EPISODE 24: MAGICAL CHARACTER RABBIT

Welcome back to MORGAN TALKS COMICS...

This week, we're looking at a small press comic MAGICAL CHARACTER RABBIT by KINOKO EVANS. a lovely little two tone comic about (no surprise) a rabbit who is a magician. This comic was gifted to me by a good friend along with other small press comics, as they know how much I love indie and small press comics.

It's a charming tale of MAGI looking for a spell for the Winter Solstice, drawn in a beautiful brush and ink style, and printer in tones of purple and orange.

We also have a lively discussion about how comics are put together, their history, and how they can be used to teach others. It's interesting to hear how two opposing views of storytelling see comics and cartoons.

Enjoy the show, and let us know what you think!

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome back to Morgan Talks Comics. This week we are looking at a small independent comic, Magical Character Rabbit, by Kinniko Evans, who I think is an English artist. I don't really know an awful lot about this. I was gifted this by a friend of mine who works at the local comic shop. She very kindly gave me a big bundle of small press and independent comics. So this was given to me as a gift. But I I love small press and like independent comics as well. I just think you get so much out of them. So there we go. Joining me again, as ever, Eliza Moray Chamberlain. Hello.

SPEAKER_01 0:38

You nearly forgot. Hello, didn't you? No, I didn't.

SPEAKER_00 0:40

I was doing my intro.

SPEAKER_01 0:42

Yes, you were. You were looking at me, waiting for me to say something.

SPEAKER_00 0:45

Well, I thought you were going to say something.

SPEAKER_01 0:47

I did say something.

SPEAKER_00 0:48

Good.

SPEAKER_01 0:48

Well, I like this cover very much.

SPEAKER_00 0:50

Yeah. It's a really nice style, kind of a bit sort of more like uh bit sort of manga-esque, very childlike in the way it's drawn. I I really like it as well.

SPEAKER_01 1:00

Um what's this? Does that actually say something?

SPEAKER_00 1:03

I suspect that says magical character rabbit in Japanese. It looks like Japanese.

SPEAKER_01 1:08

Is a person Japanese?

SPEAKER_00 1:10

Given that their first name is Kinnako, probably mixed heritage. So probably.

SPEAKER_01 1:14

How do you know mixed?

SPEAKER_00 1:16

Because they've got Evans as a surname.

SPEAKER_01 1:19

I suppose that is Evans.

SPEAKER_00 1:21

It's a bit bit a bit of an English surname. No, it's not, it's Welsh. Yeah, true it is, it's Welsh. So anyway, so they could be they could be Japanese and have Japanese and Welsh family. Oh, that'd be interesting, wouldn't it? Yeah. So diving in, we've got lovely end papers here with little illustrations of the of the character of the main character, the rabbit. And I think I might be wrong, but I think because when we go onto the title page, which just is the title of the comic, and um the um and the copyright and so on, because it's copyright to Kiniko, she's got held the copyright. Was it she? I think it's a I think it's a she. I think from my understanding of Japanese names, I think it's I think it's a she.

SPEAKER_01 2:06

Okay, yeah. That looks like something a kid has drawn at the beginning of the term.

SPEAKER_00 2:12

Yeah, it kind of does, doesn't it? Like literally like a yeah, like you'd write in your old textbooks. Um, but I could be wrong, but I think this has been printed uh rezo print, which is a it's a printing machine, like a like you'd have a printer at home, but it prints in two colours, you can choose two colours to print in it.

SPEAKER_01 2:33

Oh, so it's home printed.

SPEAKER_00 2:35

It could actually be home printed.

SPEAKER_01 2:37

What about it is very neat for home, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00 2:43

Yeah, I mean they could do because I've it's it's quite a small comic, it's a it's an unusual size, it's not like try and work out if it's it's smaller than possibly even A5, which is half you know, half a sheet of A4. So they could have printed it at home and put it all together themselves or had it printed elsewhere.

SPEAKER_01 3:00

But that could be A4. Do we care?

SPEAKER_00 3:03

Do we care? No.

SPEAKER_01 3:05

It's quality, not quantity.

SPEAKER_00 3:08

Yes, but it's lovely, it's printed in it's uh it's printed in like two colours, there's a sort of uh dark purple tone and then a sort of a more and a slightly warmer orange tone.

SPEAKER_01 3:17

Yeah, I like purple.

SPEAKER_00 3:18

Yeah, I know you like purple.

SPEAKER_01 3:20

Oh, I like that.

SPEAKER_00 3:22

Yeah, so going over, there's a uh we've got a s we've got a little copyright thing. It tells you where I think where it was actually printed, which is printed in Oregon, so this is from America.

SPEAKER_01 3:35

Oh, I see. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:36

Oh published by Study Group Comics, so it's a small a small press collective.

SPEAKER_01 3:44

And then I really like that.

SPEAKER_00 3:47

This is lovely, yeah. So the first the first full page of artwork is and looking at it, I would probably was is done in watercolour, give given the the the way that you can see the brush marks and so on. So again, it's using this lovely two-tones of of purple and orange.

SPEAKER_01 4:04

That works, doesn't it? Yeah, and also it's good those really bright watercolours. I I associate watercolours with wishy washy. We've got two pieces of art, haven't we, with wishy washy.

SPEAKER_00 4:18

Oh yeah, the yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:20

Yeah, they're not on our wall at the moment, are they?

SPEAKER_00 4:22

They're not, they should be.

SPEAKER_01 4:23

No, they should.

SPEAKER_00 4:25

Well they they should be in the attic where I am then. Yes, yeah. They should be in my store.

