I thought I would make up for just having black and white inks today by updating super early! I am on my way back to Portland from Missouri, where I’ve been all week for my sister-in-law’s wedding!
While I was traveling, I was sent a production deck of Borogove, which means as soon as I get home I’ll be able to look at it in person and then approve the shipping of the rest of the order! WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
It means that Skin Deep is going to have to go on hiatus while I ship out 1,500 decks of cards.
It also means the RETURN OF READER QUESTIONS.
Leave a question in the comments here and I might answer it with a little sketch, starting next Tuesday! I will keep doing Reader Questions until all the Borogove cards are shipped out. The Cautionary Fables Kickstarter was also successfully funded last week! So during this time I am also going to finish my art for that book!
So I apologize for Skin Deep being put on hold, but it is all for the best, I promise! Stay tuned here for Reader Questions, starting next Tuesday!
109 Comments
oooo i have a question!
are there bugbear gatherings? and if so, what’s it like at an all-bugbear all-night partaaaaay
I second this question, just because I saw it and found it hilarious. :3
Wow, her mom really is taking all of this well, yay!
As for reader questions, um, are there any creatures that haven’t shown up yet that you’re really excited to draw?
Reader question: are there phoenixes (phoenixi? phoenoctopodes?) in the Skin Deep version of the world, and do they have intelligence/medallions?
Stanley aside, are there any other not-really-sentient (as in, can’t talk or take human form/act like a person) mythical critters that haven’t come up in the story?
I think she answered this on Formspring, basically she was hesitant to give an answer in case she wants to use that creature for a character. This may be inaccurate though, I read it awhile ago.
Gotta love old trunks in attics, they hold the mysteries of the universe!
Q: Are there any creatures that you get asked for a lot but really, really don’t want to draw?
Ooh! Pick that question! I want to know too.
I third this notion. It would be kind of hillarious :P
Q: I liked that dinosaur playground back in the Avalon. (Yay, stegosaur jungle gym) What take do the mythicals have on the dinosaurs?
Q: I know we are in the new arc and all but in the previous story line Exchanges do you think you can give us a picture of Anthony’s first attempt at flight? I’m sure Jim would be there trying to “help”…
I don’t know that Jim would be there. He had his going away party while Anthony clearly wasn’t ready to fly and Tony’s 16 whereas Jimothy’s college age. I’d like to see this too though.
No kidding! Maybe that lovely redhaired harpy at the bar will help. :3
I think what I like best about this scene is that they’re having this whole conversation with Michelle in fullform. It really shows how comfortable she is with herself, and how ready to accept her daughter Mrs. Jocasta is.
Your series explores many mythical creatures from European mythology. What impressed me further is that you decided to explore a bit into Native American mythos (ie; the tricksters, and totems). I have to wonder what, if any, other creatures/beings from that side have you considered/looked into (ie; the Wendigo)?
This box smells like answers. Mhhhm, answers, best served a little while after a hearty portion of hot questions.
…
Are answers best served hot or cold?
Cold-Hard-Truth. White-hot-lies. At least that’s what Mom told me, when you weren’t around. I’ve always pictured cold-hard-truth as being sweet like ice cream, but I suppose it could also be savory – like the green tea sorbet that some places serve.
–
My question is always “Why are there never Hard Red colors in your comic?” Even the blood is already brownish. Even the apples in “Homecoming-4-Big college girl” are more of a maroon, than red. Something like html#: ff1919 ? I’d like to know. If it’s not a State Secret or something. Thanks
What about the saying ‘truth hurts’? Can’t imagine that tasting like ice cream…
brain freeze
I’ve been wondering about how Michelle was able to get her medallion back to her room without changing. Story inconsistency, or is it something significant like a spell that kept the magic from affecting her right away?
I’m also wondering if her showing up in the forest was also deliberately arranged, rather than Merial coming back and finding her roommate passed out on the floor; I would believe that the story was just still evolving back then and any explanation is retroactive.
