Inside the sketchbook · A note from Jonathan

From Sketch to Story

Before ESS Scrutinize became a comic, its crew lived in my sketchbook. Here are two of the crew’s earliest character studies, and a glimpse of how they became the comic.

Lizza · Chief Security Officer

Jonathan’s original pencil character sheet for Chief Security Officer Lizza, showing five poses with an axe, sword, and science-fiction weapons. Her speech bubble asks for her dagger back. — **1. My pencil sketch · 2020**I drew Lizza reporting for duty—and asking for her dagger back. View the full sketch.

Colored version of Jonathan’s Lizza character sheet, with blonde hair, a bright yellow uniform, brown belt and boots, and the same five character poses. — **2. My colored sheet · 2020**I colored this sheet myself in 2020, giving Lizza her yellow uniform and blonde hair. View the full sheet.

3. Into the comic · 2026The dagger line came from my 2020 sketch and made it into strip one, “Fairly Competent.” This finished panel uses AI-generated artwork guided by my character sheets, scripts, and art direction. Read the full strip.

Captain Cain · Keeping morale afloat

Cain’s character sheet already had a crew-morale tracker, motivational posters, and a book of inspiring quotes for stressed intergalactic explorers. The crew’s sense of humor was there from the beginning.

Original pencil character sheet titled Captain Cain: the captain at his desk, sitting in his command chair, opening a bottle, and facing motivational posters, alongside a crew-morale tracker. — **The pencil sketch**My original Captain Cain character sheet, complete with morale notes and a “Hang in there, baby!” poster. View the full sketch.

Colored Captain Cain character sheet showing his blue uniform and white cap, crew-morale tracker, inspirational book, and a questionnaire asking whether puppies or kittens make the crew feel better. — **The colored character sheet**Cain in blue and white, with a very important crew questionnaire: puppies or kittens? View the full sheet.

You can also see Cain beside Lizza in the finished panel above. Read their first outing in “Fairly Competent.”

A crew worth coming back to

In January 2020, I decided to give sketching another chance after stumbling across a simple how-to-draw-manga guide. It brought back memories of drawing little comic strips for my grandma as a kid, starring Hair-do Man—a superhero who could make his hair do anything.

I started with the ESS Scrutinize characters because their relatively simple designs gave me a way to practice and improve. I wrote scripts and sketched a few panels for the crew, but eventually put the project aside. It stayed there for years.

Recently, I returned to those character sheets and scripts to experiment with making a simple comic strip using AI. The drawings you see here are part of that foundation.

How I work with AI

For me, getting useful results means bringing a clear direction: the style, characters, personalities, and a story worth telling. I guide the artwork, choose what works, and revise it. That art direction gives the comic a better chance of staying consistent. AI can also contribute ideas along the way when I give it enough context about where the story is going.

ESS Scrutinize is a silly comic where the laughs matter more than perfect continuity. I revise for clarity and consistency while keeping the crew’s personalities and the humor at the center.

My sketches and scripts are the starting point, and I lean heavily on AI to produce the finished artwork. I work on these projects in my free time; this approach lets me bring long-held ideas to life. Sharing the process matters to me because I want people to keep drawing, making art, and telling their own stories as AI becomes more common.

— Jonathan Morin