Chapter 2: Page 69
This week, our first post of 2015! Looks like the Ermehn are ready for round two!
Hard to believe, but we’ve been publishing Beyond the Western Deep here for THREE YEARS! In three years, we’ve had the opportunity to get to know a great many of you, to see your incredible fan works, to participate in your hilarious page comment threads, self-publish a book, start going to conventions, set up a web store, and sign a publisher!
If Rachel or I ever hit our respective heads and forgot how fortunate we are as creators, all we have to do is look at any of the comment threads for literally ANY of our pages to see the hilarious discussions, or look at any of the guest art submitted to see how lucky we are. The last three years have been incredible, and 2015 is going to be a great year!
Speaking of amazing guest art, we’ll kick off the new year with Jerome’s wonderful Western Deep New Year image!
Seems like Hardin’s about to get some new year’s cheer! I’m guessing this is all Ashtor’s plan given his expression — the Sratha-din had better be ready for what I imagine will be a rather extreme reaction from Hardin X)
I was seriously grinning the entire time I was drawing Ashtor chuckling like that X)
I really like Dakkan’s expression in the second panel, wet weary and worried.
Happy year 2015, let’s make it a good one!
Agreed, with both statements.
Ah! I love the fur. I was actually wondering what it was going to look like once they started to get soaked through, and you guys did not disappoint. Even the difference between Quin’s longer fur and Dak’s shorter fur is spot on.
Also, that New Year picture is hilarious. Where did they even get that giant popper? I wouldn’t mind some.
The popper is totally gonna be loud like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNY_whW25Z4&feature=player_detailpage#t=16
Oh Lordy, imagine that going off right next to your ear. Haha, it’ll blow him away, I’m sure.
I can always count on Jerome for making such silly yet amazing looking vignettes of our beloved cast. I cant wait too see how far this comic will go in this year!
But oh my, dont tell me those Ermehn they knocked out are back up again!
The debate is settled. Hello grappling hook!
Ohh I love the rain effects! Layering the falling rain water/echoing off the surface of their bodies and clinging to their clothes and fur and the reflections of light off the metal, and the obviously soaked fur and cloth- Rachel, how do you do this once a week??
I just love how you make it clear that despite their differences (putting it nicely there), Kenosh and Dakkan really love each other even if they aren’t entirely good at showing it. He’s not going to be thrilled when he sees Dakkan out here. “I GAVE YOU ONE ORDER” and all that. Fun times.
Another ermehnemy approches! And…. could it be? Yes, I do believe that is Bevan!
It’s going to be a long week. @_@ Fabulous job as always!
Time for another prayer to the Lutren patron of single mothers . . .
“We’re not with the Canid, I swear. They locked us in a leaky tower, for Tesque’s sake!”
Never occurred to me that might be Bev; I was just assuming it was One-Eye back up on his feet again. Either way, time for our lads to get busy again!
Love the juxtaposition of Dak’s poses in the first two panels. In the first he’s wearing his more typical Disneyesque semi-doofus expression, but in the second he almost comes across as a mainstream comic book hero; I could easily see Superman (SuperOtter? SuperLutran?) striking a similar pose. Great Arting there, Rach!
And, of course, Jerome’s fan art continues to reside at a level beyond and above mere fan art. Let’s hope we see a lot more “BWD” entries from him in 2015!
Personally I think you were right; I checked carefully with previous pages and all the evidence seems to point to the aforementioned One-Eye.
Same sword, and same bandage on hand, brown sleeve/arm-guard rather than green.
I may be wrong, but I would say it’s One-Eye back again.
Quinlan, where’s your common sense, man? You have to put up your hood before you go out into the rain. Now it’s going to be filled with water.
Hardin’s expression in the fan art today reminds me of this:
I’m guessing that’s One-Eye dude from earlier.
Also, that picture is hilarious. I bet the big guy (I keep forgetting his name, the only ones I can remember are Bevan and Ashtor XD) is gonna get a bit of a surprise when Hardin slices off all of the noisemakers out of surprise XD
This is also how Rathik likes to smoke: eight cigarettes at a time.
So you’re saying Rathik is the ermehn form of the “Gentleman” meme.
I actually didn’t know about that until just now.
The art in BtWD just keeps getting better, and the action accelerates; the duo are going to be in for a fight next update. Hope the two are ready for it! Dakkan’s face in the second panel is my favorite, and the poor guys really do look wet. They’re not going to be able and sit down and dry off for a while, though.
As for Jerome’s fan art–what can be said that hasn’t been? It’s hilarious, everyone’s faces are perfect, and Eira’s :C face made me want to go “nooo don’t be sad” (though Rathik and Ashtor’s expressions were my favorite). Here’s to hoping for more wonderful things in the future!
I feel like someone’s in for a nasty drop over the wall.
And of course, the grappling rope won’t be there to grab anymore.
…One-Eye makes so much more sense than Bevan. Argh, I had a moment of fridge logic earlier- why is Bevan carrying a sword? isn’t he more of a knife nut? Hello, Megan, it’s OneEye.
Welp, either way it’s a long night for the beebs. I bet they’ll feel like weeks have passed once it’s over and the dust has settled.
You know what I realized? There’s going to be so much wet dog smell after this night is over.
I’ll be happy if Canid do the wet dog shake thing, too. The fortress will reek to outsiders.
The best defense
I imagine Quin being all wtf? And Dak is all HAHA SMELLS LIKE HOME.
Y’know, I was just sitting at my desk at work today when the image of Jerome’s guest art this week popped unbidden into my mind. (Well, maybe it was just a *little* bidden.) I must say I smiled, and may even have chuckled. If the latter, I hope none of my coworkers heard me; they already think me quite odd enough as it is.
Being considered normal is overrated anyway.
Merry band… If only Hardin had used his powers to take from the Canid and give to the poor Ermehn and not just kill them all.