"Once Upon a Time in the Future" is a very visual story. Not only does it take place in the future and elsewhere, but it also involves the kind of beings one does not usually see, and takes us to places beyond our expectations into situations we cannot imagine.

As you can imagine, picturing all of this in one's head is difficult. There's only so much eye candy the mind can store. For the rest it needs help. I've tried to draw aspects of the novel -- establishing shots and character profiles -- with little success. An artist I am not.

I take a lot of inspiration from what I hear and see. The novel is influenced by practically every film and TV series and book I've ever seen and read, with all the fat stripped away. I'm able to imagine a lot of it, but sometimes my imagination needs help, and this is where my favourites come in.

When I choose a favourite, it's because it reminds me of something my mind can see. Not exactly, but close enough so I can say "A looks a bit like a combination of B and C with these bits looking like those bits from D, sort of", or something to that effect. For example, the protagonist Claymore somehwat looks like a combination of Nancynismo's Robot 01, Newbie1985's Mecha and Marvel Comics' Iron Man. Another character looks like a cross between Ghost2's Mech, Morriperkele's Robot Thing and Lucasfilm's General Grievous. No allegory for Roy because, frankly, I don't think one exists.

But you get the picture; seeing these things and being able to extrapolate mental images of my characters from them is fantastic. A huge inspirational boost. Thanks a million!

-Hand