ComicFury is having a pledge drive for funds. This site has been independently run for over 17 years, and is one of the best places for comic artists to upload their works online. There aren’t any ads, gen AI, or predatory features like Webtoons. The site also became a real boon when SmackJeeves went down in flames. So every little donation to CF through either Patreon or Ko-Fi helps. As someone who doesn’t have an account there, I find their service to comic artists to be immensely helpful. It’s easy to follow individual comics through RSS, and the experience as a reader is extremely smooth. If you have the ability to give, please consider it as indie sites become more important by the day.
Some quick updates from webcomics I’m not following on a weekly basis here:
Friends With a Monster is updating again after a two-month break. We finally see what Shima looked like before he became a skullcarrier.
The Heirloom will be updating weekly on ComicFury instead of finishing on Patreon first.
Africa | Page(s): 463 | Patreon
Amazingly, Faida is still alive after being bitten in the back of the head by a full-grown lion. Sadly, there is no way she’ll ever stand again. I’m positive her neck is broken, and she’s slowly drowning. She’s not even really processing that Bes present. At the moment she’s enjoying the quiet as she slowly fades.
I do feel a some sympathy for Bes. Losing a parent is a devastating experience, and he loved and valued Kauket as a person. He brought her along to the pride he took over, instead of simply leaving his birth pride. There’s an interesting backstory there, I’m sure. He may have even felt as if nothing bad could happen to her on his watch. That said, I’m curious about Anaka’s expression in the penultimate panel. It looks like a mix of shock and growing anger as she focuses on Faida. Could Nuru have been right about the former matriarch getting the war she wanted on the previous page?
What Lurks Beneath | Pages(s): 984 – 986 | Patreon
I am loving Hake for calling out Thresher’s unwarranted aggression and violence toward the Daisys. The king might be trying hard to justify his actions to his son, but the prince isn’t having any of it. Meeting Petrel has greatly widened his view on the forest cats, and he’s beyond the Family’s manipulation. Of course being Minke’s child allows him to freely speak in front of Thresher. Anyone else (except for Trout) would have been smacked or yelled into submission by now. That said, am a little surprised that Thresher is taking this pushback in a way not even his own brother could get away with.
As for the prince, I’m sure this is less of Hake thinking he’ll change his father’s mind, and more of him speaking his own on the manner. As I said last week, in an alternative universe his and Sturgeon’s aligning views possibly could have helped them manage the Family better (even with Trout ruling), if she hadn’t tried so hard to protect them from the king’s true nature. But that’s just my own personal thoughts on the matter.
Part of me is a little worried that Thresher might be able to squeeze some information about Petrel from Hake, especially since he’s mentioned that he’s talked to Daisys. Will the king demand more information, or just take his rage out on the next poor forest cat he sees? Maybe not. He knows that Sturgeon has empathy for Daisys and believes she’ll grow out of it if she becomes queen. Perhaps he’ll think the same for Hake. After all, he’s still planning a genocide on the night of a new moon, so him knowing the prince has talked to Daisys won’t really alter his awful plans.
In The Lion’s Den: The Scarlet Uproar | Page(s): 81-82 | Patreon
I admit, I’m surprised that Kay is not being made to face Maximus. Instead, she’s been tossed into a jail cell, and her Giant’s tears have been taken. Looks like the ruling elite wants to have a talk with her, versus throwing her to the therian. Perhaps her ratting out that other former old guard and his fake tears bought her a measure of safety this time around. That said, I am amused that she not only requested a lawyer, but she also made demands of the guard. You might think she’d be ready to lie low after not having to face the wrath of the beast, but Kay is former royalty through and through. She’s just used to getting her way.
