I am so impressed with the art in this comic, especially the landscapes. The past few pages in particular have been something of a tour de force in that regard.
Sometimes when I look at your work I imagine you painting it with a magnifying glass because how else could all that detail be so elegant and individual? What a place this is!
Karyl, One would think that. Indeed, I often enlarge the page when i first see it to get all the wonderful details Erin employs on the page. In truth though, usually the page the artist works off of is pretty big giving them plenty of room for the finer points of the work. I don’t know what size paper Erin works on, maybe she could shed some light on that.
I don’t exactly work on paper at all apart from pencils (which are standard comic 11×17″ boards); my digital files are around 3200x4850px. Not very big but I have an underpowered PC and not a lot of storage.
Not to plug the Patreon too hard but you can see exactly what detail I do and don’t bother with in the video of this page getting painted.
What a feast. The town details, including the perspectives which are accentuated by your choice of shape for those top right hand cells, warrant the magnifying glass work mentioned by other fans above. I like the horse and coach in the third cell – just enough detail to make them real and tall. The light and beauty of the street scene in cell 2 starts the longing I get from the best travel brochures of places like Salzburg or Vienna, and I can hear the echo of the horse hooves on the stones.
The shop façade is a study in reflections and the kind of finery that would draw John Henry in like a magnet. And that’s when it hit me how blue all the light is in this chapter. And how you are using that to pop foreground characters with warmer hues and stronger line work.
And then there is Eliza. She’s dressed almost to match JHH – I can’t wait to see more of her ensemble. What I really can’t wait for is her reply to Hunter’s saucy flirting. I’m expecting something special – she looks quite capable and comfortable with herself, and the glasses add a hint of wit and sophistication (as if her clothes didn’t already carry that message loud and clear).
And no matter how gorgeous JHH’s suits have been up to now, you managed to top them again. Did you pace yourself or design ahead, so you could be sure to accomplish that? Or did you just have faith you could keep upping the ante for each?
I am looking forward to savoring all the coloring process we get on Patreon. Thanks for our weekly fix here at NTO, and for the extra work you did to give us even more for our support.
Hunter’s getups are getting designed as I go; I only did his first suit/vest and the original duster up front. When I get nearer the end of this book I’ll share all my conceptual stuff with you Patrons (I added Eliza’s basic design to the feed this week after reading your comment, actually).
This ensemble is actually not complete as shown here; he’s still wearing his Redridge Express vest. The rest to follow. 🙂
As usual when faced with this much detail, I notice one more item as I’m leaving… I noticed Eliza’s height compared to John Henry – I wonder if she’s standing on something.
Thanks, and while Some Guy has the right idea below, I wonder if more people are having trouble with it? I may go overboard sometimes with Hunter’s embroidered talk.
I think half the problem is the accent, especially for us foreigners. I didn’t know what “bucks” meant, for example, and still have no idea what the ” ‘t ” after it stands for. That? “come through broken sky” is probably the only non-accent confusing part in there, although in retrospect it should have been obvious it is the name of the city, given the name of this volume; the lack of clear capital letters is to blame, this time.
…And I would be remiss to post anything in here without also pointing out that, despite having achieved excellence with the very first page of this comic, you have managed to consistently raise the bar to new levels of quality, and your artistic skills keep astounding us with every new update. Keep up the truly incomparable job!
Yeah, I didn’t have too much trouble at first with what he was saying until I was about halfway through. After that, I got a headache trying to figure out what he was meaning to say at the end and I just gave up. I don’t think it’s your fault at all, it’s just a thing with how my brain works.
I love the way JHH talks. Streetwise huckster showman, with a thick veneer of Victorian gentleman. Easy to imagine him spouting flirtatious patter to distract the audience during a magic trick. His accent on top of his elaborate syntax is interesting – it reads like a lazy drawl rather than educated enunciation.
Something about those fancy suits seems dreadfully important to him, as if his inflated self-image collapses when he’s not dressed to the nines. When he lost most of his clothes in the bathhouse and straggled into a ghost town looking like a drowned wolf, I recall him coming across as the most vulnerable and even genuine he’s been. (No women around to flirt with? I should go re-read that.)
So it’s a little ambiguous when he sallies forth with a pickup line as convoluted as the above. 🙂 Is he not quite as verbally sophisticated as he thinks he is, as if he picked up his vocabulary from reading overwritten 19th century newspaper editorials he found wrapped around his fish and chips? Only time will tell, I suppose.
Is it just me or does the Gun Witch in Kill Six Billion Demons look awfully ?
Is it just me or does the Gun Witch in Kill Six Billion Demons look awfully familiar?
Certainly is a resemblance. I’m going to pretend it’s a nod; if it’s a nod I’m super flattered.
Damn, I forgot how good he looks in a suit.
Fortunately he’s never out of one for long!
Those first two panels are just incredible. Is that a funicular? And maybe I’m just not very observant, but did you just change the header?
the header has changed everytime diamonds has been upgraded, you can see it on the wayback machine
I am so impressed with the art in this comic, especially the landscapes. The past few pages in particular have been something of a tour de force in that regard.
