The Dreadful

[russianreversal]

So somehow I noticed this (http://www.nuklearpower.com/dreadful/) before the rest of you. Seriously, you guys need to get out more often. URL bar's right up there.

Anyway, I believe we have Matt ENTIRELY to thank for this, and I'm already looking forward to more. Very well done.

Um, also I know we were talking about making an icon for this. Is that still happening or...?

[A Zarkin' Frood]

Very nice first page. I've been looking forward to this.


Um, also I know we were talking about making an icon for this. Is that still happening or...?

I made several ones and blatantly lied about making a better one "tomorrow".
Sorry about that. I'll leave this to the pros. (May also be a lie)

[MSperoni]

Okay well, so there's a thread for it now :D

Yaaaaayyyy!! :D

In anycase, here is a small bit of information in regards to the creation of "The Dreadful" :

I wrote and drew and lettered it. Mr. Clevinger serves as editor and friendly giver of advice.

A lot of the initial planning of "The Dreadful" was done via brainstorming sessions in the forums at Gamepad Dojo (http://www.gamepad-dojo.com) . I have a number of people to thank for their two cents. I think all of 'em are on NPF too!

Here's a list (in no particular order) of people who I owe a lot of conceptual thanks too. Their support was invaluable during the initial phases of creation. They really helped knock the creative juices loose (I think I messed up my metaphors there :D)

Special Thanks:

Greed
InsaneGenius
BitVyper
Mumu
Mr.Bookworm
Invisible Queen
NonCon


I hope you all enjoy the comic!

[greed]

I've been looking forward to this for months ever since Matt started talking about it and posting some early sketches.

Edit: Aww thanks Matt.

[russianreversal]

Have a couple right here that I just made up. Could pass until somebody actually makes a good looking one.

[MSperoni]

I like both of those tags, actually. I think i prefer the one on the left though because the letters are bigger and easier to read.

[russianreversal]

Yeah, everyone else just brought their own symbol, so I figured I needed to.

[Melfice]

New comics, whoo!
Lookin' good!
Dramatic way to start a comic too.

Totally seeing her get up next comic and comically going after the bastard who shot her though. (Totally baseless speculation.)

[rpgdemon]

I am enjoying this!

[Token]

This is looking interesting so far.

[Krylo]

Main character dies page one.

Short comic is short.

[MSperoni]

I am an efficient story-teller.

[greed]

Wow, I'd heard the Judge would be big, but damn. Also, awesome long coat #1.

[MSperoni]

It's kind of a combo of Judge Catherine being tall and Kit being relatively small.

However the Judge is pretty big, even based on normal standards. I wanted her to be really imposing.

[Pip Boy]

For some reason this already has a kind of Hellsing feel to it. That Judge lady just has a look in her eye like she has kicked all the ass. All of it.

[MSperoni]

That Judge lady just has a look in her eye like she has kicked all the ass. All of it.

:dance:

[Hatake Kakashi]

Impressive opening. I have a feeling The Judge will be one of my favorite characters.

[MSperoni]

Thanks ^_^ I have some pretty neat stuff planned for The Judge. She's not in it very much at first, but she is in it a lot more later.

[rpgdemon]

I've got to say, I really love the look of this. It just feels right,for lack of a better way of putting it.

Are you inking digitally, or physically? I feel as if those large solid black bits would be a pain, on pen/paper.

[MSperoni]

I'm doing everything digitally. In a comic I did prior to this I would draw in a similar style but do everything by hand. Ink + Paper is too expensive and takes up too much space so I just stick with digital (also I don't have a drawing-desk anymore so I'd either have to draw it all on the floor or at the kitchen table or something :D) .

Glad you like the look of it! I think overall this kinda black + white, Sin Cityesque design is my favorite way of doing things.

I shifted drawing styles a bit too. I'm doing it more manga like this time around (But it's not in the style of the 8-bit Epiclogue). It'll be more evident as the comic goes, so far you can really only kind of tell by Kit's face (Kit is the main character, the girl who was shot on Page 1). I'm getting pretty used to this drawing style, so I hope when HIKYM starts again I'll be able to switch back easily :)

[BigDemonicBunny]

Her poor grammar is intentional, right?

[MSperoni]

Yes, it is intentional :)

[BigDemonicBunny]

As a sidenote. That final panel made me think of Thief.

[MSperoni]

As "The Dreadful" goes, the fantasy element in it will be more evident. It's not so much now, but I mixed the two genres.

It's not a fantasy based on strict DnD rules, but there will be dwarfs and elves and orcs, dragons, etc. Undead stuff. Golems. Mages. Knights of a sort who wield melee weapons as well as guns (which will make sense when they appear). Kit is sorta like a DnD Tiefling (if you wanna think of her that way, that is).

It's fun trying to figure out ways to combine the genres. I tend to think of it as a Western, but it's just as much of a fantasy.

Mentioning Thief made me think of all that :D (him being an elf and all).

[BlackMageFF1]

I'm really excited for this, but it irks me to read things like this one page at a time. I usaully wait a few months and then read all of the comics that have come out since. I'm going to reserve most of my judgments at the moment.

[MSperoni]

I was gonna suggest to Brian having a "Dreadful Week" where we post like a page every day that week. That would eat up a bit of the buffer, but it might be a good thing to do in order to kick-start the series.

AND "Dreadful Week" opens up so many possibilities for silly jokes. "Having a dreadful week?"......and others (I can only think of one. Many possibilities indeed :P )

EDIT: Now might be the best time to launch the dreadful week.. I'll Email him/Tweet him and see what he thinks :P All it takes is a page posted and a little news post.. I have a pretty huge buffer built up, I'll be through page 16 by the end of this week. So I don't think the hit to the buffer will be THAT bad.

[BlackMageFF1]

That would be cool. And you could maybe do that like every few months or so (I hope I don't sound too demanding).

[MSperoni]

I'd be okay with having a "Dreadful Week" every so often if the scheduling allows for it (and the buffer is big enough at the time).

EDIT: If I could make The Dreadful something that brings in some cash-flow I could just focus on it and not have to worry about doing it "on the side" or when there is "time available". There'd be a bigger chance of more pages per week if that was the case. I don't wanna say that'd be guaranteed, cause even if The Dreadful was making me money I'd still have HIKYM to work on, as well as some other things.

Still, as it stands now, The Dreadful isn't something I can spend 100% of my time on. Which is one of the reasons it's being posted twice a week instead of more.

[Krylo]

AND "Dreadful Week" opens up so many possibilities for silly jokes. "Having a dreadful week?"......and others (I can only think of one. Many possibilities indeed :P )

One might say you are... dreadfully uninspired.

[MSperoni]

I dare say, sir. The fact there are only two comics posted a week is simply dreadful! *sips tea*

[Krylo]

Not nearly as dreadful as five, if I may be so bold.

[MSperoni]

Indubitably! Five pages a week would be a dreadful amount of stress on my part, old bean! *doffs stovepipe hat*

[Pip Boy]

I have to side with Krylo there. Our protagonist doesn't seem to be dreadful in the least, but actually seems to be more like a lovable rogue. My hope is that you will change my mind about this by having her go into some kind of demonic rage, grow claws, and begin tearing people apart with her bare hands. EDIT: I've been watching too much Elfen Lied.

[Krylo]

The slavish dedication it would take to produce such an amount of comics would truly be dreadful to behold.

[russianreversal]

Little much exposition, not enough dialogue. Makes it feel a bit weird when the... whatever he is (sheriff?)... doesn't even get in a "but..." or something of that nature.

That said, it's certainly not the worst case I've ever seen, it gets the stuff we need to know out of the way quickly, and I get the feeling you want to jump between scenes quickly to avoid the audience getting stuck on the details, which I can respect. As usual thus far for the comic, your art is coming along nicely.

Although, with her mouth just slightly open I keep thinking she's singing this to him. :dance:

[MSperoni]

Okay, well, no "Dreadful Week" . The buffer isn't all that important now, but it will be eventually. And when it does it will be a good idea to have as big of a one as possible.

