2.34
May 2, 2010
Awkward!
I feel like my coloring is improving. I think I might have leveled up during that break, even though that doesn’t make sense.
A few of you have noticed that I’m not on TWC anymore. Among other reasons, I was getting tired of their ads, haha. I’m going to experiment with some other networking type things… if you’re on Stumbleupon, you could stumble this comic! Or if you’re angry at me for doing bad things to Phe you can be passive-aggressive and not stumble me XD Whatever. Either way, make sure to check back for the next page, things are getting EVEN BETTER pretty soon.
For you stumblers in the audience
Thanks for reading!
290 Comments
Oh damn.
I really should’ve seen this coming. You introduce an awesome character, have her standing up to her bigoted, power-crazy husband, show off her fine ass…yeah, I really shoulda seen this coming.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
I’m not okay.
Not okay.
Phe can’t die.
She’s the reason my boyfriend reads this webcomic, instead of making fun of me like he does for all of the other comics I read.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Get a better boyfriend. Or perhaps a cat. D:
He only teases me. Haha.
But I got him hooked on this one, simply because of Phe and Luca.
Not cool!
Love you like… well, like someone I don’t really know but love anyway – but killing Phe is *so* NOT COOL!
Love your work. Hugs’n’kisses.
Noooooo!
Who am I going to kill for doing this to Phe? Who am I leering at suspiciously? (I can either leer at our ambassadors, or someone who is trying to make the ambassadors look bad. Hmmmm)
Is this a choking incident or was something “wrong” with her food? It looks kinda like she’s having an allergic reaction to something. Or maybe he missed a dish when he was food tasting…
noooo phe ;_; not a pretty death…
I’m just curious, was the doctor attempting to perform an impromptu tracheotomy?
Yes :) It uh.. well it didn’t work.
Ah, I was trying to figure out what was going on there, thanks for clearing it up!
at least he, er, tried?
thank you for confirming! :)
Wait, so it DIDN’T work? Oh my God, I can’t take this shit…
oh my
what the
holy
That first panel just
*speechless*
*waits a few seconds to recover*
WOW. Wow. Okay. I want to know why they’re all staring at him like he’s guilty of something. Why they’re staring at all, for crap’s sake. Is his reaction so unusual?
Real comments: Your coloring looks as gorgeous as ever to me. :’) But I’m nowhere near on your level as it is, so what can I say. I do want to note the positioning of the physician’s hands is absolutely perfect–that’s a tricky position, but, unsurprisingly, you nailed it. <3
Oh Luca… how much more of this can you take? And how much more of this can WE take? :') / :'(
Ahaha, well the hands should look pretty good, since I had to force my brothers into posing for me. This is the first time I’ve used a model other than myself but I wanted it to look right.
What else should they be doing? Going on about their business?
I was wondering if maybe he was looking at the attendant in purple, because she was besides Phe when she started joking in the page before the last. Did she maybe serve her the tainted dish or drink without knowing it? o.o Just a thought!
Ok, wow, not “joking”, but “choking” – VERY DIFFERENT- and I meant Luca, looking at that chick with her hands over her mouth. :o
They’re staring because they’re afraid that he’s planning to kill them all. His wife was the main thing keeping him in check, and now she can’t do that anymore. They’re screwee, and they know it.
Those first and fifth panels are actually making me kinda queasy. I can only imagine how much fun it was to research tracheotomies.
Summary of research: BARFF
Seriously it sucked
I was wondering about that too. Sometimes caring about realistic detail really bites you in the arse =/
But seriously, it is appreciated. This is probably the most believable comic I’ve ever read, and it features people with telekinesis.
Aaaaaahh-
D:
Aw man, that first panelfff.
FEELIN’ SOME SERIOUS SYMPATHY FOR YOU, LUCA.
I shouldn’t have checked this just before bed :'<
Holy crap, I can’t even look at that first panel. I am thoroughly disturbed. FANTASTIC job. Seriously. D:
That’s not the mental image I wanted to go to sleep with tonight.
(Ohlord I am dreading the next page if only because I’m afraid of what Luca’s going to do.)
GNGNGHGNGHGHGHH AHGHGHHGHG
Wow, that’s sufficiently horrifying. I do not envy you for having to research that. D=
I should know by now that if I like someone in a comic, they’re doomed to die.
); Phe was the first not-annoying female I could find in a comic series too.
Oops :C Well, next chapter should be pretty good in terms of non-annoying females (I think)
Oh God, that’s terrible. I went all “GAAAH DDD:” the second I saw it. ;_;
Is it blood or a rash, the spots on her face?
All of the above?
Oh crap. A really horrible allergic reaction… (?)
the last 3 panels look somewhat funny. never really seen that reaction to a loved ones death in a comic. i guess it’s shock? it makes him like….. 4 dimensional as a character to me. XD if that makes any sense at all to you.
Wow… I actually feel my eyes tearing up. Phe can’t die!!!!
I find that I keep looking for that black shadow and glowing red eyes.
“You can have your revenge, Luca, or you can have me. But you won’t have both.”
Well THIS certainly narrows things down.
loll
Poor Phe!!
is sad. TT_TT
Well, shit.
Now Luca’s going to start hating. In the name of love.
I mean, at this point its sort of silly not to!
I just realized, Is Rana still hiding beside the bear?
and Oh yeah PHE NOOOOOOO! :P
I hope not XD
Oh Jesus!!! This is terrible… the page is totaly AWESOME… but terrible!!!
this is just so surreal.
Y u kill Phe?
Y u do dis to us? D:
Auughh man! Poor Phe!! >~< Poor Luca!! And the kids gaaaahhh D: Saddness!
its okay
shes just resting…
with her eyes and mouth wide open…
and with a bloody neck…
without any trace of life…….
this is gonna ruin everyone’s night isn’t it?
