012 Chapter 1.3 B.E.N.T.

Transcript:
1: Narration: Office of the Director of B.E.N.T. The Bureau of Extra-Normal Transpirations.
Motto: Protect the Planet
Unofficial Motto: In trouble? Get BENT!
A mature woman is sitting behind a desk smoking through a cigarette holder. An agent stands at attention before her.
2: The Director of BENT is holding up a smartphone showing Cadi's tweet.
Director: We picked up a trans-D signal a few minutes ago. We've got a live one...
And she's... twittering.
3. The Director thinks.
Agent: "X" or "O", Madame Director?
Director: She doesn't look very... dangerous.
I'm thinking "kisses".
4. The Agent calls someone.
Agent: Get me Lucky 7.
5.

011 Chapter 1.2 Selfie Time!

Tressa assumes that Cadi is unable to tweet as Cadi is a comic character and her tweets shouldn't actually work in the real Twitter. That's logical. Right? But Tressa is wrong wrong WRONG!
Finally everyone gets too see Cadi in her full-color glory! (the banner images gave a taste though).

Also, check out this great Christmas pic of Cadi done by Tomoko for the 100 Santas project!

 Won't you consider donating to the fundraising page?

 

Thanks to everyone who's following Hexenringe! Our readership is getting slowly stronger every week! Have a great weekend and a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Transcript:
1. Cadi (surprised): I'm colorized!!
Tressa: (exasperated): That's what happens when-
2. Cadi (taking the situation in): Ohoo...
3. Cadi takes a selfie!
Cadi: Selfie time!
SFX: SNAP!
4. Cadi is sharing her selfie.
Tressa (slightly bemused; thinking to herself): It's a good thing she can't really tweet.
SFX: Tic Tic
5. Mysterious older woman is checking out Cadi's tweet.

010 Chapter 1.1 Mundana

If you've ever heard of the "food chain" trope, you can guess what happens next.

Transcript:
1. Cadi (in black & white) sitting across a table from Tressa. Cadi looks nervous. Tressa looks pissed.
2. Cadi (close up): Again, I'm really really sorry about landing on you.
3.Tress (close up): I'm just glad you didn't break my camera. Now we just have to get back before-
4. Cadi has grabbed a plate of food from another customer's table and is stuffing her face with food.
Tressa: -you eat something...
Cadi: I was starving!
.

009 Interlude - Xanadan

Hello! Thanks for sticking with Hexenringe and making it through the prologue. No lost limbs or anything? Just a shoe, here or there? Good to hear.

Before I blather on about this and that, I'd like to talk about the ADMAD 100 Santas Project that we're involved with. ADMAD stands for Artists Do Make A Difference and the 100 Santas Project is their first charity endeavor and supports fundraising for humanitarian efforts in the Philippines to help survivors of Super Typhoon Haiyan. The idea is simple. Artists are asked to contribute illustrations of Santa to the ADMAD Facebook page hoping to have 100 or more by Christmas. This page will be used to promote the ADMAD fundraising page where people can donate directly to the Mercy Corps charity. If you are an artist, please consider sharing your Santa art. There are already several wonderful works up but we still have a long way to go before Christmas. For everyone else, please visit the page, 'like' the art that speaks to you and seriously consider giving to the charity. Spread the word about ADMAD and spread the love.

Back to the previously scheduled blathering.
Now that the prologue is done, we're ready to jump into the first chapter. If you'll allow my indulgence, I'd like to talk a little about the experience of writing a page-a-week longform comic. I knew that it had special challenges, but it wasn't until I saw how things read with a week in between each ep. that I realized what I had gotten myself into. I started to second guess my pacing at first, but then I went back and looked at other longform comics and realized that there isn't one particular approach that dominates. Many longforms are paced much slower than Hexenringe and still bring in the viewers week by week.
I deliberately slowed the pacing of the prologue - not to pad or to give the creators more time, but because Tomoko had created some great characters and I wanted to give them plenty of space to live and breathe. You can expect a wild ride if you stick with us and I will change up the pacing as necessary as I feel fits the story. Also, you can expect some fun extras here and there starring some of the more fascinating background characters.
Speaking of such characters, most of the characters of Hexenringe were outlined by me in notes to Tomoko, but sometimes (like in the case with Rockin' Heroman) I just wrote "a hero" or (like in the case of The Blarg) "a monster" and Tomoko would come up with these wonderful designs filled with energy and personality that make me want to use them again and again even though they were only made for a particular scene. I'm reminded of Popeye, who was a walk-on part for the Thimble Theater comic strip and went on to star in the whole damn thing! The characters you see above (except for the very regal-looking woman) are all from Tomoko's incredible imagination and highly-skilled pen. Tomoko will be posting her preliminary drawings and other such stuff on her new tumblr, so please give it a follow and all the likes.
Though we are creating this story for the love of the medium, it just doesn't mean as much without you, the dear readers and so allow me to once again say "Thanks!" and we hope you continue to enjoy Hexenringe - actually, I'm sure you will, because things are about to get cray-cray.

