3.01
August 5, 2010
Ugh!
I have this Serious backlog of awesome comics to pimp… Going to start off with one of my favorite comic artists, Evan Dahm, who just started his new epic called Vattu. His previous two works are among my favorite comics ever, and this new one is just as captivating so far. It’s in full color! And it starts in front of a fire, like this chapter, which is quite harmonious, don’t you think? Go take a look!
We get to meet Alamand soon, yayy…
126 Comments
Awesome! Can’t wait to see this chapter unfold! First page looks great as usual :)
Ok I’m just going to say it.
Soli does NOT look female. Unless that’s what you were going for.
I gotta admit that I expected a reaally different Soli but…I kinda like it that way. Love her already :P
Hahaha… you say that like I haven’t been drawing this character for a few years. Believe me, I know what she looks like.
I really like the diversity in the characters’ physical appearances, something that’s already been addressed, I know. I know plenty of women who look like Soli or Lethy, so I think it’s great that they’re being drawn. :)
And I love how Soli looks. I think she’s perfect.
Soli and Lethy are from the same geographic region! Which you may or may not wish to refer to as Uglyville
uglyville….you crack me up
you mean sexyville right?
Uglyville… I love it. :)
They are not ugly. >:|
Same geographic region as creepy-rapist-guy-who-wanted-to-cut-Pinter’s-nose-off? Because that was *my* first reaction: “OMG, she looks like that creepy guy!”
Not that this doesn’t make her totally awesome. Just goes to show that one cannot paste negative (or positive) characteristics on the way people look, after all.
Sorry, I don’t mean Kiz (I looked him up), but his blond bowlcut cronie, the one who holds Pinter as Kiz tries to cut his nose off. That one
Aw man, I’m SO excited for this chapter.
What’s she wearing under this shirt (panel 4) ? Chest binding ?
Yes. Cheaper than a brassiere!
But a bit longer to put on an to remove, I assume…
People are wondering about the state of weapon technology in the Meekverse (guns and all…) but underclothes technology must not be overlooked ! It’s nice that you think of little details like that.
Christ, I love you. I love how perfectly andro Soli looks, I love how if I was reading this for the first time I would totally assume she was male, even though she doesn’t actually look more male than female.
…lol okay and now I just scrolled up and saw the earlier comments. Excuse me while I bust a gut snerking. :D
I was REALLY hoping this next page would be up before I went away!
She’s exactly what I remember from the sketch pages.
I like this woman already! I’m excited for this arc!
Soli’s grouchy face is awesome.
Just sayin’.
Aww Soli keeps a diary. AW.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
aaaaaaaaaaaaa…..
Yay. ^~^
Boy, that is the most mainliest woman I ever seen. XD
Can’t wait for the next page. :D
I meant to say “manliest” XD
I like her already. :D
And I love the poor penmanship. Little details are awesome and say a lot about characters.
Yes :) New chapter starting up.
I LOVE HER ALREADY
I can’t believe I didn’t notice freckles before now
On an even smaller image lol
OMG! i am so excited!!!!!
I really love the attention to detail! Like the historically accurate pencil, which is just a stick of graphite wrapped in sheepskin… There must not be much need for mass-production where Soli is from.
Man I missed Soli D:
Soli has my handwriting skillz, I see. No eraser 8(
I love the little flecks of firedust- you don’t even need to see a fire to know it’s there!
Haha – annoyed face.
I love this comic more with every page I read. <3 One thing (out of many) that I absolutely adore is the variation between your characters. You probably get this a lot, haha, but I think it's awesome that everyone's so different and distinguishable–personalities and appearances both.
Been silent for a while, but I must say that I’m really looking forward to this chapter. I love Soli lready and she’s only said a single word.
That’s pretty much what my hand writing looks like XD I hate mine, lol. I didn’t comment the cover but it was AWESOME! I loved it to pieces!
I didn’t read the sketch-comic, this is my first introduction to everything.
I didn’t know she was female. I could see the character was androgynous, so I assumed I wasn’t meant to know a gender until explicitly revealed in the course of the story. If I’m honest, I decided to assume male until proven otherwise.
But then I made the mistake of scrolling down and reading the comments, something I have, before now, never done. I wish I hadn’t, because although her gender is probably not that big of a deal, it’s still information that I learned outside the structure of the story’s pacing.
