Solstice was last week, and summer has started on an intense note. I know I have quite a few readers in Europe and I hope you all are able to deal with the extreme temperatures. Please stay safe. Here in this part of North America we’re about to deal with some rough temperatures ourselves. I’m not looking forward to roasting in heat above 100F at work with only fans to blow around hot air. (This usually happens a couple of times a year.)
In actual webcomic related stuff, the plushie campaign for Africa was successful. Orders are now closed.
The Pride 2026 comic artists’ collaboration piece is up. I enjoy seeing these from various webcomic artists. This year I see quite a few characters from new comics.
Africa | Page(s): 475 | Patreon
Along with the visual of a dust cloud is the sound of a rumbling noise, and a weird electronic beep. Of course Mondo would have no idea what it could be, but Bibi is familiar with the noise thanks to her encounters with Chui, and his “jinx” ability. Though part of me still wonders if she could be mistaking the sound for some kind of electronic monitoring device in the crater. That said, the volcanic activity theory is feeling less and less likely.
If this is Chui, and his collar is beeping then it means either the mixed herd or humans are nearby. Given the cloud of dust and the rumbling, it could be the herd in a stampede. Which again, does not bode well for our small, squishy felines. If the herd doesn’t get them, the devious leopard might. So running and hiding looks like the best course of action.
What Lurks Beneath | Pages(s): 1007 – 1009 | Patreon
Sturgeon is visibly seething and of course Gull simply has to antagonize her, all the way down to arrogant smirks. Now that the old cat is also an advisor, she reminds Sturgeon that rank no longer matters. Intimidation doesn’t work either, and it feels like a certain someone is begging to lose another eye. Out of the entire room, Wrasse seems to be the only one with a calm head on his shoulders, and he insists that Sturgeon should be left alone to speak with Trout. Not that Gull can’t help but try to get a few more digs in with her new position of power in the Family.
What gets me is how she’s essentially underestimating Sturgeon by insisting that she’s just another young blood. Uh, no. She might be young, but she was trained directly by Thresher himself as a successor. She knows the truth about The Tide, manipulation tactics, how to build and maintain a base of power, and can kill when needed. In short, Sturgeon is not a cat that one should mess with or take lightly. I believe Wrasse is defusing the situation because he’s good at that type of thing, and he’s worked for her in the past as her lionheart. He knows how capable she is, and sooner or later, Gull will discover this too.
On a visual note, I like how the painting on the wall likely represents Sturgeon’s fury, as the fangs point all the other cats in the room. She’s calm now, but this could be foreshadowing of the type of wrath she’s willing inflict on certain Family members, if it means helping a greater amount of cats on the island.
The Order of the Black Dog | Issue 30 Page(s): 13 | Patreon
We finally get to see the Kae-Kariin that Okpara alluded to in issue 28. Instead of coming from Hedgeworth, the physic attack on Julia could have come from these lizards instead. Curiously enough, they also seem to be all in some kind of magic circle. Not unlike one of Rhoda’s summoning circles, or the circle the girls used to talk with Zalef-Labev. Perhaps this is how the pale skinned Kae-Kariin get information from the infiltrators they placed inside the facility. Instead of sending data back through electronic devices, they communicate at certain intervals with these psychic lizards. That said, they need the memories of these individuals to obtain a complete picture and to maybe pass on said memories on to the next infiltrator.
As I suspected last week, the bug body that looked like Hedgeworth wasn’t his true body. His true form is an unholy mix of his old bug body that also looks a bit feral, and parts of the Black Idol which is being fed to him on an IV drip, like an infusion. He also seems to have psychic powers as well. The fusion of science and magic in this scene is curious, and sums up the world of this comic very well. Alongside advanced science there are gods and spiritual magic. Hedgeworth is utilizing all of the above to extend his life and influence.
At the same time, his goals of keeping the Black Idol under control and avoiding a mass breakout seems to be aligned with the government, the SIU, and even The Order of the Black Dog. No one wants to see the Black Idol retake all the people on Earth and make them a part of itself. So why doesn’t Hedgeworth just work with the others? I suspect that like the Kae-Kariin from the 1800s (except maybe less prejudiced), he views the people of Earth as lesser beings that need guidance under him. So working within the system would be undesirable compared to being the one secretly controlling the system.
That said, if the Egyptian government or any other Earth government got their paws on the bug alien-Black Idol hybrid, they’d probably experiment on him to learn the secrets of his longevity. If that means using the Black Idol, I’m sure some power-hungry lunatic would be willing to make countless sacrifices to make that goal a reality.