SPEAKER_01 4:30

They're very good, aren't they? Actually, they are they're water colours.

SPEAKER_00 4:33

They're by a local artist that my mum and stepdad collected, and I've I've ended up inheriting inheriting two of them, I think.

SPEAKER_01 4:42

Well, as far as I know, there's two. Yeah. Can't remember the name of the artist, can you?

SPEAKER_00 4:46

Peter something. I know he lives in one of our local villages.

SPEAKER_01 4:50

Right. So they we give him back to them as a guest. That's like a gift. Yeah, he's got nice associations for you, hasn't it? Right, we're swinging into action now.

SPEAKER_00 5:02

Excuse me. So we're going into the story here, and we see a look an old house, not dissimilar to the Adams family house.

SPEAKER_01 5:12

Oh yes.

SPEAKER_00 5:14

It's quite a quite this is quite a spooky little comic.

SPEAKER_01 5:17

I like it.

SPEAKER_00 5:17

So we're we're looking at we're looking at magic and fantasy here.

SPEAKER_01 5:20

That's the sort of house I want to live in.

SPEAKER_00 5:22

Yeah, it's got like a little porch there, and it's lovely. It's got a pumpkin patch, so it's very much it's almost like you can tell this is set kind of at Halloween, so it's kind of got a bit of a spooky feel to it.

SPEAKER_01 5:33

Yes, it's a big thing, Halloween in the US.

SPEAKER_00 5:36

It is, isn't it? They yeah, they do a do a lot about it.

SPEAKER_01 5:38

Do you remember we went to visit before Halloween and the play that the people we stayed with, they had um pumpkins everywhere, didn't they?

SPEAKER_00 5:48

They did, didn't they? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:49

Yes. So we sent them some flowers with a pumpkin on when we came home, just in case they didn't have enough.

SPEAKER_00 5:55

Yeah. So we we uh we close in on the house and we got we look through the window and we can see the rabbit character sitting in their kitchen. They're drinking a cup of tea, because we can see a teapot here as well. And she I think it's a she, I'm fairly certain it's a it's a female character, looks down into their tea, into their teacup and sees the shape of what looks like a leaf or a tree.

SPEAKER_01 6:20

Well, I see they're reading their tea leaves.

SPEAKER_00 6:21

So they're reading their tea leaves, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:23

So it must be a teapot with proper leaves in. Yeah, so it's a tea bag rubbish down there.

SPEAKER_00 6:29

No, absolutely. And she says auspicious, and we've got little ghost characters floating around here in the background as well.

SPEAKER_01 6:35

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_00 6:36

That is beautifully drawn. I would say, I would say probably brush and ink. I can tell because that's what I use most of a lot of the time to draw, so it's it's not a million miles away from how how I draw, how I put comets together.

SPEAKER_01 6:49

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 6:50

So she turns around, puts her teacup down, says time to get the day day started, and heads off out of the house, and we see her walking through some woodland. It's clearly autumn because there's lots of leaves on the ground, so there are leaves dropping. Hello, Ophelia. What's she got? She's got that hairband again, she likes that.

SPEAKER_01 7:09

And I hope she can't she can't open when it gets too big.

SPEAKER_00 7:13

Yeah, and we see an oak, so we see her walking down through the woods and um pardon me. We see the rooftops of the town and that she's heading into. Hello Ophelia. You're helping us. And she goes into the Centre for Magical Study. So it goes into the goes into the uh it's like a it looks like an old town hall or a or a library.

SPEAKER_01 7:41

It'd be good to go to Oregon and visit that, wouldn't it?

SPEAKER_00 7:44

Yeah, it would, wouldn't it? Yeah. Um and it says, Hello Mage, I are you here for the library? There's a librarian who looks like she's a deer of some description, she has that she has antlers.

SPEAKER_01 7:54

Do you get a Harry Potter feeling?

SPEAKER_00 7:56

I do get a little bit of a Harry Potter feeling. This is from the copyright on here is 2016, so this is actually 10 years old.

SPEAKER_01 8:05

Yes. So the actors are in their 30s now, aren't they?

SPEAKER_00 8:10

So yeah. This is after the actors are in their 30s and are having babies of their own now.

SPEAKER_01 8:16

Yeah, been late.

SPEAKER_00 8:18

Yeah. So uh says, hello Major, are you here for the library? And she says, Yeah, is it still open? Um the council is in a meeting, I'm keeping it open until they're done. And she says, Magi says, Thanks, I'll hurry. It's no problem. So she runs up into the library. So it's a lovely old library with with tall bookshelves and alcoves.

SPEAKER_01 8:39

Isn't she told she shouldn't run in the library?

SPEAKER_00 8:42

I think she just ran up the stairs. She's not running it in the library.

SPEAKER_01 8:45

Okay, so I hope she doesn't pull and hurt herself. Um there's a kitty attacking. We don't need that wire in there, do we?

SPEAKER_00 8:54

No, I'll move the wire over there.

SPEAKER_01 8:55

She likes little wires.

SPEAKER_00 8:56

Kitties like playing with wires and things that hang down. Um, yeah, so we see Magi heading into the library, and it's a lovely old library with lots of hardbound books, and she finds the book that she's looking for and reaches, you can see her reaching for it, and she grabs a ladder so she can reach it, so she can finally grab it, because it's obviously a bit out of her reach. Yes. Yeah. And she goes to a table and starts re starts reading it.

SPEAKER_01 9:24

So she's got a book, that's the upshot of that.

