Devil's Wake
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It’s been thirteen years since the Last Pandemic. No one knows where it came from, but it changed the world as it spread like wildfire in areas with major international traffic: London, Paris, New York, and L.A. In the blink of an eye, the cities were filled with rabid, blood-thirsty undead. Small nuclear weapons were used on large populations in hopes of containing the infection, but only resulted in further destruction and despair. In the end, only those lucky few living in the middle of nowhere with a stockpile of ammunition had a fighting chance. Now, pockets of humanity endure in the flyover states of rural America, waging a constant war for survival. To make matters worse, the undead enemy is beginning to evolve, showing signs of intelligence. In this dangerous landscape, a lone woman known only as Omaha wanders with her trusty horse and a pair of samurai swords, waging her own private war against impossible odds. For years she has stayed away from human settlements in order to avoid facing her mysterious past. However, along the way she accidentally befriends a young boy from the small camp of Hovenweep in Southern Colorado. Will her secret past finally catch up to her? Will she travel to the rumored sacred city of Gehenna where she might find lasting sanctuary against the undead? This is a perilous journey across post-apocalyptic America where there will be death around every corner and surprises at every turn.
This month's competitor Sci-Fi Drive-by has some bold predictions for the future.... including, if you zoom in on the shelf behind the librarian's head in the library scene, a print version of Devil's Wake!
Hi Stone Mane, nice to hear that you're digging the crazy blend of ingredients and spices I've come up with for this comic! I would love to cook up more for you and all the readers so please if you enjoy it let your friends know about this comic so I might be able to continue this series!
And yes, I've seen Outlaw Star, it's awesome!
dragon slayer, thanks for providing such a great concise explanation, couldn't have said it better myself! I've only touched the surface on the subject of Vorares, hopefully I'll have a chance to show you guys further development.
hey spirrus, I think you'll be happy with the next few pages. ;)
Have you ever seen outlaw star? Never mess with a girl who's got mad sword skills, even if it is a wooden sword.
WATCH OUT SHE'S GOT A STICK
That's a great explanation dragon slayer. I figure that's pretty accurate, but at the start of the comic there's a bomber and a nuclear explosion. I guess the vorare spread too fast for nuclear bombs to be effective, or maybe radiation does nothing to them...no idea.
Stone Mane -- If I (a non-creator, just a reader with an idea) had to guess, I'd say modern weapons like guns fail because they leave such small openings. We humans crumble if you damage out an organ, as we can't last long enough without it working for it to heal. I suspect the Vorares can heal quickly from such small wounds, so chopping them up with blades works best. I suspect modern, less ocnventional weaponry (i.e. Grenades, artillery, flamethrowers, etc.) very well might prove effective, but are generally hard to find.
Oh and I forgot to ask, why don't modern weapons work on the vorares?
I think it's great how you've blended modern motiffs with more ancient cultures. The lone sword-wielding warriors that kill "demons" (meaning anything evil the story features), but the presence of bordellos with women in modern clothing and the stripper club lighting. Really well done, even though at first one wouldn't expect those blends, it works and it's inovative.
I gleefully await the moment Omaha sticks that mohawked punk with a katana. If it happens o.o
hey kevin, thanks for reading! well hopefully there will be more of Devil's Wake after the first season of 60 pages, but the best way to make that happen is to please spread the word! Use your facebook or twitter and let your friends know about our incredible site with so many awesome comics to read for free! Also use the feedback link below to send a message to Zuda if you would like to see Devil's Wake continued, thanks!
hey spirrus, happy you're digging the facial expressions and the, um, female anatomy, as I try hard to do my best in those areas, lol.
the expressions on page 42 are very well-done I must say D:
love the story! will there be more?
You sir are quite gifted when it comes to drawing boobs >>
hey james and zsabreuser, glad you guys dig the tattoo art, I've always been a big fan of tattoos and really wanted to paint something on Omaha that looked like traditional tattoo art so its great that everyone seems to like it!
Same for me!
Your paintings have gotten slicker by the passing page, I'm psyched!
Loving the background and the GIRL loving haha, very sweet! Also, the tatoos ROCK
Catching up on this and, yeah, it continues to kick arse. It's nice how cthe story is developing and the flashback is really nice. Super cinematic, great story, sublime art and Omaha's tattoos are ace.
hey, hope everyone have a great new years, and here's to an awesome 2010!
hey kennon and juan, glad you guys are enjoying the comic and thanks for the encouragement and the support!
hey spirrus, its pronunced vo-rar-ray with a soft "ray" at the end. Its derived from Latin for "to devour" and is the root of the word voracious. Vespillon is also a Latin word for the undertaker of the dead. I will be putting in a more detailed explanation of the words in the story a little later, but thanks for asking.