I mean, look at HIKYM and Warbot. HIKYM's been dead for awhile and Warbot's been dead for even longer (and may be permanently dead. I doubt it though and hope it isn't, but I haven't heard anything regarding it in awhile. Don't take my word for it one way or the other). I'd like to avoid The Dreadful having periods of being dead. So I think it's wise to avoid missing updates as much as we can with it. Draining the buffer for a special week doesn't seem very wise, even if it sounds like a cool idea at the moment ^_^

Sorry if I got your hopes up :(

[Melfice]

I HATE YOU SPERONI, AND EVERYTHING YOU STAND FOR! :(

But seriously, while slightly disappointing, I'm totally cool with that.

[Mr.man]

grate so far i like the art style

[Pip Boy]

I kind of agree that I'd rather see fewer updates that keep routinely to their schedule than a bunch of updates and then none at all forever. Being able to just know when a new comic was out 99.9% of the time is something we haven't really had since 8-bit theater.

[MSperoni]

I shared this picture on my Twitter (http://twitter.com/#!/mSperoni) page and figured I'd share it here too.

This is Kit and Liz from a couple of panels later on (page 15). I won't spoil too much by putting the panels in context, so this'll just have to do for now :D

http://s3.amazonaws.com/twitpic/photos/full/250585207.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=0ZRYP5X5F6FSMBCCSE82&Expires=1299033387&Signature=R2EcctUcHb1lIG7JazfMgRbWtus%3D

[Krylo]

Sorry if I got your hopes up :(

Well I am dreadfully disappointed.

[ChaoticBrain]

Well I am dreadfully disappointed.

This joke is getting dreadfully old.

[Krylo]

Your sense of humor is dreadful.

[MSperoni]

Enough of this dreadful exchange! Let's give some opinions about the comic!

Does Page 3 work or is it too wordy? I am hearing both sides of the issue. I think it's okay, but I dunno or else I wouldn't ask.

[Krylo]

It is dreadfully wordy, but I think it works. Assuming the little lady there is prone to rambling monologues, that is. It's a matter of whether her giving a judge an impromptu speech like that is in character.

Right now I can only assume it is, and thus approve of it. If that's not the case, however, welp.

It's also a pretty decent vehicle to explain her past in a way that doesn't come off as an exposition dump, while still getting us all (or a lot, at least) of the important information. From the mention of 'her kind' to her explaining some of her motivations and her job.

You could have done some more back and forth between them over a couple of pages, but it would have slowed the pace, and it's entirely justifiable to want to condense the 'boring' exposition as much as possible.


OR TL;DR it's too early to judge whether it was too wordy. Need to know... Kit you said her name was? Need to know her better. It's a decent vehicle, though, assuming it's in character for her.

[Pip Boy]

Right now you're at the point where you're just starting to show everyone your characters, story, and style, so its hard to say. Like Krylo suggested, if rambling monologues are common for our little protagonist its fine. If that was not your intention, however, it might be better to put a bit more focus on two-sided conversations. Even if its just the occasional comment like "Go on.." or simple questions that keep her talking, such things can make it feel more like a conversation and less like she's talking to a wall. Sometimes from such ramblings it almost starts to peel away the fourth wall a bit, and make it seem more like she's talking to the reader than another character.*

*By saying this, I mean its something that I often feel when reading long single-sided rants from a character. This didn't seem to be the case this particular time, but is something you should be careful about if this becomes a thing for her.

[MSperoni]

Well, "Muttonchops" DOES start talking back to her on the next page.

My intentions with Kit here was that she just started talking and kept going and didn't stop. Like she would say something and then she would prompt herself to say something else and so on... Like a typical chatterbox.

So, yeah, it's in character for her. One of my plans was to contrast her with the typical stoic Western hero who lets his GUNS DO THE TALKIN' instead of his mouth. Kit talks. Sometimes a lot. I try to give her something interesting or funny to say though, and I don't want her to come off as whiny or annoying.


... it almost starts to peel away the fourth wall a bit, and make it seem more like she's talking to the reader than another character.


Actually the original page there WASN'T anyone there. I added that panel on the top afterwards. Originally I kinda wanted it to seem like she was talking to "us" to give it a kind of odd vibe.. But Brian said it was too confusing of a cut from page 2 and so I changed it :P

Anyone ever play Heavenly Sword? Remember the parts where Nariko is talking "at the camera"? It kinda seems surreal. That's kinda what I was attempting originally but I felt Brian was right about it being too much of a weird cut from page 2. I dunno, maybe I should have kept it the way it was after all :D

[Krylo]

Well, "Muttonchops" DOES start talking back to her on the next page.

My intentions with Kit here was that she just started talking and kept going and didn't stop. Like she would say something and then she would prompt herself to say something else and so on... Like a typical chatterbox.

So, yeah, it's in character for her. One of my plans was to contrast her with the typical stoic Western hero who lets his GUNS DO THE TALKIN' instead of his mouth. Kit talks. Sometimes a lot. I try to give her something interesting or funny to say though, and I don't want her to come off as whiny or annoying.

Well, mission accomplished then.

She didn't come off as whiny or annoying, at least from my perspective, but DEFINITELY as a chatter box.

[Pip Boy]

She does seem to fit the profile for the ditsy chatterbox, and "I thought they was here to arrest me" seems to indicate she's an outlaw or former outlaw of some kind. This kind of makes her perfect for the role of the charismatic scoundrel, which is among my favorite kinds of lead character.

Given her cute, yet demonic appearance, I'm thinking we'll see a few certain traits in her personality. We've already established that she's chatty, which is a sign that she's a bit ditsy. This combined with her appearance are a huge indication that she may be a witty, charming rogue. Normally she'd be very optimistic and naive, but she's been hardened a bit by living the rough life, and while still very nice and usually cheerful, maybe has a few more serious or even dark moments. This is especially evident in the way her facial expression changes over the panels in that comic. She looks childish or even adorable, like a little girl, through most of it, yet in the last moment when she mentions her sister she gets a very serious and almost scary look in her eyes. She is probably very idealistic to give her a contrast to similar characters who might play a more villainous role.

That's a giant crap-shoot of assumptions based on very little comic so far, so its probably like 99% wrong, but either way I'm looking forward to seeing things develop a bit to see where this goes.

[MSperoni]

That's a giant crap-shoot of assumptions based on very little comic so far, so its probably like 99% wrong, but either way I'm looking forward to seeing things develop a bit to see where this goes.

All that is actually pretty spot-on :P

Though there are some twists and such to make her less than totally predictable, but you did a pretty good job pegging her for what little there was to go by :D

[Pip Boy]

How may comics before we see the supporting protagonist who is more 'serious business' and serves as a contrast to her ditsyness, disapproving constantly of her flippant attitude, and criticizing her when she puts her naive ideals before the mission?

EDIT: Im not trying to imply you're being predictable, I just read way too many TV tropes. Sometimes plot themes are used because they're work. No story is completely original, and making it your own is more in execution than in concept.

[MSperoni]

I do have plans to introduce characters who serve as foils later. I'm not sure how permanent they'll be to the story though. I still haven't decided whether this needs to stick to a story about an individual with characters entering and exiting as the story progresses, or if this should be a story about a team of people (possibly dysfunctional). I might try for both.. Like Kit's individual goal is what gets everyone together and there ends up being multiple plot threads and Kit vs. Jeanne Noelle is just one of them.

[rpgdemon]

A thought: This forum is mislabeled. The Dreadful is not part of Brian's sweeping creative vision. I feel lied to.

[Krylo]

Using his success to help his friends get recognized is, though!

Probably!

[MSperoni]

It's dreadfully misleading!

But, Brian approved of it and posts it and gives me editor type advice on occasion. I think it's okay for the thread to be here with the other NP comics. At the very least for organizational purposes.

[rpgdemon]

I don't actually care. :P I just like being difficult.

[MSperoni]

Well, it was brought up before somewhere else (I can't remember if it was on another thread here or a different site) so I figured I'd explain my thoughts on it.

[JollyRancher]

Mmmmm such clean art. I always had a thing for female devils so I figured I had to register.
Looking forward to more. :)

[Pip Boy]

What can we expect the regular update schedule to look like for this one?