SPEAKER_00 9:27

She's got a book, but it's a book we can see by going on to the next page, it's a book of spells and tells you how to do the spells. Right. So perhaps we can try it. I would if I could understand the writing, it's some kind of magical writing. Um but she sneaks, she sneaks a look and she grabs her magic wand from inside her cloak and tries the spell and it works, and she says, Alright, so she heads.

SPEAKER_01 9:55

What's she done with it then? I don't can't quite see. With what? With the book or no, what was the smell smell?

SPEAKER_00 10:01

The spell. Well the funny it in looking at the spell, it's got like the outs it's got the outline of a cat's head. So it's got like a cat's face in there.

SPEAKER_01 10:11

So is it is that what's happened to her turned into a cat?

SPEAKER_00 10:14

I don't think so. We see like a big sort of um cloud above her with like flowers and butterflies in it. So it's it's some kind of probably some kind of nature spell.

SPEAKER_01 10:27

Right. Turns it into a tree.

SPEAKER_00 10:30

So she says, alright, and she heads down the stairs with the book, and we see the council, the magical council sit sitting there, who says, We need to figure this out and quick. There's lots of different animals. There's a rhinoceros and a fox and a turtle. And she comes back down to the librarian and says, You want to check it out? Yes, please.

SPEAKER_01 10:49

Apparently, you don't get foxes in a movie. Apparently you don't. So where did that come from? He's evidently emigrated.

SPEAKER_00 10:57

Could have done. Who knows?

SPEAKER_01 11:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:03

And Magi looks back and says, Is that them? Says the council, yeah, they've been in there a while. And it says it's due back January 10th. And she heads out. And then we see the um we we close in here to the council talking. It says, We need a mission magician who can do this. How about this one here? They say, as Magi is walking past, and they say, Hey kid, come here. You seem pretty serious about your magical studies. Um Magi seems a bit flustered. Says, How would you like to perform this year's winter rite? And she says, The winter rite, all right, then it's decided. Finally.

SPEAKER_01 11:42

Something special, is it?

SPEAKER_00 11:44

Yeah. Yeah. And Magi looks very shocked to do this. All the all the council are very pleased because they've found somebody to do the do the magical right, but she's little Magi is feeling uh a bit overwhelmed. Excuse me. So um the council turn around and say, and the the head, the head of the council, the the right rhinoceros-like character, says, Let's go to lunch, and the turtle says, Meeting adjourned, and then say, Good afternoon, Fawn, and say, Cheers. And uh, she says, You two, I gotta close this place. And uh the council head off, so let's do sushi. Great idea, beastmaster. And then the turtles going, I want pie.

SPEAKER_01 12:28

Oh, I like pie.

SPEAKER_00 12:29

Yeah, we like pie. So Magi is left standing outside the the magical centre and says, Wow, the winter right, I gotta tell Sissy.

SPEAKER_01 12:39

This is uh uh making about a meal of it, isn't it? She goes to the library, she gets a book, somebody says, Would you do this? Well, couldn't you have done that in one page?

SPEAKER_00 12:50

Yeah, you don't understand graphic storytelling, do you? Apparently not.

SPEAKER_01 12:55

I just think get on with it.

SPEAKER_00 12:56

Yeah. Interestingly, um I've had to work out how to get on with it, because I'm doing a uh a comic strip for uh competition. You've got to tell a story, you've got to tell a story in four pages. So I've had to condense the story down into four pages. I've made it work, um I've done the rough version, but I'm gonna start drawing possibly start drawing today.

SPEAKER_01 13:18

Yes, get on with it. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 13:21

I I want to get on with it. That's that's my mission for today, actually. So she says I've got to tell Sissy, and she heads to uh a store that's called Silver Bell and Broom, which looks like a coffee shop of some description because there are people sitting at the tables.

SPEAKER_01 13:37

Stop it.

SPEAKER_00 13:38

We're being attacked by cats here, you know, attacked by kittens.

SPEAKER_01 13:44

That was a bit vicious, that was. I've got to go over me.

SPEAKER_00 13:49

Here they come. Hello, Ophelia. Hello, Oberon.

SPEAKER_01 13:55

Don't play with your toy.

SPEAKER_00 13:57

Excuse me.

SPEAKER_01 14:00

I didn't mean that, but they'll do.

SPEAKER_00 14:03

Um so it turns around, see Sissy now. I'm kind of assuming because the character sissy is a rabbit as well, they may be related, so she may be sissy short for sister. Right, it could be. Do you want lunch? This is today's special, and she's stirring a big, big like witch's cauldron.

SPEAKER_01 14:21

Oh yes.

SPEAKER_00 14:23

And he says, here you go, quinoa and broccoli.

SPEAKER_01 14:27

Right, well, I like broccoli.

SPEAKER_00 14:29

Do you like quinoa?

SPEAKER_01 14:30

Not really.

SPEAKER_00 14:31

Excuse me, bit of a frog in my throat this morning. So Mad Magi is sitting at the kit at the counter and uh Sissy brings brings her a bowl of food. He says, digging, I'm gonna check on my diners, and you see her going around, going around with the food.

SPEAKER_01 14:51

She what's she up to there? She's a bit frightened.

SPEAKER_00 14:55

Well, I'll just get into that. Hopefully. Um Magi's looking a bit apprehensive and she's looking down at the magical book that she's checked out from the centre. And Sissy's saying, What's wrong? Does the food taste okay? She says, No, yeah, the food is good. She says, Well then, why are you so sulky? And she's and Madgi says, The Magic Council has asked me to form the winter riot, and so Sissy turns around, oh my gosh, gets really excited. Hey, that's fantastic. Hey everybody, my best friend, so they're friends, not sisters.

SPEAKER_01 15:27

Does that say, oh my gosh?

SPEAKER_00 15:29

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_01 15:30

Gosh, it'sn't very American, is it? No.

SPEAKER_00 15:36

Maybe. It's got a little bit of a manga feel to it as well.

SPEAKER_01 15:40

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_00 15:41

She says, My best friend is performing this year's Winter Right, and all the customers in the in the cafe are sort of congratulated, going, woohoo, yay. Yep. Um, and say, This is so cool. Not really, what do you mean? Majo says, I've never done a ritual like this. What if my magic isn't strong enough? I'll be a laughing stock, I'll be banned from magic. And Sissy leans down next to her and says, No one is gonna ban you from magic. They asked you to do this because you're worthy, you'll do great. I believe in you.

SPEAKER_01 16:12

Oh dear, that's two two bits instead of tea.

SPEAKER_00 16:19

Now eat your food. Magicians need their strength, and she pours her a cup of coffee. But she drinks tea. Yeah, you can drink both. I drink both. I don't know. I know you and you like coffee. I don't like tea.

SPEAKER_01 16:32

No. You like herbal tea? Yeah, but standard tea. I remember I visited some people when I was a teenager. And very kindly they bought me some tea. And you were like, I don't like tea. I don't like tea. I wish I'd have just gritted my teeth and drank it. Yeah. But that would have been more better manners, wouldn't it? I was only a kid.

SPEAKER_00 17:07

Yeah. So yeah, sounds obvious. That was the first time you went to America, wasn't it? It is in it. Yeah. Yeah. So uh Magi finishes her finishes her lunch and she says, Thanks for lunch, Sissy. I better head out. I have a lot of preparing to do. And she bumps into some older or much bigger uh characters. I think we'd we're going by the because Magi is quite a small character, she's quite young, and the the other characters are obviously taller and it's almost like uh um at school, you know, the lower classes, low the lower in the classes to the higher in the classes.

SPEAKER_01 17:48

Yeah, all in one school. Yeah. Like like even a few years ago, some of the schools in the villages were like uh everybody in the same class, but I know somebody used to go to school like that with an open fire at each end of the classroom in the winter.

SPEAKER_00 18:06

Oh blind. Yeah, it changed a little bit by by the time I got there.

SPEAKER_01 18:11

Yeah, me, me too. But we didn't live in a village, so East London was not the same, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00 18:18

No, very much so.

SPEAKER_01 18:20

So we've we've uh digressed.

SPEAKER_00 18:22

We've digressed. Anyway, with the older characters turn around, one of them says, Hi Magi, congrats on the right. This is Lucy, we'll think you'll be great, and they introduce each other, and then the the other character leans down and says, I performed last year's right, I did the light of 1000 flowers, and Magi says, I remember how did you do it? And she says, Firefly and honey salve, and Magi says, Cool. This is a lot of good on doing as a healer now, though. I can't even break this, it can't even fix, can't even fix, can't even fix this broken arm, so it's really great you stepping in to save the day. Well, we gotta eat now. See, yeah, bye. And Magi goes wandering off, whistling. So Magi goes uh walking along the street and comes into a family of what look like foxes, which we don't which you don't get in America, but apparently you do in the comic, and say, uh congrats on the winter right, we can't wait to see what you do. And then and he says, What kind of preparations have you done? And then the kids start playing up, so she says gotta run. And you see, Magi come along to the pantry shop and he says, Your Jasper berries came in today. Let's see, here you go. Jasper berries. I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 19:31

Oh, particular things, yeah. Right.

SPEAKER_00 19:34

And says no, this is like a bird-like character, and says, Anything else you need? Says, Do you have anything to help me perform the winter right? And she's the bird character says, The winter right, listen, and the universe will sing to the oak and the wind and the great song of nature.

SPEAKER_01 19:53

But that's helpful.

SPEAKER_00 19:55

Yeah, so she's sort of like okay. So she heads off heads off from the man from the uh the ingredients shop and bumps into another what looks like a friend. She says, Hi Major, hello gem, and uh here you're re-leading the right this week. Do you know what you'll do for it? And um, and she says, I'll tell you what I do. I hold my gem up to the sky, my outfit changes, and I shoot out my power to the world. And she says, Oh, wait, and it is, and runs off. So it must have given her a bit of a shock. She's running along and she's clearly getting a little bit distressed here because he said too much volume. Um, and then there's there's a what I think is a cat character here. And he says, Hey there, little me little Magi. I heard about the what heard about Winter Wright, you'll need magical magic charms, and it opens up their coat, you know, like a uh flasher. Like a flasher, but they're selling things, so they've got all those they've got magical charms pinned to the inside of their coat. What flashing?

SPEAKER_01 21:02

No, opening a cat was selling things.

SPEAKER_00 21:04

I don't know. Did they do it in that? I'm trying to think of the spiff character in Dad's Army. Did he do that?

SPEAKER_01 21:10

Oh yes, did he do that? He did, yeah, yes.

SPEAKER_00 21:17

He says, You'll need magic charms, I'll give you a real deal. What do you say? And then he the a dog character appears in the background and says, Halt there, charm cat, and says, Dang it, it's the sheriff. Gotta run, kid. So the sheriff chases off the charm cat, and Magi's thinking, going, Oh, what am I gonna do? She goes to sit in the park, and she sits opposite, sits on a bench near the pond, and a mermaid character comes out and talks to her and reassures her. He says, Remember the time you helped the mermaids? He says, Oh, that was nothing. Well, we didn't think so. Here, take this magic shell, it will help recall a memory when you need it. He says, Are you sure this is special magic? No problem. Now go do a great. Job at your thing.

