Africa | Page(s): 328 | Patreon
Paa spells out the danger to Jamal. If Chui is starving then he’s surely followed the herd. He may even be right around the corner, stalking everyone. The reality turns out to be very different. Chui actually stayed in Lerai Forest. However, there’s nothing left for him to eat in the drought, and he laments he should have followed the herd.
Paa’s reasoning makes the most sense, but luckily for the herd Chui was the unreasonable one. I can’t imagine why he’d stay in Lerai Forest instead of following his food source. Unless he’s worried about another leopard moving into his territory. As nice as it would be for him to starve, he’s much too important of a character to go out so easily.
Repeat | Page(s): 173, 174, 175, 176| Patreon (N/A)
Sol and Babble talk about the time they’ve been apart. Even though they’re much older now, Babble is as irreverent as ever. They note that Sol has changed and is surprised they have Tilter, considering the sun god never wanted kids. Babble is also happy that Sol developed bonds with others. They could just live peacefully with the pack of wolves that took Babble in, and the two could resume the life they never got to live together. Of course, that would be impossible as Lun would not allow it. The wolves would all be in danger as long as the cycle continues. So Babble asks Sol what happens next, and the sun has no answer. They just want a peaceful night free of horrible thoughts and their duties. The next morning, Babble brings Tilter food and they talk. The young wolf reveals that Sol hasn’t talked much about their partner after Babble reveals how much Sol talked about Tilter. The fact that Sol didn’t tell Tilter much about Babble stings. That said, Tilter thinks its because the past is so painful for Sol. The two wolves then talk about how tough it is to wake the large red wolf up.
As nice as it is to see Sol and Babble back together, Babble does bring up good points. Sol can never have a peaceful life as long as Lun wants to continue the cycle. The question becomes how to end the cycle once and for all, and this is the central theme of the story. Granted, this theme was always lurking in the background, but Sol wasn’t completely committed. Their first attempt to contain Lun in the past saw them die. Then the Dusk spread rumors about wolves with mismatched eyes, and they spent much of their life buried underground. It’s also clear that Lun is not interested in building relationships with mortals, so the two are at an impasse.
The Realm of Kaerwyn | Page(s): Issue 20, pages 79, 80, 81 | Patreon
On break this week.
To Catch a Star | Page(s): 324, 325, 326 | Patreon
Shadow’s tries to interject Backlash’s attempt to give Lupi to Hearth and the Supernova. He insists to the group that they don’t know what they’re doing. Lupi should go with the Supernova because they’re faster as a group, and Lupi would be safe. He turns to Hearth to confirm, and the young Supernova states that no one would dare harm the sun. To that Lupi screams “no!” over and over again. As Backlash tries to push back, Lupi spells it out. They don’t want to go with the Supernova. Also they don’t want Backlash making decisions for them. Lupi doesn’t like the Supernova because they’ll keep them away from Shadow and Backlash, they (Sunny) hurt Backlash, they left Lupi alone, and misgendered them. To that Backlash apologies, realizing his was wrong and has been a bad friend.
Hearth cuts in and reveals the Supernova might not actually know what they’re doing. Backlash admits he just wanted to help and never meant to be a bad friend. Lupi embraces him and calls him their best friend. Shadow turns to Hearth and gives him one chance as he travels with the group. Knowing that Shadow could easily twist him into a pretzel, Hearth nods in compliance. With the matter settled, the four of them journey to find the next star.
I’m glad that Lupi told Backlash to, well, back off in regards to making decisions for them. He should not have been the one deciding what happens for the group. Again, he was too quick to trust Hearth, and I’m glad Lupi wasn’t having any of it. That said, Hearth is way too agreeable to go with the group for my tastes, but I can forgive him knowing that Shadow will punch him full of holes if he tries anything. At this point, I’m hoping that Hearth’s character development continues as he learns what it’s like to see Nova and Duskies getting along as his traveling partners. I’m also hoping he has a complete revelation on how terrible the Supernova are at some point. All and all, I don’t like how Backlash was too trusting and pushy, but I’m glad Lupi stood up for themselves.
