That first damn step...

For some reason getting the first page of issue four finished was an absolute chore.

The dialogue is cut off, but, really, were you really looking at that anyway?

My schedule has changed a bit so updates will probably not be posted quite as regularly.  I will try to post a new page or panel two to three times a week.

Delirium Issue 3 is on Sale Now!

The third issue of Delirium is on sale now!  Click HERE to BUY it!

Here's the description:

Shotgun wielding cultists worshiping an altar to the dark lord Tchernobog underneath a public library? An arcane ritual involving a grimoire and a naked blonde that will summon up a blood witch? A genetically engineered angel fighting a robotic monstrosity armed with a drill hand and chemical weapons? These are just a few of the exciting scenes that await as you enter the world of Delirium.

Issue three features the continuation of the ongoing stories "Kingdom of Monsters" and "G.E.R.L."

In "Kingdom of Monsters," Tehra finds herself the captive of a cult that plans to use her as a "vessel" in a summoning ritual that is the first step in bringing about the end of humanity.

Meanwhile, "G.E.R.L.'s" story continues as she faces off against a giant security cyborg as she tries to protect her bunny monster companion and find a way out of the Tyrus' sect's grisly laboratory.

If that's not enough to get you excited, there's also an exclusive preview of the first seven pages on Newgrounds:

Grindcutter

I am not sure how many people will recognize this, but the Grindcutter is actually a device shown in the manga Battle Angel Alita.  In the first volume of that manga, Alita fights a cyborg who is able to shoot tentacles out from his hand at supersonic speeds.  That weapon is called a Grindcutter.

And this is the same type of weaponry that GERL uses to rip her own cybernetic enemies to shreds.  So that's a fun little thing that only people who read this blog will likely be aware of.

Krash!

Onomatopoeia is a tough one for me.  There's seemingly only so many ways to express certain sounds in writing.

Okay, well I guess in that cropped pic it actually says "RASH."  But in the full pic it makes sense.

Rebuttal

An Ultimatum

Compelling and Sexy

Well, issue three has been sent off to the printers and should be available sometime next week.

In the meantime, here's a sneak peek at the cover:

Progression

I've noticed that I'm pretty fond of this three panel progression.

Cracking Up

This is something that is not actually explained in the book and only people who read this blog will know.

 One of the things that G.E.R.L. is able to do is channel kinetic energy through her skin.  Of course, this doesn't work with her bionic arm.

So Many Speed Lines...

I'm afraid I kind of abused the use of speedlines while I was drawing the G.E.R.L. pages.

Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

Blood Witch

Will this be the last thing that our hero sees before his untimely and extremely messy death?

There are worse sights to haunt your final moments I suppose...

The Hard Questions

I think I mentioned that it was going to get worse.

The thing is, when you're an angel with a bionic arm, I think you tend to rush into things headfirst, considering you can literally punch a hole through most of your problems.  But can you punch a hole through the person you're supposed to be protecting?  Probably not...

What if that person is possessed by the spirit of a blood witch?  I think all bets might be off then.

This is only going to get worse

The angel is an interesting character.  He is physically very strong, but aside from that he doesn't really exhibit any particular superpowers.  Really, the only ability he has is to take a beating.

And I like the idea that he's overcoming situations not because he's stronger than the people and monsters he's fighting, but because he can outlast them.

Splatterfest!

When you walk into a room with an altar and dead bodies on the ground, you probably should expect that something untoward is about to happen to you.

In other news, 26 pages of issue three are finished now and I anticipate that everything will be completed by the end of the week and then sent off for printing on schedule for a November release.

A Different Angle

You know, our angel protagonist looks weird from the back.

I never liked that loincloth.  I don't know that pants would look better.  A codpiece would be pretty bitchin', maybe we'll try that at some point.

Shotgun

I'd kind of like to see him shoot that thing at some point

But I am not sure I trust myself not to have him say something about that being his "boomstick."

The Key is Blood

This phrase will be oft repeated...

When a blood witch says it's a good thing that you're there, it's probably only a good thing for her.

Unchained

They've all got wings folks.  They've all got wings...

Actually I like how those wings look overall and while this is a fairly simple character design overall I like it and at some point we'll use her again as a character, preferably when she's not inhabiting poor Tehra's body.

A Strange Way to Fulfill a Prophecy

I suppose given the nature of the comic, at some point we were going to see a woman with horns kiss another woman.

