Farewell, Part Two
First things first: you can download the big version of today’s page right here. It’s about eight megs, though, so take it easy. Savor it. Rub it all over your face.
Second, as promised, we have an announcement about the new artist– it’s going to be John Waltrip, a dearly trusted friend and longtime collaborator of mine, whose recent guest page got a lot of good buzz. John starts on Monday, and our chapter resumes, full speed ahead, from there.
Thanks for your patience with us throughout this difficult transition (and tonight’s slightly tardy update). We’ll do our best always to be worthy of that.
You picked john!? Awesome! I love his guest page so his style is going to fit well for this comic!
And good luck Erica, I love your work with this webcomic and I wish you the best!
YAY for John! I’m so happy.
Hm, I got a page not found on the image link.
awwwwwwwwww yeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah
I voted for John! Yay!
I said he should stick around and it was made so….. I must control this new and amazing power……
well I did prop up john as a great artist but Erica had a great style that definitely did not repel me from viewing so far and i’m pretty fussy since i read so many damn comics i need to be critical of the artwork as well as story and i found no fault with it. . great work Erica. you may have drew this comic first, but you also drew me….into reading it and enjoying the hell out of it. Good Bye and Good Luck!! Can’t wait to see what you do next :)
that being said, welcome aboard John. Keep making these characters as distinctly human and NOT so human and all equally beautiful. Can’t wait to see how the rest of the crew turns out after the extreme makeover and what new lands await our eyes :D
I can’t help but feel this signifies the departure of the quirky, sciency Syr’nj as seen here (http://guildedage.net/webcomic/chapter-3/chapter-3-page-11/) in favor of a more typical frail, sentimental and feminine “damsel” type. :/
In any case JW is certainly good at what he does, I wish him luck.
To be fair that was a guest comic that was/wasn’t canon. We’ll just have to wait and see how the writing meshes with the art. I’m just worried about facial expressions since that was crucial for most of the punchlines.
I absolutely and totally share your concerns. Please do not turn Syr’Nj into the classic sultry, slender elf maid that is so overused! I want to keep the quirky, sciency and not-looking-like-a-pretty-human Syr’Nj we’ve grown to love!
I just have trouble imagining Waltrip’s version of Syr wearing goggles or brandishing syringes, flashbangs and sticks of dynamite.
I know one shouldn’t jump to conclusions and I eagerly await to have my initial impression invalidated.
Yep, I agree with everything you said here. That was my one dislike of his guest comic – Syr looks too much like a girl, not enough like herself.
I also agree that Syr’nj is too pretty in Waltrip’s guest comic, but I wouldn’t mind having her be a little more attractive than she was in the comic Jean-Luc linked to.
I guess what I’m saying is, if you want to make it look like she learned to apply makeup, cool, but please don’t make her look like a completely different character.
Hasn’t he done other webcomics? I know the name…. Why can’t I place it?
Oh well, dude looks skilled, I wish him the best o’ luck.
I believe he worked on some of T’s other comics like Faans
Good stuff. But for the love of God, trim those elf ears, John. They look like bat-wings :_:
They’re quite obviously elf-antennae. How else could they so easily interpret the distress cries of the trees?
YES.
YES
Yes, Yes, a thousand times YES
I’m terrible at magic eyes. What is this supposed to be, a seal with a ball?
The answer is in one of the insets.
This looks pretty much like a close-up on Syr’nj adjusting her goggles. I couldn’t find the page it’s taken from (could be some non-public art?) but it’s actually used in the mosaic itself: 12th block from right and 9th block down.
Love the composition by the way! It’s an impressive tribute to the sheer amount of art done by Erica, and the expressiveness she can put in all those faces.
Which software did you guys use for the mosaic?
Congrats to John and good luck with the upcoming pages!
It’s the 16th block right and 9th down.
I believe it’s from chapter 1 with Syr’s explanation to Dusty. If not, I’d guess the first occasion chronologically we know her to have used them: in the passage to the flying ship.
I believe it’s here:
http://guildedage.net/webcomic/chapter-1/chapter-1-cover/
Sailboat… Sailboat… GODDAMN SAILBOAT.
AWW MAN YOU GUYS SEE IT TOO?! Argh! I’ll never get these things.
What are you trying to say Phil?
You know what?
There is no easter bunny.
FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!
Hey, it’s a schooner!
no, its a sailboat stupid. (I await my obligatory response)
sorry, screwed up my line… take two “Ha ha ha ha. You dumb bastard. It’s not a schooner… it’s a Sailboat. “
A schooner IS a sailboat stupid head!
(Better late than never, huh?)
When I saw that this morning, I thought that it was a rubber duck. ._. Then I came back to it after being awake for about 18 hours, and Syr’nj popped right out at me.
I’ll miss Erica’s quirky style, but I hope JW doesn’t feel the need to completely copy it. Just… try to keep the comic distinct and not sterotypically anime-styled, yeah? Not insinuating, just hoping Guilded Age can continue to be one of the most interesting-looking and distinctive comics on the web, to match with the good writing.
Congratulations, JW. I will be watching you from high atop my ivory tower on monitors showing feeds from cameras in all the secret places of your life. And, I will be wishing you well, stalwart artist. Godspeed.
Looking forward to seeing the new comic.
i’m really glad he’s the dude you picked. would have broken my heart to see the art in GA take a step backwards…instead, it’s taking a step sideways.
the question is, will john have the same creative input into the world that erica did? being late to the party, so to speak, he could be at a disadvantage…anyway, best of luck john, i look forward to gushing over your art three times a week.
