Comic Sketches: July - August 2023

WHAT'S UP GAMERS... 

VICTORIA: It's cha girl Victoria, resident sicko, bringing you the February Patreon commentary straight from the underground, louder than God's revolver, twice as fruity, etc. etc. 

AUSTINWYNN: Heyo! AustinWynn also here today. What's poppin' and what's lockin' everyone?

VICTORIA: Your beloved host Eddie is out on... something this month, and so we're filling in for this month! They'll be back next month, probably, but they handed us the keys to the kingdom and we're gonna use this space to talk alllllll about POST-INCURSION, the section from hell. (I loved it. Did you love it? I loved it.)
Boards were done by Tyson (with some later contributions by Austin which i'll note when relevant!)

There's a lot of stuff to say about it but number one to me, the resident storytelling sicko: DAMN. Fight scenes are expensive, narratively. As of writing, post-Incursion has just come in at 110 pages, and it reads like a breeze, now that it's done. I've been believing this since the beginning, and it's nice to see it paid off handsomely. That being said, it is still 100+ panels! So, let's start chipping away at that number... by talking about color schemes instead.  

The most notable thing about post-Incursion is that it is after Incursion. Many people are saying this. It's only fitting that the palettes change too. 

AUSTINWYNN: The colors you see here seem familiar, but not too familiar. We chose to take the Incursion palette for each character and tinted them just a bit more red. Think of it as a small way to differentiate this scene from it's predecessor. I like to think it also shows a progression in time, even if this takes place immediately after Sestro falls into the pit.

From here, we'll be talking about these panels in blocks, since like in any fight scene, these are happening back-to-back-to-back.

With how haphazard post-incursion's production was, we have lots of different artists on sketches.  We'll try and note who's responsible for what when relevant! The panels for these boards were sketched by Eddie, Diz, Ciro and Tyson!

Oh, the arrogance of Edolon here. He's clearly having fun at this point - Can't say I blame him! From his perspective, he just knocked the king off the board, no less by his own hands. Clearly, now's the time to gloat. Clearly. 

As our secondary cast continues their battle amongst the collapsing Stronghold 21 landscape, I want to briefly touch upon the scenery as we see it here! It's wild how beautiful the ruins of a metropolis can be. Most backgrounds throughout this sections were done by Tyson and Eddie! Very early on, Tyson made a note to "frankenstein" pieces of backgrounds from Incursion to form the sights we ended up seeing. An effective resource reuse, if you ask me.

Good on Hamifi for not taking the bait. Of course she wouldn't - As a trained swordswoman, it's all about knowing the right moment to strike. The battlefield is for warriors, not wordsmiths. Unfortunately for Hamifi, this is a shounen-like fight. A swing and a miss.

See? Told you this was a shounen fight.

This phenomenal shot was sketched by Ciro and then rendered out by Dizzims. Genuinely, this is a phone background worthy shot. Two tremendous combatants dueling it out for what they each stand for. Simply magnificent. 

Fight choreography isn't just a moving picture's game - A fight scene must have ebb and flow, one motion into the next as if it was real. Having this scene play out in panels is a fun juxtaposition to this story's previous fights, all flashes. We get to watch beat by beat each step this dance of death takes.

Uh oh! Looks like someone's trying to hit Hamifi where it hurts! Edolon just loves to manipulate people. Eddie, Ciro and Diz are responsible for these respective sketches.

This moment is the first time, in the comic proper, that we actually learn Secily Iopara is dead. Yes, nearly half a year before this section was released, Snowbound Blood Volume 12 had ended with her gruesome death at the hands of Edolon. Mostly Weird Al's, but Edolon struck the final blow. However, I remember before this update, some fans still believed Secily was alive. Mostly those who hadn't touched SBB. Regardless, here it is: Secily is dead. 

It's only been a few weeks in canon since her death, but the metaphorical wound is still bleeding. We know Sestro and Hamifi are still grieving as they've yet had time to process it. Of course Edolon is going to stick his thumb in that wound! Maybe even stab Secily's sword in it too. It is fascinating though; The last time he wielded that sword, he was, to quote the regulator, a "slouching coward." A man with "a voice small enough to fit a grub." Not a great look for one who claims to be owed this world! You could say he got a glow up. Seems rather fast though. What could have changed the Edolon we saw into the Edolon we know?

