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Episode 9: Taking Potshots

Posted on November 20, 2018 by eczarnik
“Episode 9: Taking Potshots” has been released!
 With Shem in a daze, Deli prepares his final attack.
But suddenly, someone appears to be targeting Deli.
The potshot is a direct hit, straight through Deli's eye!
Tiqwah and Etgar come to the rescue, and gloat a little too.
Although Shem might be battered and broken, his Holy Tongue Society colleagues Tiqwah and Etgar come to the rescue. They team up to snipe at the enemy, but have they arrived too late?
I’ve been looking forward to Tiqwah and Etgar’s reappearance for a long time. Based on limited interactions with readers, it seems like Tiqwah is most people’s favorite character. And fans seem to like how Etgar looks, even though he hasn’t shown much personality yet. At least he brought a cool holographic device with him this time, as well as some daring goggles.
Of course, as the adjective and article, Etgar and Tiqwah make a good team.  Etgar’s eagle eye identifies targets based on their profiles and descriptions, and Tiqwah confirms them with target lock-on reticles.
It’ll also be fun to finally develop interactions among the three Ḥeleq members. Etgar lives in the present and is hungry for new horizons and experiences, while Tiqwah wants everything to be planned in place. A couple of surprises await Shem over the next few episodes, and they’ll flesh out him in the process too.
When I designed Deli, I almost immediately got the idea of having someone shoot that urn after drawing a few smug, ridiculous facial expressions on it. I mean, look at him. He deserves it, right?
Anyway, if you enjoyed this comic, leave a comment below, and please subscribe to my social media for more updates!

Inspiration and experimentation

Posted on October 17, 2018 by eczarnik
Last weekend I did a new experiment to see where inspiration takes me.
Lately I’ve been drafting T-shirt designs for a promotional event. While thinking of ideas, I remembered how popular online Bible verse images are, especially on Instagram.
So I wondered if there would be crossover appeal to using “Milhamah” on the side as a teaching platform. My goal is to teach a Hebrew word or two to people who might be interested.
The psalms and wisdom books are my favorite parts of the Bible, so that was the first place I looked for a passage.

Inspiration came to me through Psalm 20:4.Levav is Hebrew for "heart," and 'etzah is Hebrew for "plan."

Besides the psalms, in the future I might use other examples of poetry or do language lessons using my characters for colors, animals, etc.

Art is about experimenting. If some people like inspirational quotes or vocab words, I’ll occasionally make more and maybe even make prints or shirts. Otherwise I’ll drop the idea and devote full attention to the webcomic.

Hopefully my plans will be fulfilled!

How to stay motivated as an artist

Posted on September 15, 2018 by eczarnik

Sometimes people ask me how I stay motivated as an artist, especially when I’m just starting out and trying to get my work seen.

Here’s my advice: Pursue whatever motivates you to plan and research. That’s where your passion is.

Shem finds a dalet glyph.
Shem found what motivated him. Will you find yours?

Staying motivated is easy when I have a 20-plus chapter story outlined on paper with over a hundred scenes (so far) roughly sketched out in spreadsheets. Plus there’s filler when I feel like it.

But you really have to like your characters and your setting, and have a fire in your bones to share it with the world. In my spare time, I get a kick out of learning Hebrew and other Semitic languages, so creating this comic is like a journey or game in itself.

“Milhamah” has been floating around in my head for a couple of years. Finally bringing the story to life has been very rewarding so far, even if only a few people are currently seeing it.

Also, since I use vector art, making comics is like killing four birds with one stone.

Design a new character? That can be the backbone for a video game sprite animation or a future  merchandise design. Make a new panel? That can be reused as future card game art or a print for conventions.

Just make sure you save and back up all your rough materials!

Happy Rosh Hashanah!

Posted on September 9, 2018 by eczarnik

I quickly made this for Rosh Hashanah while experimenting with Clip Studio Paint over the weekend. That program which has great features for comics such as screentones, speed lines and more. You’ll be seeing the results soon in Episode 6.

A happy new year to all my Jewish and Hebrew-speaking friends!

Tiqwah stands on apples while holding up honey to celebrate Rosh Hashanah.
The Hebrew text is “Shanah tovah,” which means “a good year.” Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish new year.

A door is ajar in ‘The Gatecrasher’ (#5)

Posted on September 4, 2018 by eczarnik

Shem’s treasure hunt meets a jarring interruption as an underground vault opens a portal to one of the Bavel Empire’s fabled gates. A surprise guest lurks in the distance — could the gatecrasher truly be a vase with a face?

This is the full four-panel comic of "The Gatecrasher."
You didn’t think it would be that easy. Right, Shem? (Click on the image to magnify.)
This week’s comic was fun to make, and it’ll likely set the stage for the next 10-20 episodes. I focused on punching up the visuals by adding more color and dynamic poses. I also changed the dialogue font to something snappier and more familiar to comic readers.
Plus we spot a teaser of Deli, our first villain from Bavel. (Hope that isn’t too much of a spoiler. But he looks pretty evil, right?)
This week I plan to add the past episodes to a new comics widget on this site, which will make it easier to reference them. I’ll also offer more commentary on the past episodes. Stay tuned!
In the meantime, if you like my work, please subscribe to my comic and social media via the menu toolbar’s links. Share and spread the word!