[MSperoni]

Monday's and Thursdays, unless something happens. I'm told that there's some kinda issue w/ the site at the moment and that's causing some problems with updating today.

I've got pages done up to 15 (working on page 16 right now!) so there's no issue regarding lack of pages. Once Brian gets whatever it is he has to get sorted out, I'm sure there will be a page posted ^_^

It's a dreadful delay!

[ChaoticBrain]

What a dreadful fourth page. It's just the words "The Dreadful - 004" on a black background. I think you may be starting to lose your edge, Matt.

[Flarecobra]

Same here... though I'm just getting a red X.

[MSperoni]

What a dreadful fourth page. It's just the words "The Dreadful - 004" on a black background. I think you may be starting to lose your edge, Matt.

I decided that with Page 4 I would go with an ultra-minimalist, text-based style.

Page 5 I will write it ... BACKWARDS!!!!!


I really didn't expect an update here tonight, broken or not :P

[Amake]

Here (http://cdn.nuklearpower.com/comics/dreadful/110303.jpg) is the comic if anyone wants to see it. I haxored it from the server with my mighty haxing p0wers.

Looks promising so far by the way. Smooth and tight lines, but still showing a personal style. I can see body language!

[ChaoticBrain]

Why does Kit say "It is" and "I am" instead of "It's" and "I'm" in the last panel? It comes off as really stilted and unnatural. Like Faye from early Questionable Content.

[MSperoni]

*shrugs* She says it cause I thought it sounded better that way?

Seems fine to me :P I mean, dialog in True Grit is that way sometimes. Like people will just slow down and be like "I am goin' to kill you" when they're all pissed (which is weird sorta cos they'll say "I am" but still "goin' " )

She's supposed to be sounding "deliberate" not "stilted" (or maybe deliberately stilted?) Like she's annoyed and taking her time with saying it. I read her dialog out loud and it sounded okay at least. Like she's being informal with formality or something (Plus she's drinking a BOTTLE of alcohol, whiskey most likely, so she's probably a little tipsy ^_^).

[apophis42]

Here (http://cdn.nuklearpower.com/comics/dreadful/110303.jpg) is the comic if anyone wants to see it. I haxored it from the server with my mighty haxing p0wers.
By haxoring skills do you mean you just messed around with the date of the comic urls? 'Cause that's what I did.

What I'm assuming happened is that the actual Dreadful page is looking for the comic for March 4th, but the picture is uploaded under March 3rd.

[MSperoni]

A dreadful time paradox!

[Alanim]

"I am goin' to kill you"

"I am gonna kill you" would be the right term as far as I recall.

*edit* and also depending on how you want her to talk she could say it as "I am gonna kill ya/yah". It all depends on how you want her to speak.

But then again, they're both acceptable, so you can pick your poison :P.

[Pip Boy]

I'm pretty sure I am a qualified expert when it comes to the subject of ridiculous southern and or western drawls, as I have experienced far too much of both of them in person, and in a western, using "goin' to" rather than "gonna" is perfectly reasonable, and in fact should be encouraged. It fits the narrative better.

How old is our protagonist? Her ass is way too cute for her to be the little girl I thought she was a strip ago. Also beer.

[Hatake Kakashi]

How old is our protagonist? Her ass is way too cute for her to be the little girl I thought she was a strip ago. Also beer.

Given that she's obviously not a normal human, I'd say she's three.

[MSperoni]

Kit is a very cute "old enough to drink" :D


I'm not sure why sometimes I use " goin' " and not "gonna" .. I think "gonna" is like a combination of "going" and "to" and so is generally only used whenever you'd say you were 'going to do something'. Like "I am gonna kill you". You don't say "I am gonna outside" you say "I am goin' outside."

You could say however "I am gonna go outside" because that is standing for "I am going to go outside."


However " goin' " can be used in any case. "I am goin' to kill you" "I am goin' outside"

I figure " goin' " works better when the speech is more deliberate, but still meant to have the illusion of a southern accent. Like in the case of Page 004. Kit says "I am goin' outside t' get some air." It doesn't have the same feel if she says "I'm goin' outside t' get some air." or "I'm going outside to get some air". The former doesn't sound angry enough when you read it out loud, and the latter doesn't sound 'southern' enough.

I live around, and have, somewhat of a Southern accent. In fact Kit's dialect is a hammed up version of how people talk where I live :P I've lived here forever so I think I got an okay handle on it. I think if "The Dreadful" was set a real place, Kit would be from somewhere around Kentucky or Southern Illinois (which is where I live).

[Loyal]

Mmmmm such clean art. I always had a thing for female devils so I figured I had to register.
Looking forward to more. :)

How old is our protagonist? Her ass is way too cute for her to be the little girl I thought she was a strip ago.

Congratulations, four pages in and your comic is already smut. Smuuuuuuuut!

Kidding. I'm actually quite enjoying it so far.

[MSperoni]

I try to avoid fan-service type stuff, though sometimes little occasions pop up where I can't resist (I really like drawing pretty girls :P ). I plan on having characters wear what someone would wear in the situation. Kit isn't going to run around in a bikini, or wear a shirt that shows a lot of belly, but tight jeans are a staple of any cute cowgirl or cowboy (when it comes to fan-service I'm equal-opportunity).


EDIT: http://www.nuklearpower.com/dreadful/

Is the page working for everyone now? It is finally showing up for me.

[ChaoticBrain]

By the way, what color is Kit? Deep red like Hellboy, some shade of pink, Caucasian, or something else?

[MSperoni]

The color of her skin doesn't matter, maaaaaaaaaan *peace sign*

Though, I have it in my head she's kind of a pale peach/pinkish color ^_^

*goes to look for an example*

[Alanim]

Also, might I add, getting that tail into pants without ripping them/having the hole positioned properly must be pretty hard/hurt like hell.. It must suck to have those pants shot up.

[Flarecobra]

Snaps in the back over the tail maybe?

[MSperoni]

I go the Son Goku route in regards to her tail and her horns sticking out via holes made in her clothing. Which is: it's best if I don't think about it too deeply and just draw it that way :)

[Alanim]

I go the Son Goku route in regards to her tail and her horns sticking out via holes made in her clothing. Which is: it's best if I don't think about it too deeply and just draw it that way :)

I assume that's for the better, because if you try and think about it, due to the local area of the tail, you basically just end up staring at her ass thinking about it(the tail, had to clarify).

Also, don't they show show/mention the tail thing in dragonball/z at some point? I can't quite recall, but I have a lurking feeling that they do(probably as a gag). Not that you have to though :P.

*edit* also, might I add that picture of "muttonchops" is just hilarious(and fitting).

[MSperoni]

I think in DB/DBZ they just kinda took it for granted that it worked. Goku eventually loses his tail permanently, and for some reason neither Vegeta's nor Gohan's grow back once the Freeza arc begins (which really sucked cause I thought it would've been ultra cool if Vegeta and Gohan had turned into giant-monkeys and tag teamed Freeza).

If "The Dreadful" were meant to be a more realistic comic I'd probably have worried about it, but "conveniently made holes in her clothing" seems to work okay.

[BigDemonicBunny]

The color of her skin doesn't matter, maaaaaaaaaan *peace sign*

Though, I have it in my head she's kind of a pale peach/pinkish color ^_^

*goes to look for an example*

Or maybe it varies depending on mood. ;)

Anyway. I like Muttonchops. Not as a personality, but as a character. Perfect obstinate frontier bureaucrat. Based on his choice of words I'm imagining that he's speaking with a deliberate east coast accent (but not brittish, no way that a Brit would avoid saying "Miss Kit"). :D

[ChaoticBrain]

(but not british, no way that a Brit would avoid saying "Miss Kit"). :D

:raise:

I don't get it.

[BigDemonicBunny]

:raise:

I don't get it.

Find me a single brittish bureaucrat with delusions of grandeur that doesn't use a Miss, Mrs or Mr whenever they're adressing someone while they're on the job. Unless they're adressing nobility that is.
It's formal, dehumanizing, a honouriffic and a veiled insult. All at the same time.

