Let's enjoy a upcoming comic with beautiful watrercolor art

[roguefankc]

Greetings people of scans_daily! Got news on a comic with beautiful art that is going to be released this coming summer. A nice furry comic with actually pages of art where the artist used actual watercolors - seriously, this is gorgeous. So, without further ado, I introduce you to Book 1 of the series (mods, it's 82 pages, but I'm just showing public preview art with the artist's permission):

Nordguard





First, a little background:

The North is an untamed and harsh country, hinting of great rewards but promising nothing but constant hardship. It is ruled by the winter, populated by scattered tribes and the half-starved strays known as the Maguruq. The White Land is truly the last frontier.

Under the flag of the United Territories, thousands travel north, seeking their own manifest destiny in the land of the midnight sun. It is an age of exploration: people come to test themselves against the wild land and chart the vast snowbound wastes. It is also an age of industry: whaling and fishing are a lucrative business and diamonds, copper and gold are waiting in the frozen ground, ripe for the taking.

In this cruel place, one organization comes into being with the noble goal of exploration, rescue and aid for all: the Nordguard. Responsible for cutting trails, carrying the mail and recovering lost travelers, their dangerous job is never done.

what additionally makes this a bit more unique is that the leader of the Nordguard is actually female, a dog named Pi.







Let's meet the members of the team:













And before you ask, yes, the entire team pulls the sled by themselves. Now that's dedication!











If you wish to learn more, click here to go to the website.

For ordering information, click here for the Sofawolf site. You can also get the book at various conventions if Sofawolf is running a booth there.

creator: Teagan Gave, creator: Tess Garman, series: Nordguard, title: Across Thin Ice, theme: dogs, theme: furry

Comments

[arilou_skiff]

Pretty. I love how they manage to get the look for spring right what with the snow and all.

[roguefankc]

Go to the blog where he has a video showing how each frame is painted.

And yes, the way the backgrounds are done is absolutely spectacular. From the sunrises and sunsets to the Northern Lights to where you can tell bits of patches where the snow is melting off the buildings and trees.

Wow!

[ysabetwordsmith]

*WANT* Gorgeous art, intriguing storyline. I love the folks at Sofawolf.

Re: Wow!

[roguefankc]

You can pre-order it off the site. I'm not sure if they're sold out or not, but definitely placing an order will get you in the line. I'm going to check and see if the upcoming San Diego comic-con may have it else I'll pre-order it too.

And ditto about Sofawolf: Out of Position, Volle, Waterways, and of course, I.S.O...it's a good site.

Re: Wow!

[ysabetwordsmith]

I'm brokeass broke, but I've tagged the book for shopping.

Volle and Black Dogs: House of Diamond are among my favorites.

Re: Wow!

[marsdejahthoris]

Well, Ursula Vernon is always a good choice, right? *Hugs volume 1 of Digger.*

Re: Wow!

[endis_ni]

I still have Digger in my bookmarks. I can't bring myself to delete it. Pathetic but true.

Re: Wow!

[roguefankc]

Question about Digger: is she planning to continue the series in some shape or form or it it truly over?

Re: Wow!

[endis_ni]

Since she wasn't planning even this far ("no, seriously, I'm just sketching here, I'll run out of steam after six pages...") I think we can safely, sadly say it's done.

[keeva]

I'm still confused by dogs wearing fur-lined coats.

Well...

[roguefankc]

It's either that or let the animals run around "nekkid". XD

Besides, if I was going through the Northlands like that, I'd want as many layers as I can get, thank you very much (I'm not very compatible with snow). So I wouldn't blame the dogs for wanting to stay as warm as possible.

[icon_uk]

Hey those things are expensive, even humans bred in captivity only grow decent fur on a very small part of their body... It can take twenty to thirty of them to make a decent coat

[roguefankc]

Hey those things are expensive, even humans bred in captivity only grow decent fur on a very small part of their body... It can take twenty to thirty of them to make a decent coat

...

...

