Chapter 2: Page 46
This week, we’ve quite a post for you! Really, it’s quite something. It’s got it all! Behind-the-scenes thumbnails, some amazing guest art, and the first-ever glimpse of the actual physical Beyond the Western Deep: Volume 1 limited edition hardcover!
First up, the page!
Trivia! In the original draft of the script, this was actually when Chapter 2 ended. However, with the gift of foresight that comes from having a LOT of the future script in a done-to-sorta-done state, we decided fairly recently that Chapter 2 would greatly benefit from being longer. Actually, Chapter 2 will ultimately encompass about two chapters’-worth of script material, and all the wonderful twists and turns that come with such things. By our estimates, Chapter 2 will be about 1.5-2x longer than Chapter 1.
Kenosh and co. are finding themselves in an escalating precarious situation thanks to Clovis’ rough interpretation of the Treaty of Cenolau. With the 100-year anniversary of the inciting incident of World War I taking place today, it’s important to remember the implications that something as simple as a piece of paper can have. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia in the aftermath of Franz Ferdinand’s murder, but Serbia was allied with Russia; so when Russia mobilized, that triggered Germany’s response to protect Austria-Hungary, which involved invading France to prevent the Western powers from becoming a threat. So then Germany declared war on France, then declared war on Belgium. Then Britain declared war on Germany.
Yikes.
We have some incredible guest art this week from a newcomer to the world of the Western Deep! Rito Sternbeck (DA account link) has drawn up a wonderful piece of Kenosh, Dakkan, and Quinlan en route to Deltrada, trekking northward with their packs and trying really hard not to get on each others’ nerves (which, as we saw early in Chapter 2, can be a difficult thing sometimes with this trio)!
Thank you so much for the awesome artwork, Rito! I always love seeing the main cast in ordinary situations, like this traveling scene. Some of the most fun dialog to write comes from the characters just bouncing off one another when they’ve got nothing better to do, so something as simple as showing all three characters walking across a massive valley gets me thinking about what the characters are talking about — like, why is Dakkan leaning forward there? He must be making a pretty big point to Kenosh, though Kenosh looks like he’s trying to ignore Dak. And Quin is being… well, Quin, I suppose — holding back a bit to see how it unfolds!
I have another fun announcement this week to share, which I already revealed at the top of this post actually — the books! Yes, the initial expedited shipment of 50 hardcovers arrived just a couple days ago and are primed and ready to be sold at Boston Comic Con in early August. I took pictures, so I could walk you through the unboxing process!
What’s this!? A bunch of boxes on my doorstep! What on earth could these be?
Aha! The box contained another box-type thing!
And there they are!
As I mentioned last week, these first 50 copies actually sport a glossy laminate cover, as opposed to the matte we’d planned on. I was worried they might have a kind of “high school textbook” feel to them, but the glossy cover is actually pretty cool! I can’t really begin to describe how awesome it is to hold this thing my hands after working on it for so many years, but it was actually one of those rare instances where real-life actually surpassed what I’d imagined.
Also, bonus gratuitous cat pic. The tagline writes itself: “Beyond the Western Deep: Volume 1… so good, your cats will rub their faces all over it.” A ringing endorsement if ever there was one!
>.> Okay. Now Clovis is even further down on my shit-list.
I’m surprised Clovis even bothered to make up an excuse to keep the trio from leaving Deltrada. Kenosh probably knows the treaty back to front and I can’t imagine there is a clause allowing the Canid to draft foreign nationals let alone diplomats.
Are those little braids or something in the lady guard’s hair? It was probably silly of me to think that animal characters would not care about “hair styles” despite the fact that they are entirely covered in it.
Well, he can’t keep them there forever. Eventually they’ll have to return to Sunsgrove and he’ll need an excuse to cover his tail. There may not be a specific clause, no, but Clovis is a master of loose interpretations so you technically can’t argue with him but no this is not how it was supposed to be interpreted you Canid Jerkface.
Nice catch Trees, I hadn’t even noticed the braids! The detail put into this comic both story and art wise makes me want to weep on a near-daily basis.
Well then.
“I’ll not take part in another slaughter, Clovis.” Kenosh what did you do?? WHAT DID YOU DO
Clovis, ugh. When it comes to loose interpretations, he wins. I keep waiting for someone to drop the “From a certain point of view” line.
Yess another lady Canid. With an eyepatch spear and a spear… blocking… Kenosh’s path.
