Chapter 2: Page 13
Last week we talked a little bit about truth and history, particularly the notion that written history can vary from actual events to the point where fiction is taken as fact. This week, that theme becomes a bit more prevalent, particularly with Dakkan’s observation that there are “too many stories” disparaging the Ermehn for them all to be false. However, assuming some are true, which ones?
And what of Kenosh’s side? These potential misconceptions stem from old rivalries and conflicts well over a hundred years old, but how much falls on the current generations to right the wrongs of the past? Is that even possible with the image the Ermehn have in the lower four kingdoms in contemporary society? Have the Ermehn done anything to deserve a revised history?
(Gotta love Quin’s awkward discomfort.)
So there have been two wars in recent history? That makes me wonder how far apart they were, which one led to the Ermehn being forced into the waste (the first at least destroyed their old homes, but they could have been somewhere else after that), and how long before this story both wars occurred.
Oh dear, this may open up a whole other can of dysfunction worms…
Dakkan seems to be ok with the idea of a third war breaking out. He hasn’t experienced it personally, but he grew up with his father being a big war hero so who can blame him if he wants to emulate him?
Or maybe he’s just speciest.
Also, how you ended up redrawing the first panel? While the current one isn’t bad, I still like the original sketch better.
Alex or Rachel, could you answer this please? I’m genuinely curious about what kind of decision making goes into writing a comic.
Hey Tronn! In the original draft of the page, Quin’s expression seemed to call a bit more towards surprise or shock, especially since he’s looking at Kenosh there. We changed it a little late in the process, but the thinking behind it was that Quin would be less shocked and more contemplative. Kenosh’s line demands reflection, especially from somebody who’s lived in Sunsgrove their whole life. So we decided that Quin would be thinking heavily on Kenosh’s take on past events, maybe even looking a bit embarrassed that he never considered that viewpoint before.
Hope that answers your question! :)
Ah yes, I didn’t realize that this was a question rather than an offered opinion. I try not to be the kind of person that has to challenge everything that isn’t pure praise, so I was going to leave it be. But yeah, it’s as Alex said – the other expression looked nice, but made Quin seem more naive than even he should be. Guilty reflection seemed to work a bit better.
Thank you both! I find behind-the-scenes information fascinating, since as an audience member I usually see only the finished piece, not the work that goes into producing it.
Quin is third-wheeling in the middle of an awkward family argument. Not sure which is worse– to be involved, or watch. Dakkan and Kenosh reeeally didn’t have the best relationship after Dakkan’s mother disappeared from the picture, did they?
At any rate, when the past stretches forth to the future, I think it’s in someone’s best interest to try and correct the current situation, but not become fixated or biased about the past. Which is much, much easier said than done. Can’t be blamed for what your ancestors did, but you have to acknowledge where it puts you in society and what privileges it gives you, as well as what responsibility it does. Kenosh seems more fixated along this view than Dakkan.
“This is why mom left us for Tarka!”
…so sorry
“You ain’t my real dad!”
…not sorry at all.
“You liar; I know it’s Mudge!”
…well, good; we cancel each other out, then.
Oh please, like Mudge would be able to leave Jon-Tom for a woman ina dedicated relationship :P
Mudge never /left/ anyone, per say, because he never bothered to stay in the first place. And Weegee would beat him with a frying pan. But oi, if anyone’s got scores of ottery illegitimate children, it’s Mudge.
(side note, let me hug you; you know who Mudge and Jon-Tom are. ;_;)
Huh, I’m breaking out in hives, I wonder wha-
Oh.
“per se“
Sorry. Old bad habit of mine. Any way to cure your hives, or are you going to continue breaking out in them out of sheer incorrect spelling repulsion?
Don’t worry about it, I’ll just fortify myself by reading Youtube comments and I’m right as rain in no time.
Google, I summon thee! Come to my aid and explain what these folks are talking about!
http://bit.ly/1gUtIw4 Let me get that for you.
I had already summoned mighty and all-knowing Goo-gle, to tell me about that fantasy story, but thank you!
Speaking of fantasy stories, did the Alex and Rachel dinamic duo, make your fan story canon yet?
You are welcome, mighty summoner of Google!
No, which is quite alright. It’s a fan story for a reason. VarVau and I enjoyed expanding the BWD universe in our own different and admiring ways, but it’s meant to be just another form of non-canon gift art.
Squeak squeak; clean windows with every beating.
“Luigi, look! It’s Weegee!”
I’m not sorry!
That is a really badass father-and-son confrontation down in the bottom panel, especially with the sun shining in between them. I think it’s the first of its kind in BTWD. And poor Quin can do nothing but watch uncomfortably from the sidelines. Family arguments can get heated indeed… and for some reason, while I’m sure Quin and Caldus had a lot of arguments, they mostly consisted of his grandfather shouting at him with him standing silent and ashamed in front of him.
The issue of exactly what happened during the Canid-Ermehn wars still lingers. Apparently, there hasn’t just been one war between them, but several. I wasn’t sure of this before so I hope we find out more about it in the coming pages. And of course, there’s the issue of just how guilty or innocent the Ermehn actually were. Sometimes I swear you did certain pages in response to reader comments…
And yes, what happened to Dakkan’s mother? I’m going to go out on a limb and say she’s probably dead, but it would be an interesting twist if it turned out she DID leave her husband and son – that doesn’t happen too often in these kind of stories.
Do we definitely know that Dakkan’s mother is not part of his life? I must have missed that detail. I just assumed she was back home doing her own thing.
That is possible, and we may all be startled when Dakkan and Kenosh go home, and there’s some older otter lady there who tries to smooth over things with Dakkan and patiently listens to Kenosh’s grumbling and calls him out on it now and then.
But seeing she hasn’t been mentioned once, not even in passing, and Quinlan and Dakkan get along so well because neither of them really had proper families (ie they had older father-ish figures who were focused on military more than anything else)?She’s probably either dead or left them. Or perhaps a creative choice C that’s worse or equally bad. Take your pick.
She followed her calling and left her family to hike up north and become an itinerant fish herder. She still loves them, though, and sends them letters on a homing salmon whenever she can.
The homing salmon often communicate via telepathic dreams, though sometimes, the current socioeconomic treewalker crises holds them up. It’s a delicate form of mail.
Heaven help us, it’s In-jokeception.
The information these salmons posses can also be easily communicated via eating them. You could say it makes it easier to…. digest! :D
There are very few voluntary salmons on that line of work, though.
Quite. It’s a very demanding job in the few minutes before the blade comes down and swiftly ends their lives. Much like the career of an Ermehn senator/guardian, actually.
You could say it takes a lot of guts to do.
At least the scales are even.
They can now pick their roe-n paths.
YOU GUYS X)
^^ This! XD
Well, if we ever make too many fish puns…
let minnow.
Hey, I’m not fin-ished yet! There’s something fishy about your attitude!
But nevermind that! Got any threes?
Wow, the Ermehim sounds like some civilization that were considered savages in the story and one nation is attacking them for some reason. Of course though, in that story they got the happy ending where they held them off and beaten them. I think the Ermehim were once a simple group of creatures that were nice until the wars started and now, they are like a wounded animal that’s backed into a corner and have no choice but to become savages.
The sketches posted between chapters have lots of backstory on them, as well as the authors’ notes all throughout the first chapter.
Hmm.. By the same token, shouldn’t Dakkan stop worrying about what the Ermehn ancestors did as well?
You are spiritually a fictional squirrel; embrace your fate.
Message from the “future”… I don’t like how much current events are starting to look like this