Uh oh Soli now you’ve done it
Thanks to everyone who came to say hi last weekend at Wondercon :) It was great to see you. Whoever got me sick though, you’re on my hit list.
BY THE WAY one of my most favorite comics in the world, Lackadaisy Cats, was recently nominated for an Eisner for best web comic. I’ve already recommended it several times I’m sure, but if you’re one of those people who hasn’t gotten around to reading it yet, you should get on it.
Oh Amen, you are looking fine. ;0
THIS
*high five*
Amen, you need to calm down, bro.
ALSO GOOD JOB WITH THE UPDATES.
Persistent bugger, isn’t he?
Panel 5 is great. I would’ve known what he was going to do even if 6 hadn’t been, you know, dominating. Bullying all the other panels. I swear it wants to break out and take over the entire page.
… “princeps”? Did you mean princess? :O
AHHHHH I WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO AMEN AND THE OLD GUY
no I think that’s deliberate
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princeps
To me, it sounds like “biceps”.
or “forceps”
Or Incept(ion)s
Amen you have got some major cajones, my handsome friend. Now I’m going to sit back and try to figure out how in the heck you’re gonna arrest Soli all tied up like that. Clearly he’s not only good looking but he apparently also has superpowers he’s holding in reserve XB
bless his heart he’s dutiful but he ain’t too bright… the rosary comment is worrying me though @_@
love the guys face in the last panel!
also worried bout the rosary comment as well….
keep up the AWESOME work DS!
That blue kerchief now has like a invisible yet blaring blue arrow pointing towards its expressively visible and blaring blue kerchiefness. Which also got me noticing everyone’s blaring blue eyes. And blaring blue tattoos. And blaring blue…other miscellany. Blaring. In this chapter.
Hey. I guess everybody likes blue in the desert. (or perhaps loathes it deep inside)
Anyway, comparing pages, I do notice that Amen’s a little less bound up with rope here. I guess he’s a pretty expressive guy. Expressive and enthusiastic at cutting up rope with his bare wrists perhaps.
* EXPLICITLY visible
Why do I repeat myself orz
Perhaps it’s just some fad of the Carissi?
Yeah, the splashes of blue is sort of the thing in this chapter. That’s what happens when you are an artist, sometimes you feel compelled to do things.
…Why does that last panel sound incredibly ominous? Like his saying that will make him trackable or something. It kinda makes me nervous. o_O
Aw, Amen, I hope you don’t get shot in the next panel because your tenacity is just so endearing.
Yay for an update! I don’t mind waiting, I’m just so happy when new pages arrive : )
Bless you, Amen, for being such a persistent little man. Too bad Soli’s as badass as you.
Also, HAY THERE PANEL 5 OF ANGRY HOTNESS. I do love me some tense jawline.
I absolutely love the transition from the first panel to the second. Really brilliant.
Well, I’m actually just generally in love with this comic altogether, so keep up the good work!
The lighting here is spectacular, gah! I love this comic!
YAY.
Yup, Amen, have fun with that. Mad props for being so wonderfully dutiful, though. I just love his character so much. x)
Oh man, I adore how you draw faces. Ears and noses in particular. They’re difficult to draw but you make them look so amazingly real.
how’s that working out for you Amen?
“Please knock the stupid out of me!” is obviously what his words translate to.
Soli’s world is a special place where everything is stupid today. XD
lol, I want to make that canon so bad.
DOITDOITDOITDOITDOITDOIT
Can they just make babies already? Seriously, if she doesn’t get on board, I’m gonna jump all over that.
…Ridiculous fangirling aside, you drew and shaded Amen’s facial features really awesomely, especially in that close up. I hope to be as great an artist as you someday!! :D
Why did Soli ask about rosary? Or is this one of those “I do not think it means what you think it means” moments?
I think it’s as in “say your prayers, you gonna die” XD
On days like today that really bring me down I know I can look forward to The Meek. I’m glad you invest your time on it and I really don’t care that you go on hiatuses for months on end, because it’s always something to look forward to.
Thanks so much for reading. And I am trying not to hiatus any more… Unfortunately I got sick last week so I was kind of crawling through this page. Crossing my fingers that I’ll be healthy from here on out, haha…
As long as you enjoy doing what you’re doing I’ll always be back.
I doubly hope you stay healthy. Once because I like your work and think you deserve the luxury of good health. And once because I’m selfish and want to read this novel without delay.
