YES. The 1/3 point of the chapter, and also the beginning of the arc, haha. Took a bit longer to get here than I thought. I can’t wait for the next pagee e;alsdkjf;alskj
Guys, I just have to say thanks so much for the lively discussion and opinions you’ve been commenting with lately. I really appreciate hearing all of your viewpoints, and knowing that my effort is being thought about on every level! From comments about Yagi Uda antennas, types of guns, and morality issues presented so far, it’s awesome. I just want to encourage you to continue to leave your thoughts here if you have them, even if you hate what I’m doing with the story (actually, especially if you hate what I’m doing).
I know some of you are really disliking Soli/ her actions, that is understandable. I want to remind you to bear in mind that I write with larger themes in mind. Even if you see something controversial that you don’t agree with, know that I’ve at least put a lot of thought as to whether or not to include it, and it is not just there for cheap shock value! Also a warning that the comic in general gets a lot darker than this. Just something to keep in your head.
Vote incentive today is a uh less deep look into Soli’s personality. You might need to look closely to see it :B See you on page 16!
I’m not too worried about Soli being a sympathetic character. Even IF she didn’t turn out to be one in the end, the story could still be interesting. Protagonists don’t always have to be good guys, so I’m willing to sit back and watch her club old men and shoot her way out of an ambush of boarder guards so long as it is well written.
I LOVE immoral characters. Pshhhh. People need to complain less.
Also, *border
I guess I should do more English before I get back to my Latin. Really though, reading the last set of comments, I find it kind of silly to get all up in arms about the violence and such. Kinda like back when Luca got all hitty on Phe. Showing something doesn’t necessarily mean approving of it, and this would be a pretty crappy story full of holes if all the potential rape, nudity, spousal abuse, murder, and pistol whipping was removed. We’re all grown up enough to realize these are things the author probably does not believe in, or do on a daily basis.
I agree. I pistol whip the elderly, married housewives, and puppies all the time. But it doesn’t mean I approve of it. It like habitual smoking and drinking. I know it’s bad and I’ll recommend others not to do it.
LOLOL THAT IS NOT EVEN WHAT HE MEANT
But props for making me laugh xD
I think the clubbing of old men is actually what endears Soli to me in the first place
Soli said a dirty word!
I have brought my piece of the pie to the discussion table.
In fact…
SHE SAID TWO. :O
On the discussion at hand, I say: similarities don’t make you love a character. Good writing does.
Soli’s a hypocrite! But she has guns, so its okay.
An armed society is a polite society. Nobody ever said it was a *genteel* society.
In the world of the late fees, late returns, and book defacement there is a woman who does not exist. Soli, an invisible agent for the Royal Library on a quest to help rare and powerful books back to their rightful place. Mentioned only in whispers of the wind and seen as glimpses of shadows dancing in the night, she is The Book Bounty Hunter.
@Munchausen: What does it say that I read your post to the tune of Anne Clark’s Full Moon? :P
@Pneumonica
That you have great taste.
… you know, until I read the third paragraph above, I’d forgotten Soli was female. She sure as hell doesn’t look it.
Awaiting the next page impatiently!
I love Soli’s expressions! Actually, I love all the expressions. You’re fantastic at conveying them.
Incentive made me jump then lol.
Alamand has such a cute nickname! <3
Am I the only one that thought Soli was a guy? D:
I’m sorry, haha, she’s a pretty cool character and all, but everything abut her says “man!” to me.
Sweet page, can’t wait for the next! This is getting really interesting :)
Incentive made me giggle! :D Love the comic so far… it’s really interesting that you have several important characters that haven’t even met each other yet – I’ll bet it will be really awesome when it all comes together.
Ahh I want to know what happens next!
Is Alamand crawling down the stairs on his belly?
hahaha, I used to do that as a kid constantly.
Actually I’m gonna go do that now.
lol XD Have fun
It was really fun but I bruised my chin. u_u
if he’s on his belly why is his knee pointing upwards? O_O
That’s his foot XD
Dude, it’s creepy if you look at it that way! x_x Ali and his twisted torso.
ahahah, i’m sorry, i see it now. i have a very weird imagination sometimes. XD
This comic is great! (I’ve actually been following it since… well, forever. I used to look at your Avatar art when I was like thirteen haha.)
