New Pages! + Comment!
Added 2022-05-31 10:14:03 +0000 UTCRead the new update!
First things first! You may have noticed that a page from the last update was removed (the Boy looking at the newspapers). It will be back with the next update, I just changed the order of the scenes!
When you write a story, you can't repeat a scene twice, unless it's to say something different. I'll talk about this in another post, but making a comic is all about using each update to rectify something that wasn't clear in a previous scene.
Which brings me back to chapter 5: I went back and read the comments on Tapas, and also reread my own work, and I thought it would be nice to bring in some new pages about Black Death's job.
We all remember how these pages confused a lot of people, why they ended up killing the banker, etc. Someone on Tapas commented "I don't understand why they kill him, it wasn't necessary".
I don't get it. Black Death is a gang, when they make a deal with someone, and that person screws up, of course it ends badly? What would they look if they were okay with someone messing with them? "oooh, pfff, it's ok, don't worry! We're not THAT cruel".
People wants bad boys but only the nice ones, who don't really hurt anyone lol.
ANYWAY, so here we learn a bit more about their job. More in the description of this Post. At least I made it clearer; they're not just killing people. In fact throughout the conversation that Tera and the Rabbit have, we understand that they both have a different vision of Black Death. It's more of a job for Tera and that killing people is not the main point. He implies that it wasn't as frequent before. For the rabbit on the other hand, there is a lot of talk about reputation, reputation forged by the fear of their group.
(it was also an opportunity to show that Kain, the rabbit, is more psycho than Tera.)
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You may also have noticed the introduction of the cross, painted on the doors, as a warning of the death of the person. If you've read the post on Black Death, you know why a cross on the door haha. Just google "Plague cross" --> "a mark placed on a building occupied by victims of plague". That's an important element and I really love the idea!
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Those last pages and Kain's lines are just sooo essential to the story, I think things are becoming clearer for everyone, and for Tera too actually! But we can't officially talk about it yet, so I won't-
Knowing that, I had a hard time storyboarding the last page, because it had to say something. Like the Tiger (Luc) crowned with the rose window of Notre Dame for his first appearance, etc. And I couldn't find anything cause the setup what pretty basic!
And then I had the idea of the sunset.
The sunset can mean many things, here it's the chiaroscuro (Light-Darkness), the horizon is cut in two. It's the line between the realm of light and darkness. A fight. It represents Tera's mind and thoughts at that moment. It's confused. He's going through an inner struggle, if that makes any sense.
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I named the Tiger (Black Death boss) Luc? Honestly it might be edited later, I'm not sure of the name yet. But in case you're wondering why, well the first thing you may think about is that Luc refers to the light, because he is convinced he does the right thing. But in fact it is taken from the emperor Nero, whose original name is Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus. Because he was emperor, and because he was cruel... you can google him lol.
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Final note: there is a visual reference hidden in these pages! A big one, it's not in the details, did you find it??
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I'll give you some time before giving you the solution, try to play haha.
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Okay here's the answer: Page 16. The whole page.
The Gates of Hell, by Rodin!! If I'm not wrong, the Thinker originated from this. He stands above the door from where we see people emerging from Hell, twisted by pain. At first the Thinker was representing Dante meditating on his work and on the underworld (where he went). And that's the idea!!
I built the whole page around it. Tera sitting, watching from above, absorbed in his thoughts, looking at "his work". The disaster he causes. It is a very strong symbol! He wonders, he sees what he does, kinda for the first time, because lately things have started to change.
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PHEW, I'm gonna stop here, I hope you like this update and I really hope you read all of my comment about it!!! Let me know in the comment!!!
Love y'all, thank you so much for the support!!!! <3 <3 <3
PS. If you look closely, Tera is listening to music in the first pages. He has earpods in his ears lol.
Comments
That’s the plot of the story, how will the Boy handle it, (and is he actually going to, lol). I’ve read people asking how you’re supposed to like Tera when you know that (as a reader). That’s my job to make Tera a lovable character despite the fact that he’s a cruel killer… and I gotta say I’m very confident about that part. I’ve gave them a lot of depth, Tera is a character that really moves me. More than any others. The more we’ll dive into their story the more you should realize all the links, fears and wounds that bind the characters together. How they will all evolve around each other. Human nature is complex, and I’m using it here!
Z-Pico
2022-06-12 20:49:56 +0000 UTCI‘m starting to wonder how the boy will deal with the fact that Tera actually killed innocent people. He seems to be very innocent yet with a lot of integrity. i can‘t imagine the boy just ignoring this. Let‘s face it, Tera is a cruel murderer wether he was ordered to do it or not.