Too dumb to live probably isn’t adequate now. He truly believes his words, though.
Love the emotion in that last panel! Great job by the way, the waits are tough but SOO worth it when we get an update :D
Considering this is a flashback we can be pretty sure he doesn’t actually manage to arrest her, how he planned to pull that off I’d love to know….
The power of love and magic ;_; Probably
Unrelenting bastard, isn’t he? My my.
Persistent, aint’chya Amen
I’ve noticed several instances in this comic where the intended reading flow goes from down and then across, like the last three panels here. I remember in Scott McCloud’s “Making Comics” he mentioned that a panel setup like this is often confusing. Yet every time you’ve used it, I’ve been able to read it quite naturally. Just thought I’d mention that. :)
I’ve always really loved your page style. The little circle with the page number is one of my favourite things ever.
I’m anticipating a “shit just got real” moment coming up, judging from Alamand’s attitude in the last page. And I thought Symon was the Queen not the “princeps” …?
The down and across is a tricky thing to do if you’re not paying attention, but there are some cheats to get around it… basically direct the eye in the right direction through color/ composition/ word bubbles. Here I did composition, where it’s clear that the last panel is not as natural to look at as the bottom one. Also another cheat is that I’m using it at the bottom of the page, I’d need to be more clear if I was using it on the top half. And the last cheat is that you’re conditioned from reading the other pages to read in the correct sequence, haha /talking shop
And yeah, her title fluctuates depending on who you talk to. “Princeps” is technically one of her official titles but is more diminutive title than calling her Queen Symon. Amen and many others choose to use the former title for reasons I’ll get into later.
Oooh, that’s really helpful. Did you learn that from a book, or just from practice? And do you know any good books on comics that you’d recommend?
Just practice. When I was doing my sketch comics I ran into that issue a few times (like on this page). This is where listening to crits can really save your ass, since several people told me they got confused :B
Well.
You can’t say he doesn’t take his job seriously.
Wait wait wait wait.
I just realized.
We don’t know where Adobart is.
That’s what I’ve been wondering ever since Alamand reappeared with just the horse.
that’s awfully pretentious of you, seeing as you’re tied up…
Uhm.
Dear heart, I appreciate your dedication to duty, but there seems to have been a minor disconnection from reality inside that relentless brain of yours. Did Soli bounce your skull around on the desert rocks a few times too many while hogtying you?
I love Amen. Don’t know how he thought he would do it, but I bet it would’ve been awesome. The good guys always win, don’t ‘cha know?! XD Or so he thought…
Oh god I think I’m developing a crush on a fictional character D: But he just looks so damn good in those panels. Like some kind of…MANLY BOY SCOUT, YEAH. <3
Amen.
Dude.
You tryin’ to get yourself shot?
But I think I know how he gets out alive! He manages to break free, they struggle, and then EPIC HATESEX. And then they part ways because man that’s awkward. XD
In terms of the decision making, Amen is already shot, he’s got nowhere to go but up man.
… With the unconscious scientist still around? XD
A) You captured that awkward jaw waggle where someone is trying to get something out of their mouth PERFECTLY and
B) Amen’s expression in that last panel is seriously amazing. I love how intense he looks, and all the face wrinkling/lines look fantastic. I think that last one is my favorite panel in a long time, it is absolutely beautiful. Also, I love the little details for his gums and those big ol’ square chompers :B
Amen you are so wonderfully drawn, why do you have to say these silly things
Earlier this week I sent you a message through deviantART and gmail to ask if I could use a picture of Luca from one of you pages to publish in my high school newspaper beside my review for your mind-blowing, epic comic. If you could get back to me before Monday, I would appreciate it.
Amen, unless you can handcuff someone with your mouth, thats not gonna happen.
By the way, I really love the layout of this page! I think my fav thing is how the top panel is ‘I-’ and then it gets continued in panel two. Lovely use of dialogue. I learn so much reading your comic, keep it up! Take as long as you need for it, because the quality is great.
Have you considered giving the flashback panels round corners, like Angora’s?
Nah, it doesn’t work in this case, since there is only a single page break between scene shifts. It’ll read better in one go, though I realize that right now it might be disconcerting!
Well, I didn’t find it disconcerting, I’m just anal about formal consistency ;-) (As in ‘The typography on the title page of Chapter 3 is different.’) But I totally agree that artistic/aesthetic considerations take precedence.
