The Last Mage

The Last Mage - Article Published on Autodesk Sketchbook Blog, 4/2014

The Last Mage is a proof of concept in how to embrace the digital device storytelling medium with that of traditional comic books. Instead of finding how to employ the physical aspects of reading a comic digitally, I felt that a more natural approach that works with digital devices would result in a better experience. I set out looking for intuitive means of storytelling that integrates the functions of the comic book format and digital devices. I was hoping for an approach that didn't distract from immersing the reader into the narrative by the format it’s delivered by.

Inspiration in how to facilitate this endeavour came from the Chinese panoramic landscape, Along the River During the Qingming Festival. It’s a large landscape depicting daily life along the river, which conjures stories from each of its many scenes. I saw it as a visual narrative without panels or pages, which became the core solution in how to tackle this concept of digital storytelling. I've continued experimenting further with this digital panoramic narrative format with original stories and how other narrative formats could be converted to it.

Please note that this is proof of concept and may not work on all mobile devices. 

Click here to view The Last Mage. Turn up your volume to hear the original score created for it.

The artwork was done as one entire long scroll. Below are some sections from it and character sketches.