Eh, no one’s perfect.
What was that about the Canid not having guests, Kenosh? You jinxed it back in Chapter One. YOU JINXED IT THIS IS ALL ON YOU
I love that lower left hand corner panel with Kenosh running to try and protest, but… no dice. And his expression in the lower right hand panel… priceless.
I’m sensing a perspective shift next page. But when the story gets back to Our Heroes, at least we’ll probably get to meet Tosch at last. And perhaps get a sense of Canid hospitality. Clovis is going to be the only one pleased by the attack on Deltrada because then Kenosh can’t argue that it’s an unprovoked attack if the Canid invade the Northern Wastes after that… though Kenosh might try and claim that the Canid activity is to blame for the attack (true) in which case Clovis will pull out more lines RE: the realities of war and…
YES the book looks amazing. I’m so happy for you guys!
“You are *required* to lend your aid.”
Yes, but what if no aid is needed? It’s clear all throughout this scene that Clovis doesn’t have a clue what he’s dealing with in Hardin, and just automatically assumes any upcoming conflict will easily go his way – in which case, what would he even need the Lutran and Tamian for? But, if perchance he *does* think it will be a tough fight … what does he expect a mere three diplomats to do to tilt the battle? They won’t very well be able to send for reinforcements, even if they were inclined to join Clovis’s side, if they’re being held against their will.
As for the books – so awesome! I can almost feel your excitement during the Unboxing Ceremony! *gets a lot of stuff in the mail himself that needs to be Unboxed* Now that you’ve seen how good the glossy covers look, do you think you’ll stick with that for future printings, or go back to the matte finish you’d originally intended? Either way – WANT. Please let us know how many are left after Boston (if any) because you’ve definitely got a buyer here … or maybe even two!
“You’ve spent time among the Ermehn, yes? I believe you’ll be of service in the war to come and I would have you remain here as an ally to our cause.”
This implies that Kenosh has knowledge about the Ermehn due to his time spent among them. Also, remember that they aren’t just diplomats. Kenosh is the Captain of the Lutren Guard, Quinlan is the Captain of the Tamian Royal Guard and Dakkan is not to be underestimated, either considering he made the bandit-infested journey from Lutra to Terria with only his father as a companion.
It’s not that he needs them for reinforcements, but that he needs Kenosh’s experience. Clovis has admitted that the Sratha-Din are a more formidable threat than the typical Ermehn tribe. At this point, Dakkan’s expendable to Clovis and I’m not entirely sure what he thinks of Quin beyond Impressionable Tamian Captain.
EVERYONE is out of their depth when dealing with Hardin.
Who wants to bet there’s one book left and we all duke it out ala Hunger Games to see who gets it?
As we’ve seen earlier in this chapter, Clovis has a way of saying things by talking around his point. Taking his words at face-value only gets you half of his meaning… if you get my meaning :)
As for the books, we’re still opting to go with the matte covers for the main shipment. Glossy is quite nice, just not what we’d intended. The moment I have the initial shipment in hand in about a month/month and a half’s time, I’ll work on getting an online store squared away so readers can get their hands on the book!
Whoa. Cool eyepatch Canid!
Before I get onto the subject of Clovis, can I say that I love all the varied Canid that are wandering around Deltrada? There seems to be a fairly equal mix of male and female, and all of them look ready to kick an Ermehn over the fortress wall. And now on the subject of Clovis: HAHA. C’mon now, Kenosh, you couldn’t have believed it was going to be that easy. At any rate, the main trio had better prepare for spending quite a while up north. Have fun with frostbite and Canid hospitality, guys!
And I quote, “The Canid aren’t known for entertaining honored guests, or any guests for that matter. I doubt we’ll be there for long”
Yes, yes he did. Dabheid really underestimated Clovis.
*Friendly reminder that Bevan will do thing any minute now.
I thought that frostbite is Canid hospitality?
It’s just as warm.
“It might not smell good, kid, but it’ll keep you warm.”
-Han Solo
Woo, congrats on the book! They look pretty snazzy in the pictures, and I am most definitely interested in getting one. Do you have an estimate when they could be ordered online?
Thanks, Tronn! The main shipment of books should be here in about 6 weeks, I think? Those will be the ones that go on sale online. I’ll probably look into getting the web store set up either late August or September thereabouts.