SPEAKER_01 22:01

That's very kind.

SPEAKER_00 22:02

Yeah. So Magi goes Magi walks home and goes up into her attic where she's got like a bookstand, and she's I assume this is the book from the library. She's put it on the bookstand and she starts practicing a spell and trying different things. So she does a does a bubble a spell that makes loads of bubbles, and then the bubbles pop, makes her all wet. So we see a panel of her with her ears all drooping and her hat hat drooping and everything. So she goes, dry spell and gets dried off. She goes, okay, not that one. I've got to find one I can do for the right. So she keeps practicing, and we see we have a page of her trying lots of different spells.

SPEAKER_01 22:43

She had flowers earlier, didn't she? She did.

SPEAKER_00 22:46

I think so.

SPEAKER_01 22:47

Miss Anton.

SPEAKER_00 22:47

And then this we kind of see various panels going through where she's trying different, different spells. Uh and she says, okay, I'm pulling it at night, I'll try again in the morning.

SPEAKER_01 22:58

What does she try?

SPEAKER_00 22:59

She tried, so there's one where there's a cloud comes out and it turns into like a storm cloud.

SPEAKER_01 23:03

Well, that was a silly one.

SPEAKER_00 23:04

So there's thunder and lightning. Then there's a then there's a fire. And then the fire turns into a sort of a fire imp and starts chasing her with throwing flames at her.

SPEAKER_01 23:14

She's not being sensible, is she?

SPEAKER_00 23:17

She's not being sensible.

SPEAKER_01 23:18

Neither of those relate to summer anyway, particularly. Well, they do actually. After a hot day, you get a thunderstorm. Absolutely. And you always have to make bonfires to get rid of your garden waste.

SPEAKER_00 23:32

Yeah. So we're coming, we we come over to come to the following morning and we see Magi sitting in what looks like could be a dining room. It's surrounded by loads of books, and she's going, no, no, not this one. None of these spells are right for the solstice unless and she sees a frog. She says, Maybe I can transform a frog into no, that's not good either. What does the frog have to do with the season? I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 23:59

Oh, she started thinking now.

SPEAKER_00 24:01

She started thinking now, and then we see uh the sun going down, excuse me, and Magi is still working away in her study with candles lit now, and she's goes, There's nothing here. What am I going to do? Solstices tomorrow. She's getting really upset.

SPEAKER_01 24:19

She should have asked for help, shouldn't she?

SPEAKER_00 24:21

She should have. But then she really remembers she has the mermaid shell. Oh yes. She says, Maybe you can help. Please guide me to recall anything you can you can to help me think of an awesome and appropriate right to do for justice. So justice? For solstice? Sorry. Got my words completely muddled then. And we see a sort of a cloud shape appear with what looks like a tree in it. And he said, that painting at the Centre for Magical Studies, it's the tree of the golden sun leaf. It holds the power to change the seasons. The nature song of the last leaf, that's it. If I can get that leaf, get a leaf from that tree before they all blow away, I can use it to herald the season. So she goes running out into the woods. It's late at night. We see an owl up in the tree.

SPEAKER_01 25:16

If anybody can hear, I'm sorry about the back of that loud noise, it's the kittens again. Kittens and things to roll around the floor.

SPEAKER_00 25:24

Kittens are in play mode, so if you can hear lots of little footsteps, that's what it is.

SPEAKER_01 25:28

Well, I don't know, little footsteps are more like hobnail boots. Did I distract you or did they distract you?

SPEAKER_00 25:37

A little bit of both, I think. So we go, she goes darker deeper into the woods where it's getting dark, and then there's two little characters here that look like kind of elves.

SPEAKER_01 25:48

Mm-hmm. They're good as or baddies.

SPEAKER_00 25:50

Don't know, they look a little bit like a bit mischievous, so they might be baddies. Bit shifty. He says, excuse me, is this the path to Acorn Mountain? He says, What would you want to go all the way up there for? And he says, I'm headed to the Tree of Golden Light so I can capture its magic for the winter right. He says, Well, yeah, better hurry, the last leaf is about to fall.

SPEAKER_01 26:11

I thought they said it was a summer bite, I got confused.

SPEAKER_00 26:13

No, no, no, it's because it look looking at the beginning of the comic, all the leaves are falling, so it's autumn, so they're getting ready for winter.

SPEAKER_01 26:20

Right, but I thought the flowers, that's why I thought it was flowers were good, but they're not relevant, are they?

SPEAKER_00 26:26

No.

SPEAKER_01 26:26

Oh dear, I wasn't paying attention.

SPEAKER_00 26:29

So also, and then the the two elves turn around and says, you know, you only better hurry the last leaf is about to fall, and then there will be nothing to capture until spring. Also, there's a storm coming. Have fun with that. And she goes, Hmm, wood elves, as they walk off laughing. So you go deeper and deeper into the woods.

SPEAKER_01 26:50

Did she get a leaf?

SPEAKER_00 26:51

High up onto a high up onto a high up onto the tree. So she finds the tree with the golden leaves, climbs up the and you can see this the storm's broken, so it's starting to rain, it's getting really windy. So there's only two leaves left, and then she climbs up, there's one leaf left. And she makes a like makes a um lightning bolt from her magic wand, yes, and jumps onto it and flies off like flies off on it like a surfboard and manages to capture the last leaf.

