passage of real time, time in the comic also passed in a similar way. It was very important to show this in the story, through various holidays and customs, which often ruled the fate of the characters, and at other times played out only in the background. By depicting these customs, users were able to deepen their knowledge of primordial beliefs related to the phases of the Earth's movement around the sun. Often, natural phenomena, related to the weather, changing seasons, diseases and even various mental states, which influenced the beliefs of ancient peoples, were intertwined in the action of the commission. The story of the comic could continue, regardless of the success of the characters' original mission, by creating a world to which new characters, new heroes, new adventures could be added, which readers would influence by voting in polls.
User interaction with comics
With their choices, readers influenced the development of the world, which was initially very open-ended, and as time went on, more and more places and general information were described. Their choices were often so crucial that it depended on them whether any character would suffer greater harm or even lose his life. The way decisions were made, was inspired by RPG role-playing games, where players often have to make a decision together, and it's up to the game master to decide how that decision will affect their characters and the world they play in. In the "Solar Terror" comic, the individual player approach was abandoned (the surveys were in the form of closed questions rather than open ones) in favor of creating a single, shared story.
With their choices, readers influenced the development of the world, which was initially very open-ended, and as time went on, more and more places and general information were described. Their choices were often so crucial that it depended on them whether any character would suffer greater harm or even lose his life. The way decisions were made, was inspired by RPG role-playing games, where players often have to make a decision together, and it's up to the game master to decide how that decision will affect their characters and the world they play in. In the "Solar Terror" comic, the individual player approach was abandoned (the surveys were in the form of closed questions rather than open ones) in favor of creating a single, shared story.
Design Challenge — Time
One of the biggest challenges as well as a design premise, was the regular publication of episodes. This required rapid development of the script and drawings, which were always a continuation of the most frequently selected option in the survey by readers. Since publication was weekly, it was important that new episodes could be created quickly. This resulted in the very simplistic nature of the comic strip's drawings, as well as limiting the choices in the survey to two or three options, which also allowed, some control over which direction the story was going.
One of the biggest challenges as well as a design premise, was the regular publication of episodes. This required rapid development of the script and drawings, which were always a continuation of the most frequently selected option in the survey by readers. Since publication was weekly, it was important that new episodes could be created quickly. This resulted in the very simplistic nature of the comic strip's drawings, as well as limiting the choices in the survey to two or three options, which also allowed, some control over which direction the story was going.
Slavic inspiration
The Slavic aspect in the comic was inspired by the original solar calendar, when the numerous festivals celebrated by pagan peoples were related to the passing of time, changing nature, superstitions associated with specific dates, and the worship of gods, as well as spirits and demons. Therefore, in "Solar Terror", the holidays and calendar are modeled on the Slavic calendar and the holidays that the Old Slavs celebrated.
The Slavic aspect in the comic was inspired by the original solar calendar, when the numerous festivals celebrated by pagan peoples were related to the passing of time, changing nature, superstitions associated with specific dates, and the worship of gods, as well as spirits and demons. Therefore, in "Solar Terror", the holidays and calendar are modeled on the Slavic calendar and the holidays that the Old Slavs celebrated.
Pagan deities
Another element drawn from Slavic mythology in the comic is the gods. In fact, sources on Slavic mythology and pantheon often contradict each other, because so much of this culture has been forgotten, and many chroniclers have often artificially tried to link certain gods together and give them functions known from other pantheons. Therefore, in "Solar Terror," the gods are slightly inspired by Slavic deities rather than exact reflections, and their names have been changed, but in such a way that the original inspiration can be found. Usually, vowels were changed in the name, and endings were added (for the gods these were "us", "is", "es", "us", "os", and for the goddesses "ena", "osa", "ica"), but sometimes the basic part of the name was changed to a very similar word (e.g. Swaróg → Skwaronis, Perun → Pieronus). On the other hand, the demons and spirits appearing in the comic remained unchanged in naming, inspired by the Slavic bestiary, about which much more information about such creatures than about gods has been preserved in many sources. Many Slavic demons have been remembered through proverbs and phrases that have become established in the Polish language (e.g. Zmora). Many of the demons also survived in local beliefs and superstitions.
