September 7th, 2016
7 Sept 2016 · page 633 of 1306
Blue.
Cast: Benjamin Thackerey, Harriet Barber, Heinrich Wolfe, Jack O'Malley, Sidney Malik, Verity Cunningham
Comments (74)
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It's blue. Of course it's blue. Oh, this is wonderful. Welcome home?
Yeah, welcome home indeed.
Blue, the color of sloth. Of course that's Mal's door. XD
Also Mal likes blue: [http://www.widdershinscomic...](http://www.widdershinscomic.com/wdshn/october-17th-2014/ "http://www.widdershinscomic.com/wdshn/october-17th-2014/")
Yes, exactly. Mal likes blue.
Also, in Mal-O-Vision (aka O-Malley-Vision), blue is the color of sadness and melancholy, which is pretty much his default emotional state. So I think the color just resonates with him.
Odds are...there's a lot of sadness involved with being the Witch of an anchor.
Power comes at a high price.
And that is how you tell whether he is a witch.
Which will also determine whether or not if he is also a weather witch.
I'm sorry
I'm sure we'll weather the pun.
Much more effective than weighing him against a duck
A WOODEN duck! Only a witch wouldn't know that! Burn the witch!
Aww, trying to remember the names of colors from his brief vision switch.
Well this is breathtaking.
In the big panel, Sid looks like he's reacting to the light. So does that mean he's seeing some of it, somehow? If he is, is Ben seeing the same thing? Does Mal disappear from their sight when he walks through that door? Argh, I like how the pacing slows down when the plot gets close to the heart of things, but damnit, I can't wait to see the action.
Sidenote: this is a complete coincidence, but I like how Widdershins and Gunnerkrigg Court are laying out their Big Quest All Previous Events Have Led Up To simultaneously.
I think when Mal touched the door, everyone became able to see it.
Also, I so need to catch up with Gunnerkrigg Court. I'm like 2 years behind or something stupid like that.
...That makes sense. I'm the only who failed to see it, am I?
Oh, you simply must catch up with GC. It's Big Quest time, after all.
Yeah Gunnerkrigg is on fire (ahaha) right now, definitely worth catching up.
Eep. 1700+ pages is a lot of binge-reading. Are there physical books?
Yeah! Hard and softcover. [https://www.topatoco.com/me...](https://www.topatoco.com/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=TO&Category_Code=GK "https://www.topatoco.com/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=TO&Category_Code=GK") It's a wonderful story and Tom is a real top dude.
It's really cool to see how the quality of artwork matures from the beginning to now. Kate's does, too, but it's not as dramatic a change. (I think that's because her art was stellar from the beginning.)
Haha, bless you, it really wasn't! I think the change in Gunnerkrigg is more obvious because he started it back when I was starting Darken, so it covers a greater span of time. I remember when we were both on Drunk Duck!
I actually really liked the quirkiness of GC's old art.
I think both the old art and the new have good points, but overall I prefer the new, he's been doing some really strong layouts.
Btw, if you ever want to make an artist cry, tell them you liked their old style better!
Whoops! I didn't mean to imply I thought it was better. I just liked the quirkiness. It's definitely grown in skill, but not in an ObviouslyBad -> ObviouslyBetter path (Like Schlock Mercenary, for example) It took a much more Skilled -> SkilledandMatured sort of path!
I wouldn't your old style is better, but I do like the somewhat sketchier linework from the early chapters. It reminds me of 101 Dalmations a bit.
The main difference is traditional linework vs digital- traditional was fun, but really kind of a pain with regards editing. I definitely couldn't go back now, much too useful to be able to move separate elements around!
Haha I'm the same way, the level of control with digital is too good to give up. Traditional media is such a high-wire act, but it's kind of nice how it forces you to make bold choices and not rely on tweaking things forever.
I'm still on the lookout for a coloring style that compliments sketches well, since I love how they look and would happily ditch the inking phase altogether if I could.
"Gunnerkrigg is ensnared by the green light" just doesn't sound as snappy.
The big panel is entirely in colour (Ben's blonde hair being the easiest bit to spot) so we are indeed outside of Mal-vision when the blue door makes its dramatic entrance!
And damn, you're not wrong. Lots of emotional pay-outs going on.
sidenote: you can add Varethane's Chirault to the list!
Calling it now: Jack (and only Jack) will enter the door to have a little chat with Magic itself (who looks like a nice old granny and serves excellent tea and scones).
But if she starts singing about hedgehogs you should probably stop drinking the tea.
And if she starts singing about that wizard's staff you should quietly head for the door...
Yes. Oi, Mal - what IS the Colour of Magic?
Haven't read that yet but I've heard it's good. Thoughts?
Now I've got a question for Mal: how can you guess the colors? What clues are you using? I wonder, because it's impossible for us poor non-witch-humans to guess colors when there's not enough light and we see the world in grays...
