August 14th, 2009
Page 299
Comics for August 14, 2009 - Page 299
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August 14th, 2009 at 4:57 am
*Blink* *Blink*
Way to go JED!!!
Awesome fake-out!
August 14th, 2009 at 5:05 am
Well, defused it before it started. Good. I guess we’ll hear reasons next Tuesday?
August 14th, 2009 at 5:18 am
ARRGGHH! JED you are truly EVIL!!!! Getting us all worked up thinking Mentl and Ponty are gonna throw down, then you have the whole thing STOPPED BEFORE IT EVEN STARTS!!!
Evil, I tell you. Brilliant, mind you, this is really the best way for it to go. But from the audience point of view, still EVIL!!!
*The MacNut imagines JED reading this post and others like it and cackling like a mad scientist over the blatant manipulation of audience emotions…*
August 14th, 2009 at 5:25 am
Meanwhile, I’m still chuckling over the first panel, with Mentl and Ponty growling at each other like a pair of Pit Bulls. Tula was putting herself at considerable risk getting between those two sacks of rising testosterone!
And the twins smirking at each other in the last panel-PRICELESS!! Obviously this whole visit was great entertainment for them. Wonder if that’s one of the reasons they travel with Ponty?
August 14th, 2009 at 5:31 am
Well, I wasn’t too surprised, although I expected Tula more likely to impose a magic shield between them followed by a stern lecture to both of them. Btw, am I nuts or did the way she and Pontagar stared at each other indicate that there’s something between them, as in romantic feelings, especially the way she looked at him. Do you think maybe she interfered because she was afraid of him getting hurt?
And loved the matching smirks on the twins faces.
August 14th, 2009 at 5:55 am
Well I’m disappointed. Yes, it would be a distraction from the main story line. But I’d enjoy seeing how this would all turn out.
One way or another!
August 14th, 2009 at 6:01 am
Heh, now that was a interesting resolution…echoing MacNut and Tricksterson…JED you ARE Evil…(and it’s not a bad thing) and this wasn’t so surprising. It continues the whole balancing the Cha philosophy with a minimum of inter-clan violence. If Shauch is back…all the clans are at risk and making enemies here ain’t the most strategic of decisions…I’m not sure that Tula and Ponty have a”thing” for each other, but she did just heal him up and he may have just been more receptive to her attempts at intervention…I also really liked the silent panel where Zona is the one handing him his bedroll…it honors his request and supports Mentl at the same time. My only question concerns Mentl’s eyes….they look a little off in comparison to Tula’s in the first panel. Is this due to his rage, magic, both?
August 14th, 2009 at 6:07 am
Oh JED, a totally bloody brilliant page! I kept forgetting that while Portugar is an arrogant son of a so and so, he’s not without honour. Love Zona politely handing him the offending bedroll as well, and as for Tula’s expression? In my long life I’ve seen similar expressions used in similar circumstances, and can truly say that it’s a magic that has power in many worlds
I do wonder if the twins are smiling at Portugar being brought to heel or approving at him giving polite thanks for the fire. A little from column A, a little from column B perhaps?
August 14th, 2009 at 6:12 am
I will agree, evil switch up here, but a good one. There may be something between Tula and Bully-P but something makes me think it is not romantic… but something else, beyond that I have no idea.
As to Mentl’s eyes, I think that is the effect of the magic he started to use before Tula intervened… as his eyes where the first thing to start changing on the last page. But they do kind of look more cat like or dragon like now…
August 14th, 2009 at 6:18 am
Those…smirks…were…PERFECT! XD
…JED, are you *sure* I can’t have the twins themselves? No?? *poutsigh* Okay, fine…how about that double cheesecake shot of ‘em, then? Pretty pretty please?
August 14th, 2009 at 6:19 am
Soulworker: I think Mentl’s eyes still are lit up with magic, like in the last panel of the previous page.
Zona seems to find the whole affair just as amusing as we are. Perhaps also because she might take it as yet another confirmation of Mentl not being as Kivalian as he looks? She did worry about that, I guess it’s only a few weeks ago, story time?
Also, I think people may be underestimating Mentl. I surely agree that being a small guy getting the short end of the stick suddenly having a lot of power vs big bully was a testosterone explosion waiting to happen, but I wonder if Mentl wanted to “assert his status”. It would be so much harder later if he allowed himself to be bullied the first time. This also makes sense since we do know Mentl has been thinking about the consequences of Zona’s high status in Erogenian society.
Nevertheless, good job from Tula. She always was the smart one.
August 14th, 2009 at 6:25 am
The twins’s expressions remind me of a look of mild amusement as if they’ve seen this happen before (which they probably have)
Nicely spotted Shadowwarrior, I hadn’t even noticed that until i read your comment.
August 14th, 2009 at 6:27 am
and soulworker. about the eyes
August 14th, 2009 at 6:35 am
Facial expressions: Mentl’s eyes in the first page aren’t actually draconic or feline; it’s just a combination of being wide enough to show most of the whites all around, the light glowing from them washing out the hue of his irises, and the lock of hair falling down lending a visual illusion of cat-slit pupil-ness. Zona’s expression in that first panel is wonderful. She is SMIRKING about the fact that her lover isn’t a boy in the least. Tula is playing the priestess-card with her projection of firm, calm, rational authority. Can’t really see the faces of the twins or Pontagar, but one of the twins looks like he’s quirking his brows, no doubt wondering if Ponty is going to accept Tula’s rational claims.
The next two panels, Pontagar pondering is good. He’s calming down. (Guys calm down quickly from a fight, particularly compared to girls. It’s the adrenaline spike thing–guys can work themselves up to fighting speed in about a minute and a half, but they can also walk away at any point and calm down. Not to mention they fight and are done within about ten minutes. Women…take ten minutes to go from zero to bitch, and it is VERY difficult to back down after the first couple of minutes, and it takes women up to a full hour to calm down afterward…which is why most bartenders would rather wade into a free-for-all composed of men than intervene in a two-woman catfight. Less chance of being torn to pieces.)
Tula’s expression…I know that expression. She is projecting calm, rational, lighthearted TRUST ME vibes. She is encouraging him to accept her statements as the truth, and giving him the room and the encouragement to do so graciously. She’s hoping visibly that he’ll be wise about what just almost happened…and as you can see, that innocence-and-truthfulness combination packs quite a whallop. I know, because I’ve used it myself. (It’s quite effective when you want to diffuse someone’s anger by coaxing them to believe you.)
Can’t say much for the next two panels, but that last one, you can tell Ponty’s tired of dealing with the others. He just wants to get away from Zona, Tula, and their weird not-boy traveling companion. The twins…well, twin in the right, I’d swear has just won a bet with twin on the left regarding Ponty’s actions/reactions, and twin on the left is too amused by the non-fight’s fallout to be upset that he lost that bet.
And there in the background, the sisters are happy the fight is over and the trio from the Fire Tribe are leaving without a fight, while Mentl is still a bit upset (note the clenched fist), but his eyes are no longer glowing, so I think his adrenaline rush and anger are subsiding.
The question I have now is, do we see Tula taking Mentl to task for almost-fighting with his untrained magics, do we see Zola praising her sweetie for being all manly in standing up for himself and her choice of him, do we see Mentl realizing he almost got in over his head, and so on and so forth…or do we skip ahead a day or three to the next scene?
Personally, I’d like to see a bit of discussion about the Fire Tribe’s JED-listed attitudes toward women and non-Fire Tribe members, etc., and perhaps a little discussion between Mentl and Tula about what he should and shouldn’t do with his powers, and when or when not to use them, and some discussion between Zona and Mentl about their relationship and how he–and she–should behave so that such questions don’t keep cropping up as they get deeper into Erogenian territory.
But that’s just me. And we all know I’d be equally happy with some hunky twin cheesecake. Because cheesecake is yummy, and a double serving is divine…
August 14th, 2009 at 6:56 am
WFT????? (goes and bangs head on wall) sneaky Bas***d. you got me JED, now I wonder what you have in store for us next. (even got up extra early to read todays)
August 14th, 2009 at 7:24 am
but…I wanted to see em FIGHT!!
I guess we’ll have to wait until later. Curse your fakeouts JED!
August 14th, 2009 at 7:32 am
I can think of a few reasons for the twin smirks.
“P got SERVED!!!!”
“Wow, he DIDN’T throw a hissy fit.”
“Wonder if we’ll meet them by a waterfall next time?”
But I wonder if Mentl’s going to get chewed out next.
August 14th, 2009 at 7:40 am
Oh what a “ponty”!! *heavy sigh* His mother must be made of solid stock. I can’t imagine putting up with a child like that for what……. 30-34 years? GODS! Poor woman!
I love the look on the twins faces…. They are simply ready to “burst”… I LOVE it. We never did find out what they are really up to ……hmmmmmmm
August 14th, 2009 at 7:46 am
*points at Jean* What she said. Y’know, I think the twins really WERE making bets there…rechecked the expressions.
Also - anyone else disconcerted at all about the COMPLETE lack of body hair?
August 14th, 2009 at 7:49 am
Hmm here’s a thought - not a pair of pit bulls.
A pit-bull terrier vs a doberman - now which one do you think will let go first?
August 14th, 2009 at 7:52 am
@Ntysky, JED said that Pontagar’s father’s a dick. Seems either…
1.) “mom” actually LIKES that in a man.
2.) Had no choice in the marriage (likely considering “dad” is the king.)
3.) Had little influence in the child rearing or mercifully died in childbirth (no modern medicine there.)
Still, well done JED!
August 14th, 2009 at 8:13 am
I thought that given the situation, Tula stepping in was the only thing that would keep the Cha balanced. Ponty has Mentl on straight brawn, but Mentl can pull a rather LARGE rabbit out of his hat, and the Fire Tribe boys would have been completely suprised by it. I think that the magic is Mentl’s “brawn” so that leaves the fight evened out. What I was half thinking, though, was the boys dropping trou and comparing “notes”, which would have left ol’ Pony crying in his Cheerios ;).
Part of Tula stepping in also strikes me as they don’t want to let Mentl’s cat out of the bag yet. The Erogenians have way too much history with uncontrolled magic/power, and my guess is that his brand of magic could be seen as negative by many of the Tribes’ less open peoples. No point in sending advanced negative opinion to the rest of the tribes before he’s better trained.
August 14th, 2009 at 8:18 am
Rrrrr……JED, you are a cruel, cruel person.
*sigh* Guess it’s a decent solution, though.
August 14th, 2009 at 8:19 am
Way to go Mentl! Stand up for yourself. Way to go Tula for being the “smart” one. Still…a little brawl to settle differences would have been quite interesting.
August 14th, 2009 at 8:19 am
AAAHHH!! JED! I wanted to see fireworks!
Yes, Kaila…I’ve mentioned to JED about the lack of hairy men.
Me liky chest hair….lots of it!
August 14th, 2009 at 8:22 am
hmmm….. I hope Zona gives him a nice reward for maning up so to speak.
So where are we headed to now…. if I am correct they are headed to Zona’s tribe? I wonder what they will say when she comes in with the Copper on and Mentl too… Inquiring readers want to know…
August 14th, 2009 at 8:23 am
Regarding Tula’s expression, here’s a thought: Yes, it’s partly a “trust me” thing, but I’m guessing that she’s intervened between him and someone else before, and that he ignored her warnings that time and got the stuffing beat out of him for it. It’s a combined look of pity and indulgence, an indication that she’s not going to stop him if he really wants to fight, but also that she really hopes he’s learned his lesson from before and going to take her advice to just walk away this time.
I do think that she’s a little soft on him, but as for why I can’t say. Perhaps they were childhood friends/playmates and she still remembers when he wasn’t a pompous ass?
August 14th, 2009 at 8:27 am
Nice solution.
Regarding the looks between Pontagar and Tula, isn’t she his half-sister? Same father? Maybe this was the main reason he accepted her intervention.
August 14th, 2009 at 8:30 am
Erase that thought, her father is the King from the Wolf tribe, not the Fire tribe. The chin put me on the wrong track.
August 14th, 2009 at 8:37 am
The chin, Cali?
*face palm*
August 14th, 2009 at 8:41 am
Jean wrote: do we see Zola praising her sweetie for being all manly in standing up for himself
Um, Jean? I think you’ve been reading too much Girl Genius.
Otherwise great analysis of their expressions.
August 14th, 2009 at 8:49 am
JED, at some point you absolutely HAVE to show us what that song will do though. Pretty please?
August 14th, 2009 at 8:51 am
Oh, and would just like to add that if Tula gave me that look, I would do absolutely *anything* for her.
August 14th, 2009 at 9:08 am
Awwww. Does looking forward to violence make me a bad person?
I cannot decide who I am more impressed with. Jean, for her insightful commentary or John for providing the basis for it….
August 14th, 2009 at 9:11 am
Gotta go along with the love for the last panel here. The twins’ expressions are awesome. Does a lot for the storyline, and Mentl’s place as well. The twin on the right … his expression is freaking awesome. Like a cat that ate the canary and then got away with it.
I like this better than if they would have fought.
August 14th, 2009 at 9:18 am
Love the language of looks and gesture, as well as the dialog–pretty astute analysis on the part of all the viewers too! Very enjoyable as usual.
August 14th, 2009 at 9:23 am
Hahaha … rrrrrrr. Another great page Jed and a bit of a surprise, of we’re used to that from you now. Excellent work with the expessions and especially eyes, one of your best I think. Considering the look on Pontagar’s face in the last panel I doubt he considers the matter to be really ‘balanced’. And WTF is up with the twins? Are they telepathic between each other or what? Beginning to creep me out a bit they are. Love the ‘cat that ate the canary’ grin on Zona in the first panel.
@Jean - nice A3(after action analysis) from the female perspective. Don’t know as how how I agree that it takes a woman ten minutes to go from zero to bitch. I’ve seen it done more like in ten seconds . . . although they may have been smouldering unnoticed in the background. 07
August 14th, 2009 at 9:39 am
Good beef cake shot on the homo twins.
I guess blasting people is a no-no.
August 14th, 2009 at 9:44 am
Dang gum it JED , Mentl was suppose to kick arse…….
I thought the Chi, was unblanced… apparently NOT…. dang it, I thought they both threw an insult then Mentl hit him… going to go back and reread…
Still ticked though should of let Mentl teach him a thing or two.
August 14th, 2009 at 9:47 am
OK I reread it
The Cha is still unbalanced… right…..
ARG you should of just let him kick his arse anyways……
August 14th, 2009 at 9:49 am
Ha ha when I say that there were so many comments I thought for sure they would all be screams of anguish considering how much everyone was looking forward to the fight. Guess Zona readers know how to handle disappointment well. I have to admit I’m a little disappointed myself.
Still I guess we can all look forward to Tula’s explanation of why she stopped the fight.
Oh and for the record I don’t think there is such a thing as reading too much Girl Genius.
August 14th, 2009 at 10:03 am
You know, this means that Tula will be giving a lecture on Tuesday. Prepare to take notes.
