THE GARDEN
Except for the Peak Empire, in the world of DELUGE, there is no more dry land. The World Sea covers every inch of the Earth. Because of this, almost every available surface on the many ships and floating communities scattered across the World Sea has been given over to the growing of crops to help ensure the survival of humanity. A perfect example of this is The Garden.
The Garden was once the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Carl Vinson. When it became clear that the Deluge was going to swallow the planet, an Admiral in the U.S. navy decided to gather up as many of the families of the Carl Vinson’s crew as they could and bring them aboard. All of the aircraft were pushed into the steadily-rising sea to make room for live stock, seeds for crops, freshwater and as many supplies as possible. Ten years after the World Sea claimed the Earth, the Carl Vinson was renamed The Garden after it had become a hub for commerce and trade.
The Garden produces a wide variety of crops that are grown on the now-defunct flight deck known as The Field. The interior hangers have been transformed into a massive bazaar where people come to trade and barter for supplies. The Caretakers of The Garden are descendants of the original naval crew. Four massive chains keep The Garden situated over the remains of a once great city, but no one remembers which. The Garden hasn’t moved in over forty years and probably never will again. Because of this, floating piers and quays circle The Garden allowing smaller ships to come and go. The only aircraft that remains on the The Garden is an old Huey helicopter that sits on the flight deck at the furtherest point aft. The main draw of The Garden, beside its crops, is the ship’s nuclear reactor. Using the reactor, the crew of The Garden is able to produce an infinite supply of fresh water from the World Sea. Below you’ll see examples of the design process Sam and I went through to find the look of The Garden. Enjoy!
This is the initial sketch Sam produced of The Garden based on the descriptions in the script for the first issue of the comic as well as the backstory presented above. I can’t tell you how happy I was when Sam sent me this image! All of her work has been exceptional! Sam has an amazing ability to reach into my head and bring everything I’ve been imaging to life!
As I said, it’s like Sam just reached into my head and drew exactly what I’d been imagining for years. Based on her initial sketch, I had some notes which you will see below.
Sam and I then had a great Skype call where we talked about my notes and how to move forward with the look of The Garden. Sam took everything we talked about and produced the final image below! I’m so happy with the look of The Garden and can’t wait for everyone to see everything that happens at this very cool location in the first arc of DELUGE!
I hope you liked this look at how DELUGE is starting to come to life on the page and there’s a lot more to come! Keep an eye here and on my Twitter and Instagram accounts for more updates on DELUGE. Also, make sure to follow Sam Beck on Twitter, Instagram and at her website! Thanks for dropping by! Talk again soon!