In January, Ghost of the Gulag returned. I somehow missed the fact that volume 3 is the final volume. Additionally, two pages drop every Monday. The most recent pages of this comic certainly do feel like the pieces are moving in place for the last showdown between the wolves, the tiger, and the boar. At some point, I should probably nab hard copies of volumes 1 and 2 while I still can.
Africa | Page(s): 416 | Patreon
The bad news is that Chui manages to grab a member of the zebra herd. The good news is that none of the regular named characters were caught. Though a zebra foal may have bitten the dust. At the end of the day, Chui and Kafil remain threats to the herd. The only plus here, is that the remaining members might be able to safely make it to the crater. Of course, they’ll have many more predators waiting for them.
Elsewhere, Mosi is roused from his sleep. I’m not sure how far Mosi and Africa are from Chui and the herd, but I don’t believe they are close. The main characters are still likely within the crater, but just around the gorge. That said, the noise Mosi is hearing is a growl. Could it be the dogs, hyenas, or someone else?
What Lurks Beneath | Pages(s): 879, 880, 881 | Patreon
I just realized I messed up on the number of the pages I was covering for What Lurks Beneath last week. The post as been updated to correct the mistake.
Anyway, we have a scene change and Sturgeon has finally made her way to Trout. The queen reveals that she never actually slept. Which is not good, especially when you’re stressed out. In other words, Trout might not be completely rational. At the moment, she’s drawing on the cave walls. The symbolism with red paint running down her paws as she draws The Tide is telling. She has also painted a depiction of herself with a crown bowing to The Tide. This likely represents her giving up on being anything but a mouthpiece for god, despite him not being real.
In other news, this is where Sturgeon learns that Kelp is with Hake. It’s pretty clear that she never planned for Kelp to meet with Egret, and she’s likely already preparing for the worse case scenario, or how to smooth things over should they come to a head. Of course, her immediate concern is Trout. Despite how calm her little sister is, Sturgeon hasn’t quite picked up on the fact that she isn’t well. The queen acknowledges this bitterly. Thanks to her talk with Skua earlier, we know that she’ll most likely side with The Family over the Daisys, and Sturgeon’s dream of helping every cat on the island is in jeopardy.
Trout’s decision won’t go well if the foreshadowing of her red paws is any indication.
The Order of the Black Dog | Issue 29, Page: 1 | Patreon
We’re right back the facility after the explosive end to Issue 28. The scientists continue to connect the equipment used to open up a portal to the moon. Last time they ran the portal, it was sabotaged. Let’s hope everyone is a little wiser this time around, but I’m worried considering there’s another doppelganger in the facility. At the same time, Dr. Njeri is looking for Agent Jackson, so I have to wonder if he has urgent news or just needs to talk. Perhaps it’s news on Okpara, or an update from Mel and Julia.
In The Lion’s Den: The Scarlet Uproar | Page(s): 47, 48 | Patreon
Harzuk refuses to tell Kay what happens at 10pm, but tells the feline to seek shelter. I’m still convinced that a Therian is going to appear at that hour. Not that it matters for Kay, as Harzuk managed to pilfer the necklace she was wearing. I guess the old “you have something on your face” trick is effective. Fortunately, the feline notices before the rabbit can get too far away.
I think she’s going to have a hard time getting her necklace back for two reasons. First, Harzuk is more familiar with The Lion’s Den versus Kay who has been away for years. Second, our rabbit doesn’t skip leg day, so I’m sure she’s extremely fast on her feet. Kay doesn’t skip arm day, but that might not be much help in a foot race, if it comes to that. On the upside, I guess if Kay gives chase, she won’t have to wonder about what happens at 10pm assuming that Harzuk will book it to safety and she follows.
Lost Scent | Page(s): 81 | Patreon
I can’t help but feel for Tulpi here. It’s pretty obvious that she has a crush on Motte that she’s never admitted to her traveling companion. Or she fears being abandoned again. Oblivious to that, Motte and Morgan flirt a bit and generally have a good time together. I can’t blame Tulpi for wanting to leave the scene, but I’m glad someone at least noticed her going. I just hope Tulpi doesn’t do anything rash while she’s alone with her thoughts. I also wonder if she’ll one day work up the courage to let Motte know how she actually feels regardless of if those feelings are platonic or something more.
Golden Shrike | Page(s): 304 | Patreon
We’re finally back to the main group. I’m glad Nero has finally had some time to calm down enough to at least let Usma sleep. Of course, she’s awake. Given all the albino doe has been through, I’m not surprised she didn’t sleep hard. An unfamiliar place, with unfamiliar deer, and the knowledge that they’re seeking to stop her father, who’s totally in the wrong is a lot to process. I can understand Nero wanting to directly get to questioning Usma, but I appreciate Runi wanting to slow the pace of things down. The best thing to at least do is to have everyone introduce themselves, including sharing their names.
It’s amazing that this group has just gotten used to having Boneslav, now there’s a potentially fifth member of the band. I have to admit, I am curious on how Usma’s halv was able to locate Nero’s group so quickly. Though, that answer and learning what she wants from the group might have to wait a few pages.
So here it is. Kargo either goes with Solar Stag Tribe or else they’ll send bounty hunters after him. As tempting as the deal may be, the former outlaw isn’t wrong about how the Capital didn’t do anything regarding the atrocities of the former Meteor Tribe jarls. Not to mention the genocide of an entire species of big cats. They don’t really make their case. Instead, they offer to get rid of the dogs that raided their camp, and passed on the information that Kargo was still alive. I can’t blame Ronja for turning their offer down as well. The possibility of the Solar Stag Tribe discarding the Norgarde Tribe, or just killing Kargo after the rebellion is put down is too high.
It’s weird how Faekas just mentions they’ll take Diarko away as a rebuttal to Kargo and Ronja’s rebuke of them. Lahmina could have replied that raiding dogs broke the law in attacking Nordgarde Tribe, and they were being or have been punished as a result. But no, this tribe via their Baron has to be comically evil. I don’t mind Solar Stag being the villains, but it feels like this wasn’t originally intended to be the case.
The problem is that it feels like Kique at one point invisioned the Capital as a force for good, but then for whatever reason decided to make them evil. It could be because he realizes he needs a more pressing conflict, or he wants to find some kind of redemption for Ranach by having him lead a rebellion against them. Or it could be as simple as realizing everything SST allowed to slide (like the crimes of the Meteors and Southspear Tribe) in addition to the genocide were actually quite terrible. Instead of a good tribe, he actually created a lawful evil tribe.
It also feels like in a way SST is at war with itself or is suffering from a soft coup. Basically, if Ninmah and Lahmina want to do good, you also have dogs like Faekas who have other plans. I imagine when Ranach’s rebellion starts, some members of the Capital might defect or just leave. If that happens, at the very least I can see Lahmina heading elsewhere.
On a final parting thought, if Solar Stag Tribe is so desperate for numbers that they’d make the trek all the way north just for Kargo, do they really have bounty hunters to spare? We saw what happened regarding the ambush on Southspear. Of course, this ploy could be all bluster. We’ll see.
On hiatus:
I’m wondering if Usma’s ability to find the group ties into the magic birds, and how way back in page 85 Runi’s shrike and Hoot locked talons for a moment; maybe there’s some sort of bird bonding shenanigans going on there?
This said, while I’m excited we’re back on our group I’m a little sad we’re saying goodbye to the SUPER VIVID purple pages. I’m just starting to experiment with colors on my stuff, and I was eating up the color palettes on the last couple of updates.
Oh, that’s an interesting possibility!
The colors were really nice. I don’t really draw, but I can appreciate how they really set the mood. Good luck with your own experiments.