Issue 4 Concepts & Issue 5 Sneak Peek!
Hello readers!
We hope spring is treating you well and you're ready for summer (if you're in the northern hemisphere, that is)!
As promised, in this email we'd like to dive a little deeper into a couple of elements from issue 4. There are sure to be spoilers, so if you haven't read it yet, pick up your copy from our online store!
First, we want to show you a few concepts Jordan did for the nav core that Riggs scavenges from the Salvan shipwreck. The nav core (or navigation core) is a piece of equipment found on most modern ships in the Starside universe. It's comparable to an airplane's "black box." It holds the ship's data, from the status of the machinery to where the ship actually traveled.
We wanted the nav core to be a mix of recognizable technology and something more fantasy-inspired. We liked the idea of the data being stored on a special crystal (the blue elements in Jordan's concepts), which would be housed in something mechanical that connects it to the ship. Of the three concepts above, we went with the bottom option. We liked that it kind of resembled a heart - the nav core is similarly a vital organ for a ship.
Riggs finding the nav core in the wreckage gives Jack a little bit of hope. If they can get the data off of it, they'll be able to trace the ship's path back to Earth, and Jack will be able to find his way home. Nothing is ever that easy though, and when Jack and Riggs return to Aven, they find out they're being hunted by a couple of surviving Salvans.
The Salvans were the first alien race we designed for Starside, and working on them was a lot of fun. We talked as a team about their origins, motivations, and way of life, and Jordan drew a lot of awesome concepts. Since Salvans are primarily a race of scavengers and thieves, each one of them has a unique set of armor and weapons, rather than a uniform. Below is a series of six Salvan soldier concepts Jordan drew in preparation for issue 4. Below that, you'll see the final designs for the two Salvans who chase Jack and Riggs through Aven.
Now that issue 4 is out in the world, it's time to get hyped up for #5! Jack and Riggs will be flying off to a brand new location, which will provide a vastly different vibe from Aven's "dirty black market nestled in the carcass of a centuries old capitol ship" aesthetic. Here's a little teaser of what's to come:
That's it for this update. Remember, on our website you can find digital and physical copies of each issue, merch like buttons and posters, as well as surplus Kickstarter rewards (while supplies last)!
As always, thank you so much for tuning in and supporting Starside! We'll see you in the next update!
- Lane & Dylan
P.S. from Lane:
Just want to take a quick moment to show off this awesome, one-of-a-kind, custom Riggs plush that Dylan got me for my birthday! Isn't he the cutest little space pilot you've ever seen?!
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