SPEAKER_01 27:26

Shouldn't there be loads of leaves under it?

SPEAKER_00 27:28

There should be, but I think it's actually the ones that are cut still connected to the tree.

SPEAKER_01 27:33

Oh, that's it.

SPEAKER_00 27:34

Yeah. So we come to the following morning, the sun's the sun's up in the sky, and we we have an overview of the lit of the town, and people are preparing for the solstice celebration. And we come to the last panel here, and it says, Where's the little rabbit? It's time. So tell the healer to stand by. And so don't look at me, I'm useless, I'm still recovering from my last battle adventure. This is the one with the broken arm that we saw earlier on. Magi comes running in at the last at the last moment. And says, Welcome to the welcome to this year's winter solstice right, everyone. For health and friendship throughout the season, golden light, and then she casts the spell, and the big the last golden leaf appears, and then everyone shouts, Happy Solstice, let the celebration begin. And then we see everyone like having food and drink and everything, like a party.

SPEAKER_01 28:29

Well, what does she do with the leaves? Let me I'm not quite certain.

SPEAKER_00 28:32

She conjures up a spell which which has lots of leave leaves and flowers and stuff, and it says rest, rejuvenation, community, reflection and compassion, and then there's a big golden leaf at the end.

SPEAKER_01 28:43

Oh, right.

SPEAKER_00 28:44

So we see everyone having having a great time at the party, and they're all having food and drink, there's cakes around and stuff, and then we turn come to night time. Which looks no different than daytime.

SPEAKER_01 28:56

Oh, I see. It's darker purple at the day. Yes, it looks like nighttime.

SPEAKER_00 29:01

And see Magile left left sitting on the stage on her own. And then her friend Sissy comes up to her and says, because she's clearly fallen asleep there, and she says, Good morning, here's a little tea. Look, first frost. This is gonna be the best best winter yet. And then we see Sissy Imagi in the in the in a window with some trees covered in frost outside, and that's the end.

SPEAKER_01 29:28

Right. I really like the way that's drawn.

SPEAKER_00 29:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 29:32

Love that. So Yeah, come on. But it is much ado about nothing.

SPEAKER_00 29:38

But a lot of stories are the you know, they're if the if you told a story, it's it's like the saying, like with soap operas, if you know, people weren't backstabbing and doing stuff like you know, doing naughty stuff, then there there'd be like no story to it.

SPEAKER_01 29:52

It'd be like Well, they would be there. You could just have um done all of that in a few uh squares, yes? And then it could have gone on to something else. So the story to me the starting point for any piece of um work, be it this or cinema or um books, whatever. But you you don't have to spend a lot of time messing around with the details. Some some films do happen and then they win Oscars. But um I I think it's the story it counts, and the more you can jam into it, the better. Like Harry Potter. I mean that that just rolls on, doesn't it?

SPEAKER_00 30:41

From one Yeah, but they are quite big books, aren't they?

SPEAKER_01 30:45

Well, yes, but I mean you don't have to do them that big. No. But I mean, I was just using as an example where you think's jammed in, and and that film, um The Full Monty, yeah, there's not a scene in there that isn't interesting. Um they all are. Right, but you you and probably loads of other people are quite happy with that how that rolls along.

SPEAKER_00 31:12

Yeah, so it takes time, so it takes its time to tell the story, so you you've got more space for the story to what what I would say breathe, you know, to allow the story to to unfold at its own pace. I mean, sometimes you read comics and you realise that they've they've done that, they've they've taken their time to tell the story, and then suddenly realise, oh I need to conclude this, and they there's a suddenly everything comes to a big conclusion right away.

SPEAKER_01 31:36

You can find that in books, not so much in films, but in books.

SPEAKER_00 31:41

Well, I mean, there've been criticism of some films that literally they try and rush everything into the last ten minutes.

SPEAKER_01 31:46

Oh, I don't know those films. I probably didn't bother looking at the beginning, lost interest.

SPEAKER_00 31:54

So But it's it's quite particular of small press that um you know, more independent comics that it does take time to tell the stories and there's more attention to detail in it. It's more about it's more about how the time passes rather than trying to get it to pass quickly.

SPEAKER_01 32:12

Yes. Well it just seems to me that it's a uh it's a missed opportunity to if you because uh as I say, by doing it too slowly, you can't get a a lot in there, a lot of a story in there.

SPEAKER_00 32:27

Um the story I mean the story yeah, the story is actually quite simple.

SPEAKER_01 32:30

It is.

SPEAKER_00 32:31

You just take your time to tell it. Oh, is this a children's book? I don't think so. I mean it's ri it's written, it it it feels feels and looks like a children's book. Yes. Um it could be written for a younger audience. It's interesting. Um I I tend when I'm working on my stuff, I tend to have a fairly simple story and just take my time to tell it. But I have started refining my stories now, so I can tell them in fewer panels.

SPEAKER_01 33:04

Yes. Oh, did you listen to me?

SPEAKER_00 33:06

Yeah. I think I might have. So did you ever? But yeah, it it's very it's very much uh a small press and independent comic thing that it that quite often you'll it's we've talked about this before, it's what I would call a slice of life, and it's more like looking at it's more like looking at everyday life rather than Yeah, that is everyday life, is it?

SPEAKER_01 33:29

We all do that.

SPEAKER_00 33:30

Oh, we all get yeah, we all make magic spells and go off into the woods and find elves, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 33:36

I really like the way it's drawn, yeah. Painted or whatever, and I like the paper.