Great work Dean, I love how your work is getting better and netter is amazing :D congratulations :D
Great work Dean. Love the tattoo art.
I'm confused, do you pronounce Vorare as vo-rare or vo-rar-ray? Loving the comic, keep up the awesome work! <3 Ohama's tattoos
hey michaeljasper, thanks! I'm glad you enjoy the setting for the comic, so many cool ruins and natural beauty that are underrated in the fly-over states!
hey BobEddy, glad you checked out my comic and thanks for reading!
The last few pages -- 34-38 -- have really got me intrigued. Fantastic art, and I love that the "fly-over" states get some love in this comic (I'm from Iowa, now living in North Carolina).
Wow I really enjoy this story. I love horror so i had to check this out and was not disappointed in what i saw! I cant wait for more!
hey Johnny, thanks man!
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Hey hope everyone's having an awesome holiday season and please spread the word about Devil's Wake to your family and friends! We're past the halfway point in the first season and I hope this series has enough people interested for a second season. Thanks again for reading!
hey seeker, glad you like the Vorares, a lot more surprises are in store about them so keep on reading man!
hey yiorgos, thanks for sticking with it long enough to get to some of the good stuff. It was always the plan to reveal that they're not average zombie monsters but I guess I took my sweet time in building up to that, ha ha.
32 - 36 have just been wowie.
OK...the Vorares -esp. on pg. 23- are CREEPY...impressively so. This creature on pg. 33 is just as impressive, but in a different way. It's one, MEAN-looking m-effer! Those extra horns are a nice touch!
Oh, there I was thinking "ok, zombies, zombie hunters, not sure I'm impressed" and then there comes screen 33... Zombies with horns? Are they zombies? What the hell? You just won me over in a single panel and now I'm curious for the rest of the story.
Hey guys, thanks for all the kind comments and well-wishes! Yes, my family is feeling better and the baby is doing well, however we might be moving to a new house so new challenges are just over the horizon!
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Sorry I haven't been quick to reply to the board, but I definitely would rather spend time delivering the best possible pages I can to everyone reading... Even now my baby boy is bouncing on my lap as I'm trying to type this, so my time is unfortunately limited. It does mean a lot to me to be receiving so many encouraging messages from other Zuda creators and Zuda readers as well, I couldn't do it without you guys so please keep reading and I hope you enjoy this comic as much as I enjoy writing and drawing it for you guys!
Hi Dean how's going the flu, I hope your monkey kid and Baby are right :P.
Thanks for responding! Best to you & yours, speedy recovery wishes. Great new pgs.!
Hi Dean Amazing work I love how is growing your baby, :D By the way great work at westside I read it this week and was an amazing and inspirating reading :)
Now my turn to be impressed. Big, monstrous bloody beastie screaming "Graagh!" Sweet...
just caught up after neglecting for a while. you're really knocking it out of the box -- composition, layout, colors, art, pacing -- one of the most worthy zuda winners of any of them, I'm starting to think!
Dean - just dropping some love, mate! I really dig panel 1 on page 27. That's gorgeous in every way - composition, colour, lighting - whole 9 yards.
I really like the last panel on page 32 Dean! This thing is action packed!
Great work Dean, really enjoying the strip.
Brilliant stuff as ever. Catching up on this, the stun-staff strikes me as something cool and I can't wait to see the next few pages of action...
Hey guys, thanks for the kind comments and glad to know you're still enjoying the story. Sorry for the long absence on the forum but unfortunately swine flu hit my family so its been a rough few weeks! The good news is everyone's feeling fine now and I'm making good progress catching up to my deadlines.
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To answer Gnar Duce's question about her name, I really don't want to spoil it because there will be hints of her "name change" towards the end of the story, and more developments to come if I get a second season.
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As to why I came up with that name while writing the story, that actually gives me a good idea for a new blog entry which needs to be updated badly, so stay tuned and I'll let you know!
Today's catch-up day. :D
Beautiful art, Dean. I look forward to reading more.
I have to say it is one of the coolest comics I read so far. Keep up the good work!
BUT YOU ARE THE CAPTAIN YOU HAVE THE POWER TO ORDER SAMMICHES FROM ME
Great Stuff, love the Zombie-kills! Could you perhaps tell us someday...a. How Omaha got her name in the story, & b. How did you in real life come to call her that, as the author? I would be interested in both... Please keep up the great work!