-Z
August 14th, 2009 at 10:09 am
What? No fireworks…. grumble……
Oh well, was for the best i guess.
Would’t want to clean that mess upp any way…
August 14th, 2009 at 10:13 am
Hair is hard to do in a virtual world. It is getting easier but imagine making 100,000+ little hairs and placing them one by one on a chest. No way!
Perhaps someone will make a mesh of hair that can be overlaied on a chect but that would take some work too.
I do like Zona’s expression in the first panel as she says “You’ve got that right.” to Tula’s “He’s no boy.” remark. I can almost hear her thoughts about how not boy like some parts of him really are. (Trying to be delicate in my wording there.)
I really like the way the story is told, moving along in as few pannels as possible. It conveys the feel, intent and sotry progression without excess pannels. Which is important in rendering too.
Can’t wait to see what Zona’s home town(village?) looks like and Mentls experssion when he gets there. (I imagine it will be like a kid in disney. Wow, beautiful women and muscular men everywhere….)
August 14th, 2009 at 10:15 am
Need spell checker….. I can’t speeeeeeeel good….
August 14th, 2009 at 10:15 am
I like how Tula took the proactive route in dealing with the diplomatic intervention to keep the cha from possibly getting seriously pushed to a state of imbalance.
I think that Mentl was able to calm down so quickly because he’d just been preparing for a fight, and he’s had opportunity to come to trust Tula.
On the other hand, I don’t think Pontagar actually believes Tula’s assertion that Mentl’s worthy of Zona. He didn’t actually AGREE things were balanced, and admitted to thinking that his time was being wasted.
Also, look at his face in the last panel, when he knows nobody can see his face, since he’s turned his back on everyone else who was at the camp. He’s able to let his true attitude show since nobody can see his expression.
I think he’s going to be back, and from his perspective, he was actually offended against by some ‘boy’ who had a priestess intervene to save him from a beating. To me, I think he’s in the position of being at best a reluctant ally, or the first of Mentl’s human antagonists.
That’s unless the twins are able to observe the dynamic as Ponty rides away, and can let Pontagar know. They might be his rational advisors, rather than sycophants.
August 14th, 2009 at 11:37 am
WHAT?! No eyes gouged out? No arms dislocated? No testicles ripped off? No intestines draped tastefully over the nearby shrubbery?
CIVILIZED behavior?!? Dang.
And so, Pontagar rides off into the sunrise, still an un-stomped jackass, completely unaware that he just escaped being road kill.
Just love the twin’s expression.
August 14th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
Right as I click soulgeek.com to load this page, the Nickelback version of the song turns on. I was expecting some awesome magic casting….
I will say, awesome magic is well made up for by awesome facial expressions from the twins.
Jean….I just will say Awesome. That’s all.
August 14th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
Forty-six comments before ten o’clock in the morning. Wow. Thanks to all of you for your insight, enthusiasm and, in some cases, mild annoyance and outrage.
Well, kids, I know that some of you wanted a fight. As always, Tula has excellent reasons for what she does, and it will be made, I hope, crystal clear on Tuesday what they were. Really, this is the only way it could have ended - trust her. And if you can’t trust a Moon priestess, who can you?
A couple of notes:
In Poser, textures with body hair are quite doable. Pontagar’s is one such, (show it to you, sometime) but in it the hairs are a very fair color and hard to bring out with the additional subsurface scattering and skin shine that makes the faces and flesh look more real. I’m working on it, but just let me remind everyone that this isn’t real, or even always realistic. It may be CGI, and I strive for a realistic effect, but from Zona’s Grand Tetons to the Mr. Olympia bodies of the twins and Pontagar, this is very much a fantasy.
Also, not to give anything away, but as far as the Erogenians are concerned, this was a minor dust-up in the grand scheme of things. Yes, the Fire prince is a douchebag, but he’s not going to lose too much sleep over what was, truly, just a narcissistic wound from Mentl (I’m sure there’s a few of us here that know what THAT means)
And yes, Jean, I have the desktop of Carshik and Brantik planned out and hopefully will get it done this weekend. Just for you.
August 14th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
JD, don’t forget your readers are global, so “early” comments might not be that early for some. For me, this page went up around noon. Right in time for lunch, too.
August 14th, 2009 at 2:24 pm
Aww Man! This is lame.
Doc
August 14th, 2009 at 2:36 pm
Huh. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know the song Mentl was using…but maybe that was what it was supposed to do? Probably not.
Looking forward to Tuesday.
August 14th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
That’s a shame. I was fairly certain that spell was simply going to do for Mentl what spinach does for Popeye, minus the music and weird bodily contortions (or maybe not). In other words Mentl wasn’t going to use magic on Pontagar, but on himself, after which we’d see some more *pound pound pound* sound effects, and then Tula could heal Pontagor again.
I have to say, to me the funniest expression in the whole strip today is Zona’s in panel 1. If she were any more pleased, she’d be embarrassing.
But that would have been repetitive, I suppose
August 14th, 2009 at 4:05 pm
I’d give a lot to know how in the name of sanity I reversed my second and third paragraphs.
