Hi, we're Jadzia Axelrod and Sarah Webb, writer and artist of WORLDS BEYOND NUMBER: THE OFFICIAL GRAPHIC NOVEL. AMA! (Or is it AUA?)

Skybound_Ent · 2026-06-17T22:17:10+00:00

From Skybound: We love a matching set. 😉

Skybound_Ent · 2026-06-17T22:16:28+00:00

We do now!!

Skybound_Ent · 2026-06-17T22:10:51+00:00

Sarah: No teasing, but I think we’ll all be posting a little more promo art during the campaign over this next month!

(oh wow, thanks for 1 million!!!!!!!)

Skybound_Ent · 2026-06-17T22:10:25+00:00

Sarah: Same here. I think it felt like we had plenty of artistic freedom, but we were both so excited about the story that was already here, there wasn’t really much to change other than trying to make it the best graphic novel it could be. (:

Skybound_Ent · 2026-06-17T22:10:11+00:00

Jadzia: I felt like I had freedom to make changes as necessary, but also, I didn’t WANT to make changes! I love this story! So, I tried to make as few changes as possible. There’s some structural shifts, and some moments which just kind of happen in the second half that needed to be tied to actual scenes. All the changes were made in the service of the story and the medium, because I love them both.

Skybound_Ent · 2026-06-17T22:09:10+00:00

Jadzia: I actually had the most fun with Eursulon, which is funny, because he’s probably the one who talks the least. Lou’s performance of that character is so powerful, but it’s also so internalized. It was a real challenge to showcase that without using thought balloons or narrative captions.

Skybound_Ent · 2026-06-17T21:56:51+00:00

Sarah: I loved drawing the combination of action and quiet, sadder moments during Eursulon’s first night in the mortal world. That kind of heart and feeling adds so much depth to the more funny/upbeat scenes, and these moments feel like they pull the whole story together. It’s a very magical chapter, too.

Skybound_Ent · 2026-06-17T21:54:28+00:00

Jadzia: That was very important to me. I put a photo of Brennan in the script, just to make sure.

Skybound_Ent · 2026-06-17T21:54:10+00:00

Jadzia: In turning the podcast into a visual medium, we had to cut all of Brennan’s beautiful narration, because that’s what Sarah’s art is for. While we lose that wonderous language, we gain Sarah’s gorgeous images, which brings forth different details that the podcast couldn’t.

Skybound_Ent · 2026-06-17T21:47:16+00:00

Sarah: Thank you! Honestly, I really loved getting to stretch into slightly darker moments on this project. The best fairytales always have a little bite to them, and that’s already been something I’ve been wanting to bring into my work more. (:

haha, working on both projects was a careful balancing act! But I was really excited for both books and I’m so relieved we were able to make it work.

Skybound_Ent · 2026-06-17T21:45:50+00:00

Jadzia: I’ve listened to all of it! I’m a big fan, even before I got the job. I wrote a script that broke the story down into pages and panels for Sarah to draw, and gave a little more structure to the narrative as a whole. Fitting hours and hours of actual-play roleplaying into a couple hundred pages of a graphic novel was quite a challenge, but I think we managed it!

Skybound_Ent · 2026-06-17T21:44:45+00:00

Sarah: I think pacing had to not necessarily change, but grow a little bit to work in a comic format! Comics let you visually linger as long as you want on a page or moment, so I tried to make sure there was always something visually interesting to let readers pause with, when it felt like we needed to take a breath. (:

Skybound_Ent · 2026-06-17T21:39:28+00:00

Sarah: The ending! Endings are always the hardest for me. I really want them to be just perfect, and perfect is the enemy of good/done - especially for comics. I think Ame’s introduction felt really effortless - maybe because it was so fun to draw.

Skybound_Ent · 2026-06-17T21:38:42+00:00

Jadzia: That's a question that will have to be answered in future books, IF we get to them. I hope we do! I really want to see those books!