Another element drawn from Slavic mythology in the comic is the gods. In fact, sources on Slavic mythology and pantheon often contradict each other, because so much of this culture has been forgotten, and many chroniclers have often artificially tried to link certain gods together and give them functions known from other pantheons. Therefore, in "Solar Terror," the gods are slightly inspired by Slavic deities rather than exact reflections, and their names have been changed, but in such a way that the original inspiration can be found. Usually, vowels were changed in the name, and endings were added (for the gods these were "us", "is", "es", "us", "os", and for the goddesses "ena", "osa", "ica"), but sometimes the basic part of the name was changed to a very similar word (e.g. Swaróg → Skwaronis, Perun → Pieronus). On the other hand, the demons and spirits appearing in the comic remained unchanged in naming, inspired by the Slavic bestiary, about which much more information about such creatures than about gods has been preserved in many sources. Many Slavic demons have been remembered through proverbs and phrases that have become established in the Polish language (e.g. Zmora). Many of the demons also survived in local beliefs and superstitions.
Local nomenclature
The world depicted in "Solar Terror" is modeled on the real world, and more specifically, the action is centered on the Malopolska region through which the characters travel. However, the names of places have been changed on the basis of older alternative names, twisting a fragment of a given name, or changing it completely into a funny synonym (e.g. Zakopane → Zasypane, Babia Góra → Wiedźmia Góra, Morskie Oko → Biały Staw, Kraków → Miasto Kruków, Myślenice → Dumanice, Małopolska → Ziemie Tycigruntowe). On the other hand, all the territories inhabited by Slavic peoples were gathered under one banner and called the Land of Words.
The world depicted in "Solar Terror" is modeled on the real world, and more specifically, the action is centered on the Malopolska region through which the characters travel. However, the names of places have been changed on the basis of older alternative names, twisting a fragment of a given name, or changing it completely into a funny synonym (e.g. Zakopane → Zasypane, Babia Góra → Wiedźmia Góra, Morskie Oko → Biały Staw, Kraków → Miasto Kruków, Myślenice → Dumanice, Małopolska → Ziemie Tycigruntowe). On the other hand, all the territories inhabited by Slavic peoples were gathered under one banner and called the Land of Words.
Character designs
The comic's characters have been designed in a way that alludes to classic representations of RPG teams. The six characters represent different classes, races and characters. Each character has skills unique to himself, an individual way of thinking and opinions on different situations. Each character has an outfit unique to him or her, as well as an entire appearance, which have been designed so that each character has distinctive features that can be recognized even when the character is not shown in full glory. The principle of parity has also been applied, where half of the characters are male and half are female.
The comic's characters have been designed in a way that alludes to classic representations of RPG teams. The six characters represent different classes, races and characters. Each character has skills unique to himself, an individual way of thinking and opinions on different situations. Each character has an outfit unique to him or her, as well as an entire appearance, which have been designed so that each character has distinctive features that can be recognized even when the character is not shown in full glory. The principle of parity has also been applied, where half of the characters are male and half are female.
Solar Terror's Webpage Design
The comic was published on a specially designed website, located at: http://solarterror.eu/ where, in addition to episodes of the comic, you can also find information about the project, the main characters, as well as a map and calendar. There is also a gif on the homepage, the main element of which is showing the passing of time on a rotating calendar. Below that are links to individual episodes designed in the form of stones. When an episode became available, a stone would activate by showing the blood flowing on the stone in question. Information about new episodes appeared on social media, on Facebook and Instagram, where pages dedicated to the comic were set up. In addition, information about the demons encountered by the comic's characters appeared on Facebook, and sketchbook drawings appeared on Instagram.
Below are screenshots showing the development of the main part of the site, that is, containing links to the various episodes. Initially shown was a series of inactive buttons-stones that would activate each week in turn, indicating the availability of the next episode. Six chapters containing 4-5 episodes each were initially planned.
At the beginning of each chapter, there is also a stone with a "play" button that is a link to the animation that foreshadowed the chapter. Each of these stones, when it became active, when hovered over with the mouse cursor is highlighted in a separate color, which was individual for each chapter.
The main elements designed for the site are button-stones, which are links to individual sections. A total of 32 unique buttons were designed, which were initially inactive, and over time, one by one, when an episode was published, the button-stones changed to "bleed" the number denoting the episode number.
