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yuuagoI find that I enjoy doing the SSSS chapter reads in the morning, while I have my coffee. It puts me in a good mood for the rest of the day.
Got through Chapter 5 today. It was pretty action-packed, let me tell you. Joy in the beginning, and then plenty of oh my god WHAT later on. So-
So, SSSS keeps getting better and better. This chapter is awesome; the first adventure into the ruined city, the first book-finding mission, the first attempt to work under pressure as a team! Wonderful!
Sigrun and Emil have some great interaction in this chapter; lots of interpersonal development there. They seem to work together pretty well - though not necessarily as efficiently as they might if Sigrun were less brash and Emil were more experienced. Since Sigrun was so prominent here, I expect that Mikkel will have more focus in a later chapter.
This chapter gave me the creeps. There were some scary moments in chapter 3, but we get some more here. Not just from the monsters and whatnot, but also from creepy scary atmosphere in general. Not surprising, considering it's our first view of the city. And look at what kind of building they ended up in....
Another thing of note: This is the final chapter that will be included in the book. So, volume 1 will be chapters 1-5. I think that's pretty good. Apparently at first there was uncertainty as to whether ch5 would be included, but I'm glad that decision was made, because the more there is, the better. But since the book won't include the whole comic like the A Redtail's Dream book does, I'm curious as to how further print runs will be done. But, I guess that will be addressed when the time comes. (Perhaps volume 2 will be chapters 6-10? Hard to say!)
Anyway. The chapter page is absolutely gorgeous, as usual. I love how creepy and decayed everything looks. ... I kind of want to cut/size it for a wallpaper, honestly; it's framed really nicely. Only problem is that Tuuri isn't in it, since she's back in the tank for the entire chapter.
One thing that confused me for about a minute here was the bottom-left panel. "What is that falling thing, it looks like a stuffed penguin???" ... It's Tuuri's mask, I'm a dumbass. BUT after that realization, I really appreciated the way Sigrun springs into action so quickly and efficiently! Also, I really like the main centre image here; all the neat little details with the stuff all over the place, and Mikkel having to sleep all folded up because he's so damn tall, pff.
Lalli is literally a cat. Also aww, Emil was worried.
Lalli and Emil are so adorable, I can't get over it. SO CUTE. I... might have made a ridiculous squeaky sound when I saw that bottom panel. Maybe.
Emil's expression in the bottom-right corner cracks me up. He totally has a legit reason to look like that, though. Things are going to get serious! ... not to mention Sigrun draping over him like that. She really is a very contact-focused kind of person, isn't she? I like that. Anyway, another thing that I like here is that we actually get to see Lalli talk. He hardly ever does that - which is understandable, considering he doesn't seem very talkative to begin with, and the language barrier makes things even worse. He probably doesn't have a clue what anyone is saying 80% of the time. ...Also, I really want more scenes with him interacting with Tuuri. Reallyreally.
Some Mikkel backstory and also some general backstory of Danish attempts at getting on the mainland. Oh, dear. "A lot of good people I knew died". :( .... also, Emil, jesus fuck that's insensitive. I wonder - Sigrun has no trouble understanding Mikkel, and Tuuri seems to be able to understand him pretty well, but Emil has no luck. Is it just because Emil has little talent with languages, or is he not trying? Maybe it's a combination of both.
Decayed city shot Man, I love all the little details in background images like this. I could stare at them for ages.
Sigrun looks very attractive in that top-right panel I must say. ... And they still haven't gotten Tuuri a box to sit on (pff). I've said it before, but I love it when there are silent panels; partly because the author is great at communicating action/events without speech, but also because it's easier to focus on the art when there aren't any dialogue bubbles in the way.
I just love Emil's expression on this page. "That's practically money in your hands!" Oh yes, no wonder he looks so enthusiastic. And then... PFFF ... Also, bottom panel of next page, SO DRAMATIC, Emil. With dramatic fabulous hair to match. What a guy.
It took a few looks before I realized it but - Lalli is totally patting Emil's head to reassure him. :D How cute! And I love how confident Sigrun looks in this page. ... It's a good thing that they have someone like her, who has more experience, otherwise they'd be completely doomed.
Emil is scared of dead people and to be fair, I would be too. I like that he has reactions like this; it rounds him out a lot. I appreciate that. ... Also, that "We should leave" panel looks really cool.
