The Young Protectors: Engaging The Enemy Flyboy Bonus Comic—Page 27

October 16, 2015 Alex Woolfson 213 Comments

Woah…

I’m currently tabling at the Webcomic Rampage in Austin, TX this weekend, along with even cooler webcomic creators, including T.J. and Amal‘s creator E.K. Weaver! This mini-convention takes place at the legendary Dragon’s Lair comic book store at 2438 West Anderson Lane and is completely free to attend. I’ll have Artifice books and advance copies of The Young Protectors books and some very special new, sexy prints and cards. If you’re nearby, please stop by and say hello!

Over at the Patreon page, $5+ backers just got a chance to enjoy seeing a special SFW Kyle-Anni pairing pin-up. Comments have included “A great piece of art work. Even though there are multiple artists working on various parts of the story line and ‘bonus’ offerings, it is amazing how seamlessly the various pieces blend together,” “I have just decided — this is exactly how I want to see Paris when I eventually holiday there,” and “I really enjoy these a lot!”

Here’s a sneak preview of that pin-up:

I wonder where that glow is coming from?

There are lots of great benefits to being a Patron (you can see them all here along with an explanation of what the heck Patreon is), and you’d really be helping me out if you became one too. If you’re enjoying our work here and would like to see it continue (and would like to get access to all kinds of special benefits),

please take a moment to watch the video on my Patreon page and consider becoming a Patron.

So! Wow. Things are getting crazy. And Flyboy just took a big hit. Is he going to be OK? Are any of them going to be OK?!

Tune in this Wednesday to find out! Hope to see you there! 😀

Liked it? Take a second to support Alex Woolfson on Patreon!

213 Comments

Well, how about that. He’s not quite so good at dodging after all.

One for your collection 🙂

Collection? My dear Wolf, this is my first. 😛

YAY! I did wonder if it was, after I wrote my comment. Well, the first for your collection then. Enjoy your first virgin. It’s always special 😉

Congratulations!

I don’t think any of the safety equipment mentioned would have helped Mitch much.

No, probably not. Perhaps an Ursus mark-[whatever] safety suit for watching grizzly bears close-up could have been repurposed.

Congrats Saxon. And Doki is not pleased, but Doki also factors in that this was not intentional harm aimed specifically at Mitch (Unlike PP and Ivan who did aim at and intentionally harm Mitch). Cory is in that stage of grief which causes mindless destruction….and as I know Mitch lives through this I can be a little more forgiving towards him.

Thank you Doki for seeing the silver lining ^_^

I don’t think anyone will be pleased!

Yay! Way to go, Saxon!!

Ouch!

Holy fuck! (I upped it again).

See, this is why you need that safety gear at that place at all times – which the flying sign remind about xD

Ooh, yikes!

Well, sounds like everyone did a fantastic job this evening! Glad to know that all the players on all the various teams brought their A-Games and that we all left feeling fantastic!

That said, for the next round we might want to not get the telekinetic to cross the Despair Event Horizon.

Still, good job everybody! A fun night all said! Drinks are on me!

Wow so much detail. I just played a game of “find the…”. How many gold coins can you find? Find the Ace of spades etc.

🙂

I spy with my little eye: a forklift.

But can you see Ivan? I’m looking for him. I think he should be to the left of Cory, possibly under all the flying debris?

No, I don’t. The conglomeration of debris by the leftmost poker chip could hide him.

We saw how Mitch already carried them so I thought they were already outside (I mean how much “outside” is even possible here lol)

I remember him carrying two bad guys at a time, there seems to be 4 people in the pile. I didn’t think he moved Ivan because there’s no sense trying to save the most likely to be dead guy.

true ^^’

I spy two gold poker chips, three red, and one blue.

“How much can you spot in negotiable currency?”

One last stare at the fabulous detail, an then I’m off. I have a high school 30th this evening. Good evening, all.

I hope you had a good time at your reunion!

Cory, eye of the storm.

Holy sh*t, this page is gorgeous!! Adam may have outdone himself on this one. Clearly one of the most complicated he’s made for this comic. The details and perspective is through the (now non-existing xD) roof. Those poker chips are about to come crashing through the screen.

As bad as the story is on the page, and Mitch getting hit, I find myself studying the art details more than the actual action. Well done, Adam. Very well done. One of my Top10.. no, Top5.. art pages of the comic so far.

Yeah and I thought the last couple pages were awesome… This is even better!!

This just doesn’t seem to be Mitch’s night. Everything that can go wrong, will go wrong. It’s not just for dinos!

As much as the art is catching my attention, I do hope Mitch isn’t hurt badly. First shot, now hit with debris. He’s going to need some tender care afterwards.

It may be time to approach Cory, and get this stopped. He needs to snap out of it. They’re so not going to be able to hide this… and I’m still amused by that safety sign that is making another cameo 😉

Now clean up in a hurry!

I TOLD YOU HE WAS OPENING A PORTAL TO HELL.

THIS IS WHY WE CAN’T HAVE NICE THINGS! If everyone would just follow the CLEARLY posted rules we wouldn’t be in this mess. Everyone knows you should wear safety gear when conducting illegal business transactions, trying to steal from gangsters, and performing vigilante acts of heroism!

But Mitch IS wearing safety goggles

actually except for the hard hat, mitch is fairly well equipped for construction situations

As everyone else has said, that is amazing art. And I am going to be sniggering about the safety sign on and off all day.

I wonder how Mitch’s interesting relationship with inertia is going to play out with an unexpected impact by large solid object? We’ve seen him need a Spooky-provided airbag, but that was when his powers had been nullified.

Talk about an over-the-shoulder-boulder

Now I start to worry about the forklifts.

oh wow…. first of all this whole page is just amazing! All those details! and nothing is missing! The playing cards and chips, some money, the pallets and forklifts, several boxes and chairs, the lovely prominent caution sign and of course a lot of debris…
this is just breathtakingly stunning @Adam and @Vero!

I still think it’s awesome how Mitch can just keep cool in this situation!
as a 15 year old I’d have totally freaked out >____>’

On tall ships, you go aloft with empty pockets. A lighter falling from the top of a mast can kill a person on deck.

An old wives’ tale, but it would hurt. Even if it had time to reach terminal velocity, a lighter wouldn’t have the weight needed to kill a person. It’s the same idea as dropping a penny from the top of the Empire State Building.

It is not just an old wives’ tale, it is what the pupils on at least one school ship are taught. That does not mean that it is true, of course,

well yes but it would still be less impact than the full fledged rock, right? Quite a big difference actually… The fact that it hit him hard is out of the question ^^

Thanks! Glad folks are digging this crazy page! 😀

Nice Job Breaking It Hero

OMG! Looking at the art again, and I just noticed that Cory’s uncontrolled power burst is even ripping/crashing the panel lines. That is awesome. Even a panel line can’t handle a collision with a fork lift 😀

Said it before, but I really love the art here. Thank yo A & V for making me all giddy over the art on this page.

Yes. Panel one is an overhead shot, with the debris rising up in a vortex, up and spilling out over the panel borders, violating the fourth wall… coming to get us! That shot in particular would be a 3-D effect in a feature film.

only read that other comment of yours and hope you had a nice reunion 🙂

It was cool. Met a number of people, some of whom I embarrassingly could not recognise after three decades. Did a lot of catching up, most of which was interesting (there were a few people who got happily drunk early on, and that combined with the sound levels from the band meant that it was hard to make out what they were saying, so I had to just smile and nod). Did some dancing. Was the person who got called on to draw the winning ticket in the raffle.

sounds fun 😀 and yeah there are always those who get drunk early xD
yay for the winning ticket!!

Avatar State, yip yip!

Thanks, Danish!!

MITCH, ARE YOU WEARING YOUR SAFETY SHOES?!?!

He’s not wearing his safety helmet that’s for certain!!

Beautiful page, but my inner cuddler is screaming “No! Mitch!”

How about you forget about the people who caused this and worry about the only actually innocent person in the whole place?

Well, because, Bookworm, there isn’t one innocent person in the whole place. Diego–the victim–wasn’t innocent. Neither was Mitch, Kanya, Cory, Ivan or the others whom we have no names for. Not one of them is innocent. As much as we want to say the victim is innocent of what happened, he isn’t. He was the one who told Ivan that Cory could do this job, he was the one who put his younger brother and everyone else in this danger in the first place. Ivan pulled the trigger, yes, but Diego started this whole thing.

Wasn’t talking about the brother who was shot. I was talking about the homeless child who was coerced by his trusted older sibling to do something with the promise of food and shelter. I don’t know about you, but that spells innocent in my book.

As I’ve said, Cory isn’t innocent either. We have enough to know that Cory has used his powers before to get into places. He isn’t entirely innocent. He isn’t entirely guilty. He’s like most people in this situation and that he’s both.

He’s innocent in that he truly wanted to do nothing more than find a way to live, not survive. However, he’s guilty in that the way he did it was illegal and he knows it. He knows what his brother was doing was wrong. Surviving is difficult, but he saw a way out with Mitchell.

Yeah, and as I said, he’s an innocent. Innocent does not mean completely and totally without wrongdoing, that’s the mistake you’re making. He’s in a difficult situation doing what he has to do to survive.

“Innocense proves nothing.” Quote from an inquistitor in the Dark Heresy game.

Yuh huh. All I can say I please never work with kids. If a few desperate acts makes them equivalent to mobsters and criminals and without innocence, then they’d be better off without you.

Hey guys.
I see you’re having an interesting debate about your views on ‘innocence’, and I find the topic and each opinion interesting as it varies from person to person.

However, a small reminder of the community rule. Respect each others views, even if you don’t agree, and keep a tone of respect towards each other. Personal attacks are not oki. If you feel you won’t come to an agreement then it’s better to step back and bow out, rather than making it personal.

Apologies but as someone who’s worked with these types of teens, I can’t respect a view that would put a desperate homeless teen on the level of hardened criminals. But if you want me to ‘bow out’, fine.

I don’t want you to bow out, but it was a suggestion if you don’t feel like you and another commenter will come to an understanding… or at least and agreement. I was just summing up the general community rules, in case anyone else wants to contribute. Just remember to keep a tone of respect towards anyone with a different opinion

As I said, I actually find the topic interesting since it’s something that is viewed so differently upon. .

You just revieled now that you’ve worked with this type of teens. Not something you mentioned before. An example could be to mention this instead, and argue why it gives you the opinion it does, rather than making a personal attack towards a fellow reader. Your direct experience could actually give some good contribution/insight to what this kind of kids might go through. I hope you get where I’m coming from.

I just stopped responding because I felt like I was being attacked. I come from a completely different point of view which most commenters here know. Not just in terms of how I’ve grown up, but in terms of how I interpret language. I have Autism, so I interpret things very literally, which Danish and most of the regular commenters are pretty good at making sure I get the right meaning (and tone) if something may come off wrong. I have never seen Bookworm here, so I backed out over trying to explain.

To clarify, I never said he was “guilty” by law. There are many forms of “guilt” and “innocence.” There’s that by the law, and there’s the guilt and innocence of the soul, which is what I was speaking.

I feel it unnecessary to talk about my past with children. It’s not only extensive, but why I stopped baby-sitting is my reasons only.

We aren’t asking you to bow out, we are asking you to be respectful in your responses. There is a difference between attacking a person’s character (which you should never do because you know nothing about me) and voicing your opinion.

Also, I have responded about guilt and innocence. It’s under Danish’s response to you if you wish to read it. Again, it’s up to you if you wish to read it but it may clear up some confusion for you.

I do not at all agree with the inquisitor. I hope that no one does.

This page is AWESOME. It’s like all of Cory’s guilt and rage just explodes all over the page and Mitch is lost in all of it.

Which is, in some way, how Mitch is in this predicament. How should Mitch approach Cory? Where does Mitch now fit in Cory’s life now that this has happened? Is Mitch now officially on the “Enemy” list for him trying to save Cory’s and Diego’s lives, is he on the “Approach with Caution” list, or is he still on the “Friend” list? Losing someone creates a lot of turmoil, especially if it may have been caused by someone close to you. I can only imagine the amount of turmoil in Cory’s mind. Obviously, we have some of that turmoil being shown from the outside, but let’s face it, his head is ten times worse.

