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SHOGUM OF THE DEAD: TWILIGHT OF THE SAMURAI © 2013 Daniel Leal Werneck All rights reserved. The reproduction of the contests of this book is forbidden, in part or in its entirety, by any means of communication, electronic or printed, that already exists or that might be invented in the future, without a written authorization of the author, printed in 3 copies, with rubber stamps, and an officially recognized signature, witnessed by three random persons. It is forbidden to scan, photograph, or even talk about this book on the internet. Actually, I think you shouldn’t even look at this book, because simply by staring at it you are already very close to a horrible copyright violation that could cost you your life. This book does NOT comply to any ortographical rules of any language or country. Every human being is free to write his or her ideas in any way they see fit, without having to worry with the consequences. Edited by: Crânio Quadrinhos / DLW Printed by CreateSpace. No legal deposit. No library card information. 1st English edition: May 2014 (TCAF)
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! y l i m
a f y m r o f Daniel L. Werneck
Vol. 1 - The Book of Fire
Twilight of the Samurai
so ando al l Bรก, e i r b a to G oon & M o i b รก F rtins a M o l i Mur for the night that started everything.
Belo Horizonte โ ข Brasil
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There are several Feudal Japans. One is a land of valiant and honorable warriors, fighting bravely, but always maintaining a strict ethical code. Another is a gloomy place, painted in dark shades of gray, where cynical warriors could be corrupted with a handful of rice. There is also the feudal Japan printed with zipatones over newspaper, where babies seek revenge next to their parents, the dead walk in underground tunnels, and tattooed women avenge their families from yakuza and sending policemen to the cemetery. Kurosawa’s legendary film “Rashomon“ clearly shows how difficult it is to know exactly what happened in the past. It is only natural that there are many different interpretations of the same historical period, in the same country. Each person who decides to tell a story set in this universe will be merely showing their personal view through the work. Therefore, it is no surprise that there are so many books, comics and movies portraying these characters and environments They are immortal within the affective memory of many readers fans. Just like pirates and cowboys, the samurai also entered the universal collective unconscious, and have been translated, adapted and interpreted in many different ways, in different media over decades. The goal of my Shogum of the Dead project is to bring fresh new visions of this universe, maintaining the same elements that we are used to see in this kind of story, but also bringing a new unconditioned view
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on the topic, seeking new relationships between these fictional elements. This book was also my first attempt at writing a complex story full of characters and with different environments coexisting and interacting in complicated plots with various narrative elements. Giving life to these characters was a huge challenge that I faced with passion and sincerity, drawing furiously in my scarce free time, inking over many sleepless weekends. I hope the pages of this book will allow each reader to find their own view over the subject. I hope you enjoy it. Daniel L. Werneck Belo Horizottnte, May 2013
SHOGUM OF THE DEAD: TWILIGHT OF THE SAMURAI (being a melodrama in sixteen parts) FIRST PART Where Tachikawa Makes A Deal With The Shadows Chap. 1 - The Winter of our Discontempt Chap. 5 - The Ides of March Chap. 9 - Midsummer Nightmare Chap. 13 - To Sleep... Perchance To Dream? SECOND PART Onde Shima Abandona O Caminho Do Guerreiro Chap. 2 - I’d Want The Wind To Blow Until It Waked The Dead Chap. 6 - Everytime I Eat Vegetables It Makes Me Think Of You Chap. 10 - The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner Chap. 14 - Out, Out, Brief Candle THIRD PART Where A Soul Is Lost In Order To Find One’s Family Chap. 3 - Where Even Warriors Cry Chap. 7 - The Sins Of The Father Are To Be Laid Upon The Children. Chap. 11 - Cowards Die Many Times Before Their Deaths Chap. 15 - The Slings And Arrows Of Outrageous Fortune FOURTH PART Where A Cup Of Teas Learns To Empty Itself Chap. 4 - Leaving Home Chap. 8 - Much Ado About Nothing Chap. 12 - You’re Gonna Kill That Girl Chap. 16 - The Garden of Serenity
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“Nothing in the cry of cicadas suggests they are about to die.” Bashö
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Life is crazy, you know. One day you’re depressed because you can’t decide what to do, next thing you know you are launching a crowdfunding campaign. But you never did this before, so how the hell are you going to pull it off? Suddenly, only two and a half days into the campaign, boom! -- you got all the money you asked for. And it keeps coming. In the blink of an eye, 2 months later you have 562 friends and strangers waiting for your book. Oh yeah, hey, I need to make a book now. Better start writing that scrip, testing some paper and pens... and suddenly it’s been 6 months and the deadline is approaching and you really don’t know how this is going to end. You spend 22 hours, without sleep, inking 16 pages. You bring your pages to Porto Alegre and Rosario and New York, drawing in airports, inking at cafeterias and tiny hotel desks. Motherfucker, you already visited three different countries and your stupid book isn’t done yet?? What is wrong with you??? And off you go, smearing sumi brushes on page after page of Winsor & Newton Bristol Board. Remember how all your life you dreamed of using this paper but you never could afford it? Well, now your dream came true, and then you realize there are only things that can happen to a dream when it becomes real: either it dies, or it becomes a nightmare. And you carry on, sharpening pencils, counting pages, trying to keep track of every little character design and name, so you don’t fuck up. There are 136 pages to that story, so it’s very very easy to fuck up. You never did this before, you stupid zinehead! How the hell are you supposed to finish this book on time and still keep the storyline barely coherent? You think you’re the Alan Moore of zines? Wake up, nimrod, and back to work. Forget about your PhD degree, forget about raising your children. That shit was easy compared to making comics. Can you stand the heat? Are you prepared for this level of physical, mental and emotional stress? You’re lucky enough you have so many friends, pal. You’re lucky to have a family that supports your excentricities. No, sorry, you could only be considered an excentric if you were rich. But you’re not, you’re just a weirdo. 562 supporters waiting for your book and all you can think of is what kind of ink you should use on each type of paper. Nobody gives a shit, son. Nobody. 146
Domo Arigatô This book was only made possible thanks to the support of 562 backers who went far beyond the call of duty to finance our project. But money isn’t everything: besides paying for the printing of the original edition, these backers worked as creative partners, making choices that helped shaped the entire fictional universe of Shogum of the Dead. Their moral support was also essential in order to finish the book on time. To these crowdfunding heroes this book is dedicated.
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Thiis book was composed with various fonts, but mainyl Baskerville and Ventura Edding. Printed by CreateSpace for Daniel Leal Werneck in April 2014, specially for TCAF release.