Song of the Eastern Sands: Page 25
!! What? A cliffhanger? In a Western Deep comic?? IMPOSSIBLE!
Actually this is one of the fun differentiating factors between webcomics and print comics that I love. In comics, as a general rule of the medium, you’re constantly engaged in a push/pull between “recto” and “verso” pages. If you have an open book in front of you, the verso page is the one on the left, and the recto page is the one on the right.
Unlike a prose novel, where it doesn’t necessarily matter what words appear on which page (so much so that e-readers don’t even bother maintaining the literal presentation of word-to-page ratios from the physical books), what you show on which recto/verso page makes a HUGE difference. The recto page is by its very nature a kind of cliffhanger — it’s ALWAYS a kind of cliffhanger, and it makes you want to turn that page.
When you’re working on a webcomic, though — that’s a different story. EVERY page is both a verso and a recto, since you only see one page a week and have to wait a week for the turn. An added benefit to this is that when the time comes for physical publication, every page reads well regardless of whether it’s recto or verso. This page, though? This might be one of the rare times when we absolutely NEED to make sure when it’s printed it’s a recto page. You really want to turn that page to see what Beck’s looking at!
Speaking of stuff to look at, we’ve got a lot of new stuff this week in addition to the page!
First, it’s been a LOOOOONG time coming, but we’re finally getting our CAST PAGE updated with new artwork and new characters! The Sratha-din, Crim, even Clovis get entries this time around.
Jerome’s also putting the finishing touches on portraits for the casts of The Adventures of Cain & Yurk and Song of the Eastern Sands, so those will be added to the page just as soon as they’re ready.
Also, we’ve got some amazing guest art this week! Check out this awesome ensemble piece from Jerijune! It’s a movie poster of sorts for Song of the Eastern Sands! I want to go catch that at the local multiplex.
Thank you SO MUCH for the incredible artwork, Jerijune! I love the movie poster treatment — it makes these goofballs look a lot more refined and classy than they actually are. I’m sure Beck would hang this up in her room and make that thumbs-up gesture to herself in a mirror all the time (“Yeah, that’s right, I AM the smooth talker!”)
nice page! and Beck’s face, though… her reactions are priceless– they’re a national treasure of Nessa.
I’m loving the character portraits and the updated Cast page! finally, we can get some backstory on the other members of the Sratha-din, besides Bevan.
and…. wait– is Bevan doing finger guns?!
I’ll just put this out there: I put “Smooth Talker” for Beck as an irony– just look at her bargaining skills XD https://westerndeep.net/comic/song-of-the-eastern-sands-page-08/
I like your A team poster, but the characters are all wrong. Baracus doesn’t have his mohawk and the other guys are 20% hairier than usual.
In other news, oh crap, oh, crap. Beck’s looking at us! She’s looking right at us! What do we do?!
noted, and I’ll make sure it won’t happen in the next piece.
in unrelated news, **gasp** BECK BROKE THE FOURTH WALL! RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY!!!
Theo’s wearing a barong tagalog isn’t he?
I see you noticed that little detail…
And it also makes him look classy :v
There be like 20 guard all awake, and ready to kill.
And man that face tho, I love it,It like “the f***”
Such is the fate of thieves.
AAAARGHH!
I pronounce Theo a prodigious prat that prevented his promising pubescent pupils from possibly proving thier positive potential and put them upon the precipitous path of purloining, pinching and pilfering people’s personal property, provisions and profit, pooh-poohing the possibility of patient police pursuing the pillaging perpetrators and placing the poor proteges in penitentiaries pending proper process; proceedings possibly putting protagonists in peril of punishment, palliative or punitive and positively pernicious personal privations pertaining to prolonged presence in prison, each probably presuming potential parole a pitiable prospect.
*head spins upon attempting to read through the sea of p’s*
*slow clap*
My face as I read that, in real time:
http://img-comment-fun.9cache.com/media/aeG6AXj/anD6YX09_700wa_0.gif
Nay, it’s going to be the opposite. Beck sees a couple of dead guards, first of many, because the Sand Spiders are being set up to take the fall from an attack on the embassy, calling it now.
Oh no It’s just like back in the beginning of Chapter 2, where there was a similar cliffhanger with Kenosh and the thieves. Fortunately for me I was introduced to this series late so I was able to satisfy my OCD immediately, but I guess not this time :(
Not only do I really dig the new character portraits but It’s nice that we got some bit of insight on the other characters that we didn’t know much about (totallycalledithatRathikuseshisgunsasweaponsI’msohappylolol). I cant wait for Jerome’s turn later.
Jerijune, you art never fails to entertain me. Where do you even get such ideas Haha.
Better add another Beck face to the nightmare folder
“I left the oven on…”
“Beck, what do your Lutren eyes see?”
Nothing good, apparently.
I adore the additions to the cast page, it’s been long deserving of an update and certainly does not disappoint.
And Jerijune’s art is great, as always.
“They’re taking the Tamians to Arklow!”
Beck’s face. Is. Terrifying. Just… There aren’t words.
However there are words for the nice movie poster. I like it.
Why I do have a feeling that.. ITS A TRAP!!!
Attention, Salmon Party! The SOTES gang– plus Cain and Yurk– have just been added to the CAST PAGE! Check it out!
Tubular.
I love how everyone’s 500% more confident now that they actually have the monies. I really love the last inset panel and that cautious look on Beck’s ace.
Alex, i always enjoy it when you break down the concepts behind comicing,
The new cast icons look great and there’s so much new juicy backstory to unpack and a lot of unanswered questions. What’s Ashtor up to? Why did he specifically insist on Eira? The world may never know- or perhaps all will be explained at a later date. (I still think the timing of Hardin’s arrival at the Evyn-Din camp is highly suspicious and no one can shake me from this.)