[Concept Art Discussion] Zelda 63 - The Hyrule Fantasy

I've talked about doing Zelda comics in the past, so I'll be using this post as a bit of a general overview of what I'm thinking about for the experience. It's much less technical than my usual Concept Art posts, and is more about the text, with some accompanying sketches -- just so you have a better idea of what I have in mind.

As a franchise, The Legend of Zelda has been associated with an assortment of feelings, like joy, sadness, humor, hope, despair, loneliness, and more, to be sure. There’s a good balance between quirk and heart – a nuanced duality between mature concepts and child-like charm. Even Breath of the Wild, with its much more somber mood, is filled with little pockets of all kinds of feelings. It’s important, I think, to make sure that my world of Hyrule is also filled with that level of nuance too.

But I really can’t help but ask myself, time and time again…

Just what could I possibly bring to The Legend of Zelda to make it worth creating? Worth reading?

Well, what is the Legend of Zelda about?

- Exploration.
- Dungeon Crawling.
- Helping people.

Exploration

Exploration has always been at the heart of the Zelda games, ever since the beginning. And why wouldn’t it be? Hyrule is a magical place with many diverse sights to behold – and this is no more true than it was in Breath of the Wild, which featured the largest world to date in the Zelda series.

I’ve always expressed an interest in drawing landscapes and how they relate to my Link – it’s easy to convey moods like loneliness by placing her in a world that feels much larger than her. Works of art featuring a landscape can offer a quiet moment of reflection (which there would, no doubt, be many on Link’s solitary adventure). Link does a lot of walking around! Sometimes there really is no story beyond that – another trait present in Breath of the Wild.

There are all sorts of interesting sights we might find while journeying across Hyrule; some exciting or scary, while others are just outright strange or mysterious.

Dungeon Crawling

Of course, some of those exciting places just also happen to be dungeons too. Dungeon crawling doesn’t necessarily make for exciting comic book storytelling though, does it? It typically consists of moving from one room to another with very little narrative.

My colour style tends to lend itself towards bright, vibrant scenes, since it uses the white of the page. I may have to adjust for different moods, or even change the style outright when depicting different kinds of scenes.

In fantasy stories, dungeons often exist for a single purpose – to provide gameplay. 

One of the things that Skyward Sword does very well is blur the lines between dungeons & non-dungeon spaces. Rather than giving you a non-descript dungeon, Skyward Sword’s dungeons feel like they’re actual places; they were built for a specific in-universe reason, and are repurposed for the gameplay experience, rather than being built FOR it. In a manner of speaking.

A series of rooms make for good gameplay, but not good storytelling. If I do feature a story about dungeon crawling, I’d want each dungeon to feel interesting in their own right – like they’re more than JUST a dungeon and our story is about more than just walking through it’s rooms. Therefore, it’s more important we focus on the world outside those dungeons.

Helping People

While the surface elements of a Legend of Zelda adventure consist of exploring crypts and slaying monsters, I think they’re more about helping people than anything else.

Side quests were introduced as early as Zelda 2, and they’ve become a much larger part of recent games. Skyward Sword emphasized philanthropy by rewarding you with Gratitude Crystals, while Breath of the Wild really makes it feel like you’re genuinely helping people in trouble. Link’s quest to defeat evil is never prompted by self-centered reasons like power or revenge.

Pick any main game in the franchise and notice how Link’s quest is always for the sake of others – because someone needs help. With exception to Link’s Awakening, which is a more personal story.

With Breath of the Wild’s narrative being so non-linear, the day-to-day journey isn’t about finding the 7 legendary keys to some door with a sword behind it. BotW’s journey feels almost aimless, as Link scours the world in search of the Shrines – the journey is about whatever your goal is at that specific moment in time…

But BotW shows that you can still have interesting stories in its universe without it being about the main quest:

- Two lovers search for a mythical flower said to give good luck to couples.
- An investigative journalist journeys Hyrule in search of local gossip.
- Researcher invents an age-reversing rune and antics ensue.
- A lady who is REALLY passionate about her flowers not being stepped on.
- A girl attempts a pilgrimage along the same path the Princess once did.

And these stories are just a few from Breath of the Wild alone – stories we only see a glimpse of. The entire franchise has a wide assortment of interesting characters and stories that are seldom focused on. 