August 14th, 2009 at 4:37 pm
Good!
August 14th, 2009 at 5:36 pm
Poser has come a long way from v.3, the last one I tried. (Some fair hairs still have black or brown chest/other hair.)
I feel a little foreshadowing from this meeting. It will be interesting to see how this budding ‘friendship’ develops.
August 14th, 2009 at 5:53 pm
I still say that Mentl should have sang a song which would make P see himself as others see him.
August 14th, 2009 at 6:18 pm
By the by - what was the song MEbtl started to sing last page?
August 14th, 2009 at 6:19 pm
…Mentl, even. Stupid non-cooperative fingers…
August 14th, 2009 at 6:56 pm
Was it “The Wall” by Floyd?
August 14th, 2009 at 7:22 pm
“Saturday Night’s All Right For Fightin’” by Elton John.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJntQBoarQs
Much edgier version by Nickleback. Some folks seem to prefer in this context:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiGnRetNDEw
August 14th, 2009 at 8:55 pm
The song was “Saturday Night’s All Right for Fighting” by Sir Elton John.
See the comments for the previous page.
Great suprise JED. It’s why I keep coming back for more.
August 14th, 2009 at 8:57 pm
I’m still waiting to see a pinup of the twins. Maybe making a man-sandwich out of Ponty. XD (kidding, kidding!)
Great work as always, love the expressions. For a good Subsurface Scattering program, check out http://market.renderosity.com/mod/bcs/index.php?ViewProduct=71922
I own it, and let me tell you that it’s one of the best programs I’ve bought for Poser, especially for the PRICE!
August 14th, 2009 at 9:18 pm
Jim Farris: ANd a good song for that IMHGO would be “Big SHot” by Billy Joel.
August 14th, 2009 at 9:40 pm
Heh, got the Nickelback version on favorites.
But one question, which version is Mentl singing to? Is he doing it to the tune of Elton John’s piano or to Nickelback’s guitar when he starts “Don’t give us none of your ag-gravation”?
I’d be betting with his background and knowledge of music, he’d be singing to Elton John’s tune, but for battle, Nickelback’d be more appropriate.
August 14th, 2009 at 9:52 pm
–Zola? ACK! *hides in embarrassment…then peeks out between her fingers*
Ya know…Zola, aka “Pinky” from the Girl Genius Webcomic, inflicted upon Pontagar…who, I don’t know, would have to be charged very sternly with keeping her safe… Yeah, his attitude problem and her problems? Perfect punishment detail for BOTH of ‘em. MUAHAHAHAHA, crossing genres is EVIL!!
Sorry, I meant ZONA, truly, I did! Two totally different women, there…completely, totally different women…
August 14th, 2009 at 9:55 pm
Hey, Hugh…can you imagine what JED and I could come up with, if we collaborated? Mueheheheh…muahahahahahaha….
BWAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!
*happysigh*
August 14th, 2009 at 10:17 pm
Ga’Tor, yes, women smoulder. They’ll fume. They’ll mull things over, and work themselves up gradually into a Royal Snit Of Rage…and oftentimes when their target is a male, he’ll be totally clueless about why she’s still upset, because HE calmed down over 8 minutes ago and has moved on to something else to think about. Probably several something elses by that point in time.
“Oh, are you still mad about that?” — These are potentially dangerous words, and sometimes the wrong thing to say. (It might be wiser to say “Ah, that. Yes…since I couldn’t do anything about it at this point, I decided to move on and focus on the next thing.” or something along those lines…)
August 14th, 2009 at 10:22 pm
“And yes, Jean, I have the desktop of Carshik and Brantik planned out and hopefully will get it done this weekend. Just for you. ”
*SWOONS…!!*
August 14th, 2009 at 10:26 pm
You know, after thinking it over for a while, Mentl might have gotten just what he was after. I mean, ““Don’t give us none of your ag-gravation …”
And Pontagar has gone away, and isn’t giving Mentl anymore aggravation ….
Is the magick that subtle? Is MENTL that subtle? That’s … frightening.
August 14th, 2009 at 10:28 pm
“any more”
I WISH I could edit, or at least delete, a comment.
August 14th, 2009 at 10:59 pm
Hmm….thinking back to a line JED told us last comic in the comments, “You guys have created a regular tribe around here.” That’s us, alright. The unwashed, geeky, slightly sexually frustrated hordes of fans on the endless quest for the perfect webcomic. No offense intended
So, what’s the name of our tribe? XD
August 15th, 2009 at 12:45 am
completly unrelated to any other post - I guess:
Shouldn’t Mentl and Zona were their cooper chains? Then this situation might have been avoided from the start - which might not have been in the authors plans, but anyway: “Wear it anywhere [...] as long, as it can be seen.” http://www.soulgeek.com/comics/zona/2007/03/17/page-102/
August 15th, 2009 at 1:57 am
@Thomas-it was already mentioned by our esteemed author in the comments a couple pages back that Pontagar simply did not notice the copper chains, simply because he didn’t believe Mentl and Zona could possibly be a couple-which is why Zona had to come right out and say so last page.
