TWWR Round up 09/07/2026 – You Appeared, Like a Bolt of Lightning

Happy Labor Day! Hopefully you have the day off from work or school if you’re in the United States or Canada. If you do have work, or you live outside these two countries, a happy Monday to you. If you’re wondering why the United States and Canada observe Labor Day, but not May Day (aka International Workers’ Day), here’s a good article about the origins of both holidays. I couldn’t just say “happy Labor Day” without sharing this bit of history.

On the webcomic side of things, SleepySundae made good with her promise to share a summary and the script of how The Dragon Slayer ends. The ComicFury website has been completely restored. She’s apologized for how she mishandled the darker elements of this story, and that’s great. I do agree with her in calling out more disingenuous comments, including people who complained if comments were on or off. I do think the break was good for Sleepy and I wish her the best in her future artistic adventures. Hopefully, she continues to tell original stories that interest her, even if they remain private and offline. (I’ve certainly done this as I’ve slowly gotten back into writing fiction.)

When I get a chance, I’ll update my review of The Dragon Slayer. Still, I’ll share a few quick thoughts. The ending feels less and less like the myth of Perseus. I’m not sure why this story had to be a retelling of that instead of its own unique thing. The sexual assault does not get much better, and we learn how much of a sick fuck Calycanthus really is. Pierces at least gets called out for her willingness to kill, but I think her growth as a character is minimal at best. I like Meadow. She might be the most grounded character in this story.

Pierces’ friendships with Hermy (a cougar) and Athena (a bear) come off as awkward. Her plot armor keeps these predators from ever seeing her as viable prey. There’s a way these scenes could have flowed better, especially with Hermy. I do like how the animals view things made by humans, versus what they really are. The fact that only horses in the valley and not other areas believe in the Immortal Dragon is a relief. Though I’m disappointed that Calycanthus didn’t spend any time with humans to explain how he knew so much about metal and how to control lightning. Finally, this story still feels like a rough draft that needed another pass or two (especially for consistency and character motivation), and a second set of eyes to catch some blind spots.

Anyway, on the comics I’m following this week.

Africa | Page(s): 485 | Patreon

I’m so glad that Hazina is quick on her feet. Even after being tripped, she’s able to get away from Chui. That said, I’m torn on the idea of her jumping down the ravine. Kafil’s suggestion wasn’t a bad one, but even with a good part of the side of the gorge gone, that’s still a steep drop. One wrong move, and Hazina could fall and injure herself. If that happens, the crocodiles will most certainly get her. At least for the moment, she’s safe from Chui. I’m doubtful he’s going to climb down after her since there are other members of the herd in the vicinity, and Kafil is near. I’m just amused that the leopard took a swipe of frustration at the side of the gorge.

Also, with Chui right there and very distracted, maybe some brave soul could try to push him off. Now that’s not a strategy without risk, but boy would it be nice to see this jackass get his comeuppance.

What Lurks Beneath | Pages(s): 1027 – 1028 | Patreon

This lighter touch from Sturgeon is a good thing. She’s trying. Instead of making demands, or guilt-tripping her younger sister, she’s appealing to Trout’s better angels. In turn, Trout is being more honest with her. Not that Trout wasn’t being honest about her fears regarding losing the love of the family. At least now, there’s no empty platitudes tied to Family propaganda, and no bullshit excuses about what’s best for the Daisys. At the end of the day, Trout is terrified that if she doesn’t appease the Family that they’ll kill her. Unfortunately, if that means throwing the Daisys out to starve, then so be it. Yes, Trout is a coward, but she’s voicing what she wants and needs.

This really does hammer home the fact that Sturgeon with her actions (especially with Krill) made things worse. So much worse. As much as this advisor wants her sister to do better, insists that actions can be undone, and this mess is salvageable, it’s not. Going back and forth will only upset the Family and Daisys more, especially only hours after the exile order was given. This is a hole that’s been dug. It will take a while for the cats to dig themselves out. While I think Sturgeon’s more gentle approach with her sister is correct, her sense of urgency might not allow her to stay on this path. Winter is coming, and she doesn’t want cats to starve.

