TWWR Round up 12/11/2023– The Sins of Our Past

There’s nothing like planning to start my roundup early and actually sticking with those plans. Despite having to write three articles for my other blog (the holidays are grueling), and working full-time, I did manage to get this roundup done. By starting it on Wednesday instead of Sunday, I avoided a curious development regarding Home. More on that later. Or you could just scroll down to the Home section of this roundup.

 

Africa | Page(s): 349 | Patreon

Africa gasps in shock at Mondo’s confusion. He runs off and his adoptive mother goes to chase after him. Before she can get far, she’s intercepted by the hyenas. Faida tells her she has some explaining to do. The matriarch notes Sabra came to her as a mother distraught over the loss of her kittens because of Africa’s actions, only to then be killed by the same leopard. Faida scoffs at the idea that Sabra had to die in order to save Safari. Especially as Sabra was in the same situation as Faida and Africa when it comes to knowing the pain of losing children.

What really bothers me about Faida on this page is her utter lack of regard for Safari. She’s shocked that Sabra was killed, but she’s not even curious as to why the serval would go out of her way to attack the old cheetah. Doubly so since it happened during the scuffle with Baba Bes’s pride. Essentially Faida sees Safari’s life as having less worth than Sabra’s for some reason. This is despite her recruiting him into her clan at some point. She’s right about the three mothers feeling the loss of losing children, but I don’t think that invalidates Safari’s worth.

Also, Africa has yet to reveal the real reason she lost her own cubs. It’s not that Bes and co hunted them down, it’s that Sabra specifically gave the lions her children’s location. While Africa unintentionally harmed Sabra’s cubs, Sabra very deliberately set Binti and Mosi up to die. In a bitterly ironic way, this makes the serval’s actions closer to what Chui did to Faida and her clan. Sabra is the outlier in this trio of mothers because she couldn’t move past her hatred and in one fell swoop tried to have Africa killed by Chui, and had one of Africa’s cub’s killed by Bes. Thus, the hyena and the leopard have more in common than they think.

 

Repeat | Page(s): 244, 245, 246, 247, 248 | Patreon

Lun goes on an apology tour of sorts, and is partially forgiven by some of their victims. Others, not so much. During a quiet moment, the Moon god admits they have received lots of Sol’s memories and thinks about how some of them hurt. They then admit other memories are good, such as the times with Babble. Lun also admits Sol has many nice memories of Titlter as well. The god then silently inquires about the scar, and Tilter likens scars to “not nice” memories. Lun admits they made lots of “not nice” memories. Even so, they can try to make nice new memories by atoning for their past actions. This might take a while. Eventually the two leave Bor’s forest and end up moving in with Rocket and Honey.

An entire season passes and Tilter is now a bit older. The young wolf prepares to head out and Lun complains about not being able to come along, as they want to say sorry to Passer. The blue wolf says having them come along would probably give Passer a heart attack and the Moon god recoils, thinking about what they did to Babble. Before going, Tilter says a “sorry” can’t fix everything. Honey and Rocket bid the yearling a good trip and note that they’ll look after Lun. Upon arriving at Babble’s old pack, Tilter is greeted by Rabbit and Blue, Passer’s pups. As they talk with Passer, the wolf admits they’ve not been able to find Sol yet. A reborn Sol would also be a few months old. Hopefully they’ll be able to find the Sun soon. The older wolf then asks if that thing, aka Lun, is still with Tilter, who answers “yes.”

Repeat updates are going to be a challenge for me. The comic is coming to a close soon, as Songdog decided on daily updates. So instead of three to four pages a week, there are now seven. At least until the end of the comic. I’m just hoping it’s another week until the end. Otherwise, I might not have the time to write about so many updates.

As for this update, Lun is definitely going the redemption route. That said, their circumstances are strangely unique. Being an immortal god means they come back if they’re killed, and mortals can’t kill them. Additionally, their entire purpose revolved around fighting Sol. With Sol gone and Dawn being merged with them, empathy is the only punishment fitting for this god. I’ve just found it fascinating that Lun is child-like and has to learn how to interact with mortals. The previous being is pretty much gone. So that makes me wonder if the Dusk was a major influence on their personality and outlook.

