Brothers - Page 103

Rafiki arrives just in time to say goodbye to Hekima. And so have we.
Hekima marks the very first character to die "on screen" in any comic I've done. This page was not easy to do for me. It was always her fate in the story to die, but now that it's come to this moment, I found that I wasn't quite ready to let Hekima go. Though when it comes to death, I think that's the norm. Even if that death is of a fictional character. I feel a little silly for getting sappy over my own work, but at the same time, I feel that much more confident that this story I'm telling has substance and that these characters - though they may be inspired by a Disney property - are larger than life. Both to myself and to many of you. 

To any of you who are Hekima fans, thank you... and I'm sorry. :(

In the meantime, the brothers are in mourning too. Even if Ahadi and Uru are still alive, it seems life will never be quite the same for Mufasa or Taka again.

Another note about this page and some answers for the off chance someone was wondering "why buffalo?" ... this is why: Cape buffalo in TLK
I always felt a little spark of inspiration for this little moment where the buffalo bow to Rafiki (and he nods/bows back) as he walks by. I felt like there had to be a story in there. So, from 3 seconds of scene, inspiration manifested itself in "Brothers". Man, I've wanted to talk about this FOREVER, and now that spoiler territory has passed... I can!

My colorist for this page, returning as a special guest (because her love of Hekima is stronger than the Photoshop troubles she's been having), is Cynderthedragon5768 on DeviantART. Thanks so much, Cynder! Hekima and I are honored. ^^

TL;DR : Hekima dies and it's hard on Rafiki and me (the artist). The brothers are upset because of uncertainty for their parents' future (and lives). The buffalo tie into a small moment in TLK. Cynder was my colorist this time. :)

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