^ 31 Comments...

1. hans
   June 12th, 2009 at 12:21 am

   I must say that´s sum very liturate magix them got in that universe there.

   Can´t wait for the next page, as usual.
   Jeez, it´s like this is some kinda climax in your story or sumthin.

2. Kamatu
   June 12th, 2009 at 1:14 am

   Well, I think it is the end to the “caught by Urrts” cycle here, but the next page, the next page. Ok, well, the next page when both of these two take their shots…..

3. Ted
   June 12th, 2009 at 1:26 am

   I will laugh so hard if she whips that knife out of her boot and chucks it at him. Oh, I’ve been meaning to ask, are the sigil characters a unique creation or based on an actual alphabet?

4. Moox
   June 12th, 2009 at 2:46 am

   EPIC MAGIC BATTLE!

   Who will win? Will the moon magics be strong enough to defeat a millenia-old magic of evil and darkness? Will flame consume our valiant heroine? Will someone else need to step in to save the day? Will we be able to live without finding out what happens until the next page comes out? GAH

   Awesome one-page update, JE. Taking this epic battle to the skies was a good move. I just wish there was more story development! This is torture!
   It’s a good problem to have though.

   I am a little weirded out by our Shuach-worshiper’s feet, though. Why does he keep them together like a ballet dancer?

   Don’t worry about that, though, because the magic in this world just looks gorgeous. I absolutely love the runes that appear and summon powerful energies of destruction.

   Thank you!

5. AdamZero
   June 12th, 2009 at 3:59 am

   Ted, she could spin-flip-barrel roll-throw the knife at him.

   That’d be epic.

   so…

   Shauch-Flight is pretty rigid, prolly hurts like hell.

   Moon-Flight seems free, airy, sexy, oh damn the moons out, and it’s half… waxing? maybe?…. whatever, it’s out, shining, and a moon-priestess is fighting a puppet of the sworn enemy of the moon-goddess, who is using magick to fight gravity, the force of the earth goddess (also foe of Shauch)

   *crunches numbers*

   *evil smile*

   I see splats!!!

6. Jim Farris
   June 12th, 2009 at 4:56 am

   Wow… G is definitely playing double-or-nothing against Tula.

7. The MacNut
   June 12th, 2009 at 6:10 am

   Whoa, they look like they’re about treetop height already-and still rising. It’s almost like a warplane dogfight, with the opposing pilots jockeying for position, taking potshots at each other until…someone goes down in flames.

   Yet another awesome page, JE. Just wish it wasn’t like THREE DAYS to the next one-ARRRGGGHH!

8. Tricksterson
   June 12th, 2009 at 7:12 am

   Pure awesome beauty. I am of course referring to Tula’s ass. The rest of the page is pretty cool too. ;D

9. Kern
   June 12th, 2009 at 7:20 am

   Random thoughts.

   I Moon Magic affected by the phases of the Moon? Strongest when Full, weakest when Darkened?

   Kinda like Moon Knight during the 80s…

10. Black Ethel
    June 12th, 2009 at 8:49 am

    Very nice!
    Ted’s got a good question…where did you get your sigil designs?

11. LocalYokel
    June 12th, 2009 at 9:02 am

    Loving this whole comic very much. Epic story, epic battles, epic magick, epic eye candy calendars. All hail J.E. Draft! Lord and patron of fan-service!

    So many bad things can happen to Lizardbreath… Could get worked over for not being in his element (ala AdamZero), or could get ignobly shanked, or maybe Mentl will send a little antiaircraft fire his way and and blow his little tootsies off. So many fun possibilities!

12. Sleepinin
    June 12th, 2009 at 9:10 am

    Tula In The Sky With Diamonds….

    I think Gor is about to experience an unfortunate side effect of the laws of gravity ^_^

13. firegoat
    June 12th, 2009 at 9:40 am

    Some advice for the young moon priestess from an old fart named Avatar; bring a .44 and just shoot the S.O.B.! >:)

14. Hugh
    June 12th, 2009 at 10:06 am

    Tula Pros:
    (1) In moonlight (not sure it helps, but cannot hurt)
    (2) Tula’s magic is probably better at Utility (may make the flying easier - and I interpret G’s feet as just hanging free rather than standing on tiptoe. I agree with the comments that Tula seems to be dancing in the air).

    Tula Cons:
    (1) G’s magic is probably more offensively oriented
    (2) Tula has already proclaimed herself to be young and no where near the peak of her power. Perhaps she is just being modest. She has already beaten someone significant (as referenced by Vito in the Otherwhen). We just do not know how powerful G is. I am thinking he’s right on up there.
    (3) G has that staff helping him (not sure how big a deal that is in JD’s system).