Anyway… Soli is amazing. And to be honest, she isn’t more reprehensible than Luca at the moment… She reminds me of Mal Reynolds from ‘Firefly’ (if you’ve seen it). This looks like it will be a very long and epic comic and I’m actually hugely excited! Keep it up! :-)
Soli’s a girl! And here I thought all this time she was a he…. Even going back to the first couple of pages of chapter 3, she still seems to have a really masculine build…
incentive made me spit coffee everywhere.
hats off to you.
but aaaaaaaaah Aliiiii. such a cute nickame! ;A;
I don´t think anyone actually has a problem with Soli being immoral, they were just surprised at first because they assumed that she, as the protagonist, would also be a good hero and they don´t approve a good hero doing these things. But now, as we see she´s very much an anti-hero (or possibly even a villain?? or, most likely, something in between), and we see we´re not “supposed” to support all her actions, people can happily observe her unmoral and sometimes even evil actions.
I think, because people liked Soli so much, her sudden violencing towards that man kinda seemed like your new cool best friend doing that, and then of course you feel “WTF are you doing! No! Stop it! Don´t!!”
Haha, well, there were a few people who found it a little disturbing. I don’t want to alienate them by acting like I just wrote her that way on a whim or something. But yeah I get where you’re coming from XD
Problem, officer?
Wait wait wait, people are still complaining about the darkness of the comic?
Seems like a repeat of Angora’s near-rape and Luca abusing Phe. I love the fact that this comic doesn’t hide the bad things that people do, if anything it makes the story more likable because the characters act like people, not perfect Mary Sue-type figures.
If readers want light and fluffy stories, there are plenty out there. After all, nobody’s forcing them to read The Meek, that is unless there’s some sort of mind control conspiracy…
What we must remember, is that these are the actions of people in a society not so tightly knit as that in which most of us live. As you move toward the fringes, either by going back in time, to the edge of poverty, or the height of power, there’s much less keeping people from doing bad things regardless of their intentions.
I love this comic for it’s realism in this regard. There is little which can be found to be as detestable as a story which portrays characters of great power or freedom acting as though they are bound by mores of our society. Compare and contrast Dr. Manhattan with Superman for an example and ask yourself which character feels more real, which character do you feel more likely to make the decisions of?
Yes, this, precisely. The new page just spurred me to go back and revisit some climactic moments from Chapters 1 and 2, and I was repeatedly struck by how shocked many commenters were not only by the attempted rape and Luca’s spousal abuse but also by the murder of the ambassador and just recently Soli’s pistol-whipping of DeTiker.
For some reason which I won’t hazard to speculate about, a vocal portion of the audience is consistently shocked by these darker elements. I seem to detect a tendency to assume that because we are seeing events through a characters eyes, they are a good person to whom nice things should generally happen. Of course, I don’t want to judge anyone for being innocent in that respect…but I can’t help being dismayed a bit – Der Shing’s treatment of these events is very nuanced and balanced. I am a frequent consumer of horror and hard-boiled noir fiction, and I find tat it is *extremely* easy for authors to make light of death, horror and the abuse of power. Typically this sort of thing is just caricatured, or played for cheap shock.
But consider just how shocking each of these “dark” moments has been! Pistol whipping is scarcely remarkable in even the tamest of crime dramas, detective novels, etc – but because of the way Soli was introduced when she did it I think we cringed as an audience. Luca’s act of murder was utterly terrifying. People are not always nice. People removed (for whatever reason) from the stabilising influence of social norms and laws are very frequently awful (both with and without good reason!). Der Shing has done, I think, a very good job getting that across without diminishing the impact.
I agree with everything you just said and also wish I wasn’t silly enough to comment so inarticulately after SUCH AN AWESOME EXPLANATION.
Very well said!
Andrew, your comment makes me proud to be part of the same fanbase with you.
Yes, the fact that people are shocked by elements of violence that would be relatively “light” in many other stories shows how well and with how much thought this story is written. In this comic, when people sometimes do awful things to each other, then it really feels awful, it feels real.
Agreed.
OHMIGODTHETUMBLRTROLL 8D
To be honest, I think Soli is one of my favorite characters so far. Then again, I like ALL your characters. They’re so well done!
Man! I wish you could whip these pages out 5 a day, because I just want to keep reading! Oh well. I will have to be patient…
I thought she was a man until I remembered Chapter One and that bit where the trippy grandfather-salamander-tree-thing talks about people Angora will meet. But anyway, she’s awesome just because she beaned an old guy with a rifle butt. Very classy.
I bet you’re sick of drawing the cabin by now. Am I right? :P
Time for mucho action-tino in the next page. I love action scenes. Are you going to blow up the cabin later on? Please say yes!
Nice, just noticed the two centre panels are flashback panels. The curved frames are a pretty good idea… how’d you come up with it?