As the situation in the comic gets harsher, the comments become more and more hilarious.
you’re enjoying this way too much, you evil webcomic artist you.
oh
but im enjoying the responses even more
well its not as easy to make a funny comment when its a happy situation(unless there’s a comedic presence involved)
Did she have a peanut allergy? Perhaps her food was prepared using equipment that also processed peanuts.
She should have read the food labels D:
the food labels must have rotted off sometime during the fermenting in an icky dirt hole.
Wow. I can’t remember a web comic ever making me gasp like I did when I saw that first panel. She’s still holding on, right? I mean, they cut her throat, she’s able to breathe, she’ll be fine! She’ll be fine…
….she’ll be fine, right? OHGODPLZ
I am assuming it is Luca’s fault.
First panel freaks me out really bad :(
Once the shock has worn off, all of the people watching him, are probably going to assume the same.
Also, 1st panel=
GOD
DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMNNNN
Aww, poor guy. Because he doesn’t have enough crap on his plate already.
I think it’s those what’s-their-faces, those other characters that think they’re all ba ’cause they’re ‘trying to bring peace between their countries’.
Either way, why Phe? Couldn’t it have been a not-cool character, like, like, his son or something.
I feel super bad for Luca. I get the feeling she was the only person he liked.
Just wanted to say that first panel is absolutely amazing, from the overall to the tiniest detail. I really liked the phasing of the “sir”s in the third panel (as it’s showing he’s clearly not paying attention to anyone or anything but Phe and gradually coming to awareness of his surroundings) as well as the coloration and figure placement in the fifth panel (Luca’s whole form just seems to say “Oh, right.” as he remembers there are others present).
I thought you had hit the max level at coloring previously…I didn’t know there was any beyond!
nooo! Well, it is your comic, you chose what happens.
:( so sad though. :(
also, you are amazing.
I’m so torn between feeling completely disturbed by the subject of today’s page, and fawning admiration for how beautifully drawn and coloured it is.
Maybe I’ll just settle for some strange mix of the two.
What I’m feeling here is an emotional cocktail.
Food allergy sufferers, UNITE! *gives the puffer fish face salute*
Dude, is the blood on her hands from clawing at her throat, or did her skin actually start bleeding from whatever reaction she had? o.O Damn. I’ve had lobster face and skin boils and difficulty breathing and such, but I’ve never had a reaction that bad. Cripes.
Clawing D: I probably put too much blood on her fingers but… yeah.
Looks like someone made…
*puts on sunglasses*
a rash decision.
YEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH
I choked on my water when I read this :C
*DIES*
You, good sir, win at life. xD
PPPFFFFTTT!
Oh, eww… Sounds like fun. x_X
As a bit of a side note, I feel sorry for their youngest. Rana and thawed-butt seem like they might handle the ensuing bat-shit-crazy relatively well, but isn’t their little girl like, five or something? Cripes.
I just… Wow, did not expect that.
And because I cry easily, I’m sobbing all over the computer DDD:
That first panel is one of the few panels in a comic that have ever made me catch my breath like that.
Amazing, I cannot wait for the next pages.
DDDD: Poor Phe!
WAIT SO IS SHE DEAD WHUT.
?!
D’:
Phe is mah favorite!!!11one?
“Hey, let’s all stare at the emperor while his wife lies dead of food poisoning/allergic reaction! … From a safe distance.”
If I were Luca, this would be where I fly off the handle from sheer shock/grief.
Also Phe… Just… Phe. >:
That first panel had such an impact when I first saw it, simply because you portrayed so well that this wasn’t a pretty death, and this isn’t a pretty scene [er, in a purely storytelling way. The whole thing is visually gorgeous, as always].
And Luca’s pose in the last panel really got to me, too. The folded feet and slumped shoulders are signs of a man in grief, not a fearless emperor.
“You’re self-destructive to a fault, but you have never once failed when it mattered.”
I imagine Luca’s thinking he just proved her wrong. DDD’:
I’m really glad you did this.
*Commence Tomato Throwing*
I love Phe, she’s a great character and undoubtedly a great woman. But she’s too good, given her performance so far she would probably single handedly guarantee peace between the two powers, and then we wouldn’t have a story.
But this brings to a head what would otherwise be settled. I always say that authors pick their openings to be the most interesting moments of history, we could read a story about the peaceful career of some other equally accomplished empress. But instead we follow the chaos that ensues when a great person is lost.
We could read this as a deliberate play on your part to torture us by destroying such a strong and lovable character. I don’t. She was strong because it is without her that we have a collapse of diplomacy. She is lovable because if we did not love her we could not understand Luca’s feelings and response when she dies.
Honestly, I didn’t expect this; the easy thing to do would be to changer your characters’ personalities arbitrarily to keep the plot going like most writers. But you did something extraordinary instead. So I’ll say it again:
I’m really glad you did this.
Haha, thanks. This scene has been in my head for years, its nice to finally polish it up. It’s been madding for me to draw all of the talking head sorts of pages for the last 30+ weeks! But the more development means more punch at the end.
“punch” as in impact toward the story or in fan rage?
I have been a bit of a lurker till now, not commenting but enjoying reading your comic…but this was just so powerful, I have to tell you that you are a fantastic storyteller (not to mention an amazing artist!) I nearly started crying at this page. Thank you for your work, I look forward to the next update…
“I hope you know I will only do this thing for you.”
Why did you say that Luca? Why?
Congratulations. You gave me CHILLS! The way you are able to evoke emotion in your audience is just brilliant.
Oh noes! ;_; This is so sad. I really loved Phe! And Luca keeps holding to her hand even though people have started to back off, realizing there’s no use…
I feel so sorry for the whole deSadar family! If Rana hated her father before, now thing will get even worse.
With all that said. Awesome page! And yes, your coloring kicks more ass than ever! See you in two weeks I guess? :)
Haha, well hopefully I can get lines done this week and then colors at night Sat/morning Sun for a weekend update? I really really really want to draw the next page but I have to force myself to study instead…
Poor Luca, he looks so lost and alone in that last panel.
