2.12
Meeting fail!
Okay, some cool news and some sucks news:
Cool things have happened since the last update: Dylan Meconis of the awesome comic Family Man (and artist/ author of one of my first favorite webcomics, Bite Me!) totally drew me a thing. Me. A thing. Overwhelming! And then! my favorite comic luchador, El Santo, totally reviewed the comic on The Webcomic Overlook. I may have mentioned it before but I’m quite enamored with his review style (and opinions), so I feel very lucky to have gotten a review from him!
In sucks news, I’d like to apologize in advance if I start posting late, and extend an offer to kiss my ass to anyone who bitches about how webcomic people are lazy and don’t update on time. From now until the 17th of December I have 11 papers and three projects due for school, not to mention this comic and other art duties. I’m going to try to knock out as much work as I can during the Thanksgiving break but you know how it goes. Also next week is my three day observed teaching solo, arrgg. I am already stressing the hell out! *Luca face >:c* On the plus side, the next few pages are going to rock. EYES ON THE PRIZE.
Last thing: pimp of the week goes to Bobwhite, an excellent comic that made me procrastinate for an hour yesterday instead of finishing up this page like I was supposed to. Makes me feel like I went to art school, even though I didn’t XD
120 Comments
There’s an error in the second to last panel. It reads “Do not to talk me like-!” when it should read “Do not talk to me like-!” Thought I’d point that out in case you wanted to fix it.
Its not an error (well, not on my part at least)
Fantastic work. Made my morning. Good luck with all of your projects. I understand how stressful and demanding school can be, so don’t worry about being late. Life happens.
Wow, so many people on 1 page! You don’t need to feel sorry at all for not being done on time. Good luck with all your shibbage in the next few weeks!
I love the shading on Phe’s face, and how calm she looks next to Luca spitting like an angry cat.
I know everyone is going to write this, but is, “You do not to talk to me like-” in the second to last panel a typo or is he just so angry that he’s not speaking coherently?
Why is it that whenever I hear Suda talk in my head, I hear Sokka’s voice? lol
I hear Sokka too, actually. xD Albeit a somewhat older-sounding Sokka. I can’t remember how old Suda is supposed to be though.
Sokka was 15-16.
know what? same with me. Every time I read Suda say sth i imagine Sokka’s voice… ;]
No worries, your classes/career/etc. come before us/The Meek! Git ‘er done, we’ll still be here when you’re finished working on important things. :) Not that the Meek isn’t important, but you know.
Man, the lighting/expressions here just keep getting better and better. And I am definitely still fascinated by Tesa’s hair. It’s so….sproingy. And I like that she’s kind of a bigger girl. :) Or is that just a voluminous dress?
Oh, Suda.
Nah, Tesa looks like a gal who likes her food XD Those Carissi like indulging in nice things.
Lol I understand that….I love me some food too. XD
I love how Luca’s Santri start to break down when he gets upset… “You do not to talk me like” indeed! He’s going to slip back to cursing in Pasori any second now.
And I bet Pasori has some GREAT curses.
Pasori has the best of curses!
ooh, good luck with your papers and things! I’ve got some exams in january (only A-levels though. important, but not quite as hard/complicated/pressing as what you’re doing) and also I’m applying to a couple of art colleges so i need to have a good portfolio :S education exams/qualifications/things like that scare me. but yeah, basically, make sure you put the right amount of effort into your school projects. as for disgruntled fans, point out to them that in the long run, passing this stuff is important because it’ll support you AND the comic :)
and like a couple of other people have said, MOST (unfortunately not all) people understand that personal commitments have to come first. also, I think that since you’re doing so well on a once a week schedule anyway, your fans are likely to stay loyal and not care if it’s a day or two late :)
as for this comic: luca is starting to SCARE ME. but in an awesome way XD (nothing can get in the way of my man crush. oh dear :S) the distortion of his face really shows his anger, and also emphasises how in control phe is of the situation compared to him, between the height difference and her calm expression, you really get the idea that she’s really the silent leader behind the scenes.