Other games have some interesting, tiny scenarios too, like Link to the Past or Twilight Princess.

This direction helps the world of Hyrule feel like a living world, and like it doesn’t just revolve around Link or Zelda and the struggle for the Triforce. Hyrule is full of regular people who are just living in it and focusing on those characters and their stories not only gives us more story to tell, but more relatable stories too. They can also be vessels for exploring Link’s character too.

Hyrule’s people ARE the reason the world is worth saving.

The Legend of Zelda

“Many years ago, Prince Darkness “Gannon” stole one of the Triforce with power.”

A long time ago, Ganon’s minions invaded the declining kingdom of Hyrule & stole the Triforce of Power. Like a plague, Ganon’s presence spread across the kingdom. The reigning Princess, Zelda, fearing the return of Ganon, split the Triforce of Wisdom into eight pieces and hid them across the land. Zelda confronted Ganon, and with what little magic she had left, sealed Ganon within Death Mountain. Princess Zelda, also imprisoned, sent out a telepathic cry for help to anyone who could hear it…

A familiar & predictable story by now, the premise doesn’t offer a lot of interesting developments: The hero searches for dungeons and the golden triangles within them – that’s it. 

Needless to say, the quest for the Triforce should be a lengthy one, requiring the hero to journey across all of Hyrule, allowing them to experience a wide assortment of interesting stories as they search for the pieces of the Triforce and combat Ganon’s forces.

Ganon as a Sickness

All images of Ganon are obscured in the Instructional manual for the original Legend of Zelda. The idea being “Nobody knows [what Ganon is like]. Nobody has lived to tell the tale.” This was true of players too, as only those capable of beating the game ever got to see Ganon.

Of course, Ganon was technically a physical entity, but there was something about his handling in the classic games that made him feel much less like a person, and more like a terrifying force of nature – an aspect of pure destruction. Not entirely dissimilar to Calamity Ganon, which felt much more eldritch in nature than just an angry guy with a power fantasy.

With Breath of the Wild’s introduction of Malice, a purple & black poisonous sludge unleashed by Ganon, it becomes even easier to view Ganon as less than human. Rather than being referred to as merely a monster, Calamity Ganon is specifically called a “primal evil” by Impa. The Calamity isn’t even referred to as a He – but as an It. 

Here’s an illustration of a manly Ganondorf though.

It even appears formless through much of the game – an amorphous being of dark shapes.

The Bosses are referred to as “phantoms” of Calamity Ganon by the in-game compendium; a word synonymous with “apparition” or “shadow” – an afterimage. An idea further encouraged by their names in other regions. Even more terrifying: Naydra (the spirit of ice), was covered in malice and described (by Hylia, herself) as possessed. These are the forms Ganon takes – manifesting itself through other beings.

Whatever Ganon is now, it’s clear that It can spread through It’s Malice, corrupting the very environment as well as the organisms that live in it.

Ganon is seldom a proactive force. He is, almost always, a threat which hides in the background, usually appearing towards the end of the game. I like the idea of Ganon as an ever-present, but mostly unseen evil that pervades through Hyrule in the form of something abstract. If the Sheikah Guardians were Hyrule’s antibodies, then Ganon is the disease. It makes Ganon scarier; a villain that can not be destroyed by a powerful sword alone, but by a hero with endless determination.

And what is one of the scariest, most abstract feelings a person can feel? Despair. Hopelessness.

With Ganon as a much more abstract villain, he can still be present without being an active villain throughout the story – but it also allows for other villains to shine, like Veran, Onox, Ghirahim, or Cia – villains that could be much more literal threats before the end of the story.

Veran was a super hot, but super threatening villain. She was also very underrated -- she was very scary.

A Hero with Endless Determination

In Hyrule Historia, Shigeru Miyamoto explains that he “named the protagonist Link because he connects people together. He was supposed to spread the scattered energy of the world through the ages.”

Link is a hero in every sense of the word; a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. 

Link concerns himself with not only the defeat of the big bad, but also the individual plights of the little people. For what other reason might someone reasonably ignore the main quest in favor of the side quests? All of these side quests, I think, serve a much larger role: returning hope to the troubled people of Hyrule. The battle against Ganon is not purely a literal one, but a metaphorical battle against despair itself. Every triumph, regardless of how minor, is a victory against Ganon.

If Ganon is an aspect of hopelessness, then Link must represent unyielding hope.