Mitch is in a precarious place with Cory. Let’s hope the boulder wasn’t a HUGE hit to the noggin and he’ll be able to get Mitch out safely.

The art just keeps getting better and better. That first panel is amazing.

Thanks, Yang!

Looking at Flyboy: Ouch!
Looking at the page: Wow, that’s an amazing page! Adam and Veronica deserve a whole box of cookies 😀

In June my computer broke. I got a tablet and sorta kept up with this comic and then I broke up with it. I’ve just… become so disenchanted with all this bonus comic stuff. I check back periodically to see if we’re back to the matter at hand with PP, Anni, and the others and then I leave hanging my head in sadness.

How much longer are the bonus comics going on? When can I come back? When will the suspense finally end?

Please forgive me if I sound rude. I don”t mean to. I’m sure other people are enjoying these interludes even though I’m not. I just want to know when I can come back. 🙁

I understand your feelings. But, the main comic was moving at a pace where it was going to become important for readers to feel connected to the other teammates, which means that we needed to get to know them better, and there wasn’t time. So its not exactly without purpose. But that doesn’t automatically make an individual enjoy them. I have no idea how much more there is of this one, or if there will be any others after it, though.

I agree with you both. I fully support getting a backlog of the main story. And while the first bonus story was rather cute, this one is the type that has always bored me. I just realized I had forgotten to check on it for 2 weeks. This is more like a typical straight action comic, boy hero (not my fav character either–sorry!), typical jerk bad guys, etc etc. OTOH, I’m glad others are enjoying it, I understand the reasons, and I’m beyond super-grateful for this amazing crew and their superior work!! Just agreeing, and NOT complaining. The main story is thrilling, and most of the side stories are pretty entertaining. Tastes just vary. Again, grateful for all the wonderful stories/art here, and for the positive folks who camp out and give support and enthusiam!

From my observations as a reader, the thing is that this comic— a popular, professional quality webcomic — is being produced not by a long-established comic book publishing giant but by a limited number of people with a challenging budget and other jobs/obligations that need their attention. Despite successful and constant fundraising efforts and community support, The Young Protectors takes up a hefty portion of the creator’s and the artists’ time to deliver with such consistent quality and regularity. I marvel at it, really (hehee, comic book pun). I am itching to see what happens in the main storyline, but I know that the reason we aren’t seeing that is logistical. There are time constraints. Physical production demands. The artists need to be able to create a sufficient buffer of main storyline pages and also attend to other work. If the examples of numerous other webcomics tell me anything, it’s that we could just as easily be looking at the same page for months and months with no updates. These interludes are not only a compromise I find more than generous, but they really speak to the dedication of Alex, Adam, and Veronica to fans like us. Plus, we get to see the lives of our heroes fleshed out and deepened.

The truth or dare comic was drawn by another artist while Adam and Vero build up a buffer. This is Adam and Vero spending time they could have used for the main storyline, on a “bonus” comic.

I put bonus in quotes because I don’t see this as a bonus.The first bonus comic was intended as a bonus for Kickstarter backers. What is “bonus” about this one I don’t know.

‘Manipulative tank’… I laughed at that one 🙂

Not often that one hears tanks described in such subtle terms, eh? lol

Thanks, dereule! 🙂

In an interview some time ago, Adam said that he was in he middle of the bonus comic. From the number of the last page posted at the time, and considering that they have one month of buffer, I calculated that if he was exactly at the middle, the bonus comic would end around new year. Of course “in the middle” is not likely to be exact.

Howdy PFG9000,

Sorry to hear the bonus comics aren’t working for you. As you probably know, I consider giving the exact lengths of the chapters a form of “spoiler”, so I usually avoid doing that. But Klaus is right — we’ve got a bit more of this story to tell before it is over.

It’s a good question whether I should have just gone on hiatus, instead of having bonus comics. My instincts say that having additional comics material and sticking to our posting schedule is a better choice for the majority of readers, but it does seem to be frustrating for some folks and smarter creators than me (like the creators behind Sherlock) make the choice to end on a cliffhanger and then go silent for several months. I’m still learning about what works best for publishing serialized fiction, so as I continue to work on the comic, I’ll continue to pay attention to feedback from readers like yourself and decide what I think is the best choice. There would certainly be some real personal advantages for me in a full hiatus, but at this point, I’m still thinking bonus comics are the better choice. Y’all can continue to let me know your thoughts on that.

I am seeing some questions below, though, about why I’m calling these “bonus” comics and why I’m doing them instead of plunging back into the main story, so I figure this is as good a place as any to answer those questions.

First, the nomenclature: the Truth or Dare Bonus Comic was called a “Bonus” comic because it was a Kickstarter Bonus reward (and it’s outside the main story.) I call this Flyboy story a “bonus” because I had a “bonus comic” (the Spooky/Commander Bonus Comic) that ended Volume One of The Young Protectors trade paperback and I so liked the idea of including a “bonus” comic at the end of the volumes that would allow me to explore backstory for the characters that I’ve decided to do it for all three volumes of the Engaging the Enemy arc. (And, talking to new readers who have never read The Young Protectors online, I’ve gotten feedback that the Spooky/Commander Bonus Comic at the end of the book was a huge highlight for them and really added to their experience.)

As for the why, well, as I’ve said a few times before, it wasn’t my original plan to post the Truth or Dare bonus comic. But we had run out of a buffer of pages, it was putting a huge (and unfair) strain on my artists (and me, tbh) to have to deliver page after page at the last minute. I needed to create some space for Adam and Vero to be able to build a buffer (and also to work on finishing some final Kickstarter rewards.) I estimated that we’d need about twelve weeks for that and so instead of going on hiatus, I made the choice to hire a new artist (and thus pay double my art costs during that period), write a much longer Truth or Dare script that I had promised in the Kickstarter, and then to post it up here on the site.

I still think that was a better choice for the majority of readers, but it did mean I would be posting up two bonus comics back-to-back — something I’d never done before and something that seems to be frustrating for some readers. And that’s useful feedback for me to get. Perhaps the next time we need to create a full buffer, I should just put us on hiatus. I’m not convinced, but it’s definitely something for me to think about.