oh and suda is AMAZING XD both his and phe’s reactions show just how often these arguments must happen :)
basically, good job! (as usual). but yeah, concentrate on your education before the comic :)
Bahahaha I really do love this page XD
*Snickers*
This page is awesome. Argumentative wife, indeed (although Luca seems a bit argumentative too :-P)
Your style makes me happy. :D
And that’s when they kicked me out! : D
I already liked Phe’s interruption before! Now, the discussion has grown to be really great by showing mostly the reactions of the ambassadors. (Nevertheless: Panel 1 works without Lethy, in panel 2 she’s suddenly showing up? I think showing her a bit in the background or less close to the other woman would’ve looked more naturally…)
Haha Oh Suda. He’s simply too nice to be a politician!
Oh, and I love panel 4. Little Luca!
Good point XD Maybe she can stick out the side a little like Tesa’s doing in the second panel.
Yes, that would work (show her nose XD)
Off topic, but your link pic on TWC shows that your Photobucket Bandwidth is exceeded. Just thought you might want to know. (It may have fixed itself by now…)
I love the character in the last panel. He’s hilarious. :)
aarggh I hate that! I’ll fix that up :)
I think I’d get kicked out too for yawning while my parents were arguing over something important (or idle seeing as how the conversation started to break down).The art of Angora Dylan did is great,totally got her personality down.You never went to art school? Would never have known that looking at your work xD.
Oh man, domestic disputes are ugly enough when they’re private. When you’re a ruler and your spouse disagrees with you in front of foreign visitors… hoo boy.
Anyone with a schedule like yours need not apologize for having priorities higher than a webcomic. As others have said, it’ll still be there when you can spare the time.
SOOOOoo cute! I love the little twist in the last panel. Even more than that, I love seeing couples argue. You go girl! And as usual, the expressions and the emotions conveyed through them are priceless! Great flow, it all works so well! Keep it up!
PHE SWEEPS IN FOR THE SAVE. THE CROWD GOES WILD
Nice work Phe :D Also hahah oh Suda. That last panel just cracks me up XD And good luck with your everything! YOU CAN DO IT. Pace yourself. Alfalfa pellets for extra energy
old pic is old but I hope it still makes you laugh
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a274/aardvark_demon/chillies_of_fire.jpg
LOL!
I can’t breathe. Laughing too hard and pardon a moment while I pick myself up off the floor. That is an epic win! I am now officially a Phe fan.
Awesomest woman ever XD
Hahaha, ohshi- panel 4 XD I totally imagined it suddenly flashing spaztically between negatived and neon red at the “EXCUSE ME”, perhaps with some doom music and a slow, dramatic close-up.
Poor Suda, acting like this is all so commonplace 8(
lol I think you are describing the latest “YOU R A WINNAR CLICK HERE” banner.
“You do not to talk me like-” ? Ahah, is that sum typo I see or am I just totally not getting it?
Recently a new fan to the comic. I am absolutely blown away by the beautiful artwork. Can’t comment on the story since the comic seems to still be in its early stages, but so far, I have no qualms. You have a great sense of character as each of them are brimming with personality.
This page is a hoot. Ahhh, married couple arguments. That’s how you know they wuv each other, hee.
I love Phe. And Suda (but you already knew that. xD).
No worries, D! We can totally wait and I notice you didn’t mention any time for sleeping in your list. SLEEP is important. =P
zzzzzzzzzz
It still looks great in the rough! Suda and Phe are wonderful, I’m totally on their side.
On another note, the vote incentive doesn’t show up. “Bandwidth exceeded.” :(
Haha, loving all the overlapped text bubbles XD They are funny when they fight
WAMP WAMP!
By the way, they’re the cutest argumentative couple I’ve ever seen! :3c
Ho dang, Luca walks fast when he’s angry XD What, did he jump over that couch to get to her?
Looking back, it looks like Phe is walking forward as she speaks? Okay, that makes more sense as to how Luca got all up in her face so fast.
