Ok, So I’ve planned it out that next week’s page will be the last one of chapter five, and then we’re straight into chapter six. (about dang time). Also, that’s when the comic’s first major fight sequence happens, (we had the one – page ones between Kat and Vi, but I don’t really count those,)and it’s also when stuff starts to happen that advances the plotline of the story. I know some of you readers are frustrated at the slow pace of the story, (and honestly, so am I,) but let me explain. The reason there’s all this lore and background information isn’t because I want to stretch the story out – it’s because I will have something happen later in the story that needs it to make sense. For example, take Akila’s shapeshifting. There will be a scene where she has to go for a swim, and to do so she goes all squiddy. Now, I could have said “oh yeah, she can turn into a squid – person” during that scene, but then it gives the impression (at least to me) that I’m just giving Akila a new power because the plot needs it – basically saying that I’m making the story up as I go, or I would have included it earlier. The thing is, I’m not making this up as I go – I’ve got the story pretty much fleshed out at this point (though things may be subject to change), and I don’t want to change things that have already been shown in canon (which is called a retcon, for those of you who don’t know) just to suit the story. That’s why I’m not going to go back and change any of the old pages – once they are published the only things that change are details in the artwork and occasionally a line of text – I’m not changing the past comics in any major way. So that’s a very long explanation for why I’m putting all this detail out at the start of the comic. I hope you understand.

I’ve decided to do a mini – game review today, (cause I’ve said I would a looong time ago) and I’ll keep this short. (You can skip this section if you like.) The game I’m reviewing is XCOM 2, which I’ve talked about before, so I thought it would make a suitable choice. Basically the overall plotline is that Aliens have taken over earth, and you lead the underground resistance group (the titular XCOM) to take it back. It’s not an easy game, I’ll be honest – XCOM in general is infamous for being difficult at the worst possible moment – but this game is one of the easier in the series. (If you want a real challenge, try the original X-COM: UFO defense. I’ve never played it, but my friends swear that XCOM 2 is easy compared to it.) It’s a turn based game, in which you click on a soldier (one of your guys) and tell him (or her) to move to a certain location, and then you can tell them to shoot at something. You will miss shots. A lot. The aliens come in different shapes and sizes, from humanoid grunts, to shapeshifting giants made of goo, to robotic mech suits, to snakes, to a cyborg eyeball. And there’s more, of course, that I won’t spoil. You can research better gear for your units, allowing them to gain new abilities – but the aliens grow along with you, so you never exactly have the advantage. There’s also bonus content (purchased separate) that basically adds a whole new side to the game, revolving around three, tough, immortal aliens that come after your team, and you need to find a way to take them down. It’s arguably the best expansion for any game in terms of content – but I’d still wait for a sale. But yeah, that’s basically it. You can also name and customize your soldiers, so you can feel worse when they inevitably die personalize your game. I have mine named after my comic’s characters, with Edythe as the team leader. It’s cool and fun. I’d check it out if you’re into strategy games like chess.

Also here’s a little summary of my art from the last year. I’ll include full sized pictures of each next week.