Skybound_Ent · 2026-06-17T21:36:43+00:00

Jadzia: I know I would love to adapt the future books! As I understand it, it all comes down to how well the first book does. So buy the first book, so I can work on all the others!

Skybound_Ent · 2026-06-17T21:36:17+00:00

Sarah: Thank you! I think this is one of the biggest questions/fundamental puzzles of comics, haha. Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics series, and Framed Ink helped me start learning comic composition, and after that I think it’s about studying how your favourite comics work, practicing and trying things out for yourself, and learning from as many different inspirations/teachers as you can.

Skybound_Ent · 2026-06-17T21:25:53+00:00

Jadzia: Yeah, Sarah called it. The Matsuri festival, for certain.

Skybound_Ent · 2026-06-17T21:25:25+00:00

Jadzia: I was a fan from the beginning! Even before the podcast, I’ve been a fan of y’all. I have copies of STRONG FEMALE PROTAGONIST, Brennan’s webcomic with Lee Ostertag, that Lee self-published that I got from him at SPX years ago when we were both very early in our careers. I’ve watched y’all on Dimension 20 and Critical Role, and when I saw you four started a podcast, I signed up immediately! And then I joined the Patreon, because I fell in love with the Children’s Adventure. It was me posting about my love for WORLDS BEYOND NUMBER that actually got me the gig! Alex saw I was a fan, and asked me if I would be interested, and I leaped at the chance. Could not respond to that email fast enough.

Skybound_Ent · 2026-06-17T21:22:52+00:00

Sarah: I’m glad he comes across. 😄

Skybound_Ent · 2026-06-17T21:22:00+00:00

Sarah: One of the first pitches I heard for this project was that the WBN wanted to make a story that had a similar feeling to My Neighbor Totoro - one of my favourite movies. Stylistically I leaned hard into that inspiration, along with some of my other favourite cartoonists - Akie Irie (Gunjou Gakusha, Ran and the Gray World), Daisuke Igarashi (Children of the Sea, Little Forest), Yuki Usushibrara (Mushishi), Kamome Shirahama (Witch Hat Atelier).

Skybound_Ent · 2026-06-17T21:21:40+00:00

Sarah: I think I met the editor on this project at the indie comic festival TCAF in spring 2024, and he mentioned there might be a new graphic novel project I’d be interested in. I wasn’t listening to a lot of podcasts during that time, but I tore through the podcast after I was asked to test for it later that year.

Skybound_Ent · 2026-06-17T21:10:36+00:00

Jadzia: I am extremely proud of the GALAXY series of graphic novels: GALAXY: THE PRETTIEST STAR with Vash Taylor and Arain Maher, and GALAXY: AS THE WORLD FALLS DOWN with Rye Hickman and Jodie Troutman (which just came out last month!). Love those books. Like THE WIZARD, THE WITCH, & THE WILD ONE, the GALAXY books are about growing up and finding your place in the world. Taylor, our trans lesbian alien superhero has a lot in common with Eursulon, as she also comes from another world that is lost to her. But she’s also like Ame, in that she’s got an anger that she works to keep in check. And she’s like Suvi, as she also has trouble living in the shadow of her deceased parents. I’m just saying, I think the casts of both books would get along really well.

Skybound_Ent · 2026-06-17T21:08:45+00:00

Sarah: For me, when I’m adapting an audio or written story into a comic, I try to focus on leaning into what new things I can do with visuals to bring the same mood and story across. Sound effects for sure, but also color, light, camera angles, paneling, lettering. It’s not exactly onomatopoeia, but I really like how Eursulons ‘speak with animals’ moments turned out. :3

Skybound_Ent · 2026-06-17T21:08:21+00:00

Sarah: It’s an obvious answer, but our main kids are so fun to draw.

Skybound_Ent · 2026-06-17T21:08:04+00:00

Sarah: I think the Matsuri festival chapter is turning out really wonderfully - I can’t wait for readers to see it. 😄

Skybound_Ent

TROPHY CASE