So lesson learned: If you’re new to the story, never read the comments. It’s a little disappointing, since I am a fan and would like to join in the congratulatory hubbub. But in the end I don’t think I’m missing out on a lot.
Anyway, Alexds1, your story is novel-like. I feel like I’m reading a really great novel. Somehow your illustrations seem less like art created to accompany words, and more like the mental imagery which flows through my mind when reading a book. Like the words are creating the images. I think it has something to do with your portrayal of motion. It’s very convincing.
I really love Soli’s look. At first, I thought she was a man, but then I did some searching. She’s pretty hot. <3
So, she can’t spell or write very well, huh?
I really like the way Soli looks here!! She’s much better looking than from your sketches… NO OFFENCE!!!
I just got my signed and sketched copy of Rice Boy last week, and someday Vattu will sit next it on my shelf. Also present will be Meek books!
Much love for Soli’s handwriting. <3
Aww Soli, I will spellcheck your note for you.
Also man why do people have such a hard time dealing with androgynous women? Way to harsh the mellow this new page gave me, guys. :I
What’s that say on her diary? And wow… she’s got bad nails lol.
oooooh… Beautiful colors!!!
And I think I’m gonna like Soli… I already do! x)
Okay, so this might seem ABSOLUTELY retarded as far as questions are concerned, but HOW in the BLUE BLAZES did you get the charcoal to look so…. charcoal’y on the paper!? I’m absolutely fascinated by how realistic it looks, with the slight variation in “blackness,” most notably on the scribble bit. It’s nuts. And amazing.
Haha, I cheated and used a brush (I think it was the chalk brush in photoshop)! It does look pretty convincing…
Awesome. And now I shall be fiddling with that forever. :D Thanks for answering!
I’m excited! … I feel like a newb for assuming Soli was a guy at first there.
…Dang, I wish I could bind my chest like that. XD
hmmmm….I’m starting to see a theme here. First, forest, woods. Then fire. Now water? This is exciting.
i like how you changed the site’s banner. i don’t think i realized it with chapter 2 xD
also, his/her fingernails are beautiful. :D
I absolutely love how she holds the pencil. How people hold their pencils are all so unique and I’m always looking at how people hold their pencils. It’s very well drawn and good.
Did you base it off of how you hold your pencil or just gave her her own unique grasp on it?
(:
Yes, that’s my grasp XD
I love the little details that let you in on who Soli is — the misspellings and her rugged fingernails :D. And we get nicely introduced to Alamand before we even see him. All of this on the first page :B
Looking forward to this story.
I love how Soli has bad spelling. “Tomarrow” x3
And I know that if you look at your fingernails, you can see little lines, like the ridges, but when they’re drawn in like that in black, it always makes me think that her fingernails have cracks and are splitting. xD”
In any case, great page. Alamand’s exclamations are priceless. xD
Is Soli a tomboy, or does she consciously dress like a man for disguise purposes? I’m asking this because in one of the comments above you said that she’s wearing binding. And the only reason a girl would wear binding is to hide boobs. And the only reason a girl would hide boobs is to look like a man. Amiright?
You’ll see!
For some reason I find her writing and spelling really cute! (it looks like my kindergarten writing :’D aww Soliii)
and, that just totally spoiled the mood.
I know it’s only page 1 but I already love this chapter, and I know that doesn’t make sense, but it’s just so…so…COOL. You know, like I stare at every page for several minutes just taking in the details…<3
Also Alamand kind of sounds like a butthead.
Your ability to range your characters looks in a distinctive way without making them look like gonks does you credit
Oh, and you need to update the cast page
hurr
Yeah, I’m waiting for an image with better lighting (unless you mean the Wiki, which won’t be updated for a while)
Uhm…can someone explain to me how we are supposed to know these characters already? All through Chapter 2 and now Chapter 3, both the readers in the comments and the artist in his comments seemed to imply that we should already know these characters from somewhere. Did I miss a prequel comic or something? o_O?
The sketch pages for these chapters were originally up on LJ for people to read, so some people already know what’s going to happen to an extent. They’re not up there any more, though – at least not for the general public. :( Also, there’s lots of art featuring the characters on DeviantArt.