The books look great! It must be very exciting to see your name in print after years and years of hard work. :)
Now, as to the current page, I have to agree with Highwing. There seems to be a tiny lack of logic in Clovis’ plan, but one I think stems from a interpretation of dialogue. When Clovis says: “If you leave this garrison, it will be in defiance of the Treaty of Cenolau” it makes it seem like if a Lutren or Tamian sees a Canid in trouble, they are bound by the treaty to help (and perhaps the treaty truly does state that). In theory, a person could leave the garrison to obtain more aid and thus upholding the ‘piece of paper’ by breaking the exact rules it erects. I know exactly what you are saying and know that there is only so much room for dialogue, but perhaps if Clovis had said, “If you leave this garrison, I will have no choice but to view it as a defiance of the Treaty of Cenolau” which focuses the comment on their particular situation – Kenosh’s noncompliance and disagreement of Canid agenda in terms of Ermehn resistance. (I say Kenosh’s because let’s face it, Quin and Dak are just along for the ride so far)
I love the expression of Kenosh in the last panel and Clovis in the first, and all the little details on the page – the chips out of Clovis’ pauldrons, the dregs/braids in the female Canid’s scruff. Wonderful work!
I’m super excited to see what happens next … will the scene stay with the trio? Will it switch to Bevan or will it throw us for a loop and flip to Janik or even Tosch???? I’m hoping for Bevan … perhaps with some advice from Ashtor or maybe a little flirty moment with Eira. Either way – the stage is set for a fight and the audience is ready for it. ;)
I can’t believe this is truly the 100th year anniversary from the moment that started the first world war.
This reminds me of a saying I once read:
“If you are a young Serbian anarchist living in 1914, don’t kill the Archduke of Austria-Hungary.”
Whatever happened to Quinlan’s sword?
I’ve got a running list of pages I have to put Quin’s sword back into, heheh. For some reason I keep forgetting it!
It’s just ornamental, anyway.
But what if he’s ever taken by surprise and has to open an emergency letter, sharpen an emergency pencil or cut an emergency wedding cake?
this is where Bevan comes in
“H-hey…”
He left it out in the rain.
Congratulations on the new books!!!!! That must be so exciting; can’t wait to buy one!
Haha! Love Kenosh’s eyebrows in the first panel! This “Treaty of Cenolau” has been misinterpreted drastically….
Q for Rachel :D
Do you color/finalize each page by using a program online? Or are these actual pages you have drawn, inked, watercolored and scanned? Or maybe you’ve done both? It looks like it is a paint program on this but I wanted to make sure. :D
I do the pages digitally, using Photoshop pretty much the whole way through (except a wee bit of Flash for quick ‘n’ easy panel boxes).
Very early on I intended to have physical “originals” for the pencil stage at least, but it ended up being too slow and awkward. Digital is just the best workflow for me, I guess! Lately I’ve even been doing the thumbnails digitally, after getting some nice pencil-like brush settings figured out.
Thanks Rachel! :)
Yay! Books! I will definitely buy one at some point, given how much I love the comic (hint: a lot). Can’t wait for volume 2, 3, 27, 189 . . .
I love the party chat shown in the fan art. Makes me wonder what sort of things Dakkan is saying to Kenosh there…probably something along the lines of “Hey dad!, instead of freezing to death at the Northern wastelands, why dont we just go to the beach, sit back, relax and look at-” Kenosh – “NO!”
That Treaty of Cenolau is being more trouble than it’s worth though. You figure with how much chaos and devastation the previous war caused, the races would try to find the best possible diplomatic solution to make sure it doesnt get repeated again….especially giving one side too much control over the other (or at least that’s how I see it). Well I guess I cant blame the Canid too much since Hardin is trying to start a war as well. But then again he wouldnt have come to it, if the Ermehn didnt get completely shafted like the Germans did after WWI!
Which brings up a curious question, just how did the Canid became a military superpower after the war? Based on what Kenosh explained the events earlier, they were getting their butts handed to them by the Ermehn until Sunsgrove intervened. I assumed they were in similar situations just like the Ermehn here (scattered, beaten and almost wiped out) but maybe they were given more than just reinforcements or something? I guess I shouldnt ask this because the comic might cover this later on.
When Clovis brought up the Treaty, I half expected somebody to throw his “more like guidelines than actual rules” attitude back in his face. His expression would have really been something. Emotionless, opportunistic jerkwad.
The books! Huzzah! And now that I have taken advantage of a “Hiring Now” sign, there is a significantly larger chance that I could buy one. :D