Oh, Amen, I love you so.
My guess is that she just left them there. :I
lol! the story is gettin’ better
Oh Amen, such a defender of justice. I anticipate some serious shit goin’ down soon in the next few pages :B
Amen! <3 I love their blue eyes.
If he'd managed to arrest her, I think he'd done it with his marvelous teeth!
Lovely update! Hope you get well soon!
Oooooh, excellent colouring
And man, Amen’s a real idiot.
I think I love this man. He makes me want to believe he can pull this off.
Wow. Amen’s especially sexy when he’s hot and bothered. Rawr.
…wait, is Caris Christian then? When Amen said “God is my strength” I kind of wondered, but I figured it was a different God. Are you using the word ‘rosary’ as an easily recognizable substitute for whatever religious symbols they really use? Or did you adopt an Earth religion for your world?
Either is fine (not that you need my approval!) but I’m interested to know.
Thanks. :)
I was wondering that as well.
I would say that it’s an easily recognizable symbol for this comic world, rather than a Christian thing. I think it would have been much more confusing if she had said “You got a schmooblablah or something?” You know what I mean?
Just my speculation.
Woah, how did you know about the Schmooblablah?? That’s top secret!
That’s kind of what I figured too. Then we would have been graced with five pages of tasty exposition revealing the religious history and significance of the schmooblablah.
I think Buddhists have rosaries as well, and there may be another religion that has prayer beads or something.
Amen’s face…
Just…
…Amen’s face.
Okay.
A: Love the flashback and the way you set it up!
B: Perfect expressions. Perfect.
C: The dull, brownish colors combined with that one bit of blue – that’s awesome.
Oh, Amen. He’s acting like a cat does when it’s getting a bath. It glares and spits and thinks it has the upper-hand, then -whoosh- you swoop in with the soap. I hope Soli doesn’t swoop in with the soap anytime soon. D:
I just got an image of Amen in the Lackadaisy style, with his ears flattened and tail all poofed. <3
Oh gosh, now I’m totally picturing it too!
I love Amen!!! I love him!! xD That last panel is epic, and beautiful, too :3
And true, the way to link back the two scenes is really good :3
Amen. lol
I’m still in the shock that The Meek is updating regularly. O_O
Beautiful page, I love how no one believes that you’ll kill Amen. Because, he’s a such a great character, and we love him and you’d never kill him; just like you’d never kill Phe. Oh, wait, noooooo.
If he does live it will be by fake execution I think. Which would mean that all Soli’s ominous dialog is just get Alamand to think that she’s really going to kill him. But then I remember the last page where Alamand was all mad, so maybe he does live and without deception no less.
8I Seriously Amen? But by saying that he will summon the ninjas Légion Étrangère coming through the windows O: Oh Soli is in sooooooo much troubles :B
Oh look at you, you’re such a good soldier!
Lackadaisy is a fantastic comic! I actually found your comic through Lackadaisy. :)
Aw. That’s cute. But there’s no chance of you actually doing that.
The arresting part, I mean.
he is firm in his beliefs not aint he lol!
Huh…it seems he’s in a *great* position to negtiate
Oh no! But HOW exactly are you going to do that, Amen?
Did you mean “princess” when you put “princeps” or is it supposed to be that way?
I’d say it’s supposed to be that way; ‘princeps’ is an ancient Roman imperial title given to the Emperor :3 It was meant to identify him as ‘the guy in charge of everything’.
Angry Amen is angry.
haha, I laughed so loud at the last panel. good luck with that, Amen.
Amen is calling his attack!!
Now that’s what I call work ethic.
Lolerz.
That’s pretty funny. I can just picture Soli’s reaction in my head. xD
Pretty obviously, Amen failed in the whole “arresting” her thing, since we see her later st night writing in her journal. x3 He gets points for trying though…
Lackadaisy is awesome yes! but yours is great too! Please stop leaving the story hanging like this.
Hanging like what?
Like this.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6TZq05jaX8/TSUV4bW7zqI/AAAAAAAAA_w/8VgUxktTeVk/s1600/hang+in+there.jpg
…adorably?
What a face! I surrender, Honey!
Feel better Alex. I think I have the same thing.
phfff. . he’s pretty bold for someone who nearly fainted when Alamand said “kill them”
well, good luck with that Amen.
