A Little Teaser…
… For something special coming down the line in a few months’ time!
Apologies on the lack of a page this week — we’ll return to our regularly-scheduled program next week for sure. But this week, I wanted to take an opportunity to begin the reveal of a wonderful new project in the world of the Western Deep.
When chapter 2 concludes, Rachel will be taking a short hiatus from the comic — a proper vacation, actually, as the fact of the matter is she has been living and breathing Beyond the Western Deep for over four years now, with weekly page arting for three of those years and very few breaks in between. So, before Rachel returns to work on chapter 3, we will have a brand new artist working on a fun side-story that takes place between those two chapters.
That artist, as many readers might have figured out just by looking at the artwork, is none other than the amazing Jerome Jacinto! We’re all incredibly excited by the work he’s done so far for this side-story, and we can’t wait to share more with you as we get closer to the end of chapter 2!
I won’t be revealing much about this side story in this first post, save for that it will be roughly chapter-length, will feature a completely new cast of characters, take place in a new location within the Four Kingdoms, and will tie directly into events in the main storyline of Beyond the Western Deep following the events of chapter 2. It has a very different tone from the main story, thanks to the different cast of characters and the new location, and the work Jerome has done so far has us very excited about it.
This week, for guest art, I wanted to showcase some incredible artwork from Saraa Luna done a little while back! So, as some of you might have seen, Rachel did some art a little while ago that saw some of the main cast of BWD represented as human characters. Saraa took this as inspiration for a series of pieces portraying both Quinlan and Dakkan’s more human sides!
I honestly don’t know what to say aside from OMG THEY LOOK PERFECT! Quin’s red-headed hair and freckled face (not to mention his nervous posture), Dakkan’s mischievous disposition — it’s all just too perfect. Thank you SO much, Saraa! This is truly some incredible work, and we just love it :)
Rachel definitely deserves a break after everything she’s poured into this comic! I remember when Jerome posted that concept art!
I’m guessing we’re at Nessa and that does look like a Lutren lady. I’m excited for this! I’ll miss Quinlan and Dakkan, but it’s only a temporary parting of ways and we get to meet more lovable characters! Approximately when is chapter two expected to end?
That first picture Sara did gives me an Over the Garden Wall vibe, and that is NOT a bad thing at all. I’m excited about the side-story and the great things this comic is doing! Thank you so much Alex, Rachel, and Jerome!
As nice as Jerome’s color piece is, it’s the B&W concept art that has me really excited here. It really gives a sense of the world and the place and the atmosphere, and even if none of the characters pictured in it make the final side-story, it shows Jerome truly has a grasp on this mythos in a way that he’ll really be able to work with, and I am very eager to see his finished work when it’s ready.
Enjoy the break when it comes, Rachel! (And you too, Teeds!) As someone who has a wont for taking on rather massive and long-running projects myself, the notion of a break is something I can definitely relate to! You two have already given us so much great story and art with “BWD” so far, you’ve firmly got us sticking with you through the downtimes as well as the active times too!
This is certainly a wonderful surprise!
I’ll be honest, It’s going to be sad for me to know that the main storyline is going to be on halt for a while (since it’s just getting so juicy right now) but I completely understand that both you guys have been working to the bone to have these uploaded constantly and definitely deserve a break from it.
But I’m very stoked to see this upcoming additional storyline that will serve as an interquel within the main arc. And the fact that Jerome’s going to be doing it? I can already tell that this will be so full of hype!
And of course, I cant forget Saraa’s wonderful human renditions of Quin and Dak.Their expressions….ah totally nailed it!
Oh gosh, there are a number of things for me to say; I’m not sure where to start, since I’m too busy having a minor heart attack over Jerome illustrating an entire side story akjsdjkads
*cough* Anyway. Rachel deserves a break, especially after all the time, effort, and beautiful work she’s put into this project, and I’m glad to hear she’s taking a sabbatical for her sake. x) You’ve done a lot of work too, Alex, and I’m so happy to be following this amazing story as it unfolds.
I must admit that I was at first concerned when I saw the words “new artist”, but upon learning that it was Jerome I can cay that I am very excited to see his work in action! And I echo the sentiment of those over me in the comments bar: Rachel does deserve a serious break. As a non-artist myself, I can only imagine the mental strain of doing all of this most fantastic artwork. So take as long as you need, Rachel. We’ll sit here like the obedient Canid pups we are and read Jerome’s side story while we wait.
Speaking of the side story, am I the only one who thinks that it will take place in Nessa? I’m excited at the prospect of seeing Vulpin and Felis taking over the majority of the characters in the scenes, and I’m sire that there will still be a few of the Tamian, Lutren, Canid, and Ermehn that we know and love around down there too. Who knows? Janik might even make a token appearance, even though her chunk of the main story won’t come until later.
Finally, regarding the impending end of chapter 2! I was beginning to suspect that it would come to an end soon, mostly based on its being longer than chapter 1 already and growing by the page. This seems like a great place to hit us with the cliffhanger for a couple of months. Even as we bask in the glory of Jerome’s exciting interlude, we’ll be biting our collective nails over the looming fates of our Sunsgrovian trio and the Sratha-din.
All in all, a very exciting time to be a reader of BWD, and I have high hopes for the future!
Oh. I was already excited to see that in the next chapter Dakkan travels to the Vulpin lands and turns into a girl, for some reason.
Awesome fanarts Saraa!
Oh you card!
Singular they is your friend VarVau, it frees you from the clumsy him/her construct.
Thanks for the warm reception! I was a bit nervous of how the idea of having a chunk of the story done by a different person is gonna be recieved by its fans. Without spoiling anything, I will echo what’s been said in the OP. It has a completely different tone from the main story, the kind of tone I enjoy working on :)
I’ll make sure I will not disappoint you guys :)
Jerome, I think you’d have to actively try to disappoint us, and even then I doubt you’d succeed. Go get ’em.
