Strip 360 -- First Seen: 2010-01-29
Escape From Terra is updated with new pages every Monday through Friday.

QV on a short break

QUANTUM VIVE is taking a break for a few weeks, as we prepare for Part 2 of the Novo Palermo story, and also for a Kickstarter campaign for Part 1, which will start in September.

In the meantime, Not-Safe.Space will continue, as a murder mystery begins and the relationship between Eithne and Diana develops in unexpected directions.

Not-Safe.Space is a NSFW strip but more than half the pages are SFW so I've set those to *not* require a Patreon membership. Readers should be able to follow the story without seeing the NSFW pages. If I've done this right.

Kickstarter successful and closed

The Kickstarter campaign for Not-Safe.Space Chapter 3 concluded successfully on April 21, and Scott extended the time allowed for late pledges until May 19.

Books have been ordered from the printer and Scott will be spending the next week or so setting up and sending the PDF files to those who asked for them.

(There are still six of you who have not responded to the survey asking for e-mail and snail-mail addresses, he'll do the best he can.)

Thanks to all for supporting this Kickstarter!

The Transcript For This Page

Panel 1
Large, flash-back sort of panel. A younger (but still quite large) Arana is in a wood-carving studio. He's working on one object; on shelves behind him are several other beautiful Maori carvings – see reference photos provided by Sandy. In a small cameo-panel overlooking the scene, we see Reggie, talking.

Reggie: Arana showed early promise of artistic ability, especially with traditional Maori wood carvings.

Reggie: He studied under a master carver and produced some beautiful sculptures.

Panel 2
Back in the present, Reggie is talking to Doris and Fiorella, who are turned to look at him.

Reggie: When we're all back on Ceres, remind me to show you several exquisite pieces I bought early in his career.

Panel 3
Looking past Reggie toward Arana at his desk, a bitter expression on his face.

Reggie: So what did your great talent earn you, Arana?

Arana: Bubkes, nada, zip, zero.

Panel 4
Another flashback panel. We see Arana, from behind, standing in front of a mirror, posed so that we can't clearly see his reflection. He's pulling something down over his head.

Caption (Reggie): 'So he decided that if art critics and fanciers weren't going to take him seriously, he wasn't going to take them seriously either.

Caption (Reggie): He looked around, saw who was getting attention – and money – and decided to create the most flamboyant deceit in the history of art.

Panel 5
Focus is on Doris, but above her head is a cloudy-bordered space in which appears the image of the masked 'Mysto.' It's a full-face mask with some bizarre design. Go nuts.

Reggie (OP): He put on a mask and …

Doris: MYSTO! You're Mysto!
Panel 6
Looking past Doris at Arana, who is half-risen from his chair and taking a deep bow.

Arana: Congratulations, Captain, I am indeed Mysto, the famed 'Interplanetary Environmental Artist.'


Panel 7
Pull back a bit so we can also see Fiorella, who reacts with mild shock to what Doris was saying.

Arana: How did you like my work?

Doris: It was crap.