Hello! This is the last of what I like to think of the boring pages… if you’re still sort of thinking in the back of your head “where the hell is the plot” then you will get what you want starting on Wednesday. I’m excited that I’ve nearly reached 30 pages!
A small note about the wallpaper contest: please don’t send in guesses until the end of the month. There are still a few letters to go, so you probably don’t know the word yet. Even if for some reason you do know the word, I am not going to give you the wallpaper early (mostly because its not done yet, haha)! Just follow the directions that I will give at the end of the month, everyone will recieve it at the same time. Thanks!
The comic has been at #5 on TWC for the last week, thank you all very much for voting! Every day that it is up there the comic gains new readers, which is the very most I could ask for.
And the usual links spiel, LJ; Twitter; Facebook. Facebook just got past 900 fans, which is weird and cool.
Okay, back to working on other stuff! I am also currently reading the Ender series, and am extremely annoyed at the library… I put a hold on Children of the Mind like a week and a half ago and it still hasn’t arrived, despite there being several copies not in use at various libraries. I think it put me in the queue behind this one copy that is being used right now and also has a different hold on it, which means I won’t get it for another 6 weeks or so aasdlkjasd;lfpequeninos
Uh oh, looks like Kiz has a bit of a grudge.
I love the fourth panel with the moonlight accentuating the bareness of the tree stumps. So sad.
Aww, poor thing. At first I thought that was the stump of the tree she climbed earlier, but then I realized that’s kind of impossible. :B
Looks like Pinter mourned the loss of his alcohol with alcohol.
Better to remember his friends by! haha
Pinter is in for some trouble, it seems like, and poor Angora. It looks like she’s crying in her sleep.
I love the artwork. The colors are amazing, and it doesn’t even matter that there’s not much detail in the backgrounds. Keep up the good work.
Thank you XD
Awe! Pinter looks so cute sleeping.
Angora looks so small and alone, sleeping on that big tree trunk. Poor girl!
Oooo! Nice above angle on Pinter’s tent. I never know what to do with walls in those kinda situations.
Poor Angora. I’d be ready to cry too if I was her…just for the simple fact that I’d be sleeping naked on a tree stump!
Kiiiiiiiiz hahaha, I wasn’t expecting to see him again. Ungh, Pinter, didn’t your mother tell you not to fall asleep with a cig in your hand? >8(
I like how you put Angora out in a clearing- she’s even more exposed than usual! Great impact with that panel. And I can’t wait to see granpa ahgwpaihga[gj.
Thank you! I liked her in a clearing moreso than in a tree, I am not a big advocate for sleeping in trees (I still don’t get how gorillas do it)
Your most beautiful page yet, I think. c: It’s so full of mood. Also Kiz’s death-glare is worrying and makes me worry about my favourite fatass alcoholic.
Oh, dear. I really love this page. You’ve really captured the feeling, it’s wonderful.
From what I remember, Children of the Mind wasn’t very good compared to the rest of the Ender saga, so you aren’t missing much. Card is a great writer, but the last book in each of his series tends to be very underwhelming. You should check out his Homecoming series if you like his style.
Well, we’ll see. I am just reading them in order so maybe I won’t feel like it was a bad ending :)
sorry, I mean order written (obvs that story is the end chronologically speaking)
I love how you build up tension in this single page!
The feeling of danger comes just naturally along with the word alone and the following panel with Kiz’s look. The fast switch of scenes enhances that feeling.
I also like very much how the lighting is defined, the moonshine looks a lot more naturally than the lamp in the camp where Kiz is …not asleep, and one shot to remember Pinter’s cosy lamp with the cigarette stumps in it.
(I also like that you changed the location where Angora sleeps in the final version. It’s a much more symbolic and exposed place than before. What is about to happen to her is gaining significance.)
The moonlight glows on her body!!! love >.<
Though I can’t tell behind what exactly Kiz is standing and on what Pinter sleeps… and maybe you could even darken the silhouette of the woods behind Angora’s body…
I can’t help myself, this is a masterful page and I keep blabbering about it.
I love this page!!!
Thanks so much! I’m glad you like the change from the treetop to a stump, I wanted to make her… thing… more impacty. Also I was annoyed with the idea of her having a dream and thrashing around and maybe falling out of a tree XD I think she’s had enough tree mishaps for one chapter.
Yeah, that Kiz panel I had to do in 30 mins cuz I had something else to do this afternoon. He’s supposed to be in a hammock that is attached to the supporting beam in the main tent thing. I realize I forgot to lighten the lines in the bg so that panel looks a bit unnatural to me. As for the woods I was going to, but it looked too flat so I put some dodge on it XD But now it looks flat in another way, hurr.
Thanks for the nice comment and for noticing all that stuff!
I think this is a good method to make it create more impact, mostly through the lighting.
Ehh tree mishaps! Don’t blame the trees, they didn’t do anything!
Thirty minutes only… that is really good work for so little time! I’m impressed.
Hm, maybe there’s a way to fight the flatness, but if so I don’t know it… (lolphotoshop!)
anyways, after posting I realised that my comment was awful to read. Eww. So many “I also like”. And much too many “I”s!! Haha I wanted to edit it, but it isn’t possible. (yet?)
Oh gosh, I can’t get over how quickly and consistently you’re pumping out amazing stuff. You’re making me feel really lazy! Gorgeous page. Feeling jumpy about the return of the sleazebag in panel two, though.
The Ender series is utterly awesome I just finished with all the books in it this week. Orson Scott Card is an awesome righter. If you like his work you also might like Asimov’s Foundation series including the books published by Greg, Bear, and Bradford after he died. Also you might like Niven’s Known Space series.
Yeah, I like Card so far… some of his personal views are a bit annoying to me but I like that he sets them aside for his stories. I’ve read some Bear and Asimov too, they are pretty good. I hate Niven with a passion though, that guy needs to learn how to write a fucking story.
I must commend you on your taste in books. :D
Have you also read Niven’s Integral Trees and Smoke Ring?
Link goes to my (NSFW) comic – I got to your site via topwebcomics, voting for another favorite strip of mine.
I like the use of nudity here. It communicates innocence – including the absolute innocence of any nudity taboo, which speaks to strange origins – and along with her dialog suggests that aside from that innocence, and absolute lack of social skills, she’s really not the brightest bulb in the knife drawer.
Of course, the reactions to and misunderstandings of her nudity speak volumes about the origins of some critics. I dread the thought of them finding themselves in the British Museum!
So, the fat, alcoholic mapmaker is about to discover he owns a stray kitten, whether he likes it or not, eh?
I have a used t-shirt just LIKE that!
make sure you read the Ender’s Shadow series too (that one’s about Bean). Its absolutely fantastic, possibly better than Ender’s series.
Doh XD I didn’t know it was about Bean, arg. I was reading the books in the order written, so I’m getting to those after getting my hands on Children of the Mind.
While I consider Ender’s Game and Speaker For the Dead to be the two best book in the series, I put the entire Shadow series well above everything else. Highly recommend it.
The only complaint about it, is it gets a little preachy at the very end of the final book, but that’s minor compared to the derailment that is Children of The Mind. Trust me, you’re not missing much there.
I love how Angora is faintly luminescent in the moonlight. It’s a very moody page!
I am a bit disappointed in some of Card’s personal views, but I’m able to ignore them enough to read the series. Besides, everyone can have their own opinions; I don’t have to subscribe to them to enjoy a great set of books. I also highly, highly recommend the parallel Shadow series. The character development is somethin’ else.
But then again, I’m one of the strange people who actually liked Xenocide. :D;;
I just finished Xenocide the other day, and also really liked it! I found the entire thing to be pretty interesting and exciting, I don’t know enough about Enderverse popular opinion to know that people didn’t like that one as much.
Eeeee. DRAMATIC TENSION. Also heavy settling on Pinter’s part. Hah I knew it ;D
omg Kiz looks scary I didn’t know he’d be showing up again. ARGH. Also poor little Angora. She looks so vulnerable and sad. Those panels of her are just gorgeously done. Interesting that she would be sleeping on a cut down tree, there’s no ” I FEEL THE TREE’S PAIN ‘ anxiety going on there?
Haha, no, this isn’t one of those “o noes we must save the trees/ environment/ children” sort of things (thankfully).
Loving this :D This might’ve been the least of your concerns, but i’m so fixated by your moon in the first panel. It’s a half circle! Like actual moons often are!
Note to self: REAL moons aren’t always full or crescent shaped.
I know i’ve probably said this before, but this page is really, really great. You just keep getting better and better, and your colouring is truly the BEST there is in the twc realm.
I mean, reading this page actually made me feel emotional D:
Like lonely in the first panel, then when i saw the second i was like OMG WHO IS THAT. then, OMG IT’S KIZ!! OMG!!!
