| June 19, 2013 - BOOK 1, PAGE 1 - |
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| Here we have the introduction to the AltarNet Reality. I must say I had great difficulty formulating how this would all be introduced. I considered many options. For a long while I was going to have a "chop-in" page, very much like the first page of DC Comics' Crisis on Infinite Earths #1, from 1986, I think. Then God hit me with the 2X4 of the obvious: The Guide character represents God, and so the AltarNet Reality, as a comics allegory for real reality, should begin and end with Him, see Genesis 1:1 and Revelation 21:6 & 22:13. So this is why you see Guide on page 1 of the first book and on page 26, the last page, of the 6th and final book. In the seventh book we rest! Also, we see Guide's back on this first page and His front on the last page, with SIX elements around Him. Six around one. Keep that in mind. This bookends what we see on the last page of book six. On that page, we see His front, and still six elements around Him. The first element to study MUST be the two lights shining brightly in the darkness. The intention of these two lights is to center the reader in the very center of the story. How? It must be understood that the two lights on this page represent the eyes of the reader themself READING THE LAST PAGE OF THE BOOK! This is NOT a mirror! It's supposed to be a portal through time: the reader looking through page 1 of book 1 seeing themself on the other side of page 26 of book 6, AND VICE VERSA. We'll get to that later. Meanwhile, on this page we see Guide's back. We see a cross; it's also a "t"... Anyway, we see Guide's back because He is talking directly to the reader on the last page of the last book. On this page, He is talking to them indirectly. |
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The other five elements are word balloons. Word balloons indicate when characters are speaking in comics. This concept must be understood for this page's meaning to fully come across. One device used in AltarNet Reality, however, is that when Guide is speaking in the story, it is usually in a rectangular blue narrative-style box "raised" off the page by a drop-shadow effect. On the first read, the reader won't know this. So it will later make more sense when we see in the top word balloon a blank page "raised" by a drop-shadow effect and Guide's words "THIS IS AN ALTAR." in a box next to it. Do you see? Why put it in a box when it's already in a word balloon? The answer is that the word balloon is FOR THE BLANK PAGE. There are two different speakings going on here. Guide is "speaking" the blank page into existence like God spoke the heavens and earth into existence. (That's why the whole page is dark, the whole composition of the page is supposed to capture the ideas in Genesis 1:1-3.) In the blue box next to it, He is telling the reader what it is. Now according to Webster, an altar is, "1. an elevated place or structure, as a mound or platform, at which religious rites are performed or on which sacrifices are offered to gods, ancestors, etc." So an altar can be anything RAISED UP that is used as a foundation for activities that are revered. For MILLIONS of people, that's comics, and the foundation for comics is the blank page. This is an altar. They'll get it. In the next balloon, we see a particular kind of page, a comics page, and Guide saying, "THIS IS A NET." He is "speaking" the comics page into existence and telling the reader how He is about to catch their attention, and to some of them, how He is about to catch them. This is a net. The third balloon shows the comics page again, but now with images, and Guide speaking "THIS IS REALITY." What we are seeing in each panel is each of the six featured characters from books 1-6. The idea I was trying to get across here was that God is in control. He knows everything BEFORE THE BEGINNING. The first panel, we see Godspeed, the featured character in book 1; in the second panel we see Ravenhawk, the featured character of book 2, and so on to book 6. |
| June 23, 2013 Moving forward to the fourth word balloon, we read in Guide's narration-style box "THIS IS THE..." and the raised AltarNet Reality logo. The logo itself represents two things: An allusion to the phrase "alternate reality", that is, another possibility of how things could be, and the coming together of the three ideas of "altar" and "net" and "reality". They were spoken separately, now they are spoken together. The world is ready. This bringing together of a raised place to revere something and a means of catching and connecting is put together in such a way that it casts a shadow, suggesting that "Altar" and "Net" are actually the source that generates the shadow that we know as "Reality." The cross that the "t" implies is intentional. This logo has many color schemes throughout the series, but this color scheme--gold background, blue "Altar", red "Net" and purple "Reality"--is the prime color scheme. The gold is a callback to the callforward in the Bible to the walls and streets of gold in the New Jerusalem. The blue, purple and red are, all together, a reference to the community that exists exclusively with God only through Jesus Christ, who tabernacles, or meets, with His people. This is also the inspiration for Guide's uniform. The colors, as well as the