UPDATE: By the way, someone sent me an email this morning telling me 6-Commando was nominated (among over a hundred others) for something called ComicMix March Madness, and asking if I knew what that was. I didn’t, and never heard of ComicMix before now, but, well, It looks interesting and I’m glad someone put my comic up for something! So, basically, you go there and vote for all the comics you like and it turns into some kind of competition. The deadline for the first round of voting is… okay, looks like about four hours from now, so we missed the boat on this one, but you can still squeeze one in if you like. I only mention it because it happened to come up in my inbox this morning, and I never knew what it was before. I’ll watch it though, and see what happens. Interesting that someone put this comic in the bin, though, isn’t it?
Yeah, so, when I think about this page in isolation, it even confuses me a little bit. But this scene has been part of the story for so long, and is so much a part of the greater flow of things now, that I’m setting my teeth and running with it. I know you all probably weren’t really expecting a military comic to get abstract and experimental quite to this extent, but, well, I’m glad you’re sticking with it, anyway!
And the chapter isn’t over yet! You probably noticed I’ve long since gone over my semi-typical 32-page mark for this chapter – it being the end of the first book, it needs a bit of a coda to tie the chapter up, so stay tuned! After that, though… well, we’ll deal with that when we get there. But suffice it to say that, though the “season” will be over for 6-Commando, the site will by no means be going down, and some really cool things are coming up for the interim to keep you all interested. I’m really really excited about some of them, too, but it’s too early to announce it all for certain. Just know that, at the far side, I’ll have a book for you, and I’m already laboring as hard as I can to make it the best book I can!
And as I’m sure you can tell from the icon here, the next two-page spread is the new voting incentive on topwebcomics.com (or at least, it will be very shortly). Like last week, it has lots of little tweaks and changes I made, corrections to the pages. Make your own comparisons and maybe you’ll see what I mean when I say the book needs editing before it goes to print! ANd last week, 6-Commando went from #165 to #109 in a single day. Still, I pursue these meaningless ranks. I guess I’ve fallen into the trap. But visibility is good, you know!
Oh, also, to everyone whose prizes from 6-Commando Poker were still not sent, I put the last of them in the mail first thing Saturday morning, so look for them soon!
And of course, finally, any artists out there interested in doing a little 6-Commando guest work during the upcoming hiatus, by all means contact me! And to those who already have done so, I’m super-duper thrilled right out of my brain – the support is deeply appreciated and almost overwhelming to me, the number of people who have told me they’ll chip in! I’m blown away.
Well, anyhow, we in the United States went on Daylight Savings Time today, where we lose an hour of sleep, so I’m all out of whack. So I’ll just call it, here, and get to bed. So, until next week, be well, and thanks for all the support, everyone!
Welcome to my nightmare, I think your going to like it.
I think your going to feel right at home.
(couldn’t resist)
HAHAHAHA!
😀
–M
Well, now you’re stuck there, so I hope it was worth dragging sarah in.
😀
Remember, Tom: “She’s Poison!”
–M
Tension rising. Excitment too! I hope this week will pass quickly. I want to know what will happen next.
GOOD! 😀
Ah, tension. I have a friend who is a very good writer – one day we’re planning to collaborate on a comic – and he told me that the biggest thing in dramatic writing is tension. I sometimes fear I took that lesson too much to heart, but hell, why not? ;D
–M
Personally, I’m totally okay with this surreal ‘dreamscape’ stuff. I think it adds a dimension to the comic. (It adds a little pressure on you NOT to dissappoint in the conclusion, though).
Page-specific, I think footsteps would have been nice to show their passing (and, propably, letting them fade in the third pannel).
Not bad suggestions – I’ll have to consider them! And I’m glad you’re willing to bear with the “unusual” parts of an otherwise run-of-the-mill sci-fi military comic. I’m glad you enjoy the unconventional nature of the story!
–M
Three possibilities here as to what is going on.
#1: Mike has somehow become psychic and is projecting an illusion, that appears to be based somehow on Sarah’s mind, perhaps from a link formed while she was stashed away inside of Mike
#2: This is a holographic projection of somekind, perhaps co-opting projectors installed in the bay, normally used for showing technical data during maintainence and repair of Rumblers that are stationed there
#3: Nanites have reconfigured the bay into what it appears as now.
Note, that none of these possibilities seem at all likely given the tech we’ve seen in the comic so far or its tone. At present, #1 seems most likely to me, but is still a serious longshot.
Or, 4) Something else, something very strange and inexplicable, is at work…
Or is it?
😀
–M
dun dun DUNNNNNNNNN
The quality of the art in this spread is just amazing. Your pages are always interesting and beautiful to look at, but this… this takes the cake.
I can’t wait to see the next pages!
Wow, man – that’s a really great compliment. Thank you! I enjoyed drawing these pages and I’m really glad you think so highly of them!
–M
Somebody just voted for you comic and you did better than quite a few on the list.
I appreciate the various point of view angles in the panels.
Yeah you know I play the vote game but it’s like politics – the incumbents dominate. But there it is!
–M
I have received my ‘poker winnings’, and at first I thought the business cards were stickers. But since they’re not, I put two on my fridge instead of one on my computer. Maybe I’ll get a visitor, and maybe they’ll see the QR code and scan it with their high-tech phone? I’ll have keep my eye out for a suitable place for those lapel pins.
And the UNA “Karl Gustaf” Class Semi-Autonomous Missile Cruiser was cool too. Thanks! 🙂
They ARE stickers don’t you know? Nice vinyl ones! For real and true! The backing might be a bit hard on some of them but they do work, I promise.
Glad you enjoyed my imagined idea of the Swedish contribution to the UNA forces. 😀
–M
Could the knocked out Russian and UNA tank be a metapher?
They COULD be…
😉
–M
Ooh, ooh, I know! You’re pulling a 2001 on us, and Mike just realized that he’s a monolith!
Interesting that you mention it. The door in the insets above was meant to evoke the Monolith. But as to the breast… Well, time will tell if your theory bears out!
–M