Bottom right panel is gold. I love how even after the scary stuff, there's still these ridiculous moments.
Mostly dialogueless page and I love it love it love it. Those expressions! Emil walking smack into Sigrun! Sigrun's hilarious :> face!! Also, the top panel where she puts her arm around him again, I like that a lot. I like that she (as well as in the previous page) tries to comfort him without overdoing it. "Hey buddy, let's just keep going" kind of thing, more or less... It's nice.
"I'm pretty sure he's scared now!" Sure, your scout is only functioning at 15% capacity, and there's the whole language barrier thing, but that's better than no scout, right?! (I just like poor Lalli's scared faces here, ah)
Sigrun's expressions on this paaage especially the bottom panel, hot damn. ... And I only just realized that she literally grabs Lalli and Emil and shoves them together. PFF. Basically, Sigrun being Sigrun. I love her so much. ... The idea for them to split up is terrible, though! She clearly dosen't realize just how inexperienced these kids really are. Which is surprising, given, for example, the way that Emil reacted to seeing the death room - that should have given her an idea that he doesn't have much field experience. And even with a more experienced team, keeping together in a situation like this probably would have been a wiser choice.
"I'll take the death room" Even though splitting up was a terrible idea, at least Sigrun does make some good decisions. I really like that she offered to do that - and I also like that Emil accepted. No macho posturing here. He knows his limits - and I love that he actually thanked her for it. AHH you know, I'm starting to really love the way that these two get along.
The centre panel here is amazing. And more gorgeous art next, though of course the context is... horrifying and sad. The red lantern really emphasizes the mood, I think.
Nope nope nope NOPE NOPE NOPE. ... Yes, please do barricade that door, Sigrun. Thanks. (That panel where she unsheathes her blade, though... [/fans self])
Excuse me while I laugh at Emil's terrified face. But then he's so determined...!
Holy shit WHAT is that OH DEAR GOD oh hey the art in this page is really amazing and even though that thing is DISGUSTING, Emil looks really cool.
OH NO I... rather like seeing Emil in danger. Yes. Especially when it's followed by Sigrun to the rescue!! Wow, WHAT A GAL. Saves the day and doesn't afraid of anything. I appreciate, though, that even though he's terrified, Emil that the presence of mind to remember his specialty. And he looks damn cool while doing it, too. It looks like when it clicked that he needs to set the place on fire, it helped re-orient him. He's still scared, but now he knows what to do, and he's determined to bring the whole place down.
Mikkel's expression oh ffffffff but yes, where IS Lalli? Oh there he is "We have to go back in and-!" Oh, Emil, oh you. But really, what was Lalli doing? Searching, presumably, but I wonder if he was looking for anything specific. It's really hard for me to get into his head; I don't have a very good understanding of him.
"Wasn't that the AESOMEST!??" Sigrun, you have a very strange definition of awesome. YOU ALL ALMOST GOT KILLED. "There's some viking in you after all!" ... Well, maybe she has a point, he was pretty brave back there after she saved him. And I appreciate her enthusiasm for pillage, pfft. Though, um, the poor guy definitely needs a break. I appreciate how Mikkel takes control of the situation; this bunch definitely needs someone level-headed like that after such a mess.
"Don't fuss, little fuzzy-head!" ... Cute cute cute. NGL though, the group should probably have been more picky about the books they packed up. That one Lalli brought looks really... useful, though. Personal medical diary or somesuch. ... I wonder just how much medical training Mikkel has, come to think of it. Considering his constantly switching jobs.
"Nobody died!" Sigrun, I do hope that isn't your bare minimum expectation, because seriously. Also, apparently Emil sparkles even in his sleep, pf. Also really love the way Lalli looks in that bottom panel, wow. So cool! (...man, he has cheekbones that could cut glass)
I don't know how to interpret this page but it sure is pretty. What're you sighing for, Lalli? Suppose he might be hoping to contact our Mystery Guy, but is unsuccessful at it. But given the lack of dialogue, it's hard to tell.
I have no idea what the next chapter will bring! Will they make another raid attempt? Will Mysterious Dream Guy make another appearance? It's hard to tell! I'm really curious as to how it will go, both because of the story, but also because of the volume format - will book 5 be a suitable place for vol1 to end? It seems to be a good note to leave it off, but there's so many unanswered questions. ... Then again, since it continues after that, it's probably a good thing.