gold cube, the full-face mask, the purple cross; more on these details later. See article "Resounding Symbols" at www.gzssavz.com/rs.html. Now, in the fifth word balloon, we read in two different boxes "I AM GUIDE." and "FOLLOW ME." What Guide is speaking here is the juxtaposition of the two sayings. "I AM GUIDE." establishes His sovereignty over AltarNet Reality, while "FOLLOW ME." establishes our volition; we do have free will, we CAN choose. We can choose to follow Him or not to follow Him. He is eternal; He has chosen. We are temporal; we can choose until we have chosen. These two concepts DO co-exist. His sovereignty, however, is above every other thing. All time, from its beginning to its end, is the accomplishment of every decision that was presented, from the eternal perspective. "I AM GUIDE."/"FOLLOW ME." is also an invitation to the reader into the AltarNet Reality that Guide has just on the page created. The reader can choose to deny the reality of the Guide character within the story, and the reader can choose not to follow Him, but doing so means they don't get to know what happens next. And so for some it means we MUST turn to the next page. |
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| July 4, 2013 - PAGE 2 - So often in life we seem to find ourselves in situations where God doesn't seem to be present and in situations whose beginnings we were not present to witness; we are left to piece things together. Page 2 represents both of these ideas in its abrupt change from Page 1 and its seeming disconnectedness. This page introduces several motifs that will weave throughout the story arc of AltarNet Reality. One of the aims of this entire project from an artistic perspective is to pay homage to several different styles of comics from the late 19th century to the present; this utilization of styles should lend a sense of epic sweep to the story. On Page 1 we saw the style of photorealism interjected into a comics form, establishing in the story the possibility of a greater reality within the given reality of any given page. This style will be hinted at throughout the six Books, but not fully reprised until Book 6: BEINGSUPERHEROZ. Now on Page 2 we see the style of old-fashioned newspaper comic strip comics. They're still produced to this day, but they were originally far more than just "funnies": There we find the precursors of action, adventure, drama, and even horror stories that would in later years by-and-large find their homes in comics, often called, incorrectly, "funny books". These stories in the early 20th century would play out over several days at a time in the newspapers, three or four panels per day. |
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| This is the style shown to me to be perfect to present what is the prologue to the events that play out in AltarNet Reality, the story of a bright and promising young scientist, Dr. Gardner, who seems perfect--he has some success--but proves by his actions to be imperfect--you'll see what that means later. This prologue is presented in six parts, conveniently one part in each of the six Books. Additionally, the parts are presented out of chronological order; this is purposeful. Besides the fact that each part presented in each Book will have a direct relationship to the story presented in each Book, having the parts out of order presented causes involuntarily the mind harder to work and thereby the story engage on a level deeper. (This principle existed before Yoda did.) So the six parts of the prologue are a singular prologue to the entire story arc of AltarNet Reality, as well as the individual parts serving as a prologue to the story of the individual Book in which they are each respectively presented. This idea of a perceived dichotomy between the given portion and the whole is a manifestation of temporal paradox when an atemporal being interacts with a timeline, e.g. God says through a prophet something will happen before it happens, and then it happens. This idea of micro- and macro-contexts is helpful in studying, a gateway to the concept of Superintention. See Psalm 22:6 and understand the Preincarnate Christ is speaking through a man, King David, who will become His ancestor. That sentence won't make any sense to you until it does. Same thing with these prologue pages. The page layout is straightforward: We have four days' worth of comic strips compiled on this page, cataloguing the events of "THE SUCCESS AND FAILURE OF DR. GARDNER" from April 24, 1906 to April 27, 1906, ostensibly as they appeared in newspapers. I tried to use varying levels of yellowing to convey both age of paper and separation of the days; you might say "a greater light and a lesser light". The author of these strips in the AltarNet Reality is Natone Elihu Mann, which is a pseudonym. Patience. |
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There are both a direct and an indirect connection between Page 2 and Page 1. Two connections--"stereo", if you will--between the narrative on Page 2 and Guide on Page 1. The direct connection comes in the form of the blue narrative-style boxes: We saw them on Page 1 where Guide is introducing the AltarNet Reality, and now we see them here, where Guide is introducing the story found in AltarNet Reality. "OUR STORY BEGINS..." in the smaller box, "...WHERE ALL STORIES ACTUALLY BEGIN:" in the medium-sized box, and "SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE." in the larger box overlapping the other two. The box sizes are intended to convey altitude off the page, a kind of "pulling back" to see the bigger picture. Also: These boxes make an "H". Can you see? The indirect connection is in the pseudonym "Natone Elihu Mann". It is pronounced |