Ah, that would explain quite a bit. I purposefully avoided the sketch comics, due to thinking they were a “here, has some art while I do the next batch” and I thought they were the previous chapter done again…
On top of the sketches and concept art, Meekipedia already has articles for Soli and Alamand under the “Chapter 3” heading. Last I checked, there’s not enough info there to spoil anything, but enough that we have an idea of who they are.
There’s a meekipedia? Ok then. Note to self.
…I think I’m in love.
Speaking of Evan Dahm, he is coming to Webcomics Weekend in Easthampton MA. You should go too!
http://webcomicsweekend.com/
It’s totally not my event, but it’s around the corner from my apartment, and I’m trying to get more of my favorite artists to show up.
Sadly that is across the United States from me XD But I hope you have a good time!
Darn it! Well it was worth a try. :)
oh my gosh, i love her already! and yay! finnally, somone with worse writing and grammar than me!
I, for one, love the way you draw Soli. Also, I only know her name because of your comments, and am incredibly jealous of all the people who already know what’s going to happen next in the story. Baited breath and all that.
I love her appearance. I’m so tired of those “pretty girls” in every webcomic. This one looks far more realistic (and cosplayable :D).
EVERYONE must link Vattu if they’ve gor a webcomic, it’s going to be as wonderful as all of Mr. Dahm’s other work.
Wow! really pretty colours on this page!
I love her freckles! They didn’t show as nicely than before. Were they planned the whole time or a more spontaneous add-on?
She had them from the beginning. They’re supposed to be those sun freckles that you get when you stay outside too long. I used to go backpacking and I picked up a bunch that didn’t go away for like 3 years :0
whoa, I’ve never seen that picture (despite of stalking through your gallery, whoops)!
Neat. I’d like permanent freckles! They look nice…
Funny. I never though of her as “male” (and I didn’t knew about the character) but I’m an androgynous woman myself :) I think she is wonderful!
Damn it, I should not have read these comments :| I thought this guy was a guy. How do you guys even know? Was he/she mentioned previously in the comic or is this the second time this story has been gone through?
Even if you haven’t read or heard about Soli before like from the sketch comics or other in descriptions of artworks (like on dA) there is an easy possibility to more or less stumble over this detail:
1st) click on the link “cast” above
2nd) read
Also, Meekipedia.
It’s not exactly a big secret. <.<
Some of us just read the comic and don’t dive into the entire world/website(s) around it. To us, it’s a bit of a secret. kthx
dude yeah. not all of us are mindlessly obsessed. here to read the comic, that’s it.
Then don’t read the comments. thxbai
Meekipedia doesn’t have a lot of information. It provides a little information to establish the comic’s setting, it’s not like the Star Wars Expanded Universe or something You could probably read through the whole thing in like half an hour, so you don’t need to be “mindlessly obsessed” to read it.
Even if you’re just here to read the comic it’s always interesting to check out the cast. o_o Background info is nice.
All the available background info is indeed nice, and I really appreciate the Meekipedia… it’s just kind of weird to HAVE to go look that stuff up, because it isn’t included in the actual comic. And of course, if you’ve only recently been introduced to the comic, you’re not going to know all that stuff. And again, if you only just started reading, you’re probably not even going to know exactly how much background information you’re missing.
I really love this comic, art and story, but that aspect of it is a little weird… that you have to go research the background info before you can really understand what all’s going on.
Well, the comic is written without the Meekipedia in mind. Ideally you’d be reading the comic by itself and be mystified for a while, but also distracted by the immediate story. Then later when everything is clearer you’d go back and read the first few chapters and “get it.” The supplementary stuff is for people who need to know what is going on Right Now and don’t really want to wait for me to explain it later, or for people who want to know what is up with some slang or whatever. So ify ou read through the MP then you are ahead of the game, but it’s definitely not required reading XD
she is mentioned briefly in the first chapter by Angora’s Grandfather, “a woman who cries but sheds no tears”
I think I’ll never read again even the first comments.
I did the exact same thing. I thought, in comparison to the other female characters, that she was drawn rather masculine like. I’m sure this was done on purpose. I wouldn’t have known otherwise had I not read the comments.
