I’m back after a needed break. This week you get a double round up to make up for suddenly taking off.
Here are a few extras for you. Kay Fedewa posted a profile of the Rubicund Pack on DeviantArt. This is a companion sheet to go with Rubicund adoptables she created for sale. That said, it provides some cool information about the direwolf pack for the upcoming 2026 reboot. This reboot seems closer to the 2016 series than the original, at least for the direwolves. I like how the pack founder is a large wolf named Rubi. Kay has also uploaded a 2014 mini-comic from Black Blood Alliance to ComicFury. I never read this one before, so it was a treat.
If you’re a fan of ADragonSoulArt, they have a new comic. The Heirloom is a medieval fantasy about a dragon who’s the heir to his father’s throne. He recounts his life to a gemstone created from his mother. The first four pages of the comic will go up on ComicFury, then after that it will be Patreon exclusive for a while before regular uploads on CF resume.
Cursed Lights is another comic leaving DA. It will update on ComicFury, Instagram, and Tumblr.
I nearly forgot to mention it, but for you Songdog fans or followers out there, Swordbearers is now updating on ComicFury.
With that bit of news out of the way, let’s get to what I am actually reading.
Africa | Page(s): 455 – 456 | Patreon
It looks like Faida won’t be getting that rest any time soon. Her path has now crossed with Kauket’s. Fortunately for the hyenas, the lioness is too preoccupied with slurping down gross swamp water to notice or care about them. And Badru did a great job of getting them to cover before they were spotted. The bad news is the old lion has picked up the scent of the elephant carcass. Here comes the dilemma for the former matriarch. Should she and her mate do something about Kauket, or can the clan handle itself? Badru insists the clan will be fine, but Faida is understandably worried.
I’m with Badru. The clan will be fine. After all, Nuru wanted to be matriarch, and dealing with a single old lioness will be her first real challenge. It would be pretty pathetic if she buckled under this trial after beating up Faida, although the former matriarch didn’t even bother to really fight back. Still, if Nuru can’t handle Kauket, then she’s not fit to be a leader.
What Lurks Beneath | Pages(s): 961 – 966 | Patreon
Issues with Trout calling Snapper on Petrel aside, it’s clear that they haven’t forgiven themselves for what happened to Ladybug. (Ladybug is a nickname, as the poor kitten maimed by Thresher remains unnamed.) The death weighs so heavily on Petrel’s mind that they regret not being willing to die in order to see the king dead. The fear of Egret running straight into the monarch and being murdered is justified. Worse, the kitten keeps running off whenever they try to sleep. Sturgeon is so concerned that she offers to find another foster cat, but Petrel is correct, it’s doubtful that anyone else would want to take care of Egret especially since he’s fond of running off. I’m glad Sturgeon is volunteering to take care of him while Petrel gets some needed rest. It’s clear that the kit favors her, but it’s a shame he can’t live among the Family for boneheaded reasons related to Thresher. Man, everything going bad on this island and among this cast really does stem from the king being a rotten asshole.
That said, the rest will be good for Petrel for the moment, but since Ladybug’s death they have an exhaustion that can’t be cured with simple sleep. It’s the kind of regret that haunts you for a lifetime. Getting that close to killing his murderer and failing has to be maddening. I’m starting to wonder if Petrel’s second attempt at regicide has less to do with anger/disappointment in Trout and more to do with a sense of desperation, and the belief that only Sturgeon is fit to take the throne.
I’m so glad that Kelp is making good on that promise to Hake. The one where they would talk to Snapper about being trans and other trans cats within the family. We learn that Snapper discovers who she is and what she wants. Better yet, her wife accepting her is so beautiful. I can only imagine the immense relief one feels when discovering who they truly are and want from their lives. It’s also uplifting to have acceptance and understanding from the ones you love. There are plenty of stories about trauma, conflict and hardship when coming out, so in this case I’m glad to see some joy and happiness.
Just look at these two happy kitties!
