You know what’s crazy? I try my best to be accurate when it comes to portraying something in my comic, particularly in terms of science (but that’s just because I’m a nerd). So, of course, I spent a long time today doing research on Betelgeuse and holy cow it was fascinating. The sheer size of that beast is awe-inspiring. If I had drawn Betelgeuse to scale in this comic, you wouldn’t even be able to see a curve on it. That’s how large it is compared to Earth. It’s spherical, sure, but if it were positioned like it is in the last panel it would just look like a wall of burning gas. There would be no curve at all. Something else? Betelgeuse isn’t considered large for it’s class! Look at something like VY Canis Majoris and it is to Betelgeuse what Betelgeuse is to Earth. Space is fascinating and terrifying. I wish I were smart enough to be an astrophysicist, but Reed Richards I am not. Or I guess I could have chosen someone real like…uh…Hank Pym? No he’s not an astrophysicist…uh…hold on gimme a sec…
As an aside, I kind of love the design of the guy asking the question in panel 2 mainly because that’s how I still picture reporters in my head. I wanted to be a news reporter when I was younger until I realized the job description wasn’t just “talk really fast and ask people if they think Capone and his cronies will rule the streets of Chicago forever. Proceed to sprint into phone booth.”
You’ve drawn a burning planet with vertical/upward flames and all in vacuum! So much for scientific accuracy :)
That’s very true. However, certain liberties need to be taken in order to get the point across. Earth didn’t read nearly as well with it having a meltdown due to its small size, but that small size was necessary to insinuate the size of Betelgeuse. I had to trade one for the other. Good eye though.