First of all I should have commented here a lot sooner than today. Sorry about that LBH, I have got an awful week with some hard problems and feeling really bad. But enough complaining, now is time to let you know my thoughts.
Please, Raven, don't concern yourself in the slightest about a late reply! For starters, this chapter has been up for less than a week; any attention at this point could hardly be considered tardy! Too, you've already sent me copious congratulations privately, which I very much appreciate! I know how punishingly busy you've been lately; any time you spare from your schedule is a treasured gift!
Now on the chapter, to begin with it's awesome on its whole, you made an awesome work, in your art, in the plot, in the actions and the chars. Really great material to read. It's always good to read a new installment of your skills but like I already told you, this mini adventure it's incredible and has come at the right time, thanks a lot for doing it LBH.
It was my great privilege (and Sephie's supreme pleasure) to be able to share this special adventure with the legendary Raven Drakil! I was anxious to make this chapter memorable; "Working Together" was an extraordinary piece of comix creation, one in which I'm most proud for Sephie to have been featured, and I wanted to insure that "Suspended Judgement" was a worthy followup. If it reflects even a fraction of that work's quality, I'm well satisfied; if it's been instrumental in lifting your spirits, I can't imagine a more gratifying outcome!
Let’s go into more detail. First the art, you have made that something that could seem to be short-lived, like a surprise attack followed by some tender help between two friends, to be a perfect-timed, well paused and well portrayed comic, the battle scenes are superb and you can feel the movement of Sephie and Raven as they fought the assaulters. And after that how Raven makes his best to help Sephie. All very well done.
Thank you for the fine compliments, my good friend! You certainly understand the craft of shaping violent and intimate images into enthralling drama, so these observations couldn't be more pleasing! As I've stated before, your skill at delivering bracing, inventive combat action is second to none; it's excelled only by your grasp of gentle interpersonal pain and triumph, of which the ending scenes in "Working Together" are an apex example. That said, I deeply enjoyed creating the pages of battle carnage and am most pleased that they worked so well for you! RD has developed a daunting reputation as a preeminent fighter (even with some of his most fearsome arsenal yet to be fully explored)… what a pleasure it was to try my hand at capturing it!
Second the plot, it's always great how Sephie and Raven work together, both to reduce their enemies or to help each other when they are in need. I really like the reading you have created here LBH. You can see how much Raven worries about Sephie when she gets mad or how she freaks out when losing control, poor Sephie I can tell that Raven wasn't happy to use that solution against her which again, it's easily seen in the comic.
I'm most happy to hear that! Raven's sense of responsibility and compassion, even under horribly trying conditions, is one of his most outstanding attributes (certainly the aspect of his personality I find most compelling) and I was most determined to portray it properly. Sephie can be a handful when she's POed (most dangerous when she's out of control), but I knew Raven would have the sensitivity to diffuse all that anger. She has tremendous respect for him; their past engagements have ably demonstrated his sound judgment and willingness to sacrifice, leadership qualities which she greatly values. She's darned lucky to have had him nearby when her reason failed her!
Raven's reticence to dominate others dovetails nicely with Sephie's own mania to be absolutely in charge of all aspects of her life. Of course, RD is specially equipped to co-opt control from the unruly… under most circumstances this would be accounted a compassionate exercise of power, but directed at Sephie (for whom impotence equals tragedy) it produces tremendous agony. Raven is insightful enough to understand how brutal this action will be to her already fragile psyche; he'd only do so to avoid a more horrific outcome, as well as with the assurance that he could humor her from her distress afterward.
I want to mention too how you managed Raven, you did an awesome work with his personality. This combination of serious and focused to solve the problems ahead of him combined with his caring about others self, and all of that without forgetting about his litle playful side like when slightly teasing Sephie for letting her guard down. I see how you included the fact that he didn't use his powers on Sephie right away but instead he needed to see how futile was to try other ways to stop her before. Not too forget your work on drawing him, his clothes his slightly dark skin, your work on his eyes, all perfect in my eyes LBH.
Raven is a fascinating character and it was a rewarding challenge to craft activity for him! I've always felt that his extreme sense of compassion was an Achilles heel, primed to leave him at disadvantage (it certainly seems bound to backfire as far as Xelloin is concerned), but it's an intrinsic aspect of his personality and one which makes him uniquely fun to capture in dialogue! His design is likewise attractively distinctive: that dynamic sweep of his hairstyle (seemingly eloquent of storm-tossed crisis), his deeply soulful eyes and his casual attire which yet aspires to a touch of the operatic (to have his high collared black-leather jacket serve the function of a cape is inspired design, like welding together aspects of James Dean and Eric the Phantom!) The moment I saw TR in human form, I knew I'd want someday to draw him! This has been the fulfillment of a long-held desire!
It's wonderful that Sephie can trust Raven so much, thanks a lot for creating this moments LBH, he is more than happy if he can help her to open up a bit her emotional barriers produced by her rough past. And as she said Raven has gone thorugh a lot too, there is still a while to see it but I plan to get in more detail with how the hellish draughnights are inside.
I've long been intrigued by the (largely) untold travail of the Hellish Draunights; we know chiefly that it was extremely punishing for Raven, that he somehow used it to attain supernatural ability, and that he met (and eventually won over) Xelloin there. Yet, it largely remains a daunting mystery… I, for one, will be most excited to see future TR chapters devoted to this realm!
Raven is indeed well equipped to understand Sephie's pain. His is a mirror for her own and his quest to heal traumatic injury reflects a healthy response to it (far more healthy than that of Sephie, who embraces the sting of her unfortunate past as a prop for monomaniac fixation). She's deeply attracted to his goodness, to the selfless ideal that she knows she herself should more successfully aspire to. As I intimated earlier, though, his purity could easily place him at dangerous disadvantage; I long eagerly to learn how these themes will develop in the Tickler Raven universe!
I hope I'm not forgeting any thought inside my head. Just, thanks again LBH. Really, this gift comes in hard times for me, so it's wonderful to have been able to see this adventure.
It's a gift you well deserve, my friend! And a gift just as much for me, to be allowed to share in your ingeniously crafted vision! It's my fond hope that you'll soon find the time and lack of distraction to bring us further installments from Raven's extraordinary saga! I know it may take awhile, but I promise patience; the wonders of Raven Drakil's world are well worth any wait!