I think she only turned into her true form once she put the medallion down on her desk — before that, it had broken the spell, but it was still keeping her human. As for the appearing in the forest, I have no idea. Maybe it was instinctive sphinx magic teleporting her to people who could help her. Or maybe it’s a plot thing that will be explained later. (I have been wondering about that, though.)
Don’t forget that Greg also passed out and woke up in a forest when he turned. Maybe it’s something along the lines of sleepwalking while in a state of pure shock?
maybe it’s part of the magic protecting them, sending them to a secluded place to keep their identities safe so they don’t show their true forms in front of people?
That makes a lot of sense. She picks it up and the spell is broken, then she slips it in her pocket, so it is still effecting her. When she gets back, she puts it on her desk and isn’t touching it anymore. Now it makes sense!
YEP. I’m with this explanation. Only when it broke contact with her–or got far enough away and was out of a certain proximity of her did she actually feel it.
I literally had no money at the time of the kickstarter, but I do now. Is it too late for me to get my hands on one of those borogove decks?
You’ll have to wait for her to up them up in her shop–the Plesiostore? Once she’s got masses and masses of decks out to whom they belong to, I’m sure she’ll toss all the extras up there. :3
Q. We’ve seen creatures from Classical, Native American and European mythology but not a lot from Eastern and Polynesian mythology. Do you have any plans on drawing a kitsune, taniwha or anything of the like later in the series?
I was thinking the same thing…can we have a taniwha? *puppy eyes*
There was a Quilin? (i think thats how you spell it.) in Exchanges!
Q: Will we ever see the elders and how many are there?
I know that werewolves don’t exist in the “Skin Deep” universe (kind of bummed about that because I love ’em). But what about the Wulver from Scotland and the Shetland Islands? If so, could you draw one?
Thanks. You ROCK!
I second the Wulver idea. Most Shetland Island monsters are pretty cool.
Question for Alec:
Are Bugbears responsible for creating Heavy Metal (especially Black Metal)? If so, thank you!
Is there any characters you really want to put in the story but haven’t been able to yet?
Also what is everyone’s favorite food? Does their taste in food change when they turned?
Be sure to be safe when traveling! : )
Q. Jim versus a Pooka. Who would laugh first?
Will we see some of Greg’s family or Merial’s family?
Uhhh… Mysterybox! I like that.
Question for Merial an Jack:
What the hell are you two? A couple? The proverbial friends with benefits? Do you know or don’t care… *busybody*
I really like where this is going. c:
– – –
Q; Are there any other mythical creaters that you have been planing to add to your story? And what do you think of Lycanthropes and Selkies?
Sorry if this has been asked before, but can different species (e.g. nixie & gryphon, sphinx & um goat man), er, procreate? Is that how rare mythical creatures come to be?
Here we go. https://www.skindeepcomic.com/archive/question-17/
Ike explains how he is a bizarre case. https://www.skindeepcomic.com/archive/hello-goodbye-that-poor-sod/ And “what an interesting first union that must have been.”
I think I also remember something about Jim’s mother being a breed of griffon that comes from Wonderland and has a Jub-Jub bird for a brother while Jim’s father is a completely different type of griffon.
+1 for the Gunnerkrigg Court reference. ;)
https://www.skindeepcomic.com/archive/reader-questions-mixed-marriages/
:D And no, kids of two magical parents are usually either one or the other.
Why did you decide to change your facial hair Greg?
Also how old were you when you started to shave and how old were you when you decided to grow your beard?
Reader’s Questions?
I think you should draw a couple panels of Michelle switching out the feathers in her hair. Then it’s drawn and done with and no more fuss.
It’s good to see Michelle’s mom smile.
Do animals that don’t fit into traditional creatures or mythological creatures, automatically get placed into wonderland creatures? Like strange mix breeds and such?
Question!! What are the Orientations main cast members all majoring in in college?
For Jim:
Yo! Jim! Ever tried facial hair? You would look great with a big ol’ green Gandalf beard.
Love your work, Kory. I love having a comic set in Missouri, especially a fantasy one.
Q: Who usually wins in a poker game between Gabriel and the Grim Bros.?