Phe will be well missed.
Holy Shit.
That is all I can say.
Congrats. You just made my birthday the day Phe died.
at least she didnt come out of a cake like that
that would just ruin the frosting
Ooooh my goodness, this page made my stomach drop. Her expression is so horrific which is extra tragic on a character I was really growing to care for, gyeeeeeaugh! Masterful narrative and reveal, I’m totally going to be cringing and hiding when turning pages from now on! Brilliant!!!! :)
This is nearly as gross as it gets for this chapter XD Hold out a bit longer!
I’m finally up to date with this comic and you leave it THERE? How painful…
You say your coloring is improving like it was ever bad :P
this is so powerful; the contrast between how terrible the scene is and the beauty of your artwork is really poignant and breathtaking. i definitely don’t want phe to die, but at the same time i realise she has to… otherwise luca wouldn’t have anything to stop himself from becoming consumed by revenge, and i guess that’s the crux of this section of the plot, at least.
you took the difficult route by (probably) killing a character everyone likes which i guess is our catalyst for change in this comic, and i admire the bravery it took to do that. you’re obviously not just a good artist but also a fantastic storyteller too–this comic is proving to be one of the best i’ve ever read, both published and on the web.
Obviously Luca is terrified at being caught in the act of licking the blood off his dead wive’s hand. I mean, come on man, for starters you just confirmed the rumor about blood drinking cannibalism, secondly you should have more self-control, and thirdly, it’s your wife. Show some compassion.
wow cheap -_-‘ obviously he’s worried about his wife and standing by his side (hehe I know you’re joking with that) or are you? o.0 and yeah why are others just standing there looking at him all weird, it’s his wife ppl he’s worried XD
This is bad, isn’t it?
Oh my god.
I just decided to upload the site to see if there was an update, and my heart literally skipped a beat at the sight of Phe.
Me, too! It scared the crap out of me, lol!
I think this is a very artful time in the comic to remove yourself from a popular voting station. :P
I hope this doesn’t go all Twilight now.
LOL
“Mmm, NOM NOM NOM”
Wow… just… wow.
Luca’s expressions on this page are just amazing… it honestly chokes me up. This chapter is turning out to be SO much better than the first one… there is so much more going on, and the characters are much more alive [no pun intended… ]. Excellent storytelling, excellent art. Keep doing what you’re doing, this is great.
I really like the last panel. It looks like everyone is huddled in the corner of the room farthest away from Luca. Out of respect… or fear of what might happen next?
Poor Phe, and Poor Luca. Things were just starting to work out for the better.
What really gets me is that her tongue is purple.
Asphyxiation isn’t pretty :
this is murder??!! D: i think i died a little inside reading this page :< nooo Phe – …!!!
Omg love the comic. Been following you since your Avatar fanart days.
(Sorry for not always commenting, I’m pretty shy.)
I really like the coloring on the effects of the poison on Phe, you really did your research! (As expected from a bio major xD) Although the only thing I don’t understand is why the physician is slicing her throat open? Does he think she’s choking, and is trying to preform an emergency tracheotomy? Because I would think the dark fingernails, swollen tongue, and spasms as well as the (eventual??) foaming at the mouth would indicate poison to any self-respecting medical worker, especially one involved in the court where assassinations are expected. > > Unless the poison is tearing her skin open? :o
I love Luca’s expressions throughout this whole page by the way. So heartbreaking! He looks so shocked and just, guh <3.
It was also cruel of you to have Phe and Luca look at each other and share a happy, smiling, sympathetic moment before her poison attack. D:
So, I'm guessing those foreign ambassadors are probably going to get the chop, eh? lol
Can't wait until next week and good luck on your test!
The Doctor probably identified her as going into anaphylactic shock since we have the skin reaction (a rash or hives) and apparent difficulty breathing (we get this from the coughing). He is performing an emergency tracheotomy, which means he perceives her airway to be blocked, possibly by swelling which is a symptom of anaphylaxis.
It could certainly be poison – especially since poison can be anything! It could, however, be anaphylaxis, so this doctor gets an A for doing what he can to get her breathing.
Yeah, that’s pretty much what I got out of it. If it’s poison though, who knows what else is going on.
I wonder if they have straws :(
Yeah, I have severe allergies that cause me to go into anaphylactic shock which is why I asked. I didn’t see the hives but did see the severe discoloration of her fingernails, face discoloration, pupils dilating, swollen tongue, and coughing up of blood.
I don’t know if you’ve ever had your airway blocked personally but I know that if something is inside blocking air to your lungs, you can’t make any noise whatsoever. Coughing would indicate some air is still getting past and therefore she shouldn’t have died that fast and certainly not coughing up blood.
Of course, a panicking doctor could just be trying to get air into her lungs via the most direct way lol. I don’t know how sophisticated this worlds medical system is :P.
I wasn’t aware that the fact that Phe was killed through poison was up for debate. The severity of her attack suggests some kind of toxin and the awful, painful way she died (cardiac arrest maybe?) makes me think it’s an assassination.
My understanding of anaphylaxis is that reactions can vary greatly in terms of severity and onset because of how the immune system can react. I also want to emphasize that our perception of time is hindered greatly by the fact that this is a comic.
I read the blotches on her face as potentially being hives or at the very least a rash. Hives are hard to portray and identify in 2D so I’m not overly concerned with this symptom.
If she were coughing up blood I would expect to see it flecked on her lips and centered on her hand not on the fingertips.
I understand that a person can’t cough with a blocked airway, which is why, on page 32, we see the coughing subside to wheezing right before her face begins to turn blue. But I trust the on site doctor to have a degree more situational awareness than we do. Which is why when his behavior doesn’t match our theory I look for alternatives. Specifically we see signs of circulation with a lack of breathing on page 33 (her hand twitches with no coughing). This is is classic blocked airway and with the other symptoms the doctor
I’m not trying to argue that she hasn’t been poisoned. Simply that the doctor is by no means wrong in assuming anaphylactic shock.
