So, at first I wasn’t going to do a post this week. Beyond still being really underwater on my workload I just thought…people are busy, they’re with their friends and/or families, leave them alone, let them have some quiet.

But then I thought…lots of folks are alone even at times when people are gathering together and in fact that makes being alone feel even more lonely somehow, maybe especially in a pandemic.

And then I thought, there’s plenty of folks that ARE with family/friends/whatever but are still feeling lonely or kind of miserable — stuck dealing with family drama (high level or low level - whatever you got), or cities you moved away from for a reason, or simply just a lot sports you don’t want to watch…in every damn room, or fill-in-the-blank-whatever-thing-the-people-around-you-are-into-but-you’re-not, y’know?

So in the end I figured, send the post now. People looking for an escape or a distraction or something fun or comforting will be grateful to have it and those that are too busy to need or want it now can just read it later. So here we are!

Something adorable and mysterious that Meredith McClaren has designed for Black Cloak!

And what should that post be? Well, I’ve been holding back lots of BLACK CLOAK stuff, because I want so much of the surprises and fun to come from reading the actual comic, but now, with our release date fast approaching next month, I think it’s finally time start teasing some of this stuff! And we’ve all been itching to share this stuff on our side of things, so it’s a treat for us too.

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I hope we’re still going to be building some more “official” docs that relate to BLACK CLOAK world building - that are a bit more developed and considered and beautiful - but for now, I’m just going to show off some more of Meredith McClaren’s incredible character design for our world and give you a tiny bit of background detail. And if you missed the first character drop for Essex and Pax, you can find that here:

1979 Semi-Finalist

Black Cloak: Behind The Scenes 1

I’ve been trying my best not to tease you guys with too much BLACK CLOAK stuff in part because I don’t want to spoil the actual comics reading experience, but I’ve been dying to show you guys some of these designs Meredith has been doing because I just love them so much…

7 months ago · 16 likes · 9 comments · Kelly Thompson

Nida from Black Cloak. Design/Art/Colors by Meredith McClaren

This is NIDA NAKAII.

She is the head medical examiner for the Kiros Police Department (KPD). She is DRACONA, which are, according to legend, the descendants of dragons. Though she lives in a world thick with magic, Nida is a woman of science, which has made her a bit of a misfit among not only the people of Kiros generally, but the Dracona class specifically. You saw her once before already if you were paying attention ;D

Nida and Phaedra Essex from Black Cloak #1 - Art/Colors by Meredith McClaren

Valorie from Black Cloak. Design/Art/Color by Meredith Mcclaren

This is VALORIE SOLAQ.

Valorie is ELF class. She is a high-born that was raised in/on the castle grounds. Now an adult she is one of the high court’s (aka The Queen’s) healers - which also means she’s a master of the magic arts.

Jessup from Black Cloak. Design/Art/Color by Meredith Mcclaren

This is JESSUP.

Jessup is HUMAN class. He’s “leader” of a group of pre-teen/teens in the book. He’s kind of an ass. Jessup is a minor character at best, but his terrific design really shows off some of the vibes - fashion, tech, etc. - that makes a new world feel lived-in and well-developed.

Iona from Black Cloak. Design/Art/Color by Meredith Mcclaren

This is IONA

Iona is FAIRY class. We’re doing fairies a bit differently in our book - at least visually - than what I feel is traditionally done with them. That was always the plan, but especially after Meredith’s designs, I love that we have zigged here instead of the typical zag. I hope you’ll love it too!

Romu from Black Cloak. Design/Art/Color by Meredith Mcclaren

This is ROMU.

Romu is SHIFTER class. Considered the “shape-shifters” of this world, Shifters are typically made of grey vapor and can shift their shape into anything they like. They get better at this skill as they age, though they are born with the instinct and can and DO shift from birth. They are limited by their size - i.e. they cannot make MORE of their own vapor. Though on rare occasions they have combined with other Shifters to make a larger or more complex shape it’s not something they like to do as “de-combining” can be tricky. Shifters cannot change the nature of their vapor - so that if they shift into a cat - they look like a cat - but a cat made of vapor. So it’s an illusion easy to distinguish. HOWEVER. Shifters live in a world of very powerful magics, and with magical assists those shifted shapes can become much more convincing. The most powerful shifters in this world are fascinating and can be very dangerous.

Tomig from Black Cloak. Design/Art/Color by Meredith Mcclaren

This is TOMIG.

Tomig is a young DRACONA class. Teenager vibes and teenager trouble, he’s sorta Jessup’s toady butt munch. Like the some of others, he’s a minor character in the story at best, but a great design that really shows off some of the world building the city of Kiros.

As far as that adorable creature at the top of the post…you’re just gonna have to wait a bit longer, but I will tell you that his name is MISTER STARLIGHT. <3

As a reward for letting me tease you about Mister Starlight let’s show you some tech. Last time we showed you character designs we also showed you Essex and Pax’s sidearms that they carry - a mix of tech and magic - and here’s another bit of BLACK CLOAK magical tech:

From Black Cloak #1 - a Soulprint - Design/Art/Colors by Meredith McClaren

The Black Cloaks (and KPD/Medical Examiners, etc) use a SOUL PRINT. Sort of like the fancier (and magical) equivalent of dental records.

If magical dental records don’t get you guys to subscribe I don’t know what will! ;D

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Seriously though, a moment of thanks from me to you. To those of you that have already subscribed, it means the world. This is a reader-supported initiative and your subscriptions directly enable us to hire more creators, make more comics, and tell stories that take even bigger swings and more chances. So thank you. <3

All right. I’m off to dig into some leftovers and some half-finished scripts. I hope whatever you’re up to, you’re safe and warm, and having a lovely time. Be good to yourself, and others whenever possible. But sometimes other people make that impossible and that’s okay too. Just do your best. We’re all just out here doing our best. Well, most of us are. <3

~Kelly

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1979 Semi-Finalist

Black Cloak: Behind The Scenes 2