Having Adam and Vero create this Flyboy Bonus Comic was always the plan, though, for the reason I stated above — I think having a bonus comic makes for a better book and ultimately, I am creating these comics to be read in collected editions.

But, for full disclosure, that’s not the only reason. I also write these bonus comics to give me and Adam and Vero a creative break and a chance to stretch our wings some. The Engaging the Enemy arc is a huge, five-chapter arc. It’s been running since March 2012 and likely will run for a couple years more. I’ve outlined it all out — I know where it’s going and how it all ends. All the dots and all the connections. All the beats. Note by note. And I’ve known that from the beginning. And creating The Young Protectors takes up pretty much all of our creative bandwidth — there’s not a lot of room for side projects.

But as my artists and I are working on this story, our skills and story-telling ability continue to improve. I’m not the same writer I was three years ago. I’d like to think I’m a better writer. Better at creating an action scene, better at pacing, better at building to a climax, better at a lot of things. (You may feel differently, but that’s how I feel anyway.) And being able to create a separate stand-alone story with our beloved characters gives me a chance to really take advantage of that development in a fresh, complete way. It also gives Adam and Vero a chance to create some spectacular, fresh new art in a different place with different things going on. These bonus comics give us a chance to recharge our batteries. And, on a five year or more project, that’s important.

I’m also even more clear about the themes I want to explore and how I want to explore them. As one reader below pointed out, this is a more traditional superhero story. Obviously, anyone who reads my body of work will know that’s not the only kind of story I want to tell — even when all the characters are superheroes. But yes, one reason I make these comics is because I want to give LBGT folks, people of color, people with different kinds of bodies, etc. the chance to see themselves featured as true heroes in the same kind of slick, traditional genre stories cis/straight/white boys have gotten to enjoy since forever. It’s my hope that the stories I create are even a bit better than that (more nuanced characters, more interesting world building, more engaging/less cliché plot beats, etc.) but creating that “mainstream/pro” genre heroic experience for my readers where they get to see themselves in the heroes is absolutely part of my “mission.” I can understand if that doesn’t work for everyone, but it’s important to me. And based on the feedback I’ve received, at least for some of my readers, it can be life changing.

I’m about to hop on my plane to return home now, so I’m going to have to sign off here. But hopefully this makes things a little more clear. If I have more thoughts, I’ll add them later. But, as always, your kind words, patience and support makes all the hard work worth it. I appreciate your feedback and candor. And I am grateful to you all for sticking with us on this journey. 🙂

It may only be me, but I kinda feel like the (planned) bonus stories are almost each their own kind of prolog for a future TYP 2nd arc continuation *hint hint*.. especially Mitch’ right now.
There’s a lot of potential for an expansion in their story here *double hint hint*

Oh, a Mitch story arc? Yeeeeeeeees.

Damn, Adam. I love you. Honestly, you didn’t owe me an explanation. You are not writing this comic for ME, but I really appreciate your answer. Thank you. Your personal awesomeness is a small reason why I wouldn’t completely abandon reading your work. Im just a picky moody impatient B, so dont mind me. Obviously others are happy with the main story hiatus and that is what matters. Keep on being awesome.

“Im just a picky moody impatient B, so dont mind me.”
“Obviously others are happy […] and that is what matters”.

I think part of the reason Alex gave such a detailed reply is that to him, you matter just as much as any of his fans. He certainly does “mind you”, because you are a reader, and so he felt the need to treat your concerns with all the seriousness and weight they deserve.

At least that’s the theme I pick up from his work, that we ALL matter, regardless of our body shape or skin colour or orientation… or whether we agree with the majority regarding the bonus and interlude comics between chapters.

Fans all have different opinions and ideas, sure, but what unites us is that we are all fans. Alex has shown many times that he cares about all of his fans, not just the regulars, “campers”, or popular commenters, and he is doing his best to balance the conflicting desires of all of us, with the artistic vision and creative direction he’s building for the story.

^^^This

This is why I adore this community.
Everyone treats everyone with respect. Alex values the opinions of every fan of his, ranging from long-time followers to new people who aren’t interested in the bonus comics.
Each of us treat each other with respect, and this comment sections is pretty much the only place online where I feel comfortable enough to post actual comments. As you said, we all have different ideas and opinions, but I love that we can still discuss our differences while still respecting each other…. That’s an art that a lot of people have lost online.

Thanks you for your explanation. I do not think that anyone would have prefered a hiatus. I did not understand why you did not return to the main arc after the truth or dare bonus. Now I do.

Love the bonus comics – yes, this one is very different from the main storyline, but IMHO it’s all good. You can’t please everyone (/cliché), but for me, these interludes between chapters are a fun change of pace.

@alexwoolfson:disqus I just want want to say ,
I fucking LOVE the bonus comics, So, thank-you for making them.

I realize not everybody feels this way, But i’m used to slower action on a cliffhanger , and already talked about that. *

I realized when this was last brought up 6 months ago ( ? ) there was a 3rd potential compromise viewing option , that could theoretically happen. One I think is superior.

I still think its a great idea for viewing purposes, so i want to bring it up again. Please Humor me.

‘What would be better than having 1 concurrent Young Protectors Comics ?’

TWO!

At some point ( i think at the 75%-80% point of the backlog completed ** ) ought to be feasible to run 1 day main Story and 1 Day Bonus Story.

That WOULD BE AWESOME!

( Bonus Wednesday, prime Saturday )

Its a wonderful compromise that will make some viewers less frustrated , as it will speed up bringing back the main arc.

And it will still allow the backlog to be finished, AND

It will provide a magnanimous serendipitous reading experience, having two time-streams at once.

It would be HUGE.

I’m not suggesting this out of greed, but out of LOVE.

I honestly think this will add an entire new dimension of Awesomesauce , reading YP as a group.

( and who could dislike YP awesome sauce? )

Just as the comments add some priceless extra dimension to the story, So too will this simultaneous exegesis.

If you do this It will expose wonderful synchronicities and parallels between the story lines. It will have a synergistic effect feeding off itself.

( For example , the Spooky Bonus story would have been amazing reading it concurrently with the Wharehouse Arc ) .