I am so very down for seeing this guest comic. So very down.
Also, a break from a project after 4 years is very much deserved and healthy. Working in one project for so long sounds a bit confining (there’s a better word for that I’m sure, but I can’t find it at the moment). It’s good to step away from it and explore other interests too. Enjoy it!
This news has just made my weekend! And congrats Ms. Rachel, you definitely deserve that vacation, thank you so much for the amazing art and effort you put into this comic, we all appreciate the work and heart you and Alex put into this story!
I’ve been reading this comic for months now but I’ve finally decided to comment just to say Thank You and Congratulations for four years of Western Deep! This fandom is small but we’ll all be here for the two (now three, with Jerome) of you cheering you on from the comments section!
Welcome to our community! I hope to see you around some more, and it’s always great to get new readers!
On an unrelated note, I think that you win the prize for most creative username. ;)
Oh, yo! Glad to see you in the comments here too and not just on tumblr. x) Fun things happen.
I hope she gets an amazing vacation trip! Best wishes and thank you so much for all your hard work.
Hey, is that a bunny person in the black and white market stand sketch?
I don’t see the rabbit person you see, but the individual on the left eating a sandwich looks suspiciously like a raccoon to me.
Dare I hope that one of my favorite species is getting its BWD intro?
The new story has all the races of the Four Kingdoms that have already been introduced :) No rabbit folk, and the guy eating a sandwich is a Polcan, actually!
“All the races that have already been introduced” you say.
No denial that there will ever be additional races, note I.
I see what you did there, Alex . . . sly like a Vulpin . . .
“Nothing gets past you, huh?”
But, yeah, I suppose we’ll have to buy DLCs for extra races. I want the bat-men one!
What is this, Mass Effect 3?
But no, seriously, count me in for the DLCs too.
PLEASE! TAKE MY MONEY!
By Tesque, my first comment and almost all of you guys replied, even Alex oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh
You’re part of this bizarre fandom family; it’s a given. Glad to have you.
Someone’s come in here and knocked everyone’s thumbnails askew!
Are we going to let them get away with this blatant tresspass to chattel?
OH, THE HUMANITY!!!!
. . . nah, I think we’ll be able to deal with it.
I think that might be a thing with the latest version of ComicPress/ComicEasel :) As I’m sure you noticed, things look a little different here — the site has basically been rebuilt from scratch in the update, which was spearheaded by ComicPress creator Frumph himself!
So yeah, I’ll look into that :)
I get the feeling that askew photos would irritate Quinlan alot.
Quinlan, in the modern world, would be the sort who has a perfectly average job in an office building downtown somewhere, and every day, as he walks in the automatic door, he can’t help but notice that it sputters a bit and makes a mildly jerky motion as it opens.
OCD that he kind of is, this bothers him on some primal level. But he also has a good stock of self-control, so he ignores it.
This continues for years. Until one day, he finally loses it and shouts curses at the door, the maintenance staff, and Tesque himself for failing to fix this transgression against his fragile Tamian sanity until the security guards cart him away.
Or maybe not. But at least the above makes for a funny mental image.
“I fixed it! I FINALLY FIXED IT!”
“Mr. Quinlan, sir,, I need you to come with me. You’re making a scene.”
“But… But I FIXED it!”
Dakkan is probably the one who accidentally jarred a heavy cart full of office supplies against the door and caused its spluttering to start with; he flinched and checked for damage before shrugging and continuing upon his merry way. Thankfully, Quinlan isn’t aware of it.
I think a demon ate Veigue and took her place!
Hohoho! I was hoping no-one will notice my screw up with the whole Gravatar thing.
But more importantly, I guess I should state that I’m actually a guy….it’s ok though since it’s hard to tell gender online anyway!
It’s okay, we still love ya anyway. You’re a bright, smiley beam of sunshine that’s hard to put a label to online other than “positive.” On a less silly note, sorry if I ever referred to you with the wrong gender; you wouldn’t be the first person I’ve goofed up with.
I just try to avoid the issue entirely by using usernames.
*Note- If somehow this little comment stays separate (even though I hit reply), this is responding to Saraa.
No you’re fine! I try to avoid such interpretations myself. For all I care, Saraa is a stoat, sillyzealot is a medieval knight, tronn is a robot, I’m Cid from FFTA2, shieldmaiden is Jim from Treasure Planet and Alex and Rachel are secretly Quinlan and Dakkan.
I know I’m a styrofoam cutout.
The conspiracy is unveiled. Next we’ll be saying that Clovis is a misunderstood woobie who was right all along.
Also, am I the only one concerned about the army of styrofoam cutouts in the comments?
We are the Foarg.
Resistance is futile.
You will be assimilated into the Styllective.
Vive la résistance!
Touche.
I do believe VarryV… Vauv…. That guy is one of those characters from the novel he’s writing.
those humanize pics of dak and quin are sooooo cute !!!<3 (sorry thats my boy cute side u just saw :-))
When will the Big Orange Woman Lutran Head disappear and be replaced by the blessed New Page of Newness?
Not that I’ll be sad to see Jerome’s concept art go. Oh no, indeed no. Been checking in to check it out all week. Still loving his take on the inhabitants of this world, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. So, in a nutshell, looking forward to Alex and Rachel’s resumption of the main story, but also looking forward to a lot more from Jerome too. How can we “BWD” fans lose?
We’ll get there when we get there! *bap*
“Dakkan, I swear to Lutra if you say ‘are we there yet?’ one more time-“
Meanwhile Quin has been holding off One-Eye’s sword attack for a whole week and just wants us to “get there”
Nah I’m sure it’s only been a few seconds at most.