As for the apology tour, it’s not surprising that very few are willing to forgive Lun even with Tilter’s support. I wonder how long it took Honey to come around? As for Passer, it’s kind of refreshing to see that they won’t be forgiving Lun at all. They did watch their entire pack be killed and eaten. The Dusk through Lun is also indirectly responsible for the death of their child via the mismatched eyes rumor. I’m also glad Sol wasn’t born among their pups. Having to raise a god would have been too much for a wolf that’s been through a lot.

The curious question is where did Sol end up being reborn? Did they get unlucky twice and be born into a pack that believes the mismatched eyes rumor? Are they searching for Tilter as well? What will happen when they eventually find Tilter and Lun? Is the fog truly gone? Will Dawn be freed of Lun? Hell, will this story even have a happy ending? So far everything indicates yes, but a twist wouldn’t be shocking. What if by the end, Sol and Lun’s positions are reversed? I guess we’ll find out. Patience and all that.

 

To Catch a Star | Page(s): 407, 408, 409, 410 | Patreon

After leading his mother to another island to supposedly hunt deer, Takedown grins as he murders her from behind. Backlash and Takedown’s mother’s last thoughts before being killed by her own son are of how her partner admonished her for babying Backlash. Her thoughts then turn to her youngest son and how he often uttered “I love you,” just before Takedown strikes her. Backlash’s older brother returns from the hunt alone, glances at the younger wolf, then smirks. The younger wolf can only cry as his mother never returned from the hunt, and is comforted by Tussle and Sweep. Later the trio reminiscences over the time they tried hunting and Sweep was nearly killed by a Lost deer. The hunting accident left her unable to speak. Backlash cried at this, and later when he found his father dead. As the young wolf weeps, Takedown stands behind him, wiping off his father’s blood. As the murderous wolf turns his gaze on his younger brother, Backlash looks up at him with large, sad eyes.

It’s been a minute since I’ve had time to write about To Catch A Star. I’m glad we’re finally getting a glimpse into Backlash’s pack life. These flashbacks have been a lot of fun to read. That said, the pacing feels off. I feel these stories should have come sooner within the plot. Maybe just after Lupi was taken by the Supernova, but before Shadow broke them out. Think about it. Shadow saved Backlash’s life by taking him to a pack where Novas could help him. The moment after she apologized to him for the rough treatment would have been a great spot for both of them to share how they were raised by their respective packs. Having the backstory here has ground the forward momentum of the story to a halt.

That said, I don’t think learning how awful Takedown is before he murdered Ray would have made a huge difference. We already saw his psychopathic side when he killed members of his own pack after they admitted Backlash got the best of them with Shadow’s help. It was shocking that he’d murder his own parents, but unsurprising given how bloodthirsty he is. We also know that Shadow reminded Backlash of his older brother when she was cruel to him. Having the backstory here with it also being told by Tussle and Sweep introduces a minor plot hole.

Remember when Backlash was with Blaze and Cloud’s mixed pack, and he admitted to Hearth that he never had anyone miss him before? I don’t think that’s true because their actions and this flashback reveals that Tussle and Sweep very much cared about their friend and probably did miss him. The problem was we never their perspective before they reunited with Backlash. And for whatever reason, he never thought about these two outside the time he mentioned them to Lupi when talking about loving flowers.

Again, this seems like a major oversight. Or Backlash stopped hanging out with Tussle and Sweep after Takedown became a bigger part of his life. I guess the only way to find out is when the backstory ends.

 

The Order of the Black Dog | Page(s): Issue 27, page 22 | Patreon

Julia leaves the hut and suddenly bends over to vomit. Mel storms ahead of her. Standing at the door, Tazim tells the girls to stop by at any time. Furious, Julia grabs Tazim by front of his robe and lifts him into the air. The European wolf swears that if it weren’t her friend’s body, she would do so many things to the god. In response Tazim grins. Tazim’s actual serpentine form is visible in Rhoda’s googles, and this form seems to be screaming in agony, or laughing uncontrollably. It’s hard to tell. Julia shouts wanting to know where the real Rhoda is and when she’ll see her friend again.

Considering that Rhoda’s body no longer has eyes on top of being possessed by a god, it’s understandable why Julia is lashing out. Even if they’re getting help with summoning The Black Dog, no one would be happy to discover their friend is missing, and their body is being used by someone else. What I’m really curious about is if Tazim will provide a straight answer or if he’ll obfuscate instead. In this story no one receives a clear answer to their questions, especially when they ask the gods directly. So Tazim’s response will likely be the latter answer.

