Ch. 1 Kellie's Diner | Mcveemansion

I originally was going to make McVee Mansion a comic. That switched to an animatic, then a mash-up of having animated segments and comic pages, then at one point, I thought about simply writing out the story in a more traditional format.

This animatic was for the prologue of the story, where two characters search for Olive, a psychic who can communicate with ghosts. Instead they find Betts, who was going to serve as the narrator for the story. The animatic can be seen here:

https://youtu.be/bdnvEZq7W6g?si=RYssvfvVpxnBgSPQ

Since these pages were just a rough draft, there was still a lot of editing that needed to be done to make it a cohesive story (especially if I ever decide in the future to complete it).

I still really enjoy these rough drawings a lot and wanted to share them (even though they're very rough!), and to more-or-less share the plot of the story.

I won't bother to translate the dialogue, as I felt that a lot of it was clunky or redundant; instead I've given a brief summary of each page to go along with the artwork to tell the main points of the story.

Another side note: I omitted the wings from the characters in these drawings simply to speed up the process of sketching them, and to keep the "clutter" in the pages to a minimum.

Chapter 1: Kellie's Diner

Chapter one focused on Betts meeting Olive at the diner Betts works at, "Kellie's Diner." Here Olive learns about McVee Mansion, and that it's an abandoned mansion in the woods where numerous toons have died or mysteriously disappeared.

At the end of this chapter, Betts offers to join Olive in finding the mansion, and the pair decides to start their search the next day.

1 Olive approaches Kellie's Diner at night, a weary traveler searching for a place to rest and eat. The part I liked the most about this page was the customer in the last panel poking his donut with his used toothpick.	2 Olive meets Gilbert, an easily-agitated old moth who berates her for itching her cheek in his presence.
3 Mr. Vic, the owner of Kellie's Diner, admonishes Gilbert for being rude to Olive.	4 Olive notices a newspaper describing McVee Mansion, a place where numerous disappearances and deaths have occurred.
5 Betts explains to Olive that she doesn't know much about McVee Mansion. Another customer interrupts their conversation, warning them that "(the) mansion is haunted. And cursed!"	6 Olive asks Betts if it's true that the mansion is cursed. Betts replies, "Well...sorta. Toons vanish in the mansion often."
7 Betts doesn't believe in anything supernatural, adding, "I think those trespassers go in--and are bound to fall through the floorboards and break a neck!" She tells Olive not to worry about an old house deep in the woods.	8 She reasons that it can't hurt anyone here. After Betts' confident response, the radio on the counter begins sparking and speaking, asking for help and uttering "McVee Mansion."
9 The radio spooks Mr. Vic, who rushes out of the diner, leaving Betts and Olive alone.	10 Betts and Olive finally introduce themselves, Betts remarking that Olive's name is "Much better than 'Bettina,' anyway."
11 Betts expresses dissatisfaction with her coworkers and boss. The radio sparks to life again, figuratively and literally as it catches fire.	12 Olive tells the radio to "GET OUT OF HERE AND LEAVE US ALONE!" To which the voice in the radio, and the flames, fade away, seemingly listening to her order. A shocked Betts asks, "How did you do that?"
13 Olive asks Betts if she can take the radio from her. Betts, curious, makes a deal: Olive can take the radio if she tells Betts why she wants it.	14 Betts threatens to take the radio home herself, prompting Olive to share the truth: she is able to communicate with ghosts...
15 ...And thinks that the talking from the radio is actually a ghost speaking through it. Betts is skeptical, until a figure rises from the radio.	16 The ghost from the radio pleads for them to find McVee Mansion; but suddenly, the spirit is drained of its energy, vanishing violently and causing a power outage that plunges the diner into darkness.
17 Betts believes Olive's claim of being able to communicate with ghosts, saying that she can take the radio. However, there's not much that can be done through the radio anymore, as it's been damaged during the encounter. Olive decides that she must find McVee Mansion, since that is what the ghost had asked.	18 Betts immediately invites herself onto Olive's mission, not "letting this adventure waltz outta Kellie's Diner without me."
19 Betts admits that she still doesn't believe in ghosts, and Olive tries to warn her of the dangers of investigating a haunted hovel. Betts doesn't take "no" as an answer.	20 "I could use a bit of fun!" Betts exclaims, to which Olive again warns her that "This won't be fun, Bettina. We might get hurt." Betts scoffs, "(hurt) by ghosts? Look, doll, nothing you say is going to stop me!"
21 Betts invites Olive to spend the night at her apartment, and the two head in for the night.

Chapter Two

1

Olive approaches Kellie's Diner at night, a weary traveler searching for a place to rest and eat. The part I liked the most about this page was the customer in the last panel poking his donut with his used toothpick.

2

Olive meets Gilbert, an easily-agitated old moth who berates her for itching her cheek in his presence.

3

Mr. Vic, the owner of Kellie's Diner, admonishes Gilbert for being rude to Olive.

4

Olive notices a newspaper describing McVee Mansion, a place where numerous disappearances and deaths have occurred.

5

Betts explains to Olive that she doesn't know much about McVee Mansion. Another customer interrupts their conversation, warning them that "(the) mansion is haunted. And cursed!"

6

Olive asks Betts if it's true that the mansion is cursed. Betts replies, "Well...sorta. Toons vanish in the mansion often."

7

Betts doesn't believe in anything supernatural, adding, "I think those trespassers go in--and are bound to fall through the floorboards and break a neck!" She tells Olive not to worry about an old house deep in the woods.

8

She reasons that it can't hurt anyone here. After Betts' confident response, the radio on the counter begins sparking and speaking, asking for help and uttering "McVee Mansion."

9

The radio spooks Mr. Vic, who rushes out of the diner, leaving Betts and Olive alone.

10

Betts and Olive finally introduce themselves, Betts remarking that Olive's name is "Much better than 'Bettina,' anyway."

11

Betts expresses dissatisfaction with her coworkers and boss. The radio sparks to life again, figuratively and literally as it catches fire.

12

Olive tells the radio to "GET OUT OF HERE AND LEAVE US ALONE!" To which the voice in the radio, and the flames, fade away, seemingly listening to her order. A shocked Betts asks, "How did you do that?"

13

Olive asks Betts if she can take the radio from her. Betts, curious, makes a deal: Olive can take the radio if she tells Betts why she wants it.

14

Betts threatens to take the radio home herself, prompting Olive to share the truth: she is able to communicate with ghosts...

15

...And thinks that the talking from the radio is actually a ghost speaking through it. Betts is skeptical, until a figure rises from the radio.

16

The ghost from the radio pleads for them to find McVee Mansion; but suddenly, the spirit is drained of its energy, vanishing violently and causing a power outage that plunges the diner into darkness.

17

18

Betts immediately invites herself onto Olive's mission, not "letting this adventure waltz outta Kellie's Diner without me."

19

Betts admits that she still doesn't believe in ghosts, and Olive tries to warn her of the dangers of investigating a haunted hovel. Betts doesn't take "no" as an answer.

20

"I could use a bit of fun!" Betts exclaims, to which Olive again warns her that "This won't be fun, Bettina. We might get hurt." Betts scoffs, "(hurt) by ghosts? Look, doll, nothing you say is going to stop me!"

21

Betts invites Olive to spend the night at her apartment, and the two head in for the night.