Notes on Chapters 1 and 2

Thanks to everyone who has given me feedback so far, it's a slow process to get these comics out and every bit of encouragement helps me get over the next hurdle.

In chapter 1 I wanted to achieve a few things. First set up the characters of Nax and Sabre, their somewhat conflicted past and the foundation of their new relationship. I wanted to get across the conflict between old and new that is the heart of Ix society and the process of modernisation and liberation that Nax is doing, in the course of conquering the known world.

I also wanted to touch on the dom/sub sexual culture that has been engineered into Ix society, what it means for their military structure. Ix are created people, so their culture has also been created as a way of controlling them. I've never been all that comfortable with the whole top/bottom deal, apart from being a kind of roleplay. I'm kind of uneasy when people think there is some kind of essential truth or human nature in rituals of domination. I'm not anti-kink, not by a long way. Just some people are really uncritical, especially where fascism is fetishised. Yes, it's often just play, but sometimes its not. If you're an arsehole who likes to play with power, you're still and arsehole.

In chapter 2 I wanted to introduce the Feygrimm. I didn't want to lay out the whole history and society deal, I remember someone talking about haiku that telling 70% of the story was good, telling only 60% was better (or something like that). I thought it would make sense that cultures only knew the basics about each other and that I shouldn't spell out the whole 'bible' straight away.

I believed it was important to put some bi sex in the series early, to make clear that the Ix are not essentially gay by nature. They are all male (and born in vats) so it makes sense that they are going to have more sex with men, but they do have other opportunities. Later on we'll see that some women do seek sanctuary with the Ix, particularly those who have been mistreated by human men and the Shantist church's attitude to women.

Sabre didn't appear in this one at all until I got stuck for a last page. I then realised it would be important to have him around and confirm that chapter 1 was not just a one off, he has a continuing close relationship with Nax which will be explored more in ch 4, along with the Ix ideas of what fidelity actually means.

This is my first comic in colour and it is taking a long time to get it done and I've written so far ahead it can be frustrating to travel at this pace. If anyone wants to draw a chapter, let me know, I can only pay with love though!