I just decided on it randomly XD Technically you can choose any convention and make it work… rounded panels look nice to me but unfortunately are a bit less obvious than say… putting a black background like manga does, or making a wavy or distorted filter on top like in movies etc
But the rounded panels let you tell an entire chapter in flashbacks, for example, without forcing us to wade through 50 pages of b/w art or distorted panels :/ Amirite? Good choice overall, I’d say.
Not all characters are redeemable, not all characters are ‘good people’, because in the end they are people.
Oh gods you if I had been drinking something when I saw the vote incentive I would have SPIT-TAK’D all over my computer ahahahaha I’m still laughing
squeal is dat MY MAN comin’ up to arrest Soli with her badass self??? I hope????
Mayyybe XD With his luscious man hair, hahaha…
In regards to the vote picture, you’re a monster. lol
So what did she think the huge tower was for? What did she think the old man had it so he could watch his morning and late afternoon soaps? LE GASP! Does the old man watch The Nanny?! lol
That question has a sort of complicated answer. Ask me again at the end of the chapter if you’re still not sure, but hopefully my storytelling will be good enough to answer it before then!
I’m afraid of the vote incentive, just so you know :D
The rounded frames are clever! Though I’m afraid I didn’t notice them at first, maybe a faded border would make it more obvious (or not…). And I wholeheartedly support characters with impure motives.
Round corners are my subtle “thing.” XD Maybe not the most noticeable, but they appear in previous chapters and I have too much fondness and inertia for them to switch them out.
that incentive made me lol so hard. so hard.
she does it ftlulz.
Awwww I could never dislike Soli! Why… she’s my fav!
I absolutely love your character development, btw… thats always the thing that makes me either like or dislike a series. Awesome work!
Yeah, I don’t dislike Soli for being bad~! But I do feel like this part is maybe going a bit slow~ Or at least, I feel like the last two chapters have been more exciting than this one so far- but this chapters still not over- so I’m just waiting for you to surprise me XD
(When will these chapters start to connect with each other? Chapter 4- or later-er?)
Haha, I felt the same way about Chapters 1 and 2 XD The first parts super dragged and then it got fun all of a sudden. We’re getting there though :) As for connections… you’ll see soon!
Like the other two chapters, this one is brilliant. I don’t mind the dragging out of the introductory scenes as it helps a lot to identify the character and their personality.
Some people have been saying that the curved panels for the flashbacks aren’t too noticeable but I want you to know that I recognised it immediately and it was as obvious as anything.
You mention that backgrounds are sort of challenging to you. Panel 2, I must say, and all backgrounds in this story just make me stare in awe.
And also: Yay! Fun parts are coming!
I must have missed the vote intensive that have some of the readers amused, now I’m just curious as to what it was. Does anyone have a copy of some sort?
And as for Soli’s chapter so far, I am really impressed. Soli and Alamand are very expressive and fascinating characters so far. The relationship between the two is what drives me to continue reading.
As for the elderly abuse incident, let’s not judge Soli too harshly just yet, we don’t really know the full story here. Alexds1 gave us Luca, and from what I read he’s still a likable character despite being driven to madness due to heartbreak, so it’s only fair to give Soli a chance.
Looking forward to the next page, and how Soli and Alamand will get out of this trouble they got themselves into!
Yeah, I missed it as well! I’m really curious about it now. :/
Who am I to deny you of such stupidity? Here.
Not to sound rude, but I never quite heard of that expression before.
It almost sounds like an insult…
Anyway, thank you for the previous vote incentive.
“Stupidity” refers to the image. “Who am I to deny you _______” is a relatively common expression, for future reference.
LOL. I missed that incentive. Internet memes! How fun is that?
I think Soli has issues (other than that she’s a criminal), the kind that will be revealed. ‘Cause our author is very good with three dimensional characters. :)
I don’t dislike Soli! Well, irl, I’d probably dislike her… but in stories I love characters who have flaws or act against principles. Flawless characters are a bit boring. I am even not sure if they exist? xD
Oooh, flash back panels! :)
The talking box and the boy doing circus tricks on the stairway – sounds like a pretty neat children’s book title!
I keep fearing that Ali’s gonna be the dead one in this chapter. D: Is that just me being paranoid? ‘Cause Angora’s got Pinter, but Luca lost his wife unexpectedly and thus his two kids as well. Well, three. (Where is Hyla? XD)
Soli’s a woman? O_o I thought she was a man all this time. Nerrr….
So, is Alamand a boy or girl? I thought they were both males (more specifically I thought they were brothers), but now my whole world is topsy turvy!
Haha yes, Soli is a woman! And Alamand is a boy. It’s okay to be confused, they are both rather androgynous (and if you look back a few pages, even the old dude mistakes Soli for a guy).