It will aso be nice if sometimes an action scene on 1 day plays out next to a dialog scene on the other. That will add a movie-like quality to reading it The action will heighten focus on particular character details . Granted this may be random, but thats a large part of the fun.

Keep up the Great work. I just wanted to remind you of this possibility. I will keep reading no matter what you do. ( but please dont go on hiatus.)

Admirably yours,

Adam

* My suggestion then was in times of heightened action ( more pages per comic time ) To have 1 extra comic per month if people could support that.

** depending on how production happens. But this still seems very likely .

I’m loving the Flyboy story, whatever you call it, however long it should last.

Always good to have lots of Mitch. ^_^

So, I know some people get frustrate with bonus content but I think just as many do with hiatuses and though hiatuses can work for some (as you mentioned Sherlock) when you’re talking about a web comic that’s not going to be showing commercials and having people set their DVRs to record when it finally does come back, a hiatus can end up losing you readers who simply forget to come back when you do.
That having been said, I agree that the bonus comics are a fantastic thing. I love seeing the backstories of these characters as well as interactions like the truth or dare comic where it’s not the constant threat of some super villains bringing about global devastation. The Truth or Dare story a nice break where we could just get to know the characters better.
Basically, you can’t please everybody but I can say you’ve definitely more than delivered for me.

*claps uproariously*

Hear hear!

I personally love the bonus stuff. It gives extra goodies about each character. Spooky, Kyle, maybe in the future, my hunky water guy Gordon? Hint hint?

It expands an already awesome universe and gives an insider look at what makes our heroes tick.

I’m along for the ride. Yes I miss the others, but its like they’re on vacation, or doing other things, and I know the story will get back on track eventually. It’s like exploring a new place off the well-beaten path. I love these side excursions! It’s like they’re a new adventure! Will we find a new friend? An old one?

jat this point I wanna voice out again that I’m totally in love with all the bonus comics so far 😀
Even though from your post it’s clear you already know that these are gems in the eyes of many readers I wanted to encourage you more to keep this up!
In fact I had no idea that the bonus comics actually worked as “bridges” to get time for building buffer! And hearing that amazed me even more as, just like you said, a hiatus would probably have been way more convenient to really take a breather and start fresh!
You thought of us readers first like you do at all times as we know but this just confirmed my impression on you 🙂
Also I think this choice was clever! Things on hiatis lose fans… not because they are neccessarily disappointed from the hiatus but simply because they might forget!
Mark Gatis and Steven Moffat created an awesome modern Sherlock but that hyped to dimensions tht even if they talk long hiatuses between the seasons that fans will surely come back and we can’t forget they have the TV advantages, with all the advertising and stuff, which is harder for comics because of the actual channels to addvertise and surely budget issues, too.
Back to the issue at hand: I guess @PFG9000:disqus, same as me, had no idea about the background stories of the bonus comics and hence they probably just felt like “wth, why is the main story delayed so much” There are surely a lot of people who rather like the main stories and don’t care about additional material. But I wonder whether, now that they know, their opinion stays the same?
You made very clear that the main story would have been on hold either way due to various reasons you mentioned in your comment above, hence everyone who focuses just on the mai story would have had to wait either way!
With this being clear now I think noone minds the bonus stories anymore, whether they like them or not, as they are really just a nice way to bypass potential hiatus time and keep us not only occupied but also learning more background story (for those who are interested)
I’m really glad you chose this way of using the time! Even though it cost you to pay for another artist just for ou sake!
So Alex: Thank you a lot for this *huggles*

Hi, Alex. Been reading the comic for a while, but first time poster. I have to say that I have enjoyed this comic very much and I think that you have succeeded in creating a great balance of action, suspense, drama, comedy, and all-around fun. It’s an inclusive story-line that lets diversity shine. You’ve also done a great job of rounding out the characters so that they seem more real. The bad guys aren’t just bad for the sake of being bad and the good guys make mistakes that can end very badly.

I agree that your writing has improved from the beginning of the comic. I enjoyed it from the beginning or I wouldn’t have kept reading, but it can’t be denied that the flow of the story has just gotten better the longer you’ve worked on it.

As for the criticism for the bonus stories, I don’t think it is against the stories themselves. The stories are well-written and help provide great context for understanding more about your characters. I think that the ones complaining are feeling the same thing that we are all feeling: impatience to know what happens next in the story.

You left us with a bit of a cliffhanger and it is twitch-inducing waiting to find out what happens and to get some confirmation that everything will be ok. It’s an example of how good of a writer you are that you have so many people invested in the story and champing at the bit to get more. I think if you went on an extended hiatus, the same people who are asking about the length of the bonus story would be asking about the length of the hiatus.

Personally, if it’s a choice between waiting with nothing and waiting with an exciting story that lets me stay engaged in the world, I’ll take the second option. And I appreciate it greatly as I am aware that you do not NEED to give us that option. Like you said, you could just take a much needed vacation and leave us all cowering in the dark waiting for your return.

Your continued presence also helps to keep the community going. I might not generally participate in the discussions, but I do make a point of reading through the comments to get other peoples’ take on the comic and I see a lot of camaraderie. With a hiatus, the regular discussions would fade and the community that you built up would start to drift apart like cliques at a school during summer vacation.

So, the point of this rambling and long-winded post is: you are appreciated and your work is appreciated. Keep up the good work and remember that the people who visit the site do so because we are fans of your work and we appreciate everything that you do for us.

I just want to say that no matter what you’re putting up “bonus” or not for this series, I’m reading it. I bet alot of your readers are thinking the same thing. (And honestly, who doesn’t want to know more about a world they love?) I’m glad Yaoi Con found you so that I could find you. Thank you for creating this series.

Just popping my head in from the tornado of busyness at school to say hi, to say I love your work and your dedication and attentiveness to your fans Alex, that I miss all you guys in the comments and interacting with you all on a regular basis, that I LOVE your bonus comics (don’t change what ain’t broke!!), and that I love this community you have fostered here. In an Internet that seems to be drowning in trolls, it’s so reassuring to know that there is still a corner where the only flame wars going on are happing in the pages of the story, not the comments section. Thank you Alex, and all the moderators, for helping to keep it delightfully drama-free here. That is all; I must dive back into my academic fray!

