I’m back after a badly needed break. I took care of business, and I’m hoping I’ll be back to a mostly regular schedule. Speaking of breaks, I’m on vacation from work this week. So I’m going to try to enjoy myself.
Africa | Page(s): 422| Patreon
I absolutely love the sunrise colors on this page. The fact that Arven does each page with colored pencils makes it all the more impressive.
It is clear that Mondo has bonded with Bibi, them being similar-sized cats. Africa sees it as well, because she asks him if he’d rather be with her once the two reunite. On one hand the question can seem a little tone-deaf considering Mondo sees Africa as a mother. On the other hand, she’s observed how comfortable her son is with Bibi, and knows that he’s not completely comfortable around his leopard mother. Personally, I think Africa is being thoughtful about his feelings and isn’t seeking to push him away. She’s also validating how normal it would be for him to feel relaxed around a cat more like himself versus a big cat.
I know I’ve said Africa and Mosi need a heart-to-heart talk, but Africa and Mondo probably need one as well. They’ve not really had the chance since the chaos of leaving Faida’s clan, Safari’s death, and finding Mosi. I just hope when that day finally comes, Mondo will feel at ease enough to open up to his adopted mother.
The Order of the Black Dog | Issue 29, Page: 7 | Patreon
Mel and crew are finally going through the gate. It’s nice to see the researchers being able to open it without others interfering. Although the exploration group is returning to the lunar base they barely escaped from in Issue 16. Except this time the base is completely covered by the Black Idol, scary teeth and all. I really hope that device Mel is carrying is capable of pushing back the living mass, or it allows them to navigate the lunar base safely. Otherwise, it is going to be a short mission and everyone will be absorbed.
In all seriousness, I suspect the device will keep them all safe, or at the very least Mel will be okay. I’m just excited to see how her summoning the Black Dog will work. Zalef-Labev did warn there would be consequences for using such a powerful being.
Lost Scent | Page(s): 86 | Patreon
Wow, Motte and Morgan really hit it off. I love how the latter is practically proposing a one-night stand. When the Selkie first laid eyes on Motte, I thought it was because she perhaps had some insight into her past, or noticed how nervous she was. Maybe I was reading that gaze wrong. Though, upon going back to page 71, perhaps that was a look of intrigue. Either way, Motte really made an impression, and the two get on quite well.
At this point I’m wondering if the Borzoi-mix takes Morgan up on her offer, and the two spend an intimate night together. They may also talk and Motte might reveal a bit about her past to this stranger. Given how distraught Tulpi is, I’d feel a little bad if they spent the night together. Worthwhile activities or not. That said, Tulpi has yet to confess her feelings, so how would Motte know how torn up inside her traveling companion feels?
I also thought the girls would stay longer with Morgan and crew. Helping out for a night and then being ferried across the strait isn’t a bad deal at all. The Selkie is quite reasonable.
On a final note, I’m amused at these two ladies passing a cigarette back and forth. Smokes, booze, and Amazon shipping containers– the world of Lost Scent has it all.
Golden Shrike | Page(s): 312 | Patreon
We see a brief glimpse of what Antaras’ mate looked like. I’m still not sure if she’s blind (because her irises still don’t look normal) or if this is residual effect of being possessed by Eve. That said, I wonder if her personality has returned as well. Either way, based on facial expression alone, she was probably a sweet doe.
The prevailing theory among fans is that Antaras used the power of the gods, or trapped the gods somehow to bring his wife back to life, and/or save the life of their unborn fawn. Given that it has been confirmed that Eve is inhabiting the body of his mate, I think part some part of that theory may pan out to be true. As for body possession, I wonder if his mate is just there but dormant or if she died. Either way, her ring is a direct connection to Eve. Unlike Antaras who controls loss at his own whims without being possessed, Eve must control her body for some reason.
I’m eager to know what Antaras did to steal two stars from the sky and bind them to rings, and what drove him to this desperation. Perhaps his mate was deathly ill while pregnant and binding Eve was the only solution. Fortunately, it looks like we’re about to get some backstory from Usma regarding her father. I’m hyped!
And here we go, this page confirms for Jahla that yes, Marduk is evil. Not only that, but he’s behind the destruction of Rabisu and Zioqa, and the corruption of the Neperdur (aka the Liulfr/Shield Wolves). This page should not be surprising as we already had that reveal on 890. I suppose the purpose of this page is to give Jahla the motivation to do something about Marduk and to help the Asmundr pack. Even so, it’s not like she didn’t suspect that the Sky God was evil. At the very least, she was suspicious of him, and the Asmundr pack warned her about him. I feel like this page should be less of a revelation about how Father/Utu banished Marduk for already established crimes, and more about a way to stop his obelisk.
This page also bothers me in another way. It shows that Father knew about Marduk. Yet he did nothing to warn the pack about him. It’s not like the guy changed his name after being on the run. Furthermore, I’m doubtful any of the native dogs of Aedra know anything about him either, as they’ve found their own gods to worship. It’s also unclear if Rohgir and the Akiulfr at Origin Orion Tribe know about Marduk. If the Sky Gods’ previous creations were wiped out or corrupted, why would he not warn his new creations? Are we to assume that after Marduk brought death and drained the planet of Solar Stag of its resources that he ran and went into hiding? If so, why did he come back to Aedra pretending to be one of Father’s helpers? Why did he transfer himself into the body of a dog, and leave an entire spaceship elsewhere especially after constructing the obelisk? Why didn’t he change his name?
This confusing plot goes back to the original sin of Marduk, and how he was originally introduced as Khellir. When Kique parted ways with his co-writer at the time, he changed the character completely. Khellir was meant to be a good person who gave up his way of life to aid the Asmundr pack, and to apologize for the difficulties of being moved from Earth to Solar Stag. After the falling out with J. Harper, the former Sky God was rewritten and reworked into a villain. Unfortunately, that rework was lazy as the change introduced a ton of plot holes in trying to tie Marduk with the Green Ones from Asmundr.
Going down that rabbit hole, we saw the Green One’s ship destroyed in Asmundr. So if Marduk is their leader, he must have a small fleet as it’s implied they’d return and are responsible for the creation of humans. So with all of this power and technology at his fingertips, why would this guy transform himself into a dog and live among Father’s favorite pack in a bid to make them worship him? Seems like was already powerful and doesn’t need the adoration of Kainan’s pack.
Another quick thought. Why not keep the name Khellir and then later reveal that his name was actually Marduk? Him hiding from Utu and fooling the Asmundr pack would have made more sense.
Anyway, fingers crossed that Jahla finds a solution to stopping Marduk instead of blindly running off to confront him. There’s no way she’d rush in without a plan, right?
On the art side of this page, everything feels so rushed and lazy. Jahla looks off in several panels, and the last panel is just so rough. I can’t decide what I dislike more, her weirdly human-like teeth, or the fact that her eyes just don’t line up correctly. Maybe Kique started drawing her at an angle, changed his mind and didn’t bother to correct her eyes. I don’t have high hopes for the writing on next week’s page, but perhaps the art will look a tad better.
On hiatus:
In The Lion’s Den: The Scarlet Uproar | Page(s): | Patreon
What Lurks Beneath | Pages(s): | Patreon