[Flarecobra]

You know... I wonder who the other 16 on Kit's list are...

I imagine we'll discover that as time goes on though, so it'll keep me reading. ^_^

[ChaoticBrain]

Find me a single brittish bureaucrat with delusions of grandeur that doesn't use a Miss, Mrs or Mr whenever they're adressing someone while they're on the job. Unless they're adressing nobility that is.
It's formal, dehumanizing, a honouriffic and a veiled insult. All at the same time.

I was expecting the answer to be that "Miss Kit" sounds like a dirty British slang word or something. Instead, I'm even more confused. What exactly is dehumanizing or insulting about calling someone Mr./Ms./Mrs. Name?

[MSperoni]

I THINK (and I could be wrong) what Bunny is trying to say was that calling Kit "Miss Kit" would give Muttonchops a kind of patronizing tone. Like he'd be keeping his manners but still being an asshole.

[Pip Boy]

At any rate, "Agent" Kit seemed like the most demeaning thing he could possibly say anyway, because its technically correct but amounts to saying "I own your sorry ass."

[BigDemonicBunny]

At any rate, "Agent" Kit seemed like the most demeaning thing he could possibly say anyway, because its technically correct but amounts to saying "I own your sorry ass."

It does, but a brit wouldn't use it rather than a "Miss". It's very american (or german) as they place a greater importance on professional titles rather than titles denoting class.

As for the Ms/Mr/Miss.
1. It's a formal honorrific.

When you say it in a particular tone however (as mastered by the brittish bureaucracy, their social services in particular).

2. It's distancing and dehumanizing. You don't have to acknowledge their full name and they become an object, a name attached to a file and not a human being.
3. It's an empty honoriffic. It implies a lack of class or other honoriffics with more meaning. In short it puts the bureaucrat (in his own eyes) a step above you. He's a part of the system and you're not, you're below it. Its subject. He has power over you.

[GrandMasterPlanetEater]

Yes sir, Mr. Mutton Chops, sir! May I have another with barbecue sauce, sir!

[Pip Boy]

I like the mischievous face at the end. Moar dreadful please nomnomnom.

[greed]

Personally I love the third panel. And yeah keep it coming, looking forward to this. I have some idea of what's coming up next (I think, assuming Matt hasn't completely changed it from when he was talking about this part) and this should be great.

[BlackMageFF1]

When does this take place? I assume ~1880's. Is it kind of like a Samurai Champloo situation? Or am I off completely?

[MSperoni]

It's a Western Fantasy setting, but I base it loosely around 1900 (give or take a few years). I'm not too strict about historical accuracy, so there are some elements which are anachronistic. Not that I'm going to have anyone fly around in fighter planes, but I might have some weaponry or gadgets which wouldn't have been available if this were a real setting.

It's a relatively non-serious story, so there might be instances where a character cites something in the real world because I think it makes the script funnier (like Kit singing that song in panel 1).

[TDK]

Kit is incredibly adorable in the last panel.

This is shaping up to be an awesome comic.

[MSperoni]

Looks like Page 6 (http://www.nuklearpower.com/dreadful/) was posted today!


Page 6 was originally page 1, but I thought it wasn't a strong enough opening so I did what I did and added those five previous pages. Rado the centaur was one of the earliest ideas in the development process, almost right after Kit :P

[Loyal]

A cowboy centaur? That... makes a surprising amount of sense.

[MSperoni]

It does, actually! :D

[russianreversal]

I feel like you're jumping a bit too quickly through this. While the centaur was unexpected, the most shocking thing about the page was I had no clue how we had arrived here.

Your landscapes look very nice, though. I do enjoy this page simply for those.

[Pip Boy]

Doesn't that make him more of a horseboy?[/badpun]

[MSperoni]

.. I had no clue how we had arrived here.



Well, since there's no other means of transportation other than "by foot" , "on horse/centaur", "by boat", or "on a train" and there's no body of water and no train tracks to be seen, I'd guess it'd be one of the first two :D (or maybe an invisible plane)

I guess I'm moving a bit fast, but I don't feel like I'm skipping over anything important enough to take the time to show. Like all that is important to me to convey that in Page 5 we were at a town, and in Page 6 where out somewhere else. I don't see how that is anymore jarring than the cut from Page 2 to Page 3, though I guess a difference is the cut from page 2 to 3 had some mystery to it.

I don't think I'd have wanted to show every step in Kit's journey to arrive where Rado is. That would seem a bit excessive to me, especially since the only important detail was that she meet up with Rado and find Liz (which was outlined in page 5). I felt if I had shown her doing what I just said she was gonna do, it woulda been redundant or something :P

Maybe the ideal would have been to construct a scene between page 5 and 6 where Kit goes to meet Rado AND something else happens so it wouldn't seem like a waste of time showing it.

Well in any case I'm open to writery discussion, I enjoy it a lot more than talking about drawing.

[Hatake Kakashi]

My only criticism: the comic needs MOAR Catherine. Kickin' ass, chewin' somethin' other 'n tehbaccy, an' lookin' good while bein' tall.

[MSperoni]

She'll be in it again, for sure. She shows up in everything I do. Always under a different name though. If you look at my signature, and see those three women in it, and look at the one on the left, that's her. That's an old picture, so she looks a bit different, but it's the same character ^_^

She seems to transcend narrative time and space though. I don't use the character strictly for fantasy stories set in fantasy worlds. One novel I was working on had her in it, and it was set in the 1500s during the early days of Spanish/Portuguese colonization of the Americas.

[Flarecobra]

This comic interests me more and more.

[MSperoni]

I'm having a lot of fun with it. It would be great if I could do it full time :D

Though even if it was generating enough income for me to do it full time, I would still enjoy doing comics like HIKYM on the side. It's just that I wouldn't have to stress so much over prioritization.

[greed]

Cool, new page.

Love the little silhouette scene and the first panel landscape especially.

[MSperoni]

There is your precious moon, greed! ;)

[russianreversal]

I can't help but laugh every time I look at Kit's leap.

Also, I meant to add this in my previous post, but I really do like the scenery you've done. It looks very good.

[ChaoticBrain]

What, does Kit feel guilty killing someone who isn't trying to kill her first?

[MSperoni]

She's conflicted in this situation. She needs Liz alive for information and she's supposed to be a responsible agent, so she can't just shoot anyone (at least not with Rado in hearing range :D). But y'know, if Liz comes out shooting Kit's got a right to defend herself :)

Kit and Liz's relationship is one in which they don't like each other, but work well together so they see some value in keeping the other one alive. Plus they seem to get along well enough when they're teaming up on a job. Yet when they're not working together the animosity is palpable, and a bit of liquor makes the odds of one shooting the other one high. So, in other words, I based Kit and Liz's relationship on mine and Brian's.



btw: Has there been any more thought to a custom tag for Dreadful threads?

[BigDemonicBunny]

Heh. Looks like Kit isn't much for the part where you take cover while you state your demands, especially when you're expect/desire a fight.

[russianreversal]

And if this was anything other than this comic I would expect a normal person to walk out that door.

My horizons have been broadened already.

[Mr.man]

if she gets shot don't worrie im sure she has the door of an iron stove hidden under there to stop eney bullets

[ChaoticBrain]

if she gets shot don't worrie im sure she has the door of an iron stove hidden under there to stop eney bullets

Jesus Christ, that was a train wreck of a sentence.

[russianreversal]

Jesus Christ, that was a train wreck of a sentence. I dunno, it's no "has anyone really been far even as decided to use even go want to do look more like?"

Although I do like the compromise between "enemy" and "any" he's got going on there.

[greed]

And finally we see Liz, confident lady isn't she?

We also see why in the planning stages she had the name Sicky. And get a guess at how she earnt that name.

[MSperoni]

She originally had the name "Sicky" because when me and Mr.Bookworm rolled her stats she had a really low constitution score :D

Then Brian didn't like the name "Sicky" and we settled on Liz. I still kinda like "Sicky" though.

