Kid Beowulf Odyssey: "Swords Before Swine" (Finale)

In today’s episode we learn exactly what makes Hama the pig worthy to wield the magic sword, Nagling.

In the words of He-Man, HAMA HAS THE POWER!

If you’re wondering how we got this far, then I recommend you read Part 1 and Part 2 of this short story, aptly titled: “Swords Before Swine” (a nod, mayhaps to another cartoon pig? You’ll never know).

Read on true believer for the conclusion to this opening chapter of Kid Beowulf Odyssey and a sneak peek at the kickstarter to come!

And there you have it: Hama the pig is now the rightful owner of the magic sword Nagling.

I like how this story turned out and it was fun to recount past adventures. At the start of the fifth book in my series, it was important to create a first chapter that worked as an easy jumping on point for new readers. We get a solid recap of the previous book and a nod to past stories too. Hopefully long-time readers enjoy the look back and for those who haven’t read those books then they have something to look forward to.

Today’s episode (like all substack episodes) has been tailor made for your phone’s screen since that’s where most people are reading. But because of that, some nifty page layouts are left on the (literal) cutting room floor.

Here’s a look at all the production stages of the first page in today’s episode, from PENCILS to INKS to FLAT COLOR to FINAL COLOR to LETTERS. There are lots of steps to making comics!

Speaking of original art, for the first time ever on a kickstarter I will be offering original art for sale at some of the higher reward tiers.

If you are a collector or just like original comic art hanging on your wall (and who doesn’t?) then you this reward tier is for you. The Kid Beowulf Odyssey Summer Annual features some bonus Hama & Pici strips so I’m offering a limited number of the original strips for sale. Here’s a sneak peek at that reward tier…

And for the TOP reward tier of the entire campaign, I’m offering the comic book cover art!

Just like the Highlander, THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE backer for this reward so if you’re interested be sure to sign up and get notified when the campaign goes live on launch day!

Next week we’ll check in with Grendel and see where his odyssey is taking him.

PS: Did you see catch the sword cameos in today’s comic? Shout out to the original Sword of Power and the Sword of Omens. Scroll back to panel three to see ;)

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Come sail away.