In The Lion’s Den: The Scarlet Uproar | Page(s): 91 – 92 | Patreon
Kay is led to the feline that took an interest in her during the Gathering. His name is Ursus Bryson, and of course he’s a tech CEO. Him aligning with the fascist government currently running The Lion’s Den also makes sense. It’s the easiest way to gather and keep power. Him wanting the giant’s tears is a given. According to the wolf therian from book 1, a giant’s life force can do a lot of things to a critter’s body, like making them more resilient. The life force isn’t the same as tears, so I’m curious to see what they can do for a critter. The one feline noble insisted they could grant everlasting life, but he was also lying about the tears being real.
Other than making his eyes bright pink and creepy, I wonder what the tears will do for Ursus. Also, he’s offering his tear tea to Kay. Surely if they grant everlasting life, he wouldn’t be sharing them so freely. Also, Kay would have likely been more careful with them instead of just revealing them to everyone. At this moment, I’m just going to believe that this feline tech bro just thinks the tears give him powers, while in reality they’re just giving him one hell of a high. He certainly does look high in the final panel on page 92.
Joking aside, Ursus could have just taken the tears and left Kay to rot in jail, or had the therian eat her. Why go through the trouble of having her brought in front of him, just to meet her? Does he remember her from the orphanage because she’s also a Diamond Abyssinian? Does he want to invite another former noble into his fold? Or does he want to know more about how she got the tears, and her connection to the giants?
Golden Shrike | Page(s): 365 | Patreon
Eve quickly sums up why she and Loss are no longer in the sky. From her, we learn that Loss definitely wants Antaras’ life for what he did to it, and once it’s free, the feast will begin. However, it being free is directly tied to the buck’s life, and he has a fierce will to live. As for Eve, the god of life can only confirm the fawn she’s carrying is alive, and nothing more. They won’t be born until Eve wills it, and she’s not ready to do so just yet. Iralee is probably the first deer to ask the god directly why she’s not birthing the fawn, and her response will be interesting. Though we’ll have to wait just a little longer (I hope), for said response.
In short, as long as Antaras lives, Loss is trapped in that ring. The former God-caller has a strong will to live, so death remains trapped, ensuring that no one dies of old age. Meanwhile, no one will be born until Eve gives birth and returns to her place in the sky. And Antaras has tasked Iralee with convincing the star to do this, in order to get himself out the predicament he ran headfirst into. Again, I’m doubtful Eve will give birth until the grudge she has against her captor is settled. Things will probably get worse before they get better.
Mind you, we haven’t even gotten to War and whatever he’s been doing since he left the sky.
I tell you one thing, Home is infamous for keeping characters separated for long periods of time just to keep a plot going. Worse, the payoffs for this waiting are rarely worth it. For today, while searching for Naeva in the old Meteor Tribe territory, Rogio picks up on a familiar scent. He is within a few paces of his brother, Iberon’s tent. He turns away at the last minute because Ronja finds blood on Naeva’s scent and finding her becomes more urgent. So along with Roamer, he hurries off in the opposite direction.
If Rogio and Iberon were as close as brothers, as Iberon claims, wouldn’t Rogio recognize his scent immediately? Instead, it’s just a faint memory to him. So either he wasn’t that close to his brother, or the logic in this comic dictates that he’s forgotten a lot about his brother. Maybe he expected him to be dead and just buried the memories? I can’t think of a good reason why he wouldn’t heed Ronja’s commands at the moment, so I’m not surprised he turned away. I can only hope (without getting those expectations too high) that Rogio is bothered enough by the scent that when the hunt for Naeva is over, he returns to this area to investigate. Of course the possibility of Iberon moving on after this happens is high.
The page with Rogio and Roamer leaving, just shy of Iberon’s tent would have been a good way close out this scene, and save the scene change for the next page. Except Kique loves his mid-page scene changes, and we have another one here.
It’s time to see how the Asmundr pack is doing in their travels north. A panel that lists their location at the top would have at least made for a smoother transition, but I guess the change to night marks that transition instead. It would be nice to know if the dogs are properly out of Brightvale Tribe territory as well. That said Feaf looks exhausted, and Rhov isn’t in the wrong for her wanting to rest, especially if she’s due sooner than later.
I’m of two minds here. One, I don’t think taking a short rest would be a bad thing. But, if Feaf is close to giving birth, the traveling group would be safer in a place where they could hide and have shelter. The map shows that they’re further north, but still probably have a few more days before they get to the old MT territory. (They’re closest to Flamegarde Tribe.) So if Feaf and Rhov’s children are ready to be born, their journey might have to pause for now. I don’t think they can afford to stay at their current location for more than a couple of days.
Of course as they travel, there’s a chance they could run into Ranach’s camp, Onofre’s forces, or even Ronja and company as they search for Naeva. Though I think the latter is less likely, as the dogs would have to be awful at tracking for it to take many more days for them to find the missing pup.
Off for the week:
Lost Scent | Page(s): | Patreon
On hiatus:
