Making comics is a rare event for me; those shown below were originally created between 2003 and 2014, then enlarged and remade in 2025. I had no clue in those younger years about proper use of copyrighted fonts, nor could I guess how much the average monitor resolutions would rise since that time!
Chibi Geren and Defender Comic
This first comic depicts a potential scene that I did not include in my second Geren novel, The Abdication of Harai. Seeing the quadratic formula as part of an advertisement in a city bus long ago inspired me to include it.
Transcript
Panel 1
Geren stands on a path by a grassy field with a forest in the background, holding a white object behind his back. The Defender is flying down to land facing him.
Geren, smiling: “Defender! Guess what? Ferill’s teaching me math!
Panel 2
The Defender replies to Geren: “That’s great! What are you learning?” On the opposite side his thought bubble shows the quadratic formula along with a calculus formula for surface area.
Panel 3
Geren, beaming, produces the sign he held behind his back, depicting 3 x 4 = 12.
Panel 4
Geren’s speech bubble comes from panel 3: “Haven’t I learned a lot?”
The Defender, disconcerted: “Uh… You have, Geren. That’s, er, nice. Keep it up.”
I found the chibi style quite time-consuming to create and too childish for my personal taste, so I abandoned it with later comics.
Hu-Harek Comics
Both of these comics were originally made in 2014. Although Hu-Harek doesn’t appear in any published works yet, I hope they still provide some humor.
Transcript
Title: Why Hu-Harek’s Home Is a Utopia for Scholars
In red font, words underneath clarify: Most of the time!
Panel 1
Hu-Harek rushes down an underground hallway in her home toward a watching avii, two hyarmi, and a bearded man. She has a glass container in her hand, and she excitedly tells them, “See what I found!”
Text at the bottom of the panel: Hu-Harek Finds Prions
Panel 2
Same image as Panel 1.
Hu-Harek: “See what I found!”
Text at the bottom of the panel: Hu-Harek Discovers Ice II
Panel 3
The location and audience are the same, but Hu-Harek’s glass container illuminates her and the hallway with eerie green light.
Hu-Harek: “See what I found!”
One of the hyarmi onlookers has flattened ears and says “Eep!”
Text at the bottom of the panel: Hu-Harek Isolates Radon-222
Panel 4
The location and audience are the same, but this time Hu-Harek carries a roll of parchment.
Hu-Harek: “I wrote a song!”
Avii, feathers bristling: “No!”
Both hyarmi, ears flattened: “Ahhh!”
Man: “RUN!”
Text at the bottom of the panel: Hu-Harek Composes “Music”
Transcript
Panel 1
Hu-Harek sits behind a hyarmi patient lying on a low bed in an underground room, her hand over the patient’s side and light indicating she is in the process of Healing the patient with her power.
Hu-Harek: “I’m afraid those nifty copper-activated zinc sulfide radium lights will have to go.”
Patient, relaxed: “Why?”
Panel 2
Nearly the same image as panel 1.
Hu-Harek: “Because I’ve been spending roughly one day a month Healing people from radiation sickness ever since. It’s a fascinating affliction, but now it’s starting to get tedious.”
A second speech bubble from Hu-Harek starts with a sigh. “The lights will have to go.”
Patient is wide-eyed and appalled, ears flattened and pupils dilated.
Defender and Changer Animated Comic
For the comic animation below, I used the rather addictive HeroMachine in 2006 for nearly all of the images.
I could describe at some length all of the inaccuracies in the animation, but … it’s humor.
View full size animation (700 x 700 pixels)
Transcript
The Defender of Life (left) and the Master Shapechanger (right) stand facing the viewer, featureless sky and grass behind them. The Defender is wearing light grey clothing covering his body, arms, and legs, while the Changer has dark green attire that reveals most of his legs and upper arms, and also his flanks and part of his stomach.
The Changer: “Quit distracting from my glory!”
The Defender blinks and looks over. “You actually think I’m competition?”
The Changer glances over twice, then raises a fist. “Just a little. Leave.”
The Defender turns into a blond man wearing brown overalls with suspenders and holding a walking stick. “Is this better?”
The Changer turns into a green-eyed, red-haired man wearing a green monk’s robe. He blinks at those unfashionable overalls. “Not really.”
The Defender turns into a white stallion with flaxen-colored mane.
The Changer turns into a red stallion (with green eyes).
The Defender turns into a light grey wolf.
The Changer turns into a red wolf (with green eyes).
The Defender turns into a grey cat.
The Changer turns into a hissing red cat (with bright green eyes).
The Defender turns into a raven.
The Changer turns into a burgundy and white raptor.
The Defender vanishes from view.
The Changer also vanishes from view.
The Defender (unseen): “Why do you have to turn everything into a strutting contest?”
The Changer (unseen): “I breathe, therefore I strut. You haven’t left yet.”
The view shifts to show dirt ground below the grass and sky. Two earthworms with eyes face each other, heads high. (The Changer has green eyes.)
The Defender drops his head to the ground.
The Changer, despite being an earthworm, suddenly possesses curly red hair.
The Defender sighs.
Fonts used are primarily Coming Soon and Cardo, with Noto Sans Math for part of the equations. The comic animation uses Rowdies.
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