Page 1031…
Thus ends our SECOND week back.
I REALLY enjoyed writing this week’s pages. I hope you enjoyed reading them.
I’m still trying to push my artistic skills. Trying to really get a more dramatic sense of lighting. Push the poses. And of course create mood with color.
It’s what keeps me going. To find something more I can do to make this story better. It’s so much fun.
Thanks as always for being here for every little tweak of a texture or adjustment of lights.
I can’t tell you how much it means to me.
Please have a wonderful weekend. And I look forward to seeing you all on Monday!
Scott
PS:
Would still love to see more of you on the Facebook page. Please help me get to 1,000 fans.
So just what is Nic’s will?
Cool lighting of Nic’s eyes with the reflections. Definitely didn’t see that in earlier chapters.
Nic’s Will goes like this:
I, Nicodemous, ruler of all Dreamland, being of sound mind an body, crushed all of my enemies while I was alive. Therefore, I see no reason to leave anything to anyone. Because of course, I will own and control everything and everyone while I am alive, and I will not permit anything to exist that threatens me. I will continue to live forever and ever, etc. etc.
If you don’t like it, bite me.
I’d like to see you try!
Oh, the DRAMA, I TELL YOU, the drAMa!!! 😛
Love the reflection in the eyes, love the ‘im-so-concentrated-im-zoning-you-out-dude’ look in Nastajia’s face, and the glow effect is actually pretty… dunno, I can imagine an animated Dreamland movie with this secuence (just came naturally… *drools*).
Oh, Nick?
You’re about to be knocked silly.
😀 Enjoy! [muahahahahaha!]
Suspense! You must purposely time weeks to end on cliffhangers, don’t you? 🙂
I fear he might have figured it out… the arrow plan that is.
I can’t remember who said yesterday that they were betting you’d leave us with an arrow and a cliffhanger, but they sure called it!
Also, Nick monologuing reminds me of the Incredibles movie, where all of the bad guys are always doing that. Kind of made me giggle (I KNOW, I’m supposed to take it seriously). It would be really awesome if, since we know arrows can’t generally pierce dragonhide (although that’s a shiny arrow and just might), she’d use it to shoot that amulet right out of his hand. Also the look on Nastajia’s face is great!
go go go! Its time this dragon gets what he is trading for. ^^
have a nice weekend, Scott!
Hmm… what will she go for? The heart? The snout? The wings? Or the amulet itself?
Ah… the suspense. I wonder what will make the most sense.
I don’t know if he purposely does that or if a lot of page just happen to be a cliffhangers anyway if the comic was stopped there for a certain amount of time. I noticed that most pages could be one (the pages with Nick monologuing not really included, however…).
I would go for the hand that holds the amulet … But if there’s nobody near to grab the amulet falling from Nick’s hands, it would be useless … I think Nick could promptly regain its possession in a few seconds …
I have to say I’m very impressed with how you did the lighting and Nic’s eyes. The General area seems very realistic to me.
She’s totally going for the eye. Always go for the eye. ^_^
not very observant right now, is he? shouldn’t he expect an ambush like that or is he confident enough that the group fears him or that even if they attack he’s invincible? ^^;
although I doubt that he’ll be seriously “damaged” this “early” on, that attitude might just be a mistake. 🙂
Well, it seems that Nicodemus is done paraphrasing Machiavelli. IT’s time for him to FEEL THE PAIN.
“[She] shouted out loud as the fires got free,
‘Take a look at my arrow, it’s the last thing you’ll see!!'” (Randal of Bagon)
I surely enjoyed this week. It was incredibly tense. The fact that Julius Ceasar was brought into Dreamlands history gave it a chilling debth. I personally love stuff like that. You can simply hear the silence and how the cracking fire is sounding between the silences. It sure sets the right terrifying mood. Cool detail on the arrows light in the two last pictures!
Have a good weekend everyone =)
Really now? Doesn’t he know it’s suicide to boast when your enemies are clearly armed and plotting your demise?
nic’s speech went on way too long for the target print audience, i’m afraid…the art is looking great, but the speech went on too long for me as well. i worked for pearson publishing – and have been an editor for 10 years, but not for kids’ books, but this seems glaring to me. it loses its dramatic flair after so many pages…i would cut that down for the final print version, in half even. i do think it’s sweet that you were inspired by your readers for some of it though!
He’s got his mouth open, it’s an invitation…. arrow right through the back of the throat. /nod.
