I’m back from my small break. As promised I’ve doubled up this week.
Africa | Page(s): 464 – 465 | Patreon
It’s official, Bes is declaring war on the hyenas. It’s kind of amazing since they were the ones that raided Hyena Hill (after being tricked by Chui) and killed a bunch of cubs there. But hey, Bes is an asshole and lions and hyenas are natural enemies, so it wouldn’t take much to provoke either side into attacking. (Aside from a sheer difference in numbers, I suppose.) Nuru understands that Faida is getting the war she wanted because of her own actions as the new matriarch. I really hope for the sake of the entire clan, she’s prepared for this battle because it sounds like everyone is about to be in a fight for their very existence.
As for the former matriarch, well, I was horrified to learn that she was still alive when Bes mauled her already broken body. In a bit of cold comfort, I can at least say that thanks to Kauket’s attack to the back of her skull and spinal cord, she likely didn’t feel anything. Page 465 proves it, as she’s simply hearing their voices, and not understanding what they’re saying as she has a dying dream. As she dreams and the last bit of her consciousness fades, she’s been reunited her two young cubs. This is probably the most peaceful and beautiful way Faida can go out. Not in pain or terrified for the future of her former clan, just at peace with her loved ones again. The page is quite beautiful as the sun rises on a new day without her, and her blood trails form an umbilical cord that link her to her children.
Faida’s story is over, but the conflict in the crater continues. Ironically, the war the wild dogs were trying to prevent is about to happen possibly because of their intervention and Kitendo being greedy. If the dogs and the lions had never fought over the dying gemsbok, Kauket probably wouldn’t have gotten sick and delirious from plunging her paw the rotten swamp water. The old lioness probably wouldn’t have gone to the edge of the swamp, and had a run in with the hyenas. Or maybe the lions would have eventually found the elephant carcass, and the wild dogs’ actions wouldn’t have mattered. It’s just speculation on my part on how the dogs likely sped up an event that seemed destined to happen.
What Lurks Beneath | Pages(s): 987 – 991 | Patreon
I have to say, Hake may have let a little too much slip in revealing to King Thresher that he talks to Daisys. That said, the boy is smart enough to know that his father would definitely try to hurt them, if given the chance. Doubly so, if he ever found out that the prince’s one specific friend was the same cat that nearly killed him. Of course, know that’s not going to happen because Petrel is invited to the coronation ceremony where they nearly kill Trout. Hake does a great job of pointing out how the king might be wrong about all the Daisys, and again it’s only because he’s Minke’s child that he’s allowed to even argue this much. Thresher has to hold back his anger as he tells his son to leave, but is still determined to have him see the Daisys like the rest of the Family does. Fortunately, we know this doesn’t work in the long run.
Even so, Thresher is really trying here. The second panel of him on page 991 is ominous as a speech bubble covers his bad eye, and the same side of his face is in shadows. I’m guessing the Daisys know about the prince because of the king. He’s likely the one who started the “Hake the Fake” moniker. Because why not try to pin transphobia on a large group of cats to make the prince hate them? This doesn’t work either, even if the name sticks. Honestly, I can’t imagine Thresher going to the forest to do anything else because he already has a genocide planned during the new moon.
Lost Scent | Page(s): 114 – 115| Patreon
It looks like Tulpi’s two nupsies got her half a rabbit to eat, which is better than nothing. Unfortunately, the bartender can’t help her out regarding directions to her home. So enter a Beagle named Ezra. The way he slides in, the bartender handing out free drinks suddenly, and how overly helpful he is just gives me creep alerts. My first thought regarding the free drinks was that I hope the one intended for Tulpi isn’t spiked. I wouldn’t put it past Ezra and the bartender to be in cahoots. Or perhaps he’s just a helpful dog, who wants to help out a lady he sees as pretty.
Then page 115 happened, and all my worst fears were confirmed. He simply wants to lure Tulpi back to his room for a “good” time. It feels like he’s trying to take advantage of a dog who’s not from the area, is passing through, and likely no one would care if he had his way with her. The way he touches her leg, and whispers into her ear (getting way too close) is uncomfortable. Thankfully Tulpi is listening to her own gut and knows going with him is a bad idea. Her nervous smile is gone, and she’s just stone-faced in the last panel. That makes me feel she’s either going to attack him, shout, or run. Either way, Ezra is bad news.
