CRYSTAL YATES ON EARTHSONG

[MattBrady]

by Benjamin Ong Pang Kean

Last November, Seven Seas Entertainment, a Los Angeles-based publisher originally dedicated to publication of Original English Language (OEL) manga, announced that it was expanding its publishing line to include three fan-favorite webcomics; Inverloch, Earthsong and Chugworth Academy.

Earthsong tells the tale of a young woman named Willow awakens to find herself on a mystical world with no memories of her former life. She soon discovers that not only are the residents of this world fantastical creatures of ancient lore, but the planet itself is alive and conscious... and in grave danger! Caught in the middle of a terrible struggle, Willow must come to terms with a harsh reality not of her choosing.

Newsarama sat down with Earthsong creator Lady Yates to talk about bringing her creation from the world wide web to print.

Newsarama: Just to get everything off on the right foot, time-wise, Earthsong started out as a webcomic (webmanga) on June 4, 2004, correct?

Lady Yates: Sure did.

NRAMA: How did it land at Seven Seas Entertainment?

LY: Luck really. Well, I'd like to think there was a little bit of talent as well, but definitely luck. An industry insider had been browsing through www.earthsongsaga.com and liked it, so he contacted me and offered to show it around to the different publishers he had contacts with. A lot of comic publishers had a look at earthsongsaga.com, but in the end it was Seven Seas that picked it up.

NRAMA: What made you create this in the first place?

LY: I grew up reading comics and watching cartoons - it just seemed natural. I've been dedicated to drawing ever since I was nine.

NRAMA: Inspirations?

LY: Too many to name really. I'd have to definitely say Batman, Spider-Man, Sailor Moon, Cardcaptor Sakura, Thundercats, Samurai Jack, X-Men... y'know, the classics.

NRAMA: Just how well is the webcomic doing?

LY: Pretty darn well.

NRAMA: Overall, what are your thoughts on webcomics going to print? A few have been quite successful and well-received such as Megatokyo, Penny Arcade, PvP and most recently, Sarah Ellerton’s Inverloch...

LY: Why not? The internet is the ultimate testing ground for comics - people get to view them for free and the comic can build up a substantial fanbase without having the permission or interference of a publisher. Webcomics can be whatever they want, and I think the webcomic community really loves that - that the artists and story writers don't have to be inhibited by what's already popular, or whatever your editor thinks your comic should be so that it sells well.



NRAMA: What’re some of the obstacles that you'd encountered in moving from web to print?

LY: Demand that they give you the specs for the pages ahead of time. Goodness! I had to reopen and resave all the pages for the published copy so many times it was ridiculous.

NRAMA: Moving to the story itself, if you were telling a newcomer about it, what kind of a world is Earthsong?

LY: The world of Earthsong is based on the premise that the planets are alive and have created "children" to populate their surfaces. The planets unfortunately start to leak some of their element, the material that constitutes the consciousness and power of the planet, and it
attaches themselves to the children. This gives these children great powers, but at the cost of their lives. So the planets assign Earthsong, a young, childless planet, to take the afflicted children away to her surface where they can exercise their new powers in safety. Unfortunately though, another planet, Beluosus, has set his sights on stealing Earthsong's special abilities at any cost. Thus, they and their armies of powerful children war against one another in an epic struggle.

NRAMA: Willow is a character who's out of place with no memory of her past. While this scenario presents an unlimited story possibilities and such, could you briefly tell the readers about the character without spoiling too much of the story that you're telling?

LY: Willow is timid and bold all at the same time. Many people see this as a contradiction of character, but I feel that it just makes her more real - no one reacts the same way to every stimulus.

In the beginning of Vol. 1, we see her frightened and powerless then we see her evolve into demanding answers from Nanashi. She is an enigma to her friends, not because of her personality, but because of a series of strange inconsistencies and abilities that she shows them. Discovering what these differences in Willow mean make up the bulk of the opening storyline for Earthsong.

NRAMA: Why would she appeal to readers and fans of manga/comics? What's special about her?

LY: She's the point of view character - the reader discovers the world of Earthsong through her eyes. She's very relatable and I'm told that she's quite adorable too.

NRAMA: Who are the other characters in the story? How do each of them factor into the big picture?

LY: There are 16 players in the main cast of Earthsong. Some play a large part, others are much smaller, but they all add to the vibrancy of the plot. Aside from Willow and Earthsong, the next major character is Nanashi, leader of Haven's Guard. She's the only human on Earthsong and has been granted almost unlimited powers - but at a cost. The relationship that develops between Nanashi and Willow will be a focal point of the series.



NRAMA: Where do things go from here? What can you tease about upcoming webstrips?

LY: The most I can tell you is that in the current chapter that's being updated online, we'll find out what's up with Willow and why she's been such a mystery to the rest of Haven's Guard.

NRAMA: What do you hope to achieve with Earthsong?

LY: Well, it's already being published - I don't know that I could hope for much more than that! I just hope that its publication is met with success is all.

Earthsong Vol. 1 debuts at Anime Expo this weekend, and should be in comic shops this week or next. Read the webcomics at www.earthsongsaga.com.

Seven Seas’ official website is located at gomanga.com.

Related article:
FROM WEB TO PRINT: SARAH ELLERTON ON INVERLOCH

[ssava]

Congrats to Crystal for everything. This is a great series and she's a wonderful person! I'm really looking forward to picking this up.

[Darren J. Gendron]

One of the better fantasy webcomics out there, with such purdy art.
It'll be interesting to watch the webcomic-print comic interactions over the next five years.

[AbacusComics]

Earthsong is excellent, and available in full chapter e-comics at Wowio.com!

As is Inverloch, mentioned in the article.

Go! Read! It's free!

www.wowio.com