About Mark of Portent
(The Mark of Portent F.A.Q.)
Frequently (And Not So Frequently) Asked Questions
What is Mark of Portent?
Mark of Portent is an original, continuous story online comic. What this means is that Mark of Portent's story is not a make off of some other story (such as a comic retelling of a video game's plot); the story that Mark of Portent follows, while parodying some aspects of various video games, is created fresh from scratch each week, and each week's episode picks up where the last left off.
Ah man, not another video game comic?
We do not like to think of Mark of Portent as merely "another video game comic." While Mark of Portent frequently uses gaming cliches as comedic material, these are not the central theme of the story. Though the comic does start out with "two friends sucked into a video game" this is merely a quick, contrived way of getting into the overall plot (you can thank DEM for that one). In time, we hope you will see that the comic is more than it appears to be (that's foreshadowing).
Why are the main characters based on the authors?
When Mark of Portent was first created it was a hobby project of Jacen and Tracie which they assumed would never really be seen by anyone other than close friends, family, and themselves. When, several comics in, they found that they had acquired some loyal readers that were not among these groups it was too late to change the characters names.
Where do you come up with these ridiculous ideas?
All of the ideas for Mark of Portent (including plot ideas, characters, and gags) are generally taken from various conversations between Jacen and Tracie. The ideas that strike them as funny and memorable are then used in the comic.
What are each of your roles in the comic?
Jacen is responsible for the creating and keeping track of the overall story and characters, and for writing the scripts of individual comics. Tracie is responsible for designing the characters and for each comic's layout and artwork. These tasks, however, are not mutually exlusive. Tracie proof reads all the scripts to give improvements and ideas, and is often the testing ground for future ideas for the comic. Likewise, Jacen presents layout ideas, character expressions, etc. within each comic script and works with Tracie on designing new characters through written or verbal descriptions. In the end, everything you see in the comics must be approved by both Jacen and Tracie before being included.
Why are there sometimes delays between comic updates?
It is important to note that while the authors of Mark of Portent infinitely appreciate and adore their readers, the comic is first and foremost a hobby undertaken during their free time. As such, there may often be unexpected delays between comics that arise due to other events that are happening in the life of the author or artist. It is for this reason that Mark of Portent has an Update Newsletter which you can sign up for at the bottom of the main page. This newsletter is sent out with each new comic that is posted to alert readers of the update.
Where the heck did you guys go for an entire year?
Towards the middle of 2003 both Jacen and Tracie were faced with a terrible tragedy: transitioning from the warm, comfy life of a college student to the harsh, cold life of the real world. With this transition came the desparate need to find a job and become a semi-beneficial member of society. Sadly, this left little time for comicing. Towards the end of 2004, Jacen and Tracie felt stable enough in their new roles as "adults" to venture returning to the world of online comicing.
I'm new to the comic, how do I get caught up with what's happening?
In order to understand the events of current comics, you will need to have an understanding of previous episodes. There are two ways of doing this: you can view the previous comics, which are accesible from either the dropdown menu on the main page or from the archives; if you don't want to read every comic you can also view the Story Arc Summaries, which are text summaries of all the previous story arcs. The summaries, however, do not include the currently active story arc; so to understand the most recent events you will need to view the comics under the most recent story arc.
What is BTS?
Mark of Portent: Behind The Scenes (BTS) is a filler comic that we use when we know, in advance, that we cannot complete a full comic on time. These filler are based around Flint McFeegleson, roving Dwarf reporter, and the off-screen cast of Mark of Portent. Previous episodes of BTS can be found in the Artwork Section.
How can I donate money to your comic, do you have paypal?
No. We do not accept nor ask for donations from our readers. Mark of Portent is hobby done at no cost to us (except for time and art supplies), and as such it should be enjoyed at no cost to you.
Will you link to my site?
We are not link-pimps. We only link to comics that either Jacen or Tracie actively read.
Will you marry me?
Tracie: "No."
Jacen: "Are you rich?"
What other comics do you guys like? (LINKS)
Below you will find a list of comics that we enjoy. Some we found on our own, others are comics which are written by some of our loyal readers. Enjoy.
Story and Characters created by: Jacen Price
Art and Drawings provided by Tracie Schmidt
Mark of Portent and its related properties are © 2001 - 2005 J. Price and T. Schmidt.