I just though to say as well, I have seen big comics go on Hiatus for a year plus for example and it DOES sort of “dissolve” the fandom. While people stil want to READ it of course, the excitement for updates has somewhat dissipated or at least isn’t as strong as before.

I personally love that I still get to keep the excitement and thrill of the story as well as get some more character insight!! 😀 So thank you!

“Man, the superintendent’s gonna be PISSED.” –Louis Tully, GHOSTBUSTERS

“SKINEEEER!” –Superintendent Chalmers, The Simpsons. 😛

Wrong super, but it’s not that big a deal.

This page is ridiculously stunning and I am now going to repeat a whole bunch of compliments I know have already been made… sorry, not sorry. 😀

• The amazing staging with that clear spot in the center is inspired. The entire vortex centered on Cory’s grief. That is a physical and emotional focus of the very best kind. Congrats to you all.

• (Oh I know it was mentioned!) The fact that even the panel lines are destroyed giving us a sense of the breaking of reality.

• The fact that even after Kanya wasn’t all that decent Mitch is giving his everything to get her out of that tornado.

• How insanely funny is that yellow sign in the upper left mentioning safety and hard hats. Details like that elevate this to a whole other level.

• I love the random money blowing about. It’s just an amazing touch from both Adam and Vero.

Also, very important, congratulations to everyone for the measured, kind and thoughtful response when discussing any fans heartfelt desires for a different “content” than the one on offer at this the moment. Alex (and many other said it perfectly) and I agree with all of it.

I just want to add that as FANS we ALL have these moments. With webcomics, books, films, television series. When our desires go one way and creative requirements (or business) goes another. I have friends who still mourn FIREFLY and many other TV shows… and let us not speak of unsatisfying superhero films.

The LGBTQ aspect that Alex mentions alone is why I’ve been glued to this comic of such quality twice a week for years now.

Sure, like any content sometimes we are literally dying of heartbreak in the warehouse, broken with Kyle… and then sometimes you wanna slap Tsunami for being a doof on the jet, but it’s the same as all creative adventures.

It’s also OKAY to take breaks. My life has been a bit tight lately. I haven’t always been able to be here “Johnny on the spot” as I was for a while, but that will change again… and it certainly doesn’t mean I’m not going to keep track.

Then there is the FREE content so many of us trawl casually on the webz and we just expect it to magically be there. Fair or not, even then sometimes the work is exciting to us and sometimes less so. That’s okay and that’s life. Then there are also a lot of people here who support the work that Alex, Adam and Vero do to continue to give us all the very high quality one of a kind content we get here 2X a week (repeat: 2x a week)

/rant on

Just to make one final point. I read all the books BOOKS BOOKS… of Game of Thrones as they came out one by one. 1996, 1998, 2000… then #4 in 2005 (5 years for a crappy-butt book ONLY about the least interesting family (such lazy writing) and then NOTHING, N-O-T-H-I-N-G, NOTHING for 6 more years before #5 came out in 2011. SIX years while George R. R. Martin wrote OTHER books, ate a whale and was a greedy… well never mind.

If you love the show great. I’ve NEVER read book #5 which did not come out until 2011. I’m still mad. Sure it’s on my iPad, but I may go to my grave never having read it or seeing that show he broke me as a fan. What can I say. Life happens.

So there you go. Sometimes creative content isn’t going to stream to suit us. Life.

/rant off

I’ll just say a huge congratulations to all three of you for the imagination in this page and the character information it brings us. Read this page by page, or in bigger chunks, the bonus work only makes the entire set of books deeper and more exciting for me. Love it.

Yes, we must stress TWO TIMES A WEEK because you know, can you imagine how hard that is to do two times a week if you have a regular job too? I mean, Teahouse went down the tubes and they did updates once a week (rip Teahouse. *cries*) Starfighter updates…eh, once a month now? YForce updates once a week in full color and that’s still a lot for a free comic for some artists!

I can see how GOT the show has lost some book fans but it never was set out to be a duplicate of the books. The writers said that. For me–she who never read the books and won’t because of my delicate sensibilities with dogs (long story)–I don’t mind that. If you say upfront you aren’t about making it 100% true to the books then by all means, make it your own in a way, The books are the books; the show is the show. Kind of how Harry Potter became Harry Potter the books and Harry Potter the movies.

Hamlet is usually good about once a week, but she had a lot of things going on this year to make her updates more sporadic. This recent hiatus was due to her being at a con almost every weekend for month and doing a lot of traveling. I think one or two of them were even across the seas.

Totally understood. There is nothing wrong with an inconsistent schedule. I love that Hamlet keeps her fan-base well-informed re her conflicts (just as Alex does) and makes every effort to keep all her balls in the air. Eclipse, the comic, publishing… it’s all good.

I applaud @dereule101:disqus comment below, “From my observation, the thing is that this comic— a popular, professional quality webcomic — is being produced, not by a long-established comic book publishing giant, but by a limited number of people with unique production challenges and other jobs/obligations that need their attention.” I AGREE, this is key.

Hamlet is another one who is not a huge company, but rather… a committed artist.

Also applause to @disqus_HmsbdDBY8F:disqus for pointing out that Alex does “MIND” all his readers (even those of us who rant about unimportant things like GOT, ahem). It’s THAT dedication to doing the best one can, given all the balls one has to juggle, AND his commitment to giving us LGBTQ members of his audience something so special that has me pretty much as a fan for life.

Thanks guys.

Yea, I haven’t been keeping up with her schedule (probably because she’s gone more Twitter over her website and I still have no Twitter?) It doesn’t bother me at all, but definitely saying you’re going to do two pages a week and then sticking to it consistently with only one week off is some serious grind work. Like, holy smokes, that’s putting in some serious hours on top of everything else those three probably do for money!

Yes, please don’t include my silly rant about having anything to do with art evolving from book form to film-form or television or comic book. That’s a fact of life. Each form has it’s own requirements in order to be practical and possible. I was just being pissy because I felt so taken advantage of by the 4th’s GOT’s book’s lack of content and then the HUGE delay to get back to the actual story. It was lazy work.

