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(Jon sez:)

Your Writer: Jon Kilgannon Many people ask us, "How do we create A Miracle of Science?" Okay, that's a lie. To date, exactly zero people have asked us how we create this comic. However, I've never let the utter fallacy of my statements stand in the way of laying down a big slab of exposition.

The project started over a year ago, when Mark and I worked out the general guidelines of the comic. I wrote up a story proposal for which Mark decided he would like to do the art. Character bios and sketches followed, as did an outline of the entire script.

We actually have a storyline worked out to the end. Don't worry that MoS is going to end soon, however, as we're less than halfway through the story.

About once a month, I refer to the story outline and write up the next several pages of finished script, then email it to Mark. He sits down and determines how he wants to block it out, emails me the occasional question, then somehow manages to create two pages a week, on schedule, even though his job apparently takes 168 hours a week.

Each Sunday and Wednesday, I receive a scan of the pencils for the page which is slated for the next day, with the dialogue balloons and sound effects overlaid. I then (rarely) email Mark questions or last-minute alterations. I write a "Jon sez" column, such as this one, while Mark goes through the long process of cleaning and coloring the art. Then he writes the "Mark sez" column and updates the Web page with our columns and the day's completed comic.

So, basically, I spend four or five days total per month working hard on the script and the rest of the month slacking. Mark makes two pages a week of beautiful art. I think I have the easy part of this partnership, frankly.
(Mark sez:)

Your Artist: Mark Sachs Don't worry. Kevin Costner will not be appearing in A Miracle of Science at any point in the foreseeable future.

Anyhoo, I guess I should say a bit about how the art for MoS is done, but it's a little late to write a big column right now. That is of course because of my incredibly time-consuming job, and not at all because I was playing Metroid Prime all evening when I should have been working. Yes, that's certainly how it went. But I'll actually try to write something up in time for next Monday's episode, so no doubt all of your burning questions will be answered then.