Gotta love amen
I dunno guys, he might have something up his sleeve. Next panel maybe he lunges forward, grabs her gun with his teeth, shoots through the ropes freeing himself, and roundhoiuse kicks her into unconsciousness.
After all, there is no such thing as evolution, just a list of creatures Amen has allowed to live.
That was epic win, good sir. You had me laughing for a while there.
chuck norris? who is chuck norris we only speak of the Amen
There used to be a street named after Amen but it had to be changed because no one crosses Amen and lives to tell about it
The reason why Dagre has hanging jowls is because Amen needed something to do his pull-ups with
Pinter stays drunk because once when he was sober he saw Amen in action and had to drink constantly from then on to keep his brain from exploding of sheer awesomeness
also the reason why Luca has death hands is because once he got in a fight with Amen and grabbed his junk. Amen forgave him of course…by taking his leg and his teeth.
Angora is always naked because Amen looked at her. Once.
Which is enough, because his gaze causes clothing to crumble into nonbeing by sheer recognition of his awesomeness.
Dang it, he really is Meekverce Chuck! It looks I’m not the only one who thinks that. BTW I wrote my first comment before I read these. LOL, he’s becoming an Ameme – like an Amen meme, get it? Yeah, I know I’m going to the wall and wait to be bricked to death.
My previous comment: Damn, does the soldier think he’s Chuck Norris? Nice try, too. And nice job as always, Alexds1.
There’s a reason people say ‘Amen’ after they pray.
Amen once had a one night stand in Nevada. This place is now known as the Grand Canyon.
Except that the Grand Canyon is in Arizona.
shhhh
Uh.. Oops. Oh well lol
The Grand Canyon *was* in Nevada. Amen didn’t like the way it looked there, so he moved it south. Just by glaring at it the way he’s glaring at Soli now…
well yeah, _now_ it is.
Regular updates FTW! And I adore Amen. Though he looks very dramatic and serious in the last panel–it seems almost like a contrast to the light, comedy-tinged nature of the chapter up ’til now.
Someone needs to tell Amen that as good as he looks with his hair all tidy and slicked back…
HE IS A FUCKING DEMIGOD OF SEXINESS WITH HIS HAIR ALL MUSSED UP.
… if he ever ends up soaking wet and muddy, I think I will have to apply for a marriage license.
lol okay I took mercy and edited it for you XD
Can you believe that I’m paid for my typing skills? XD Thanks for that. You are a freaking champion of the Internets.
I totally agree. Amen + messy hair = OTP FOR EVER.
haha, oh I love that guy. DUDE please update quickly , I die a little time I check to see if its updated and it not. no pressure C:
Ok now I’m sounding a bit whiny, but anywho love it!
Oh god, is it wrong that I want to ship them now?
Is it wrong that I recognized your username as being one of the major Himalayan peaks and got super excited? mountains omg
lol you and your mountains XD
I actually thought this name was one of the aliases the Hindi goddess Durga went by but I am unable to find the source now D:
the mountain is still badass though
You, too? XD
Can I get an amen?
“You’re under ARREST!”
Can I get a halleluja?
*Soli opens fire*
Thank you, Jesus!
lol
Shoot him!
I smell a Javert.
Haha, that’s what I thought too!
That guy’s got brass ones.
It’s hard to arrest people when you’re dead as a doornail. He really hasn’t thought this through 0_0
I would have gone with bargaining.
I think you made a typo in the last panel… should say “princess”? (sorry if it’s already been pointed out.)
Also I love Amen. He is like… so…proper. XD
Nope, it’s supposed to be princeps :) Etymology-wise, the word is actually the base for the words “prince” and “princess,” with “principis” meaning “the first” in Latin (like in the word “principal,” which means to come first).
WURDS
I am totally loving your use of Latin.
And the blue in this chapter, which really makes the dry, brown desert pop.
And the characters.
And I could just go on and on but I’m sick too and will be sleeping now. :C
Shoot ‘im! Shoot ‘im! Shoot ‘im in the face!
This page is RIDICULOUSLY pretty. I couldn’t tell you why exactly, but something about the lighting, especially in the second and sixth panels, is just amazing.
Also Amen is a new favorite character. He’s so cute and law-abiding!
He’s mine too! He looks so manly and determined in that last panel :P
Not the thing to say when tied up and trying to secure one’s release.
…Right.
It’s interesting that he places her under arrest, considering he’s all tied up at the moment.