...your line of thinking is actually starting to scare me. o_0

[icon_uk]

We're talking a world where dogs wear fur lined coats and entirely human based clothing styles and technology... Which makes one wonder what they did to the humans they now act in the stead of?

If it makes for a less squeamish image, maybe they just shear them! :)

Dogs taking over the world?

[roguefankc]

If anything, I would have bet money that it our pet cats that have been plotting our demise and to rule over humanity. =)

They're devious enough to do it, too.

Re: Dogs taking over the world?

[icon_uk]

That's just what the dogs WANT you to think

One more thing...

[roguefankc]

Also, though Nordguard is focusing mainly on dogs, there are other anthros too.

And given how many of these anthros are carnivores...hence the squeamish images. =)

[wizardru]

Well, it's just the sort of thing that catches the eye. I mean, they're walking around barefoot..that makes it hard to figure why they need heavy clothing. It's visually a treat, but it's also kind of odd, like the clothing is pure affectation.

This artwork is gorgeous, no lie.

[icon_uk]

Yes, I should have stressed that along with the snark, the art is absolutely spectacular here, it's just that the puppy-people are depicted in such a sort-of-but-not-quite human way in a world which is otherwise identical to a "normal" earth, I'd be curious to know what the history of their world is. Did canines evolve instead of primates, or did they take over from them and appropriate their setup?

[baihu]

I suppose the Cars explanation should be appropriate: Nuclear holocaust wipes out humanity, mutation of canines, they take over the world.

The author keeps emphasizing they're using their bare feet to cross the ice, ala being sled dogs but on two feet. If that's the only reason or parallel the author is banking on his decision to draw anthropomorphic characters instead of normal humans though, it's a little light. So far the story, if it had human characters instead of animal-people, would not really catch my eye.

Heck some parts are disturbing: the main character(s) just murdered a more feral looking wolf/huskyman without even a warning shot! If they were humans, I think that part comes off even more disturbing and questionable! But seeing a canine die isn't as bad.

I say this even being a fan of Blacksad. The caveat is that according to the artist, all the animals represent and emphasize the character itself. Hence for Book 2, the racist leader the polar bear is significant because polar bears are as white as can be, yet is known to have black skin underneath the fur. So it serves as a metaphor in that sense. Most policemen are dogs, one is a fox to highlight his unique nature, and Blacksad himself is a cat to highlight curiosity and probably something about having lots of lives/luck. So in Blacksad, it comes off more of being a visual metaphor, which was the only point as far as I can see. They all wear shoes, they go about their business normally like humans exactly. Whether one race or not can interbreed never comes up as only couples of the same species or genus group ever seem to be together (granted Blacksad semi-flirted with the bear lady in Book 2, but he only gets into physical relationships with other fellow cats).

But this book so far is odd that it focuses on the dogs' bare feet. Their anthropomorphous structures serve a mechanical use, which I guess why icon_uk likewise feels then, where does the fur from their coats come from, because in this world, if they acknowledge their bare feet can cross the wilderness like real-world sled dogs, they must acknowledge that the fur must come from a source. They already show the world is not purely dog-people, which makes it worse because they could have easily shown it to be wild rabbit fur or something, which now they can't.

If they go into how they have specific races for culling for resources, I'm going to be more horrified and impressed.

[icon_uk]

I suppose the Cars explanation should be appropriate: Nuclear holocaust wipes out humanity, mutation of canines, they take over the world.

Also posited as the best explanation for the Flintstones being a dystopian future instead of the past... mutant lizards and an attempt by the remains of humanity to recreate their lost society.

[baihu]

I thought that was the explanation for Dinosaurs once (the sitcom series with costumes, not the 3D Disney movie). Until that downer of a last episode :(

[icon_uk]

Loved that show, though the end was slightly foreshadowed in the first episode, when Robbie says that one of the things he wonders about is why all their (BC) calendars count DOWN, not up.

