My first ever Manga story, Children of the Moon, was a fantasy tale. Here's a page from the second episode featuring a baby dragon (everyone seems to comment on those old show-stealers!).

Part 1 and 2 appeared in Vol. 2, nos. 1 and 2 of the fine Australian Manga anthology Xuan Xuan. Those issues were available here.

Although the first episode was self-contained, I found there was more to say about these characters and their worlds. Then it was going to be a three parter, but eventually turned into four parts (at least). The rest of the story largely hinges on the question of "Why did the dragons do that?"

After deciding to continue, I initially tried out some script ideas for "Part 2" and abandoned them, as the feel was wrong. The first draft started with that dreaded sequel approach, which meant undoing some of what happened at the end of the first episode. Well, that's not right! Also, I introduced a comedic character, and I really think he didn't work, particularly in the middle part of a trilogy (usually a low point). So I went back and started from scratch, and the real story told itself.

The coloured picture at above left is a very small extract from a cover illustration I did to accompany the initial submission (unfortunately not used on the cover, but it does appear in black and white in the issue). It was painted in watercolours. You can view the full picture here. I did an earlier version of this picture, as an idea for a card, and somehow this whole story grew out of that image.

With Xuan Xuan apparently now having ceased (the background might have been the cover of the next issue), the rest of the pages I've done so far haven't seen publication. As Children of the Moon is three quarters finished, I might complete it at some point and publish the whole thing. Ideally, this would be in colour, but that's really time-consuming, so I don't know...

From little things, big things grow... some of them are dragons!

Note: All graphics are © Ian C. Thomas, 2003.

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