The Making of a Villain
Okay, so that’s a lie, but it makes for a better title doesn’t it? It would be more accurate to say: “The Making of an Antagonist,” but that’s way less catchy. You see, Sand is not intended to have villains in the traditional sense. Which is not to suggest that there won’t be evils to confront, just that evil doesn’t need to be so obviously big, or so monolithic, as a (capital “v”) Villain in order to be horribly destructive. After all, Sand is a story about a broken world trying to fix itself, with both selfless and selfish forces colliding along the way. So let’s talk about one of those selfish forces.
Kayla is the voice of the narrator in Of Wolf & Prey, illustrated by Erin Lisette.
Because (you see), there was actually no initial intention to even have an antagonist like this — but ultimately Kayla just willed her way into being.
Yes! We’re talking about Kayla Red Eyes, the First Explorer, whom we encounter as the voice of the narrator in Of Wolf & Prey. A voice, which while incredibly knowledgeable, also proves to be very narrow minded.
Originally, Kayla was meant to be a loose connection between the 8-page shorts that comprised the second installment of Sand. Although she would take center stage in the middle installment, she was never meant to be more than an explorer — a footnote in history at most responsible for the foundation of the Oasis Republic (an important setting in the future of Sand).
If only things had stayed that simple. Once the story grew into three separate 24-page installments, so too did Kayla’s story. No longer could she be just a footnote, so her role grew into someone who actively shaped that history. And then something else happened…
Kayla on the cover of Eyes of Red, illustrated by Margaret Huey.
Then Margaret turned in her first drawings of Kayla. Importantly, this happened just as I was finishing the script for Twin Blades (the fourth and final installment of this prologue era of Sand, being illustrated by Raven Warner). Suffice to say that a light bulb went off. What if Kayla had a bigger role to play?
The story threads were certainly there for her to occupy a greater role, and at the end of the day the design was too good to leave as a one-off (good job Margaret!).
Anyway, why write all of this out? Because, it’s testament to the unpredictable nature of collaboration in comics. I cannot imagine a future for Sand now without Kayla firmly at the center of it. Yet not so long ago she was just a footnote. None of that would have happened without Margaret, or critically without being open to a collaborative approach.
Deviously, it’s also a good way to tease that big things are coming! Both Eyes of Red and Twin Blades are coming (very) soon! And Kayla? Oh she’s there, and beyond! Her red eyes watching.
