The Clock faces – part 2 by Corey Brotherson

Tinku Ranbir

Tinku Ranbir - Janav's Mother

And so on to our next main character in The Arrival– the dutiful mother, Tinku.

Tinku Ranbir
Mother to the ever-questioning Janav and wife to the stoic Chan, Tinku is a character who has great significance to the story. Her presence is felt throughout both The Arrival and Breakaway, and provides a sense of balance to the two male figures.

Tinku and Janav

Tinku and Janav

It’s somewhat ironic that I initially found Tinku the hardest character to get a bead on in The Arrival.

Many of the stories I’ve written have been said to be “very female” – not just because they feature female lead characters, but also because of the themes and subject matter they contain.  However, when it came to taking a look into what made Tinku work as a character and what made her more distinctive from the rest of the cast, it took me a bit longer to figure out.

It’s too easy to merely say that Tinku is the ‘heart’ of the family – while this is true (in more ways that one), Tinku represents more than the glue of conscience that keeps the Ranbirs together. She’s strong, thoughtful and probably the most socially aware of the family, which are important traits for anyone relocating to a different country, culture and society. As expected, Jen’s artwork conveys all those elements of her character with subtlety, beauty and grace.

Tinku possesses relatively minimal dialogue in The Arrival, but arguably some of the most important lines in the whole story. In some respects, this is as much her tale as it Janav’s…

The Clock faces by Corey Brotherson

So, you’ve seen some of the artwork showing a few of the characters you’ll be joining on the journey that is Clockwork Watch – but who are they? Well, you’ll be finding out soon enough in The Arrival, however there’s no harm in introducing some of the people whose lives will dramatically change before you over the next 12 months…

Janav Ranbir

Janav and his mother

At eight years old, Janav is our doe-eyed gateway into the world of Clockwork Watch, and our touchstone to this strange new and rapidly changing society. He’s headstrong, inquisitive and has a streak of rebelliousness about him, all traits that prove to be hugely important in the events that follow his arrival into England.

Yomi’s original script showed Janav to have a curiosity about many aspects of his new life, which is something Jen captures perfectly in her artwork. Janav’s wide-eyed expressions manage a wonderful sense of naivety and innocence which is something I wanted to explore visually early on in the story. Some sequences I adapted play up this element of childishness to create a sense of comedy, others work to present just how big, strange and scary it is to be taken from your home into a new country, especially one going through a Steampunk revolution.

Early Janav Sketch

Early Janav Sketch

Janav is a far more complex character than initially appears, and there are a lot of elements in Yomi’s original script that all push towards showing fringes of darkness that rests within this little boy. It’s something I was keen on exploring and emphasising from a dramatic point of view, which leads to some important shifts in narrative the closer we get to Janav. When you read The Arrival, see if you can spot the significant changes that mark Janav’s growth – which have huge consequences on the Ranbir family…

The Arrival – First Colour Sneak…

We’re on to a new phase in the production of Clockwork Watch. While you must be aware the entire graphic novel is being hand-drawn, it is also being coloured by hand. Our illustrator Jennie Gyllblad has been busy over the Xmas / New Year break, and here’s what she’s been doing.

Tinku Ranbir

The Arrival - First Colour Sneak

First Look of Colour

The Arrival - First Colour Sneak