Lieschen Müller
2022-06-12 20:28:29 +0000 UTCI'm super late but still digging your art and story, also thank you for all the explanation you write under each post, being your patron is a blessing ❤️
Sulfrae
2022-06-09 12:28:33 +0000 UTCOkay, late to the comment party. Whoops. I just skimmed the pages when you released them and only now got to really read the pages and your update and go back and look for all the references and details. You keep surprising me with how much thought and how many teeny tiny details are in the pages. Like, i would probably have missed the fact that Tera was listening to music. :D Please keep explaining things like you are, I'm learning so much about story telling and art from you. 😍 Thank you so much.
Fumachan
2022-06-06 06:46:26 +0000 UTCKain is such an interesting character. Complex, since he isn’t thriving on violence, just for the sake of bloodshed. He stopped the Tiger (Luc) on the rooftop (Chap. 5), when Luc lost his temper and beat the clerk into a bloody pulp. “That’s not how we do things”. He seems to strongly believe in Black Death’s playbook, rather than just dish out violence. I imagine the bank robbery would have ended way worse otherwise. The female counter clerk hit the alarm – and also a shot was fired at them (Tera – well, it actually hit Jo). All this could have provoked massive violence, but all of them stayed rather calm. No punishments dished out – other than for the guy having a contract with Black Death and fucked up. In my opinion, this is rather remarkable. Kain goes by the gruesome rules, taking them to heart. It’s not a job, it’s how he lives – the most dangerous part may even be that he isn’t some kind of loyal executor, but rather somewhat intelligent, restrained and composed, with his own mindset and opinion. Dangerous combination, I don’t want to see him dead set on taking you out, because you broke the rules. Like… a comrade and once trustworthy companion not playing by the rules anymore, going against orders, against the codex. He has known Tera for years and they are obviously close, but currently, I doubt this might be enough to get Kain to overlook certain flaws his Pal might develop and cultivate. They already have different views about the “how” and “why” of Black Death. Furthermore, to Kain it seemed to be a simple thing to just block Jo. Maybe because in Kain’s opinion Jo doesn’t have it in him to follow those rules and cross the lines that Black Death business requires – or maybe because Kain doesn’t want Jo to walk the same path. I’m not sure yet if it is to protect Jo or because Kain simply doesn’t see the necessary strength in Jo. That detail might make a huge difference in the long run. I also like how Kain’s body language is different from Tera’s. Tera seems way more stoic, Kain is rather chatty and it shows in his movements/stance. Love that little head tilt he’s doing (for reference see also Chap. 4.2). Creepy bunny nonetheless. Luc on the other hand seems to be someone just giving orders most of the time, since he wasn’t at the bank nor at the shop to terminate the contract and collect the insurance money – might be for the best with his temper. Let the boys handle it. I wonder if there are even more connections. With Luc being the oldest of the (currently introduced) bunch, I bet there are more deeds done and havoc orchestrated than even “his” current Black Death boys know about. Maybe the Uncle and Luc might have a long history of “catch and fail” – I doubt the Uncle is on Black Deaths track just recently. Daring thesis – maybe the Uncles brother or sister had a flower shop or nursery with their family – growing and cultivating plants for shops – just outside the city, where you would be able to do some stargazing at night. Maybe something went terribly wrong for them. Maybe something happened that a little kid shouldn’t witness and would rather have his eyes covered. That would be something to remember and plague you at night. Awesome update. “Dawn is breaking” – even with the sunset painting light and dark. I’m so hungry for more.
Mellowcat
2022-06-04 08:37:41 +0000 UTCKinda gives me lucifer vibes and I am here for it. (Lucifer is king of judgement, and wants to do the correct thing, not necessarily the right one) Is Terra gonna be the boys (TM) fallen guardian through the shadows of his nightmares?
Kay
2022-06-02 18:34:53 +0000 UTCWait WHAT? I didn't even know there was Gates of Paradise?! I just googled it, it's so interesting, thank you for sharing this!! I need to learn more about it, time to dive into the internet haha
Z-Pico
2022-06-01 21:03:45 +0000 UTCHey Zero Serres!! Aw THANK YOU!!! That makes me so happy! Yeaaah I don't know how many patrons actually read my comments but I wish everybody was haha! Sadly, outside of Patreon there are no social networks made for that kind of chit-chat. Haha yeah I've seen other patrons starting to make assumptions, I love it! Thank you so much for the support, Zero!