Got through Chapter 5 today. It was pretty action-packed, let me tell you. Joy in the beginning, and then plenty of oh my god WHAT later on. So-
So, SSSS keeps getting better and better. This chapter is awesome; the first adventure into the ruined city, the first book-finding mission, the first attempt to work under pressure as a team! Wonderful!
Sigrun and Emil have some great interaction in this chapter; lots of interpersonal development there. They seem to work together pretty well - though not necessarily as efficiently as they might if Sigrun were less brash and Emil were more experienced. Since Sigrun was so prominent here, I expect that Mikkel will have more focus in a later chapter.
This chapter gave me the creeps. There were some scary moments in chapter 3, but we get some more here. Not just from the monsters and whatnot, but also from creepy scary atmosphere in general. Not surprising, considering it's our first view of the city. And look at what kind of building they ended up in....
Another thing of note: This is the final chapter that will be included in the book. So, volume 1 will be chapters 1-5. I think that's pretty good. Apparently at first there was uncertainty as to whether ch5 would be included, but I'm glad that decision was made, because the more there is, the better. But since the book won't include the whole comic like the A Redtail's Dream book does, I'm curious as to how further print runs will be done. But, I guess that will be addressed when the time comes. (Perhaps volume 2 will be chapters 6-10? Hard to say!)
Anyway. The chapter page is absolutely gorgeous, as usual. I love how creepy and decayed everything looks. ... I kind of want to cut/size it for a wallpaper, honestly; it's framed really nicely. Only problem is that Tuuri isn't in it, since she's back in the tank for the entire chapter.
One thing that confused me for about a minute here was the bottom-left panel. "What is that falling thing, it looks like a stuffed penguin???" ... It's Tuuri's mask, I'm a dumbass. BUT after that realization, I really appreciated the way Sigrun springs into action so quickly and efficiently! Also, I really like the main centre image here; all the neat little details with the stuff all over the place, and Mikkel having to sleep all folded up because he's so damn tall, pff.
Lalli is literally a cat. Also aww, Emil was worried.
Lalli and Emil are so adorable, I can't get over it. SO CUTE. I... might have made a ridiculous squeaky sound when I saw that bottom panel. Maybe.
Emil's expression in the bottom-right corner cracks me up. He totally has a legit reason to look like that, though. Things are going to get serious! ... not to mention Sigrun draping over him like that. She really is a very contact-focused kind of person, isn't she? I like that. Anyway, another thing that I like here is that we actually get to see Lalli talk. He hardly ever does that - which is understandable, considering he doesn't seem very talkative to begin with, and the language barrier makes things even worse. He probably doesn't have a clue what anyone is saying 80% of the time. ...Also, I really want more scenes with him interacting with Tuuri. Reallyreally.
Some Mikkel backstory and also some general backstory of Danish attempts at getting on the mainland. Oh, dear. "A lot of good people I knew died". :( .... also, Emil, jesus fuck that's insensitive. I wonder - Sigrun has no trouble understanding Mikkel, and Tuuri seems to be able to understand him pretty well, but Emil has no luck. Is it just because Emil has little talent with languages, or is he not trying? Maybe it's a combination of both.
Decayed city shot Man, I love all the little details in background images like this. I could stare at them for ages.
Sigrun looks very attractive in that top-right panel I must say. ... And they still haven't gotten Tuuri a box to sit on (pff). I've said it before, but I love it when there are silent panels; partly because the author is great at communicating action/events without speech, but also because it's easier to focus on the art when there aren't any dialogue bubbles in the way.
I just love Emil's expression on this page. "That's practically money in your hands!" Oh yes, no wonder he looks so enthusiastic. And then... PFFF ... Also, bottom panel of next page, SO DRAMATIC, Emil. With dramatic fabulous hair to match. What a guy.
It took a few looks before I realized it but - Lalli is totally patting Emil's head to reassure him. :D How cute! And I love how confident Sigrun looks in this page. ... It's a good thing that they have someone like her, who has more experience, otherwise they'd be completely doomed.
Emil is scared of dead people and to be fair, I would be too. I like that he has reactions like this; it rounds him out a lot. I appreciate that. ... Also, that "We should leave" panel looks really cool.
Bottom right panel is gold. I love how even after the scary stuff, there's still these ridiculous moments.