[roguefankc]

Heck some parts are disturbing: the main character(s) just murdered a more feral looking wolf/huskyman without even a warning shot! If they were humans, I think that part comes off even more disturbing and questionable! But seeing a canine die isn't as bad.[/quote]

I don't have the book yet, but my guess on that one is because the "feral" anthros are actually outlaws from one of the tribes in the wild, outside of civilization. Good news is that the outlaw tribes don't seem to be species specific from what I've seen. It's sort of alluded to in the Nordguard website:

SUUMARY: Tensions are building in the north as three great nations rest on the edge of war, licking old wounds and brooding over ancient enmities. And now, something sinister has been unearthed in Tartok, inciting slaughter and bringing death to the White Land.

So in this sense, if Pi sees two feral outlaws trying to attack and kill another person who doesn't seem armed and if helpless, it makes sense she would shoot first and ask questions later. It's not right, but in this sort of environment and given her job, it's understandable. I'm even willing to bet that one of the three tribes is responsible for the troubles with the mine in the third scan.

As for culling specific races for resources, I remember in the asylum scans_daily, we had a discussion over how animals in Blacksad can eat meat which isn't their own kind but actually their "predecessors" or non-thinking animals. So this could be the case here (heck, we have a scan with a duck flying across the frozen pond, so clearly, not all the animals are sentient).

[roguefankc]

Sounds like we need another debate about "parallel evolution" with psychopathicus_rex! =)

[baihu]

Yeah, that's the problem I'm getting here. It's not as 'even' as Blacksad, where basically they're humans, but with fur and 'muzzles', muzzles being the only non-human thing I've heard them mention instead of mouths that's the most non-human part of their world.

But everything else is basically human, they all always wear shoes, and probably the only things worth being worried about is for example, where does the milk for Weekly's favourite bourbon milkshakes come from (which is even lampshaded in the latest book (hopefully not too spoilery!) when he asks for one in a pub and the bartender asks if he looks like a cow; which he sorta does but he's a male ox actually).

[roguefankc]

I mean, they're walking around barefoot..that makes it hard to figure why they need heavy clothing.[/quote]

It could be a functionality thing. With their paws, they could have better traction over ice and snow as opposed to shows, which may also be uncomfortable for them (unlike our human feet which in no way can compete against a dog's paw - claws for traction and yet triangular and light enough to not break ice as easily as us when they put their weight on it).

Plus, note the scans: sometimes they have bandages around their paws to ward off frostbite (I assume), so it could be that it's easier to travel with bare feet and bite the bullet of going through ice, but for the cold weather it's better to wear clothes since they need to keep warm and unlike their feet, they don't rely on other appendages as much.

[lakrids404]

but their skin are so soft and delicate, and comes in different colors, so that sort of makes up for the low yield of fur

*backs away slowly*

[roguefankc]

...for the record, if your name is "Jame Gumby", I'm going to take a cue from "Something Positive", and practice in front of a mirror so that I can say with a straight face:

"But your Honor! It's scans_daily! I thought he/she/they/it were joking!"

XD

[misterbug]

To me, the art is very much screaming 'Blacksad' - they're even utilising the same speech bubble method.

Not that that's a bad thing. All power to them, if they can replicate an art technique that lovely.

[baihu]

Yeah I'm surprised that the speech used the same font. I'm not sure if it's imitation as flattery or legitimately trying to mislead people.

[roguefankc]

I'm not sure if it's imitation as flattery or legitimately trying to mislead people.

Or a third possibility is that it could be a coincidence. =)

[silverzeo]

There is not enough ways to say "awesome" about the art style. The color, the texture, the lighting, shading, antonym, all of it is a master piece.

Glad you enjoyed it

[roguefankc]

And motto; this artist has serious dedication; IIRC, this book took him several years to do. That's persistence and artistic patience right there.

Re: Glad you enjoyed it

[furtivefox.livejournal.com]

'Him' is actually a 'they' and they are two females :P Hence the Tess Garman & Teagan Gavet.

Re: Glad you enjoyed it

[roguefankc]

Whoops! My mistake! Thanks! =)

That's lovely

[jazzypom]

Watercolour is a hard thing to get right, and luminous It's an easy bet for it to go horribly wrong. Major skills, this.