In The Lion’s Den: The Scarlet Uproar | Page(s): 75-76 | Patreon
The gathering continues. I’m pretty sure those trapped in the gates of the coliseum and forced to participate in the games wish they were playing Magic the Gathering instead of living out this nightmare. The show must go on, and mere moments after sweeping up the last guy’s severed foot, the next participant is shoved out in front of Maximus. This guy is a lot different from the thief.
I immediately noticed he had the same diamond forehead marking like Kay. Not only that, but he’s dressed in a lavish robe with an insignia on the back, and intricate markings depicting a snake and a branch on the front. This feline has on not one, but two nice gold rings. His attitude is rather haughty for a moment before he realizes he’s in a difficult spot between the armed guards and the therian. So I could sit here and speculate if this guy is former royalty, or just ask Renby, this comic’s author. I did the latter, and yes he is a member of the old guard, like Kay. That’s an automatic inclusion into the games, based on how they treated her. (Though she did admit to assaulting a police officer.)
At this point, I can only guess what the fate of this former royal will be and whatever he’s about to propose. Personally, I think he’s reaching into his coat pocket for a bribe of some sort to save his hide. Will it work or will he meet a grisly fate as well? We’ll find out next update, or possibly the update after that!
Lost Scent | Page(s): 108 – 109 | Patreon
Tulpi’s talk with Piper comes to an end, and the talk was just what the Akita-mix needed to hear. As one last parting gift, Piper gives her a bandage for Motte. It’s a nice way for Tulpi to check on her friend, while addressing her scratch. The embrace was just too cute. I’m rooting for these ladies. That said, I found myself slightly amused by the misunderstanding between the two.
Motte believes that Tupli feels bad about the cage breaking, not realizing it was the wound on her face that was the actual concern. Other than pensive, I’m not really sure how to read Tupli coming to realize that misunderstanding. I can only guess that she wishes she could freely express her feelings to her traveling companion as easily as Morgan does. The poor girl is just so hard on herself and can’t help but worry.
I do have to admit, Morgan and Motte get along very well. Their personalities just mesh together. Sometimes you just have one of those relationships that burn hot, even if you’re just together for a brief period of time. That said, as fun as this crew is, page 109 is a reminder that Motte and Tulpi were just passing through and their time on the Shearwater is coming to an end soon.
Golden Shrike | Page(s): 340 – 341 | Patreon
We finally see Eve in her godly flesh and “stunning” is the first word that comes to mind. “Frightening” is the second word. I absolutely love her design. A simple doe would have been good enough for the god of life, but Doeprince really gave it some thought. So I’ll just share the author’s description from page 340.
“The face(s) behind Oudia meatsuit! In the beginning Eve’s overall theme was, on top of giving life, growth and overgrowth. Deerkind sees her as the giver of life but it goes beyond that which is why she gets to look like this. She’s also a home to disease like cancer and tumors. Deer antlers are a controlled form of bone cancer which is why I justified her sprouting antlers (there was a lot more tines on her but I had to simplify). She has warts. She has friends. She has it all.”
The antlers as bone growth is a really clever concept. The extra pair of dangling legs, and the smaller face where her right eye should be just screams Eldritch horror. She’s beautiful, horrifying, and otherworldly. Not unlike her sibling, Loss, which represents both death and the vastness of nothing. I like that her theme of growth and overgrowth is represented by warts and cancer. While growth is important, too much of it can be a bad thing, such cells that keep growing and refuse to die, like, well, cancer. Red is a nice touch as blood is life, and it makes me think of the blood of the womb when giving birth.
That’s enough ogling of Eve, as it’s back to business with Antaras. He just needed Loss to summon its sibling. That was enough to bind her with his unknown spell. Yeah, this buck is damned dangerous. As someone smartly pointed out in the comment section, this is why Karuna sent Nero to do the job. Had the god done it himself, I’m sure Antaras would have bound or injured him. I do think Antaras is a descendant of Mousara, and not the stag of legend himself. After all, he mentioned that someone bitter taught him how to hurt gods, and the seer stated that the caller of these gods has strange blood. This points to a lineage of deer that can harm the gods, and those who survived being hunted down by the stonekrovn. I’m guessing the gods only refer to Antaras as Mousara because of his lineage, abilities, and the audacity of his actions.