“Oh look, armed guards. Will be interesting to see how they make it out unscathed.”
Is what I would expect were I reading an average story. But… Phe. D: You had balls to kill her off, I started liking her character and next page she’s dead. But you’re done killing my favourite characters off for now, right? HAVE MERCY! Dx
…
The original file size must be REALLY large…I wonder how your computer manage that?Do you draw all of your panels on one file or each file for a panel?
I like Soli’s personality,she’s really -charismatic and fun-…I mean,don’t we get tired of all the good guys all there lately?
I think that more actions’ll come in the next pages,can’t wait for it :P
Also, it’s not like ALL the characters have to be lovable or political correct. Heck! We started with a topless teen with green hair running from horny men!
Truer words have never been spoken.
Holy hell, I’m with Lokin on that one question. 8I How exactly DOES your computer handle the hugeness of the files? I was wondering exactly the same, if you draw panels separately and then shrink them down and puzzle-piece them together. I’ve got some friends who do that when they work on comics. 8I then again I know some people with computers that can handle huge files and do it all on one page.
My computer is like 7 years old. It freaks out when I even think about large files. OTL
I just have a really powerful/fast computer now. My old comp would have died 10x over on files this large (the unflattened, finished pages are in excess of 1gb large). But back in March my old pc died and I was lucky enough to be able to buy a new computer thanks to emergency reader donations :)
No luck involved. You earned those donations. Mine, anyway.
Oh lol okay. New computers are good, I’m always amazed when I touch one and find it doesn’t lag every 10 seconds I’m on it.
Actually that kind of terrifies me with my current computer, it actually makes these scary noises when I use it….8I I reaaally should try to save some money for a new one. Then I might be able to work on large files without it exploding.
I’ve been reading this comic since the beginning of chapter 2, and I thought, How shitty of me to have never left a comment. So here I am! I love this comic and I love the direction it’s going in. Soli is my favorite–it’s so nice to see an enjoyable strong female character who isn’t cookie-cut. Keep up the good work!
Really? Everyone wants to read “The Meek: Starring the CareBears (But Only The Really, Really Cute Ones)”?
When did worthwhile fiction only portray sympathetic characters? Sucks to be Shakespeare, I guess.
I can’t say I approve of Soli’s actions as of now but I certainly still care about what happens to her, and that’s pretty much the best thing you can ask for when you’re writing an asshole character. Dislikeable, but still likeable. That’s hard to pull off. You should be proud!
What, seriously? I adore Soli! Sure, her actions are distasteful, but she is an absolutely amazing character so far. Besides, if she weren’t acting so questionably, she wouldn’t be half as interesting.
I like where this is going. Soli has just been introduced and already people are prejudging that she is violent and lacking any morals. Now not everyone is like that but I think, like Angora and Luca, Soli will turn out to be a beloved character at the end of this chapter or so on.
I am fascinated with her history, especially with her relationship with Ali. Are they a mother and son team or partners-in-crime??? Love the mystery. I have a feeling the Meek will get darker and depressing as we fall into this twisted rabbit’s hole but that’s what I believe that it makes you a good writer. I am basically saying that this story is unpredictable and you are dragging us into this spiral of climatic proportions!!
…..I hope I didn’t bored you that much. This story is my new obsession as of now! BTW if people complain Soli is just a bad girl, what about Luca???? I mean he’s my favorite character but I think he is much worst in morals then her. He’s a power-hungry dictator for crying out loud! Yet everyone adores the angry little man, hmmmm???? I’m just curious…..
what kind of name is detiker?
A Santri name :)
I think Alamand’s comment from a few pages ago sums it up nicely “Did you just whack the old guy in the face? …And that’s why I love you.”
Not even because of the whacking old people in the face, but because of the way Soli and Alamand play off of each other. I don’t think I would enjoy Soli as much without Alamand, and vice versa. Their relationship is hilarious, and it’s what makes me like Soli.
Though I have to admit that I thought Soli was a guy until you said “her”.
Also, fun fact, in Croatian “Soli” is the conjugated word for “salt”.
Salty ‘ol Soli. Makes her sound like a tavern wench down by the docks – which she may well have been. It takes practice to learn how to properly backhand someone.
And poor Ali! Doesn’t know what a radio is. But he does know how to read. Interesting.
I don’t think hitting an old man was one of Soli’s finest moment. But whoever she is gathering those books for may do far worse to her if she doesn’t succeed. Or to someone she loves? When women get really desperate in their actions, it usually involves love.
Not much to say about this page but am really intrigued with the story that lies ahead!
LOL. Cookies are not meant to be examined.
…so says the Internet.
The Internet is your friend. :)
I love Soli.
P.S. The AAA advertisement incentive is grand. :D
it’s amazing how i can see the face expression in full detail even with her face more than half colored. like everyone said, you really outdid yourself by shining so much personality even behind a handkerchief.
can’t wait for more :)
You are amazing, you know that? :D
Eeeehehehhehehe! We got company, kids! Ain’t that just the way, all factions turn up on the scene on the same day.
How in the world did I go this long under the assumption that Soli was male? I have to go defragment my head…
I was confused from the get go. There’s nothing in her looks, so far, that says anything resembling female to me. That darn kid didn’t help either from the description, because he completely androgynous to me too. I don’t particularly care, but as I speak English, it can make conversations about characters a tad bit annoying. Stupid English and its gendered pronouns.
Hahahaha she just swear XD, well, she´s the boss! Lovely art style!
I can’t say whether or not I like Soli at this point; right now I’m just really curious about what she’s looking for and why she’s doing the things she’s doing. She obviously has reason, but you’re being devilish by hiding it from us (which I enjoy very much). I can’t wait for the next page!
Hmm same here, on all counts lol.
LOL I just realised what the secret word is.
What is it? I still don’t understand.
I actually really love Soli, and have since the sketch comic. Morally, perhaps she’s in that darker grey area but I can’t help feeling some sort of attachment to her, and in the end forgiving her. Not everyone is going to be a good guy, and Soli seems to fit in the slide scale of morality nicely between Angora and Luca.
Also, outlaws are awesome. So cowboy movies have indoctrinated me into believing ^^
I just realized (a bit late I guess) that this world is more technologicaly advanced than I thought- I’m really looking foreward to learn more about it’s society and it’s history.
I love how you manage to create so many different characters with so much depth
“Trusted AAA service.
Truly great break-ins.”
Omigosh
I can’t wait to see people’s shocking revelation at Soli’s gender…Nice incentive lol.
And the AAA one was so clever xD!
WAIT…Soli’s a girl?!
XD juuuuust kidding I swear.
I am also insanely excited for the next page; I have a feeling a certain character whom I hath been waiting for may be showing up soon *__*
*laughing* the voting picture is awesome… XD i seriously thought, until a week or two ago, that Soli was a dude, and Alamand was a chick… woops… lol. you should make one with Alamand saying something like “Boys have penises, girls have vaginas.” that would make me giggle so much…
loved Soli’s expression in the last panel, a pure “awh damn” face; and how Alamand was worming his way down the stairs head-first :P
You freaking rock, I love this story!
I just had a dream about this part last night! D: This was happening, and then Soli darted back inside in a rush, and then the old guy told her that if she apologized, he would help hide her o_O
Somehow, I don’t think that’s true. Lol.
what does detiker mean? or is it the old guys name?
Yes, it’s his name. Karl DeTiker, I just noticed him in the Meekipedia.
On a different note: Noooo! I must have missed one letter! (It’s supposed to be 6, right?) How could that happen?! I hope I catch the last one and still manage to figure out the solution…
I think I figured the word! Now all that I wonder is how to contact you: e-mail or comment? :3 If it is e-mail, what’s the address?
On other hand, love the surprised look on panel 6! Don’t see that one too often.
I’ll give those instructions on the last letter day :) Otherwise I’ll go crazy, haha.
ey!
i noticed that she has the same color tatoo that pinter has!
i love the comic!
Oh noes!I must have missed two letters(I’ve restarted reading The Meek right after 10 pages of the chapter was started)…
my wallllpappppper muuuuuuuuuu——-
And that rodent’s so cute!
Dammit I missed the incentive =( Is there anywhere we can still see it?
What?? Soli is female?! I thought both these characters were men! I’m so confused!
well…wow! i thought soli was a guy…lol! but, she doesnt look like a girl…she’s awesome anyway…lol!
I ADORE SOLI. I’m not joking, I think she’s awesome.
And I don’t mind her actions- she clearly did not like being called and mere criminal and she seems to have sacrificed something very important in her lifetime, so I’m sure she has good reasons for everything she is doing.
Also, the name Soli. Amazing. And her facial features and just… GAH she’s just amazing! Does she have to put on a male voice to pass as a man or has she naturally got a voice that could be either? I suppose you don’t really have to think about that in a comic :P But still! She is awesome.
What?? Soli is female?! I thought both these characters were men! I’m so confused!
What?? Soli is female?! I thought both these characters were men! I’m so confused!
I don’t know if I have just been watching a lot Inglorious Bastards lately, but the lighting in this scene reminds me of a Tarantino film, all those great extremes of intense light and dark look so amazing!