Happy Easter, everyone. Not to be strident about it, but Easter is a big deal for me, and as I type this, I’m finishing this week’s page at my remote location, where I’ve enjoyed a very nice holiday with my family.
I’m also rather worn down at the moment, I’m afraid, so I can’t think of anything really sophisticated to say. I’m sure I’ll come up with something later, but for right now, I’m just going to post and run. All the best, folks!
Heh.. That reminds me of RedAlert 2 intro. 🙂
You know, I JUST now thought of that! I’ll have to find a role for Udo Kier when this goes live-action!
–M
And here I thought it was one of those magic eye puzzles that I never could get to work?
Maybe it IS!
:O
–M
STATIC!!! WEEEEEEE >.<
ok that was a bit too random xD
Very much so, but I’ll allow it. 😀
–M
God I love phone pranks….!
It’s a call from the future, via the Crank-n-Prank Timephone.
–M
OH NO! It’s been censored! Damn you PIPA and SOPA! Hey, I thought those didn’t pass!
And to think, they don’t even have a civilian Internet in the 6-Commando universe!
–M
Seems like Zaballa and his adjutant are the only ones not carrying some sort of sidearm (maybe because of their observer status, but on the other hand CONASUR troops inside command post Alpha are armed).
>>> CONASUR uniforms looks likey they are some sort of overall and not a pants/shirt combination, right? The front pockets look like the usual cino-style pockets and not like the more common uniform-cut “french” pockets. The lack of belt loops on their Sam Browne style rig w/ shoulder strap adds to that impression.
>>> The four stars on the CONASUR insignia stand for the founding nations of the South American alliance, right?
>>> Perspective and size relation kinda looks odd in the first mini-panel. They both look kinda stiff and undynamic. The three other panels are superb though. I’m always amazed to see the quality of the hands and faces. Very well done!
Yeah the first panel was the weakest, but sometimes you just have to move forward. And you’re right that their uniforms are meant to be coveralls – sometimes I think I added in belt loops by mistake, but they aren’t supposed to have them. And I can’t say why they don’t carry sidearms – it simply never seemed appropriate!
Oh, and the four stars of the CONASUR flag (which is a white field with the shield superimposed, rather like the old flag of Bosnia-Herzegovina), do not represent any specific nation. Rather, they are the form of the constellation Crux, the Southern Cross, which has long been symbolic of both South America and of the Christianization of the Americas, among other things. CONASUR, being a strongly Christian alliance, uses it for both these symbols, as well as for egalitarianism among the member-states. It also happens to be part of the flag of the real-world organization MERCOSUR, on which CONASUR is loosely based.
–M
I see you really do a lot of research and thinking and digging-up facts for your novel. That’s excellent and rather unique. I like this kind of attention to detail.
Thanks for expanding my horizon once again!
The shield is also based on the U.S. Army’s “Americal” division insignia, by the way, as well as the old Bosnian flag, as I already mentioned.
–M
PS: This is the start of chapter 4? I thought we had a few weeks until Chapter 3 was finished?
No, this is the Season Finale of Chapter 3.
–M
Oh, I finally saw my mistake. Thanks!
–M
Ulrich is right: 1st panel characters are too stiff. The guy in front looks like a mannequin: his legs don’t match his arms, which suggest movement. His legs are stiff. I think one should be slightly bent, or something to match the movement his arms imply.
I tend to agree. I was going for a sense of tension and shock but I think I went overboard. A more dynamic setup would have been better – but for now, it’s on the second or third tier of editorial priorities.
–M
I think the apparent stiffness is done on purpose, to convey their apprehension at what is clearly an unexpected call in the middle of a VERY tense situation. They don’t know who’s calling, they don’t know why at this particular time, and they’re clearly not expecting the caller to deliver good news.
The stiffness is appropriate under the circumstances.
I appreciate that, but I tend to agree with the others. Maybe just a slightly looser look would have been better, or something in starker perspective. But I’m not worrying about it for now – too much else that’s a higher priority!
–M
I like the static bit.
I’m going to say mores code from Conasur command worried about UNA listening in, Mike doesn’t seem that subtle but I can be wrong.
When did we stop using Morse Code, by the way? It was pretty recently wasn’t it?
Anyway, with only three pages to go, I think you’ll get your answer pretty soon!
–M
That’s a very interesting way to portray static from a phone. Most people just use SFX words.
I tried it a bunch of ways, but this was the most evocative, and works best with what comes next.
Ooooo! Teasers! Yes.
–M
Baby chick -yellow phone for Easter? I’m on to you.
You got me! Easterphone! Hotline to the Resurrection! 😉
–M
Your phone static may not be discernible as-such in print form.
It’s just a colored pixel pattern, so I don’t see why not. But I suppose it’s worth keeping an eye on.
–M
The static makes my finger itch for a quarter. Lottery scatch off!
Scratch-n-Win Comics!
–M
oh god this is too exploitable.
But I’m worried that taking this to 4chan as a reaction image would lead to too many Barbarian Ruffians coming here. Even in the Land of Elegen/tg/entlemen and ca/tg/irls.
And so forth. I’m always glad to have people reading my comic but memedom is a new idea, therefore I fear it.
–M
This is really a comment to the previous page. I found the two names Edward Teller and Stanisław Ulam familiar and looked up Stanisław Ulam at Wikipedia. I should have remembered the Teller-Ulam design, more than having just a feeling.
In any case I noticed that the name of the first thermonuclear device was Ivy Mike, and that some of the calculations leading up to the Teller-Ulam design was done on a computer named MANIAC I. Coincidence?
Wink wink wink
😀
–M