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Hymns of the Apostate is an original, dramatic sprite webcomic. It is the sequel to the Fortuna Saga. I highly recommend that you read the Fortuna Saga before you read Hymns of the Apostate. Reading it is free, and you can find it here. The Fortuna Saga is the second canticle in a greater body of work that consists of three canticles. Hymns of the Apostate is the third canticle. The first canticle has not been published yet. All canticles are written to be able to stand independently; however, a much greater depth can be reached if you were to read them in the order that they were written. The Fortuna Saga was my first webcomic. It had a rocky start because I spent almost a year deployed in Afghanistan soon after its inception, but the story persevered and ran all the way to its completion in June 2007. About six months later, Hymns of the Apostate began, but it too was delayed over a year due to subsequent deployments. I am still in the thick of my career, but it is my goal to get as many updates produced as possible in the rare occasions that I find myself at home. The Crew:Name: John Cutting
Job: Writer, Spriter, Website Manager, Logistics Contact: john.cutting@fortunasaga.com john.cutting@googlewave.com Instant Messenger- cutting0311 Skype- cutting0311 Place of Birth: Chicago, IL Drink of Choice: Gin with cold water on the side Mediums: Photoshop. Prose. Welding. Watercolors.
Name: Jessica Mora Cutting
Job: Doctor, Spouse, Assistant, Backgrounds and Sanity Checker Contact: jessica.cutting@fortunasaga.com jessica.cutting@googlewave.com Instant Messenger- MoraFS Place of Birth: Chicago, IL Drink of Choice: Spiced rum and cola or white russian Mediums: Oil paints. Pastels. Charcoal. Photoshop. Sprites. Watercolors. Acrylic paints. Poetry.
I now open the floor to common questions I received along the way:
Why are you using sprites? Allow me to quote the response I used on fortunasaga.com in 2007. The thought behind it still holds true today.: "The online community has a strong bias against sprite comics. VG cats creator Scott Ramsoomair has written 'I reject most sprite comics right off the bat. . . Best avoid sprites unless it's really, REALLY funny.' This view is not right nor is it wrong. I understand where this sentiment comes from. There are many people who realize that the essence of a sprite comic is not hard to recreate. All you need is a few panels, some already existing sprites and some text bubbles. The apparent ease of this idea has caused countless projects which lack substance, character development, and plot. Because the internet is absolutely swarming with trite, ugly sprite comics that end before they begin, most readers make an effort to avoid them at all costs. Besides, sprites 'require no skill.' "The problem I have with this attitude is that it leaves no room for innovation. Why does a sprite comic have to be funny? If every sprite comic has to be funny, readers are better off sticking with the gold standards. I use sprites because I want to introduce something new in order to force people to rethink their stand on this medium. The Fortuna Saga and Hymns of the Apostate are not comedies and it never will be. To my knowledge, these are the first sprite comics that were created as works of drama. The essence the Fortuna Saga is to use simple 16 bit characters to tell a convincing story. It is the art of making the readers engrossed by the characters and the story- subsequently forgetting that these characters are, in fact, sprites. That is the real challenge- giving sprites life and personality. In addition, spriting is one of the hardest artistic tasks I have ever done. Most of my sprites are original (yet they are designed to follow the Final Fantasy style). In a 16 by 16 pixel area, we can covey an enormous range of actions and emotions. There is not a lot of leeway for the spriter, yet it is possible. This is why I choose to use sprites over prose: the endeavor is much more challenging and, therefore, more rewarding." Who are the characters? The Hymns of the Apostate cast. It is updated regularly to include newer cast members. How do I contact you? Email me at john.cutting@fortunasaga.com. I try to respond to everyone who emails me, but there may be a delay. When do you update? Shortly after I finish a page. There is no schedule, but I try to get a page online as quickly as possible. If I am free from work and responsibility, I can get an update out daily. If work or deployment get in the way, the frequency will decrease. How related is Hymns of the Apostate to Fortuna Saga? They are intimately related, yet they can stand alone on their own merits. Understanding one will help you understand the other. Will I be able to buy a copy of the Hymns of the Apostate or Fortuna Saga? Fortuna Saga, no. I used a few sprites from Final Fantasy 6 for the Fortuna Saga, so I would not feel comfortable selling the series. You can download it for free from the Fortuna Saga website. Hymns of the Apostate is being made with 100% original sprites and backgrounds. If demand is high enough, I will put it into a book of some sort for sell. What you or one of your characters said offends me. Firstly, remember that I am not any of the characters from my stories. Secondly, I don't care if you are offended and neither should you. If you are so insecure in your own dogmas and/or stances that the mere thought of someone disagreeing with you makes you offended, you are an obstacle to free, open and honest dialog. Can I do a guest comic? Yes! Of course!. You can send in guest comics at any time. Can I advertise with you? No. I believe in free speech, free expression and free art. Enjoy the site. Can I donate to help with site maintenance? If you want to, I won't stop you. Email me at john.cutting@fortunasaga.com to find out details.
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