Love this comic! Although, I think there might be a spelling error in “her holy highness the Princeps Symon”. There are one too many P’s in that word. :P
Don’t ya’all git it? She’s come tah do ‘im and that thar little ol’ guy in. There won’t be any mussy-haired cute Amen if’n ‘es dead…..comprende?
As highly as I regard Amen, I’ve always thought telling someone they’re under arrest is a silly thing when they’ve got you all tied up.
Two possibilities:
1. She doesn’t actually have him tied up; she just thinks she does.
2. There are specific legal consequences of having received that warning, especially if it might later be brought to the attention of the court having jurisdiction.
I can’t really see these two becoming an item. There’d have to be a very serious taming of the Soli scene for that to work, and I don’t think she’d put up with that. They could be friends, possibly occasional lovers, but long term? Can’t see that working, and I’m not sure Amen would allow himself a brief fling. I think the man has actual principles.
I like this comment.
>:C Maybe if we added alcohol to the sexytiemz equation it might work. Briefly. But, damnation, I bet all that religious Amen has bursting from his manly jaw warns of the evil of alcohol as well as delicous, delicous, cop ‘n robber premarital relations.
Also, I love the expressions. Even with half of Soli’s face covered they’re still as obvious as a brick in the face.
You see Amen’s chin? The pure manly religiousness going on there actually repels alcohol and other such substances. Even if he wanted to drink it, all alchohol in a ten centimeter radius will get flung away.
Re: #2–I was thinking the same thing, that it was like getting served. But why bother if all of the witnesses to it will be dead? His being an officer of the law hasn’t held Soli back so far, so being officially designated an agent of the queen isn’t likely to protect him.
Maybe it’s a BP mind trick, sometimes simple minded folk will literally get shammed into going along with you despite their decision to be outlaws. It happens most when the decision to break the law is not philosophically supported or accepted by the perpetrator and the perpetrator is susceptible to authoritative voices and jaw lines.
I think I’ve heard of this Mandible Susceptibility
Re: the recent sketches on your Tumblr, can I say that I LOVE how Pinter looks? And also Luca. It’s amazing, but I found their face “designs” expressive and compelling before, but in that sketch it really shows how your art improves exponentially. I felt satisfied for some reason :) Keep it up!
Oh, haha, thanks. Those aren’t “improvements” per se, I was just trying them out in a more realistic style. The comic is still going to be drawing in the more cartoony style though.
Is the diary being written in china-graph? :D
For some reason Amen reminds me of Harrison Ford in that last panel.
Love it. =)
That’s who will play him in the move. Young Harrison Ford.
That guy is the funniest. “You are under arrest.” Ha! XDD
I think Amen is a pretty cool guy. eh arrets soli and doesn’t afraid of anything.
You know, Amen somehow reminds me of this character in a book series I used to love… He was from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series, and I believe he was called… Carrot. Am I the only one who thinks that? Or doesn’t anyone know what I’m talking about?
Holy SHIT you’re right! Why didn’t I spot that?
Of course I’m right! I’m always right! No, just kidding. I’m only mostly right. But did I get the name right? He was called Carrot, right? I’m not that good with names, and it’s been a while…
Yeah, Captain Carrot Ironfoundersson Ankh-Morpork City Watch.
Damn, does the soldier think he’s Chuck Norris? Nice try, too. And nice job as always, Alexds1.
He can arrest me any day.
He’s so very ~arresting~
(is shot because the artist already made that joke)
Damn. Amen looks intense (in a good way). I don’t know whether to feel scared for Soli…or envy her.
I’m curious about Soli’s background. Obviously she didn’t get a very good education since she can hardly write. Yet if she has a weapon in her hand, the only thing you can do is pray. This would be a good opportunity for a “pen is mightier than sword” joke but…I’m not going there. XD.
I eagerly await the next page. I can’t wait to see what goes down.
Look out! She’s got a pen!
There I did it for you.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princeps
Princeps is a word everyone! :B
I was literally in the process of typing out an admonition for using the plural when I second-guessed myself, googled it, and found out I was wrong.
The More You Know ™
Amen is such a hottie. I eagerly await more Amen action. :D
Amen to that.
I recently started reading this story (found it on DeviantArt and i just had to continue) can’t wait for the next page XD
Amen’s faith knows no bounds.
I like this page!!
By the way… you spelled “PRINCESS” as “PrincePs… Just so you know.
I love how the writing in her journal cuts off into her memory. So inventive, I love it!