Surveys appeared at the end of each episode, in the form of a question and two or three possible answers. The survey is completely anonymous, and readers could vote in it only once. Over the course of 20 episodes, more than 400 votes were cast. Each poll was only available for a few days after the latest episode was published.
Comic page view example
Logotype, Signet & Other Signs
The logo was designed as a combination of the simplified letters "S" and "T," which was meant to refer to runes. It was placed in a circle because the circle is one of the oldest symbols of the sun. It was used as an avatar for Solar Terror's social media pages.
The symbols below were designed specifically for the comic book as symbols found on the enchanted stones the heroes sought and the symbol of the Cult of the White Rooster, the main antagonists in the comic. All of these symbols are inspired by primordial and ancient solar symbols, referring to the circle and the rotation of the arms, but each has its own unique character.
Pattern
Gif in Welcome Page
On the home page under the main header is a gif-banner that functions as a welcome page for users. The gif changed several times during the publication of the comic. The first version showed a view of snow-capped mountains and the sun's trek across the sky. Version two showed a lake at the foot of the mountains and the movement of fog and clouds over its surface. Version three was reduced to black and white only, due to better optimization of the site (the gif, due to its size, weighed a lot and was also relatively long in time), and showed a symbolic panoramic view of the areas where the characters wander. The left corner showed the rotation of the calendar, and the right corner showed the wandering of the sun and moon. The cartoon character was also simplified to make the slightly jagged lines more evocative of the comic's character. The fourth latest gif is an improved version of the previous one, the calendar has been moved to the center of the gif and contains more information within it, the panoramic background has been calmed down with light grays, and the silhouettes of the characters are shown in the foreground, with their hair and clothes moving slightly in the wind.
The final gif was uploaded as mp4 and was looped to play on website - this was the best optimization. Here is an overall look of a gif as an image and a video.
Character Design
Each character was designed to represent different physical features, skills, costumes and general characteristics through the body language shown. Each hero was assigned a separate color, related to the story happening in each chapter. Information about the heroes is presented in tables, styled like character cards from RPG role-playing games. Such a card shows the full name of the hero, his class and profession, which briefly describe what the character does or did before the events of the comic book. Physical characteristics such as race, height, appearance, age, stature, special characters, equipment, but also mental characteristics such as character, traits, abilities, relationships, background or divine patron, which indicates in what month the character was born, are also detailed. The story tells the history of the characters before the comic's plot and partly explains how the characters came to be in a particular place and time, and what motivates a character to act.
Below are the first and final character designs, along with a character sheet.
Dul is a magical beast, a chewer. He is a race invented for the Solar Terror world, though inspired by characters such as Wookie and Ludo from the 1986 film "Labyrinth," as well as depictions of yetis in pop culture. Despite his huge stature, he has a pleasant appeal, although he is not very intelligent.
Tomira is a mysterious sorceress with darker, slightly gray skin, wears robes in blue hues and a long and airy red scarf. Her wooden knuckle at the top takes on a moon shape around an ice sphere. She is very secretive, which is both a disadvantage and an advantage.
Lederg is an orc, with green skin, protruding lower fangs and a distinctive hairstyle. He wears a loose shirt, a maroon cloak and a pendant of gold. He owns two twin chepes. He is most interested in wealth and freedom, and can be very abrasive when things don't go his way.
Fali is an elf who wears a colorful outfit as a circus acrobat. She changes her hairstyle very often, which can take on all sorts of shapes. She has a small, gelatinous companion Glutek. She is often frivolous and laughs, but deep down she is very much affected by any unpleasantness.
Dalegor is an experienced warrior who wields a one-and-a-half-handed sword. He is the only one who wears armor, which, however, shows signs of wear and tear, as well as the old symbol of membership in the brotherhood of warriors. He is serious and confident, and his weakness is a tendency to overdo it with alcohol.
Szabora comes from a very primitive village and wears the skins of his own hunted animals. She has a distinctive scar on her face and intense red hair. She is violent and impulsive, sometimes also naive, but has a good heart and excellent intuition.