As I said last week, the quick way out of this mess would an entirely new monarch. New reign, new rules. Of course, Sturgeon would never be willing to off her sister in order to take the throne for herself. So I’m not seeing an easy or quick way out of this nightmare. What could help is keeping Gull and Skua out of Trout’s ears, so things don’t get even worse.

I’m in love with the wide shots on these pages. The last panel of page 1027 shows how both Sturgeon and Trout are in the shadow of The Tide, this religion that hangs over everything said and done. Then there’s Skua and his presence. Sturgeon will never be able to completely influence her sister for the better as long as he’s around. The wide shot on page 1028 shows how much this is all spiraling out of control, and how small these cats are in the larger picture. That’s my interpretation of these panels.

The Order of the Black Dog | Issue 30 Page(s): 23 | Patreon

Whatever revelation Tazim had on the previous page is going to have to wait.

We have a scene change with Sedjet seemingly on vacation. Considering all that’s happened to the fennec, he certainly deserves a break at a nice beachside resort. I do wonder what Agent Jackson wants with him. Does Sedjet know about the events on the Lunar Base? About Mel? How is work going in the government lab? We haven’t really seen him in action since the events of issue 20.

I do find it amusing that the SIU took the time to replace all the staff at the resort with their own agents. Considering the last few incidents, and the infiltration problem, they can’t afford to make any more mistakes.

Golden Shrike | Page(s): 375 | Patreon

It turns out Iralee’s upbringing wasn’t quite as harsh as Antaras’. At least Helevise still made time for her fawn. Otherwise, there’s a chance Iralee could have matured to be almost as bitter as our antagonist buck here. Still, his story is heartbreaking. Oudia, the one deer he loved the most brought him Usma, and that should have been enough. They were a family, and even after her death he couldn’t appreciate it through the cloud of his sorrow. So of course he’s gone the full self-pity route. If he’d never met Oudia, she might still be alive.

I’m glad Iralee calls Antaras out on it. As the blizzard was not his fault, nor was the timing his fault. Again, he was so warped by his grief that he went and made things so much worse, and couldn’t even get his beloved mate brought back to life. Even after learning about how keeping Eve chained to her corpse has affected all deer, he’s still too prideful to let her go. He can admit he made a horrible mistake, but refuses to undo it himself. He wants Iralee to do it for him, when Eve made it clear that the deal was between him and her alone. So short of an intervention, no new deer will be born alive, and the old won’t pass on peacefully.

I’m sure Nero and his group will have to undo this if they can successfully convince War to join them. Even then, I’m not sure if that will be enough to stop Antaras as long as he commands Loss. At this point, the Northerner buck’s pity party could go either way. He continues to lose his grip on reality, or he starts to come to his senses. When he and Nero finally meet (if they meet) it is going to be a fascinating showdown.

On a final note, I’m adoring the panel of Eve rolling around in the grass and flowers. She’s living her best life on Earth, and experiencing things she can’t as a god.

Home | Page(s): 990 | Patreon

We’re back with Naeva and her solo adventure. I’m wondering why the irbloss would lead her directly to Ranach. Aren’t they supposed to be creatures that change your fate for the better? Or maybe I should take Rogio’s explanation a bit more literally. He said “a more deserving fate.” The line was supposed to be taken in a positive light, but “a more deserving fate” can be ambiguous. In that way, these wisps are a bit more neutral, and maybe even mischievous with that giggle. What fate could Naeva deserve for being taken directly to Ranach?

I will point out that they stop just shy of him. More like they wanted her to see him, because if the irbloss wanted them to meet, they would have appeared for both dogs. I’ll point to the page I linked above with Roamer and Rogio. So I’m going to interpret their intervention as they wanted her to find Ranach, and what Naeva did after that was on her. To her credit she simply observes him from the bushes. She has no way of knowing that this dog is her father. I’m hoping she remains in the bushes and simply watches for now. The dramatic irony here is that we know how dangerous he is, but she doesn’t. And yes, Ronja, Kargo, and Rogio mentioned it, but their talks with her were so piss poor that I’m not surprised she doesn’t believe them.

Off for the week:

In The Lion’s Den: The Scarlet Uproar | Page(s): | Patreon

Lost Scent | Page(s): | Patreon

On hiatus: