I’m back after a needed week off!
Africa | Page(s): 396 | Patreon
Fikra and Kitendo’s journey to find what the other predators are up to eventually leads them to the swamp. Given the big pool of blood and whooping hyenas in the distance, it’s pretty obvious Faida’s clan is involved. I briefly wondered if they were munching on Safari, but a more likely scenario is the elephant who was on his last legs on page 337 died and is now an easy meal. The amount of blood in the water just seems like way too much for a single elderly cheetah. In the short term, it seems like at least Faida’s clan might be saved. Or another scenario could be the hyenas and the lions fighting over the carcass, but there aren’t any visual cues for Bes and his pride, so I’m doubtful they’re on the scene.
To Catch a Star | Page(s): 591, 592, 593, 594 | Patreon
These silent pages of both the sun and moon Lupi on their journey to reach the final star have been a real visual treat. Since it is the two of them on the journey, and the moon is just a pup recently reborn, I suppose there isn’t a lot to say. I do like the melancholy expression on sun Lupi’s face as they gaze upon the last star on page 593, and are perhaps thinking of the journey. Or maybe they wish Backlash and Shadow could be present. Sadly, it’s not meant to be. The second panel on page 594 is gorgeous as both wolves fall, and it’s unclear if they’re going down or are about to be transported to the celestial body of the sun. Either way, I love the lighting and the angle of the scene.
We know that Lupi wishes to remake the world, but I am curious about the process of how it all will work. Will anyone be reborn? Does the world revert to a full planet instead of a series of floating islands? Additionally, what will happen to both Lupi wolves? Will they return to their bodies in the sky after the moon is restored, or will they live on as avatars of the sun and moon? I have so many questions, and I’ll just have to wait until they’re answered as pages roll out this week. We have about another 15 pages to go until To Catch a Star ends. That’s a lot to wrap up in a small amount of time. I’m hoping that the ending of this comic isn’t as rushed as White Tail.
The Order of the Black Dog | Issue 28, Page 28| Patreon
The scene with Okpara is over, and we finally get to see what became of the kidnapped hedgehog scientist from the beginning of this issue. It’s not good. Just as Okpara talked about the kae-kariin that became pale, black-eyed servants for their leader, we see one in the flesh. I had assumed it was taking the hedgehog’s essence to become a doppelganger and be inserted into the facility. However, a reader made an intriguing observation. The cloudy, purple fluid being extracted from her temple looks a lot like the memory orbs in the previous issue.
I don’t know what this means, but that link is undeniable. I wonder if the leader of the kae-kariin is creating artificial memories to be implanted in said doppelgangers, or if their activities are somehow related to Zalef-Labev and his realm. This is the penultimate page of the chapter, so we may not get any answers next week. As for the scientist herself, I’m guessing she’s likely been left to die. By the time anyone figures out what happened to her, she’ll be long dead.
Lost Scent | Page(s): 66 | Patreon
As Tulpi and Motte make arrangements to obtain a boat, or someone who can ferry them across the strait, we get an idea of how dangerous the journey will be. The girls are pointed in the direction of “the Selkie” (hopefully named after the mythical creatures). I do find it to be fascinating that she has a title instead of a name. This has to be a dog named after the sea creatures, right?
On another note, she’s found in The Zone, and that place is an Amazon shipping container with spray paint that has turned the Amazon logo into The Zone. At this point I’m assuming humans were once the dominant species, an apocalypse happened, and dogs have taken over. Unless this is a universe where dogs evolved and at some point someone also founded Amazon, and their world fell apart. I hope this mystery is unraveled during Tulpi and Motte’s travels. The world building is easily my favorite aspect of Lost Scent.
In The Lion’s Den: The Scarlet Uproar | Page(s): 35, 36 | Patreon
Unsurprisingly, Harzuk is amused at Kay’s failure to escape the tyrant’s musk. To add insult to injury, not only is the feline flung back onto the pier, but a wave of water also hits her. The indignation of being laughed at by a person you just met, having your self-assured plans fail, and then getting a sudden bath must sting. It’s no surprise that with her ego deflated, Kay returns to the familiar area near the alley. But hey, at least Harzuk is kind enough to offer her a towel to dry off with.
I am curious as to what Kay plans to do next now that she knows she can’t leave The Lion’s Den because of the tyrant. Will she lie low? Will she approach the ruling class? Or will Harzuk make the feline an offer? After all, I suspect Harzuk did not rescue her out of pure altruism, especially after recognizing Kay’s royalty markings. Is this the part of the story where we’re about to learn that the alien rabbit either joined or formed a resistance group against the Therian currently running the city?
Golden Shrike | Page(s): 291| Patreon
In my observations two weeks ago, I was wondering if Eve was smiling because Antaras was severing connections from his companions and family. Given how much Eve has to say on this page, and how she’s nuzzling him as if rubbing it in, I think she is taking delight in the fact that Usma is gone, and he’s all alone. She wants him to be lonely and miserable for stealing the gods, and wants him to admit regret. This confirms her being held captive and being unable to do anything about it, other than emotionally torture her captor. As for the Northerner buck, I doubt his pride will allow him to admit he feels regret. I think he’ll press on without looking for Usma, growing more resentful and vindictive along the way.
At least we finally understand why Usma left. She did play it cool or was feeling numb, after seeing what her father was willing to do to further his goals. I’m guessing she deserted him less out of fear for her own life, and more out disillusionment over what he has become. In that way, she fits well into Nero’s group, as they’re all deserters save for Boneslav who actually had a loving send off. Let’s hope that Nero eventually sees that for himself.
We won’t know how the story continues for another four weeks as Golden Shrike takes its usual hiatus between chapters. There are bonus pages being posted to Doe Prince’s patreon if you need your weekly GS fix. As for myself, I’ll pick up writing about this comic when it returns from the break.
I suppose a bonus of taking a week off is that I don’t have to write about that awkward as hell scene on page 881 between Kargo and Ferah. This scene is a bit different as Avanti officially becomes a member of the Havenreach Tribe, as Argeirr paints her rank. She gets the official rank of Healer. Which seems rather mundane given what she is, and the knowledge she has. Perhaps she should be the Artisan instead of Argeirr seeing how she actually has thumbs, and likely an easier time crafting materials. But hey, I guess it beats being stuck on a spaceship all day with a hostile tribe, or being used as a pawn for a scumbag like Ranach.
On a different note, we never see Jahla do anything really proactive in her own tribe. Her brother presents Avanti with the new rank, instead of maybe making it a cool introduction ceremony for the entire tribe to witness. Other than the hares, no else is around. You’d think Thakir or Romé would be curious about her, but they’re not in this scene at all. Thinking about it further, her introduction to the tribe would have been a nice scene, but Kique doesn’t think this type of world building is required.
Anyway, back to Jahla. Every time we see her in Havenreach, it’s always someone else working hard despite her being the leader. Thakir build the huts and took care of everything while she was away. Folluin helped dig for the special stones. Romé is the unquestioning yes man to his leader. What have we ever seen Jahla do of importance, other than snarl at a dog threatening her brother, fumble around at the Tinget, and howl for days at a stranger that led to her getting kidnapped and rescued? I feel like she’s just not fit to be a leader, and should probably find away to help the Asmundr pack get away from Marduk, or see what Ronja has been up to in the north. Heck, maybe she can do both. It would be more than she’s currently doing for this tribe.
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