Noooo, save the MILF D:
Poor Luca
Also we are about to see some truly epic rage right here…
I blame that stinky Dragon thing
That is exactly what I thought!! (that is if your talking about that one shadowy thing that was in their room) It would definitely tie the naked girl (I currently forget if a name was mentioned… I think I am just a bad fan XD) and Luca together that’s for sure. Perhaps while they were in the bedroom “doin-the-nasty” (sorry could not help myself) That one shadow attacked them in some way. O_O Perhaps, if it was the shadow, Luca was the real target of it’s assault.
Wow, you made death so disgusting and horrific and real.
Thank you for that.
Poor Phe, though… I really liked her. :(
Gods, it’s almost 4am and I just happen to peek over and see this page. Now I’m going to go to sleep clutching my teddy bear tight! I prolly won’t be able to check back til like next Tuesday out of fear of having to see poor dead Phe :’-(
Waaaaait…Is that a speck of red on Luca’s nose where he’s holding the hand?
OHMYGODITSSPREADING.
I can’t believe you killed Phe though D: Poor, poor Luca.
Its actually the blood from Phe’s hand D: Which is still gross, haha
Oh ok, I thought Lucas was gonna have a “ARGH IM INFECTED” moment.
I didn’t realise her hands were bleeding…
Wow. The second image is awesome. The perspective from the top is really impressive. nice job
One of the most interesting parts of your artwork is Phe’s eyes. They always seem to subtly express part of her thought process.
When she was getting out of bed, her sly look let us know she was manipulating Luca.
When she was escorting the ambassadors, her eyes had the annoyed, “I heard you in there” look.
Even in her death throes, her eyes seemed to express concern for Luca’s future.
This is brilliant. You are brilliant.
Oh, thank god someone mentioned tracheotomies in the comments, it is 3 AM and I would have been up another two hours trying to remember what that was called and what it was for.
…
You know, I really, really, really, appreciate the amount of research and reference that has gone into this comic. Accuracy in a fantasy world is the best thing ever. :D Thank you for taking the time to get it right and/or teach the audience (what a tracheotomy is!) something.
Even though I knew this was coming, the color makes it way more shocking! What gets me is that people are saying “sir?” at the end. Your usually crazy dictator is hugging his dead wife’s hand! DON’T INTERRUPT! Do you all want to die or something? xD
So, now he’s going to dedicate himself to carrying out her wishes, by being a reasonable and peaceful Emperor, right?
Right?
Yup. Right after he finishes off last being which has guts to oppose him. Then. Sure.
…wait.
You were talking about *right now* ? Uh.. don’t think so. I think he’ll go berserk soon.
Absolutely!
PHEEEEEE NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
*sobsobsob*
Anyway, you never cease to completely amaze me as an artist and a writer. Phe was a likeable, wholly realistic woman with such a powerful relationship with her family and country but you still had the guts to kill her – I honestly can’t imagine what that’d be like as a writer, to kill such a great character off and do it in such a shocking and brutal way.
Secondly, the ART. There’s a lot of fantasy comics that would draw a Queen lying beautiful and mournful in death, but you managed to captured just how ugly death is, especially when you’ve died from choking. Luca’s face is just hearbreaking to look at; he’s so devastated and you can just see the wires snapping inside his head. The last panel makes him seem like a lost little child who just saw his mother die, not a dictator who lost his wife.
You are, honestly, a huge inspiration to me, and I hope I’ll make a comic this awesome one day. :)
Brütal I say.
Going from humour to this is pretty brütal, not a bad thing, love the darker sides of the fantasy-universe ^^ Oh and always well drawn :3
Oh god I really hope that she has not died, that would just be so sad….
Augh this is so much worse in color than in the thumbnails.
Noo! Shes not dead yet! They’re performing a tracheotomy! (I cant think of any other reason the doc ould be slicing her on the floor like that.)
Also in the last panel her face is back to not purple and her neck is arched. Do they think he poisoned her or let her get poisoned?Do they think he thinks they did? Are there Horrible Misunderstandings ahead? Idk. But Phee! You’re alive!(right?)
Love the shock factor of the first panel. I did not expect an emergency tracheotomy.
Also – your use of hands in the closeup panels helps to emphasize the story’s emotional impact. A lot of the time they get neglected or hidden because they’re difficult, but when done right they’re just as expressive as a face.
The perspective on the biggest table in panel 2 looks a bit off. Only reason I noticed is that the edge didn’t run parallel with the carpet pattern.
Always gotta be some nitpicky asshole in the audience. XD
Boy, I love how horrible and gross you made this death look like, not some poetic, beautiful, peaceful, she´s-in-a-better-place-now form of falling to eternal sleep. This dead body actually looks really dead! *inappropriate happiness*
I am a rare reader who never achieved any emotional connection with Phe (but that´s because I´m a heartless jerk). Phe was eating up great chunks of screentime and glad the kind have a chance to get some of it now she´s out of the game. <— Darwinism of storytelling!
* I am glad the kids…
BUT BUT BUT!! she was all right! and then D:
taht was unexpected!
OK I’M AFRAID TO REFRESH THE PAGE because I don’t want to see Phe’s face in the first panel again ;_; WHYYY
I have a question kinda unrelated to the comic.
But what exactly is it that you do?
From your twitter I gather that you’re a (student?) teacher, and you’re also still a student yourself?
Are you full time on both? =o
Plus this comic?
During the school day I am a student teacher at a highschool nearby teaching two classes, observing 2-3 classes every day, and prepping for classes or developing curriculum the rest of the school day. In the evening I’m completing my teaching credential. So yeah, its a full time endeavor for the last school year. Late evenings/ mornings/ weekends is basically the only time I have to work on comics!