Golden Shrike | Page(s): 349 – 350 | Patreon
Understandably the group is shocked to learn that Antaras isn’t a mustache-twirling villain, but a heartbroken husband and father who just wanted his family to be whole again. Runi and Kasko are taken aback, while Boneslav is emotionally intelligent enough to ask Usma if she’s okay. Of course the answer is “no.” The group talks big about being sent to deal with her father, which is meant to cheer her up, but I can imagine that task being all the harder now knowing his backstory. Again, everything Antaras did was extremely selfish, and he was willing to kill an entire herd to see his wife again, so there’s no redeeming his actions.
In that way I can completely understand Nero’s reasoning. Nero is a difficult to like character at times because he is so arrogant and abrasive, but a lot of the times he’s correct in his assessments. I would say he’s being a jackass to Usma because he doesn’t completely trust her, and doesn’t know if she or the others in the group will try to stop him from killing Antaras if needed. The Northerner buck is beyond help at this point, and the number of sins weighing his crown down are numerous. Which is why no one objects, not even Boneslav when challenged by Nero. This clarity of purpose is likely another reason why he was chosen by Karuna. He’s a guy who knows what needs to be done, and is willing to cut right to the point. Let’s just hope Nero’s can do/will do attitude won’t cost him his life when dealing with a dangerous God-caller who wields the power of instant death.
Home | Page(s): 960 – 961 | Patreon
When writing about Home, the song “Beats to Relax/Murder to” is fitting. I’m so glad it came up in my playlist, as it actually made writing this section way more chill than normal.
After a hard transition away from Naeva’s problems at Nordgarde Tribe, we’re checking in with Jahla and her migrating group. I still think it’s a mistake for them not to have traveled together with the Asmundr pack, as three Akiulfrs might have a hard with the racist dogs. That’s not something we’re immediately going to worry about, as first Jahla’s taking the group on a detour to Solar Stag Tribe to visit her grandmother.
I don’t think the sentiment is wrong, but maybe this scene should have happened shortly after Argeirr left Origin Orion Tribe to join his sister. Considering how little Kique depicts familial relationships outside of parents/children or siblings, it’s nice to see some extended family action. (Let me also remind you for the umpteenth time that Roamer and Jahla are first cousins, as are Rhov and Keirr with Ronja.) I get the feeling this scene is going to be rushed because this author doesn’t like to expand on character building or world building scenes unless they’re related to romance or sex. So in a better told story we’d have Argeirr and Ninmah meeting for the first time and at least spending a page or two catching up, along with Jahla. Maybe they’d even talk about Rohgir and their concerns about him, Origin Orion, or maybe her grandchildren would have questions for their grandmother.
Instead, I’m pretty certain that this is all going to be ignored, or severely truncated with the excuse that it happened offscreen, like much of this comic. I hate to be this cynical, but Home is now a decade old and the story is less interesting than when it began in early 2016.
So let me talk about something else. Do you see the dog on page 961 in the second and third panels? I realized he looked familiar, and remembered I saw him at Ranach’s rebellion recruitment meeting. I thought he was just some random dog from Onofre or Askel’s tribes who was just given extra attention because he had a nice design. It turns out he’s actually a member of Solar Stag and for the moment is guarding the entrance to the Matriarch’s den. I might be putting too much thought into this, but I’d really like to focus on what I find intriguing for this week’s update.
So I’m thinking this dog could be many things. Either a spy for Solar Stag since they know a little about the rebellion, he’s working directly for Ninmah, he’s working with Faekas to keep an eye on the Matriarch, or he plans to betray SST in the rebellion. Honestly, I feel like my first and second scenarios could be the most likely if Kique or his current co-writer put some thought into this character. Or again, I could be overthinking his role. I do find it curious that he doesn’t have a name or rank in the SST on the Wiki, but he is listed under Ranach’s Rebellion. His name is Ahric, and he’s a Guard/Scout for the capital. Either way, it’s a small detail on a page where the focus is on Ninmah, Jahla, and Argeirr, but I don’t think his inclusion was an accident.
Off for the week:
In The Lion’s Den: The Scarlet Uproar | Page(s): | Patreon
On hiatus:
The Order of the Black Dog | Issue Page: | Patreon
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