My only question – HOW is Michelle’s mum taking this so super well? Is she like…kind of into zany things like wicca or conspiracy theories so this is not that big a deal to her because she already believes in ghosts and stuff? Maybe you are going to answer this in the next few pages though.
Reader Question:
What does Anthony look like playing his guitar in harpy form?
Why’d the dragons and sphinx have to do a silly thing like killing each other? Bloodcarver is awesome. *Nods* And I’ve totally said that silly statement before.
But seriously… Mich’s mom… What’s your deal? Even a level-headed person wouldn’t be taken this situation so well! How’d you know or what exactly are you? Cause some things just aren’t adding up here! *Chuckles* Maybe they will later on in the story.
how did michels dad escape from dis?
Escape from what?
Dis is where the brothers Grim live, and, presumably where Michael has been being kept.
I repeat my request from a couple pages ago: A full-form Dermot with Sam Hain with him (on his back is cute, but it probably doesn’t fit his personality, huh?)
huh, now that I think about it, her mom is taking all this /really/ well. She must be really chill or something, because I bet most parents would have gone batshit hysterical XD
Can you draw everyone as pirates?
Or ninjas?
…Or both?
half ninjas, half pirates! Versus each other! ^^
I re-read the entire comic yesterday and gah, so, so, SO much love for it all. :D SD is the first thing in my RSS feed I check daily. :)
Question…as a Scottish person, I was wondering what creatures might be living up here under my very nose. Kelpies perhaps?
I love both of the storylines going on here! All the characters are fantastic! Put a character from Orientations in the same space as a character from Exchanges! Jim doesn’t count.
Tony meeting Michelle. Shared speech bubble of “You too, huh?”
Tony meeting Michelle. Shared speech bubble of “You too, huh?” Maybe Jim introducing them.
Q/ Are there any avalon only holidays or celebrations?
Oh, oh, question!
Can you draw some of the characters if they were other species?
Michelle! Are sore throats even worse for you now that your neck is twice as long?
Michelle has magic, and it is shown that she can heal people, I have a feeling that she could heal her throat before it gets bad.
The Borogove kickstarter was during a term I banned myself from webcomics and I MISSED IT! Will there be a chance to buy a deck in the store for those of us who missed the kickstarter?
I think that they’ll be for sale once Kory gets them and ships them out to all the people who helped with the kickstarter. I want one, too.
I have a question! To those who are born knowing what they are, is there a preset time when they get their medallions or is it just when they/the family can afford it?
Reader Question: Would you draw Jim and friends gender-swapped? For kicks? Or maybe the Grimm brothers played a prank? Or someone messed around with some kind of cursed thingummy, and poofed them all gender-bent?
Question: Mythology and Fantasy have shown mythical creatures in a vast amount of ways, how did you decide to draw them the way you did?
I don’t understand how you can get through all these questions.
Here’s one for Greg: Considering that Jim and Michelle can fly, Merial can control water and has magic spit, not to mention whatever else comes in the sphinx magical package. Does he ever feel left out since he only really has a formidable forehead fortitude and goat ears to speak of?
Also, and on a side note, it sucks that the comic will be postponed again. This is the only webcomic I know that updates on a Tuesday. Now Tuesdays are going to be boring again =(
I think in Fiddler’s Cave it showed him controlling wood. Unless that fence post was just loose.
After someone is turned, is the appearance of their human form effected in any way, even slightly? Alec seems to indicate this in Exchanges, and I was wondering if he was talking out of his backside or not.
I want to know about the first medallions like who made them and how? and what about the unmarked medallions? also do dragons have midforms?
Wow, having the color added really contributes to the feel of that scene. Not that the black and white was bad but the color just generates a life all it’s own.
Q: Hey, Michelle, have you been reading up on Egyptian and Greek mythology since you got turned into a bird-lion monster thing? If so, what is the weirdest thing you’ve read/heard about your species?
Can i have a cuddle? It’s lonely being stuck in a libary as a being that needs to read new infomation for sustiance.
Oh, PLEASE learn how to spell properly??
