I have uploaded a revised version of this page. The revisions include changing the lettering to bring the font in line with recent comics, such as the most recent comic update. I have also made changes to the dialogue balloon style in that regard as well. There are no art changes or line rewrites, but I’ll note them when they occur.
Based on the current numbering system, this would be CD.2.1.2, but for the permalinks, I am keeping the initial issue designation of 4.
Again, the original author’s notes will be included at the bottom for archival purposes.
On the Shifta – A Shapeshifter Menace
I don’t have many changes to the Shifta, the shapeshifter alien species seen on this page since I did the page. The old copy at the bottom of the archive section below remains largely true. But this is also an excuse to world build, and I will take it.
Currently, the Shifta is still one of a few races that are not aligned with any faction, even the Cyclopasian Neutrality. They have not been known for long, having their homeworld somewhere beyond the frontier. They have mostly made their presence known through mercenary and espionage work, having replicated their way into different colonies and assessing the political situation between the factions. Their shapeshifter transformations are quite effective, and they are very hard to track.
There are two specific signs you may be dealing with a shifta, however. For one, they have a hard time replicating eyes, and usually, the eye coloration is incorrect and may take on a color similar to their translucent form. Furthermore, their main organ, an ocular and brain nerve, does not get obscured by a transformation. When they shapeshift, they may use it where an eye is expected; however, if they feel someone is onto them, that eye can appear anywhere else on the body.
Cosmic Dash: Episode 4: Pg 2 Transcript
The following is a transcript of Cosmic Dash: Episode 4: Pg 2.
Panel One
The murderous gomben, splashed in greenish blood, steps behind the security desk.
Panel Two
The gomben crouches behind the desk out of sight.
Panel Three
The grey, just shot, rises from behind the desk and adjusts the cap on his head.
Panel Four
The grey security officer stares at an orange cube in a stasis field in a lab.
Panel Five
The grey attempts to reach for the cube, but the stasis field causes the grey’s hand to take on a gel-like consistency.
Panel Six
The grey looks at its hand, which is a now-formless blob. He scowls. The shapeshifter is revealed.
Panel Seven
The shifta impersonating the grey reveals himself. The uniform has slid off except the cap. The shift resembles a gelatinous amoeba with a single eye.
Shifta: “To hell with it.”
Panel Eight
The shift, no longer disguised, reaches into the stasis field, which seems to burn him slightly, to grab the cube. A sizzle is heard.
SFX: “ZZZZZ”
Panel Nine
The shifta seems to “swallow” the cube.
Panel Ten
The shapeshifter is on the run, his form comprising translucent parts and parts from the gomben and grey as he slides a labcoat onto his hybrid body. The shapeshifter’s bounty can be seen floating in its stomach.
If you want to spread the word about the comic, a vote on Top Webcomics really helps! See you next week at CosmicDash.com for a new page over there!
Archived Content
Howdy everyone. A few updates to share this week! First of all, I updated the New Readers Guide. It now includes a little bit more information and some nice panels to show off some of the art, as the original page didn’t have much and didn’t do enough to convey the sense of scale of the comic that I wanted it to. Secondly, there is going to be a dedicated Character Guide on the site. Currently it is divided up between the main characters and everyone else, but that will eventually be tweaked with major secondary characters having a defined section. If you do a webcomic and host it through WordPress, you may want to check out Tablepress, a plugin I used to organize that cast page. Made the whole process pretty painless. In addition, Cosmic Dash now has two mirrors in-case the website is down for a period. You can find Cosmic Dash at Comicfury and Smackjeeves. Please consider bookmarking those. I am letting a frequent contributor to the site, Deft Beck, assist in posting comics on those mirrors. Lastly, I modified the output of the RSS feed to include a project wonderful ad. The ad shows up at the bottom of the feed content, so hopefully it is not intrusive for those of you who follow the comic through RSS.
Anyway, today’s update features an individual from the race known as the Shifta. They’re relatively new to the larger galaxy, only having been around for the past fifty years or so, but they’ve already made a bit of a name for themselves due to their replication-talents. They’ve not worked their way to far into the various factions, and they are currently unaligned with any of them, preferring to do their own thing in the frontier region of the galaxy. Then again, because they can shapeshift, they could be anywhere, really. There is a trick to identifying them, though. Look at eye coloration: bluish green coloration of the eyes may signify a shifta. It’s that very specific shade of bluish green, though, otherwise I very well could be one!
Any questions or comments? What do you guys think of that last panel?
Friend to the site, Deft Beck, is working with others on a shared superhero universe, so I figured it would be neat to direct you to some of what they’ve put together. Check out Victory City: Haley.