The Lookouts tells the story of what it’s like to be a young boy in the Eyrewood. It’s essentially fantasy boy scouts and almost immediately after the first strip we were asked if there was a girl scout equivalent in that world. It was actually a fan that gave us the name Daughters of the Eyrewood but it’s taken us a few years to figure out exactly what their story is.
If you read the six part Lookouts comic book you already know a bit about the Daughters. If you haven’t, then I suggest you go do it because it’s totally rad. In the world of the Lookouts the Eyrewood is an all encompassing magical forest. Tiny villages dot the woods like islands in a massive sea. Navigating the Eyrewood and protecting the roads that link these towns is the job of the Lookouts. They start training as children for this task and all boys must spend some time learning the ways of the forest as a member of a Lookouts troop. Each troop is lead by a master Lookout who endeavors to teach the boys how to survive in the Eyrewood.
While every boy must be a Lookout, not every girl becomes a Daughter. Daughters are "called" by the Eyrewood to serve a special purpose and that’s the story we’re going to tell over the next few weeks with the Tithe.
If the Eyrewood looks a bit like central Washington that’s because of a recent camping trip I took with my family and some friends. We took a trip out to Wenatchee and spent some time exploring the Wenatchee river on the way home. I started snapping pictures like a crazy person and when my wife asked me what I was doing I shouted “I found the Eyrewood!”
I’ve already mentioned the Lookouts comic book but if you want to check out all the previous Lookouts material here are some quick links:
The very first story was created during one of our idea pitches.
I think Automata won that contest but the Lookouts was incredibly popular so we asked the super talented becky dreistadt to illustrate the rest of the story for us.
Next Tycho and I wrote a storyline called “A Boy Must Learn” that I drew and our friend Steve Hamaker colored.
We really started to hammer out the concept for the Daughters last year and that’s when I created this piece.
I hope you enjoy the Tithe. I think it’s my best work to date which means I probably won’t start hating it for at least a month.
I also have a quick favor to ask of you readers. I’m looking for someone who can make me a really nice wood ring with the inscription “May we die in the forest” on it. Ideally I’d like two, one for myself and one for Child’s Play. If this is a skill you possess please shoot me a mail.
-Gabe out