Oooh, here it comes! See, I knew there’d be an arrow shot. My money is on the amulet itself. I’m also betting those elven arrows don’t glow like that just to be pretty.
The look on Nastajia’s face is priceless! “Enough monologing already!” And Felicity, too. “Why did you wait so long to take a shot?”
About time someone shut him up!
Love the strip, keep up the great work!
scott love the look on nastaja’s face and the glow of the arrow. keep up the good work.
In the words of Minsc: “go for the eyes Boo…go for the eyes!”
Good luck Nastajia.
Guys, my cat ran off sometime last night, can you please pray he comes back? I don’t know why he didn’t come back this morning, and the last time he spent the night outside, he had half his tail ripped off.
*ROFL* loved that game!!!
How innovative!
That was a great way to cap a diatribe. Doom and Magneto would be proud. But what’s with Nastajia going off script?? Or did she get suckered into action by Nic? Hmmmmmm
sorry to hear that. 🙁 I hope he comes back okay. He’s in my thoughts & prayers that he finds his way home.
I’ve enjoyed this look into Nic’s reasonings and of course he knows what’s best for Dreamland. He’s the Dragon don’t you know. They always know whats best for everyone. ;P
Poor cat and owner(s) have my prayer.
I absolutely agree!
Thanks for noticing. I had to paint that in.
🙂
I promise. It’s all random. I try to make every day a bit of a cliffhanger of sorts.
When I cut up my script…I look for good “end points” for each page.
That’s all.
No. I had the Incredibles in mind while writing this.
It’s part of the fun writing these characters.
They love the sound of their own voices.
git r’ done, Staj~
Thanks Michelle!
I’ll look at it when going over the pages for Book 5. But I don’t know if 10 pages of monologue for me is the same as others. I tend not to have a LOT of dialog per panel. So most writers would have had all of this in 3 pages for sure. But the panels get cramped.
I look at these more like “beats of time”. Coming from animation…they’re meant to read more like a movie…and less like a “traditional comic”.
So you can dwell on the feelings Nastajia’s going through. The emphasis on certain words that hint to more going on in the story later.
Things like that.
That’s my PLAN at least. I’ll see if it works…ha ha.
Thanks again for the wonderful advice.
So sorry to hear that.
Praying he comes home soon.
See what Orion tells her 2 pages ago.
🙂
You have my prayers, as well.
And so Nastajia must hold the arrow until Monday! XD
Incredible work on the eye of the dragon, and it was indeed a wonderful week, opening the new chapter, Scott!
*heh heh heh* I can’t wait to see the look on Nic’s face when Staj’s arrow comes zinging out of the night.
And mine.
Yeah, but Staj and the rest should be getting ready to beat feet as soon as the shot is fired. They should remember one of the Marine Corps survival rules: tracers work both ways!
😉
Don’t forget to VOTE! http://topwebcomics.com/vote/4274/default.aspx
Have a good weekend!
Not if he’s too surprised to respond to it before Alex can fly over and grab it. After that, enter the Scooby-Doo chase scene. 😉
To the pain!
Dr. Doom, Magneto, and don’t forget Mr. Sinister or Apocalypse. 😀
AHAHAHAHA! With Orion cautioning Alex, I thought Orion meant like, later, after all the burning is over. I’m totally bugging like Willie on the rope bridge just before Indy starts chopping at it. Similarly great plan if not a bit crazy. Go Nastajia!
Alex looks drunk lol. I love this comic so much. I don’t care what anyone says I love the long speech from Nic. This seems like a movie or cartoon.
I’ve got a bad feeling Nic was just waiting for something like this. He knew they were out there, so he positioned himself right where he’d be a big ol’ target for them, practically daring them to take a shot. Once they do he’ll have a good bead on their location, and with Staj’s glowy arrow he may already have spotted them. Everyone get ready to scatter!
I don’t think the monologue is too long at all, _especially_ for print readers. When you have the pages all together, they go by very quickly. And there’s some very excellent art to accompany each brief bubble.
Alex and Felicia’s expressions seem strange on this page. They look like they’re watching a play or professional production–not some jerk who has screwed around with their lives. Alex has been pretty pissed these last few pages, it’d seem like that’d still be reflected on his face. I imagine Felicia, too, would be angry, or maybe scared–something.