[russianreversal]

I'm not going to lie: Liz is terrifying. I would not want to meet her in person.

[ChaoticBrain]

Anemic people terrify you, do they?

And I totally see her becoming The Lancer of the inevitable 5-person band.

[russianreversal]

No, I'm just 100% sure that there is no way an encounter involving me and her ends without me getting shot.

[MSperoni]

I'm just 100% sure that there is no way an encounter involving me and her ends without me getting shot.

lol. I posted that on my twitter page :D

[BigDemonicBunny]

Is Liz 100% human? She might be, I don't see any obvious stuff like horns or tails.
But still, that face just radiates evil. EEEEEEEEvil!

[MSperoni]

As far as I know, Liz is human :D

[ChaoticBrain]

As far as you know? Are you just working off a vague premise and making up the actual plot as you go along?

[MSperoni]

Sort of. I got an idea where I'm going but not a 100% clear way how to get there. Though I recently wrote an outline for the next 20 pages so I have that all planned out already :)

[russianreversal]

Ha ha she just punched a couple holes in her hat with her horns.

Just now noticed that.

[ChaoticBrain]

Ha ha she just punched a couple holes in her hat with her horns.

Just now noticed that.

:slowpoke.png:

I go the Son Goku route in regards to her tail and her horns sticking out via holes made in her clothing. Which is: it's best if I don't think about it too deeply and just draw it that way :)

[ChaoticBrain]

New page is up.

I don't think Liz is in on it. She probably believed that Boss Jeanne merely considered her a liability to the rest of the group after the shooting took place.

[MSperoni]

New page is up.


Page 11? Still showing page 10 for me.

[ChaoticBrain]

Page 11? Still showing page 10 for me.

It was Page 9 until recently.

[Pip Boy]

Old page is up.

FTFY

[russianreversal]

New page is up. :slowpoke.png:

[MSperoni]

There should be a modified version of Page 007 (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2011/03/15/the-dreadful-007/) posted.

It was showing the old version for me for awhile. The new version the gun is a lot bigger and she's smiling.

[Pip Boy]

Why'd you remove the odd fellow with the lute?

[ChaoticBrain]

It was showing the old version for me for awhile. The new version the gun is a lot bigger and she's smiling.

Bigger guns are always good, but why is she smirking? It doesn't make as much sense in that context.

[MSperoni]

I think it makes sense. She wants Liz to come out shooting so she has an excuse/justification to shoot back/kill her.

I felt it made less sense for her to look the way she did before because what she's saying didn't really fit her serious expression. Besides, it's Kit, getting into gun-fights is exciting stuff to her (more on that later). :)

EDIT: Also in the original ORIGINAL version (Which was never posted. The page 007 that's posted is actually version three of this page) she wasn't saying anything in that final panel at all. Her blank expression worked more then. Actually at the time I drew this page I had no idea who she was going to be encountering in that shack. Nor could I even decide. I eventually relied on random dice rolls. I rolled for number of occupants, gender, hair color, occupation, etc etc :D

That was a lot of fun but I don't think it's a good idea to leave your writing up to that kind of chance. I only did it cos I felt I was hopelessly stuck ^_^

[ChaoticBrain]

Liz is a product of a random number generator?

I... I think I need to go lie down for a minute. Everything I knew about character development is a lie.

[MSperoni]

Well she was created randomly initially. And then things just kinda "went from there".

It was a very useful way to free up writer's block :)

[Melfice]

And everywhere in the world, writers are cringing at the sound of their profession being defiled by mr. Speroni's writing practices.

[PyrosNine]

I'm not! At least there are original names! I tend to create dreamchild characters, born straight from the aether of my mind with exotic fully drawn histories and futures. Characters who will rock the world they have been set in, twist fate and reality to their whim to get what they want, and who are entirely contained within their narrative's background without being a mary sue!

And then I name them Jill. Or Bob. Or Dave. or Rawte, because I named the piece Eternal Warrior, and couldn't think of a name so I just took the Et and the War from the title, put them together, and reversed them.

....Pyros cries himself to sleep about things like that.

[MSperoni]

There haven't been any updates this week cos Brian's had to travel to San Fraaaaan cisssscoooooo and didn't upload a page before he left.

There should be pages posted again started next week :)

[ChaoticBrain]

New page is up. (For reals this time, you guys.)

Kit's expression in the last panel is so cute.

[russianreversal]

I know she wanted you shot and so you got shot :(

From the sound of it, I really just don't have a chance with/stand a chance against anyone in this world.

On another note, Kit seems to regard this whole "being shot" thing as a minor inconvenience. Although I suppose considering her recovery it probably is.

[MSperoni]

I think Kit's more interested in finding out who did it so she can punish them than anything at the moment.

Her healing powers aren't quite to the level of Deadpool or Wolverine (at least not yet, I might have her develop them as the story goes, but I'm not sure) but she recovers fast enough to where she doesn't regard injury like a normal person would. She feels the pain of it, but the long-term effects aren't there. I'm not quite sure how her healing powers work though.. Maybe I shouldn't worry about it :)

[BigDemonicBunny]

Name: Liz
Species: Technically human.
Special powers: Being able to talk despite having a ciggie in the middle of her mouth.

I known people who can talk while having a ciggie in the corner of their mouth, but like that?


P.S: Frame 1 is absolutely brilliant.

[ChaoticBrain]

Red Mage can eat through his mask. Nothing is impossible when Matt Speroni is your artist.

[Bard The 5th LW]

I like Kit's hat. Just the way it seems like she put it on one day without even thing about the horns.

[PyrosNine]

I'd assume Kit's healing power (and that of other demonish types) is that her body only works like a human's in that she breathes air and bleeds blood and has organs, and that she likely is in no danger of ever bleeding to death. Her existence is like a Max Payne one, where she'll only die when she's overcome by brutal disfigurement and/or succumbs to the pain. And magical or silver weapons cause her the most pain.

That way, she can take a beating and be at the end of her rope a lot of times, but be fine in the next scene, and yet still be like Drake in Uncharted 2, where that one revolver wound was near fatal compared to getting torn up by a chaingun earlier and just walking it off.

[Observer]

The Dreadful. I'm not entirely certain what's going on yet, but I like it. Keep up the great work. I love the art in particular.

[MSperoni]

Glad you're liking the art :)

In summation: Kit used to be part of a gang lead by a woman named Jeanne. Jeanne had Kit shot and Kit wants revenge.

In more summation: Kit is also working for an agency that is after Jeanne as well. Kit's sister was also part of the gang and has disappeared along with Jeanne, and Kit has no idea where they are. Kit is trying to get information from Liz, who was another member of her gang but is currently not with Jeanne for some reason which we don't know yet.

I guess that's pretty much it.. :)


EDIT: Out of curiosity, is everything I typed in the "summation" above clear enough in the actual comic? I mean, that's what I was going for plot-wise and if it's not clear I need to work on improving. I have read the plot summary on Sardapedia and TVtropes and they nail it exactly (in fact they put it better than I could). So I dunno if it's something I ought to be worried about or not.

[rapscal_2002]

Glad you're liking the art :)

In summation: Kit used to be part of a gang lead by a woman named Jeanne. Jeanne had Kit shot and Kit wants revenge.

In more summation: Kit is also working for an agency that is after Jeanne as well. Kit's sister was also part of the gang and has disappeared along with Jeanne, and Kit has no idea where they are. Kit is trying to get information from Liz, who was another member of her gang but is currently not with Jeanne for some reason which we don't know yet.

I guess that's pretty much it.. :)


EDIT: Out of curiosity, is everything I typed in the "summation" above clear enough in the actual comic? I mean, that's what I was going for plot-wise and if it's not clear I need to work on improving. I have read the plot summary on Sardapedia and TVtropes and they nail it exactly (in fact they put it better than I could). So I dunno if it's something I ought to be worried about or not.

To be honest, just reading it as the updates came I got pretty lost, but going back and reading it again I figured it all out

[MSperoni]

Yay :)

I think it reads a lot better as a whole too. The story is pretty simple, and I think when one reads it as a whole they don't spend time dwelling on the information and over-complicating it.