Thank you so much!
It is a funicular! There’s actually two! Good eye! And slinky’s correct; I changed the header back at the end of Book 6.
Sometimes when I look at your work I imagine you painting it with a magnifying glass because how else could all that detail be so elegant and individual? What a place this is!
Karyl, One would think that. Indeed, I often enlarge the page when i first see it to get all the wonderful details Erin employs on the page. In truth though, usually the page the artist works off of is pretty big giving them plenty of room for the finer points of the work. I don’t know what size paper Erin works on, maybe she could shed some light on that.
I don’t exactly work on paper at all apart from pencils (which are standard comic 11×17″ boards); my digital files are around 3200x4850px. Not very big but I have an underpowered PC and not a lot of storage.
Not to plug the Patreon too hard but you can see exactly what detail I do and don’t bother with in the video of this page getting painted.
What a feast. The town details, including the perspectives which are accentuated by your choice of shape for those top right hand cells, warrant the magnifying glass work mentioned by other fans above. I like the horse and coach in the third cell – just enough detail to make them real and tall. The light and beauty of the street scene in cell 2 starts the longing I get from the best travel brochures of places like Salzburg or Vienna, and I can hear the echo of the horse hooves on the stones.
The shop façade is a study in reflections and the kind of finery that would draw John Henry in like a magnet. And that’s when it hit me how blue all the light is in this chapter. And how you are using that to pop foreground characters with warmer hues and stronger line work.
And then there is Eliza. She’s dressed almost to match JHH – I can’t wait to see more of her ensemble. What I really can’t wait for is her reply to Hunter’s saucy flirting. I’m expecting something special – she looks quite capable and comfortable with herself, and the glasses add a hint of wit and sophistication (as if her clothes didn’t already carry that message loud and clear).
And no matter how gorgeous JHH’s suits have been up to now, you managed to top them again. Did you pace yourself or design ahead, so you could be sure to accomplish that? Or did you just have faith you could keep upping the ante for each?
I am looking forward to savoring all the coloring process we get on Patreon. Thanks for our weekly fix here at NTO, and for the extra work you did to give us even more for our support.
Hunter’s getups are getting designed as I go; I only did his first suit/vest and the original duster up front. When I get nearer the end of this book I’ll share all my conceptual stuff with you Patrons (I added Eliza’s basic design to the feed this week after reading your comment, actually).
This ensemble is actually not complete as shown here; he’s still wearing his Redridge Express vest. The rest to follow. 🙂
Thanks as usual, Arnly. You’re the best.
As usual when faced with this much detail, I notice one more item as I’m leaving… I noticed Eliza’s height compared to John Henry – I wonder if she’s standing on something.
I noticed you can actually see them in the shop window. I thought they were manikins/reflections on my first few read-throughs..
Ah, Hunter… ever the charmer! 😉
Too bad, though. I like that city, but I have a feeling it won’t be standing for much longer.
The art looks amazing like always. I have to admit though, I’m completely lost as to what Hunter is saying…
Oop. Comment below was supposed to go here.
Thanks, and while Some Guy has the right idea below, I wonder if more people are having trouble with it? I may go overboard sometimes with Hunter’s embroidered talk.
I think half the problem is the accent, especially for us foreigners. I didn’t know what “bucks” meant, for example, and still have no idea what the ” ‘t ” after it stands for. That?
“come through broken sky” is probably the only non-accent confusing part in there, although in retrospect it should have been obvious it is the name of the city, given the name of this volume; the lack of clear capital letters is to blame, this time.
…And I would be remiss to post anything in here without also pointing out that, despite having achieved excellence with the very first page of this comic, you have managed to consistently raise the bar to new levels of quality, and your artistic skills keep astounding us with every new update. Keep up the truly incomparable job!
Yeah, I didn’t have too much trouble at first with what he was saying until I was about halfway through. After that, I got a headache trying to figure out what he was meaning to say at the end and I just gave up. I don’t think it’s your fault at all, it’s just a thing with how my brain works.
He’s asking her how her husband/lover/significant whatever is comfortable with her putting her hands all over other dudes.
I got what Hunter was saying immediately (just like Some Guy says). The embroidery is the verbal equivalent of his clothes.
I love the way JHH talks. Streetwise huckster showman, with a thick veneer of Victorian gentleman. Easy to imagine him spouting flirtatious patter to distract the audience during a magic trick. His accent on top of his elaborate syntax is interesting – it reads like a lazy drawl rather than educated enunciation.
Something about those fancy suits seems dreadfully important to him, as if his inflated self-image collapses when he’s not dressed to the nines.
When he lost most of his clothes in the bathhouse and straggled into a ghost town looking like a drowned wolf, I recall him coming across as the most vulnerable and even genuine he’s been. (No women around to flirt with? I should go re-read that.)
So it’s a little ambiguous when he sallies forth with a pickup line as convoluted as the above. 🙂 Is he not quite as verbally sophisticated as he thinks he is, as if he picked up his vocabulary from reading overwritten 19th century newspaper editorials he found wrapped around his fish and chips? Only time will tell, I suppose.