 

Golden Shrike | Page(s): 247 | Patreon

Getting ready to part ways with Riptail and Cutlass, Runi asks the small Fielder deer to pass on a hug to her mother. It’s very likely the two bucks will run into Runi and Nero’s former herd in the Red Forest. Smiling, Riptail tells Runi that he’ll make sure she gets it before asking Nero if he has a message to send home. After a long pause, the brash buck simply says “No,” before walking away from the group. Attempting to cut the awkward silence, Riptail says he can relate and Boneslav watches Nero pass by.

It’s sweet and unsurprising that Runi would ask Riptail to pass on a hug if he and Cutlass run into her herd. It’s also unsurprising that Nero has no messages to pass on. After all, he’s been hiding his feelings since the day he was banished from home. When I started this story back in 2018, I didn’t think the siblings would be away from home for this long, but their adventure is grander than I ever could have imagined. So grand in fact, that Runi forgot to write home via her bird. As for Boneslav, I wonder if the look he’s giving Nero is due to him having a tight relationship with his family and not understanding why the Marshlander seems to have turned his back on his family. I wonder what he would think of Nero being banished?

I could see the conversation going two ways. One, it never happens because Boneslav decides not to confront Nero about it for the time being. Two, the Stonekrovn does inquire about Nero’s past, but the Marshlander is not forthcoming. Either way, I don’t think Nero is going to be open about how he feels for a while longer.

 

Home | Page(s): 825 | Patreon

As Roamer wallows in self-pity, Kargo continues on about how special the young male is. He’s the best at making snowballs, is brighter than the sun, and full of love. In the distance Rogio eavesdrops on their conversation. Kargo and Roamer stare at each other and lean in for a possible kiss, before the older male turns away and bids his younger friend a goodnight. Roamer can only stare as Kargo enters his hut for the night. In the distance Rogio turns away with a neutral expression.

First, the last panel in this page seems to be a parallel to the last panel on page 292. Except this time around its Kargo leaving Roamer to his own thoughts, and their relationship is on the mend instead of a hasty breakup. Just like hundreds of pages ago, Rogio is behind a bush listening to everything. Eavesdropping really is one his nasty habits, though I suppose the same can be said for a lot of characters in Home.

Possible jealousy or interest from Rogio aside, Roamer and Kargo still have quite a lot of chemistry. I admit, I was one of readers who hoped Rogio and Roamer would be friends, but soured on the idea of them being romantic partners. I originally tried to keep an open mind, but as time went on their relationship only consisted of sex and pitting Rogio. The older male never asked his younger partner about what he wanted from life. It’s all been lust. Whenever Rogio had to step up and do something heroic, he always shirked that duty, leaving Roamer to clean up his messes. Or causing others to die because of his inaction. See Jonna and Fuss.

By contrast, Kargo was patient and romantic. He took Roamer’s wants and needs into consideration and didn’t force his partner to do anything outside his comfort zone. They had moments of sweetness and love, and even talked about a future together. They also had moments of fun and humor. Now, don’t get me wrong, Kargo did make Roamer come with him by manipulating him. He (and Ferah) also seemed okay with having Roamer do everything, but search for Ronja near the start of the comic. Though to be fair, Roamer didn’t seem to object at all. Kargo was also complicit in keeping Ronja’s whereabouts from Roamer, until he felt guilty. That said, Ferah and Rogio shared in the same secret, but only Kargo received Roamer’s ire for reasons never explained. While I’m at it, I’ll also add the time Kargo left Roamer to fend for himself in a forest after he thought Ferah was dead. So no, their relationship wasn’t rosy, but it felt more real than just being essentially fuck buddies. But it honestly seems like Kique is moving the pieces in place for all three dogs to form a polycule at some point.

On a side note, I noticed that page 825 of Home was updated to include a notice that reads “Copyrighted to Johan N & Patreon/Kique. Reposting is not allowed,” on every single panel. I’m guessing this author wants to curb snippets of his comic from being uploaded. I don’t have this notice on the panel I’m using for today because I took it from a screenshot on Wednesday, December 6.

Even if I didn’t have this earlier version of the panel, any usage of a single panel falls under the Fair Use doctrine in the United States. Parts of an existing work can be used without the copyright holder’s permission long as it’s being used for purposes of criticism, reporting, education, or parody.