Calendarium
The Solar Terror calendar is depicted on a circle base emphasizing the
cyclical nature phenomena. Each month is renamed after a Slavic, Old Polish or similar name and has its own divine patron saint. The seasons also have their patrons. At the very center has been placed the symbol of Swarzyca, the Slavic symbol of the sun, and in the comic it is also the symbol of the Sun Deity. Around the swarzyca are shown the symbols of the deities - patrons of the seasons, and the slightly hidden sign of the Hands of God, which according to the Slavs symbolizes the universe and the balance that nature strives for. The next circle shows an ornamental weave and four circles symbolizing the solar solstices and equinoxes. The next circle shows the symbols of the rest of the deities of the Solar Terror world. These symbols are inspired by actual Slavic runes denoting specific gods. In the next circles, the patron saints of the seasons, the individual months, the names of the months are written out by name, and beyond the circles are written out holidays that were celebrated by the pre-Slavs during the year.
cyclical nature phenomena. Each month is renamed after a Slavic, Old Polish or similar name and has its own divine patron saint. The seasons also have their patrons. At the very center has been placed the symbol of Swarzyca, the Slavic symbol of the sun, and in the comic it is also the symbol of the Sun Deity. Around the swarzyca are shown the symbols of the deities - patrons of the seasons, and the slightly hidden sign of the Hands of God, which according to the Slavs symbolizes the universe and the balance that nature strives for. The next circle shows an ornamental weave and four circles symbolizing the solar solstices and equinoxes. The next circle shows the symbols of the rest of the deities of the Solar Terror world. These symbols are inspired by actual Slavic runes denoting specific gods. In the next circles, the patron saints of the seasons, the individual months, the names of the months are written out by name, and beyond the circles are written out holidays that were celebrated by the pre-Slavs during the year.
Map
The map shown shows the areas where the heroes roam. Also included on it are the spellbinding boulders the characters headed for and the path they traveled. The terrains show the southern part of the Tycigrunt Lands in the Land of Words, which are inspired by the Malopolska region. The map does not have a scale, as the exact distances between places were never specified in the comic. The appearance of the map is suggested by its old age and inaccuracy, which is more of an indication of what the area looks like than an accurate representation of it. All place names are inspired by actual places in Malopolska, but use alternative names, old names, synonyms or amusing linguistic twists. The geographical names of mountain ranges, rivers and lakes have also been changed, in the same style as the places.
Books
The division of the comic's pages into chapters is not accidental. A series of episodes in each chapter creates a piece of the story that completes a certain stage of the plot. Each of the chapters was intended to be collected into a single publication, the series of which was to form six comic books. Each of the booklets consists of a cover design and an interior. They also include the surveys that were available during each of the published episodes.
Each cover depicts a section of the place featured in the chapter, as well as a silhouette of one of the characters. Each chapter also has its own color theme on the cover. A seventh book was also produced, which contains a compendium about the world of Solar Terror. The cover features the main antagonist of the heroes, the leader of the Cult of the White Rooster.
The compendium includes information about the world's geography, inhabitants, deities, demons, as well as a map, calendar and information about the curse itself, the heroes and their opponents. This is organized information about the world, which was created with the development of the comic and the decisions of readers.
Animations
Six simple animations were created, which are located on the comic book page at the beginning of each chapter and act as some kind of foreshadowing of what might happen in the chapter. The animations were created on the principle of parallax and represent a diorama of the particular place where the action will take place. The animations were also created on an ongoing basis along with the comic book, so not all of the foreshadowing elements that appeared in them were shown in the comic book episodes, as a result of the choices that readers made. Each animation begins in the same way, with a view of the sky, where slowly through successive animations you can see the sun going lower and lower. Then a distant view is shown of the places where the action of the comic will take place, which, based on the principle of parallax, going "lower and lower" shows more and more details. Some moments are shown metaphorically. Throughout the animation there are also, comic-style texts, which are a mysterious commentary on the previous chapter, as well as on the upcoming events. Each animation begins the same way showing a starry sky, the caption "Solar Terror," and then the information about which chapter the animation is about, slowly "descending" closer and closer to the ground and showing what may happen in the chapter.
You can watch these simple animations here:
Chapter 1 https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/248572705
Chapter 2 https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/254872573
Chapter 3 https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/262108611
Chapter 4 https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/273365527
Chapter 5 https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/294224084
Chapter 6 https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/479350602
More than 100 pages of the comic, hand-drawn and digitally colored, were created. At the moment, the comic's website is temporarily unavailable, but you will soon be able to read the comic again on selected social media.