It’s just insane how both kiz and pinter are in tents, but the way you coloured each panel gives one a completely different feel from the other. Pinter sleeping is kinda like “awwww! :3 but sad cos he’s pretty wasted.” and of course the last three emphasize how alone angora is. and the position she’s sleeping in is all huddled and insecure.
How DO you do it? :) all the nuances! my gosh. God bless you for sharing yourmad skillzzz with the world.
Oh damn, shits about to go down.
Wow, nice setup! It really gives that “quiet before the storm” feeling — especially with Kiz brandishing a knife like that o_O
I can’t believe how much you’ve been updating… It’s awesome! And mind-boggling XD.
Congrats on getting the #5 spot too! Totally deserved ;).
Beautiful page as always- love the way the moonlight adds to the starkness and the emotions of the scene. The tree stumps were a great choice of location for Angora and reflect her emotions well.
Why do I get the feeling that Pinter will be meeting “mr sharp-pointy” and our damsel will be there to save him?
Now, if only I could get my art to look half as good lol.
I like this page a lot. It’s very peaceful. But I was wondering why you dont have a gutter between the second and third panel?
Do you mean between Kiz and the rest of the camp? It got me a bit confused, as well, but I think it’s just an almost vertical black line defining the contour of the hammock he’s in, not a new angle. There was a comment about that above, I think… ah, by marinatedfish. In other words, there are only horizontal breaks until you get to the two angora panels at the bottom.
P.S. This is my favorite webcomic, out of the 10 or so i read regularly. I think it may have taken all of about 20 minutes to get to that point.
LankySam’s comment below is correct, the line is from the line of the hammock and is not a new panel, I just forgot to color the bg lines in that panel XC So its a bit unclear, I will have to remember to correct that later!
I feel a dream experience coming on!! Lol, this is a great story, can’t wait for the plot reveal!
Today’s incentive image is really fun! Thanks for letting us see the progression of how you drew this page.
PS – I’m continually surprised at how often you update the incentives. It’s awesome!!
Oh-oh, Kriss coming back again. I hate that guy.
Great work man, really. I found you on deviant art and just finally had to see this work here.
I love it, it’s whimsical, but intelligent. There seems to be a lot of “life” in these pages. And the artwork is masterful; spontaneous and simple, yet every line speaks volumes.
Can’t wait to see more!
No, Kiz! D8 Down boy!
I no wants him to hurts peoples ; _ ;
Anyway, wonderful comic you have going here! I am completely sucked into it by now, and that barely ever happens! I’m just like, “IS THE NEXT PAGE UP? IS THE NEXT PAGE UP? IS THE NEXT PAGE UP?” all the time XD;
Your colouring skills are phenominal, and you create such rich moods and relatable emotions. Tension is just radiating from this page!
I can’t wait to see what happens next * ^ *
Those stumps don’t look very comfortable D:
Probably not D:
I love this comic so much.
I just started reading Children of the Mind. What a coincidence. :)
Hey there. I’ve been following your comic for a while but haven’t commented on it yet. I guess I suddenly decided to stop being a lurker. Lol.
I just wanted to say I love “The Meek”. The storyline so far is very engaging and entertaining. The style you use is also lovely and shows the emotions of your characters well. Angora and Pinter are really interesting as characters and the world you’ve built up around them is very original. I couldn’t say enough awesome things about it actually. Lawls.
I hope you continue with your fantastic work and I await the next page with great impatience. :D
Thanks very much! As ever, I’m glad you’re following the story and enjoying it X3
I love the artwork here. The colors, the shapes, and the tone of the plot are excellent. The attention to detail is first rate–hence, I am COMPELLED to make the following quibble–the moon in the first panel is facing the wrong way! The full side of the quarter moon (half of the disk) always faces the sun–which is located 90 degrees from the straight edge. In your painting, that would place the sun in the center of the sky to the south.
Just a pedant’s quibble.
Please keep up your excellent work. And don’t be apologetic for capturing angst and despair so well.
Haha, really? I didn’t know that fact about the moon. Though I have to wonder how you know which direction is south is in the comic, since I am not sure myself!
The moon gets its light from the sun–so like all light and shadow (also from the sun) the edges (the dark edge) is a result of the angle between the sun, the moon, and your picture frame. If the moon is rising, AND it is night time (since the moon also rises during the day–in which case the moon in your art is correct), the sun must below the horizon. The quarter moon in the beginning of the month, is up at setset–so this picture would be correct for moonset, about midnight–in which case, South is to the left in the picture.
On the other hand, the quarter moon rises in the last part of the month around midnight–and in the East–in which case South is to the right in your art.
I love the clarity and quality of the color. Excellent.
More More!!!
Not boring at all! I spend several minutes looking over the colouring and details of each page. You have to change the pace of the story here and there otherwise we would need a case of red bull (caffiene) just to keep up! Thanks for sharing all your hard work!! :)
Hey, man. Just wanted to say, I really like this comic. Art’s great, story’s great… overall, it’s really really good. Keep up the good work.
I love the fifth frame – it’s so adorable. At any rate, all the characters are so distinct in movement/stature and expression. You are a master. :)
Aw, thanks. And no I’m not, I’ve just been working on this a long time… a lot of monkeys, a lot of typewriters…
awesome page! ^^ kiz scares me though, wouldnt want to be anywhere near him lol
i saw the comments on book and thought i’d reccomend stuffs ^^. Terry Goodkind writes some awesome stuff, long but sweet. He writes the Sword of Truth series. Diana Galbadon has an interesting series, the Outlander series. Its kinda a mix of a little romance and mostly epic scottish and english fights. Theres a bit of their ‘normal’ time period in the 1800′s in a few books though.
Both Authors are good reads, kept my squrril attention-span occupied for a while! ^^
Haha, thanks for the recs XD I haven’t read any of those, though my friend tried to get me to read one of those Goodkind books once. After reading George R. R. Martin’s series I can’t stand other fantasy, it always falls short of my expectations…
well thats not fun
but if you go to his website (not sure what the domain is but type in terrygoodkind at google or something ^^) he’ll tell you he doesnt think of it as fantasy, because of all the political stuff involved. I have a hard time understanding it all, but a good read. His series finished about a year ago or so.
Stephen R Lockhead (or something) has an interesting version of Robin hood going, except in wales! ^^
GAH!!! POST MORE!!! THESE ARE SOOOO AMAZING!!!
Mm Ender’s Game and Xenocide were great, I just reread them for like the fifth time not too long ago! I couldn’t get thru Children of the Mind tho. I really need to check out Ender’s Shadow soon, I hear it’s pretty good =]
This page makes me edgey…I wanna know what happens next 8D
I actually like what you changed in this one, instead of her sitting in a random tree, she lies atop a large stump of one that used to be. It sort of adds to the anguished mood.
Love how you’ve built such a lovely contrast between the cool blues of outside with the warm yellows of Pinter’s tent over the past few pages. Also really love the wide cinematic panels on this page.
OH HELL I JUST LOVE EVERYTHING. AS ALWAYS.
Haha, thank you XD I hadn’t thought of those panels as cinematic but now I will. I AM AT THE CINEMA!
Oh come on it’s not boring!! Seriously! But, if you the “non-boring” pages are coming, then HOW EXCITING ARE THEY GONNA BE?? :D YAY!
Well, this page is simply amazing. It carries so much emotion… You did a great work in it. The atmosphere is simply excellent, it creates a very sad and worrying feeling about poor Angora and her feature. The art is lovely, and good job with the different angles. The changing of point of view is really cool. Well, that’s all ^_^ I can’t wait for the next page! *excited*
So, basically in this version, Pinter drops a cigarette in his sleep and burns down his own tent? AMAZING.
And the stump is a good change, I was kind of confused when she woke up under the tree.
Yeah… she was supposed to be still in the tree? with the tree having done amazing things? It didn’t make sense, basically XD
And no, Pinter still gets lucky and doesn’t burn to death. Maybe later..
I love it, something else to look forward to everyweek! Keep up the awesome work.
what knid of booze does pinter drink?
gorgeous comic! but kiz looks pretty good for a guy who got punched in the face not so long ago. can we see some bruising please?
You know, that is the best freaking idea I’ve heard all day. Thanks for pointing out that glaring inconsistency XD
Oh…children of the mind? That book was really good, actually the whole series was, but that last one it…oh I won’t spoil it, that’d be mean…
Ahhh, Pinter reminds me of my fiance’, both in appearance and in personality, so of course he’s my favourite character thus far! Love the colouring in this comic and I will be following.
Keep it up.
- Kuji
it looks a little bit like a female tarzan version or something =D i luf it o3o