Holy shit.
’bout time for a vacation, don’t you think?
That first panel is…rather chilling and disturbing. Well done! I agree with what Fleece said. I like that it’s not a poetic and peaceful looking death. It’s rather gruesome, as I imagine that kind of death would be.
Also, I heard that The Meek was picked up by 4th Dimension! That’s awesome! Congratulations!
Oh, man, that’s awful :(
Poor Phe. But what’s with the throat-cutting/opening in the first panel?
It’s called a tracheotomy. It’s an emergency procedure to allow air into her lungs.
Right, thanks =)
I can’t tell if she’s dead or not. They haven’t pronounced her gone yet, and they’re doing surgery to try and let her breathe in the first panel.
We get the indication time is passing, but it’s not clear whether Phe died. Only that if she didn’t die, she came EXTREMLY close…
The doctor appears to still be working with her on the last panel, so there is hope. I pray and pray and pray she didn’t die.
Why am I laughing at the silliness I imagine in Luca’s face in 4th and 5th panels when I should be sorry for him losing his wife?! WHY!? ;v;
Luca looks so hugable in the last panel!
And I don’t think tracheotomy is working there, right?
Plot-wise, it doesn’t make sense she’ll survive. :( (just saying cause everyones hoping)
And I was hoping for a relationship between her and the ambassador.
Oh dear… OH DEAR…. DDDD8
Given the doctor is still at work, I keep my finger crossed for her to survive…
… but I have the very bad feeling it won’t be the case.
And no updates before next week ? The suspense is going to kill me (good luck for the test though ;) ) !
o_o
This has ruined my life
Never mind Luca, I loved Phe! ;_;
Looks like she’s pretty dead already… this is kind of disturbing.
Even the brown tone on her nose has turned purple. Uh this is true colour genius
Phe was one of the few female characters I actually liked in literature, and pretty much the only one in a webcomic D: I hope another like-able female comes along (don’t get me wrong, Angora and Rana are great characters but their personalities aren’t appealing to me personally).
If she were already past the point of saving I doubt the doctor would go about working on her that way. Doctor’s know their limits. (And of anyone, they are the first ones to hate to admit when they cannot save someone.)
I love Luca in this. I remember how everyone was questioning his love for his wife, and we’re seeing the raw emotions he has for her. I believe that he is a will-full and in control character, but he was completely grounded in Phe.
I question whether or not the kids were sneaking a peek since we already know they are capable of such things. It’d be a terrible thing to see for them, and I am not sure Luca is good at the emotional support thing…
No, on the contrary, of course the doctor will do everything he possibly can, no matter how minuscule the chance is of it actually saving her. He can´t start calculating like “oh, I dunno, it will only have like 0,2 percent chance of reviving her, so I better don´t and just sit and watch.”
wow. That is some really intense imagery right there.
Yeah, you coloring has improved over your break, I find that this happens to me too when i take a break. It is weird, but definitely fun :D
Maybe it has to do with looking at the art again with fresher eyes?
So was this some sort of an allergic reaction or poison? I highly doubt Luca will care either way but…
Major points to your research of Asphyxiation and the doctor at hand.
Apart from that, just reading the last pages tugged on me bad. D8 I really felt like I was Luca, who only hours ago had just had an argument, made up, snuggled and now with growing dread and horror realized she was dying right in front of him.
One wonders how (the assassination) was achieved. Luca tasted every dish before it was all served, and he didn’t die, so does that mean the intended target was really Phe? D8
All very good questions!
Maybe the poison was put in her food/drink after it had been tasted ?
okay i swear Luca`s hair is soo leverage Nate Ford hair all the way, I`m like she say leverage ans automatically said “i think Nate`s hair would work!” and yes yes it does, PLEASE DON`T LET PHE DIE!! SHE IS SOO AMAZING HOW IS RANA AND HER BROTHER GOING TO DEAL WITH THIS!?????? LUCA STAY BY YOUR WIFE`S SIDE I BET YOU WISH YOU DIDN`T FIGHT NOW!! =(
…wait, what happened? It’s kind of hard for me to follow because I can’t get over that OMG NO PHE’S DEAD. T_T
Why does she have blood on her? I didn’t know that you would cough up blood when choking… x__X
She was clawing at her neck :C
oh geez! and I almost got through all the comments (so far) without getting nauseated. Just imagining her clawing so intensely and futilely at her throat like that is truly horrifying.
Phe! PHE! I was hoping for a last minute rejuvenation!
This page gives me chills, especially Luca’s disheveled hair and wild expression. He is going to go crazy.
Aw man.. waiting for the next comic is ganna be hell now LOL i wanna know what freakin happens next!!
oh my ;^;
I loved her~ so sad. Poor Luca. The way you drew her was very…well it seems strange to call is amazing or good since it is her being dead but it was good and it looked realistic. I would have been the type of person to make it all peaceful looking because I couldn’t do that.
First:
OH GOD NO! AUGH! AUGH! AAAAUGH! NOO-OO-OOO, WHY? AAAU-AAU-AUGH!
I’m not sure why, but Luca’s reaction doesn’t seem to express the violent grief I was expecting from him. I anticipate it’ll make sense in context; maybe the “awkward!” just snapped me out of it.
Anyways, masterfully done. (AAAAUGH!)
O.o uh-oh, her expression is…horrible ! Well done !
Emergency tracheostomy! I hope it works.
Did she choke on her food or was she poisoned? But didn’t Luca taste and sample the food earlier?
She’s DEAD, man!
No harm remaining hopeful until the artist states she is dead…
Yeah, I know her eyes are open and mouth is agape in the classic dead pose but I can be a bit optimistic, can’t I? Even though the chance is leaning towards “She’s dead”, I just like to think that there is a very tiny shred of hope.