@Fatuncle: “Mentl might have gotten just what he was after. I mean, ““Don’t give us none of your ag-gravation …”
And Pontagar has gone away, and isn’t giving Mentl anymore aggravation ….
Is the magick that subtle? Is MENTL that subtle?”
Fatuncle; I doubt it. The magic might be that subtle, for a skilled and experienced practitioner, which Mentl is not. Which, as several posters have pointed out, is probably why Tula stopped the impending fight (Boo! Hiss!! ;)), out of concern that Mentl might do more damage to Ponty than he intended.
August 15th, 2009 at 2:35 am
Um…Sleepenin…
“That’s us, alright. The unwashed, geeky, slightly sexually frustrated hordes of fans on the endless quest for the perfect webcomic. ”
Erm…I’m a geek at least? Does that count? I showered this morning…and as for the other…well I wasn’t sleeping in my pyjamas…or anything for that matter, and, y’know, married…do the math.
It might just be you. Sorry buddy.
August 15th, 2009 at 2:36 am
But I will fully support your right to be smelly!
August 15th, 2009 at 2:37 am
From over here…
August 15th, 2009 at 5:53 am
Awww, crap… and I SOOO wanted to see what would be left of the redhead jerk after Mentl is done chanting… :3
August 15th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
NO FAIR!
Zona gets to punch him out for some vague reference to her mother. Mentl gets the full insult and THEN the demeaning laugh. I think Mentl got ripped off.
Well… he DID get to slap him, but Zona got to knock him into next week. I still think it wasn’t fair.
August 15th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
Fantabulous comments guys!!!!! I love reading your stuff! Jean, Yup! and.. yes we “are” a tribe. A tribe of barbarian Geeks!
{{{squishes}}}}
Nytsky
August 15th, 2009 at 3:24 pm
I move that our tribe be named the OmgOwnage Tribe. The chair looks for a second to the motion.
August 15th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
Just as well. While he tries, Mentl is still not a hundred percent on the whole concept of “balance,” at least in the way Eregonians use the word. It would have been unfortunate if he had managed to cause some manner of mischief that required more drama than it was worth to get resolved. That said, I am now INCREDIBLY curious as to whether or not he can use his magic to effect his own abilities, try not to keep us in suspense forever, eh?
btw, thought of the best self buff combat beat down song.. “I.” From Black Sabbath, Dehumanizer. Now THERE is a song for taking out the trash of the world.
August 15th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
As an aside, shouldn’t we be running into Yatta-Ta of Ir Anis again soon? We haven’t felt the sting of his presence for a while.
I think it would be hilarious if the guy really WAS a damn good fighter. Just so trapped in conventional thinking that Zona never has to see him fight until he is fighting somebody else who is also trapped in the same way. He’s a doofus, but for some reason I kinda want him to end up a good guy. I don’t even know why.
August 15th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
“And yes, Jean, I have the desktop of Carshik and Brantik planned out and hopefully will get it done this weekend. Just for you. ”
*SWOONS…!!*
NOOOOO!! I want the cheesecake! the cheesecake is MINE! *grabs plate from Jean, pushes face into plate and makes ‘bbb-bbbb-bbb’ noises into the twins pecs*.
I have another rationale for why Ponty wouldn’t notice or believe that Zona and Mentl were lovers. She’s pretty well known, hell, pretty famous. Stories of her exploits, her courage, her strength, her skill, and her….appetites have no doubt been circulating through the Erogenians for a few years now. By this time, *everyone* know about her preference for brawny, muscular monster slayers. Ponty was probably geniunely, and honestly, surprised by her choice. That part wasn’t being a dick. The laughter was being a dick, and he deserved what he got.
August 15th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
“Unbenownst to aPrincess (who isn’t behaving like one in the least; someone needs to reminder about that ‘truth in advertising’ requirement), Jean has already secretly switched the original Cheesecake Twins for low-cal, high-taste Forgery Crystal substitutes. Let’s see if she can tell the difference… No? Good.”
*quietly but generously distributes copies to all (when they become available), and snuggles the original to herself…*
August 15th, 2009 at 6:46 pm
…Based on recent observations, I believe that some of the ladies around here have already formed an informal grouping known as the Cheesecake Clan…though that’s not exactly a dignified name, and I don’t think the guys would be interested in proclaiming their affiliation.
May I suggest instead, the Fan Clan?
(Anybody who doesn’t take the power and danger of a fan seriously needs to rewatch that beautiful scene near the end of Mulan. Not to mention when you snap open a warfan, with its steel spines and sharpened tips, and it makes that louch WHACKK! sound, it is very, very intimidating. *lurves scaring people with her folding fans…*)
August 15th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
(er loud, not louch…where did louch come from? *fumigates keyboard to kill any hiding typodemons plaguing it*)
August 15th, 2009 at 9:30 pm
You know, on reconsideration, I have to admit P may not be as bad as he comes off at first blush. After all, he WAS man enough to admit he was wrong, admit the wrong had been balanced by his being bitch-slapped, back off and continue on his way. Many jackasses of his apparent caliber never could have done that, they’d have told Tula to get the hell out of the way and moved in to deliver a beat-down.
