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Posts tagged The Long Run

WIP – Valley of the Silk Sky: The Long Run – chapter 13 pencils

WIP – Valley of the Silk Sky: The Long Run – chapter 13 pencils published on

Hi, remember this comic? I don’t blame you if not, I haven’t been able to work on it for awhile. The last time I penciled a page was in January 2022, and chapter 13 of Valley of the Silk Sky has sat at 75% penciled ever since.

In the intervening time I spent 6 months in physical therapy (two rounds, somewhat different issues, the bulk of it focused on getting my drawing arm in working order again). And so VotSS has sat on my cork board, those penciled pages staring at me every day, waiting for the will to work on it to return.

Well, it didn’t return, so I did what you sometimes have to do as a creative professional, and decided to pencil the next page anyway. I can’t make any promises as to when I will actually publish chapter 13. But I do still very much intend to finish this book, and I’m hoping knocking the rust off will help me get it running again. Onward!

Valley of the Silk Sky: The Long Run – Status Report

Valley of the Silk Sky: The Long Run – Status Report published on

Believe it or not, I have not actually abandoned this comic. I know it SEEMS like I have, but I’m still penciling a page here and there as time permits. The trouble is that time hasn’t permitted nearly as much as I’d like.

2021 was an extremely difficult year, both for the obvious reasons and for personal, behind-the-scenes reasons. Trials on top of tribulations. You’ve very likely seen various memes going around, imploring artists to forgive themselves for not being as productive as they think they should be. So I know it’s not just me, but I wish I had new, finished pages to share all the same.

I’ve been posting work-in-progress images periodically, like the one in this post, over on my Patreon. WIP posts are typically for $1+ subscribers, but you can also follow my public Patreon posts for free. That’s a pretty decent way to get a notification when I actually start posting new pages. I’m about halfway through the pencils for Chapter 13, so I do expect to release SOMETHING this year, haha.

In the meantime, I’ve been doing a monthly comic strip for OUT FRONT Magazine, a queer rag based in Denver, Colorado. I started this gig in June of 2021, and have had a comic in each issue since then. You can access each issue online for free over on OUT FRONT’s website.

Cheers,

Dylan

The Long Run chapter 12 concludes as page 114 sneaks up on us

The Long Run chapter 12 concludes as page 114 sneaks up on us published on

How the heck did we get to the end of the chapter already? And yet, here we are:

Chapter 13 is in the works, but it’s early days. I had to design a new environment which required researching some Things, and then figuring out how to retrofit those Things to the technology available to the fine folks in the Valley.

All for an element in the background that is unlikely to garner much notice, ha ha. BUT IT WILL BE A FUNCTIONAL BACKGROUND THING, OKAY.

Anyhow, thumbnailing has commenced. As per usual, I’ll be posting work-in-progress stuff for my $1+ Patrons, so if you want to follow along, a single dollar a month is all it takes.

Cheers,

Dylan

The Long Run page 113 wants to peek at your bookshelf

The Long Run page 113 wants to peek at your bookshelf published on

See what you can learn skimming the titles:

Fun fact: my model for Mx. Skeleton is a plastic, glow-in-the-dark Halloween decoration I have lying around.

With the right kind of fungus growing on it, the skeleton in this comic could also be glow-in-the-dark. The possibilities are endless!

Check back next week to find out what else might be happening in the dark …

Cheers,

Dylan

The Long Run page 112 has been unsealed

The Long Run page 112 has been unsealed published on

MEANWHILE … let’s see how things are going with Chadsen, shall we? Discover the secrets here:

If you need a refresher on where Chadsen is and what xe’s been up to, point your eyeballs to Chapter 9.

Anyhow, it’s probably fine, nothing to worry about, really.

Check back next week to find out how really, truly fine and not worrisome it all is.

Cheers,

Dylan

The Long Run page 111 is lurking in the underbrush

The Long Run page 111 is lurking in the underbrush published on

And it is springing out at you from these locations:

I don’t know how well it shows up at web resolution size, but if you can’t tell, Ujo’s face in panel 2 is that of a big dork who cries about cute animals.

Perhaps somewhat less apt to cry about the animals in panel 3. Tyv may cry about those, actually, but not for the same reason. (Xe is really not the sort of person who likes hanging out in nature all that much.)

Check back next week to find out what else is hiding in the shadows …

Cheers,

Dylan

The Long Run page 110 is comin’ round the mountain

The Long Run page 110 is comin’ round the mountain published on

Let us see what appears in the distance:

This was my go-to page for posting work-in-progress images for my $1+ Patrons (you can find those posts here, here, and here). So if you enjoy that kind of thing and can spare a dollar a month, consider becoming a Patron!

If you’re thinking that landscape looks kinda familiar but you’re not sure why, you may wish to review Chapter 9. Could be relevant, I dunno ….

Cheers,

Dylan

The Long Run page 109 puts foot in mouth while lending a hand

The Long Run page 109 puts foot in mouth while lending a hand published on
Valley of the Silk Sky queer YA webcomic

And now we meet New Character #2: folks, please welcome Ujo to the comic. Observe xer debut here:

“Ujo” means “bashful,” which can either mean “shy” or “handy with a sledgehammer,” depending on the circumstances.

Were these two to have fursonas, Ujo would be a capybara, while Tyv would be an entire bag of raccoons.

What wacky adventures shall ensue? Check back next week as Chapter 12 continues!

Cheers,

Dylan

The Long Run page 108 has been spotted

The Long Run page 108 has been spotted published on

See if you can find it at one of these locations:

If you desire a refresher re: what the heck is going on here, please turn your attention to Chapter 7.

Something Tyv knows that perhaps you the reader might not (because it’s not SUPER important to the narrative, just a bit of background detail) is that Bantri’s big skill is disguise. Within Cobb’s crew, that largely amounted to pretending to be a traveling merchant (or, rather, several different traveling merchants, busting out a new costume as circumstances warranted).

Anyhow, the saga continues next week!

Cheers,

Dylan

The Long Run page 107 has secured the goods

The Long Run page 107 has secured the goods published on

Check out the loot:

This chapter introduces some new characters, of whomst you shall glimpse one here.  Tyv is something of a famous burglar, well-known across the Valley for deploying a dramatic flair when xe steals stuff. Hence the fan club of Bad Kids intent on making off with xer wanted poster as a souvenir.

Regarding one of the other posters in the background, imploring people to halt the spread of sweetberry bush, I just wanna say this was written pre-pandemic and is mere thematic coincidence. I’d already figured the Valley would have issues with people complying (sweetberry bush spreads because the berries are tasty, and if you’re hungry, what are you gonna do), but actually stropping the spread for real would require coordinated governmental action and can’t be left to individuals to stop. Didn’t expect that to be quite so on the nose, but here we are.

ANYWAY. The chapter continues next week!

Cheers,

Dylan

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