I think it’s a work of extreme effort that the (good or bad critically) the Potter series managed to match so much of the book’s content to the film’. When you think about length restrictions and money involved in the actual filmmaking itself and then you realize that longer movies don’t exhibit as many times a day in theatres, which means less revenue at the box office… a million reasons). It’s a testament to the Potter fan-base that WBros. made such an effort not to deviate.

Another raging example of evolution is Mad Max Fury Road — the film’s treatment of women on-screen vs. the later comic’s? The discussion is nothing if not interesting. Are there times when evolution is necessary or just gratuitous? Just interesting to think about.

All that said, I agree that two-pages a week faithfully at this quality level is a special and unique thing. Lucky lucky us.

Ttue. Thankfully, I’ve not dealt with a book series like that really; although House of Night just started becoming just plain stupid after a while. I’m normally someone who once I start something, I read it until the end. Yea, I didn’t make it to the end of the series. >.> I became bored.

I mean, let’s look at Batman or even Superman. Those comics have been around so long (they were the first two comics really ever published) so even the shows/movies have evolved with the comics. As the comics get more violent and sexualized, so do the movies. Gotham (as much as I love it) really shows how gritty and dark the Batman mythos has gotten. If you’ve ever read the original Batman comics, they are NOT that dark. They’re quite comical with some sexual undertones.

ack!

Well said!! 😀

XD it’s all i got

It was all that was needed.

jreed3842 reporting for camping…. Perhaps a little early, but that just means I’ll have the campsite nice and warm for y’all when you show up!

Also! I’ve been TRYING to introduce some friends to “The Young Protectors” but I don’t think I’ve had any luck. :-/

*drags in ice chest filled with various goodies. You name it it’s in there*

You tried. Not everyone can see the light. 🙂

Oohh! I think I’m feeling chocolate tonight (but lets be honest I’m feeling chocolate every night.) I’ll happily take anything chocolate related from your ice chest of wonder!

*opens ice chest o’ wonder* We have chocolate sodas, chocolate pudding, chocolate cake, ten different types of chocolate bars, chocolate pie, peanut m&m’s and well the list goes on. Take your pick.

Ha! I feel like one of those old timey salespeople pulling up in their covered wagon.

Oooh, I’ll have some chocolate cake! Don’t leave me alone with the cake though… I’ll pull a Scooby-Doo by cutting a single slice out of the cake, and then take the entire cake with me….

It’s not the only chocolate cake. It’s not called the ice chest o’ wonders for nothing. 😀

I’m not saying a word.

You’ve said enough, sir.

Chocolate pudding for me! And chocolate chip cookies!

So asked and so given!! On a silver platter no less!

Ooh, swanky! Good thing I’m not a werewolf, though. ;D

Shoot. We’ll need to change out the silver platter if Holly comes to camp.

Although, I created wairwolves that didn’t have problem with silver, but with silver moonlight which was wielded by the Faie on the off chance the wair went an came down with the Fever. They also aren’t affected by the full moon, but by the new moon because what self-respecting wair wanted to be seen acting stupid in full light of everyone?

Nifty! I like that shift in what kind of silver they’re vulnerable to. Very clever!

I was trying for a different mythos, as well to be a little irreverent too. Vampyres love the sun, and are avid surfers, and wear awful and loud flowered shirts, well during the day. They only go out in tuxedos at night. Perception is everything you know. And annoying Divinities. Wairbunnies in competition with wairturtles.

Damn story got stalled a bit. Hopefully one of these days I finish it. There are just so many characters that I liked and so many bits to tell. It was supposed to take place in a pub, kinda like cheers etc. With immortal-ish supernatural individuals. As well be a bit of a sage, following the owners of the pub and their family through various time jumps.

It sounds like a lot of fun!

It has it’s moments. 🙂 Plus there is some hot sex and romance. I can’t seem to help myself. I try to write fantasy, but end up with a romance.

Oh lord help me. Now I have visions in my brain of our Admiral pulling unlimited goodies from her copious bosom (aka chest of wonder) rather like the Ghost of Christmas Present and the classic cornucopia.

???? – what was in that hot chocolate anyway?

*looks around for a newspaper to roll up*

Heyyyyy….. 😀

Not that type of chest, Mr. Dangerfield. These are made of sentient pearwood.

Oooops dangerous. I’ll be good. 😀

Damn right!

Where is the blender (extension cord?)?

That’s in the other chest o’wonder behind you.

I’ll bet they have to check it out in secret first to see who they’re going to crush on. SPOOOOOOOOOKY!!!! LOL.

That’s totally it. I bet they’re reading it right now, and then they’re going to be plotting how to steal Spooky away from me. Haha

Who is all here tonight?
Last Update with Alex at the convention, I fell asleep. I slept well but I didn’t read the update till morning. Tonight, I hope the update is earlier.

I just arrived!

THEN THE PARTY HAS STARTED RIGHT! 😀

Whooo!!!! o/

I’ll drink to that

My social aptitute rating is somewhere in the negatives at the moment. Imma just gonna sit over here and eat roasted goat and generally be a wallflower…

We could make it an antisocial party and sit in the same room and just each be on our computers!

I’m here! *tips my non-existent hat in salutations*
I wouldn’t mind an early update either, I gotta get up early. I THINK I missed the last update too… (But I don’t really remember, all the camping sessions just kind of blend in to one another now.)

I was here for camping but I also had the house painters outside and was dead tired from babysitting two workers all day. They even had me get up early! (shame on them — I need my beauty sleep)

I’m glad you ended up getting sleep, though!

I”m already laying down and under a blanket. All I have to do is close my eyes and ZAP! it’s tomorrow morning.

I’ve made the mistake a couple of times of letting myself nap for an hour or so before camping time, and inevitably I wake up so bleary that I end up deciding just to go to bed for real and don’t end up camping at all.

so true, so true

I’m back!

Welcome back, Dave!

Hi there!

Hello!!

Hey!

Dave!!

I’m still here. My house is now half brown again as opposed to primer off-white blueish and yucky.

The cold snap didn’t help getting done.

What’s the other half going to be?

Brown. Sorry, I worded that badly.

BTW – my brother told me that on the morning of the frost and temperatures that went down to 32 Deg F, there were 19 sliding car accidents in Pittsburgh. That was a record for October Rush hours.