Mal can't guess the colors, but he knows what blue looks like from the few hours he had with normal color vision:
[http://www.widdershinscomic...](http://www.widdershinscomic.com/wdshn/october-17th-2014/ "http://www.widdershinscomic.com/wdshn/october-17th-2014/")
Yes, I remember, but that means what we see on the paper when Kate show us the world through Mal's eyes is not exactly what he sees. Or it could also mean his vision changed since the few hours you mention. So I could add to my question: "did your vision change, or are you now noticing shades or other details you didn't notice before"?
I don't understand. Why would it mean either of those things?
Here's how I see it:
1. Mal sees colors in the spirit realm and is completely colorblind in the physical realm.
2. Mal can make the connection between colors in the spirit realm and colors he could briefly see in the physical realm. A spirit can be the same color as a household item, to him.
3. While he could see physical colors, Mal has learnt that this particular color, which he has seen in the spirit world many times, is what regular people call 'blue'.
4. So now that he sees the door in blue through his spirit-vision, he knows the word to describe it.
What am I missing? Where is the inconsistency?
I'm guessing that having only a couple hours of color-vision and having other distractions at the time, he's not confident he's remembered all the correct names to the colors, even if he's seen them all his life. Like picking up colors in a foreign language. Having them all matched up for you just once and then being unable to verify afterwards if you might have switched some words, or not being sure where the lines between them are drawn like where red becomes pink, might there be a different word for blue with a lit of white in? Etc. I could see being uncertain.
Yes, of course, you must be right.
What Kate shows us from Mal's point-of-view is what he sees. Otherwise, why do it differently than the normal perspective?
He thinks the door is blue (note that he's not quite sure when he responds to Ben), so he's obviously working off his memory. But I think what's throwing you off is that middle panel. That isn't Mal's perspective; I'm pretty sure that's everyone else's, as the door bursts into their perspective when Mal turns the handle.
I got a door just like that in my house. When I expect visitors, I throw all my mess through that door, never to see it again.
Ooh! I've got one of those too! If I could make my way across my chaos-room to look through the window, would I be looking into your chaos-room?
Ohh.. no. I had to bar off my window, else the chaos might escape
Mr Thackerey: "If he starts to call us puny mortals and laughs maniacally, don't try and run away."
Herr Wolfe: "Ah, because you know that friend Mal will not really hurt us, yes?"
Mr Thackerey: "No, it's just that there's no point dying out of breath."
"That's blue ? I think I like blue."
Better than Open Sesame.
As a side note, when I made a reference to Persona's Velvet Room last page, I was not expecting this to happen. Feels weirdly apropos, more I think about it. Mal seeing spirits, communicating with them, and all.
I love the completely different reactions of our two wizards in that inset panel.
The reaction from the wizards is exactly what I expected - apprehension from Ben and excited curiosity from Sid (the man who was more excited than frightened when being held at gun point). Harry's reaction is basically "See, Gran was right". The one that surprises me is Wolfe's reaction. e looks worried too, which is not what I expected from him. Possibly he's been spending too much time with Ben.
Wolfe knows Mal even better than Ben does. It's not the door that worries him, it's Mal's response. Something has clicked into place -- and whatever it is, it's permanent.
Mal is never going to be the same again.
OK that makes more sense now.
He's known O'Malley too long, and this is completely out of character.
Oh. I have an up-vote.
Perhaps someone agrees?
Not from just any ol' upvoter, either.
REALLY?
THIS DOOR WAS MADE FOR MEEE! drrr... drrr... drrr...
...Mine!! MINE!!! MINE!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
I think that blue is the same color as his eyes as well.
I wonder if it is significant that the door is blue and that Mal likes blue...
Giles: It appears to be paranormal in origin.
Buffy: How can you tell?
Giles: Well, it’s so shiny
And behind door number 1...
Niiiice.
That's how you knoooooow it's the door!
That's how you knoooooow it's yours!
Well can you see it's blue color even though you're colorblind?
Does it shine and glow with light meant just for you? Oooh!
It will be your door forever, something everyone will know!
That's how you know (that's how you)
That's how you know (that's how you)
That's how you know!
Iiiiit's your door.
And now I have that song stuck in my head. Bravo on the altered lyrics.
Thanks! I alter lyrics all the time, and usually whoever is around just locks me in the closet until I'm done. :p I'm usually not trying... at all.
I am hearing TARDIS sounds in my head right now.
Hey, time travel is a confirmed thing in setting. Maybe he can get the girl from the future from the hotel gula arc to be his companion, heh.
I don't know how intentional it is (though with Our Author I assume everything is, because, well, so far everything is ;), but the lower inset panel (and some of the look of the door itself, particularly the lower half) is very very Capaldi (and TARDIS, respectively) indeed. As is Mal's line in that and the main panel.
Is that a song reference?
very kewl!
I'mma just sit here for a while and admire this page. ^_^
I'm enjoying the "glowing door" special effects.
Daabu de ba da dye, badaba de baddu.
"...y'know, I think I like blue."