END CODA.

END “ENGAGING THE ENEMY” ARC.

THE END! 😀

Want more Young Protectors? You don’t have to wait! The next Young Protectors story arc is called “Legendary,” it’s a fun, sexy arc that focuses on Kyle and Spooky Jones, and it’s currently posting twice a week! I explain more below and here’s the link to the first page!

 

So, this is it!

The end of the “Engaging the Enemy” arc of The Young Protectors! A complete 500+ page full-color webcomic featuring LGBT superheroes—which has been supported by the most thoughtful, and most wonderful readers in the world. As I’m sure you know, a lot of webcomics never finish at all. And the truth is, none of this would have been possible without your support. Your enthusiasm for the comic has made these last 5 years a joy and a privilege for Adam, Vero, and me.

Thank you so much for being with us on this journey! You are all superheroes!

Can I get a trade paperback of “Engaging the Enemy”?

You can get Volume One of The Young Protectors: Engaging the Enemy right now at my store.  That premium-quality, trade paperback comprises the Prologue, Chapter One, the Interlude, and the Spooky Commander Bonus Comic (plus some special features not found here on the site.)

The remaining chapters of the “Engaging the Enemy” arc will be released in two more volumes to follow. I plan to launch a Kickstarter for Volume Two in the next 60 days. If you want to be sent an email when that Kickstarter happens, you can join my mailing list.

So, what’s next?

But we aren’t stopping! We aren’t even taking a break. We’ve already started the next arc of The Young Protectors: “Legendary.”

You can get to the first page by clicking the Comics menu up above, and choosing “The Young Protectors: Legendary” from the submenu. Here’s a direct link to the first page.

I’ve also created a special link to the most current page of “Legendary” that you can bookmark (just like we had with “Engaging the Enemy.”)

Here it is:

https://staging.youngprotectors.com/?last_webcomic=webcomic3

If you don’t know how to make that work, please check out the instructions in our FAQ.

 

What’s “Legendary” about?

“Legendary” is a shorter arc of The Young Protectors comprising just 3 chapters. Once finished, it will be published as a single, super-sized (8.5″ x 11″) trade paperback (like I did with Artifice).

The first chapter will feature linework by guest artist Julie Wright (“Truth or Dare“) while “Engaging the Enemy” penciler Adam DeKraker takes a short break. Adam will resume his duties with Chapters 2 and 3. And Veronica Gandini will continue her awesome coloring work throughout all 3 chapters.

I don’t want to give too much away at this point, but this arc is going to focus on the Kyle/Spooky relationship and on Spooky Jones’ character in particular. There will be romance, and there will be superhero action.

Oh, and it’s going to be the sexiest comic I’ve ever made.

Sexy?! What do you mean “Legendary” is going to be the “sexiest comic you’ve ever made”?

As you know, I don’t show uncovered weenies in our pages here. I do that for a variety of reasons, but mostly it comes down to wanting our comics to be as accessible to as many people as possible. By not showing explicit visuals here, folks of all ages (as well as our international readers) can enjoy the comic without legal trouble for them… or for me.

But one of the biggest requests I consistently receive is to show uncensored sex scenes. I’ve been thinking about it for some time, and I’m curious to give it a try, to see if it’s something that would be fun for y’all. And, as it turns out, due to its focus on romance, the “Legendary” arc is the perfect story to experiment with this.

Other webcomics, like Teahouse, have saved their sex scenes for their printed books—and I considered following their lead—but I’ve realized that our Patreon page actually gives me the opportunity to share the art for these scenes with y’all immediately, without having to worry about age-restrictions. (And this comic wouldn’t even be possible if it weren’t for the support of our Patrons! So I’m always on the lookout for new ways to show my gratitude.)

I can show tamer pages here and, for those who’d like to see more, the uncensored pages with be available on Patreon. Which will hopefully feel like an especially fun reward. 🙂

Exactly how sexy will these scenes be?

The uncensored pages will show everything. Full nudity, including the D. Tasteful, but explicit sex, with nothing hidden behind potted plants and the like.

The whole enchilada.

So, is “Legendary”… porn?

This is still me (Alex Woolfson), writing the story.

Yes, there will be especially sexy scenes that you will hopefully find especially appealing.

But there are also important plot developments for our characters and the overall The Young Protectors story. While this new comic has a strong focus on romance and intimacy, it’s still a regular Young Protectors arc. There will be character growth, the “feels,” and even some superhero action. It is meant to appeal to y’all on every level, not just the physical.

All my comics have sexy scenes, and the story in “Legendary” is just as important as it was for Artifice and the “Engaging the Enemy” arc. I’ll just be showing more. 🙂

Who are the artists for “Legendary”?

A couple years ago, Adam DeKraker (penciler for The Young Protectors) approached me and asked if he could take some time off after the “Engaging the Enemy” arc finished before starting up again. Of course, I said “yes,” but I know how important this community is for y’all, so I tried to think up a short comic that I could hire a guest artist for during Adam’s absence.

