Comics
The Harbinger’s Path: Art Updates
As I prepare The Harbinger’s Path comic for print, I plan to also update the live pages online with their updated versions. While the main revisions for print are layout-related to allocate for trim/margin/bleed, there were a few pages whose art I had an inkling to touch-up. Doing so for the print version is my perfect excuse to!
I will likely update most of the online pages after the bulk of the work for the print version is finished. But as I edit the print layout, I’ve found myself wanting to push a few updates early.
Below is a log I started keeping for those – specifically for the comic’s online version. I’ll keep this post updated if/when I add more to this log (keeping track of progress is strangely motivating for me).
February 19, 2026
- Updated typography for all title pages
- Updated page art in Chapter 2, page 12
February 21, 2026
- Updated page art in Chapter 3, page 7
February 22, 2026
- Updated page art in Chapter 3, page 23
Print Progress + Typography Updates (The Harbinger’s Path) | February 19, 2026
Link to live page here.
I’m here with an update about The Harbinger’s Path print book’s progress!
As of this writing, I have finished the first edit pass for all of Chapter 1, all of Chapter 2, and I am now up to pages 5-6 in Chapter 3. These edits include adjusting the pages to factor in margin, bleed, and trim, for when the pages are cut for printing. I have also retouched the art for certain pages along the way (one of them might even be live on the site!).
Book Dimensions and Page Count
I can also share some of the physical attributes of the book. It will be 5.5 x 8.5 inches, which is slightly wider than A4 Correction: A5. (I always mix these two up, forgive me.) This is a standard size for US printers – a size below the standard 6 x 9 in for many US comics. This made figuring out some of the cost logistics easier. The current page count, including the cover, front and back matter, and bonus material, is 84 pages. This version will also be perfect-bound (like a standard book/not like a magazine).
With the comic pages themselves adding up to 55 pages, this means the remaining pages are bonus material! This page count will likely change as I continue working on the book’s layout, but increasing the page count from the original ~60 to the current 84 had a negligible effect on cost (to my surprise and delight). And, it is giving me an excuse to refine and polish several illustrations of Trahearne and Malyck I’ve started over the years – some I’ve shown before, but a few I never have!
Typography Updates (Live)
In addition to the above book info, one of the updates I wanted to show are typography updates!
Below are comparisons of the updated versions with the previous typography, as I’ve updated the title pages for all 3 chapters on the live site now.
Link to live Chapter 1 title page here.
Left is the updated version, right is the previous version.
One of the changes that’s always been in the back of my mind was updating the typography for the chapter title pages. I don’t know why I didn’t think to try this before, but I tried out using the same font I used the the cover (“Gloucester MT Extra Condensed”), and I much prefer the look of this one compared to the previous version.
I remember I spent a good amount of time with the typography in the original, as I was never quite satisfied with it. I should have realized it was my choice of font face! Once I changed it to this Gloucester font, it fell into place quickly.
Link to live Chapter 2 title page here.
I’m fond of that previous edgelord font, but after trying it for 3 chapters, I’ve realized it isn’t the best fit for the tone I want to convey in this comic. I still love the font, but it’s better suited for a different project.
In addition to font changes in these comparisons, you might also notice the slight adjustments made to account for page trim and bleed.
Link to live Chapter 3 title page here.
Additional Notes
Very luckily, it turns out the dimensions I used for the pages spread layout is the exact same ratio as 5.5 x 8.5 in. I am not sure how this happened, because this entire time, I was formatting the pages only with web in mind. I specifically remember originally starting with a 6 x 9 ratio, and then manually adjusting the dimensions to be taller, to fit better for web and mobile. I don’t recall specifically formatting the page dimensions for 5.5 x 8.5, but I either must have and it was so long ago I no longer recall, or this is an incredibly very fortunate coincidence.
If you’d like to know more about this print version of The Harbinger’s Path, click here or the banner below for January’s announcement post which has more info!
The Harbinger’s Path at Manga Ichiba this Fanime 2026
Happy New Year! I hope your year is starting off well.
I have exciting news! Earlier this month, I learned I was accepted into Manga Ichiba at Fanime this year, the first-ever doujinshi-focused (“indie fan comics”) event for NA.
I applied with The Harbinger’s Path, and I’m pleased to announce I will be self-publishing a very limited print run of my “Trahearne-Malyck doujinshi” comic for this event. It will include all 3 completed chapters (50+ pages), and I hope to also add some bonus material for this print version. (More about this to come.)
If you’d like to learn more, I’ll be sharing more info through email updates. You can receive them by joining here.
Below is an overview:
What is Manga Ichiba?
This is an event officially affiliated with FanimeCon, specifically designed to encourage NA-made indie fan comics (or “doujinshi”).