What's a Grimoire Do Anyway?

Short answer: whatever it wants.

I am embarrassed to admit that there is no sense of continuity regarding breast size in this comic.

So one of the things we are finding out about why the Grimoire is important to so many people is that it acts as an amplifier for supernatural power.  Also it has a bunch of things written in it that may or may not be horribly misleading or completely straight forward.

In other news, the current page count is 18.

Altar of Tchernobog

So this page is actually a reprise of an earlier page I drew but decided to scrap because I didn't really like the characterization of Tehra.

It is basically the same pose and the same background elements, so it was useful for that.  But, like I wrote in an earlier post, Tehra is a lot tougher than she looks and she really isn't going to just fall to pieces.

Deeper Underground

Yes, the library is built on a burial site.

But at this point, I think it would be more of a shock if it wasn't.

Cultists with Shotguns

Yet another reference to the Blood series of FPS games on the PC.

  I actually like the costume design on these two. 

Gentle Savagery?

This is a bit of an odd panel.

There kind of a tenderness to it that really shouldn't be there considering that doll was trying to kill him.  I do like this panel though.

Sklurch!

You know, I think that sound effect is highly appropriate.

That pose looks kind of awkward, but I couldn't find a pose that looked LESS awkward, so I went with what I had.

Callback to issue 1

For people that read the Blackhand story in the first issue, there is in fact a reason why he gave a detailed explanation of what a summoning ritual is.

Look at that!  Emotion!

And yes, the cult in issue 3 is the same as the cult referenced in issue 1.

Now that is a mighty lookin' pompadour there.

Summarization

I have been debating about whether or not to include a panel with something to the effect of "The Story So Far..." to give a brief summary of what's been happening in previous issues.  On the one hand, I suppose it would help new readers so they don't feel totally lost.  On the other hand, I would kind of prefer that people seek out the back issues if they're interested in finding out the rest of the story.

This is what Tehra's face is supposed to look like, but for the life of me I cannot make her look like this consistently.

 I do enjoy including one or two panels that reference something absurd sounding that happened in the previous issue.  I don't think it would work as well with G.E.R.L., but for Kingdom of Monsters I think it fits the overall tone well.

Tehra and her quick wit

You know Tehra hasn't really gotten a fair shake in the story yet as she's been mostly eye candy and a damsel in distress.

Those guys look like they should be reporting to Cobra Commander or something.  I did not design those hoods well.

She's got what we'll call...moxie.  I actually drew a different splash page for page 1 where Tehra was more of a traditional helpless female but I scrapped it because I felt like that wasn't really being true to her character and how I wanted her to act in the story.  I'll post that unused page at a later time since I did use the pose and background on another splash page.

Tchernobog!

Well, it's time to move on to issue three. 

A couple of things to note with this one.  First, there's the custom lettering I made for the title, which I like.  Second, in case you couldn't tell by the hooded cultists and the reference to Tchernobog, I am a fan of the cult shooter Blood.

Delirium Issue 2 is on Sale NOW!!!

It's October and the second issue of Delirium is on sale now! Click HERE to BUY it now!

Here's the description:

Tentacle beasts and evil dolls guarding the entrance to a public library? Grisly experiments carried out by masked scientists as they search for the location of an ancient book that holds extraordinary power? Cute bunny monsters? These are just some of the sights you'll see when you enter the world of Delirium.

Delirium is an exciting new monthly comic from Nick Calavera showcasing detailed black and white art and stories focused on the strange and surreal.

Issue two features the continuation of the ongoing stories "Kingdom of Monsters" and "G.E.R.L."

In "Kingdom of Monsters," Tehra and her guardian angel face off against supernatural opponents as they continue their search for the elusive grimoire called the Book of the Black Seal.

Meanwhile, G.E.R.L.'s story continues when she wakes up from cryostasis and must fight her way out of a laboratory filled with scientists, soldiers, and unfeeling computers that have her scheduled for a vivisection.

If that's not enough to get you excited about Delirium, there's also an exclusive preview of issue number two at Newgrounds.com which you can get to by clicking on the thumbnails below:

 I'm really proud of both the art and the story in this issue and if you liked the first one you'll love this second issue.  The print run is 100 copies and there are currently no plans to do reprints so if you want yours, pick it up now before they're gone!