A father’s instinct is to protect, we’ll shirk off common sense when our own are in trouble. This is the one part of fatherhood that’s hard to explain to other guys. Fatherhood turns even cowards and geeks into heroes. I could imagine all I wanted what it was like to be selfless before having kids, but I learned it in a whole new way once marriage and family came along.
I remembered one of my first thoughts when our first baby girl was born 11 years ago. I thought of how it would be a great pleasure to get to die for this kid if the opportunity ever came up. Those aren’t the thoughts of a non-father in general, and it certainly wasn’t my normal thought for how I considered the value of other people. Remember that most of my cultural training was in being submerged in art academia and the business of video games. We worked 18 hours a day on games, games, games and if there was any time left over I painted and had gallery showings. Then came a baby and I was liberated.
Pencil of Gullimar running home.
Sorry for the post delay today…had to kick the cache. It’s the virtual equivalent of my dad hitting his old mini with a spanner to get it to work properly. ><
Now I’m worried about his family.
Oh no! And they told the kid to watch out for his mom!
Can’t wait to see next weeks…
What I love about almost all your comics is the emphasis on family. It’s great to hear your comments about it. Really helps my 20-something college head with the whole focus-on-myself thing.
Also, Gullimar’s expression in the last panel is my favorite! Can’t wait for more!
At moments like this I always remember what my father did once in a playground. My sister fell off the top of a climbing frame, so naturally my dad caught her. The only problem was she was the second kid to fall off, and he’d already caught the first kid. That poor boy ended up falling again when my dad instinctively dropped him.
Katherine – the delay is fine! I just started a webcomic recently with no buffer and I struggle to post the pages on time. But it seems to have no consequence if it is within the 24 hours of the day – the readers keep reading and no complains so far.
Great work by the way! Loving the story mixed with Doug’s thoughts – what a combo!
I can’t wait for next week! It’s the big taco! It’s hard for me to bleed out the pages because I’m ready to show off what we’ve done, but next week is going to be a blast!
Doug- This is off topic, but I haven’t seen your name on the DA Kickstarter page yet. You gonna help ol’ Uncle Terry out?
I’d help DA any way they’d have me! I don’t think they need my help…and I’m really excited about that project! I’ve got Terry hooked into another Kickstarter thingy we’re working on.
Ooo…when should we be on the lookout for another TenNapel-TST project?
I love the last panel. I really conveys both the speed and urgency of the action but also the panic, tension, and fear as well.
that is some damn fine motion blur!
Time for a Nnewts animated short! The last panel is perfect. More pages!!!
You’ve got it just right, Doug. I don’t think anyone can understand that moment when the child who was right “there” a moment ago suddenly isn’t, and you can’t immediately find them. It happened to me this past weekend at the community pool party when it started to rain. I took my eyes off my 5 year old to look at my 19 month old, and when I looked back, she wasn’t visible. I glanced over the crowd, then intently searched the pool, worried I might see her on the bottom. I think she got swept up in the movement of the crowd into the covered area, because that’s where she came from a few seconds later, tears streaming from her eyes, but none the worse for wear.
Enjoying this comic very much? Some of these comics would make amazing films, which remind me… is that Ghostopolis film still in development? The one with Hugh Jackson?
Also, is it true you did a feature pitch of Earthworm Jim’s character once?
- Lukas
Yeah, I saw Terry’s Kickstarter.
Looks like they at least got their minimum amount.
Can’t wait to see what you do with it.
Oreo, we once lost our son for 20 minutes at Disneyland. Scariest 20 minutes of my life.
The plot thickens. I love were it’s going… not that I like seeing bad things happen.
You have a history and family in this book. I think you won me over at the history part at the beginning. But, the fact that your making this about family is amazing. So few people talk about families and the importance of them. Family is so important but no one really shows that now a days. I look forward to reading this.
thanks for writing about families.
I was screaming at five guys for smoking dope in our basement. I know the father thing oh so well!