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wingsofwrath — Shadowless, vol1, pg 3
Published: 2013-04-04 14:33:13 +0000 UTC; Views: 5425; Favourites: 18; Downloads: 51
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EDIT, 08.15: I redrew some of the art and changed some of the dialogue. When I originally drew these it was kind of a rush job to make a contest deadline, so not everything was as I wanted it. I finally found some time to redo them.Page 3. This used to be page 2, but I am currently drawing a new first page that will go before the ones already published.
Previous page is here: Pg 2
Next one is here: Pg 4
The rifle Jeanne is using is an "Fusil Mle 1902" Berthier in 8×50mmR French (8mm Lebel) with a 3-round en bloc clip-loaded magazine field modified to extend the ammunition capacity to five cartridges. The scope is an M1902 APX (m1917 in our world), but with the distinctive "inverted V" reticle of the M1921 scope rather than the earlier simple cross. Why? Because I thought it looked cool, that's why!
Also, as you can see, the scope is completely offset to the left of the rifle, a particularity that existed to a lot of rifles of the era and which was needed in order to allow the magazine to be loaded and the bolt to be cycled.
EDIT, 01.07.13: I have changed a few words of the dialogue and made a minor correction to the art.
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Comments: 7
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Yes, yes they are.
I do hope you started from page 1 and not jumped in at page 3, because you are also given time and place. This is absolutely NOT WW1 as we know it.
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Yeah, It'll be some time, since I drew five pages of the re-released comic (the original ran from 2004 to 2007) back in 2013-5 and then had to shelve the project until, hopefully, this year, due to commitments to other work. The whole backstory will be explained as several places in the book, mostly in in volume two, since I decided to start the first volume "in medias res".
However, not to keep you in suspense, it all has to do with the Fashoda Incident back in 1898. In our universe, the French and the British almost came to blows there over who owns what in Africa, but the French backed off in the end after they realised Germany was the bigger threat.
In this universe, however, the Prussians only managed a stalemate with the French in 1871 rather than an outright victory so there is no unified Germany and Britain is the bigger threat. And because the British have control of the Channel it's them that invade France not the other way around, because they figure they can deliver a quick blow that will force the French to the negotiation table... Fatal miscalculation. Four years later the war still drags on, with no end in sight and we get to the action at hand.
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Yes it does look cool - will you ever publish this formally or at least your military history illustrations and have you produced work for other books?
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I can't tell you how please I am that somebody actually knows how one salutes in the British army. Very rare to see a comic, game or hollywood movie do it correctly.
Anyway, looking great so far. I can't wait to read on!
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Heh. Considering that the main protagonists are either French or British then pretty much everybody will salute this way. Everybody, that is, except for the Royal Navy, who salute palm down.(and this will be a minor plot point, but months in the future - in volume 3 if I'm not mistaken)
I also thought hard on wherever a salute would be appropriate in this instance - you generally don't salute in a warzone, specifically because it's like lighting up a sign with "officer, shoot here" for any enemy snipers, but then I remembered that the British Army of the late 19th century placed proper drill and ceremony far above mere safety... There are in fact stories from our world's First World War where soldiers stopped firing at the enemy in order to present arms to a wounded officer being taken off the field, and this happened in the British as well as the French armies!
Thanks! I can't tell you how relieved and elated I am to finally be past the concept stage and actively draw pages again.
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