What Lurks Beneath | Page(s): 660, 661 | Patreon
The talkative Daisy yells at Wrasse about how there’s no longer in mice in the meadows and they all have kittens to feed. To that the enforcer replies they should pray to the Tide for mercy, be faithful, follow his laws, and maybe he’ll respond to their prayers. Both Daisies stare in shock before Bream breaks the silence. He refuses to pray to the Tide, seeing him as nothing more than a crab. Unfazed, Wrasse suggests the pair should move on. Before they can say anything else, King Thresher and Auklet arrive. Intimidated, Bream tells his companion they should go before quietly leaving.
There’s not really much to say here. I’m glad this isn’t the incident that sees Bream lose his ability to talk. That said, it’s pretty ridiculous of Wrasse to tell the Daisies to pray to a god they don’t believe in, just to eat. Bream’s anger is justified. Other than Trout’s reforms, I don’t even know if Daisies can actually join The Family, which makes the whole prayer exercise pointless. It reinforces how terrible of a ruler King Thresher is, even if he’s correct about the island running out of food. There might be a better way, but the king is too narrow-minded and bigoted to do anything else besides hoard resources for The Family.
Tofauti Sawa | Page(s): 384, 385 | Patreon
Kamau strolls up to Silver, looks him dead in the eye and embraces him. Confused, Silver looks up at the larger lion who tells him to relax. Miwani is shocked that Kamau isn’t going to teach the pale lion a lesson. The large lion firmly replies there’s no point in fighting someone who’s not a threat. Miwani insists Silver is a danger, until Kamau shoots him a commanding glance to back down. Pouting, the gray-maned lion walks away insisting that Kamau’s cub is in danger. Finally at ease, Silver thanks Kamau.
This scene played out way more wholesomely than I expected. I figured Kamau wouldn’t see Silver as a threat, and would just send him off with a warning. Instead, the larger lion has decided to comfort the smaller lion. It’s also nice to see that he believed his mate and cub over his coalition partner. That partner wanted a fight for no reason. I can’t see Silver sticking around for long, but it’s delightful to see not every lion in the Tofauti Sawa universe is an asshole. We had Tau’s pride with their dynamic. These uplifting encounters are what Silver needs after losing his own pride and cubs.
Also, I love how much empathy Cynical gives her characters while breaking stereotypes at the same time. The large imposing lion? He’s actually kind to those who aren’t a threat to his family. The vultures? They comfort others who just lost loved ones. A hyena clan lead by a large and imposing matriarch? It’s actually one large poly amorous family where everyone is treated respectfully. More of this in animal comics/xenofiction please.
A Doe’s Salvation | Page(s): 181| Patreon
Absaroka silently trots off leaving Beartooth behind. She walks alone to the matriarch’s den. Two other deer greet her, which she acknowledges, while her tail swishes in annoyance. One doe says something, but her words are unclear. The other doe looks puzzled, and Absaroka walks by her with an annoyed grunt.
This is a transition page and not much else. It’s good to see Beartooth has enough sense to give Absaroka her space. As for the does, according to Wolfsnis they’re cameo characters, so we won’t be seeing them again. If you’re curious, the doe in the forth panel is Miss Maple, a character from Songdog’s newest comic, I Didn’t Know, Now I know. This comic is private, so the likelihood of the public ever seeing it is low. The doe in the last panel is Wild Rose, a character from the comic Pinepaw and the Forgotten World. I haven’t heard of this comic until this update. I might check it out or I might not. Reading comics on Tumblr can be an ordeal. As for Absaroka, I first thought her tail wagging meant she was content, but Wolfnis clarified for me on DeviantArt, she’s actually swishing her tail in frustration.
Golden Shrike | Page(s): 226 | Patreon
Boneslav leads the group to Farnorth, and Nero asks him how far north is Farnorth. To that Boneslav only replies that it is very far. Nero quickly finds himself annoyed at how quiet their stonekrovn companion is most of the time. Kasko reminds the marshlander that the buck just left his mouth. To that Nero changes the subject, curious about the titles the seer gave them. He’s particularly incredulous that Kasko got the title of Bull, despite his tendency towards not fighting. The woodlander insists that he’s large and Nero’s lucky he’s a peaceful guy. The two begin jest and chase each other while Runi and Boneslav continue on in silence.