Please don’t reply to a four year old comment with an insult, it’s tacky.
Question: Considering there are no more medallions being made isn’t there a crisis looming in the future where there isn’t enough to go around (and many are in bad shape)?
From Panel #3
Wosret, Egyptian Goddess, See Wikipedia at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wosret
Is that a hint of where this is going?
Will we be seeing any other Wonderlanders any time soon?
Question: What species was that wolf guy on page 5 of Hello Goodbye?
Do any species need something other than the medallion to change form? I’m thinking along the lines of Skinwalkers, who use a pelt of the animal they change into to switch from human to animal.
haha, weird. if I had scrolled up just a bit, I’d have seen you had the same sort of idea as me. Skin walkers ftw!
So I’ve been wondering about the difference between male and female sphinxes; like, I know Michelle has wings, being a Greek style sphinx (I guess all females are ‘Greek’ sphinxes and males are ‘Egyptian’ sphinxes?), so I guess males just get the short end of the stick in that aspect, or can they do different magic-y things? Also, how many of the Skin Deep magical beings are sexually dimorphic? Like, Sphinxes are different ‘types’ if they’re male and female, and I guess there are only male Saytrs, but the female equivalent is a faun? Are there any other species that technically distinct depending on their sex?
And on a partially related note: are there spells, ect, that switch your sex? And if there are, what happens if you use it on a ‘males only’ race like Saytrs? Do they just turn into fauns?
I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS.
Question: if no new medallions are generally made then how does the existing number of medallions keep up with population? And what happens when a medallion gets passed between family members? If one person only ever gets one medallion then can they only be passed at death?
Question 2: are all male sphinxes wingless?
if two similar creatures have children , say a nemean lion female and a bohemian lion male, which species will the child take after?
Same flip of the coin as gender mostly. Jim’s family makes a good example. He and his three siblings are all male, but Toby is a common griffin like their mother while Paul, Jim, and Colin are maned griffins like their father.
My, what a difference! Too bad I’m color blind. :/
Q: Congratulations, monsters! A secret stash of medallions has been found and they’re all yours! Show off your human/midforms if you have them.
Ohhh! Question!
Are there skin-walkers in the SD universe?
oh and 50 bucks says Michael knew the secret to making new medallions, and Michelle will learn it.
Paulbert how many bands do you manage?
QUESTION~
Why no werewolves or other creatures like that? I mean, I know how you said they are mistaken for bugbears… Is there any reason?
Okay, so we saw that Liverpool has an Avalon that is as big as a tiny village and Wonderland is kind of considered as an Avalon, right? Those two places are huge compared to the Avalon Michelle visited! So, my question is, are there bigger Avalons in the United-States, or even the continent? If not, is it because the cities in America are a lot younger than the ones in Europe? And if there are no real big Avalon in America, how do the big families of creatures, like Jim’s, manage to stay hidden?
I would like to second this one.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
The worst part of finding a new webcomic is always when you get up to the most recent comic XD
What’s Elise’s take on the whole ‘brony’ subculture?
Reader Question: What other mythical creatures will appear/be allowed into Skin Deep?
Are items concealed by the medallions in stasis while they are not there, or does time still pass for them? Examples of how this might be relevant would be whether a watch would get behind from being concealed, or whether concealed cell-phone would appear to the caller as ringing or inactive.
Reader Question:
~ Hey Michelle, Is your neck really that long when you’re in fullform or is that just part of the art style?
~ And is it just the art improvement or a character design improvement that now you’re face is more elongated than in the first few pages of Orientations?
Michelle obviously still hasn’t told the others what her dad’s shade said to her. If she had, Jim would ponder a connection to Ravi’s House of Eastern Curiosities, next door to The Underground, back in Liverpool. And, is that a portable Hestia shrine, like Jim’s?
Even better she should say in front of Jim that her Dad’s shade mentioned Phineas the Red. Seeing as how Jim is descended from him and all some useful information could come out of it.
Duth thy ears diceve me or did I hear of Ravi the praying mantis
http://korybing.deviantart.com/gallery/?q=ravi#/d5cxr4