Anyways, love it! Don’t worry too much about updating on time; it sounds like there’s a crap load of stuff on your plate! And oh my goodness gracious, good luck with your three-day surveillanced teaching! At least it’s only three days! Just keep in mind not to turn your back to the students too much (like, overusing the blackboard or something) and don’t focus on a particular group of students (just boys, just lazy people, just smart people, just girls, etc). I hear those are the most common mistakes, but I’m no education major, so you don’t have to listen to me. XD
Haha, thanks Tazzy. Thankfully I’ve been teaching w/o admin observation for a while, but now I’m getting graded or something awful. They are a nice class though, so it shouldn’t be quite as horrible as I’m imagining… I hope…
Oh, and Luca is the one who walked forward, I was too late/lazy to make that clearer via backgrounds.
You crack me up with your newsposts. XD
Love the OMG exressions of the amassadors. I’m wondering now if the Queen chose female ambasadors _because_ she knew Luca would be annoyed by them…
Finally, that last panel is genius!
Kicked out just for yawning? He must see stuff like this fairly often – I would have been rapt.
Or maybe he yawned on purpose! He knew Luca needed _someone_ to vent on or explode…
Female ambassadors were sent because women hold more positions of power in Caris than men do (under normal conditions). This doesn’t change the fact that Luca is still super annoyed about it.
And I think they sent Suda out because they knew they were making a scene XD Knowing is half the battle!
Ooh Virgin Commenter Time…
Yay Phe! The voice of marital wisdom! :D Tell ‘im whose boss, honey!
I am loving your use of overlapping word bubbles here, which I think has been mentioned above. I quite like the two flustered ambassadors. They’re so… blue-tinted and blonde. And flustered. I hope they survive dinner.
Also, I’d love to hear your justification for calling this page “rough”. >__>
Best of luck to you in all your endeavors! Gift art from the Good Lady Meconis can only be a herald of success and triumph! I wish you well.
( Oh my god Bobwhite. My life has become distilled into a webcomic, and it is surreal, yet exhilarating. )
Oh, well the page has like no bg detail XC I shouldn’t save those till last but I got overwhelmed and cut corners against my better judgement. And I didn’t think about the gradients or filters, just slapped them on, which is a giant no-no. But thanks very much for popping your comment cherry, and thanks for reading!
Nobody complains about webcomic artists who have stuff on the go. People work, people go to school, the comic is a hobby of theirs.
What the roiling internet masses complain about are webcomic artists who don’t have other stuff on the go. People who’s job IS their webcomic, don’t go to school, and STILL don’t get their comics up.
If you have finals? We get that.
If your mother is sick and dying? We get that.
But if you decide to make your webcomic your job, your livelihood… there are certain expectations there.
Haha, I suppose. I still get “update moarrr” comments pretty frequently though! But then I find myself doing that to my fav webcomic artists who also have jobs so maybe it is just an unavoidable consequence if you make something that other people are interested in :B
I always point people to this blog post by Neil Gaiman when issues of fan “expectations” (ie entitlement) come up:
http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2009/05/entitlement-issues.html
Technically he’s talking about book authors but the point is pretty much exactly the same.
Haha, nice article!
I don’t mind if your late, and it seems that almost all of your readers feel the same. Take care if your school stuff take a rest and clear your head.
Good luck :)
I just read the review.
I feel embarrassed to say this, but for the longest time I thought… you were a girl.
HAVE I BEEN WRONG THIS WHOLE TIME?!?!
Well that’s a fail for me!
Katay, you should check this out
http://community.livejournal.com/the_meek/10259.html
Oooh…snap.
I didn’t know the alexds was such a private person. Now I feel ashamed.
Sorry about that.
oh, hell, I don’t read their LJ’s so a-oops, ill stop talkin bout your gender Alexds!
*though i’ve only ever wondered once but still*
Yes, Phe, yes! God, I love that woman. >:3 Nooo! Vote incentive = photobucket bandwidth exceedment! T_T I love your sketches, lol!
