The Last God: World map for DC Vertigo by Blando

[TheRedEpic]

Hey all,

Here is a PC that I recently finished for DC Vertigo in one of their next big comic series "The Last God".

I mixed a few of my styles together for this one, and it ended up being somewhat experimental. It is also very "Light" piece. Much of my work is very dense and texturey, and this one I kind of eased off that and tried to make it a bit cleaner. DC was very happy to let me go and run with the project, and they were great to work with!

The Last God World Map Blando FINAL 155dpi sample.jpg

Check out the Last God announcement here:
https://www.dccomics.com/blog/2019/0...ries-coming-in

Critiques and comments always welcome.

~Blando

[Wingshaw]

It's a great map, Jared. I like the lighter tones in this one and the way you've done farmland. If I can offer one nitpick, it'd be that the edges of the forests and the swamp are rather abrupt. As a personal preference, I like to tease out the edges of those elements, and show them getting thinner as they extend away from the centre.

Wingshaw

[Bogie]

Looks great, I think it is very well suited for publishing.

[Falconius]

It's a beauty that's for sure. I like the volcanoes in the cold colour mountains. It looks like a great map for stories.

[Clarketography]

Looks great. I love the lighter colour palette, relatively minimalistic and very effective and pleasing to the eye. The mountains look great and the ageing on the map as well as the border, really add some nice touches to it. The Great Void beyond the mountains frames it well and provides some nice contrast whilst also making you wonder what lies beyond.

The only bits of critique I'd give are that the forest's edges look almost like wooden fences at first glance. I think if the forest's edges were slightly rounded shapes to mimic clumps of trees rather than clearly defined borders or lines, it'd help give it that more organic look. Generally speaking. nature doesn't do defined edges, which can make it look a bit man made.

The only other thing is that I'm not sure exactly what's happening with the main river. The part running out into/near Sholtua Bay suggests that it's low ground and the river is flowing down from the north, The River Lands, and out into the sea. However the strands to the left at the Hinterlands, seem as though they are running from high ground and down into The River Lands and the same for the tributaries that run from Radhu Engmahl through the Marshlands in which case you have multiple opposing currents running two different directions that are quite close together so it's hard to tell what's low ground and what's high ground or which direction the rivers should be running.

That said though, I love the overall map and think it's an incredible piece. The text looks great (mind if I ask what text that is actually?) and the bottom left ring filled with the spiralling clouds adds a great bit of flare and intrigue.

Great work!

[arsheesh]

Damn fine work as always Jared. Wonderful work.

Cheers,
-Arsheesh

[MistyBeee]

Your details are always delightful : the border, the abstract ornaments for labels, the towns & locations... As all of your maps, this one goes in my reference folder !

[Kellerica]

You just keep getting better and better, man. I'd love this on my wall.

[TheRedEpic]

Thanks for all the kind words and for the comments/critiques, I'm always looking to improve.

As for the forest edges, its a very old technique I used back in some of my earlier work, 2006-2008ish, and I resurrected it because of the scale, and I wanted that soft white/green comparison next to each other from an aethestics perspective. White trees are reminiscent of Tolkien's Mallorns, and the green us just more decorative and less harsh than brown or black ink. I tried to make the forest a bit more natural by putting smaller trees and copses away fromt eh main forests around the map, but I suppose they are a bit too harsh.

As for the main river, I would say there is some sort of large body of water north off the map, and the southern lands are potentially very high and rocky, thus making the rivers run north instead of south (ala Nile). Also, cardinal rule: the client wanted it so :-)

Thanks!
~Blando

[Daedalus' Dungeons]

Wow! I absolutely love the way you did the labels! Well Done!