Comics

Duskbirds Volume 2: Cover Layout | March 6, 2026

Comics, Digital Art, Work-In-Progress
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I recently learned I will be at another convention next month! (Early April) This one is smaller than Manga Ichiba at Fanime. In my focus with getting The Harbinger’s Path ready for Manga Ichiba, I forgot that I applied to this second convention. Similar with Manga Ichiba, I applied to this one at the suggestion of my indie comics friend. It’s very likely I wouldn’t have applied to either if it wasn’t for her encouragement. Many thanks again to Theresa! :D (Who recently finished her successfully-funded Kickstarter for her comic memoir – which I think you can still support as a late backer!) 

For this second convention, I was surprised last month when I learned I was accepted. I had a brief few days where I was scrambling to see if I could finish the print version for The Harbinger’s Path in time for this early-April convention. After looking into logistics, I decided I did not want to rush Harbinger. I planned Harbinger’s print schedule around Fanime’s timeline. That’s in late May, compared to the second convention in early April – nearly a two-month difference in time. 

Elsium the "duskbird" running to the left.
Elsium the “duskbird.”

After mentioning my concerns to my friend, she mentioned Duskbirds might be a better fit for for this convention. This is specifically a small, indie comics con, compared to Fanime, which has a much stronger emphasis on fanworks. While learning this was a relief – in that I could continue with my original timeline for Harbinger – it created the new situation where I now had to format an entirely new comic I hadn’t been planning to. ‘

I started layouts last month, but finally had a chance to really dig into it today. I was surprised how many comics I had to sort through – I have 42 finished comics for Duskbirds. I culled most of the early ones – many were too messy for what i want to show – but even after doing this, a single document ran up to around 40-45 pages. About 5 of these were due to a “bonus illustration” section I was considering adding. 

This was too unwieldy for what I essentially want to print as a small “zine.” Today, I decided to try splitting these comics into 2 volumes – one for the more “lighthearted” comics, and the other for the more “slightly more serious” comics. The latter which I’m currently referring to “introspective” comics. This is similar to how I categorize them – I have a notebook full of Duskbirds ideas which are separated into “fun ideas” and “serious ideas.” 

It gives me a good excuse to use this artwork of Elsium as the cover for the second volume, as I’ve always been bemused by how distressed he looks in this image, haha. I’m also amused by how retro this font looks with this cover. It’s the same font I use for The Harbinger’s Path cover, which doesn’t give me this feeling at all. I’m guessing it’s the combination of the dark background and larger font size. 

So, which convention is this second con? 

It’s the Peninsula Libraries Comic Arts Fest (PLCAF) this April 4th! If you’re in the area, please feel free to stop by and say hello. 

Okay, now back to book layouting for me! 

The Harbinger’s Path: Art Updates

Comics, Guild Wars 2, Site Updates
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Panel crop from Chapter 3, page 9 of "The Harbinger's Path."

 

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 

February 21, 2026 

February 22, 2026 

Print Progress + Typography Updates (The Harbinger’s Path) | February 19, 2026

Comics, Digital Art, Guild Wars 2
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Updated typography | Ch2 Title Page | The Harbinger’s Path
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

Comics, Guild Wars 2
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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!

Copyright © 2026 Landylachs (Liz Liu). All rights reserved.