    So I am at least half hoping for a round of magical buckshot up G’s robe to give Tula a hand. But whatever happens, this has been great so far JD!

    Oh and BTW, JD, is there some way you could archieve your old vote incentives? I am sure that new readers would like to be able to go back and read up on giants and the courtship paths, and I am sure I have missed some incentives and I would like to see them too.

15. Hugh
    June 12th, 2009 at 12:47 pm

    And by “archieve” I mean “archive” :O

16. JE Draft
    June 12th, 2009 at 1:14 pm

    hans - I loves me some funky sigils and signs hangin’ in the air, I does! And yeah, it’s kind of a big deal in the “Challenges Of Zona” story-thing.

    Kamatu - oh, yeah. They blew their initiative role by this time, as it were. And next, you will see … STUFF! LOTSA STUFF!

    Ted - So will I. And for you and Black Ethel, The signs and stuff are a mishmash of stuff I’ve downloaded from free packs over the years - the work of other fine and generous artists. (check out Renderosity for most of it) Not that I could not design or execute stuff like that, or that I won’t in future, it’s just I got no TIME to do it! So, like any producer, I farm it out and save resources where I can. Of course, from here on out, I have to be reasonably consistent with what I’ve thrown on the page. The characters I’ve chosen for Gorshash are distincly NOT the ones I’ve chosen for Tula, etc.

    Moox - You’re very welcome, and thank you right back. Actually, Gorshash is in the process of rising up. He’s kind of suspended and in motion, sorta-kinda.

    AdamZero - Ahh, but WHO do you see splatting? That’s the question. We all know what we wants to see happen, but as the song says, you can’t always get what you want …

    Jim Farris - Yup. No holds barred.

    MacNut - please - no dogfighting similes, or somebody will start a filk of “Snoopy And The Red Baron” and I’ll start to whimper …

    Tricksterson - Yeah, I thought y’all would like that little camera angle. That is, of course, one dangerous hind end, so be warned …

    Kern - Yes and no. Beyond that, I’ll not elaborate, yet.

    LocalYokel - Well, thanks, you’re very kind. All I do is put out the sort of story and stuff that I, myself, would like to see. If you like it, then we obviously have similar tastes!

    Sleepinin - Well, Gorshash himself obviously has a strong opinion on the matter, but he doesn’t find out one way or the other until he gets his little ass rendered …

    firegoat - “I’m glad you changed your last name, you son of a bitch!” I love that!

    Hugh - nice handicapping - wish I could take bets myself, but that would be unethical. Yes, I’ve thought of that and threatened to do it. Time, time, time, see what’s become of me …

    (You want me to edit that for you?)

17. Tricksterson
    June 12th, 2009 at 7:40 pm

    Have to confess of all the women so far in this series I find Tula the hottest. First of all she’s a redhead. Plus I prefer small breasted women and while I figure her for about a C cup, compared to Zona and the Queen (let’s not even get into Liri) she’s about as flat chested as a twelve year old. Okay, getting down from my Pervert soapbox now.

18. Elfguy
    June 12th, 2009 at 9:42 pm

    @Tricksterson,

    Hmn…I wonder if Mentyl started singing the Britney Spears spoof “Make my boobies one more size”….

19. Kris
    June 13th, 2009 at 12:48 am

    Heh, first thing that came to mind after seeing the whole page was that if you removed all the magic affects and the words and put some music in the background it would be like a snapshot of an interspecies dance-off.

20. Joe
    June 13th, 2009 at 10:31 am

    Don’t know if this was deliberate, but as both summon full mandalas of power, the Erogenian/ moon goddess is a tripartite mandala. I think JE has noted before that threes are big in that culture, and it its a few things. We’ve already sen the “when given 2 options, create a 3rd” behaviour pattern from the princesses, and its a set that suggests judgement made later and in light of full balance.

    The Shuach mandalas are a duality, which tends to be Manichean, black-and-white. That can be an emblem of committed justice. It can also be the mark of a fanatic, at worst spiraling all the way down into linked dualities of master race/ religion and the rest sub-people.

    I just thought it was interesting that the magic as drawn really did have some links to the larger systems that spawned them. And that assessment passes the rationalization test - it would have been off if the patterns had been reversed.

21. Possum
    June 13th, 2009 at 12:15 pm

    Hmm, cool stuff.

    Though I’d like it much better if it was a song I recognised. This one just doesn’t quite do it for me.

22. Wulfram
    June 13th, 2009 at 5:21 pm

    I rarely like the one panel comics………… but in this case, I have to way WOW! I like it! It would also make a great calendar for July!

23. Hipponerdamus
    June 13th, 2009 at 9:56 pm

    Apropos (SP?) of nothing… (hic) this page is SOOOO cool after (yes, and before) drinking a bottle of mead. B. Nektar anyone?