Alex himself(herself? don’t know the gender of our beloved author) said that the tracheostomy didn’t work. *shakes you* SHE’S DEAD! SHE’S DEAD!! AAAAAAH!!!
She’s just…you know…resting.
o___o
I /LIKE/ Phe. You can’t do bad things to Phe!!!
Well…you can…I guess…since you’re the writer and the artist…
BUT YOU SHOULDN’T!
Oh quite, yes, resting… forever… and um… yeah
I sleep like that every other night man.
Well, he tasted every dish, but not every cup. It could have been in her drink.
“You can have your revenge, Luca, or you can have me. But you won’t have both.”
:(
I guess someone prefered the revenge.
Well now he can avenge her too…?
Note to self: don’t read Meek immediately after dinner for a while.
That said, it’s very vivid and realistic.
Oooh this is bad. This is bad for everyone and everything.
CLEARLY someone didn’t check for poison well enough.
uh…the emperor himself…?
I am indeed angry at you for doing bad things to Phe. So I won’t stumble you, i’ll just bookmark you. Passive-aggressively.
I’ve been dreading this moment for so looong…. Excellent art as always.
I know this will sound like a stupid question but for the off chance that the next comic won’t explain what happened? What is wrong with Phe? Why is cutting her throat like that helping?
For what is wrong, you will find out eventually. As for why her throat is being cut, its because she can’t breathe. That there is an emergency procedure that allows air to enter directly through the throat (paramedics do it in real life emergencies)
Ok, Phe’s eyes will be in my nightmares for days! But still…
I LOVE THE DRAMA!!!!
Ugh I didn’t notice her eyes as much until you said something! D: Now that image is forever burned into my brain… and now I am sad. DX
Just a little thing but I love the fading of the words in the third panel. Also oh gods I can hear Luca’s self-control going ” pwing pwing pwing…” from here LIKE SNAPPING VIOLIN STRINGS IN THE MIDDLE OF A LONELY LONELY DIRGE.
I look forward to epic blowing of you-know-what. Everybody’s gonna die or get punched. Mmhmm
More importantly mussed hair still makes him look hot. sorry ahem… the shallow kicked in again sorry
Oh shit, oh shit, oh shiiiiiiit…. D’:
I knew that damn cat shadow in their room was a bad omen, but I never expected Phe of all things to die. Especially after they had made up and they seemed back on the happy track.
I’m reaaaally crossing my fingers in faint hope, but I know it’s a 99.99% that she really is a goner by now. ;~;
Woh I didn’t even notice the cat shadow… I can’t believe I didn’t notice it because it’s really obvious. Thanks for saying something. :)
That doesn’t make this any less sad though. D:
What? Where?!
Wow, that’s one of the best cartoon corpses I’ve ever seen; great job not just on the coloring but on her expression.
It looks like an allergic reaction or, you know, poison… too bad they don’t have steroids in this universe (I’m guessing).
And why exactly is there blood in her hands? Was she so desperate to breath tha she pierced her skin with her own nails?
Yeah, I wondered about that, too. I’m trying to figure out if it’s blood or discoloring of some sort in the fingertips… if it’s discoloring, then this is more than just choking on something, I’d think…
DON’T DIE, PHE!! (I wish she could hear me and muster some breathing strength)
If it really is discoloring (or rather, coloring?) of the skin then this is definitely way, way more than just an allergic reaction, and be something more along the lines of ‘insta-kill poison’. I hope Phe survives, otherwise the ambassadors are so not gonna leave the country in one piece /:
I’m pretty sure she coughed blood, that’s why there is little stains in her face.
Well, that’s my guess.
Cyanosis
I thought she was coughing up blood, which would explain the bloody hands. But it could be discoloring. There did seem to be discoloring on her throat on the previous page.
From in-depth reading of the comments, we have word from the author – She clawed her skin and bled, but he thinks he may have overdone it on the amount he put on her hands. And the discoloration on her face and hands is the rash that was spreading up her neck when she first started to choke. Also, she is dead. DEAD!
No obstruction? Ocrap. So were they really targeting her….
Amazing perspectives on this page.
I don’t see why everyone is so worried. Isn’t it obvious that Pinter and Angora are going to rush in in the next panel, and that Pinter’s booze will be the perfect antedote? I mean really, it’s not like Phe could ACTUALLY die.
Right?
Totally. That’s it. That’ll happen. *Prays*
*cries* D:
I want to say tetrodotoxin because of the skin/tongue discoloration, but I know its symptoms aren’t that sudden.
P-Phe… D’:
YOU MAGNIFICENT ARTISTIC BUGGER YOU. This is why I love what you do… because you’ve just made me cry a little at the Loss of Phe. >:'{ True talent.
…and by ‘the Loss of Phe,’ I mean to say POTENTIAL Loss of Phe. *pumps fist to cheer her on*
BREATHE, DARNIT! BREATHE! D:<
I’m confused as to what just happened.
Please don’t make that first panel your ‘bigass 2.34 panel’ ’twill haunt me always! XD
uhhhhhh bad news XD
Arrgghhh, IT’S SO DEEETTAAIILLEEDD!!!
I’ve been anticipating this since the first time I saw your character grid picture. (I mean this: http://alexds1.deviantart.com/art/Pretentious-character-grid-70723016). It was a couple of years ago actually, but I have a good memory (also, I’m modest).
You are right, I can’t agree more – your colouring here is amazing. You certainly leveled up, congratulations! I can’t express how much I adore your drawing style and admire you for being so very awesome. You, sir, rock.
“Phe- wife, pushing up daisies”, She was such a good character. she will be missed.
There’s nothing that ruins a ruler’s buzz from makeup sex like the assassination (perhaps…) of a loved one, and no better cure for the crushing loss of a loved one like a massive Ghengis Kahn-esque rage-induced orgy of death and destruction. You know Lucas is crazy enough to do it. Especially if he loses his better half (because Phe is kinder and admittedly saner from what we’ve seen). This could get bad…. in the best way possible!