I also have spent most of my time in the comics biz drawing and not writing so I'm sure to have a few awkward spots here and there (I still have a lot of awkward spots in my drawing).

Still, it'll get better as I go :D I kinda wish I could have another attempt at the beginning, (namely the Kit/Muttonchops scene). I think I would tighten it up a lot more and maybe have some more "stuff" happen between pages 2-5 (like instead of Kit talking about what happened at the hospital I show it actually happening).

Something tells me a redo of that level would throw the site into some kinda meltdown. It took like 4 weeks for the updated version of page 007 to appear and that was a single page! :D

[Pip Boy]

Im enjoying the story so far and right now it looks like things are going to get interesting. As hard as it is, I think Im actually going to force myself to not look for a couple of months so I can come back and have a bigger picture to look at.

[rpgdemon]

I think that it's been pretty clear.

[Alanim]

I think it's been pretty clear, but I do have a minor idea. on that last panel I feel like kit is "sighing" but I'm not sure, perhaps there could be a small annotation of what emotion she's using like "sigh" could mean reluctant sigh, "sarcasm", etc.

I'm not sure if there's enough room to do this but maybe try and experiment with it, and see if it helps add emotion to the story.

*edit* Actually, most of the time you're pretty good with the facial expressions, but the actual sound effect might go a long way, but only key things like "sigh" and "grrr" etc. if you get what I mean.

[Observer]

Well I mostly meant that I did not know why Kit was betrayed or what her sister is up to in the gang, or who is employing her or what the gang does or who Jeanne and etc. Nor am I entirely certain what kind of person (demon?) Kit is or what her intentions are. The sort of thing I am sure will be revealed in due time. What has happened so far makes sense. Sorry for the confusion in my response.

[Kim]

Oh goddammit this gets funnier every time I read it.

[Loyal]

Each of the first four panels could tell a different story all on their own.

[russianreversal]

That was...

That was definitely something right there.

[TDK]

What's going on with El Sabueso's guns in the first panel? They're like...behind the hand, especially his left hand.

It looks like the hands were drawn and then the guns added afterward. :I

Actually it also looks like this in the third panel, but only the left hand.

Is...is there something wrong with his left hand? :P


Loved the comic regardless, though.

[russianreversal]

He's clearly just balancing cinderblocks on his hands. I mean, where are they going to get guns that big, anyway?

[MSperoni]

El Sabueso is a spoof/homage to a certain popular comic artist in the 90s. Anything that looks wrong on him is done on purpose :)

[Hatake Kakashi]

Anything that looks wrong on him is done on purpose :)

I foresee that becoming a theme of sorts.

All jokes aside, still enjoying the work, even if it seemed a little different today.

[phil_]

What the heck is up with those guns? How am I supposed to take this page seriously when the bad guy is wielding metal boxes with holes in them?Liefeld:crossarms:Oh.

[MSperoni]

Yup ^_^

El Sabueso's name is even a Liefeld type name (though Spanish'd up)

[phil_]

You still messed up my false indignation fun times.

[MSperoni]

*turns cap backwards* Booya!

[Kerensky287]

Oh my god I didn't even notice the Liefeldness until I read this thread. I was going to throw my support forward purely because of Kit's expression in panel two, but now I notice the hilarious chunkymuscle and the fists-then-guns drawing style.

You even managed to almost hide his feet behind flat ground in the first panel. I salute you.

edit: oh god his beard changes every panel

editedit: Every time I look, I find something new that's "wrong". How many times did you have to intentionally break him to make him look terrible?

[MSperoni]

Every time I look, I find something new that's "wrong". How many times did you have to intentionally break him to make him look terrible?

It actually took more effort than I thought it would. A lot of the time I found myself doing too "accurate" of a job :D

Like I'd draw El Sabueso and I'd think "No, he doesn't look anatomically incorrect enough.." and I'd erase it and draw it more Liefeld-ish. I also had to remind myself to keep his standard level of inconsistency (which you noticed by how often Sabueso's beard changes :D).

I wasn't out to bash Liefeld, cos the comic really isn't about that, but I chose to try to emulate his style because it meshed well with the kind of satirical effect I was going for :) (that is to say I was trying to somewhat mock popular 90s comics and Liefeld is one of the cornerstones of that generation. Sorta like if I was making fun of comics in the 60s I would try to emulate Jack Kirby. Except in the case of the latter I would be doing a much better job on a technical level).

This on the other hand, this is Liefeld bashing: http://www.progressiveboink.com/archive/robliefeld.html

[rpgdemon]

Kit's walking while shooting immediately jumped out at me, but I figured you were just being silly with it because of the ad.

[MSperoni]

Kit's walking while shooting immediately jumped out at me, but I figured you were just being silly with it because of the ad.

The "Muh Guns" thing was what inspired me to make this comic (I decided to make it into an ad while I was working on it). It is based on this panel here (I have no idea what this is from, but goddamn do I find it hilarious):

[phil_]

This on the other hand, this is Liefeld bashing: http://www.progressiveboink.com/archive/robliefeld.htmlThis is actually what I checked to make sure I had the right guy. Then I spent a couple hours reading it while refreshing forums. Then I got a headache.

Peroni!:argh:

[ChaoticBrain]

Did Matt have to use the S from his own name for the logo on El Sabueso's belt?

[russianreversal]

Don't worry, it'll come back. It always does.
EDIT: Just started reading the article.
When I attempt to draw, I often fuck up a line and am like, “Oh shit, that’s not how those parts of the body connect,” and then I draw like two or three lines to try to cover it up but it just looks shitty. I can excuse it because 1. I am usually just drawing in ballpoint on my binder or something and 2. I am not a professional artist. Rob Liefeld, by contrast, draws a gauntlet going into the forearm all fucked-up in pencil. At that point, he then goes PFFFFT FUCK IT and then inks over it and sends it to the colorist. Then he GETS PAID FOR DOING THAT. I knew of the infamous Cap picture, but I think I love Rob more and more by the minute.

[MSperoni]

I was going to use a "B" for "Bloodhound" on his belt, because I felt that would make the art style of El Sabeuso even STUPIDER.

But I kept it an "S" :)


Rob Liefeld Antics.

One of my favorite things is when the article jokes about how if you ask Rob Liefeld to draw you a diagram of a woman's body, he puts on some gauntlets and punches the chalk board.

Also I laugh when it describes him as a pair of blue-jeans with a face, and a guy who wears his cap backwards and, when he turns around, it is somehow STILL backwards.

Rob is becoming almost like the Chuck Norris of comics if Chuck didn't really have any martial arts skills (but didn't care about it).

[russianreversal]

Hanstock's indignation only gives me more appreciation for Rob. Also.
“I think Cable should be holding a BIG gun on this cover.”
Well yeah he usually is.
“Pffffft, no, I mean a REALLY big gun.”
wait how big
“Well something like this”
/draws an artistic representation of excess
Liefeld you genius, you’ve done it again. I like to think this is exactly what happened. Aaaaaand new sig.

[MSperoni]

I'd draw a 15 mile long gun that shoots spaceships that are also guns, piloted by cyborg lizard ninjas.

[ChaoticBrain]

I'd draw a 15 mile long gun that shoots spaceships that are also guns, piloted by cyborg lizard ninjas.

Again?? Seriously, I am so sick of people thinking this is an original idea.

[russianreversal]

I'd draw a 15 mile long gun that shoots spaceships that are also guns, piloted by cyborg lizard ninjas. BUT! Wait for it...

The ninjas are ALSO filled with nanobots that have guns.

[MSperoni]

Gunobots. They're all microscopic Megatrons.

[russianreversal]

And so he never returned to that webcomic he so loved, The Dreadful, but strove ever onward to new and greater heights of Gunination, eternally just out of the grasp of the elusive Gunvana. Some say you can still hear his voice on the wind sometimes, calling out to the comic that sealed his fate: "it's iroooooooniiiic...."

[MSperoni]

This thread'll get back on track once a new page is posted :)

So I guess later today or tomorrow ^_^

[MSperoni]

Three pages of updates this week!