August 15th, 2009 at 10:40 pm
Seconded!
All in favor of the OmgOwnage Clan, say aye.
All in favor of the Fan Clan, say nay.
I now retire to nap on a soft pillow until teh next comic comes out. Peace!
August 16th, 2009 at 12:11 am
Wow…
I can’t even make it anywhere near the top of the comments anymore!
Loved this page. So many great facial expressions! I am continually impressed by your ability to tell an engaging story through graphic means as well as literary. Many comic writers are stronger in one realm than the other, but I think you have a very high level of mastery in both. You know, far better than I would, when to use visual storytelling and when literary storytelling. This is such a great webcomic!
You should put up vote incentives more regularly!
August 16th, 2009 at 2:15 am
Moox, if you like Zona, you should try Girl Genius (www.girlgeniusonline.com). It’s not computer-rendered characters, but the Professors Foglio do a truly marvelous job of marrying script to scene, writing to drawing, comedy to drama…but don’t neglect Zona, by any means!
August 16th, 2009 at 4:52 am
I’ll raise a hand for an against, but that’s mostly because I have issues with that gosh darn internet slang rubbish.
I move for alternate suggestions of Clan name, with a possible ‘move’ to the forums?
August 16th, 2009 at 7:05 am
Seconded Kaila, on both points. Though i am unable to come up with a better Clan name at this time. I did think of naming the clan after our brilliant author, but apparently ‘JEDi’ is already taken..
August 16th, 2009 at 9:38 am
Look, just blasting everything you meet may work for WoW, but there is no drama to it. It has no dramatic tension to resolve. Also this guy is obviously high in the local pecking order. His folks and her mom obviously rub noses.
No matter how you feel about the neighbors, letting your boy friend/stranger turn their prancy bay into a cinder is a bad idea. And that goes 10x in close nit, xenophobic, social conscious tribal peoples.
You’ll not the homo twins didn’t even get ruffled feathers from the little tussle on the way in. Obviously political in fighting is just to be expected and a bit more literal.
No, this is a time for working within the system instead of alienating every one and their dog before even setting for in their home.
August 16th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
Ok…. so what happened to barbarian geeks? Gosh you guys! I feel so…. unloved now *pouting*
And as far as cheesecake is concerned…. I have that well under control gals(and any guys interested) there ARE spells for such things as transfiguration of time/space you know *bhwaaaaaa haaaaa haaaaaa hwwwaaaaaaaaaaaa* {wringing hands in a sinister way}
God: Could you please refrain from using the word “homo”? This “IS” a community. Just thought I should mention it.
August 16th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
Thirded on Kaila’s points, move to forums seems to be called for.
And I like the JEDi idea a lot better than OmgOwnage or Fan Clan, so I’ll cast my vote that way.
August 16th, 2009 at 6:21 pm
Yeah, but that’s kinda trademarked. How about JEDite?
August 16th, 2009 at 7:58 pm
Seconded on the not bandying the word ‘homo’ about. Since I’m, you know. A homo. And thus vaguely offended.
August 16th, 2009 at 10:37 pm
Okay, once again…..
VOTE!
We’re back down to 33rd on Top Web.
Please?
Ok, back to the regular speculation.
August 16th, 2009 at 11:42 pm
Dang…now thas a lotta comments.
August 17th, 2009 at 12:31 am
101st comment, wewt.
August 17th, 2009 at 4:37 am
Jean: On the subject of Girl Genius…
I read it and love it, and have done so since before I discovered Zona… I’m not particularly fond of the current storyline over there, since it seems to me that at present the characters are talking and thinking about very small, personal concerns in the midst of gigantic, world-changing events, which we’re not privy to or not quite clear on. I’ve found it very difficult to get a grip on what exactly the situation is in that world, as so much is unexplained or only hinted at in the course of the story.
But I think that they’ll pick it up soon and the story will come back together to its usual awesomeness.
Anyways, back to Zona! Does anyone else think that Pontagar isn’t out on the pleasure ride he claims to be, but is instead doing something important or even nefarious?
August 17th, 2009 at 6:52 am
I think you’re right about Pony, Moox; he’s up to something. And I’ll bet it’s something which, if handled badly, will cause the Erogenians a lot of problems with the Kivalians. And I don’t think Ponty particularly cares for Kivalians, so it’s not going to be a consideration which will stay his hand, if he sees something he thinks is a greater priority.
August 17th, 2009 at 6:53 am
Er, Ponty, not Pony.
(FOR PONY!!) (…for all the LFG fans out there…)
August 17th, 2009 at 8:26 am
@Jean
Not sure Richard would make a good addition to our motley crew, though his tendancy to off your opponents in amusing ways would be interesting.
August 17th, 2009 at 9:00 am
I would like to reiterate that we have not seen Yatta-ta in a while, and I actually miss his inane blabber ^_^
That, and his tendency to suffer the effects of Zona’s Law.
