Song of the Eastern Sands: Page 38
The nature of the attack isn’t quite clear to the Tamian ambassador, but one thing is clear: if they’re willing to target Sunsgrove’s embassy in a completely separate nation, then every Sunsgrovian diplomat in Dunia is potentially in danger. If only there were some reliable heroes about to go on a (paid) adventure to find one in particular…
Boston Comic Con was a tremendous success! We actually sold out of the remainder of the self-published hardcover special editions of Volume 1, and have as a result removed them from our BigCartel store.
If you missed out on a hardcover and still want one, my only recommendation would be to make it to New York Comic Con, where we will likely have a mere handful of personal copies available for sale that will feature custom artwork from Rachel inside. These will be a little pricier than the usual $15 convention price as a result.
While at the show, Rachel took on a couple of commissions at the table and cranked out some awesome watercolor cards deep in the Western Deep vein! I shall provide commentary!
The first commission of the show! Rachel was asked to draw a hare in the style of Beyond the Western Deep. Now, we’re not promising anything of course, but we both really like how this guy looks.
Next up, a gentleman came by with two sketchbooks, and he wanted Rachel to paint an illustration in each one. In the first one, a young Dakkan splashes through the surf carrying a giant conch shell back to the beach. Kenosh won’t let him keep it, most likely — those things can start to stink pretty quickly.
Next up, the gentleman specifically requested something with the Lutren shark hunters from our 11×17 print. Coming up with an appropriately awesome scene can be tough — not because of a lack of them, but because there is a veritable surfeit of them. We’re talking about spear-wielding otter badasses wearing chainmail and sea turtle shell armor fighting great whites, after all. I went to Google Images and found a scene from Sharknado involving a guy diving headfirst into a shark’s open mouth with a chainsaw… and the rest is history.
A couple of cool Quin pieces that Rachel did for her $10 premade watercolor cards. The latter was actually picked up by a friend of mine from high school who stopped by the table to say hello! Small world! :)
As the show was winding down, I had an idea in my head that I desperately wanted to see rendered in Rachel’s style. Knowing that it wouldn’t be appropriate to work a scene of Quinlan and Dakkan playing some couch co-op into the comic itself, I charged my own credit card in front of her and laid out the scene. She delivered probably our combined favorite card of the show.
Also they’re wearing their in-universe clothes because I figured the only thing funnier than the image of these two dorks playing video games (I’m guessing it’s gotta be the Perfect Dark Xbox 360 remaster with a pair of wired controllers) is the image of these two playing video games dressed anachronistically.
So! It was an amazing show, and I’m already looking forward to Hartford ComiConn and New York Comic Con in the coming months!
ALSO! ONE MORE THING!
I will be attending PAX WEST in a couple weeks in Seattle along with the rest of the League of Geeks crew to promote Armello! If you are planning to attend the show, please swing by the booth and say hello!
Really like the hare fellow.
Looks a bit germanic with the cape and little coloured squares.
Rabbit people would be a fine addition to the setting, and we have it on good authority that there are more species than the seven we’re familiar with in the more distant corners of Dunia.
New cultures are also good, and I find the thought a group of Germanic-themed rabbits quite pleasing, even if the similarities are only in appearance.
But of course, I am a mere reader, and my creative control over the future of BWD is roughly akin to that of the ambassador here over the snafu that is radiating out from Deltrada at incredible speed.
We shall see. Only Alex, Rachel, Jerome, and time will tell.
Absolutely love how my rabbit turned out, it was one of the highlights of the weekend. Thank you so much Rachel. To all three of you keep up the good work. Can’t wait for book two to come out.
Welcome to the readership! We’re always happy to pile more bodies on the raft of discussion and speculation careening at speeds best described as “unsafe” over the whitewater rapids of the plot.
I’m sure you’ll fit right in!
As far as speculation goes I think that the sand spiders were set up to take the fall for the assignation. the contact had prior knowledge of the attack. the only traceable evidence is would have been he stolen money. The contact would have turned on them in a day or two to keep the canids free of suspicion. At least that is how I see it.
Your avatar game is too strong!!!
Next page: Beck crooning, “Anything, you say?” followed by Rook smacking her upside the head and telling Janikdad that they’ll take the job.