Z-Pico
2022-06-01 20:57:17 +0000 UTCHey Sonja! Haha yeah reactions about chapter 5 were very interesting; when it happened I got scared a bit, but quickly after, I think I took pride in it. Because as an author what you want is people to feel something, that's the point of writing stories. So I'm happy with it! - "That's what I enjoy about this comic - it's a nice balance of realism, seriousness and humor" aw thank you!!! I really appreciate! I'm happy you liked to read my comment about the update, sometimes it's very inspiring to know how others work !
Z-Pico
2022-06-01 20:50:03 +0000 UTCHey Niiv3 :D Hahaha that "aha" with the light bulb is so Sims-ish ! "Mr. Toast" the DISRESPECT lmao- (made me laugh so hard)
Z-Pico
2022-06-01 20:41:17 +0000 UTCJe pensais pas que cet update allait déclencher autant de réaction, j'adore avoir vos retours haha. Oui je pense que c'est ce qui accentue la sympathie qu'on développe pour Joris, c'est d'ailleurs pour ça que j'ai fait se succéder ces scènes (et celle a venir)! Merci LadyKya !!
Z-Pico
2022-06-01 20:38:09 +0000 UTCYou know what'd be cool? To use the Gates of Paradise as an antithesis metaphor to the Gates of Hell. And If I'm not mistaken, the Norther, initially made, were indeed a sign of gratitude to God for sparing Florence of current calamities like The Black Death?!
_damn_rius
2022-06-01 20:36:08 +0000 UTCHAha thank you Myriam for your support!! In fact I should get used to some readers "skimming" the comic without really trying to understand it. Not that I really blame them, this is how we "use" content on the internet nowadays. I just have to get used to it!
Z-Pico
2022-06-01 15:30:18 +0000 UTCAwwh thank you Machi!!! I really appreciate you read my comments about the story! Thank you for the support *hug*
Z-Pico
2022-06-01 15:24:12 +0000 UTCI wasn't expecting this update to trigger assumptions on your part haha (I mean y'all). I obviously can't address it, but I really appreciate ;D
Z-Pico
2022-06-01 15:17:26 +0000 UTCHaha Thank you!!! Yeah, I should get used to some readers "skimming" the comic without really trying to understand it! Thanks for the support Blu :D
Z-Pico
2022-06-01 15:03:34 +0000 UTCThank you Nyan_sen, I'm so happy you liked it!!!
Z-Pico
2022-06-01 15:00:06 +0000 UTCI LOVE THIS STORY SO MUCH and I’m so glad I’m a part of your patreon so I can get your perspective on it all and on the characters. It really makes following along with the story an immersive experience. I love learning more about each of the characters and the time and effort you put into the symbolization and the big and little details. I’m a huge fan and can’t wait to see where things go. Also…… the last page has me thinking a lot…. I think I’m seeing why fate has their paths cross so often, and I wonder how the boy will react later on
Zero Serres
2022-06-01 10:01:46 +0000 UTCNow that you mentioned that people were confused of why they killed the banker and all that, I'm all confused why people think they wouldn't have killed him. I mean, it's as you said - they're gang, most feared one at that. Why would they leave him alive if he messed up? It's been clear that Black death is a gang and people are afraid, there's a reason for it. It's your story and you tell it the way you want. Not every story needs to be all pink and fluffy and rainbows. And as much as there's humor in your story, there's also deeper and darker themes in there. That's what I enjoy about this comic - it's a nice balance of realism, seriousness and humor. If that even makes sense :D Anyways, I really liked to read your own thoughts about the story! It's always fun to read the description as it opens up a bit how you manage your work and how you plan on things. I guess in a way it's like having a little conversation about artistic stuff with another artist :D And I really liked the new pages! :3 It was so so satisfying to get home from work to notice them! Such joy! Oh and I got a bit nervous of what might happen to Tera once he maybe starts to separate himself from Black death.. and I also can't wait what the future will bring with new pages as the story goes on :3
Soyya
2022-05-31 15:24:49 +0000 UTCI think this will be a wonderful chapter that solidifies what Black Death is capable of and the insight we got on how Tera thinks and how the rabbit thinks is going to make way for creative liberties I hope. I’m not sure how else to describe it but it’s a light 💡 bulb ‘aha’ moment that the readers might have if visuals didn’t compute as ‘Black Death isn’t exactly the most kind moral bunch’. the boys nightmares and the bank worker chapters showed the visual of the darker side of the story and this chapter ties in beautifully on the Black Death lore. It’s so interesting that the parts where Tera is most silent are the parts that convey how he’s starting an internal reflection…he’s going along in action but thinks out-loud about Mr. toasts family (I’m almost regretful at calling him Mr. toast)
naviist
2022-05-31 13:56:28 +0000 UTCOn comprend que Joris veut absolument intégrer Black Death, juste pour s'évader du monde réel, aller vers un endroit où il pense qu'il sera moins seul, car avec son frère. L'opposition de caractère des deux frères et ici vraiment indéniable. Kain sans le savoir rend service à son frère, il ne l'emmène pas du côté obscure... J'aime beaucoup le fait de donner les explications, pour comprendre les ''détails" qui peuvent nous échapper.