Once again, Edolon's gloating leaves him open for an attack. He just doesn't know when to quit, does he?

Personally? I really love how this sketch of Secily came out. You can feel the pain of that stab with the way Diz drew her expression. It looks lifeless in the best way possible. You know how in media when a person gets mortally wounded, their movements tense yet their bodies go limp? This sketch really captures that feel. Maybe that look is another Edolon mind-game. Who knows? I just know that's painful. Though, when this panel ended up rendered, it took a different yet equally solid direction. Admire the original concept while it's in your peripheral view!

Did you know? Tyson is insane at animation. These two sketches became a stunning panel of Edolon's Psy-OP vanishing. The way the mist rolls off him is worthy of awards. Thank you Tyson once again for your animation skills.

Now THAT'S how you psychologically screw with someone.

Another stunning Tyson animation. As you can see in the boards, this moment was originally just the sword disintegrating by Edolon's doom alchemy. However, seeing Hamifi's reaction to it was a godly idea. Proserpina was one of the last tangible mementos of Secily. Yet, Edolon pulls it out to fight her protegees, the people she raised, and throws it away like a cheap toy immediately after. That sword meant something, but of course it doesn't matter to him - The past must burn. He can trade a trophy for a greater gain.  These following sketches were rendered by Tyson, Eddie, Diz and Ciro!

It's a terrible day to be a sword in Stronghold 21.

Actions speak louder than words, and do more damage it seems. Edolon, despite his second major wound this battle, gets one over on Hamifi and brings her to the ground. Pain might be power for him, but he still bleeds nevertheless. He might be the last one standing, but this fight has a price. Though, when you have nothing to lose and everything to gain, what's a measly hand and some internal organs? Besides, we know Edolon has a organ donator waiting for him after this.

These boards below were actually done by Austin, sketched out on paper, and punched up a bit by Tyson. 

Hamifi might be down, but our favorite boy genius may just get another chance to fight. Though, the mental specter of his ancestor won't let him go that quickly. Tyson's responsible for these sketches!

Even when dead and buried, the Executive can't give up control, huh? Literally using mental strings to bind his progenitor puppet. This imprint would rather Sestro sit down and listen to figments than try and continue the fight. Incursion is arguably the crescendo of the Executive's mistakes running an entire planet. Of course Sestro is going to defend the people he cares about from it! The sins of the genetic father will not weigh Sestro down from doing what's right.

As such, Sestro plans to use the [FORBIDDEN TECHINQUE], which will push his body to the limit. I especially appreciate this panel's facial expressions for Sestro. He genuinely looks like he's being strangled by the pull of the strings. Even in his brain, he looks seriously strained. Not to mention, he has the judging face of a false matesprit observing him. That's not Hamifi, though. It's an extension of the Executive - his construct. While she is his knight, the two of them fight for each other. Reminds me of Steven and Connie's relationship from Steven Universe.

Again, superb expression work here! Sestro, despite the overwhelming odds, is determined to do everything he can with his power. One could argue Sestro is proving to be more powerful than his ancestor here! If the imprint of the Executive is everything he was in life, than the fact Sestro can resist the power of possibly the strongest mind alchemist ever says a lot. Not to mention, the Executive did bestow all his memories onto Sestro. The student becomes the master, as the expression goes. 

And so, Sestro rises again! As Hamifi protected him, now it's his time to return the favor. Eddie's responsible for this final stretch of sketches!

Another continuity moment! The symbols on Sestro's hands are actually the sigils for Civilization and Weave on his left and right hands respectively. Deciding on which sigils fit best required a bit of discussion, but we ultimately decided on these two.

Scary how Edolon talks about the SBB cast! They are a means to greater power it seems. If they can find them, their bodies are to be made unrecognizable after. Does Edolon know the significance of making the deceased unrecognizable? It wouldn't matter for anyone that isn't a pure self. Still, a horrifyingly dangerous thing to say.

You never turn your back to the body. Looks like Edolon's job here is not yet complete.

And that's Post Incursion up until August 2023! Next time on Vast Error Z Kai, we will continue onward into Sestro vs Edolon: Round 2! Trust me, next commentary is gonna real juicy.

Until next time!

~Victoria & AustinWynn