Eve may be bound to the former God-caller, but her hatred burns strong. He’s just a single mortal, and he’s playing a game bigger than he probably could have ever imagined. This is likely why she’s found sadistic amusement in Helevise and her helpers being dead, and his daughter and Halv leaving him. Antaras is seeking to control the gods in order to see his unborn child live (and maybe he also wants something else), but in the process is losing everything else he cared about. She’ll taunt him all the way to hell, I suspect. While I get Antaras’s pain, I can’t say he doesn’t deserve all the punishment he gets for his supremely selfish actions.
Home | Page(s): 952 – 953 | Patreon
These two pages have been a solid reminder on why I’m not feeling Rhov and Feaf’s relationship. Beyond being forced, the two of them have no chemistry. It feels like if cubs or pups weren’t happening with the pair, they probably would have moved on after a quick fling. Honestly, it feels like they just got together because they were both available and open to having sex. Then the Golden Lioness appeared and decided to get Feaf pregnant without her express consent, or considering what bringing children into such a racist, judgmental world would really mean.
I’ve said it in the past, and I’ll say it again. It’s not like Feaf openly yearned to be a parent and lamented her lack of starting a family because she was part of the guild. She never expressed such a sentiment anywhere in this comic prior to becoming pregnant, and just rolled with her sudden pregnancy. I feel like it’s the author’s own bias showing toward women in his comic, or it’s just towing a stereotypical line about all women wanting children because he couldn’t be bothered with character development for the Taiga Lion. Weirdly enough, Rhov just goes with it too despite his earlier aversion and skepticism of the gods. I guess because if your partner is pregnant you never discuss your fears, or worries, or if you even wanted to become a parent in the first place.
Now this concern about the cubs feels as forced as ever. I don’t think her concerns are invalid, but this late into the comic and her pregnancy just feels off. This is a conversation that should have occurred earlier regarding keeping them safe in a dangerous world. Yes, it was mentioned once right after Feaf learned she was pregnant, but otherwise not really discussed until now. This scene could have been yet another reiteration/reinforcement of those fears, especially after everything they went through with Marduk. Doubly so with feeling like they’d be unable to protect them, considering what the former Sky God did to them. Rhov isn’t wrong that they’ll have the protection of the pack, but he’s brushing her concerns off way too easily. Feaf could have used Marduk of an example of how powerless they and the pack were against such an overwhelming power, and how she fears that could happen again with someone else. But no, she just walks away from Rhov instead of helping her mate to understand her fears. Why is communication so hard in Home? I hate to say it, but it’s definitely a reflection of the author and his lack of care or research regarding these conversations.
In a healthy relationship, the partners would attempt to at least talk it out. But in Home a character usually walks off, runs away, or their conversation is interrupted by more pressing matters. In this case, it’s the Zioqa and Rabisu coming back to offer the Asmundr pack their assistance in moving north.
It bothers me that the Asmundr pack gets all the credit for the work, when Jahla basically soloed a God and won. The rest of the pack were just as helpless as Marduk’s other victims. But hey, more background characters for the move, I guess. More importantly for Kique, Feaf can now run off to hang out with other cats, and not help her mate understand her worries.
On a note about the art itself, the seventh panel on page 952 doesn’t convey Feaf’s anger, fear, or anxiety at all. It looks like she’s supposed to be upset, but is talking with slightly bared fangs. I don’t get why Kique couldn’t be bothered to push her expression just a little more. Even Rhov looks more expressive and his mouth is barely open. On the upside, Feaf’s expression improves a little on the first panel of page 953, and you feel her anxiety and sadness more.
Off for the week:
Nothing
On hiatus:
The Order of the Black Dog | Issue Page: | Patreon
