So that was the first batch of Friends With Boys pages! YAY! What did you guys think?
It was not fun dredging up the memory of my first week in public high school when I wrote this comic. For those that don’t know (or haven’t read the About page), like Maggie I was home-schooled with my three brothers before entering public high school. I had briefly attended a private school (my classroom also had a total of 4 students, but we were all girls) prior to being home-schooled, but other than that, high school was my first time truly being immersed in the world of my peers … and wow, was it scary. The face Maggie is making on the final page is how I looked through pretty much my entire first week in high school.
Random things:
Here is a picture of Maggie’s house!
I used the city that I live in (Halifax, Nova Scotia) as reference for the town that Friends With Boys is set in. This is a house in the south end of Halifax that I liked and decided to use as Maggie’s house. The interior as well (a friend was renting a room there, so I got to take pictures of the inside).
And here is one picture of the graveyard where the ghost lives. This graveyard is right in downtown Halifax (one of many graveyards, actually) and it’s absolutely beautiful. I love it.
So there we have it, the very first Friends With Boys posting! I hope that everyone who enjoyed the start of the comic will comment and then maybe pass the link on to others! I will be blogging on the pages whenever I have something silly/interesting/dumb/insightful to say, and I hope you’ll enjoy hearing about my comic-making process.
Awesome start! I love it. Can’t wait to read more!
It’s so exciting to see Halifax being used as a background for you comic. The layout is so familiar, I can’t wait to see more!!
Yay, thanks guys!
Wow….it’s been amazing to watch the arc of your career, from when I first discovered your sci-fi prose in the late 90′s. FwB is so slick and professional looking, your style has really matured. I eagerly await updates!
Thanks so much, Celine! I’ve worked insanely hard to reach this level, art wise. You draw over 1500 pages of comics, you’re bound to improve!
Love it so far. Can’t wait to read more! :D
OMG! Faith! I’ve always loved your art and storytelling, so I’m terribly excited that I’ll get to devour more of it in FwB. (And I’m with Celine, it’s been AWESOME to watch your style firm up.)
I went to a public high school after attending a small Catholic school with a graduating class of 20. Not the same as home schooling, I’m sure, but this is pretty close to how I felt my first week too. Minus the older siblings. Great work, Faith! Looking forward to reading more. :)
Just caught up on the archive. Bookmarked, looking forward to more!
These are really great! I’m super happy that I don’t have to wait until February to read your new book.
Me too! And just think how long I’ve been waiting to show people this comic: I finished it this time LAST year. O_o
Fantastic job! I’m hooked! :D http://samhainnightmanga.deviantart.com/
I just caught up too. I like the story already and I can relate to it. I myself was home schooled from grade 6 (middle school) all the way through 12th grade high school. I never got a chance to go to public high school, but I have a feeling that my reaction and emotions would have been similar to Maggie’s.
Wow. Did you end up going to college or university? I can’t say public high school was a great experience, but I can’t imagine going from homeschooling into university without that buffer… then again, I know other people who did homeschooling through all of middle/highschool, and they did well in university. Guess it just depends on the person.
I went to a local college and then transferred to university. The transition was challenging and fun. Man, I stuck out like a soar thumb in college though. I didn’t act or speak like any of my pears. Pop culture references went way over my head.
Haha, I remember once riding in a car with a bunch of kids my age, they spent the whole ride talking about Monty Python, and I had no idea what that was. ^^
My brothers and I were homeschooled. This really hits home for me in my transition to public school :) And Halifax as the setting is a sweet bonus!
I love stories I can relate the environment too. It makes it feel much more normal and real. I’m from the great East Canadian Coast myself, though from Dartmouth instead of Halifax, I visit the city a lot.
I can’t wait to buy this though, February is too faaaaaar D:
I lived in Dartmouth for a couple years when I first came out to the East Coast (it was cheaper). Eventually I migrated over to Halifax because my boyfriend works on this side (and the commute sucks, I admit). I miss the ferry occasionally. It was my zen moment before work. :)
I love it already!
I am super happy this is online because I have immense trouble waiting for your GNs to come out in print. YAY! So far I am loving it, and trying to soak up all the little details on each page. Thank you!
