100 updates and a lot of steem later here we are! The first released color page for Issue 2 of Ithaqa. The movie posters in the background are REAL posters from films that Wharton Studios actually did put out!
It has been so much fun digging up the silent film history of Ithaca, NY that it makes me kinda sad I set my story during the death rattle of the Wharton Studios. They were mostly kaput by 1921, courtesy of having gone toe to toe with William Randolph Hearst. And if you've seen "Citizen Kane" you know that wasn't advisable for anyone in the media biz back then.
It's crazy to think that one of America's first film empires was started by filming a Cornell football game, and then ended going against one of the most powerful men in the world...
Now I know what you're all thinking, this color panel is well and good, but what about those pencils we still haven't seen? Fear not here they are!
Joseph Dunwich reveals himself to be more than just your average puritanical prohibitionist asshole. By playing cat's cradles with some threads of Iss-Nagish he is able to bend space and time slightly to disfigure and (temporarily?) blind Hugo.
This ultimately backfires, causing Hugo's gun to go off and kill Joseph's son, Daniel. Chuck at the nearby police station clearly hears the gun go off, which means the police will not be far behind.
This moment serves as an origin story of sorts for Joseph. The second his son dies, he becomes an antagonist. Sure he probably wanted to keep our main characters from poking around the remains of his cult, but now this is personal. Now his hate has a focus...My hope is that while we are repulsed and afraid of Joseph, we still can sympathize with him as he works through his loss. In future issues we will learn just how much he has sacrificed in order to learn what he has.
We also have to ask ourselves a very important question: If there are an infinite number of universes, and Iss-Nagish's powers allow her to move between all of them, is this really the end of Daniel? Or is this just the end of one version of him?
Speaking of Iss-Nagish, I think it's time I reveal to you all what she looks like!
Now she is actually larger than our feeble minds can truly comprehend, but if through some fever dream you were able to pierce the arch of time and gaze upon her, this is what she would look like.
But wait, there's even more! Something that even those of you who have visited ithaqacomic.com haven't seen...
Iss-Nagish is an infinite being who exists in all timelines and all universes simultaneously. As a 10th dimensional creature she is not physically capable of focusing in on a single individual in a single universe. Could you locate a specific grain of sand in the desert?
Iss-Nagish requires a 4th dimensional avatar if she is to trap enough human souls to feed upon. This is where Nageesi comes into play...
While Nageesi is nowhere near as powerful as Iss-Nagish, she is much more dangerous to humans, as she actually has the ability to perceive them...
Thank you again to everyone who has supported the comic throughout 2017! Your comments have given me the courage to submit "Ithaqa" to every publisher I can get my hands on, and your likes have helped me finance this project by paying my letterist in full!
I am officially out of budget for this project (once issue 2 is fully complete) so now "Ithaqa" is in fate's hands. Whether we strike a deal with a publisher or crowdfund our way to issue 3, look out for 2018! So help me god you will go to a book store and see our comic on the shelf!
SO much love,
Michael
Theresa Chiechi's (The Artist 
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