Though, one must wonder: can one really be perpetually hopeful in the face of despair?

Who is Link?

Link hails from the kingdom of Calatia, which lies across the sea from Hyrule. Calatia, with Queen Seline as it’s monarch, has been left untouched by the Calamity which ravages Hyrule; an entirely idyllic country. This is sure to communicate just what kind of life Link has lived up until the start of the story, and what kind of person she may have been raised to be.

Link has often been portrayed as someone with a kind & soft soul, so I want to be sure to express her character as someone who’s not particularly inclined towards violence – which makes her fate as Hyrule’s champion more disheartening.

The fact that Link is not FROM Hyrule means there can be some ample travel time before the start of her adventure; so Hyrule could see some ruin by the time the story starts.

I spent one of the previous Concept Art & Discussion threads focusing on Link. See that here:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/concept-art-what-26303228

Storytelling

When I think about the kinds of stories that I’ve been most inclined towards writing, they seem to be rather simple, quiet stories. Perhaps even contemplative. In a way, I suppose these are just the kinds of feelings I have when playing The Legend of Zelda. Sometimes I just want to focus on the little moments that happen during the day, or the feelings derived from the environment itself.

Some of those moments don’t sound very exciting though, so I can’t be sure that readers will find them as enjoyable to consume as I might.

I have some stories in mind, and I know how I plan to handle the final battle with Ganon – and also what could potentially happen afterwards. A lot of what happens in between, though, is uncertain. If the bulk of the stories are separate adventures, however, then I could probably just write stories based on whatever I feel like creating without thinking (too much) about the big picture.

Of course, I’ll always refer to the lore books, so everything feels true & consistent with the source material. But I won’t be afraid to deviate from its concepts to express my own take.

Logistics

I’ve given additional thought to the logistics for such a comic, which includes things like format or distribution of content. We previously discussed the idea of webhosting for an ongoing webcomic, but I also expressed not wanting to adhere to a strict weekly schedule. Although it was my 1st idea, it may be an impulsive one. Webhosting needs to be paid, and I’m not entirely convinced that the efforts made to product this comic will cover the costs to host it.

Though, I suppose smackjeeves is technically an option. It works for The Demon Road fan comic. http://demonroad.thewebcomic.com/info/

I’m finding myself more inclined towards Gumroad as of currently, however. Should we run into any legal trouble – which is probably unlikely – it’s probably a safer investment of time too.

Or a Gumroad-like service. Gumroad just appears to be the best option that I am aware of due to my previous experience with it.

Every “issue” could just be a collection of stories. This way, I can continue to produce them for as long as needed, but there’s still ample substance to each release. I don’t have a specific quantity in mind, but maybe 3-4 stories per issues, or even just approximately 40 pages of content. I can also take the time necessary to ensure each release is a good quality one. We can go for as long as needed.

This format could nicely fit the idea of assorted adventures and tales, as the wait between each update won’t interrupt the narrative flow; each issue can easily be it’s own set of stories. 

Of course, some of it’s stories may just be single illustrations or only a few pages long, so I’m not going to be following any HARD rules for how many stories per issue – whatever feels right to me.

Just… Do it?

I often find myself worrying about this idea; as I don’t think many of the stories I’d want to tell are stories many people would find interesting enough to keep up with. I’ve no frame of reference, as I have not told many stories in the last few years. I’d like to make a good comic, but it seems hard.

Can I create something that people will enjoy? Maybe I’m worrying too much about those things – which may very well be true – that I’m just holding myself back from something I should just do for myself? Perhaps the answer is to just jump into it?

Since I don’t know how well these comics will do, I have to make sure they don’t become the ONE thing I produce, but since my hypothetical release schedule would offer me the time necessary to create it, that probably shouldn’t be a problem.

Closing

Anyway, that’s probably enough for now. I feel like I didn’t dive particularly too deep into any one of these subjects, which, I suppose, is different from my usual approach. Though I think it helps to communicate a better idea of the kind of product I envision – though I still have to refine the visual expression of that idea.

I know a lot of people jumped on board of my Patreon in April because I mentioned wanting to do a Female Link comic, and it’s been two months since then. These things do, of course, take time to set up, but I don’t want anyone to feel like I’m neglecting that promise.

Thank you for supporting me! Don’t forget to eat & sleep.