It’s pretty nice how Nero and Kasko have developed a friendly relationship over the course of this story. While Runi can be talkative, she doesn’t have much to say here. I’m guessing she’s likely lost in thought. I’m not surprised Boneslav isn’t very friendly. He’s suddenly left his family behind to lead a group of strangers to a place he vaguely knows about. The stonekrovn aren’t particularly fond of outsiders and many of the outsiders feel the same way. His perspective on the group’s journey will be interesting to say the least.
The Order of the Black Dog | Page(s): Issue 27, page 2| Patreon
The hooded figure in white takes a water break from drawing a line in the sand. As the figure goes to take a drink, the hood is pulled back to reveal Rhoda. She’s also wearing dark protective goggles. Some time passes and she returns to drawing lines in the sand. It’s revealed the lines are actually a gigantic rune that’s in the process of being created.
Last week I had a feeling a summon circle was being drawn. It turns out I wasn’t far off, especially if these runes are used to summon something. Since this is Rhoda, I’m certain she is summoning spirit, as it’s her specialty. Her stopping for water and being with other robed and hooded figures shows she’s not working alone. Is she doing this on behalf of someone else? Is this related to the occult? Perhaps to the black mass on the moon? At two pages into this issue, it’s way too early to tell.
Home | Page(s): 805, 806| Patreon
Ronja and Rogio catch up to Roamer and Kargo. They inquire about the dead dog and Roamer freely admits he initated the attack and killed the dog. Ronja wonders what happens next, and Rogio can only look at Roamer. Fremja and Vigr arrive to let Ronja know the raiding group is leaving, and that no has been harmed, and the nova herd is safe. Wordlessly, Roamer leaves and Kargo goes after him. Meanwhile, Ronja orders Vigr to move the dead dog’s body, so his group can collect him later.
As Ronja heads back with Rogio she wonders why Roamer would kill another dog for no reason. Rogio figures that Kargo’s death had a negative impact on him. She worries what might happen if word of the murder reaches the capital. Before she can continue that line of thinking, the leader of the raiders confronts her. He states the Meteor Tribe has been a pest to everyone for a long time, and they want the tribe to vacate their land or they’ll all be killed. Ronja’s worried about their lack of members and inability to fight anyone off, and Rogio offers a suggestion. Meanwhile, Kargo finally catches up with Roamer and wants to talk. The young Baron insists that he’s fine and isn’t feeling remorse over killing the dog.
First, before I can address anything that’s happened on these pages an update. As I predicted, comments were closed for not only pages 804, but pages 805, and 806. A kind reader informed me when this happened.
A lot of people disliked Roamer’s actions and voiced their concerns. Others approved of his actions. Naturally, a debate among some readers ensued. On the 11th, two pages were released in order to move the discussion along, and to get everyone else talking about something else. When that didn’t work, comments were turned off for the page with a note from a mod named Alakai. Comments will be reopened on page 807, but no one is allowed to talk about Roamer killing in cold blood. Because yes, people love being told what they can and cannot discuss. And Kique wonders why there are independently run discussion groups for Home. If people can’t freely discuss what they want on platforms controlled by him, they’ll create their own spaces free from his influence.
As for the pages themselves, it’s very odd that only after Ronja took control of the Meteor Tribe and tried to present a better face that other tribes decided to attack. Honestly, if the Meteors were such a plague on the land, why didn’t these large tribes ban together sooner and just attack? They clearly have the numbers. If they were worried about Arenak, they could have just used scouts and spies to ascertain the actual strength of the Meteors. Considering how easily Rhov joined the Guild, they could have easily infiltrated the guide to spy on the MT. But according to Axi, they were forgotten and left alone in the north, and everyone figured they’d die out from their own mistakes. So which is it? Were they a tribe in decline, left to their own devices? Were they actually a threat to other tribes, including the ones farther to the south? The more you think about why the raid might have happened, it makes less sense.