I don’t read the cast page every time a new person pops up into the story either. It’s nice to have there to read but I somewhat expect a story to introduce characters? I fully understand that this is a COMIC and therefore set up differently from novels. So I get why the wiki and cast page are up.
All I’m really saying is that you shouldn’t get pissed or angry at someone because they didn’t notice a detail, didn’t read a back story, or aren’t up to date. At least two of the following comments could have been taken as mean. :/ BUTOHWELL~! 8D
Wonderfully brilliant comic by the way. Love every little bit of it. <3
Totally awesome. And I’m glad I’m not the only one who finds the tomboy attractive. Then again, I’m biased – I’m a bit gender ambiguous myself. I kind of wish my face and voice weren’t so goddamned gender-set.
she looks like david bowie
Oh my God. She does! I’m going to read this comic with “Life on Mars” playing in the back of my head now, and her with his voice.
lol sorry if I gave you any disturbing images. XD
I think I’m gonna love this woman. xD
I’m in love with her character design!!
you did a great job!!
Dear sir, please die in a more quiet and dignified manner.
Much obliged.
This chick is very immediately awesome.
She reminds me of Sokka in panel 4!! :D
I love the lighting, the little campfire sparks floating around and the soft glow.
And I agree with everyone else, her character design is awesome. Can’t wait to see more.
Is that bad hand-writing I see thar? : D
Great to see the first page! * _ *
I’m so psyched for this chapter.
I love how your comic flows! ^^
Since our conversation about Luca’s kids’ names…
…I can’t help but read “Alamand” as “Salamander”.
Anyway, excited about the new chapter!
hey yeah, you phoning in names alexis?
lol, he’s actually named after a type of dance.
Soli is my new fav character :D
OMG, I love her terrible handwriting.
Can I take her home for cuddles? Along with all of my other favorite characters?
I’m happy to see new pages. I love old fashioned pencil technology. I also love Evan Dahm’s stuff. Order of Tales is amazing so I second your plug for that.
I’m intrigued by her pen/cil. Is it hard, like a carbon stick inside a holder, or is it a pen, like a brush? It seems to be like a pencil, looking at the shape and texture of her writing, but the tip itself seems kinda brushy. <3 Also I can't stop thinking about square dancing whenever I see her saying "Alamand." X3
If I’m not mistaken, it’s a charcoal pencil. ouo
Yeah, its like a stick inside a paper holder XD I had a charcoal pencil like that once, it was annoying to use.
I just had a thought; is soli trying to hide the fact she’s a woman?
SOLI I LOVE YOU EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
(just saying.)
Awww I feel like kindof a dumb butt cause at first I thought Alamand was her evil ex husband XD just shows how in the loop I am…
Anyway, this site crushes my soul because I check it an ungodly amount of times each day and there’s never an update DX
Your not along in obsessively checking this site. I kind of creepy, I check it so often ^^’
I mean, I *feel* kind of creepy.
Goodness, my spelling.
I love this comic, i just read through the archives a couple days ago, and i can’t wait until it updates. Your artwork is great, and i love the story so far. I’ll be keeping an eye on it.
(PS I absolutely love Evan Dahms work too. I’ve read Rice Boy three times now, OoT i’ve read twice…)
You could say you’d only post a new page once a month, and I’d still check this site every 5 minutes. c:
ALAMAND GET OVER HERE
IT’S BATHTIME
Lol guys, more than just her handwriting is terrible.
D: That could imply any of a number of things
I’m sure Michael was only referring to her atrocious spelling …
;)
Love Evan’s work, his style of drawing is so raw and inviting, and he has a perfect eye for cinematic pacing, a great story teller. Order Of Tales is just what I look for in a fantasy too <3
what does it say on the front of the book she’s holding? e_e * squints*
I just wanted to applaud you on this page- it’s delightful! It’s funny, but it also says a lot about a character that we’ve only just met – we don’t even know his name yet, but we like him already. That is some good comicking right there. Bravo!
alamand left and a jump to the side, take your partner on a old hay ride, swing up em up high, swing em down low sachey right and a dosey do
sorry, that name made me think of square dancing
Haha, that was actually the point of his name! I don’t think anyone else picked up on that.
Improvised charcoal pencil 8O
Soli is a closet art student.