SPEAKER_00 33:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 33:43

Oh, is it uppercase or case?

SPEAKER_00 33:46

It's uppercase.

SPEAKER_01 33:47

Oh, loses points again.

SPEAKER_00 33:49

So it's very it's very clear that Kinniko has done everything here. The lettering is part of the panels.

SPEAKER_01 33:54

That's good.

SPEAKER_00 33:55

Yeah. So she's done it, she's done everything here, and I would say yes, it's probably done with watercolour or possibly with ink washes. So it's got this lovely two-tone effect all the way through.

SPEAKER_01 34:08

Now, often that wouldn't be that good to me, particularly as since one of the colours is yellow and I really don't like yellow. Well, I call it orange, but well, I don't like orange either.

SPEAKER_00 34:20

You don't like much, do you?

SPEAKER_01 34:22

I like my cat.

SPEAKER_00 34:25

Even though he's orange. Yes, even though we have an orange cat. They're now beating each other up at the moment. Well So what overall, what did you what did you think?

SPEAKER_01 34:39

I liked it overall. If you take that point that people, some people, a lot of people want that slow burn, but I don't, so this is this is me giving my points, isn't it? I really like the card and the paper. The paper is I don't cheap paper, it doesn't look cheap and nice card.

SPEAKER_00 35:00

It's got a kind of a newsprint feel to it, yeah. Good newsprint, and rubbish.

SPEAKER_01 35:07

Yeah, and then but then it's got uppercase that loses points. It loses points on the uppercase and the fact that the story reanders a bit, but it's an interesting story, the the you know the basics of it is interesting, and as I said, the artwork is I I think it's exceptional, but I'm no critic, proper critic of this sort of thing, but I like it a lot. So I think I'd give that eight, despite it move losing points on using only uppercase lettering when it's um what they do, speech bubbles, speech bubbles, yes, and the story meanders a bit.

SPEAKER_00 35:51

But um I think I like it to look at. Good. I think you'll find that with visual storytelling, if you if you look at how co you know, tr traditional comics, month you know, a comic com t comics tend to come out once a month and it tells effectively a chapter of a story. So it does take longer for the story to unfold, and sometimes there'll be you know background bits bits of plot and stuff. I mean, I'm sure you get that in you get that in books as well.

SPEAKER_01 36:20

Well, Dickens, do you remember he wrote um Pilgrim's no, was it Pilgrim? No, it wasn't Pilgrico, but but what was it? He anyway, he wrote he wrote several things which were serialised in the papers, weren't they? Yes, that's right. Yeah, but he jammed a lot into each one of them and loads of description and yeah and f lots of fabulous stuff.

SPEAKER_00 36:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 36:44

But well see, I've seen you read a comic and you spend ages on the f the same page, and I think I haven't even read that yet. You're looking at all the bits.

SPEAKER_00 36:57

But this is this is the big thing, isn't it? I'm a visual person and you're not. I like I like visual storytelling, that's why I do what I do. You prefer to get stuck into a good book with lots of text.

SPEAKER_01 37:08

I do, and I prefer on the whole reading to film and television as well. Um, yeah, that's just what I prefer.

SPEAKER_00 37:19

Yeah, but it's good because it gives us gives us a bit more of a balanced view of what's going on, because you know, I look at it and see how the how the story's been told visually and what how the the people that are creating it have created the stuff. Whereas you you're kind of looking more from a storytelling point of view and you want it to crack on a bit.

SPEAKER_01 37:36

Yes, and it I also if you read in a book yourself, you've got absolute control. So if they start fighting on some such nonsense and if oh this is boring, skip a bit, you know, skim read it a few pages and they started reading it properly. Oh one thing I do know is that there isn't any fighting in that. That's that's really good.

SPEAKER_00 37:57

It's all it's all about getting ready for the for the winter solstice and for for the magi to to um do the do the spell for the winter solstice.

SPEAKER_01 38:06

And I do like the character, yeah. That is really, really appealing.

SPEAKER_00 38:11

Yeah, it's a real very appealing way the way it's drawn and everything is really nice, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 38:16

Yes. So but from your point of view, it isn't doesn't isn't that a win-all? Oh from the uppercase. Please, please tell me you'd prefer upper and lowercase.

SPEAKER_00 38:27

I'm so because I've been reading comics for so long and comics for so long have had just uppercase, just capital letters. I'm so used to it, I don't even think about it.

SPEAKER_01 38:38

No, but you can read.

SPEAKER_00 38:40

You're a good reader. I'm a good reader, so I can handle either.

SPEAKER_01 38:43

Yeah. But I think comics are perfect for people that can't read well. I just think it's a great way of getting them into books.

SPEAKER_00 38:54

Absolutely, because it's visual storytelling.

SPEAKER_01 38:56

And again, but if if sorry.

SPEAKER_00 38:58

Again, I've I've bought comics and graphic novels for friends who sometimes who were younger and then had parents thanking me because they started reading these these people suddenly reading all the time.

SPEAKER_01 39:10

Well, that's good, but if they really can't, you know, difficulty, they need the upper and lowercase. And it's such a simple thing to do, and just because we've had this argument before, just because it's always been that way, doesn't mean it has to carry on that way.

SPEAKER_00 39:26

I think it's an argument that unfortunately will never get resolved because the industry just sees uppercase as the way to go. So it's just gonna I'm not shutting down the the conversation at all, but I think the industry is just so used to that uh it being all in capitals that it's just what's it's just the norm now.

