The hardest part about transitioning Cosmic Dash away from comics was letting go of something I’ve spent so much time on. The second hardest part was being okay with leaving the remaining pages unfinished for now. As a free comic, Cosmic Dash required a significant time investment and judgment on my part, as working on it meant I wasn’t freelancing or working toward my bills.
Additionally, it was a lot of work for one person, and admittedly, I think I lost a bit of the spark. It was a lot of work for diminishing returns, essentially. Transitioning Cosmic Dash to prose, on the back of my positive feelings that come from Fang & Bone and The Dead Life, just made more sense for me. I feel I am a better writer than an artist.
But still, the story was left unfinished. So, I am sharing the remaining pages of the script so you can get a sense of closure as you need it. Anyway, here were the remaining six pages of the script. Be sure to check out the additional surprise at the end of the post.
The Script
PAGE THIRTY SEVEN
Mara and Illyana are at the bar. They each take their last shot.
MARA: I need to get back.
ILLYANA: Good working with you, ‘Shellshock.’
Mara steps away from the bar, takes a few steps, and turns back.
MARA: Look, I can’t promise anything if your boyfriend comes after me and mine again.
ILLYANA: I’ll do what I can to keep him off your trail. You promise to keep my secret, then?
MARA: Yes.
Illyana takes another shot.
ILLYANA: Good.
MARA: Good. Take care, ‘Ransom.’
Mara leaves the bar.
PAGE THIRTY EIGHT
Alix is leaving the outskirts of the colony, approaching the ship. She looks shocked. The sun is low.
MARA: Alix! Hey!
Mara jogs up. Alix doesn’t really pay attention.
MARA: You okay?
ALIX: Fine. Just… tired.
Mara looks at Alix suspiciously.
MARA: Yeah, I feel it. It’s getting late. Let’s get you back to the ship.
Alix continues walking, Mara just behind her.
ALIX: Yeah… Thank you.
PAGE THIRTY NINE
Illyana approaches a big fight with Vid, Quell, and Brik, tangled up with other pirates.
ILLYANA: So I take it the reinforcements arrived?
Nobody replies, still in their fight.
ILLYANA: Sigh.
Illyana fires her rifle into the air. Pirates pause mid-fight.
Brik bonks a smaller pirate on the head, knocking him out.
ILLYANA: So is this the jailbreak party?
Vid looks hyped and childish.
VID: Yep! We’re gonna go rescue Captain Crayd. LET’S DO THIS!
Illyana has her arms crossed.
ILLYANA: So what is the plan?
Vid looks annoyed at Brik.
BRIK: Plan?
Illyana face-palms.
PAGE FORTY
Dash is lying on the bed next to Guugel’s in the medbay. Mara enters, and she is pulling her shell from her back.
DASH: Oh, hey. How was your day?
Mara climbs onto the bed with Dash, gives him a kiss, and curls up next to him.
MARA: Fine.
Dash is lying back, staring into the distance. Mara’s eyes are wide, staring into the “camera.”
PAGE FORTY ONE
We are now in the garden area of Spril’s ship, Greensleeves. He is tending to the plants using magic.
CAPTION: Greesleeves, Ship of Spril Lazeleaf
A ping sounds. He smiles in response.
In the cabin, he slides into his chair. The vibe is very VW-Van.
He examines a data-readout, displaying “LUCKY STRIKE II – SIGNAL IDENTIFIED.”
Spril presses a few buttons.
SPRIL: It’s about time. Guugel, I’m comin’.
PAGE FORTY TWO
In a lavish room adorned with gold and ivory with crimson and jade highlights, a slauve sits in a massive tub surrounded by bottles of different fluids. We see a thick, hairy arm resting on the edge of the tub.
CAPTION: One Month Later, Undisclosed Location
Two thugs (modeled after the robot gangsters in Futurama) drag in Vomu, who appears to have been beaten to an inch of his life.
GUNTYR (OS): Vomu! It’s been a long time!
Vomu lies on the ivory floor, bleeding and coughing.
GUNTYR (OS): Imagine my surprise finding out that you were on the same planet as Yrian, and you just let him get picked up by the authorities.
We see Guntyr begin to rise from the tub, but he seems impossibly tall. We hear a mechanical whirr.
GUNTYER (OS): But to hear you were the one who helped my daughter run away, and then saw her again and didn’t let me know?
Dramatic panel looking up at Guntyr in his legged tub, dropping bathwater everywhere. One of his robot legs slams into Vomu.
GUNTYR: Where’s my farkin’ kid? WHERE IS ALIX?
CAPTION: The End
What did you think?
I have one more surprise, here. The only page I completed that was not published to the site before I decided to switch gears. Enjoy!
Perhaps I will complete the remaining pages in the future? I would very much like to ensure the entire volume is complete. Unfortunately, from a financial standpoint, creating these comic pages is a risk I can’t justify right now. One day, perhaps my schedule will open up, and my finances will be more open to taking time to draw new pages.
As for what is next, I should be posting the first chapter of the new novel near the end of the month. I will also be continuing to repost older prose here to help develop the central Cosmic Dash Project Hub. Lastly, I’ll also continue to compile the PDF archives so I can finally forward the Cosmic Dash site to hpkomics.com and have one less thing on my plate.
And what if people don’t vibe with the novel? Oh well, I guess. At least I’ll be happy.
🛋⭐