Chapter 4: Page 73
Before we dive into the page, let’s stop in real quick with Quinlan and Dakkan to see how they’re faring. Did they remember to pledge to the Music of the Western Deep: Volume One Kickstarter campaign?
OH NO they clearly forgot! And now there are only FIVE DAYS left in the campaign! Don’t worry though, there are still plenty of great rewards available, whether it’s physical prints of the album art signed by Rachel Bennett, or one of our awesome limited edition vinyls (we’re only printing 100 total!) you can still grab rewards like that and more.
https://westerndeep.net/kickstarter
We’re currently at 135% funding with over 150 backers, which sets us up not just for the main album, but for our big stretch goal as well, DOUBLING the orchestra size and resulting in a much higher quality score.
Thank you to everyone who’s backed us thus far, and if you haven’t yet, we hope you’ll pitch in!
More wonderful emotional artwork from Rachel this week as Hardin grapples with the consequences of his actions and the harm he’s done to those he cares about.
I did like that reaction beat that Ashtor had in the original fifth panel, and if this was an animated scene I could see playing up Ashtor’s kind of nonplussed reaction to Hardin’s words–but we both felt it too closely resembled his “…!” beat that Kenosh interrupted in the previous page. The new layout streamlines the beat, which gives a chance to hear Ashtor set us up for some knowledge dropping in the next page.
Did you know we’re going to be at C2E2 next week!? It’s true! It means there won’t be a page next week, but we should still have plenty to celebrate between the show and the ending of our Kickstarter campaign.
Rachel and I will both be in Artist Alley, Table G-15, doing our first non-Pacific Northwest show in over five years. Crazy!
We’ll have a map up next week (maybe a little earlier than the usual Saturday drop) so folks in the area can come by and say hello, and maybe pick up a signed book or print. We really hope to see you there!
Like a good parent Ashtor is going to make Hardin clean up the mess he caused.
“Young man, you march right back there and undo this international war this instant, so help me!”
“If you don’t stop this war right now, I’m turning this Dunia around and we’re going home!”
ngl, it’s lowkey really funny that Hardin’s first reaction to feeling shame is wanting to be left to die (same dude, same).
also, I have the sinking feeling Ashtor is gonna get interrupted by some loud AWOOOing in the next page…
Lovely work as always, hope y’all have a successful con and I look forward to your return in two weeks!
Hardin finally realised what a mess he caused. :/
Hm, This is funny how Kenosh can be btter “parent” for Hardrin, than for his own son. LOL
Wow. Hardin is showing far more self-awareness on this page and the previous one than I thought he was capable of.
And I don’t know, I think he’s more than earned a death with no pride or glory or victory attached. He killed off a tribe’s protector and all but conscripted the rest of them into his band, only to use them as cannon fodder and apparently get all the rest of them killed, too. He betrayed the trust of his strongest (and apparently only) ally outside the Sratha-Din. He kicked off a war that got a lot of people killed already, nearly got Quinlan and Dakkan killed, and is in the process of getting Janik, Mitra, Rook, and Beck killed as well, not to mention Rathik’s death and the splitting of the remaining Sratha-Din. I don’t actually condone leaving him to die (much less killing him, not that anyone was suggesting that) but I think he’s done more than enough to earn a demotion to the rank of buzzard bait.
What he hasn’t earned is the right to rest. Whatever life he has left in him, he owes to those he’s harmed.
“Remember this,Hardin-
You will never be as cool as me”