That’s where the idea for “Legendary” started. But before I knew it, my “short comic” script had blossomed into a full blown, three chapter arc!

So here’s how things are going to work:

For Chapter One of “Legendary,” Veronica Gandini will continue to provide her amazing colors, and The Young Protectors guest artist Julie Wright (“Truth or Dare“, “Interlude 2“) will be creating the linework. Julie has a lot of experience creating NSFW comics, and I think you’re really going to like what she adds to this arc.

Once Chapter One is complete, Adam will return to work with Vero on Chapters Two and Three, expanding on and then finishing the story—and, of course, bringing his own, brilliant, highly detailed style to the sexy times!

So you’ll get to see all the new hotness with two different art styles. 🙂

At what level of Patreon support, will I get to see the uncensored pages?

Those pages will be available to Patrons who pledge $5 or more, like the rest of the NSFW content on my Patreon page.

I also have something special in mind with this arc for the $10+ Patrons. Stay tuned.

What will the pages be like here on the site?

I still want folks on the regular site to be able to follow along with the story, so all the same pages will be posted here, I’ll just need to obscure the extra sexy bits. Where I can do that by zooming into the panels, I’ll try to do that, since I think it’ll look nicer. But, if need be, I can also just extend the black gutters to cover art that’s too racy.

Of course, not every page of “Legendary” will be a sexy page, and so I’ll be able to post some of the pages here without changing them at all. I’ll let y’all know in my notes when there is sexier content over on Patreon.

What if I can’t afford $5/month to be a Patron?

When the whole “Legendary” comic is finished, it will be collected in a special, super-sized (8.5″ x 11″) trade paperback. That book will be $20 to $25, and will include all the sexy content. So you’ll still get a chance to see it there. 🙂

What if it makes me angry that there is some content I have to pay to see? Shouldn’t everything you make be free?

Of course, I understand that not everyone can afford to support our work on Patreon, even though they very much might want to. Some of y’all are students, some of y’all are underemployed/unemployed, some of y’all are living on fixed incomes. In terms of my own life, my mother is in Assisted Living, she needs my financial support, she’s not going to get better, and there are a number of things, even some small things, that I’d like to be able to afford, that I simply can’t right now. Maybe someday, but for the time being, those things are simply not an option for me. And, since this is due to circumstances beyond my control, that can sometimes feel… frustrating.

So, trust me. I get it.

But, as you know, I pay my artists a full rate for their awesome work on this comic (totally worth it), and the Patreon support is how I’m able to do that, and also pay for my own rent, etc. This is how a comic with this level of quality is able to get made (and actually finish, instead of just disappearing). It’s also how I make my living. So, I’m going to do whatever I can to make our Patreon as appealing as possible for the folks who can afford to support us that way.

There are lots of reasons why I offer so much content for free—including that it gives me great pleasure to do so. But I’ve always offered “premium content” as well— whether that was a physical book that I sold at Cons or special rewards on Patreon—and it’s actually the premium content that makes these free pages possible.

I don’t expect every reader to be able to join my Patreon. So, if you can’t right now, please know that your readership is still very important to me, and you’ll still be able to follow this story with the tame versions of the pages on this site.

And if you can offer support, then know that you are making a huge difference in my life, in continuing The Young Protectors, and in my ability to create more awesome stories featuring LGBT heroes.

You say this is an experiment, what are you hoping for?

Well, my hope is that this will encourage more folks to give our Patreon a try! 🙂

No matter how you look at it, our Patreon is a great success, and I am so grateful to you all. This is how I’ve been able to keep the comic going. But the truth is, we had a significant dip in support over the winter. We’ve built quite a bit of that back over the last few months, but we’re still down a little under $1000/month from where we were last summer and, in order for me to truly break even again, I need to find a way to return us to that level of support. Ultimately, the success of our Patreon (and the continued life of this comic) is on me. And offering extra sexy pages on Patreon is part of my plan to make being a Patron even more rewarding.

And, of course, if we went significantly beyond breaking even with the Patreon, if lots of folks liked the idea of seeing the full-on sexy, naked times with our characters, then that would open the doors to me hiring additional artists to create additional comics, etc. As well as, you know, living a more full life. Which would be awesome.

If this is successful, then I’ll do this again with a future comic. (And, if I’m able to afford to create additional comics, that could happen quite soon!) If it’s not, then lesson learned.

But it’s been something a bunch of you have asked for. It’s something I thought might be a lot of fun. (I’ve actually wanted to try writing a story like this for a while!) This shorter arc seems the perfect opportunity to explore something new. And thanks to Patreon, I now have a way to deliver it.

So, as with everything I do here, it’s an experiment! We’ll see how it turns out!

Either way, though, I hope it’s something y’all will really enjoy! Because you rock. And I want to create stories you’re going to love.

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So! This was the very last page of The Young Protectors: Engaging the Enemy! What’s next for Kyle? What has Spooky been up to? And was that kiss between them on the battlefield a one-time thing… or will there be more? Perhaps much more?

Tune in this Saturday to find out! Hope to see you there! 😀