24. JEDraft
    June 13th, 2009 at 11:48 pm

    Tricksterson - Not surprising. Tula is more “normal” (if someone can really define what “normal” is in a species as morphologically diverse as homo sapiens) than Zona, and her creation was partially inspired by the desire to appeal to those who aren’t into the fantasy that Zona’s clearly and unashamedly impossible physique is a reflection of. Plus, let me take a minute to say that there is almost nothing that can be enjoyed between two people that doesn’t result in real harm to one or both of them that I would term a “perversion.” As a pagan, I do adhere to the “do no harm” rule, but also to the tenet that all acts of love AND pleasure are the rituals of the Goddess. (See “Tula Explains” for my thoughts on how that works.) In other words, I hardly think you admiring Tula’s really admirable ass in the fantasy artwork above constitutes “perversion.”

    And also, don’t think I was taking your little throw-away comment too seriously. Just using it as a jumping-off point for one of my own little philisophical diatribettes.

    Elfguy - I don’t particularly want to think about that. AAAGH! You just made me THINk about it!

    AAGH!

    Kris - Hey! I like it!! Ever seen the final dance duel in “Lord Of The Dance?”

    Joe - I really loved your analysis of this. It tallies very closely with what I wanted to convey. I am a Wiccan, and I have done my share of study of magickal symbology, yet the composition and the number symbology you’re referring to is certainly at least mostly subconscious. I was looking to convey the rising force and power of the red/fire/male/penetrating/destructive magick that Gorshash was summoning and shields of blue/air-water/female/creative/encompassing magick that Tula was using in response. The numbers of the mandalas themselves were not in my head at first, though I did start with one each and in the middle of it decided that it would be cool to put a trinity in there for Tula. As you note, they are a Goddess-oriented people, embracing the Virgin-Mother-Crone trinity in their goddess aspects. Beyond “cool” I had no thought, though. Then it seemed that Gorshash with only one looked overmatched at the outset, (which, you will all soon see that his is not.) and so I needed some balance. His lines and pose suggested that a second one on his other hand was appropriate, so I added that. Wow, thanks for crediting me with more insight than I have, but it’s cool that it seems to have subconsciously worked out well!

    Possum - Glad you think it’s cool. We always strive for cool, whether it’s recognizable or not.

    Wulfran - The aspect of this particular render isn’t great for a calendar - still, maybe. Who knows? If you all would like that rather than the sexiness I had in mind, far be it from me to saytheenay … Thanks so much for the kind words. : )

    Hipponerdamus - Ah, yes!! The world’s oldest alcoholic beverage, and one of my personal faves!! You do truly remind me that I need to start a batch of Erogenian metheglin started. I have three carboys that are empty and need to be filled. (well, one of them, at least.) Mwahahahahaa… yessss … the bubbly goodness of yeast and natural sugars dancing together to make the nectar of the Gods ….

25. Tricksterson
    June 14th, 2009 at 9:13 am

    Yes, taking anything someone with my handle says too seriously would be a mistake. Especially with you being a fellow pagan.

26. lloyd007
    June 14th, 2009 at 10:51 am

    I think Gorshash is done here. Down in those caves he was in the middle of Shauch’s stronghold of power and Tula couldn’t do a single magical thing. Now he’s in the sky with the moon shining down and the earth looking up which I would think would give Tula some nice enhancements to her power (if it works like that). Unless Tula does something really dumb (not likely), he does something really really smart (based on what we’ve seen he’s pretty smart but not a genius), or something distracts Tula there is no way he’s gonna break through those shields.

27. Lora
    June 14th, 2009 at 4:26 pm

    Tula is cool. (And yes, more natural. Took some pages to get around Zona and the queen).

    Cool page. I like how they are high above the fighting below now.

28. Hugh
    June 14th, 2009 at 10:19 pm

    AWESOME voting incentive JED! Thanks for grouping those. I had missed a bunch of them.

29. Elfguy
    June 16th, 2009 at 12:51 pm

    Whichever one of these has their flying spell disrupted is gonna regret it.

    Perhaps time for Mentyl to sing “Believe it or not” and fly up there.

    ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsWgG5v7A3A )

30. Joe
    June 16th, 2009 at 2:50 pm

    Elfguy,

    Whenever I think of that show, I always think of the MAD magazine spoof (I’m going from memory here):

    “Believe it or not, we’re still on the air
    We never thought we’d be on so lo-o-oong
    A silly red suit, and that blonde curly hair
    So much was wrong.
    Including this hot, rot-ten song…”

31. BongMasteR
    June 29th, 2011 at 12:22 am

    This panel is fscking cool

) Your Reply...