August 17th, 2009 at 9:43 am
Wow, still can’t answer everyone individually - I’d get carpal tunnel worse than I already have! But a couple notes:
I love LFG. Especially Richard, though. Wish I could write a character like that, but Zona isn’t enough of a satire to make a mass-murderer likeable like he is. “PONY!” My favorite character, though, is Benny - go figure, right? My favorite gag was where she and Pella have to open a portal by hitting each other with pillows while dressed only in their undies. (”The spell was written by a young mage still in collegium” BWA-haha!)
Yatta-Ta is still in his dressing room, memorizing his lines for his next appearance. You won’t have *too* terribly long to wait, but it’s not for a while. Actually, he’s *counting* his lines and I had a hell of a row with him when I gave him a paragraph-long speech and then cut it because it ruined the flow of the scene. (”It’s not you! I promise! It’s just that the momentum just dies right there.” “You’re just saying that! You never cut HER lines! If I had those boobs you’d never touch the speech” “Actually, I can give you those boobs, if you want, sweetie, but it won’t change anything but which of the fans want to see you topless …” ) I swear it’s like dealing with Shatner …
August 17th, 2009 at 9:55 am
Well, let’s be honest here. Yatta-Ta is the REAL star of this comic. Just ask him, he’ll tell you.
He may be an idiot, and he may act every bit as much a douchebag as Pontagar in his own way, but unlike Ponty it’s hard to actually dislike Yatta-Ta. I mean, it would feel kinda like kicking a particularly dumb and oblivious puppy.
August 17th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
Just a note on how balanced the situation is…
Round 1
Ponty: Boy, get my sleeping roll
Mentl: Get it yourself, asshole.
Both of them took shots at each other, it can end there, as Ponty tried to push and Mentl didn’t back down.
Round 2
Ponty: *laughs at the obvious (to him) image of Mentl and the brawny barbarian babe
Mentl: *throws down the guantlet at the obvious insult and smacks Ponty like a biznatch*
At this point, they are still even, tit for tat, although I think Ponty is starting to tread a grey area because he keeps instigating.
Mentl then starts to Chant because, let’s face it, if we all thought there was going to be a throwdown, how must it be looking for Mentl with 6′+ of boorish brawn stepping up into his grill? So IMHO, I think the cha is still balanced, because I think Mentl wasn’t so much going to blast him, as put himself into a more even combat mode. That song isn’t about blasting, it’s about letting off steam and kicking ass. our boy has a streak of fairness in him that sometimes shows itself in some unexpected ways, methinks.
Tula steps in at that point because 1) she doesn’t know what that song is and she doesn’t want to see Ponty and the eye candy he’s traveling with spread like strawberry jam across the landscape like the Uurts were. 2) Once you kill any kind of royalty, someone gets pissed off and comes looking for revenge, usually at the exact worse time for something like that to be happening. 3) She may have some history with him (and may be trying to change his chauvantist attitudes in the hopes he’ll become a better playmate).
The beefcake twins, honestly, they probably have seen so much of Ponty’s antics that they take bets on what the outcome is before he ever sets foot in a camp (if he sleeps with one of the girls, for example, which he would have lost big time LOL).
So there you have my humble opinion of the situation.
August 17th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
Someguy, you’re right; you can’t read too much Girl Genius.
I still can’t decide whether I’m happy I didn’t see my favorite comic store had GG in the window when I steeped out instead of in or not. (I mean, not seeing it when going in mean I used fewer money). Heh.
Dang… I just thought I might catch you on Pony… but, LFG is too cool for any displeasure at any mention of it, intentional or unintentional.
So, I’ll just sit here and wait for my copy of the twins, while eating some cheesecake and enjoy the fan club company.
August 18th, 2009 at 1:49 am
Would Mentl have made him ffffffaaade away?
August 18th, 2009 at 1:49 am
To be technical, the twins are a tad homo - homogeneous ie made up of similar components/essentially alike.
But as a slur…it’s just ick - they’re brothers, fer crying out loud!
August 18th, 2009 at 8:24 am
Hmm…..I wonder. I may be reading too much into it, but you wonder if maybe Pontagar and Tula are a potential couple? I dunno, it’s more of a gut feeling, and I may be way outta left field. What do you guys think?
August 18th, 2009 at 9:03 am
Long time reader, first time commenting. This is absolutely, one of the best out there. JD, you are awesome.
As for my take on the scene, Tula looks, to me to be using just a tad of the puppy dog eyes. Just enough to start the cool down in Ponty’s mind.
Ponty at the end, classic bully, who’s been denied, just dismisses the whole thing. “It wasn’t worth it anyway.”
The twins, that is classic. Laughing on the inside. I’m sure they’ve seen him get taken down before and I’m sure it always amuses them. If they could only write a book. Ha
August 19th, 2009 at 5:08 pm
That went about the way I thought it would. I did want to see what Mentl would do to Anger Boy but…this is probably for the best.
Twins are DEFINITELY amused…and they are definitely going to tell this story to EVERYONE they meet. I am betting that will play into Mentl’s future dealings with the tribes.
October 28th, 2009 at 9:16 am
Brilliant smirks on the twins.
Methinks this encounter was a prelude to some future bruhaha between Mentl and Ponty