So do I! It’s always such a long wait between books. Hopefully the ball is rolling now and I can at least get a book out a year, but it takes so long to draw comics. Sigh!
I’m going to have to buy your books. you should publish D101 too :D Be proud of everything you have done!
I am charmed and intrigued! So many different threads of potential already (the ghost, the mother, the challenge of new friends & teachers, and so on) … I can’t wait to see where you take this. I’ve always loved your art, but it just keeps getting stronger; I love how expressive your faces and gestures are, and there are so many fantastic character designs, even in the background.
(Also, I enjoyed spotting a few very old familiar faces in one of those hallways scenes.)
Oh good I wasn’t the only one seeing those familiar faces. I thought I might have been imagining things!
Nope! I love sneaking old characters into new comics. I also like drawing my friends, my boyfriend and occasionally myself in various backgrounds.
beautiful line, composition and storytelling. looking forward to reading the book!
Wow! Great beginning!! I am sure I will love it more and more.
Wow, I love it! I was homeschooled off and on so I never really got the sudden transition, but I’m definitely with Magsby here.
32 pages… seemed so much, and they are already gone!
Well, you’ve got 170+ still coming. ‘Course you have to wait for them… ;)
Love it so far! Can’t wait to see what the deal is with Maggie’s ghost!
OMG Maggie meets Hopey in the last panel! :-)
Seriously, a terrific start and THANK YOU for serializing them here first. Very excited to follow along on the journey and looking forward to picking up the book once it hits the shelves.
Yes, kind of! That character was visually very influenced by Jamie Hernadez’s drawings of the Locas girls in their teens.
Loving it so far! It’s making me feel very nostalgic for the D101 days. It’s amazing how much better your artwork has gotten, and I thought it was incredible back then.
Anyway, I really like Maggie already. Looking forward to more!
Congratulation Faith! Can’t wait for the rest. You rule. :)
Think I found the link of your website via Urban Outfitters blog hahah, and I loved it, REALLY. Amazing art, amazing history and amazing subject btw. I think homeschooling is beyond interesting and here in Brazil no one actually does that…
I’ll keep coming back! (:
xo
This is pretty good and I will keep reading! Yay both of us!
Well, no one can typecast you. SHG and FWB are both great stories. SHG explains the realities of being a superhero where FWB explains the realities of be a teenage girl. Maggie’s big problem is getting a life outside the safety of her home compared to SHG trying to find a way to pay Roommate Girl back for the wall Spectacle destroyed. Both have their emotional moments but their situations are different and that is something that I like to see in authors, variety.
This is great. I’m really enjoying it. Keep it up.
I love this already and I’m glad I ran across your series ‘Adventure Super Hero Girl’ a while back. I guess I am now a fan, keep it up.
Good story that I can relate to!
As our school system was undergoing a restructure, I took a much needed vacation via home schooling for my seventh grade. It was a good experience that allowed me to catch up on math by exploring real world use instead of merely being told that I needed it for college. I loved ditching “Social Studies” for the more mind expanding subject of “Geography” that seems to not be taught any longer in the US school system. It also allowed me to explore the things that led to my future career.
You’ve captured very well the “Oh crap, do I have to go” feelings; in my case, “go back”. The next great escape was getting out of High School and into Community College where people were there because they had defined life goals and wanted to be there.
What you said about the graveyard reminds me of a riddle…
True or false?
In Canada, you can’t be buried in a graveyard within 100 miles of where you live.
Anywhoosles, can’t wait for it to come out!
I think the answer depends on whether or not you’re being buried alive….
As the eldest of ten children (all homeschooled), I am really enjoying this comic. It’s fun to read about a cute homeschooled girl with a ghost friend; a relatable person and not a walking stereotype. :)
I was directed here via Sailor Twain, and I am already so very hooked! What a great start!
Came here courtesy of Kate Beaton. Very solid art and story/characters. As one person’s comic ends, another rises to take it’s place. I’m an old, old guy but I do love the internet. :)
You live in Halifax? as do I! well cole harbour region woooo… anyways fantastic comic so far, one of the best i have read!
Thank you! If you’re coming down for Hal-Con this weekend, I’ll be there, so say hi!