008 - Prologue Conclusion

Transcript:
Panel 1: Cadi is sitting on top of Tressa in the middle of a road in a city wondering where she is.
Panel 2: Cadi realizes she is missing her shoe.
Panel 3: Cadi realizes she's on top of someone.
Cadi: (embarassed) "I'm Cadi. Pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Panel 4: Tressa (icily): "The pleasure's all yours. Now get off me before I do something I might enjoy."
Cadi reacts in surprise realizing Tressa is pretty pissed off.

007 - Prologue 7

Transcript

Panel 1

Cadi is running away from a crowd. 

Cadi: Good thing I'm wearing my running shoes!

Panel 2

Cadi is running toward Tressa who is heading back into the swirling vortex of color from whence she came. 

Cadi: What I really need is some running-away-from-angry-mob shoes....

Panel 3

Tressa leaps head-first into the vortex. 

Cadi: WAIT!!

Panel 4

The Blarg's tongue reaches out to snare Cadi who tries to leap into the vortex. 

Panel 5

The Blarg has snatched Cadi's shoe!

Panel 6

The Blarg looks questioningly at the shoe while Rockin' Heroman and the mob look around for Cadi but the vortex and Cadi are nowhere to be seen!

006 - Prologue 6

Transcript:

Panel 1: Rockin' Heroman, The Blarg and all the background characters are staring at Cadi in contempt.
RHM: GET HER!

Panel 2: Cadi looks back in trepidation.

Panel 3: A beam is shot at Cadi and she barely jumps to avoid it.
SFX: [ZZAXXX!!]

Panel 4: Everyone is running after Cadi with murder in their eyes.
Cadi: "B-B-But she's in frickin' color!"

005 - Prologue 5

Transcript:

Panel 1: Cadi is oblivious to the carnage going on near her.
SFX: [SMASH! PIFFLE! GURGLE! FLAY! TICKLE! THRACK! OOF!]

Panel 2: Cadi is still stuck in indecision while looking at Tressa.
In the beackground, chaos is apparently erupting.
Cadi: "Maybe I should go up and say "Hi""
SFX: [SNIFF! PAF! KA-BOOM! WHOMP!]

Panel 3: Cadi is surprised from a voice from behind.
Voice: "HEY!"
Cadi: "Hm?"

Panel 4: Rockin' Heroman is delivering a flying kick to The Blarg, hitting him right in the side of the face. Cadi looks like she realizes she hasn't been doing her job as a background extra.
Rockin' Heroman to Cadi: "Are we boring you here!?"

Omake - Rockin' Heroman in "Trouble on Earth"

Here you have it, our first omake strip starring Rockin' Heroman!

Transcript:

Title: The Completely Irregular Adventures of Rockin' Heroman

Panel 1: Rockin' Heroman (RHM) is playing guitar and singing "I'm a space rocker" when the warning buzzer on his chest begins to beep.

SFX: [BEEP! BEEP!]

RHM: "hmm... Danger on Earth..."

Panel 2: RHM flies away from Rockin' Planet R66 toward Earth.

RHM: "It's time to ROCK ON with your SOCKS ON!!"

Panel 3: RHM lands on Earth and strikes a hero pose.

RHM: "HaHAHha!! Rockin' Heroman is IN THE JOINT!! BOO YAH!"

Panel 4: Three huge monsters (kaiju) are seated around a card table playing mah-jong.

Kaiju 1: "Shaddap and sit down. We need a fourth for MAH-JONG!"

RHM is surprised (and probably disappointed) that the Earth isn't in that much danger.

004 - Prologue 4

Transcript:
Panel 1: A rockabilly-styled hero drops from the sky surprising The Blarg.

Panel 2: It is Rockin' Heroman in his fighting pose!

Panel 3: Rockin' Heroman delivers a rockin' straight left to The Blarg's face.
SFX [SMAK!]

Panel 4: In the background, The Blarg responds with a flaming attack that engulfs Rockin' Heroman.
Meanwhile, Cadi is wondering what it is that's different about Tressa.

Panel 5: Cadi realizes what it is and reacts in surprise.
Cadi: "Hey! She's in color!"

003 - Prologue 3

Transcript:

Panel 1: Tressa runs toward the split meteor shell as Cadi looks on surprised.

Panel 2: Tressa leaps on top of the meteor checking it out. Cadi is stuck watching her in awe.

Panel 3: Tressa whips out a camera from her holster as Cadi watches from a distance.

Panel 4: Tressa takes a photo of some strange triangular glyphs on the side of the meteor.
SFX: FLASH!