SPEAKER_01 39:45

Well, if they do it in the upper lots, I mean for example, when I was teaching, if there'd have been cop comics in upper and lower case, I'd have gone out and bought loads. And I'm sure lots of um other ecology and what have you would do that and schools would do that. Um yes, I I'm surprised they don't know it really. I can't remember. Do you do yours in upper and lowercase?

SPEAKER_00 40:15

I now I do do mine. I think when I'm doing doing lettering by hand, I do it in capitals, but when I'm use when I'm doing excuse me, larger larger projects, I tend to do my speech bubbles on the computer and I use upper and lower case.

SPEAKER_01 40:32

Yes, why can't you do that when you handle it? Um you thought I'll try never.

SPEAKER_00 40:39

Interestingly, I'd probably have when I've written scripts to myself, I'd I'll write the bubbles in upper and lowercase, so it's just my normal handwriting.

SPEAKER_01 40:47

Um your normal handwriting is really good, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00 40:51

Yeah, that's just from years of working in print and having clear legible handwriting.

SPEAKER_01 40:55

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 40:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 40:56

So now because otherwise I'll have a rant.

SPEAKER_00 41:02

You will you are having a rant anyway.

SPEAKER_01 41:05

Yeah, that makes me disappointed, not really cool, but disappointed when when this stays this way. I mean, imagine that. That w there's nothing in there that a chute a say a teenager or child couldn't see, is there? Yeah. There's nothing in there. So that could be used as a teaching aid with those beautiful paintings all clear. And the fact that the um stories are slow burn probably wouldn't matter because you've got all the pictures and things. And it's I would have used that if it had been up in the location of a teaching aid. Um they're just perfect, comics are. Yeah. Yes. Anyway, rantover until the next time. I think overall that's that's good, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00 41:56

Yeah, I really like it. And again, it was really nice. I was given a bundle of small press ones, and I thought I'd choose one of those to look at something a bit different to what to what we have been looking at.

SPEAKER_01 42:07

Yes. I've been giving it um points, haven't I?

SPEAKER_00 42:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 42:13

Excuse me. I've got a bit kitten firming on the hound. Um, I've given these points when I finished we finished doing this, but you don't, and I don't know why you don't. So what would you give that?

SPEAKER_00 42:26

What would I give it? Um gosh, I'd probably stick with an eight as well because I love the way it's put together. I I like small press stuff because it's you know it's obviously it's always nicely put together, you know, they choose good quality paper. They're they're usually usually very nicely printed. I love the fact that it's in two, you know, it's in these two tones. Uh and it's it's even though the artwork is very it's quite simple, it's very expressive. So that you get you get how the characters are feeling over really well.

SPEAKER_01 42:59

They're not um obvious colour combination, really, is it?

SPEAKER_00 43:03

No, but that's kind of how Rizzo print works. You have usually two contrasting colours.

SPEAKER_01 43:08

Yes, but I mean um move and orange, it's orange and others, never mind. Yeah. Ignore me, I'm talking rubbish like you normally do.

SPEAKER_00 43:20

But yeah, I think overall I'd give this an eight. I I really like the way it's put together.

SPEAKER_01 43:24

Um where does it lose its points?

SPEAKER_00 43:28

Possibly I could I mean, possibly I could see the anatomy's a little bit off, um, which but it's not terrible, and again, you know, maybe the fact that it is uppercase, maybe maybe there should be more of a uh a case for um using more like handwriting, you know, using upper and lower case. Um given given that pretty much everyone has access to a to a computer now, or even you could even do it working on a tablet. I know a lot of people I know who make comics trap draw on a tablet now.

SPEAKER_01 44:03

They'll they'll can't people write upper and lowercase? I'm sure they do, make the video.

SPEAKER_00 44:07

I'm sure they do, but uh again, I think it's just one of those standard things that people don't think about. People don't think about it, they just follow the pattern that's been there for probably over a hundred years. We'd have to look right back at things like um there's a really old British cartoon called Ali Sloper, he's one of the earliest cartoon characters from probably turn of the last century. Yes, we'd have to look and see if they're done. But quite often what they would do is they wouldn't have speech bubbles, they'd actually have text underneath the illustration.

SPEAKER_01 44:42

Like they they do in Rupert. Like they do in Rupert.

SPEAKER_00 44:45

Well, and the text was always upper and lowercase because it was typeset, you know. But I think even then, if you looked at speech speech bubbles, you probably find that they used uppercase in the speech bubbles.

SPEAKER_01 44:58

Well, people used to think it's easier to read uppercase, but research has shown it's not that people don't read the letters, they look at a shape of a word. Yeah, it's another clue, it's a visual clue. It's a visual clue.

SPEAKER_00 45:14

Yeah, yeah. So there we go.

SPEAKER_01 45:17

So thank you. What what's the person's name?

SPEAKER_00 45:20

So Kinoko Evans.

SPEAKER_01 45:24

That sounds weird, doesn't it?

SPEAKER_00 45:26

It does, but like I say, it's probably dual heritage, I would think.

SPEAKER_01 45:29

Yes. Oh, I've forgotten now. Minoko isn't it?

SPEAKER_00 45:32

Kinoko.

SPEAKER_01 45:33

Kinoco.

SPEAKER_00 45:34

Kinoko Evans.

SPEAKER_01 45:35

Lots lots of um Japanese names began begin with K, don't they? They do. Yes. Well, I think that's good Kinoco, just get you up in lowercase. Get yourself pull yourself together and do properly. Because I'm the expert on cartoons. Are you just okay?

SPEAKER_00 45:58

And on that bombshell, see you next week. Bye. Bye.