Thread "Our Time in Eden" in forum "Our Time In Eden"

Posted at 6:01PM, Jan. 17, 2008

What you are about to read began 11 years ago now as an idea scribbled into a notebook…Lost innocence - cast out of the garden, paradise as childhood lost in maturity. The idea was that our childhoods are times of wonder and bliss, even if we don't realize it until it's already been lost. A year later, I had finished the first draft of a novel that, as I grew as a writer while I grew as a man, would see a further 9 drafts. Now, one would think that after working on a project so intensely for so long I would be happy to leave it be, but once I became comfortable with the prose work, the idea came to me that it would make a better comic. The problem was that I was not a strong enough artist to do justice to what I felt (and feel) was my best work.

Ben Steeves and I first worked together during the 2006 Comics Jam War, and during the 12 hours we were creating our guerilla comic, it became very clear that we communicated our ideas very well and worked together with a certain synergy that is hard to find between two artists. There was no question in my mind that I wanted to work with him again on something more real, and I proposed that he illustrate Our Time in Eden. Within a week of our first discussion, Ben was sending me sketches and ideas, and while I can't say I wasn't nervous handing my most precious child to someone else, I knew with the first finished page that I had made the right call.

It is my truest belief that what we've crafted together is an amazing comic, a deeply touching, beautifully rendered story, and I have not enjoyed a collaboration more than this one. I hope everyone enjoys this piece as much as I have enjoyed making it, and in the end I hope it has moved you as much as it has moved me.

Kiss the children goodnight,
Gibson Twist

Posted at 5:03PM, Mar. 18, 2008

The story is only just beginning and already this work seems in every way a masterpiece. The writing is intensely introspective and poetic- you really get a feel for this girl, even if you don't know her history just yet. It seems as if those 9 drafts were well worth the time and effort in order to bestow upon the world this beautiful work. Thank you, honestly. The artwork perfectly accompanies the writing, I particularly enjoy the use of negative space- it's very effective. Also, the level of detail and the wonderful expressiveness in the characters and environments is fantastic. Really very skilled. Keep up the incredible work gentlemen- I can't wait to see more and will be adding this to my library when it eventually hits the shelves.