I promise! we’ll feed him and walk him every day!
JW, that’s cool. I’ll be patiently awaiting monday…
His art is beautiful. I will miss Erica’s incredible facial expressions, but if he can manage to convey as much as she did with the characters in that regard I think he’s a great choice.
Naturally, it’ll be a few strips before John is in synch with our heroes, but we are confident that he will show all of us something truly dope in no time at all.
Mommy look…it’s a sailboat! ^)^ wonderful choice in artist, the guest strip he submitted was quite the piece. We’ll miss you Erica, best of luck in future endeavor!
Awesome — I was thinking how much I liked John’s guest artwork. Can’t wait to see what he comes up with. Best of luck to Erica!
cheers,
Phil
John’s guest strip looked great. It’ll be interesting how he depicts Frigg. Her course demeanor doesn’t seem to lend itself to John’s “softer” features as seen in his guest strip. Overall i’d have to agree with Dojang on this one.
John and Seb were both fantastic. John’s art will take the comic in a different direction, and I welcome it. Your style kicks ass, John!
Oh and farewell Erica one more time. :( Do drop by from time to time.
I’d really like to see him interpret Frigg and Bandit.
Wish granted!
together….
I demand fan service! :)
I too demand to be serviced by fans! Female ones preferably but I’m not picky.
you have fans?
You sir, are a tease.
Shit… I wished, that he won’t be picked. Alright, now that he is here, I should love him… and maybe he will heed our words, and will not try to reform the characters. Ms Medical Instrument was my favourite, and if he messes up her, I am going to be very… very angry…
He’ll do fine.
a) his guest comic was scripted by himself, not the regular writers. Yes, he’ll likely have creative input, but the other two won’t let her character slip too much.
b) his guest strip was about the Byron x Syr’nj pairing / artist swapping / general shit-going-downness, which is topical, not about her doing science to things. There’s not much you can do with two panels.
c) At least wait until the milk is spilled before you start crying about it. Reserve judgment for when there’s something to judge.
Thank you, thank you all. I appreciate all your support, kind comments, and concerns, and will be adjusting my style accordingly. Although I’ll never be Erica(I’m awed and humbled by her work), I’ll do my best to come as close as I can to the Guilded Age you’ve been enjoying for so long.
Don’t listen to these plebes give us some of that Warhol shit, maaaaaan!
You say that now, but wait until he hits his Salvador Dali phase and you have to script for characters that keep melting off the page
LOL!
This actually got a lol from me.
I don’t lol, man.
….maybe it was more of a “shnnnoooorrrkkhhhhh!” I do that a lot more. My dad makes fun of me for it.
yeah, he still makes fun of me. but i make fun of him, too, so it’s fair(ish).
From my view, it’s all rather fascinating to watch collaborations click. I am not on the other side of the pane. I’m not a part of the background process trying to fit together the creative works to form the whole. I get to enjoy the end result. Finding the seams tends to take effort.
We are about to see the seams. Erica’s piece of the patchwork is about to be rather suddenly moved out of place; replaced by pieces crafted by a different hand. It is going to be a jarring experience. Erica’s work has a rather striking style and any replacement will stand out simply because it is not the same (and because I haven’t said it – good luck Erica, you’ll be missed).
However, this is still a collaborative effort. The art style my adjust. But I would be surprised if what we end up is something completely different. I expect the song may shift key but the tune will be very familiar. The characters are still there. The story is still there. And I am completely willing to see it projected through John’s artistic filter.
Bring on the jarring event. Let the seams lay as they may. Do your thing John and be true to your art (even though I do agree with maintaining Syr’nj battle gear selections). I can’t wait to see how it all comes out once the dust is settled.
Thanks for chiming in John, welcome. :)
Btw don’t let Phil push you around, I heard he can be a real jerk.
(Un)fortunately, T is terrible at being a jerk.
So it’s on me, I guess.
I believe in you Phil! Give ’em heck!
Having witnessed Phil in action, I can tell you that he’s well suited to the task.
i’m with phil. don’t try to be Erica. you coming along is going to be a complete revamp of the art style anyway, so do what you feel more comfortable with. you don’t want to be stuck thinking “what would erica do?” three times a week, so, at the risk of sounding like children’s tv- be yourself.
Darnit, i came here because I’m one of a legion of creepy internet stalkers with unrequited desire for Erica…and as a fan of gaming, pen and paper RPG’s and suchlike nerdiness, I still gotta keep up on this comic even though she’s gone, and follow her to whatever her next projects are LOL
As many have said, please, less romantic Syrn’nj and more alchemist-style action. And yes, I *do* play the Alchemist class in my games LOL and as a proper creepy stalker I should tell you all about him….;)
Now, now…let’s not act like it’s impossible to be hot AND an alchemist.
Dem tinctures, man. Dem tinctures.
DAT FLASK.
Back dat flask up?
Gold star.
sad about Erica leaving and extremely wary about the art style- still, I’ll wait and see what it’s like when it’s not a guest strip and keep my fingers crossed that it’s at least a little bit more similar to the style that we’ve all gotten used to seeing the characters in. To quote a popular abridged series, “I don’t like change! Change is bad! PWNED!” but I love guilded age enough to not be… unsporting? not the right word, but oh well. close enough.