Not that her methods lack merit. The guard did give her food. Here’s a dish I haven’t seen since Dunbar ate some in The Wolf’s Veil. Puffers are starchy mushrooms that look like potatoes. They have to be seasoned and cooked with care, otherwise they’re bland. No wonder Kay is protesting her food. The puffers barely looked cooked (if they’ve been cooked at all), and I’m not sure if that’s some sort of green tea or foul water. Dog jabs aside, this isn’t a feast fit for a fancy cat. Let’s see if her yelling gets her better food. I’m betting she’ll get nothing, and the elite with the diamond marking probably has words or questions for her in the morning, or after the show in the coliseum is done.
On the upside, at least the jail cell has a privacy wall for the toilet.
Lost Scent | Page(s): 113| Patreon
Never discount the power of walking away from a situation really quickly. Fortunately, no one is pursuing Tulpi, so she’s safe. The bar she’s stumbled into doesn’t look great, but she has enough money to at least stay and drink. I wouldn’t be surprised if that was either the last bit of coin she had, or if she doesn’t have much more left on her. Let’s hope she’s not far from home in the Houndip Hills after being abandoned.
I really like the backgrounds on this page and all the dog designs for this particular scene. The authors really have a way of making this particular world feel lived in with all the commotion that often happens to random minor characters.
Golden Shrike | Page(s): 348 | Patreon
It must be an awful feeling for Usma to know that even if Eve had told them the consequences of piloting Oudia’s body, and carrying the fawn, Antaras would have still done so. I can see what he thought would be a simple request to bring his mate back to life, then to bring their child to life spiraled out of control. That said, he’s a curious mix of selfish and blinded. Selfish for the mass murder of that March, stealing two stars from the sky, and how the ordeal has deeply bothered his daughter. Worse, he’s learned that keeping the stars bound to him means that deer will suffer, but yet he doesn’t care. He’s blinded because Eve’s intentions are obviously not good, and it’s weird how she took an interest in the fawn even after telling Antaras that Oudia can’t be brought back. Her ulterior motive is to bring the former God-caller to ruin.
Last week I mused that Eve might not even give birth to the fawn because why not cause a bunch of chaos, make deerkind loathe Antaras, and blame him for their mass suffering all while he has nothing to show for it? It’s nice to at least see my suspicions that the god of life might not even keep her end of the deal confirmed by Usma. It shows that he’s definitely blinded by his own grief and selfishness. I love how Runi at least wonders if all they’d have to do is wait for the fawn to be born. That would be the solution that presents the least amount of danger. Even so, it’s not really an option given how long it’s been, and how dubious Eve’s deal is. That and it’s really not fair for one selfish guy to have his plans come to fruition at the cost of everyone else’s future.
I’m not going to lie, the first two panels of this page had me hopeful that Ronja would put Kargo’s fears about Naeva being like Ranach to rest. Then in the third panel she more or less agrees with those fears, admit she has them, and her daughter overhears all of this. Great job having faith in a pup you should know infinitely better than Kargo.
Again how does one dog not wanting to kill anyone make her like her murdering, rapist father?
Why is this conflict even needed?
Why he is trying to make Naeva out to be either something she’s not, or have everyone doubt her, when she’s been nothing but sensitive and kind?
It only feels like she’s being called out because she has the misfortune of sharing Ranach’s pelt colors, where Sumersaga has more of his bullying nature.
At least Diarko is attempting to raise her spirits by offering a distraction. I’d like to think that he also overheard Kargo and Ronja’s conversation, and can relate to being considered little more than a threat by others. But unless that’s ever stated, I’m not taking that line of reasoning seriously in Home considering how much doesn’t happen in this comic. I’m just going with he heard the conversation as well, wanted to cheer his friend up, and she decided that hanging out with Diarko would be good for her own mental health.
On a fun note, Kique changed the first panel. It originally read “Moments later.” When a reader on ComicFury asked if Kargo had bothered to train the girls, he said “yes,” and shortly after the text was changed to “Hours later.” Readers really do put more thought into Home than its own author at times. Credit goes to the person that caught this before the change and put this image together. I absolutely know they don’t want to be credited by name.
Off for the week:
On hiatus:
The Order of the Black Dog | Issue Page: | Patreon