The advertisement, page 13, and page 14!

(I was not aware page 14 would get posted today).

Anyway, the thread's been kinda dead all this week, except for the day the advert was posted. Is the comic dragging or has there just not been anything to say?

EDIT: Well, not so much that the thread has been "Dead" but page 13's been up for a couple o' days and no one's posted anything. I guess it's just been quieter than I expected :)

[rpgdemon]

I honestly didn't notice that a new page had gone up. I think the problem is that I check the forums now, more than I check the actual site, since nothing updates on proper times, it seems. :P

I'm not complaining or anything, but that might be why people aren't discussing. It's hard to notice when a page goes up.

Also, I've been crazy busy last week.

[Kalbelgarion]

So...was Rado left behind? Is he still waiting for Kit to come back? :D

[MSperoni]

I honestly didn't notice that a new page had gone up. I think the problem is that I check the forums now, more than I check the actual site, since nothing updates on proper times, it seems. :P


Yeah, the update schedule is a little random sometimes :P I wish it would be more fixed too, but I can't update it myself, so it is what it is. I'd prefer it to be a regular and consistent schedule, but as long as it's being updated twice a week I'm cool with it.

I guess what I could do is when a page updates I'll make a post in the Dreadful thread, that way people might be more likely to notice.

I wonder if we could/should start a new thread for every page like 8-bit had? That doesn't seem like something that could work for a comic like The Dreadful though, since 8-bit's format was totally different.. still, it might be a good way to let people know "Hey, there's a comic today!"


So...was Rado left behind? Is he still waiting for Kit to come back? :D


Kit just left him behind :D More on that later though :)

[russianreversal]

So...was Rado left behind? Is he still waiting for Kit to come back? :D Well she only has room for one party member right now.

[MSperoni]

It's probably best she leaves him behind anyway. The terrain she and Liz are heading through wouldn't be good for a horse-man anyway. As Kit says, he can't see in the dark (Kit can) and he might trip and break his leg.

Also trying to sneak up on people w/ a horse-man might be tricky. I expect he'd be pretty noisy.

[MSperoni]

Page 15 has been posted! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/dreadful/)


I really liked the way Liz turned out on this page ^_^ She seems extra cute to me for some reason :dance:

[Kim]

UNDEAD ELF

CALLING IT NOW

not really

[rpgdemon]

I don't get what Kit means at all about "That's my point".

[ChaoticBrain]

I don't understand the dialogue that takes place from pages 14 to 15. Even translating out the bad grammar, it boils down to:

Kit: "There's not very many people down there that we need to take care of. What's the catch?"
Liz: "Your bullets don't cost me anything."
Kit: "I don't want to go down there while you stay up here."

How are bullets not costing anything a catch, and what does that have to do with Kit going in by herself?

[BigDemonicBunny]

I don't get what Kit means at all about "That's my point".

Because she thinks Liz will shoot her in the back at the first opportunity.

[Krylo]

How are bullets not costing anything a catch, and what does that have to do with Kit going in by herself?

...You've just explained it yourself.

If the catch is that someone else's bullets don't cost anything, that means you aren't going to be using yours. In other words, the catch was that Kit is on her own.

[MSperoni]

Liz may or may not be telling Kit everything. However, it IS better for Liz cost-wise to have Kit do most of the shooting. So that explanation makes sense. Bullets are expensive, after all (even though Liz has a whole bandolier full of them -- I guess she's a cheapskate).

And Kit is worried Liz will shoot her in the back, that's why she's reluctant to put herself between Liz and Burke's gang. Kit's had some recent bad experience with being shot in the back so she's a little paranoid about it.

[ChaoticBrain]

...You've just explained it yourself.

If the catch is that someone else's bullets don't cost anything, that means you aren't going to be using yours. In other words, the catch was that Kit is on her own.

Well then why didn't she just say "The catch is, you're on your own."?

The statement "Your bullets don't cost me nothin'" doesn't imply that she's going to use NONE of her own bullets. And in fact, she WILL be using her own bullets whether she stays behind and plays sniper, or goes along with Kit.

[Krylo]

Well then why didn't she just say "The catch is, you're on your own."?

The statement "Your bullets don't cost me nothin'" doesn't imply that she's going to use NONE of her own bullets.Actually it does. Or rather as few as possible.

And in fact, she WILL be using her own bullets whether she stays behind and plays sniper, or goes along with Kit.The only person she's agreed to shoot is the elf, and the context is that she only did that so Kit could get closer and won't be doing much/any more shooting than absolutely necessary.

[MSperoni]

Well then why didn't she just say....

Not everyone has the ability to say the "perfect thing" every time :D

Besides, I think what Liz said was pretty fitting to the situation and what she would say there. It's a good enough excuse.


Page 16 has also been posted! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/dreadful/)

[Hatake Kakashi]

Hur.

Stoopid elfie.

[Kerensky287]

Oh my god Burke is so hilariously Dwarf Fortress.

[MSperoni]

For the archivists at Sardapedia (if they ever get around to putting up Page 12! *shakes fist*):

the dwarf's full name is: Klibb Filomel Burke

or Klibb F. Burke (but the F stands for Filomel)

[ChaoticBrain]

Looks like we've got a self-disposing villain on our hands.

Maybe they can just sneak around, do little things that make Burke think his own men are mutinying, wait until he finishes killing them all off in a berserker rage, and then go in for the kill.

[BigDemonicBunny]

Now that's a crazy dwarf!

[MSperoni]

Page 17! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/dreadful/)


More Klibb F. Burke craziness!...and is the fight over already?

[Kim]

Is he an undead dwarf?

[MSperoni]

It's a mystery! :D

I don't know if I've talked much about Burke in GPDchat or not..

[ChaoticBrain]

Is he an undead dwarf?

I don't think that's the reason Liz told Kit to wait. It was probably because Burke's henchmen were getting ready to off him, and so she didn't need to blow their cover.

EDIT: Also, bitchin' new avatar, Speroni.

[MSperoni]

Here's a bigger picture of my avatar in case anyone is curious:

http://twitpic.com/4ptvnr


One of these days I'll do a serious picture of her in color, maybe a wallpaper or something :)

[ChaoticBrain]

Now that I think about it, though, I think she'd look better if her hair was a really dark brown instead of pitch black. Also, her horns seem to be about 25% too large.

[Kerensky287]

I think that the colored picture is absolutely fantastic but...

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb22/Kerensky287/110412.jpg

You chose the wrong image to colorify.

[BigDemonicBunny]

I want a poster of Liz and Kit reluctantly undercover as Cancan dancers. :3:

[MSperoni]

That would make for a very interesting picture :P

Kit could probably be convinced to dress up as one if she got drunk enough. Liz on the other hand....

[MSperoni]

Page 18! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2011/04/29/the-dreadful-018/)

[Loyal]

I guess he's made of stone or something similar?

Nope, the headshot did the trick. False alarm.

[Melfice]

I guess he's made of stone or something similar?

Nope, the headshot did the trick. False alarm.

Calling it now.

Dwarfs in the Dreadful universe are immune to anything dug from the earth.
This includes bullets. (err... to specify, because I know you guys are nit-pickers. The lead from the bullets.)

[ChaoticBrain]

Nah, I think

Is he an undead dwarf?

NonCon had it right.

[ElCone1979]

8-Bit Theater Episode 233 (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2003/01/07/episode-233-an-all-too-familiar-doom/) To Quote Red Mage "The Fools! They have only succeeded in increasing my arrow inventory!" :D

[MSperoni]

I thought that line sounded familiar :D I was actually basing it off something from Romance of the Three Kingdoms (which may be where Brian got it, but I'm not sure cos I haven't asked him). Anywho, I wrote that line for Burke and I always thought something about it seemed like I had heard/read it before, but I couldn't pinpoint where :)

Well, I guess if you're gonna subconsciously steal a line, may as well be from a friend's thing :P

[BigDemonicBunny]

You just know he's not going to stay down, even with a headshot.
I bet you need some sort of special ammo or weapon (something which Liz failed to mention).
Probably some kind of special ammunition.

