UY 102 (Potential Spoilers!!!)

shaxper · Post by **shaxper** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 8:57 -0700

Stan Sakai wrote:It makes me wonder if I should have used that alternate ending I had for Grasscutter. Shogun Usagi. Hmmm...has a nice ring to it.

Did you pencil that alternate ending? I'd love to see it. I really wasn't aware that you did alternate endings until Usagi #99. Have their been many others? Once I resume work on the Comics and Storylines section of the Dojo, perhaps I can include them all if the scans are available.

Stan Sakai · Post by **Stan Sakai** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 9:07 -0700

shaxper wrote:
Stan Sakai wrote:It makes me wonder if I should have used that alternate ending I had for Grasscutter. Shogun Usagi. Hmmm...has a nice ring to it.
Did you pencil that alternate ending? I'd love to see it. I really wasn't aware that you did alternate endings until Usagi #99. Have their been many others? Once I resume work on the Comics and Storylines section of the Dojo, perhaps I can include them all if the scans are available.

I'm just joking about this one.

But as far as story endings go, I often have multiple endings in mind when I work on the plot. By the time it gets written down though, I've already selected which one would work best for the story and the series.

Only in very rare cases have I waffled between which ending to use. I guess the one that was the hardest to decide was the outcome of Duel at Kitanoji, in which Katsuichi fought Nakamura Koji. The one I used was that Katuichi won. Other outcomes would have been Koji would have been the winner, they would both die, and they would both realize the fruitlessness of the duel and call it off. I did not know which one to use until I was actually penciling the page. When I sent it to Diana, it was with a note saying, "Stop what you're doing. Read the story, and get back to me." Diana thought for certain that Katsuichi was going to die, so was quite pleased with the outcome. In this case, I was very glad I used the ending I did, but I'm not so sure with 102.

shaxper · Post by **shaxper** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 9:13 -0700

Stan Sakai wrote:
I'm just joking about this one.

Too bad. I'd hoped you'd penciled it just for fun

But as far as story endings go, I often have multiple endings in mind when I work on the plot. By the time it gets written down though, I've already selected which one would work best for the story and the series.

Only in very rare cases have I waffled between which ending to use. I guess the one that was the hardest to decide was the outcome of Duel at Kitanoji, in which Katsuichi fought Nakamura Koji. The one I used was that Katuichi won. Other outcomes would have been Koji would have been the winner, they would both die, and they would both realize the fruitlessness of the duel and call it off. I did not know which one to use until I was actually penciling the page. When I sent it to Diana, it was with a note saying, "Stop what you're doing. Read the story, and get back to me." Diana thought for certain that Katsuichi was going to die, so was quite pleased with the outcome. In this case, I was very glad I used the ending I did, but I'm not so sure with 102.

Thanks for the fascinating insight into your writing process.

So did you pencil any of the alternate endings for the Duel at Kitanoji?

It's interesting to note how your biggest indecisions to date both center around Mayhumi.

morna-san · Post by **morna-san** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 9:19 -0700

Stan wrote:It makes me wonder if I should have used that alternate ending I had for Grasscutter. Shogun Usagi. Hmmm...has a nice ring to it.

Ha hahahahaha! the mind reels!

Ben · Post by **Ben** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 9:25 -0700

I would still like to see the alternate ending Stan had planned for "Fathers and Sons", where Jotaro reveals to Katsuichi that Ozzy Osbourne is his real father.

shaxper · Post by **shaxper** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 9:31 -0700

Ben wrote:I would still like to see the alternate ending Stan had planned for "Glimpses of Death", where Jotaro reveals to Katsuichi that Ozzy Osbourne is his real father.

Is that the one where he bites off the head of Spot at the end?

Post by **Todd Shogun** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 9:44 -0700

Stan Sakai wrote: I kept waffling between the two endings. I may still redo it, and use the alternate for the trade collection.
The Sketchbook has a condensed 10-page story. It would have to be redrawn, and stretched out to a full 24 pages.

Stan, I say go for it. The ending in UYSB 4 is MUCH better. And like you said, either ending would be compatible with the ongoing continuity. My only question would be...? [Actually I am going to PM you on this question, as asking it here might unintentionally give too much away].

Stan Sakai · Post by **Stan Sakai** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 9:49 -0700

Todd Shogun wrote:
Stan, I say go for it. The ending in UYSB 4 is MUCH better.

Thank you. I really appreciate this feedback. Working alone in a vacuum does have its disadvantages--such as being able to bounce ideas off others.

morna-san · Post by **morna-san** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 10:06 -0700

wow! It's an incredible honour to witness a bit of the inside process of the making of Usagi and for fans to have the opportunity to offer feedback is ... quite mind blowing (granted, Todd's more than just a fan)

thank you sensei

sschroeder · Post by **sschroeder** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 10:57 -0700

Which ending is "better" will probably have a largely subjective component and is certainly speculative at this point since only one fan has seen it so far. Dialing back the calls to change it for the tpb seems wise at this point.

Most of us will never see this alternate ending early enough in order to comment since there aren't even enough sketchbooks printed for the entire readership, the sketchbooks are not as widely available as the single issues, and they are expensive relative to a regular issue. But putting up the ending online or giving it away would devalue the sketchbooks that were printed. Maybe these should be offered in comics stores. Just a thought.

roel · Post by **roel** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 11:45 -0700

sschroeder wrote:
Most of us will never see this alternate ending early enough in order to comment since there aren't even enough sketchbooks printed for the entire readership,

The Sketchbooks are available at Budplant.com. I believe each sketchbook is limited to 700 or so copies and they still have all the issues. So after all this time that it's been available there are enough copies for the people that really want it.

sschroeder · Post by **sschroeder** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 16:24 -0700

roel wrote:The Sketchbooks are available at Budplant.com. I believe each sketchbook is limited to 700 or so copies and they still have all the issues. So after all this time that it's been available there are enough copies for the people that really want it.

True, but $8 shipping seems high. I suppose they may be willing to customize and do it for less, but I have not asked myself. (A friend got me a # 3 in person, which probably won't happen this time, and I haven't wanted the others, so I have not needed the source you mention previously. Thanks for pointing it out though, in case nothing else comes up.)

shaxper · Post by **shaxper** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 19:19 -0700

Perhaps the Dojo members going to MotorCity can have a discussion about it there (we're all probably going to buy the sketchbooks), and share our thoughts with Stan immediately after. It would be amazingly fun to have a live, real-world conversation with our Sensai where we could offer immediate feedback in relation to such an important decision.

I'll be sure to bring my Usagi #102 for comparison's sake.

roel · Post by **roel** » Tue May 01, 2007 10:58 -0700

Stan Sakai wrote:
Todd Shogun wrote:
Stan, I say go for it. The ending in UYSB 4 is MUCH better.
Thank you. I really appreciate this feedback. Working alone in a vacuum does have its disadvantages--such as being able to bounce ideas off others.

I too like the ending in the sketchbook but I agree with Stan that it needs to be stretched and redrawn to fit the story. They both work well and I liked the character development much better in the sketchbook.

sschroeder · Post by **sschroeder** » Thu May 03, 2007 10:49 -0700

This issue mentions the scar over Usagi's left eye.

I don't know that I recall that mentioned previously. I pretty much thought it was a raised eyebrow.

According to the FAQ, the story of this scar has not been told yet. Is this still true? If not, hopefully someone can let me know where I might find the story.