I suppose that the ambassador is desperate, but in most cases hiring a group of thieves to track down your daughter and ensure her safety would be a bad idea. It should work out in this case, since the Sand Spiders are a reasonable bunch and this is supposed to be a lighter kind of story then the main narrative, but still.
Finally, I’m looking forward to the ambassador, upon receiving his daughter safe and sound, happily promise her rescuers the entire contents of the embassy’s treasury as a just reward for their gallant deed.
“Hello mysterious strangers who I have no idea why you came in a secured location that is supposedly off limits after hours but could you please consider to take my money to protect my sweet and precious daughter who probably will not believe that I send you three to take care of her and may hap probably ill-equipped to fight legions of Canid assassins plzkthx”
I sure hope the Sand Spiders take that offer (90% sure that’s whats gonna happen anyway).
I absolutely love the little sketch commissions! They’re all so charming! And I gotta agree with Fourth Master on the addition of a rabbit race for the BWD World being interesting. It’s very possible at the very least considering that there’s a whole other world outside of the Dunia mainland that could be inhabited by all sorts of creatures.
Now that I think about it, it does make me wonder what sort of cultures and societies exist outside this world’s boundaries. Somehow I would think that maybe some of those civilizations would be just a tad little bit advanced. At the very least once BWD gets done, it would be interesting if there was a story set somewhere else.
Theo better have overtime pay for this. and probably a compensation bonus, considering how high the stakes are.
I really like those watercolor commissions, especially the one with Dakkan totally not screenwatching! also, I agree with the BWD rabbit race thing– they could be a “foreign” race from somewhere beyond Dunia.
And somewhere out there, Asha’s still kneeling over in pain.
I sure hope that ginormous money offer didn’t make the others forget about her, haha.
The thing I love about that bottom commision of Quin and Dak on the couch is how much it reminds me of something out of Calvin and Hobbes.
A WHILE LATER AT MR AND MRS AMBASSADOR’S HOME:
“Honey, I’m quite worried for our daughter’s safety with what these recent attacks…”
“Fret not my love, I hired some strangers I met by accident to watch for her!”
“Strangers? Do they know what she looks like?”
“Probably not, but I informed them of the approximate geographical area where she might be found.”
“Were they professional bodyguards at least?”
“No idea! Come to think of it, they might have been thieves.”
“So this ransom notice in our mail isn’t a joke, then?”
“…”
“…”
“. . . well, at least they found her! Right, dear?”
I laughed. Good job, Tronn. Though I’m not sure if Janik’s mother is still alive. Given the luck of fictional characters in general–and Quinlan and Dakkan in particular–I don’t have high hopes for her.
And then we found out Janik hired the two assassins so that she could be an orphan and finally, FINALLY meet all the requierements to become a main character.
Technically, Dakkan isn’t an orphan.
Yet.
Though he probably will be by the time this whole mess is cleared up.
It’s outright amazing how Rachel can draw AND color on the go like that! That talent is very rare!
And the placeholder dialogue on the preliminary sketches are a treat, as always.
I love the hare. Quite a nice change from what you usually see with Brian Jacques setting the scene with all of his British themed characters.
This page is very nice. The third panel though, Beck’s face is baisically saying “This guy hit his head waaay too hard.”
Then there’s part of someone else’s face there. Is that another guard?
Yes.
At the bottom of the previous page you can see that it’s a Lutren with a bloody arm.
Terria is loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong
(Hi, I’m new here)
Welcome to the readership, lilpoplil!
A few pages back, I mentioned I have a friend who likes the comic, but doesn’t comment. Well, he’s that guy. I introduced him to the comic a while back, but it’s only now that he’s posting a comment.
Well,, any friend of Jerijune is a friend of mine!
Welcome to the Salmon Party!
For some reason I seriously doubt that Ambassador Rowan has the authority to guarantee the contents of the treasury, lol. His concern about his daughter is touching- perhaps on the over0protective side- but then there’s little chance a warning would reach Janik’s caravan in the same time it takes to send a bird to Sunsgrove.
“the Canid have lost their minds” I have to admit I laughed at this line. Clearly evidence of the, ah, wayward actions of the Lutren Captain have not yet reached Sunsgrove. The Canid really have their scat together though if they got the word of the Deltrada mess out to other Canid but kept it from other species.
Oh I love those sketch cards- particularly the co-op one and the one with Quinlan nocking his bow!