Page 480
EDIT: Welp!! Accidentally sent this to the lower tiers as well, so I guess, uh, consider this a celebration for getting back to the grind.
What's this? A page? A really surprising kind of page? That upends the paradigm readers have assumed for (checks watch) ten years? Oh, boy!
Tamberlane is a Sci-fi Story
I have waited ten-plus years to reveal what's up with Abroad, and though this is only a tiny taste, we are so excited to finally share this juicy tidbit with you all! 'Sci-fi' has been woven into the story from its earliest incarnations, and we've done our best to lay the groundwork in the story so that this isn't too far out of left-field.
Still, I'm sure there are some of you who won't enjoy this turn, and that's alright. No story is for everyone, and this story has always been for me, and now Ari. If Tamberlane isn't for you (or not for you right now), take a break, read something else, and enjoy.
I know this surprises people, but Tamberlane is our practice comic. When we consider it an experiment, we can try new things, push ourselves, and learn how to use the comic medium most effectively.
As a result, we get to push ourselves and make cool new things! But there are also certainly mistakes and missteps along the way, which we either correct when we print an issue, or remind ourselves to do better next time. It's not perfect, but it's ours!
In this case, it's always been a struggle to figure out how to properly summarize Tamberlane, especially when this part of the story has been largely absent from view. I think there have been many times along the way where we've not correctly set up expectations. It's been a long learning process, understanding that side of things. But we're getting better at it!
Long Scene
Meanwhile, we know how frustrating it has been, with this one scene lasting for so long, especially when I keep having to take health breaks. (Imagine how we feel, having so much we want to show you! Agony!!) Generally, we try to keep scenes shorter, but due to both internal timeline reasons and the fact that this is one of the big climax scenes for this chapter, this one has been pretty dang long.
The thing is, this story is meant to be read all at once from start to end, not week-to-week, and we pace it as a completed book. As a result, you're basically reading a novel one page per week, which can feel endless. We hear ya, and we agree. But this is how we've chosen to present our story, so thank you for your patience as we tell the story we want to tell in the manner we want to tell it!
End of Chapter Five?
In other news, I've recently gotten questions from a number of folks regarding when Chapter 5 will end. Here's the answer:
We don't know. It will end when it ends. We think we're very close to the end, but we always allow room for moving things around, changing what's ahead, and refining. We cannot give a definitive answer without shackling our creative freedom.
This answer's not gonna change until we hit the final page of the chapter. I hope that clears things up!
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Thanks to this sketchfab scifi gun model for being Creative Commons so I could trace over it for this scene!
In addition, thank you to Nightshade, Akai, (and if you squint) Joof, for donating their cameos for this page!
Comments (21)
Hi, me, coming back randomly to see if Tamberlane has any updates. 😱🤯🤯😵💫 I confess, I was one of those who somehow was not expecting sci-fi at all, but I’m not mad in the least bit 😁 Wait, actually, I am mad. *waves phone frantically* HUMANS. 😤 WHERE HUMANS??? STILL HAS QUESTIONS, NO ANSWERS YET. I’M GONNA EXPLODE. WHAT IS TAINTING WHAT IS IT
Caytlin and Ari do really know how to pull up surprise mf moment! Didn't expect this spin over 180°
Well this panel completely shattered my expectations of abroad. I thought it was going to be a human civilization, not a advance animal laboratory type. Very cool! I'm almost getting some ratchet and clank vibes from the armor.
of all the outcomes i would have never expected Abroad to be sci-fi.. also if ya ever need a sci-fi guy to go to Treehollow...
I kinda suspected this. There was a panel a while ago of tamberlane reaching for a computer
I don't mind reading one page at a time, I have been for years now! XD I also don't mind the sci-fi element, I honestly thought that's what Abroad would be all about; a very advanced society. What I didn't expect was more anthropomorphic animals! I figured with Tamberlane being human, that Abroad was mainly humans. I look forward to more of the story unfolding.
**Slight spoiler for TWD** This gives me the same kinda vibes as when TWD characters met the Commonwealth
I really hope that Belfry is safe.
Is it just me or does the tail of the one in the right corner looks similiar to someone we know?
Yay a page for us lower tier peasants xD So I was right when describing Tamberlane as a Scifi Jungle book in disguise ! Tho I did not expect literal guard dog, but it would make sense that humans need some grunts.
If abroad is going to jurassic park back humanity out of extinction, you can't just have one human. So that begs the question, is Tamberlane part of a breeding pair?
Interesting idea, maybe Tamberlane is the last human?
High tech creature soldiers?!?!?! WTH??? man this is crazy. Also I hope we get back to Tam and Belfry soon. I’m missing them.
I hope I'm wrong, but when a creator mentions "practice" or "experiment", it often means that at some point, the story will be abandoned. There have been over a dozen comics i have followed, backed and gotten hooked, only for them to dissappear. Often with no warning and the creator simply vanishes. Some of them were projects that lasted years and poof! 🫣
(Ari here) Don't worry! We are dedicated to this story. For Caytlin and I, it's more about holding to a mindset of not going into the story with the idea that this has to be our masterpiece or magnum opus, it doesn't have to be perfect. Sometimes that chase of perfection can cause artists to get discouraged when they improve over the course of making a comic, decide they can do better, and ditch the work to start a new one. For us, considering this a "practice comic" allows us to love what we create, warts and all, and keep improving and learning from the experience! Don't worry, it's only made us MORE dedicated to seeing this through, not less!
I suspected there was something more 'advanced' than the 1800's style society we were seeing! It's been difficult to try to keep my mouth shut on what's coming next,as a writer myself I hate when people use their crystal balls to say they know where the story is going. At times if they're wrong it gives me the 'Damn! I should've thought of that!' Other times (when they're actually right) it makes me want to change what I had planned! As for the 'page a week/month' pace, I really don't mind. Most of my work would probably be considered 'TL;DR' by today's standards! Combined with trying to finance my own self publishing, I'm sure anyone who did buy my first novel has given up on seeing the second (even though the second and third are written already!) Just keep it coming at your pace, you (Cayt) and Ari have a die hard fan in me!
"Other times (when they're actually right) it makes me want to change what I had planned!" -J.J. Abrams making Rey a Palpatine when everything hinted to her being a Skywalker
HOLY COW I DID NOT ANTICIPATE *THIS* KIND OF THING OMG
I’m fine with this. There have already been plenty of hints that Abroad was a more advanced society. We were merely left wondering how advanced and why there was no coming back. More important than any of that is what a fantastically complex and sympathetic character Kira has become.
There is someone behind him. Kira's mom perhaps?
Soldier in the back. Ominous words. “Witnesses neutralized for processing (some name)” Interesting!