…or MODOK, or Dormammu, or Mephisto, or Loki…
word
Hopefully, Nickie won’t expect Taja’s arrow to come flying at him, it’ll spear him in the eye, he’ll yell in AGONY, Taja will send another arrow up his nasal cavity to his brain, Lex will catch the amulet before it falls, and they’ll head off to fins the other tablets while the centaurs will have a life-time supply of dragon-meat…
Maybe I’m hoping for too much =)
What’s going through Nickie’s brain (other than Taja’s arrow)-
“Power! With this amulet, I have unlimited power! … I do what must be done, Alexander Carter. I do not hesitate. I show no mercy. Only then will I have the power to roast you alive! MUA-HA-HA-HA!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Nickie is suffering from a lethal case of “jerkitis.”
There’s gonna be a Fellowship of the Ring cave-troll moment coming up… but, then of course, Lex and Taja would have to snog for the next nine chapters, or something. *blech*
Query: What is the centaur leader’s name again? I’m pretty sure it’s not Chiron, ’cause that’s in PJ+O, I think…
oops, typo… it’s “find the other tablets,” not “fins” =)
Red Skull is a pretty awesome bad guy, as far as long winded zealots go.
Ah yes. to the pain. the surefire way to scare ANY egotistic leader into tying himself to a chair 😀
And the long monologue isn’t bad, because its a daily strip. now if you were a two day updater, even a three, the speech would have gotten long and tedious. Wonderful work Scott as always.
Heh, went into a comic shop randomly this weekend. Say a Paddington plushie. The owner said that I was one of the few people who look at it and knew what it was instantly. He and I quite enjoy This comic.
LOL! That`s awesome
I absolutely love the lighting on this page, esp. the light that comes off Nastajia`s arrow (though it might warn Nic, oh well….he`s too busy monologing anyway) 😀 The reflection on Nicodemus` eye is wonderful too, this very nice finishing touches give the pages all that bit more. 🙂 Great work!!
Nastajia is a certified badass.
Totally keep all of the monologue Scott, it not that long and it show how evil Nick really is. I suggest to Nastajia to attack its weak point for massive damage but that’s just me. She has the whole weekend to set up the perfect shot so I hope she gets it! Ahhh… there’s your point Nick, great! Now we can shoot you :D. I love the lighting from the arrow and the reflection of Nicodemus eye, really amazing!
Just two questions:
What are Elven arrows made of?
How well do they pierce dragon-scales?
Agree!
Nick, didn’t humans like Hitler, Stalin & Mao also say such short-lived words? Enjoy your self-important moment in the fiery glow of your own making while the fire lasts….
I hate to disagree with you, with you being the author and all, but I still think Nic is stalling for the fires to go down and his night vision to return.
In the military, this kind of baiting maneuver that turns out poorly is called a “tactical error.”
I’ll go with my favorite monologues as coming from “Sitter,” who explained to Kari McKeen that having both “B” and “S” on his super suit would just lead to confusion!
Hate to nitpick, but the scale section below and behind Nic’s eye has exactly the same reflections on the entire section, despite the fact that it apparently morphs through a 90 degree turn. Plus that section has a glaring transition to the scale section in front of it. Some of the other scale sections have a gradual change in reflectivity.
Well yeah. But that makes me sound much smarter than I really am.
🙂
You, sir, have a wonderful comic shop.
🙂
I love the one-two between ‘Tas and Dan.. And it is absolutely obvious that Felis’ is knowing what’s going to happen…
I also like that ol’Nik’ is, at last, looking truly evil…
As for endless monologues, Apocalypse would fit the bill! He always gets off on these “In History Bla Bla Bla.-rants. And then, Colossus clobbers him good 😆 Ol’Nik’ s blabbering sounds suspiciously like Apocalypse..lessee: Ancient power monger, master manipulator, made kingdoms fall..yup!Nicodemus is just Apocalypse with scales and big feet…
Sheesh..I should get a life 😛
Darn, mixed up Dan and Alex again.. must be Dan’s girlfriend that makes me jealous of him and addles my brain…
Exactly (hope this works..), in print it will be just 2 spreads and 1 single page..not too much for a great “speech before demise”
There might be a slight difference, too, between waiting a day between pages (or even website loading) and reading it at your own, probably frantic ‘what-happens-next?!’ pace. Then when it comes out in print it won’t be so bad, you know what I’m saying?
It’s about time somebody started trying to shut him up! X3
Absolutely love Nastajia’s expressions and the way you use color!!! But I do have to say, even if she’s wearing armor, that girl is about to snap herself SO HARD in the chest– totally painful! It is a problem for some female archers; if you hold your arm straight so that you can aim properly and draw as far as Nastajia’s drawing, bits kind of get in the way. Obviously the Amazons took extreme measures to deal with the problem, but I never knew what to do until another lady archer showed me that if you’re standing like Nastajia is and shift your weight way over to your right foot so that you can relax your left knee and your left hip drops, it moves your chest just below the string: problem solved! I don’t know if this is proper archery technique for women or just a trick for dealing with a specific problem if you don’t have a flattening chest protector, but it definitely works 🙂
I can’t wait to see what happens!!! Get ‘im, Nastajia! 😀 😀 😀
And he starts MONOLOGUING! He has this like prepared speech about how feeble i am compared to him, how inevitable my defeat is, how the world will soon be his! yada yada yada
Nic’s monolog wasn’t too long for my taste; the pacing of these bits always changes when they’re put together into a book and you can just turn the pages. It’s a little hard to judge one day at a time. Meanwhile, here’s a few things that occur to me to speculate about:
1) Now, Nicodemus may know that Alex, Nastajia, and the rest of the crew are out there; we’ve had hints that Nicodemus has some sensing abilities that are exceptional. But it’s not a given – he could be bluffing, hoping for a response. We won’t know if he really knows they are there until they reveal themselves – and maybe not even then.
2) Here’s something else to consider about the situation. Nicodemus has been flying around making a lot of noise and putting on a big fireworks display. He may also be pitching his words to whatever other people may be out there in the dark, unseen but watching him, because he could expect to have drawn a crowd with his antics. This may be more than a monolog – he may also be propagandizing.
3) It looks like Nastajia is about to let fly with an arrow. Is she shooting to knock the amulet away, to force Nicodemus to react so he has to drop it, or is she going to try to destroy it? Or is she aiming for something else?
4) This would be a really sneaky time for Nic’s nightmare beasts to drop on them from behind while they are focused on Nicodemus. (I’m thinking of the scene from The Wizard of Oz, where the Scarecrow, the Tinman, and the Cowardly Lion are lurking outside the witch’s castle, and three of her guards attack them from the rear while they are watching her troops march back and forth.)
5) It would be nice to see Nicodemus get some kind of comeuppance here. Pride goeth and all that. He’s due.
“Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” Henry “Hank” McCoy
That quote is from the 19th century.
While I do like the colors, lighting and effect, including for the arrow, one aspect of the image causes trouble in an irksome sort of way. Isn’t the arrow on the wrong side of the bow? One doesn’t normally thread an arrow in between the string and the bow. For a bow held vertically by the left hand, fitting an arrow with the right would normally place it on the right side of the bow, would it not? So it makes the picture feel off to me, and distracts and detracts from the otherwise artistic excellence.
I just wanted to commend you on this fantastic CG comic…. It’s got a really great quality and the characters are very stylized, expressive and full of personality. The renders are excellent as well, from the flame effects to the soft glow and the changes in lighting. I’m still skimming thru the comics just to look at the artwork, I do think maybe you’re using a bit too much bloom in the day-time scenes, it looks washed out… But I can’t comment on the plot, I wanna read it from start to finish. Thumbs up on the artwork though!
Sorry Scott, I’m too young to create and edit a Facebook account
Oh yeah and the cat, I REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY really hope she or he comes home. I’m a BIG BIG BIG BIG BIG BIG lover of animals so that’s why I put REALLY and BIG into Caps lock and repeated it 6 times
Well, if it were a normal bow and with a physical arrow then I would say that the arrow is indeed drawn on the wrong side of the bow; however, this arrow seems to appear magically as the string is drawn back, so it may be a, ah, “design feature” that does not affect the performance of this particular weapon.
That is great to know, Callithya.
Thank you.
I’ve been trying to improve her form since the first time we showed her in Chapter 3.
I’ve been getting a lot of advice from archers. I DID have to paint out the string as it was going through her breast. So I was wondering about how female archers do this as well.
Any and all advice on this is greatly appreciated.
Really?
I googled TONS of images and EVERY one of them the arrow rested on the hand like that.
Did I just get unlucky?
We’re going to need a bigger chair.
The lighting effects are really well done, from the fires light and shadows to the reflection in Nics eye to the light cast from the arrow, well done Scott!
That’s a common elvish technique, one that humans rarely use but most elves do it just like you drew it. Besides, that’s how Legolas does it, so it’s gotta be the right way.
And comicpress did some freaky stuff to my ‘a href’, so the new window doesn’t open, sorry about that chief.
I’m sorry — I think I was just mistaken. “Arrows are shot from the left side of the bow (right banded [sic] archers), …”. http://www.fix.net/~ggoven/p20.html
I think what threw me was trying to imagine quickly loading an arrow for rapid fire — can’t picture anyone rapidly threading the arrow between bow and string. But if one tilts the bow so the back of the holding hand is on top (e.g. Legolas picture), one could lay the arrow quickly onto the upper side of the bow (left side for right handers).
My apologies again for casting any doubt on your researched pose.
p.s. Just for interest sake, it seems that the most important factor for choosing whether to hold the bow with the left hand vs. the right is actually not whether you are right vs. left hand dominant. Rather, some indicate it is more important to discover which eye is your dominant eye so that is given the best position for aiming.
Power corrupts. Absolute power is kinda nifty.
Menacing Monologue, Beautiful Art, and some Kick-ass (for Somebody at least…) Coming up on Monday!
Maybe a solution to the arrow problem would be to have Natassja hold the bow horizontally instead of vertically, Canadian First Nations (“Native”) Style? Read somewhere that they got pegged with the English vertical style erroneously in art.
Probably not so good in large, rank-and-file masses of troops (dude! Your bow-tip just whacked me in the *eye*!), but for single fighters or hunters, like Natassja, it could work fine.
Love the new, Epic tone and choice of visuals, Scott.
hehe I like the girls’ expressions on panel 2 =) And Nic’s glittery eye in the last panel ^___^
the amulet of course he cant trake the tablets if the thing that which tracks them is destroyed
OMG I found this last night and I am already to this point and hooked. OMG OMG. I will spend days going back and admiring the artwork and nuances.
I couldn’t agree more on the comparison between Nicodemus and Apocalypse!
Also, good call Albone on Red Skull. I’d completely forgotten about his endless monologuing with Captain America. Dr. Oct can monologue a good deal from time to time, too. From the DC Universe, I think I’d have to go with Mad Hatter, Joker, and Riddler as my favorite monologue-ers.
Yeah, I couldn’t tell you who originally said that, but Beast was just quoting from his million dollar collection of philosophy quotes.
To quote a Demotivator showing a lightning bolt hitting power lines, “Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. But, it absolutely rocks, too!!”
I was able to open it. I just right clicked, opened in new tab.
Thank you all!
And welcome new readers!
🙂
You forgot “eternal”. In the eternal words of Minsc.
Oh come on guys! Do you REALLY believe that Nastajia and Orion would botch something like this, with hitting Nick? I mean come on! The only thing that is known to have damaged him is being kept back because it is too soon! This Three panel draw and aim scene is because Nastajia is going to hit the bloody amulet! This will be a shot worth for the bards! Not a chance for a critical strike with a dragon slaying arrow +5!!!
Does Felicity seem a bit too pleased to anyone else? No? Just me?
The arrow is on the side usually used by right-handed archers. I’ve seen it done both ways, once in a while you get someone who cants the bow slightly to the left, so that the arrow won’t stay in place if it’s on the “correct” side. But what you’ve got here is considered good form.
Now, what would worry me is those wide-flaring gloves catching the string.
The amulet is toast! And if this were my wife’s game, it would explode quite nicely.
Ally: Nastasja. Activate: ‘Aim’ mode
I have 2 questions for you Scott?
1. Why can’t Nick see Nastajia’s arrow of light in the darkness?
2. Can you please give nick a tongue? (yes, i know, this is more a request) your visuals keep continuing to impress and grow but without a tongue on nick on that closeup he somehow looses his believability and in that, to me a t least, a bit of the fear that Nick gives off. Thanks
The bird is the word!
The Centaur leader is Orion. And yes, Chiron is in PJO. Love that series to DEATH
I’m reading it now straight through as these are already “old” pages and I swept along very quickly through the dialog, the change of your sort of “frame” on what Nic is or means changes so much it’s fascinating.
if anything I’d trim a page or 2 max, leaving of course the Caesar/Machiavelli edge, the Homer quote of men and leaves.
I’ve been reading many many pages of this thing everyday. it’s really going to suck when I hit the end of the archives 🙁
I see an Arrow of Monologue-Interruption +5 😀
… and now I need to clean up my monitor and keyboard due to reading a certain person’s post while chugging down my iced coffee! ;p