Mostly dialogueless page and I love it love it love it. Those expressions! Emil walking smack into Sigrun! Sigrun's hilarious :> face!! Also, the top panel where she puts her arm around him again, I like that a lot. I like that she (as well as in the previous page) tries to comfort him without overdoing it. "Hey buddy, let's just keep going" kind of thing, more or less... It's nice.
"I'm pretty sure he's scared now!" Sure, your scout is only functioning at 15% capacity, and there's the whole language barrier thing, but that's better than no scout, right?! (I just like poor Lalli's scared faces here, ah)
Sigrun's expressions on this paaage especially the bottom panel, hot damn. ... And I only just realized that she literally grabs Lalli and Emil and shoves them together. PFF. Basically, Sigrun being Sigrun. I love her so much. ... The idea for them to split up is terrible, though! She clearly dosen't realize just how inexperienced these kids really are. Which is surprising, given, for example, the way that Emil reacted to seeing the death room - that should have given her an idea that he doesn't have much field experience. And even with a more experienced team, keeping together in a situation like this probably would have been a wiser choice.
"I'll take the death room" Even though splitting up was a terrible idea, at least Sigrun does make some good decisions. I really like that she offered to do that - and I also like that Emil accepted. No macho posturing here. He knows his limits - and I love that he actually thanked her for it. AHH you know, I'm starting to really love the way that these two get along.
The centre panel here is amazing. And more gorgeous art next, though of course the context is... horrifying and sad. The red lantern really emphasizes the mood, I think.
Nope nope nope NOPE NOPE NOPE. ... Yes, please do barricade that door, Sigrun. Thanks. (That panel where she unsheathes her blade, though... [/fans self])
Excuse me while I laugh at Emil's terrified face. But then he's so determined...!
Holy shit WHAT is that OH DEAR GOD oh hey the art in this page is really amazing and even though that thing is DISGUSTING, Emil looks really cool.
OH NO I... rather like seeing Emil in danger. Yes. Especially when it's followed by Sigrun to the rescue!! Wow, WHAT A GAL. Saves the day and doesn't afraid of anything. I appreciate, though, that even though he's terrified, Emil that the presence of mind to remember his specialty. And he looks damn cool while doing it, too. It looks like when it clicked that he needs to set the place on fire, it helped re-orient him. He's still scared, but now he knows what to do, and he's determined to bring the whole place down.
Mikkel's expression oh ffffffff but yes, where IS Lalli? Oh there he is "We have to go back in and-!" Oh, Emil, oh you. But really, what was Lalli doing? Searching, presumably, but I wonder if he was looking for anything specific. It's really hard for me to get into his head; I don't have a very good understanding of him.
"Wasn't that the AESOMEST!??" Sigrun, you have a very strange definition of awesome. YOU ALL ALMOST GOT KILLED. "There's some viking in you after all!" ... Well, maybe she has a point, he was pretty brave back there after she saved him. And I appreciate her enthusiasm for pillage, pfft. Though, um, the poor guy definitely needs a break. I appreciate how Mikkel takes control of the situation; this bunch definitely needs someone level-headed like that after such a mess.
"Don't fuss, little fuzzy-head!" ... Cute cute cute. NGL though, the group should probably have been more picky about the books they packed up. That one Lalli brought looks really... useful, though. Personal medical diary or somesuch. ... I wonder just how much medical training Mikkel has, come to think of it. Considering his constantly switching jobs.
"Nobody died!" Sigrun, I do hope that isn't your bare minimum expectation, because seriously. Also, apparently Emil sparkles even in his sleep, pf. Also really love the way Lalli looks in that bottom panel, wow. So cool! (...man, he has cheekbones that could cut glass)
I don't know how to interpret this page but it sure is pretty. What're you sighing for, Lalli? Suppose he might be hoping to contact our Mystery Guy, but is unsuccessful at it. But given the lack of dialogue, it's hard to tell.
I have no idea what the next chapter will bring! Will they make another raid attempt? Will Mysterious Dream Guy make another appearance? It's hard to tell! I'm really curious as to how it will go, both because of the story, but also because of the volume format - will book 5 be a suitable place for vol1 to end? It seems to be a good note to leave it off, but there's so many unanswered questions. ... Then again, since it continues after that, it's probably a good thing.
Yuu. Fic writer & book lover. M/Canada.