Shatterstone Returns!

https://ko-fi.com/amandajealous

Hey there, comic Stan’s, comic fans and comic sans! We’ve been on a brief hiatus, but we are back, refreshed, and feeling ready to talk about some awesome comics!

Back in September of 2023, Amanda J Ellis and Shawn R Klopfer shared with us the first chapter of their webcomic, Shatterstone. The tale follows an orphaned orc girl named Emerald, who is being raised by a dwarven man after her village is sacked and destroyed. Realizing he can’t offer his precious daughter any orcan culture on his own, Hogarth Shatterstone enlists the help of the orcan warrior, Ükakalá, to familiarize Emerald with her heritage.

The first chapter of Shatterstone was equal parts heartfelt and sweet mixed with fantastical lore and stark brutality. And in Chapter 2: The Broken Spears, that train keeps on rollin’ as Amanda and Shawn dive into the cruel tutelage of Ükakalá. Now well into adolescence, Emerald pushes back against Ükakalá‘s training when she is forced to hunt and kill a wild heraboar that turns out to be a nursing mother. It’s in these dark and vulnerable moments where you can clearly see the loving hand that raised Emerald to be as thoughtful and kind as she is. The magic of this story so far has been to see someone born of race and culture that is deemed brutish and violent, yet yields no legendary heroes or kings and queens. And being raised outside of cture by someone of a different race, class, and mindset gives her perspective on the larger picture. It gives Emerald so much potential to challenge the status quo and forge her own destiny.

Ellis’ art in Shatterstone is breathtaking. The soft and richly textured linework is so adorable that you are caught off guard when the tone shifts to the more frantic and brutal scenes of high suspense. It’s that dynamism in the art that truly makes this story sing. Ellis’ layouts are also very dynamic in speeding up and slowing down the pace, moving your eyes across the page, and delivering stunning focal points. I’m a big fan of when writers and artists understand each other so well their use of silent panels and pages convey exactly the tone and weight a story needs and Ellis and Klopfer are amazing examples of this uniquely visual storytelling.

Shatterstone Chapter 2: The Broken Spears will release on Ko-fi on May 3, so get out there and support this wonderful creative team!

With the first two chapters of Shatterstone in the can, I cannot wait for more as this story evolves and Emerald gets closer to discovering who she is and how she breaks the barriers set in front of her.

According to the creators: “Emerald Shatterstone will return! The next chapter of Shatterstone is currently in the works and I hope to begin sharing it on Patreon in June. The chapter title is Shatterstone Chapter 3: The Fire Opal.”

If you would like to support Amanda J Ellis’ work you can check out more digital comics on Ko-fi. You can also find Ellis on Patreon, where you can follow comics as they’re being created.  And finally you can check out Amanda J Ellis’ work on Instagram.