Inking for Therion is complete

We’ve just ticked off a huge milestone in the Therion graphic novel production pipeline — the inking phase.

Inking is where the final linework, textures, halftones, and shading are added to the page. There’s a long process to get to this stage, starting with scriptwriting, blueprints of each page, rough sketches of each panel, and rounds of feedback until we land on a complete page with final linework.

I’m very excited to tease these isolated panels inked by our principal artist, Tahlia Pearce. Tahlia has fully immersed herself in the world of Therion, and her crisp linework and gritty textures have been integral to crafting the mood and story.

Our art style draws inspiration from a range of manga artists, including Makoto Yukimura (Vinland Saga), Hajime Isayama (Attack on Titan), and Hiromu Arakawa (Fullmetal Alchemist). Whether it’s linework, panel composition, or the overall mood, these artists have shaped our direction in different ways, helping us craft the gritty and intense tone of Therion.

Now we move into the next production phase: Lettering. This is where we add speech bubbles, dialogue, and sound effects to each page. This step isn’t just about writing compelling words — it’s a graphic design process that involves integrating shapes onto the page so they feel part of a cohesive work.

While we’re making serious progress, Therion won’t be ready this December. I had hoped to have everything released by Christmas, but rushing the final stages wouldn’t do the book justice. Rather than chasing an imaginary end-of-year deadline, we’re now aiming for a January release.

If you want to learn more about the manga-making process, head to our latest YouTube video where I open up a very special artbook containing works by the great Gege Akutami, creator of the manga that has taken the world by storm, Jujutsu Kaisen. Link to the YouTube video is here. Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a comment for your chance to win!

Isolated panels from the graphic novel, Therion. Drawn by manga artist, Tahlia Pearce.