On a related note, you’ve definitely leveled up you’re coloring/art though I will admit it doesn’t make sense. Whenever I stop doing art for a while, it seems to take a while before I can get back to a level that I’m comfortable with. But we all rejoice that you’ve suffered no loss in skill. Keep up the good work
I’m not sure if Phe can die if you follow the plot carefully. Luca is talking later with his brother (I think) retelling the events as they happened. He doesn’t seem to be in mourning in the scene with his brother and based on the kind of man that Luca seems to be, I doubt he would be in an emotionally stable enough state to discuss his domestic problems with someone that is as criticizing as his brother. I believe that if Phe dies, it would put Luca in a murder frenzy and have the ambassadors executed on the spot. He would then go into recluse for a while, brooding over Phe’s death and plotting against perceived threats under the influence of a hateful paranoia. Then he would emerge bloodthirsty and (in both meanings) mad, starting with increased domestic suppression on the people and military campaigns abroad.
He would not be talking it over on a bridge.
But I can see why someone would want her dead. Revolutionaries hostile to the Empire and the political regime in Caris; they could be ultra revolutionaries who believe that the negotiations are too liberal. Killing Phe would end any peace talks and force war between the two countries and another opportunity to fight a war.
Sorry posted this on the wrong comic.
Darn. Sorry about the quality of that comment. Many tautologies. Gr.
Ah, Luca was talking to a younger version of himself on the bridge. :)
And it wasn’t in the future, but inside his own head (in stopped real-time, while he was musing outside the door after yelling at her)
Oh. That went completely over my head. Gosh darn. Then she’s dead.
Lucas looks like a confused child… it’s so sad and pathetic T.T
Looks like Phe somehow was clawed in the throat more than poisoned, with all that blood…
It’s extremely sad about Phe! It gives me an epic sad face!
I wanted to go back to your gallery on DeviantART (I haven’t been on in forever) and check out your past sketches, and I saw this one:
http://alexds1.deviantart.com/art/Meeeeek-dump-99024078
I pretty much gasped out loud at the sketch of Luca holding a limp body to Dagre, and I’m extremely curious as to if he gives Phe’s body to him, accepting Dagre’s power or just trying to level out peace?
So many possbilities are running through my head.
Oooh…I’m so excited to see what happens in the rest of the comic!
D,: if phe dies i dont know if ill continue reading. to sad
I have a VERY sneaking suspicion of whats REALLY going on… but I’m not going to say anything in case it spoils anything >.<
Let’s see… He ate all of the food, so it’s not the food… What about the drink?
Der-Shing, you are sneaky indeed.
We saw him drink something out of a little soju-looking cup. o_o D’you think he did check the drinks though?
So, Luca’s kingdom is advanced enough to perform tracheotomies, good to know :)
About posion v. food-testing – it looks like Phe went into anaphylactic shock (had a really severe allergic reaction), based on the hives, swollen throat & mouth, and difficulty breathing (coughing) up until her throat swelled shut.
The blood on her fingers seems to be from Phe clawing at her throat after she couldn’t breathe.
If she’s allergic to anything that Luca isn’t allergic to, then his taste-every-food-test wouldn’t catch it. They would just have to mix it into Phe’s meal (or something Phe was likely to eat – looks kind of like a buffet set-up.)
Hard to say if she’s dead or not, though.
It would take a few minutes for her to suffocate once her airway shut completely, and it’s hard to tell how long it took a doctor to get to her and open her airway.
Of course, dramatically speaking…the way Luca’s reactions are being shown to us, and especially that AMAZING GORGEOUS last panel is being shown to us, we’re being mentally primed to think she’s dead :)
I think shadow-thing (Dagre?) arranged for the attempt on her life, either way. Before now, remember, the last thing we heard Luca say to Phe is “I’m only doing this because of you.”
So if Dagre wants war with Caris, the author of the comic just telegraphed us an excellent reason why he’d want to kill Phe.
YES! She dies!… Err… I mean.. .uhh.. oh no… bad bad thing! Of death! yea…..
Sorry, unlike the other girls and some guys Phe just really rubs me the wrong way. :p True love != giving your husband an ultimatum of doom. Especially when said husband was right.
Anyways I bet what killed her were those creepy red eyes in the bedroom of sekz.
Hi! I’ve just read your entire comic in a few hours and I gotta say it’s amazing! I love every bit of it! especially Phe. Must you do horrible things to her? Man, that is uncool. Kidding, you do whatever you want, O mighty plot comic awesomness master! I will still love this and you.
Btw, I happen to stumble over this piece of yours http://alexds1.deviantart.com/art/Pretentious-character-grid-70723016 and… is it just me, or does it really say “…Phe- wife, pushing up daisies…”
O.o
You are evil, sir.
Oh my gawsh it does D:
She doesn’t look like the beautiful Phe we knew before…
This is terrifying… -cries-
WHAT THE?! What did I miss?! *goes back and reads previous pages*
aaaah! D: Oh my goodness this is so sad! She pretty much completes him, what’s he gonna do without her?? Oh, how very sad :(
This comic gets better and better! Its very nice to read something that has the substance along with the lovely artwork.
….this is so sad though ;_;
HOMG. I accidentally skipped from page 30 to this one and it freaked me out D:
Four pages ago she was fine and now she’s dead/dieing/I don’t even know. I can’t wait to see what happens next though.
I bet this is going to make Luca blame those two ambassadors sitting next to Phe…
turns out she was really just allergic to one of the ambassador’s perfume
LET THE FORCE CHOKING BEGIN!
vader is quietly sitting in the back
Marvelous job with Luca’s expressions. It’s all in the eyebrows man.
I really like the doctor’s hands. The perspective of them is very natural.
Seconded.
…New comment.
Where are their kids and how are they going to react?!
