New 'Crossing #3' pages from Daniel!

Last week we caught up and chatted with "The Crossing" artist Daniel Panero Bertucci, and this week we have some new pages from Daniel for the forthcoming third issue of The Crossing!

The third issue of one of our flagship books will feature two new stories from Dino Caruso set within the 1560s and will focus on the main characters of the CFU while they're still in school. Dino and Daniel's Magic stories have appeared in the first two issues of the book, and this third issue will round out our early introductions to the principal characters of the Crystal Fractal Universe!

These images are some of the last pages from the "Elizabeth Arrives" story, a short comic introducing the ever conniving Elizabeth Windsor into the little cabal of magic practitioners Ilonus began in order to preserve the balance of the world's mystical portals. As you can see from the pages, her arrival hardly goes smoothly. Enjoy!

In this page Natanael and the boys find themselves in a fair bit of trouble after the previous page, where one of the character's over zealousness resulted in a demon finding its way into their dimension. Thinking quickly, they erect a defensive shield while trying to plot their next move.

Luckily for the children, Master Ilonus arrives in a nick of time, sending the poor ghoul packing to the dimensional wasteland he came from.

Crystal Fractals Q&A: Daniel Panero Bertucci

The Crossing artist Daniel Panero.

Since the first issue of The Crossing, we've been able to sit and watch Daniel Panero Bertucci develop as an artist. From his first Magic story in issue one, to his contributions in the second issue, all the way through his current work in the forthcoming third issue, Daniel's style and talents seem to be ever improving. With The Crossing #3 close to release, we caught up with Daniel for his thoughts on his style, his work with Crystal Fractal Comics, his creative partner in (comic book) crime Dino Caruso, his other projects and his thoughts on the Crystal Fractal Universe as a whole.
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Andrew Ardizzi: It's been nearly two years since we checked in with you, your first interview with Dino having appeared on our blog way back in February 2011. A lot has happened in our neck of the woods since then, but how have you been? What have you been up to?

Daniel Panero Bertucci: I have been busy with work obligations and working on new pages whenever I get the chance to do so. I have also been following with interest the CFC news and updates through the newsletter and social media. It’s a great way to keep us connected and reach out to the readers!

AA: When you and Dino chatted, it came at a time when we had released the first issue of The Crossing several months before, while the second issue was still about eight months away from being finished. Looking back almost three years later on that first book, what are your thoughts on yours and Dino's entries in issue one?

DPB: I enjoyed the opportunity of creating environments and characters for which there had been no previous visual reference. Being from Spain, I liked the fact that the action took place in Castile, but at the same time, that put some pressure on me because I wanted to be up to the task of representing the setting accurately.  I had to do some research on the historic period, which is something that I kept doing for the previous stories and also those I am currently working on. As I am getting more familiar with the time period, it becomes easier for me to create a coherent, realistic universe. Overall, although there are things that I would have done differently now, I am pleased with my work on the first book, also because it marked my first collaboration with Dino and with CFC. On a different note, I must mention Mae Hao´s superb coloring work.

The Crossing #1 cover by Alisson Borges.

AA: Much of the first Magic story focused on getting readers familiarized with the main characters -- their younger selves anyway -- and sort of rounding out the foundation of the Crystal Fractal Universe. Visually, what did you try and convey to readers with Dino's script?

DPB: I like the fact that the story is set centuries ago. I think that setting and the action in the past worked very well with these kinds of stories and the fantasy genre in general. For me, it was important to convey the action in a realistic and believable way, so that the reader would be as involved reading these stories as when he or she deals with the adult versions of the characters.

AA: One of the touches that leaps out on the second page of Magic 101 is the smaller inset panel of a stoic Natanael that gives way as the scene pulls back to reveal Natanael is hanging on every word of his teacher's lesson. It's very simple, but nicely nuanced because it hits home with who the character is. How did you go about composing that page? I feel it's very readable, in that it's easy for your eye to follow the smaller panel to the shot of Natanael sitting at his desk, then following his gaze to Ilonus.

DPB: Thank you. I just followed the indications on Dino´s script regarding the character´s attitude.  And as for the composition goes, I opted for a larger panel so that I would be able to include a detailed background and a greater number of characters. This big panel allows me to introduce many new characters to the reader for the first time. I like doing panels like this once in a while.  They're both fun to draw and help to highlight some key moments in the story.

The latest pages from Daniel for 'The Crossing'

While we've been working on our Indiegogo campaign for Redorik, Daniel Panero Bertucci has been hard at work on his and Dino Caruso's latest entry into The Crossing series. The Magic story has spanned the first two issues of the title, and will see its conclusion in The Crossing #3.

This page is specifically from the story that introduces us to Elizabeth Windsor, who readers met more intimately as an adult in the second issue. In this story she arrives at the school and meets all the boys, but especially takes a liking to Natanael. While I can't say too much yet, from the pages we released so far, I can say the story is looking better and better.

What do you guys think?

We're going to be chatting with Daniel soon, so keep an eye out for him on the blog! As always, if you've got any questions about this story or the Crystal Fractal Universe as a whole, don't hesitate to drop us a line. Thanks!

-Andrew

New Daniel Panero Bertucci pencils from 'The Crossing' #3!

While a lot of our content lately has focused on our Redorik campaign through Indiegogo, we've got two other projects on the way! While Dr. Twilight #2 is finished, and we'll be posting some of the finished pages closer to the release, Daniel Panero is working hard to finish off his pencils for his and Dino Caruso's final installments into their Magic 101 stories that feature a much young Doctor Twilight and his friends. The stories focus very much on how the Crossing event featured in Crystal Fractal Universe #0 came to happen, showing the childrens' education under their teacher, Master Ilonus. This latest story features the arrival of Elizabeth Windsor (who was featured as an adult in The Crossing #2) at the school. Here are Daniel's latest two pages for the story. Enjoy!

The boys use their magicks to fence each other.

Natanael shows off, Domenico opens a portal.