In the earliest draft of Memento Mori the Jemini duplicate was to have been killed off at the very beginning, which would have left Scapula in an emotionally volatile state for the events that followed. So many things have changed over the course of this story, however, and one of the biggest changes was not only allowing the double of Jemini to live but to finally grow into an individual of her own.

There came a point in creating SCAPULA when the characters really took over and began dictating what happened in the series; this is why the Sinister Monsters tossed out Scapula after being betrayed and why Scapula’s revenge on Knuckle Sam was much more drastic. These were not events that had originally been written in the rough plot outlines, but choices that came about when I finally began to learn each character’s unique logic, personality, and identity, something that only came to light after writing them for many years. The characters grew as people (maybe not good people, but that’s the fun of fiction), and the stories were from then on guided by their choices and the ensuing actions instead of merely the demands of the plot.

Jemini’s duplicate (who has never been given an official name, but oh well) grew as a character in a way that the original Jemini never quite did; I’m not sure why, but I think it was because of her relationship with Scapula. It didn’t necessarily have to be a romantic one to make her important, but the fact that she could truly interact with him helped a lot (the original Jemini was strictly a rival from the beginning, and the early storylines of Scap and Jem teaming up didn’t quite work as well as I had hoped). Whichever Jemini is the more interesting or entertaining one is up to the reader to decide, although I am genuinely surprised (and pleased) that a character that had originally been considered disposable has instead ended up taking center stage.

Speaking of theatrical terms, the final curtain runs down in our next webcomic update. Before the show ends we have one last number with Scapula, the Sinister Monster Doom Legion, and a number of freakish fans who want to share the big finale. Have yourselves a Merry Christmas tomorrow, and join us for one last hurrah this Sunday!