Fanime’s official description:
“A brand new event is coming to FanimeCon this year! Manga Ichiba is America’s first original English-language doujinshi market.”
More info on their official page here.
Fanime is one of North America’s largest anime conventions – I remember first hearing about it from the artists I followed tabling at it. I was able to visit for the first time a few years ago as an attendee! They have a plethora of events going on, and I had a wonderful time with people I met there. It takes place during May in Northern California for a few days over a weekend.
How is this different from an Artist Alley?
One reason I’m excited about this event is because it aims to be distinct from Fanime’s existing “Artist Alleys.” Today’s Artist Alleys – in general, not only at Fanime – tend to focus primarily on selling commercially. These is nothing wrong with this, but commercial incentivizes tend to push artists toward selling prints and merchandise over doujinshi comics. Doujinshi both take more time to make, and tend to have smaller potential audiences.
Doujinshi has a well-established community in Japan, while this type of community hasn’t historically been as nurtured for NA-made doujin comics. Manga Ichiba hopes this might begin changing this!
Manga Ichiba aims to cultivate more of a doujinshi community in NA by shifting the focus less on commercial selling, and more on encouraging artists who are creating doujinshi comics primarily out of their love for their fandoms.
What is “Doujinshi?”
You might have seen me refer to “The Harbinger’s Path” as my “Trahearne-Malyck doujinshi” in places since starting this project. Doujinshi is a Japanese term which refers to self-published comics, especially fan comics (but it can also refer to original works).
I have always thought of The Harbinger’s Path this way, but I wasn’t sure how widely-known this term was to western/GW2 audiences. I started also calling it my “fan comic,” in case this was more clear.
Final Note
Quick reminder that this project is entirely fan-made and unofficial, and not sponsored by ArenaNet. If you are affiliated with ArenaNet and have questions or suggestions about The Harbinger’s Path, you are always welcome to reach out!
“The Harbinger’s Path” on Hiatus until January 2026 | December 8, 2025
New pages will resume in January 2026!
Ah! The dreaded hiatus! I was hoping I’d be able to continue The Harbinger’s Path update schedule until Chapter 3’s conclusion. When I originally planned the page schedule, I had more time during November & December than what ended up happening. There was a point in November where I thought I’d have to put the comic on hiatus for about a week and a half due to learning I’d be out of town for a bit, but I scrambled to finish a few pages early, and was able to keep the schedule last month without interruption.
While I’m pleased I kept a consistent 2-pages/wk update post schedule since Chapter 3’s launch on September 29 through December 8 today – I think that isn’t too shabby considering this was my first time trying a webcomic update schedule! – I unfortunately don’t think I can do what I did in November again this month. Between deadlines and holiday obligations, December is turning out even busier than November. Most importantly, these next few pages are more complex for me to draw than the pages in November. I mentioned the possibility of a hiatus in last week’s post, but didn’t link it anywhere because I was hoping I’d be able to avoid one.
As mentioned in that post, my main concern is I don’t want the quality of the pages to suffer due to lack of time. Or even fatigue, as I’ve been sacrificing a bit more sleep than I really should for the most recent pages. I felt it beginning with today’s page 21, as it is not as refined as I would like. I plan to touch it up this month during the hiatus.
What happens during the hiatus?
So, the hiatus! What does this mean? This is a hiatus for the comic’s page updates, but not the comic’s progress. I will be drawing the remaining pages during this hiatus, and using this additional time to try and make them a little extra special!
I’m very sorry to interrupt the comic’s update schedule, as I fully intended to continue with regular page updates until Chapter 3’s conclusion. It seems a bit silly in hindsight, but I didn’t account enough time for the unforeseen circumstances that inevitably crop up this time of year (Nov & Dec specifically). Back in September/October, my schedule for Nov/Dec looked so much more open than they ended up being. In the future, I would plan for more of a page buffer during busier times of the year like now.
I promise I will work very hard to make Chapter 3’s conclusion worth the wait, and I’m confident this is the best decision for the comic to maintain its quality. And, hopefully, your enjoyment of it!
When will new pages be posted?
New pages will tentatively be posted on January 19, but I’ll confirm this as we approach closer to this date.
Thank you for reading this year!
Thank you so much again for reading The Harbinger’s Path this year! Truly, it means the world to me. I’m still amazed there are people who enjoy reading my comics. It’s been a pleasure drawing this story for you, and especially reading your reactions and thoughts. I can’t wait to finalize this chapter, as well as look forward to drawing new comics and new stories in 2026!
In the meantime, enjoy your holidays! And, please look forward to January 2026 to find out what happens next with Trahearne and Malyck!
Edited for clarity while more awake later the same day. Also added a few of this chapter’s page previews to break up the text.