| /nah-TONE ehl-ee-HOO MAN/, | |
| and sounds like the phrase "not only human", a descriptor of Jesus Christ, in Whom dwells the fulness of the Godhead bodily; as well as a descriptor of the Guide character, the Analog in AltarNet Reality of Jesus Christ. Guide is the Author in AltarNet Reality of these comic strips under the pseudonym "Natone Elihu Mann"; in this sense Guide is ALL OVER Page 2. Now go read Esther. | |
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Meanwhile, back on Page 2, panel 1 of the top comic strip, for April 24, 1906, establishes the beginning of Part 4 of the Dr. Gardner prologue series. "Quantum Actuation" refers to a so-far-as-I-know fictitious process of altering DNA on the subatomic, quantum level to effect various changes in people. A key concept in AltarNet Reality is the concept of unforeseen consequences and/or unintended consequences. Dr. Gardner understands Quantum Actuation to a point, but he does not understand that the DNA alteration he engages in through his work will amplify through generational transmission. Panel 2 shows us two men, Mr. Matulin and Dr. Gardner, and Dr. Gardner seems MUCH taller. Because I flubbed his name initially, the reader will find out at the end of Part 3 found in Book 5 that Dr. Gardner is mispronouncing Mr. Matulin's name, though unintentionally. Mr. Matulin doesn't worry about it and lets it go, and go, and go, and go. He thinks, "What's in a name, right?" because Dr. Gardner has good intentions. Mr. Matulin is actually looking out at the reader, creating a double entendre when he says, "THANK YOU FOR SEEING ME..." In panel 3, we learn that Dr. Gardner has been healing people; he's so renowned, word has reached the faraway land of the Philippines (In 1906, VERY far away!). In panel 4, the big reveal: Mr. Matulin is a family man confined to a wheelchair, and he's come a long way for a miracle. And apparently, Dr. Gardner can oblige his request. Ironically, "matulin" is a Tagalog word meaning "fast; rapid". Their interaction continues in the next day's comic strip, April 25, 1906, in panel 1 the camera angle is showing the two walking. I was glad I was at least able to draw the idea of an old-fashioned woodplank wheelchair. In panel 2 we learn Mr. Matulin was a soldier who was wounded. The war he refers to is the oft-forgotten Spanish-American war (1898-1901). My dad likes the woodgrain I put into the wheelchair back as the camera has closed in over Mr. Matulin's shoulder. I was pleased that a little more drama was added just by the slight turn of his head. Panels 3 & 4 are indended to show the typical Filipino spirit: a practical pragmatism, with an ability to find silver linings in the darkest clouds. Yes, that's supposed to be a wink on Mr. Matulin's face in panel 4. |
| The third strip, April 26, 1906, begins with Dr. Gardner explaining to Mr. Matulin (and the reader) what he's going to be doing. In panel 3, Dr. Gardner's scientific proof is from events in Parts 1-3 that the reader will see later. And in panel 4--ta-da!--here we get our first glimpse of P.U.R.P.L.E., the mysterious energy that actually makes Quantum Actuation possible. In AltarNet Reality, in addition to being a color, it also stands for P.lasmic U.ndulating R.adiant P.hotonic L.ucent E.nergy. It also stands for something else. With an all-aged-paper feel on this page, the colorization and drop-shadow underneath the P.U.R.P.L.E. really makes it *pop* on the page, as it should: P.U.R.P.L.E. is the "secret" of AltarNet Reality. And so, moving on to the bottom comic strip, dated April 27, 1906, the Quantum Actuation procedure on Mr. Matulin begins with VERY advanced science fiction technology for 1906. It is a dish, not unlike our satellite dishes today, that will draw from Mr. Matulin's electrical transmissions across his brain to generate a kind of filtration field that will limit the P.U.R.P.L.E. exposure to Mr. Matulin. What the reader doesn't yet know is that, while well-intentioned, this is NOT what Dr. Gardner is supposed to be doing with the P.U.R.P.L.E. In the second panel, Dr. Gardner by looking at the reader creates a double entendre when he says the key to healing is your thoughts. It's a nice idea, and partially true, but this again shows Dr. Gardner's limited information. In panel 3 we get Dr. Gardner spelling out exactly how the Quantum Actuation will be initiated and another look at that exquisite dish helmet. The P.U.R.P.L.E. energy is streamed to the node on top of the helmet and flows down over the dish like water off of an umbrella, then filtered through the brainwave field to Mr. Matulin's broken body. The last panel is somewhat interactive, as the reader is here presented with a virtual switch: Turn the page and the light show begins... or not. Mainly, though, I wanted to be sure to get that line in about the thought that counts. In AltarNet Reality, that is LITERALLY true! MORE LATER |
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