Panel 5,6,7: Tressa reaches into another holster, takes out a pad and pen, and scratches her head thinking.

Panel 8: Cadi watches the whole scene and thinks to herself: "AGEGG..."
Meanwhile Tressa is drawing or writing in her notepad.

Site design update and Int'l Comics Festival report

Internationalized!!

As Tomoko and I are both based in Japan, we tend to get a lot of access from Japan. One of our friends suggested that we add a character explanation in Japanese. I did so, as well as adding an explanation of the world of Hexenringe (both accessible from the Pages tabs at the top of the blog), but I also thought it would be great to be able to reach the rest of the world as well.

SO...

I added a "Translate" widget (upper right) and transcripts to the episodes published so far so that people from all over the world can enjoy Hexenringe.

BUT as we all know, machine translation isn't perfect...
SO, I would like to ask our international/multilingual fans' help in adding more correct translations for the episodes.

TO add a better transcript translation, just post it as a comment under the episode using the same format as the English one. (I hope to work on the Japanese translation myself when I get the chance.)

That's the idea. If you have any thoughts or opinions, just let us know in the comments or email me.

Cheers!

International Comics Festival Tokyo 2013

 As you may know, Tomoko and I took part in the Int'l Comic Festival Tokyo 2013 last weekend, and we got the chance to meet people from all over the world!

I was especially excited as I got to talk to Katsuhiro Otomo (creator of Akira & Domu (my fave) and the recent award-winning animation Short Peace), Juanjo Guarnido (artist of Blacksad), and was especially happy to speak to one of my favorite creators Arthur de Pins (illustrator, animator). I also got sketches from Msr. de Pins and awesome comic creator and character designer Sean Galloway!

As for the Hexenringe Preview Book, we sold a few dozen and gave free sketches away with each one! It's quite humbling to have to have your art sit right next to Tomoko's...
She's just way too amazing!

I have more details about the event on my art blog.

We'll definitely be back next year!

002 - Prologue 2

English transcript:

Panel 1:
A crack forms in the meteor.
SFX: [SKRACK!]

Panel 2:
A monster (The Blarg) erupts from the meteor and threatens to attack the crowd.
The Blarg: RRRRR
Cadi is running with the crowd, but is still lost in her thoughts.
Cadi: Being a background extra is great and all, but I just think I was meant for something... bigger.

Panel 3: People are running in panic. A splash of color grabs Cadi's attention. It should because her world is in black and white.

Panel 4: A whirling vortex of color appears with someone (also color) inside as a surprised Cadi watches.

Panel 5: The woman from the vortex (Tressa) runs past Cadi.
Cadi: (thinking to herself) Hello!

Hexenringe news!

The creators, Tomoko and I (patokon) will be at the International Comics Festival 2013 (or Kaigai Manga Festa 2013, http://kaigaimangafesta.com) this Sunday Oct. 20th from 11am to 16pm at Tokyo Big Sight (http://www.bigsight.jp/english/general/access/index.html).

Come down and see us and get the Hexenringe Preview Book and get free sketches from both of us!

Here is the fantasteriffic cover by Tomoko. As you can see it is a takeoff of an old Ultraman poster with less "man" and more "ultra".

Less "man" more "ultra!

Hope to see you there!

001 - Prologue 1

English transcript (for ease of translation to other languages)
If you wish to submit a translation, just add it as a comment  with the same format as below:

Panel 1:
Meteor hurtling toward Earth.
SFX [VROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!]

Panel 2:
A crowd looks up at the sky in fear.
A girl in the crowd (Cadi): (thinking) I'm so tired of being a background extra in monster comics..."

Panel 3:
The meteor strikes the ground causing a huge shockwave that sends the crowd flying through the air in all directions. Cadi is focused on her own thoughts.

Panel 4:
Close-up of Cadi.
Cadi: (thinking) "If only something interesting would happen..."

Hexenringe starts this Saturday!

Hello, net peeples!
We are gearing up for the launch of Hexenringe this Saturday, Oct. 12th!
We have a new banner up on the blog with a new banner (an ambigram, no less!) .

On the following Sunday, Oct. 20th at the International Comics Festival Tokyo @ Tokyo Big Sight(http://kaigaimangafesta.com/) both Tomoko Hirabayashi (the fabulous artist) and myself (the writer) will showcase a Preview Book with character info, world info, sketches, and such stuff.

Tomoko is working on amazing cover/mini-poster that will be sure to bring in some new readers! (It hasn't started so everyone's new, actually)

If you are in the area, come pick one up and we'll be happy to sketch in it for you! Hope to see you there!

Coming Soon!

Hexenringe is a webcomic coming soon to this space!
Please be patient and follow @patokon or @babtyu for updates.