I have a theory Suda is trying to impress the women earlier mentioned who choose to go commando? Or maybe just his sisters, lol. xD
He is like a tomato with legs.
Luca: >:c
I can’t get enough of this comic! I love your figurative drawing… I can’t seem to achieve the motion that you do! Honestly… you’re going to become famous some day with this quality of work. I’m going to have to wait till your first book comes out so I can beg you to sign it then keep it in the depths of my closet so it’ll be worth thousands in years to come.
Maybe it will be worth thousands of dollars… if I print it on paper made of moon rocks! With platinum-foil embossing, haha.
T’will be unique! Though… the shipping and handling might make me frown.
I expected it to go pretty much that way except for the kickin’ out part.
love the faces of the woman in the fifth panel ^^
and it doesn’t matter you’re late ^^ its a comic worth waiting for, and school work is important to. (having the same problem all the time, and I’m not at an art school or something like that… but still on high school >.< )
love the big eyes in the first panel ^^ your expressions are so brilliant and lively
Ohhh, the time away just builds up the anticipation. It makes the pages look even better ;}
Heya,
As a Pro Creative… I can well understand the issues of time pressures. My wife recently dislocatd her shoulder and I have been a crazy person since. I once thought about running a webcomic… and went screaming into the night. My efforts have been limited to fan support [ http://www.fantastic-realities.com/projects/megatokyo/ ] and challenge Comics [ http://www.fantastic-realities.com/projects/onematrix/ ] .. and the time that went into THOSE gives me HUGE respect for what Webcomix artists put into their passion. And the majority of them are put up usually IN ADDITION to trying to make a living in other endeavors, or school, or LIFE…
So I am generally inclined to be forgiving when a webcomic doesn’t exactly hit a schedule. … even Megatokyo… hey Fred, I’m a Dad too. For the ones I like, the wait is usually well worth it. And I have really been enjoying the Meek, both the concept and story, and the very expressive and stylish art.
Carry on!
The problem with Megatokyo though, is that Fred was seriously lacking on updates before he even knew he was gonna be a dad, and after he’d made Megatokyo his primary source of income too….
I know what you mean though – there are sometimes no updates on webcomics like Xylia, but Barb is a mom and her work is excellent enough to keep me coming back even after a hiatus :)
YEA!!!! I love Luca and his happy family!!
AWWWW! no neck snapping :,( oh well, maybe at dinner.
I just discovered your Webcomic (thanks to ktshys Angora picture).
And im so happy i did! I am so impressed by your drawing style and this story. So pretty Backgrounds, so sympathic characters and so great facial expressions. Im drawing to…. far away from your level though… but your work is inspiring me already to practice more again.
I will check your page every day from now, i cant wait for the story to continue.
Awesome job! Really. Thanks for that :)
Aw, thanks very much for reading and for commenting! And keep up with your arts :)
Good luck with all that work you’v got piled up!
GREAT job on this comic BTW!
Thanks1 I’m trying not to procrastinate but there are so many interesting things all around me D:
Wow. I will never again say I have too much homework without thinking of your situation.
The last panel kind of threw me off/made me laugh because I forgot about him.
And then things got rocking hilarious. 8D Thank you for yet another wonderful weekly diversion! (And the pages actually last longer than a week apiece because I’m always going back to admire them again and compare details because it’s so rewarding!)
Lethy Aray is hot as shit, I’d love to see more of her. Just though I’d point that out.
This is entirely too humorous.
Bravo ;]
“AND DON’T CALL ME SHIRLEY!”
Haha, I’m glad someone else was thinking that!
Is that some Awesome Face in the last panel?
I. Love. Their Son.
He is hilarious.
Especially his face on one of the previous pages where Luca’s like “When did you get so tall??”
This comic keeps amazing me. It’s fantastic. :)
I make my boyfriend read every panel with Phe and Luca in it… because I’m pretty sure it’s us put on paper.
I love the way Luca’s dialogue begins to break down. :) I just love that there’s such close attention to details in both the art and the dialogue.
11 papers AND 3 projects? o_O Take your time on the comic, please! (oh and I love the shading in the top two panels!)
the colours are so beatyful ._.!
serious they are really nice ,when luka turns to his wife, the folds at his clothing just looks awesome
Way to show the country’s unity! The king/dictator/whatever and his wife have a fight in front of foreign ambassadors!
This page only continues to reinforce my absolute love for Suda. <3 He's such a charmer!
This page only reinforces my absolute love for Suda. <3 He's such a charmer!
This page is FANTASTIC. Hahahahah!! And it just enforces the overall mood of the comic, realistic, serious and fun at the same time… Great, great =)
first of – gorgeous as usual!!! i love every page!
second – you didn’t go to art school??? i’ve been stressing so much because I’m at a local university and can’t afford art school, and I’m afraid I should have taken out loans to do so… so is it possible to make it with just a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree?
sorry, random question..
~jess
Thanks!
No, I got my BA in Integrated Biology. I can’t say anything about what it takes to “make it” in art, I’m sure to do anything more complicated than drawing a webcomc (like design theory or I dunno) you might have to go to school. But I managed to teach myself a lot of the beginner stuff :) I also like being able to do two things, I feel like I have something to fall back on no matter what field I choose to go into.
I’m currently enrolled in a graphic design degree at my local college. They teach a lot of the basics (only first year so far) and even that has helped me out immensely with my art. If you don’t want to take my word for it, just look through my gallery on DeviantArt. I’m actually seriously considering removing some of my older submissions because of how ashamed I am of them.
http://evilhamsterofdoom.deviantart.com/
Honestly, student loans are pretty easy to get and have incredibly reasonable rates. And you don’t have to start making payments until 6 months after you get out of school.
From personal experience, you don’t NEED art school. If you have a keen enough eye you can teach yourself all about what they teach you in school (color, perspective, yada-yada). But school is almost like a short cut. It forces you to better yourself artistically speaking and the dead lines and critiques help you adjust to the real world if you’re looking to make a living off of your art work.
If you can afford it, go for it. You may never have the time and drive to do so later in life.
I went to art school for one year. It is incredibly expensive, that’s for sure. I currently am not there anymore because I rather bake than animate.
Depending on your personal abilities and even moreso your capability of sticking to something and keeping focused, it’s a general opinion within art school that if you have the attention span to teach yourself, it’s just as well to spend the money you would on school (because art school costs a lot in supplies, too!) on supplies and a place to do your art.
Haha, that last page was funny! XD It´s understandable Luka´s revolt, but really, he didn´t suppose to behave like that. His expressions are both funny and creepy too… I think he´s already showing a trace of insanity.
Oh yeah, this page is looking real rough
I’m a bad planner with deadline anxieties. Just getting a good looking page out once a week, would leave me a tearful mess, let alone adding 11 papers and what not, to it. Respect.
Lol, emperor phail… <_<
This has to be my favorite page yet. I love the last panel. BTW, is there a typo in the fore most speech bubble in the 5~6th panel?
do I see a mistake?
middle lowest panel, it says “you do not to talk me like-”
shouldnt it say “you do not talk to me like-”
switch the “to” and “talk”?
or am i wrong?
Luca is the one who is wrong, his grammar sometimes slips when he is angry (he is a non-native speaker of Santri).
Your thoughtfulness never ceases to amaze me!
Love, love your comic! Great style, and for those of us who do not draw, we don’t notice any ‘mistakes’. So stop worrying! And do fret so much about ‘being on time’. This is a free comic, yes?? So, you’re giving out a gift, yes?? We reader have nothing to complain about (although some do…), so any perceived criticism should be just used as a learning tool, or a good laugh.
You have a great comic, a good solid story line, and a quirky sense of humor. Keep up the good work!
Thank you for doing what you do.
Tracy
I love Suda, I think he’s awesome. <3
Don't forget to mention he's the emperor's son, we only know because we read your comments, but otherwise others might not notice.
Also, I'm not sure if I mentioned this already (I probably have) but I love your indoor lighting and coloring. That room looks so cold and a bit intimidating.
It’ll be mentioned in the next page :) Just didn’t to slap anyone in the face with annoying facts, haha.
Phe > Luca
I’ve just noticed that Luca looks kinda big in the first panel. But that’s a cute contrast to the second panel when Phe destroys his… manliness XD
No one has made a comment about the first line? really?
*sigh* all right. I’ll do it.
>> Tesa: Emperor, surely-
>> Luca: This discussion is over!! And don’t call me Shirley!!
Love the comic, the art, the writing! Thank you for sharing it and your time with us!
Man, that last panel is so stinking adorable I can hardly stand it! <3 You are the BEST, you know that?
Can you tell us what the truncated/talked-over bubbles in panel 5 and 6 say? I’m just curious.
these webcomic artists, so LAZY why do they never have their pages in on time?
*annoyannoy*
(i also refuse to kiss your ass…)
You know, this comic proves that what you can read for free online really is better than what you have to buy in print. I really love the attention to detail – I can tell that a lot of work went into this. This is more amazing than any comic book I have ever read.
Luca sort of reminds me of one of my teachers – when he gets really, really angry, he looks like he’s about to explode (popping-out eyes, gnashed teeth, etc.). I’m amazed he hasn’t, after all these years of dealing with a bunch of us kids (referring to my teacher, not Luca.) The resemblance is strengthened by the fact that they are both short, hairy, dark-haired men with thick eyebrows. Kind of scary, in a way, now that I think of it……
This is really, really, really good. Thank you for all your hard work.
Okay–my two cents for what it’s worth! I’ve been reading your comic since it started and I love the artwork (Even if I am confused a little on the story–but I’m getting there!). You are well worth waiting to catch up on and those who are adult enough to realize it know that life gets in the way sometimes. Just ignore them and let’s get on with it!
Just want to say: The look on the kid’s face when he’s yawning is priceless
beats the hell out of doing my homework.
That’s pretty much where I’m at. It’s also pretty funny that I just finished watching cowboy bebop and then saw your name.
“And that’s when I got kicked out!” Hahaha! That made me laugh so hard. :D
Well, you’ve earned another fan. I was sent here by an insouciant wretch who doesn’t give a rat’s South-40 if I starve to death reading webcomics instead of doing productive things. *Huge* props for the quality of the artwork and the captivating nature of the storyline. I’ll be back regularly for updates.
I adore this page so very much. What more can I say that hasn’t already been said? Your characters are intriguing, your writing is wonderful, and your art is stunning.
On the sucks news, I’m rooting for you! Goooo DS! 8D
Your characters are so unbelievably human! I love the cumulative awesome of the little touches like the ambassadors’ different reactions to the situation, Luca’s emotional loss of grammar, Suda’s sense of having hardened to his parent’s spats (and coping with humor), Angora’s hand-bra move when running, or how Pinter talks to his beloved booze. I can’t get enough of your comic!
Tessa: “Emporor, surely-”
Luca: “No, end of discussion! STFU! Oh, and don’t call me Shirley!”
Kinda sad it took me this long to think about that. Hur hur hur.
Typo in the sixth panel : “You do not to talk me like-”
Otherwise, I’ve just been reading this from today and it’s absolutely stunning. I love how beautiful the art is and how well the story flows. The first chapter was especially boss because the way you executed the girl was more like watching a nude model than some kind of cheap fan service, and in my opinion, that’s hard to achieve (and was a very bold move, it panned out so well). Anyway, love the comic onward I read!
It’s a grammatical error on the Emperor’s part, not a typo :) There are a few in this chapter, mainly when he gets upset. And thanks! Glad you’re enjoying so far.
I was advised to read this page for Suda in the bottom corner. He’s AWESOME. Also, when I finish, I’m friending you on LJ. Cause LJ is the shit and so are you.
Suda’s comment in the last panel remineds me of that story Jack is a lways telling in Pirates of the Carrebean, but the viewers only hear “…and that’s when they made me their king.”
I bet his son walked out instead.
He’s so ….hilarious.