24

Feb 2014

Chapter 3: Pages 7 & 8 - Death to the Deathbot

Posted by / in Comic / 50 comments

Happy Monday all!

This page is a double page spread, but the file made WordPress unhappy. So it’s smaller then I would like. But since it’s such a beautiful page, I’ll probably make it a high-res download available over on our Patreon account for pledgers ;) So far, btw, people have pledge a total of $23 a month towards the DA! That’s pretty nifty! I mean, it’s not anywhere close to costs yet, but still pretty nifty. I can save that up to pay Seba for wallpapers and other goodies :D

I’d really like to hear what you all think of this page. I have to be pretty mum for the next several pages in order to not ruin anything, but you all can speculate away.

While you’re at it, did you hear that we got another awesome review and a comic cameo? You should check them out. Also, I’m uploading a new vote incentive today for TWC (the site where reader Delta-v keeps pleading for your votes), so check it out :)

  • Amberlight

    Viktor! No!

  • Jason Clayton

    Never thought that ‘Ol Shildie would bite the dust, though she did it in style!

    • Took me a bit to realize you were referring to Viktor’s shield, and not the Deathbot.

      But yeah, his shield could only take so many hits.

      • Jason Clayton

        yea, side note, one of my classes got a 3D printer and we should be getting new computers to run the software. I was thinking about making, with your permission, a figurine with it. My first idea was the Ch. 3 cover.

        *remember that it would take me A LONG time to do the rendering in the software once we actually get it

        • Amberlight

          What kind of printer is it? The one that prints with gypsum powder by mixingit with glue and pigment? Then it may work.
          But if it’s more common FDM printer (the one that uses plastic vire) then you’ll have to make the figure really big, or it won’t be able to print not just small, but even medium-sized details.

          • Jason Clayton

            I cant remember exactly what the printer uses, but it is essentially using PVC and it can make small to medium(5~6″ tall) in one go, or larger ones in multiple parts. My teacher is currently making a life-sized Iron Man Helmet for an artshow

          • Amberlight

            5-6 what? Use metric system, people! It’s 21th, not 18th century!
            And the question is not how big the printed object can be, but rather how well-detailed. Because printers are severely limited not by maximal, but by minimal size of the object.

          • Metric is hard! ;) Besides, Google can convert it for you ;P

          • Jason Clayton

            That may be true Amberlight, but thanks to Nixon, US is still in the stone age
            and it’s 12~15.5 cm
            We were able to create a relatively well detailed alligator with it that was only .5″ x 1.5″(1.27 x 3.81cm)

          • Amberlight

            Then it’s probably powder-printing high-rez devise. So action figures won’t be a problem. Be sure to post a photo of them when you make ’em!

          • Jason Clayton

            I plan on taking some screen caps while i’m designing it, and some of it printing it. After it finishes printing, I will have to paint it, which won’t be a problem.

            While i’m waiting for the computers to get updated, i am teaching myself how to use Google Sketchup. I’ve gotten about a hour in of just messing around with it, learning the controls.

          • Email me if you want the sketchup models we already have.

          • Sebastián Píriz

            I’ll gladly help with the pose :)

          • Jason Clayton

            email sent

            Cool side note, I brought the idea up to my professor, and she got really excited and wanted to see me make it

          • Jason Clayton

            webmaster, but i can send it to dan if you want

          • Yeah, Nick checks webmaster, I only get the @dan emails.

          • Jason Clayton

            k, will do

          • Marius Hjelseth

            You’re crazy- Metric is the simplest thing in the world. In fact, it’s created to be simple.

            But that’s neither here nor there. This is an absolutely gorgeous page. Horrific, but gorgeous. The angle of the main panel… Man. I’m not writing off Viktor yet, though. Even if you do see his visor shatter, the only place you see blood, is his legs. Crossing my fingers.

          • Note the winking faces. I wish the US switched to metric also. You’ll note on the Characters page that everyone’s height and weight is listed in metric :P

        • I’m pretty sure we would be cool with that (if you and @disqus_8XKHAw4roh:disqus can talk enough shop and figure it out). We even have some 3D google sketchup models that might help. You’d just have to make me one too ;) And send us lots of pictures of the process.

