We are proud to announce that as of June 2011 we have the url-   staracers.com
Shortly the StarAcers Alpha comic-site will be launched at this url and shared with teachers and education consultants across Canada!

Update!

This is the final page of the alpha version. This is a rough color pass and also will require a final render pass as well as a fact check. The HTV module needs to be researched for detail exactness as does the Apollo space suit and the lander. I have rendered these things from images but i have to omit a certain level of detail in order to draw them in our comic book style regardless, i still endeavor to exactness.

This is also the page that leads into the Missions. The in-class lessons portion of the StarAcers school program! We have begun a serious brainstorm for the Missions that will accompany this alpha. There will be updates on that shortly! :)

Here's the colored first page. It's not entirely completed (requires a clean up pass and a shadow layer) but I wanted to share this exciting near completed stage.
--- What you can see in the text, if you compare this page against the version below, is that it remains flexible. Eventually we will output the comic in a number of languages (French to begin with).

In this version of the page, I have changed the last names of the characters to honour some of the world's astronauts. I've taken the last names of CSA's Roberta Bondar, NASA's Ellen Ochoa, and CSA's Mark Garneau.  We are showcasing comic-book versions of Chris Hadfield and Julie Payette in the comic so I wanted to work in some other names. Now nothing is fixed at this point and these last names may change. We're just trying them on for size!

Update!
All the roughs for the Alpha are complete! I am now actively cleaning up the roughs and putting in the text.

Here's the first page to the alpha where we introduce our three main characters. It's a lot of fun to share the process!

Exciting Update!
Here is a finished page, the black and white line work and the original rough sketch of the cover art that will open onto our 9 page Alpha comic. The comic will be launched on our website centralorbit.com in June or July 2011. The comic will also have accompanying Missions and teacher notes. This first offering will be assessed by participating students, teachers and education consultants.  The feedback from these groups will be applied to the 30 page Beta comic-website to be launched September 2011.
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Maybe you notice a name change to the comic? We changed the name from StarBlazers to StarAcers. StarBlazers was always considered a working title and is actually an existing comic book in Japan. We're happy with our new official name. StarAcers ahoy!

Here's a color test of the WebComic "StarBlazers"!

Each astronaut is versed extensively in SCUBA training due to the relevant weightlessness of space. Geoff has written about one dive in particular where he needed to rely on his expert training.

(Click on Image to ENLARGE)
 

An excerpt from "SCUBA Tales" -
"I remember back to that experience, so serene, the glowing algae all around me, the sky filled with stars above.  I’d felt like I was floating adrift in the universe, a very special experience."

(Click Image to ENLARGE)

With the scripts pouring in we have begun the process of sketching out the comic book. Posted is a sample. This is the start of the refinement process. Eventually transforming into a beautifully rendered and vibrantly colored comic page.

Geoff has been writing new and exciting stories about his experiences to become an astronaut. Below are a couple of test sketches with text excerpts from "The Cryostat" and "Learning to Fly". Each story is a chapter comic with an accompanying lesson plan in our curriculum.

Excerpt from "The Cryostat"-
"This night I was working late, testing the microscope.  Through the day, I had gone through testing the electrical connections. Everything was in good working order."

Children (10 and up) will participate in the Astro Notes program as, Star Blazers (renamed StarAcers as of June 2011). A step by step learning system will reward the Star Blazers as they move up their respective "space elevators", through the layers of the atmosphere, and into outer space!