And with that I'm saying.... DWARF WEREWOLF!

Liz was planning for Kit to go down, gun down dwarfs buddies and then get killed by the "unkillable" Burke, whom Liz then takes down with a single silver bullet.

*watches the epileptic trees shiver*

[Kerensky287]

How does Liz eat food?

Does the cigarette double as a straw to drink soup through?

[Donomni]

I imagine it's similar to the Kakashi method, where the characters who wonder how Liz eats get distracted from an opportunity to actually see her do so, and in the next panel Liz is seen having finished her food, a random dentist utterly astounded by how perfect, nay, pristine her teeth are.

[MSperoni]

Maybe her cigs should be made of tobacco combined with some special elf-herb that keeps your teeth clean while you smoke 'em.

Except something like that sounds like it might be expensive.. So maybe that's why she's so eager to live a criminal life. She needs to make money fast so she can buy more cigarettes.

[ChaoticBrain]

And the moral of the story is: smoking makes you turn to crime.

You said it! You can't unsay it!

[The SSB Intern]

It's annoying that I have to keep revising which page is my favorite after every update.

Incidentally, the offbeat poetic craziness of Burke reminds me of General Grievous in Darths and Droids. That is a good thing.

[MSperoni]

It's annoying that I have to keep revising which page is my favorite after every update.

That's a good thing!


by the way Page 19 (http://www.nuklearpower.com/dreadful/) is posted! (Alerting people who may not have noticed yet)


Any explanation for anachronistic technology is as follows: The Dwarfs Did It

[ChaoticBrain]

That is one excellent "Oh Crap" face.

[Gitman]

Does Burke remind anyone else of Yosemite Sam?

[MSperoni]

Well, I'm a Yosemite Sam fan so I might have copied 'em a little :D

[Kyanbu The Legend]

Oh hey look he's bullet proof. XD

[BigDemonicBunny]

Well. I don't care who he's inspired by. That dwarf rocks.
The right brand of crazy (115% crazy).
The right ability to make that brand of crazy believable (his behavior would get someone shot in the back a long time ago, if not by the law then by subordinates with a desire to live. Burke just happens to be highly resistant to being shot in the back).

[MSperoni]

Page 20! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/dreadful/)


Thanks to Insane Genius for the help w/ the German! (so if any of it is wrong BLAME HIM FOREVER)


Where am I going with this? Does having a foreign language speakin' character ruin the story and throw readers into a state of dizzying confusion? Do I care? Who knows?!

I just make pages.


(FYI: Her name is Erin and she uses a mosin nagant)

[Kerensky287]

The Mosin Nagant is a fantastic rifle and while I don't understand a single thing she says, there's potential there.

Well okay I understand ONE thing she says, but I can't figure out if she HEARD an explosion or if she's planning to MAKE an explosion.

[MSperoni]

Google translate to the rescue!

[DT777]

Google translate to the rescue!

Yes, it would, if we didn't have to type it all in.

A translation note somewhere on the page would have been nice :(

[MSperoni]

Maybe a helpful forum goer will give us a translation one of these days :)

EDIT:

I'd post the translation, but I'm curious about other people's translations and the subtle differences of 'em and stuff. I'll probably post a translation in a week or so if no one has made an attempt.

I also like the kinda mystery it gives the character, and the distant feeling. It won't work if you understand German, but since I can't, when she talks I don't know what she says and I don't know what she's thinking and she has a GUN. So she's like double-unpredictable. Like an Ewok. Only instead of a hairball bear munchkin with a spear she's a pretty winged girl w/ a sniper rifle...yeah.. :P

[Kim]

She's secretly the daughter of The End.

[MSperoni]

The End and Nina from Breath of Fire :D

[ChaoticBrain]

I've only ever played BoF: Dragon Quarter. What are you guys talking about?

[MSperoni]

The End is a sniper from Metal Gear Solid 3 who uses a mosin nagant :)

I've only played BoF1 and BoF3 and so I dunno if Nina is in the others, but she's a winged girl.

So The End + Nina = Erin (winged sniper chick from The Dreadful)

....somehow

[Fiye]

Yus, Nina is most definitely a reoccurring character. Along with Ryu, and possibly the tiger guy.

Definitely loved both of those games though!

[Melfice]

My German isn't perfect, but I can make myself understood. Lemme have a crack at translation. It'll be a very loose translation, though.

Placed behind spoiler tags for those who'd rather NOT know, or would like to translate it themselves.

First panel: "Appearing on time at your own double-crossing/double play (?) would have been the least you could have done, Elizabeth."

Third panel: "Or is it maybe a triple-crossing/triple play (?) ?"

Fourth panel: "Hmm. I should just shoot and find out afterwards, when I go down there."

Fifth panel: "Was that thunder? When I really think about it, that doesn't sound like thunder... More like... explosions?"

[MSperoni]

Good job! :D

That's a bit different than what I sent Insane Genius, but it's pretty close to what I had.

I'm still curious what other people's translations are though. I like the variety of 'em/ interpretation.

Maybe I'm weird, but I find it interesting :P

So I'm glad you put it in spoiler tags, Melfice :D

[A Zarkin' Frood]

That was pretty good Melfice. There's a little mistake in the fourth panel, though. But since the word "hintergehe" consists of "back" and "go" I can sort of see why you went with that. It actually means "betray" or, to stay closer to the German, "backstab" I'm not even sure which one was in the script Matt sent me anymore. (e: another bit about hintergehe is, that it's slightly less strong than the two english counterparts I named, but works better than certain other German words in this case.)

Yeah, seeing other people translating it back to English is pretty interesting.

[Melfice]

Good job! :D

That's a bit different than what I sent Insane Genius, but it's pretty close to what I had.

I'm still curious what other people's translations are though. I like the variety of 'em/ interpretation.

Maybe I'm weird, but I find it interesting :P

So I'm glad you put it in spoiler tags, Melfice :D

Having had to study German for most of my time at high school helped. Living very close to the German border and having had German colleagues is a pretty good help too.
It simultaneously makes it pretty shameful I'm still so bad at it. But, like I said, I can make myself understood fairly well.

So, uh... don't come to me for German stuff in your comics. XD
You're free to knock on my door if you ever need a Dutch character speaking. :P

That was pretty good Melfice. There's a little mistake in the fourth panel, though. But since the word "hintergehe" consists of "back" and "go" I can sort of see why you went with that. It actually means "betray" or, to stay closer to the German, "backstab" I'm not even sure which one was in the script Matt sent me anymore.

Yeah, seeing other people translating it back to English is pretty interesting.

Hmm... interesting. It makes the sentence a bit funky, though, going with the actual meaning of "hintergehe". But maybe that's just me. It probably IS me.
Still, knowledge get!

[MSperoni]

In summation:

Liz and Erin have some kind of plan involving Erin sniping people. Erin is instead going to shoot everyone, including Liz. Erin hears "thunder" but it's really the explosions from Burke's grenade launcher.


In further detail: There aren't a lot of good people in The Dreadful.

EDIT: I said I'd wait a week, but.. I have no patience! :D

[Kyanbu The Legend]

Those aren't explosions just Burke being a badass little psycho. XD

[BigDemonicBunny]

Those aren't explosions just Burke being a badass little psycho. XD

Why spoiler that? It's no spoiler that Burke is a badass little psycho. It's the Truth, with a capital T.

[MSperoni]

Her name is Erin and she uses a mosin nagant.

I like to look at the forums on TV tropes (and I like to look at that site in general) and I noticed a few posts which indicated to me there was some confusion regarding her :D I thought I'd (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WordOfGod) clarify it :)

[pizuz]

That last strip caught me somewhat off-guard. Well made, took me a while to see that it was actually written in German. A few lines of very old and overly formal German and a stupid (ware instead of wäre) typo, but overall I like it. If you need some advice, PM me.

[A Zarkin' Frood]

Actually, from what I remember of Matt's script, it was supposed to be more formal than Quentin Tarantino, so I went with that.

I didn't catch the lack of the umlaut myself when I got the page though. I blame... the size and stuff.