So, you've made it this far, have you? It takes dedication to find this page hidden deep within the Tagonist Knights Website.
Congratulations!
As a reward, I present to you five new ways to immerse yourself within this novel. Some of it is insightful, other aspects of it is meant to make you laugh and smile. Hopefully, by the time you're done, you'll be eager to explore the book if you haven't already, or take a moment to read through it once again knowing what you do now.
“To give her a proper name would limit her somehow, confine her perfection. The word sunset does not begin to encompass the beauty of what nature provides us each day.” – Logan
Say Hello - The Cast of Eye of the Beholder
“I pledge my mind, body, and soul to you for eternity if you should so grace me with the blessing of your presence. I am yours if you would have me.”
Logan
Art Gallery Painter
Where he could have indulged in the pleasures of her body, he chose to embrace her soul.
Kimberly
Comic Book Artist
“He is handsome, cute in a sweet, innocent sort of way. Obviously deeply loyal to you… Marry him right now, today, before you lose him.”
Penelope
Comic Book Writer
“You are dollar signs to me. I couldn’t care less if you work yourself to death. It just means whatever you have left will make me a fortune.”
Rebecca
Artist Agent
“She is like air in my lungs. Without her I would suffocate. She is my heartbeat. My body would grow cold to the touch without her presence within me. She is the light of my day and the soft glow of the moon at night.” – Logan
Relevant Artwork/Memes
“If an angel leaves the blessed light of heaven to pursue vengeance upon the devil, all she does is bring a divine being into the darkness, possibly never to return, becoming just another lost soul. I would sooner take your place in an eternity of damnation then to see you face such a fate.” – Logan
Origin Story:
Artistic Inspiration
The origins of the story was simply a concept of two people attempting to draw one another, not realizing either of them existed. I remember an early concept for the idea was a woman drawing a man in the safety of her apartment, away from prying eyes who may judge her for doing so. I think there may have been a sister who thought she was crazy, but that version never was developed beyond a scene or two.
For Logan, I was greatly inspired by Alex Ross, an artist well known for his lifelike versions of comic book characters. Before comic book superheroes movies became prominent, his work was the closest fans go to seeing their favorite characters as real people. I remember first reading "Marvels" and seeing Spiderman on the side of a building from the perspective of someone inside that building. It was incredible.
With "art gallery" art being Logan's focus, I knew I wanted to draw upon another passion of mine. Comic Books. That's how I came up with the concept that the other person, the female protagonist would be a comic book artist. The idea that she kept including the same man's face in crowd scenes just clicked.
I was tempted to end the story with them finally meeting, but I felt like it was too fairy tale sort of conclusion. I wanted to ground this in reality, which is why I had them meeting earlier and the pair dealing with the ramifications of this revelation that the other person existed.
Origin Story:
The Real World
For the plot, I was inspired greatly by a real-world event when the team behind a Batgirl redesign created a new approach to her appearance in 2014. They moved away from the spandex, form fitting costume to something more realistic. A leather jacket instead of a skintight top. A cape that visibly clasped onto the shoulders. Little details that in my mind, a cosplayer, someone who creates costumes of their favorite characters, could more easily recreate. That's when it hit me, what if an entire comic book company went for a redesign like that. I knew it would lead the two people together with her comic book involvement and his realistic drawings.
I realized that Penelope was acting a lot like a female version of Mitch, from Heart of Ice. That's when I had the idea that this book was set in that reality, and that they were siblings. I left it ambiguous as to if that was true until Queen's Court when I fully committed to this concept of Mitch and Penelope being brother and sister.
The original draft was too short for what I felt to be a full length novel. There was a leap from Logan disappearing to him coming back again. To begin with, I wanted to build tension and so delved deeply into a lot more scenes to flesh out that part of the book. The scene at the convention, the pair of women at the restaurant, the idea of the artist disappearing into the comics, all of that came about in a later draft after originally completing the book.
“A touch of a single fingertip upon a woman’s skin should be treated with as much care and concern for perfection as a stroke of a paintbrush upon an empty canvas.” – Logan
Easter Eggs and Inspiration
Fantastic Team
On page 26, "The Incredible Quartet" is a reference to Marvel Comics: The Fantastic Four.
Super Hero Trinity
On page 29, Eugene refers to "the big three" which is DC Comics: Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman.
Fireworks
The "Sparkle" character is inspired by Jubilee, from Marvel's X-Men comics.
I Am Vengeance...
On page 39, Vengeful Knight Productions is a reference to the DC comics character: Batman.
A bird! A plane!
On page 39, Speeding Bullet Publications refers to the DC comics character: Superman.
Wonderful Woman
On page 39, Amazon Warrior Comics refers to the DC comics character: Wonder Woman.
The Giant Knot
On page 50 Logan thinks about a homeless child untying a giant knot, a reference to the novel Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli.
You Don't Know Jack
Kimberly meets a fan of her work, a teacher and his wife. He is named Jack, after Jack Kirby, famous comic book artist.
Imbuing Life Into Art
The Greek myth of a sculptor bringing his creation to life is the story of Pygmalion and Galatea.
Best Easter Egg Ever...
Marv, the comic book store owner, is modeled after "comic book guy" from the Simpsons.
A Marvelous Name
Marv is named after a shortened version of the word Marvel. As in Marvel Comics.
Good Bye Memory
In Chapter 7, Penelope jokes about erasing people's memories during an interview, a reference to the movie: Men in Black.
A Mystery Solved
The series that Kimberly worked on, Mystery Alliance, is a reference to my previously published book: Mystical Alliance.
This and That
In Chapter 8, Clevramd Comics, is DMarvelC spelled backwards. DC and Marvel, the two largest comic book companies.
Ring The Bell
On Page 150, Penelope is referring to commentary made in the second season of the animated series: Justice League.
As You Wish...
On page 217, Logan is referring to the book that the grandfather is reading to his grandson in the movie "Princess Bride".
Legendary Figures
Stan Lee and Jack Kirby make a cameo during the meeting on pages 235-236. They are famous in the world of comic books.
What If...?
On Page 258, Kimberly repeats the phrase "What if...?" which is a reference to a comic series of the same name.
A Hidden Creator
Page 269, the fan starts to say "Chris Claremont", the creator of Jubilee, the character that inspired "Sparkle" in the book.
Death of Superman
Logan disappears for three months, the same amount of time that Superman vanished after his death before returning.
Super Hero Haven
"Cave of Solitude" refers to the Batcave (Batman) and Fortress of Solitude (Superman), a place where each find sanctuary.
And now... My Favorite.
Kimberly and Penelope work for a comic book company called Tagonist Productions. This a reference to Tagonist Knights Publishing, the same company you are now visiting the website of. In an early draft it was "Paradox Productions" but after creating Tagonist Knights Publishing, I made the change in the book in honor of this.
“The greatest wonders of this world began with faith in the impossible, a creation from the depths of one’s imagination, something truly beautiful from nothing.” – Logan
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