Oh, he is so going to blame the ambassadors. RUN FOR YOUR LIVES, WOMEN!
Oh snap…….didn’t see that coming.
Where are the pandas? I require pandas
Hmm, I wonder how long he was kneeling before panel 3? It looks like quite a bit seeing as how everyone has moved waayyyy back. Nice coloring too.
This is what I love about your comic, and also what scares me eue;;
When we first start reading, it’s mostly humorous and lighthearted
And then there’s this, where you get slapped in the face with this harsh reality and strong emotions
The art being gorgeous does help the whole thing along of course <3 The pages like this one here that show you're not afraid to raise it to another level.
Never stop dear, I love it.
Woah. After spending a few weeks without the internet this is a bit of a stunner to arrive home to. Poor Phe.
she chocked on her swollen tongue, thats why the tracheotomy didn’t work so well
wow! Looks like an allergy! Still! This is the most shocking panel yet!
This very update is why we bought you the new computer.
You’re doing great.
OH THE DRAMA I REVEL IN IT
Awesome move, I love this turn of events (though I did really like Phe…).
I can’t wait to see what’s next.
noooooooo, don’t be dead!
Phe! Luca! =(
I wonder… Is this “the man who hates in the name of love?”
If Luca’s still in cahoots with that scary jowly cat-shadow after this, Angora better be careful…
Wonderful
Shit just got real.
Noooo, Phe! I feel so bad for Luca!
I love the colors, especially in Luca’s face, and also Phe’s expression. It’s like a mix between despair and fear and sadness, somehow.
Love the contrast between the confident, radiant Luca on the banner at the top of the page, to the terrified, sad Luca on the page.
Noooooo! Phe can’t die! Nooooooooooooooooooo
WHat?! NOOOOOoooooooooooo! The agonizing cliffhanger!!!
Cricothyrotomy ew D:
I think it’s interesting that you included the detail of them trying to perform a tracheotomy on Phe. It seemed a little anachronistic to me until I went and looked it up, and realized it’s a practice that’s been around for much longer than I thought. Learn something new every day!
OMG I am eagerly anticipating the next comic :D
She appears to have had an allergic reaction, but the odd way she looks. The red and the swollen bits, I suppose. Did her throat close up?
Augh no! She was so awesome! Did anyone even /try/ a Heimlich on her?
Katie – don’t think a Heimlich would have helped. Not with poison. And this world seems a little too early technologically for CPR…
(not that I’m even sure CPR would help… depends on the poison, wouldn’t it?)
/passive aggressive
Although, telling you doesn’t really make it passive, does it…?
:P
Drama, drama, drama! Even if this makes me sad I am still thoroughly enjoying where this comic is going. Definitely some amazing work, keep it up.
about leveling up during break, same thing happens to me. I take a break from the piano for a while, come back and can play better!
Noooooo! Phe!!!! Please let her make it!!! :(
I am in love with that doctor’s hand in the first panel. ITS….SO…BEAUTIFUL!!!
Also…poor Phe *Goes back to staring at that wonderful hand*
“I think I might have leveled up during that break, even though that doesn’t make sense.”
That does make sense. During your little “break” your skills may have settled.
I experience the same with playing the drums and drawing stuff.
Wait, does this mean that this comic is gonna turn into a detective?
Whoa… her face gives me shivers o_o
Is he opening a trache? My god, she might not be dead!!!
Fun fact: you can perform a tracheostomy with nothing but a knife and a pen. Open the hole with the knife, then slide in the hollow outer casing of the pen for the victim to breathe through.
You’re purposefully taking your time here! That’s so mean.
don’t blame you though.
I’m checking this page everyday in hopes that this didnt happen T_T
Pheeeeeee!!!!!! T_T I’m still crossing my fingers that the miraculous “just easing the readers” will kick in and she’s not really a goner. But something tells me it doesnt work that way around here ;(
On another note: love the coloring, and the whole comic. Thumbs Up!
THE PERSON MAKING THE INCISION IS NOT WEARING GLOOOOVVVEESSS!!!
Come on guys, I expect more from ya’ll!
Also, I keep running into this page while I am having my dinner.
I’ve been wanting to ask what level of tech these people
are using? It seems to be 18th or 19th century, but wereally haven’t
seen much of an industry in anything. I hope if Angora goes to this city of roads that
we see more in ‘advance’ tech.
And during lunch.
Nooooo,..! Phe must live !!!!
And when I want to go to sleep. It’s haunting me.
Oh no Phe! ;___;
Why is there a scalpel in her though? Is that the doctor?
Oh no Phe! ;___;
Why is there a scalpel in her though? Is that the doctor?
it’s a tracheotomy! it’s what they do when you need an airway….they do it on House all the time
Wait. Why did she die?
*is confused*
Awesome so far. The storyline is captivating! (though I’d like to see more of Angora – it seems that, though it’s mainly about her, there’s been more of Luca and his family. Maybe it’s the way you’ve built up his background in just one chapter ^.^)
Heh, I wonder if she died from a normal severe allergic reaction to some food. That’d be horribly ironic ;)
Wow, not funny at all. You do not joke about what happened here.
That face in the first panel immediately made me say “HOLY SHIT.” Because uwaaaaaaaaaagh WHAT’S GONNA HAPPEEEN
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
She’s too awesome for this. See, this is why i can’t makes stories. i can’t make myself kill off people i like.
but seriously, WHY?????
I dunno, but each time I read the comic and get to this page, I wonder what poison was used on Phe…
Loving to learn about poison for giggles, it looks like it could be from something similar to the Manchineel tree… I could be wrong, but the whole tracheotomy thing and the swelling seems to fit somehow…
I know this was posted almost a year ago, but I cried when I read this page.. I really did… Well done.
still a better love story than twilight
That was glorious. I was listening to Prokofiev and reached this page just as it hit the climax.
People don’t suffocate that fast. And I’m pissed off that you did this.