LadyKya
2022-05-31 13:22:24 +0000 UTC🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
Lluery
2022-05-31 12:40:32 +0000 UTCPs. Love that part where Tera is confuse and having second thought about his choice
bbcherry
2022-05-31 12:04:07 +0000 UTCI love you gave the tiger name luc its kinda fit his character and also I like the way you write about Black Death because it show the truth dark side of the gang and I don’t get it why some people don’t like it? And some of them prefer bad boy with good will where they don’t kill people.In the end they are in gang, they will do lot of bad things even killing people.
bbcherry
2022-05-31 12:00:23 +0000 UTCI thought the same thing! After this chapter I’m convinced Black Death was behind the killing of the boy’s family. And my heart went out to him because Kain took pride in the pain their (black death) actions cause the love ones of the people they kill.
Lotus
2022-05-31 11:48:00 +0000 UTCWith all that talk of ruining families, nightmares, and orphans, im so glad the boy was not in earshot to hear that! He goes through all of that so to hear someone talk about it in a proud way like kain did… think of how traumatizing that could be for the boy😢 I’m starting to think the Black Death are the ones responsible for killing the boys family! Even if it was the older members of the Black Death, not the current ones, I mean, he’s definitely been scarred. I love stories with such amazing suspense! Pico, you have truly made a thrilling atmosphere in this story! I love how you didn’t just make all the Black Death members be typical “bad boys” who are reckless but never actually do anything unforgivable! This is way more realistic!
Aj
2022-05-31 11:41:50 +0000 UTCWe saw Kain’s face 🥹 he’s so gorgeous ! NO! I must resist my attraction for him! He’s crazy and doesn’t seem to to care about my poor baby joris!
Aj
2022-05-31 11:33:04 +0000 UTCaaah it’s nice to have more pages !! really loved the update !! and don’t worry about those comments in tapas…. i think there will be more when they see what the gang is going to to because it’s obvious that there are some people who expect a vanilla fluffy story with the Boy & Tera… but i assume you used warnings for every chapter? then it’s their fault if they still read it or don’t even know what gangs like these do … please don’t let it get to you. also thanks for the panel where tera lays on the roof beside joris brother , i stared quite a while 👀👀
Mym Phoenix McFly
2022-05-31 11:23:58 +0000 UTCI love how much thought you put into the story. Always looking forward to the end of the month!!! Stay motivated, best wishes!!!!
Machi
2022-05-31 10:48:20 +0000 UTCFirstly... I just had a quick look at the new pages and didn't read the commentary yet (I'm at work - Noooooooooo!)... Tera seems to have second thoughts about what he (and black death) is doing. Good, I really like character development. Oh... and when their eyes glowed in the dark.... that was giving me chills 😱
WhyAmIHere
2022-05-31 10:45:31 +0000 UTCLet me give it a shot: the boys parents died right because they either made a contract with the Black Death or they were on their hit-list and had to die. If I should be right: oh boy: Tera, get ready for some emotional struggles because the guilt will eat you away till you either succumb to it or lose everything you thought you would be, leaving nothing but a fleshy lifeless hull.
Michael Lohmeier
2022-05-31 10:39:30 +0000 UTCi love that you went all the way with black death! you’re right, people only like the “good” bad boys but black death is a gang! gangs are known for being kind and forgiving. i love the story and how it’s progressing🤍
Aspen
2022-05-31 10:34:38 +0000 UTCI just read it and, It's just so freaking good. 🥲 with each update it just gets better and better. I love this story so much
Thorinthian
2022-05-31 10:31:52 +0000 UTCTHAT *SS LONG POST GODAMMIT - (but read it, I think it's very interesting lmao)
Z-Pico
2022-05-31 10:14:50 +0000 UTC