At the Tinget everyone learned Jarl Arenak’s blood was no longer ruling the Meteor Tribe. Furthermore, the Meteors almost never attended the meeting, and having a representative was surprising. Yet they believed it was a trick from Arenak to dress a female up as a Viscountess. The entire point of the meeting was to ask the tribe for permission to use their lands to burn dead bodies and reduce the ghoul population. Instead, everyone just irrationally attacked Ronja, called the practice of burning bodies unnatural, and then decided to drive the Meteors off their land. Again, weren’t they supposed to be forgotten about by other tribes?
Was the raid an act of revenge for kidnapping other dogs? For committing sexual abuse of their female members? For causing the ghoul population to expand? Or did they just want to land for themselves without having to ask the Meteors for permission to use it? None of this is explained in the reasoning for the raid, and it likely won’t be. The closest we get is that Ronja is seen as a weak leader, so it’s time to take their land. Despite these dogs supposedly having an advanced society. It would have made more sense for allies to declare war on the Meteors and take their land in conquest, and having the capital stand by– cementing their complicity in cruelty when it suits them. (It would also make Ranach’s quest to take the capital down justified.) Whatever this raid is, just feels contrived.
As for Roamer, yes he’s in full sociopath territory and I don’t see how we’re ever supposed to root for him again.
overall the “raid” on meteor just feels like a lame eviction notice. they want meteor dead or disbanded, but practically all of old meteor is dead. their wall, which was its greatest feature is ruined. the land itself doesn’t seem prized enough to claim, since people were allowed to come burn bodies freely.
its a block just to have something happen, but with no real reason to. the tribes basically got impenetrable plot armor so they weren’t outright slaughtered. but then the land itself wasn’t claimed, making this eviction dumb.
I never thought of it as an eviction, but you’re absolutely correct.
Also, it’s conflict without actually having conflict or consequences.
I’d also like to point out, But in earlier pages Axi told Ronja that if there ever was an attack on MT that her, the other other females and their young would not be targeted. If any it would of been towards the males, so now it makes me question if axi lied or not to her. If anyhting Vigr should have been removed from the tribe long ago like how ulfr was as he is also one who took commitment in harming the females and seemed perfectly fine putting ronja in that postion for the jarl when she first arrived. Also you are correct, the fact that these dogs/tribes basically knew about the MT’s awful ways towards females especially and just practically sat on their asses and waiting for something to happen? like its beyond me. Even when we first met Axi she didn’t like them from the start, if she or the other dogs were smart enough they would of went to the capital and mentioned something to them that the MT was pretty sus back then.
but nope, can’t have that can we. oh no Jaha’s crime and kargo’s are way worse and both need to be executed just cause one was based on self-defense and the other PTSD attack. Instead we have the matraich glorifying her rapist son instead and pretty much doing noththing to make aedra a safer place, as the so called “rules” aren’t really applied nor followed by anyone. But again they could of done so much in the past instead of waiting around, it would of been a way more valid reason on as to why they attacked the MT if the jarl areneak was in charge as well as having the upper hand, now. it just seems these dogs are willing to kill innocent dogs and their children all of a sudden. Oh how dumb these dogs are :/.
As for roamer… god I just wish he for once would have consequences for his actions instead of being cottled by everyone. There’s no excuse for it really as he has now put the tribe at a even more risky situation for killing that dog when ronja told him not to. I get that bad things happening can put preassure on someone and even change them. but still its not excuse for what he did, and once again cause the writer can’t write nor have his shitty characters do anything wrong. it most likely wont happen and he’ll get a pass like for everything else.
Anyway’s I apoligize that this is long and sorry for my rant lol.
Everything you pointed out is so true. It’s all just manufactured controversy for the sake of moving what barely qualifies as a plot along. Meanwhile, his main characters like Roamer never face any consequences for their shitty actions, while characters like Kargo and Jahla have to suffer. And poor Kargo was killed off just to be brought back to life to once again tell Roamer how great he is, and to suddenly like Rogio.