I’m glad I don’t have to drive in that type of weather.

The reason I had my house built in the countryside was to avoid rush hours. When I lived at home, I almost drove into downtown and turned south for another 30 minutes of traffic. I didn’t want to do that for 30 years, so I moved to the country

I don’t blame you. If I could live on a farm I would

It’s peaceful and quiet out here. Me and the squirrels and the deer happily coexist without disturbing each other. Even the groundhogs and skunks mind their own affairs.

Sounds really nice..

The painter traced the color back 11 years and matched it. The paint is shiny and slightly lighter (not dirty or aged) and it looks good in the first coat. Second coat tomorrow.
Stage play Thursday. So they will be alone.

Yay.

One of our neighbors painted his house some awful green with an somewhat unmatching green trim. This was after his house caught fire.

Suggest that he let it catch fire again.

I’ve seen some truly UGLY house colors and people think they look so great. It’s tough to keep my eyeballs from popping and rolling.

Yup. His house is stucco too. It’s just wrong.

We did have a neighbor that once painted their house puke yellow with a red tile roof. I think they were going for some kind of Mediterranean look, but it was just awful.

The original buildings of STATION SQUARE downtown Pittsburgh was built of cheap, half price, brick and it was yellow, ugly yellow, not even a chance t being pretty yellow. But it was a bargain! The subsequent owners built other buildings around the yellow brick to hide it.

Some people just have no taste.

Ha! Okay, I shouldn’t laugh.

Well, at least I phrased it as a suggestion for him rather than as a wish for his misfortune.

Heee! True.

Morning,
On a day where my mind is trolling me with dream flashes of a TYP page, minutes before the alarm clock goes off.. making me only remember one ‘panel’ in my dream. One where an upset Cory is standing up, and I think his hands are in fists, but nothing flying around him.
Have the impression the panel was placed at the right side of the page, lower half. Damn, my alarm clock. I want to know more of my dream TYP flashes xD

Awesome dream, though!

Yes, but I want to know more! When I finally dream of a comic, I want to know where my mind was taking this. I’ve done this a couple times before, and for some reason it’s always just before my alarm clock goes off, and I’m left with this feeling of missing something :-p

I bet it happens then because your subconscious knows what’s coming soon.

Page is baking in the oven. Should be up in the next 30 minutes or so… 🙂

I might not make it that long, but thank you, Alex!

Oh, hope I get to see it in time before work! I leave in 35mins >.>

So.. last week I got my first tv-box from my tv-provider. You know, the one that make you able to rewatch programmes and such. It turned out not to work as it should, the power cable having issues, and a tech guy came by monday (it’s wednesday morning here) to test things. He first tried changing the box before he found what the problem was, and it got fixed.
I didn’t check out things that particularly, because I’ve already seen what I could do with the first box, but yesterday I went to look at a channel that I rarely watch – and to my surprise, another channel I haven’t had for a year showed up.

Now that caught me by surprise, and I went to look closer at my channels via my tv-guide, and lo and behold I suddently had several channels I didn’t used to. Some I had ‘lost’ last year when finances made me switch to a smaller channel-package. Not sure if channels in my tv-package changed, as they sometimes do, but think it’s more like I got extra now. But not only those though. To my even bigger surprise, I now have access to a load of movie channels that I’ve never had access to. That I don’t think I’m supposed to have access to, because they’re not checkmarked as accessable in my list.. but I have them anyway.
So somewhere along the way, the tv-dude either switched my tv-code card, or managed to open channels it may not be that I should have had… I don’t know. Or maybe I WAS suppossed to have these temporarily during my free trial period, but previous box didn’t come with them (somehow I don’t think I should have them).

All I know, is that I’m not saying anything until my free trial runs out in two months, and I get to see what’s on my first bill from them. It’s a free trial period, after all xD

That’s so cool! I eagerly await to hear what happens after the end of the free trial period.

Sometimes they offer specials trying to get you to subscribe to that channel with a month trial or so.

I got a couple of those already though, or more like I have a couple of temporary ‘movie bases’ that come with a specific channel. I still have those, as I had on first box. The only thing that changed is that when I got the new box, there was more on it. As a LOT more 🙂
If they’re only temporary until Jan. 1st, like the rest, I’m not complaining (or until they discover it, if they can that).. but I’m not complaining the time I’ll have this. I’m SO going to use it.

Oh yeah.

Or, I was supposed to have gotten my old box back, but somehow I think I got both a new box and cable in the mix when he was running up and down the stairs to get whatever he thought I needed to have switched.

My cable is an enigma of weirdness me. It’s way too expensive but I like the channels I have. I just “bought” a movie rather than rent for a day or two and I’ll see how that goes. But, Supposedly I can watch it on a tablet or a cellphone and take it with me to someone else’s house but that means online billing and I do not online bill anything.
I got HBO because it was a free offer. Then a number of years ago when SPARTACUS was on Starz, I got Starz because I liked that show. I also got High Definition because the TV was High Def.
I used to use the ethernet connection but now I use the WIFI for both my laptop and my cellphone updates.
It all works but it’s too much $$$. It’s a luxury.

Caution!
Hard hats
Safety Glasses
Safety shoes
Required in this camping at all times!

O___O

Morning good people 🙂

Morning, Ms. Strawberry

Good morning, Sapfo!

I’m afraid I’m going to have to check out for the night, guys. I’ll be back to see the new page tomorrow!

goodnight

Goodnight!

Night!!

Night, AJ!!

Good night sticky, sleep well

Sleep well! I’m trying to hold on too! I’m not sure how much longer I can go!

*Looks at clock* This is starting to become intense. I have to leave in 6mins, may be able to stretch it for almost 8, but that is it xD

Last check, while sitting in my coat.

Dangit! I’m off, I’ll be back in 11 hours.

Have a wonderful day!!

Have a good day!

Have a good day

have a good day wolf

I think I’ve gotta call it quits as well…
I keep falling asleep with my laptop on my chest.
Good night everyone!

Night, sir!

Page up!

http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/typ/the-young-protectors-engaging-the-enemy-flyboy-bonus-comic-page-28/