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THE RED COST Prologue
🕑 Added 2026-01-05 07:15:56 +0000 UTCHigh-res pages just for you! You'll notice these are a little different from what gets posted on the site. I thought I'd give you the untrimmed versions, without the bleed cut off. There's almost never anything of note in the bleed, that's the point, but sometimes they do make for some prettier panels.
Thanks for all the kind words on the prologue! When you're working on something like this for a few months all alone, you just kind of start assuming no one is going to be interested or that it's all secretly hot garbage. TRC is especially awkward for me because it's the story that has all my weird niche interests, some of my most unlikable characters, some of my most personal philosophy, and some real ick, eventually. But I'll make the same promise I made with Unsounded: It always has a point, and it's always leading to a conclusion that will not make you feel like you wasted your time.
Regular updates will kick off next Monday. A lot happens this first chapter but we do have to build up to it, so strap in for the slow burn :) And as always, let me know if you have any questions! I answer every question on here, even if it's just to say no, I can't answer that yet :3
Comments
steven kiland
So good!
Fitzy
We're so back! First update with the new book and we're already 1 dead kid in - bodes well
Josh
Particularly fond of that shot of the sea filtered through blood while we see our intrepid not-heroes escape in the Richard Scarry cutaway view of the ship. And the bit of Tree saying "No"... while the sense-lines roll off him. Made me a little sick but it's such succinct storytelling.
Josh
I feel like I'd support this on Patreon anyway because it's easily my favorite webcomic and just one of the best things I've ever seen period, but even if I was just all "well gimme somethin' now" about it, the high-res versions would be worth the price of admission. They're gorgeous.
Ashley
Thank you, Anna! I hope your life calms down soon, it's hard to keep up "hectic" for too long!
Ashley
Aww, thank you <3 I'm really trying to present a fully realised country with Alderode. I wanna pick you up and put you inside it!
Anna Sanina
Welcome back! So excited to see the new pages, they are gorgeous and oh so detailed, it boggles the mind! So happy my memories of the old Laurent art proved to be more than hallucinations, haha, finally I got something right. My life is entering a very hectic period, but I will always look forward to Unsounded / Red Cost pages on the mornings when updates come. One day I will present the Unsounded comics to my matured progeny, maybe by then everything will be in print (and at this rate, she would be just the right age to read them)! Can't believe it's been 15 years, I so admire your tenacity and dedication. The art has only gotten fancier and fancier with time. Most webcomics I have followed over those years have fizzled out before the author managed to tell the story, often times because they overshot their stamina artistically, but you just keep raising the bar and you keep going, and that's incredible. Thank you so much!
CelebrenIthil
Welp, now I can no longer be a "Mikaela is alive" nor "Tree is Murkoph" truther now, once the truth is out. I guess I'll have to find a new mystery to latch onto – I'm not worried, haha. Those two pieces of intrigue were constructed well enough one could follow the breadcrumbs to piece it together, which is always pleasant. Never any cheap, out-the-left-field tricks in my Unsounded. Mystery series writers should take note. :) Anyway, gorgeous art, thank you so much for gifting us the extra bleed panels, it was a delight to take it all in and admire all the detail. Very cool scene settings and angles of view; the lighting work is superb, the silver woods design is wicked sick, and those ships! I realize you'll have a lot of ship and sailing scenes in store for us in this one, so I'm looking forward to more. :3
Reed Copperstrand
That Silver Woods panel is just gorgeous. <3
Ashley
I feel like I'm jinxing myself if I answer, haha. But the outline right now has it at 15 chapters :) Shorter than Unsounded. I hope you had a lovely Christmas too!
gigi
there's always something comforting about Unsounded coming back after a break, I hope you had a lovely christmas Ashley and I can't wait to see where our heroes go in The Red Cost! I know the plan for this next part of the story has changed over the years, how long do you think it'll end up being? about the same length as Unsounded or shorter?
Ashley
Your media literacy is spot-on, you understood that bait and switch :) Glad you enjoyed!
Ashley
It does not change their voice, but I wanted to try to show visually when the Dammakhert is in play - when Alds are sensing other Alds' presence, lies, or state of mind. Mostly it'll just be a golden blob in the vicinity of their sinuses but you might see it on speech bubbles too. Here, Tree is smelling out those two other mooks, and it's the source of his words.
PotentPinion
Page 9 shows some interesting highlights on Tree's speech bubble. Does an Ald's voice get weird when doing Dammakhert stuff? Also great start to the new book, very excited to see where it goes next!
Luuuuuuu
Waste of space, better delete it.
Otter
What function does Nora think Duane's living soul serves if the personality is still artificial and everything Duane does is programmed?
Ross Hopkins
Man, it’s moments like these I wish I had the analytical nous to break down exactly what I loved about this work and all I can ever muster is “IT’S GREAT, MAKE MORE OF IT”. Why I never got anywhere in media studies, I guess. Stellar as always and a fantastic start to a whole new exciting chapter in the lives of our favourite miscreants. Really liked the bait and switch between Jaer and Tree where you expect the latter to be the squeamish one from their contrasting behaviour and then oh hey look who it is under the scarf.