          • Jason Clayton

            What a coincidence, I will be using google sketchup with the software

          • Well we have a pretty good model for Tenzin in his armor that could make a good base. And if you saw the Deathbot in the bikini, then you know that Seba has been making one for it too.

          • Jason Clayton

            yes, yes i did see it

        • Sebastián Píriz

          it would be epic to have a print of Tenzin :)

  • Delta-v

    I don’t know how Demon Archives will play it, but in real life, back at the base there’s usually a scientist or tech who will whine about the bot being destroyed before it could be studied. Yes, it really happens, and yes, those folks really are that insensitive. Tunnel vision, one track mind, that sort of thing….especially about new tech.

    • It is indeed something we are planning on taking into account.

      Such a perceptive @disqus_YXP2bgiR4G:disqus ;)

      • Delta-v

        What perceptive? Some friends of mine who were in “Nam used to complain about how every time Charlie came up with some new hardware the eggheads (although that wasn’t the term they used) back at HQ expected them to capture it intact, no matter how many men it cost. If that was “spoilery” it is only because you guys are staying so close to the way things actually happen. I hear that it’s been that way, at least in the US military, since the “Wah Uv Nawthun Agresshun”

        And do you mean you DON’T moderate stuff? Oh Lordy, not only really big, but solid brass, too! O.o

        • Hehe. It’s very perceptive of you to notice that we try to be realistic? ;P I’ll have to throw in some curve balls. Don’t want to be too predictable ;)

          And we actually haven’t had much of a need to moderate things yet. Maybe with some people seeing future pages via Patreon we might have to make sure they don’t spoil previous pages, but in general the readers are just an awesome bunch.

        • Remind them that Skynet was built from a damaged microchip and a forearm, so they need to get cracking. :-)

    • Sebastián Píriz

      if you keep it this way Daniel will have to moderate your comments to prevent spoilers :P

  • Professor Fate

    Darn! I finished the archives and I’m all caught up. I’m quite impressed with this comic for it’s plotting, scenarios, dialogue and the artwork; truly epic in execution. The robot warrior is/was especially well done. I’ll definitely be bookmarking this comic to follow from now on.

    • Glad you enjoyed it :) We’ll be publishing a page Mondays and Thursdays for the rest of forever, basically. I can see from your profile you are an experienced interwebber, so any specific critiques/comments on past or future pages would be appreciated :)

  • This one in particular was dramatically fantastic.

    • How about fantastically dramatic? ;)

      • That too!
        Viktor’s hits are… wow. The shield shattering, etc… even for a still comic, I get a sense of “timing” like for an action movie.

  • Now that I think about it, this might lead the team (what’s left of them) to decide they need a nice, big anti-materiel rifle or something. Like the big .50-cal sniper rifles, but into the 25mm or 30mm range, since the suits can carry it. If you saw “District 9”, remember the big sniper rifle the South African security team used on the Prawn battlesuit? Take out a knee or an actuator, etc… slow down the droid’s big advantage (mobility) and you can close in for a hard kill as it limps.

    • They’ve been fighting poorly armored raiders for so long, this is definitely going to require a change in tactics and weapons :)

  • Dreadogastus

    OK. I am breathing easier again.

  • Beautiful art on this page. Very nicely done.
    How did you decide on the angle for the main image?

    • Sebastián Píriz

      I don’t remember, but let me guess: I needed to show everything at the same time (Tenzin, the deatbot exploding and the fletches hitting Viktor) and on the second panel I was at the ground level with Viktor, so I think I first thought in showing it from next to the deathbot to move the cameras and make it more dinamic, and once I realized it looked cool to have that explosion so close I coudn`t do it any other way

  • Ha ha! Eat it H.E.!

  • smurfton

    All I’m seeing is a dead man in a suit and a robot chilling out in an explosion, while Tenzin looks on. What’s to speculate on?

  • Eoraptor

    And then there was one

  • Henrik Svantesson

    Hum, the “pattern” Jane figured out is peculiar, you’d think it would be found behind or at least flanking the shield - so far it has, as a rule, tried to attack them from any side but the front where possible.

    • In later chapters there will be some discussion about the capabilities of good ol Deathbot here XD

      • Henrik Svantesson

        Looking forward to it. :3