^ 44 Comments...

1. aPrincess
   November 7th, 2009 at 12:55 am

   me first! me first!

   wow, indeed….and Mentl gets his first bracer.

2. Peregrin
   November 7th, 2009 at 1:29 am

   Look each other in the eye….IF YOU CAN! Even discounting the height difference, methinks I’d have a difficult time raising my eyes up far enough.

3. reddwarf
   November 7th, 2009 at 1:54 am

   Mentl’s neck is going to start hurting if he has to look all those dang tall Erogenians in the eyes all the time. Maybe he can find a stool or something to stand on. Got him something to be proud of there — should also help give him a little respect from the other Erogenians that don’t know him yet. Really nice page — Momma knows a *lot* about what’s gone down apparently.

4. Kamatu
   November 7th, 2009 at 2:01 am

   Ahhh, then what is the sign of respect? Not kneeling I can understand, but in this kind of forum there must be some kind of salute, even if it is only a nod, tipping of the hat, tugging of the forelock or partial bow.

5. The MacNut
   November 7th, 2009 at 2:30 am

   Now THAT’S what I call a WELCOME. I don’t think the Queen could have done any more to make him feel the welcome even if she’d embraced him and kissed him on the lips.

   Hopefully they’ll make allowances for the fact that Mentl has to learn their laws and customs before he can properly obey them, but I’m sure all three ladies will be happy to help in that area.

   Welcome to Erogenia, Mentl from San Bernardino. I think you’ll greatly enjoy your stay.

6. AdamZero
   November 7th, 2009 at 3:22 am

   Kamatu, looking someone square in the eye is a form of respect, in a lot of cultures. It means. I’m not gonna look away. I’m not gonna lie. Look into my eyes and you’ll see I’m honest.

7. AdamZero
   November 7th, 2009 at 3:25 am

   Now that I see it up close, is the Queen’s headband/crown the triple moon symbol I’ve seen now and again? Waning Full and Waxing?

8. Ed
   November 7th, 2009 at 3:55 am

   I don’t think Mentl is much shorter if at all than the women. Didn’t he establish tula and the queen were about 5′9″? Zona, yes, but not the others. Zona’s tall even for an Erogenian woman.

9. Lora
   November 7th, 2009 at 4:07 am

   Oh, nice page. I like Ipola and the way she greats Mentl.

10. The Old Hack
    November 7th, 2009 at 4:38 am

    My initial impression of this page is that it is easy to see much of both sisters in their mother. This serves to increase my curiosity about their fathers; I suspect both must have possessed remarkable qualities beyond the merely physical to have earned Ipola’s notice and favour.

11. Gremalkin
    November 7th, 2009 at 5:05 am

    That went alot better than i thought. It is true however. mentl has proven himselfe alot of times, confused he may be but he is a true gentleman with lots of courage. Wich is unfortunaly rare these days. I think he will fitt in yest fine ! On a second note, anyone thinks the queen wants to be on his good side, not because he will be a good husband to Zona, but because she knows how strong he realy is ! …

12. Speedhump
    November 7th, 2009 at 5:52 am

    The real reason the females want people not to kneel or bow… if they get below breast line… most loose sight of them.

13. Jaibyrd
    November 7th, 2009 at 6:11 am

    Or get stuck in them Speedhump!

14. The MacNut
    November 7th, 2009 at 6:21 am

    Yeah the Queen especially probably has enough trouble getting guys to look her in the eyes as it is. I have to applaud Mentl’s self control (though he may be used to impressive mammaries after traveling with Zona all this time)

15. calisto
    November 7th, 2009 at 6:38 am

    Trust me it doesn’t matter, there simply is no “getting used to” involved when it comes to some things. My guess is a silent mantra of “lookUP…lookUP…lookUP”.

16. Uhl
    November 7th, 2009 at 7:34 am

    Yeah, I can see ANOTHER reason she doesn’t want men to bow before her. Just look where Mentl’s head is relative to her apparel. And the “self control” is more about sheer terror of meeting “mom.” Especially since “mom” can legally have him hurt and badly.

17. Kamatu
    November 7th, 2009 at 8:24 am

    AdamZero, there is still some token or sign of respect given. Especially since this is an advanced enough culture to have fortifications, duty rosters and social organization beyond just the clan/tribe. Their ethics are more advanced than a simple tribal culture (of course, these used to be the uber mage rulers of the world).

18. Tricksterson
    November 7th, 2009 at 10:01 am

    I’m wondering if Mentl got on his knees just so he could get a better look at the Queen’s magnificent bosom ;D If he meets Ponty again while wearing Ipola’s favor, I wonder what Big Lout’s reaction will be.

19. Matti
    November 7th, 2009 at 10:56 am

    Mentl already knows much of Erogenian customs as was proven few pages ago: [i]“Kiss my ass all right. I’m not a boy.”[/i] which was followed by slap across (the other guy’s) face

20. AdamZero
    November 7th, 2009 at 11:38 am

    Uhl: maybe it’s in her power, but only if he willingly commits a henious crime. Not just for courting her daughter, which given the state of things, is a rather honorable coupling.

    Nice to see the Zona team having a bit of a smooth patch, especially cause We, the readers, KNOW things are going to get worse or at least get serious when we change scenes.

    My money is on our good Lord of Dell finishing his exposition with the Bear Tribe King.

21. Someguy
    November 7th, 2009 at 12:18 pm

    I’d just like to add my wow to all the others. The queen sure knows how to make a fella feel welcome. ^_^ Probably goes with the territory being a head of state and all but none the less You could see Mentl was really touched. (Nice work there JE as usual). Looking forward to the next installment.

22. Steinar
    November 7th, 2009 at 1:18 pm

    I like the expression on Zona in panel 4, slightly upset because Mentl starts kneeling. (Hm, upset isn’t the right word, but I can’t think of the right one, it seems.)

23. Lynnix
    November 7th, 2009 at 2:12 pm

    What is with the lack of punctuation in this place? …I mean the comments, the comic is as amazing as ever!

    *clings to Tula* mine! X3

24. ladygreensleeves
    November 7th, 2009 at 4:17 pm

    An excellent page, as always!! I really like how Mentl kind of stumbles over his words in the last panel. I would too! In that situation, what the HECK do you call royalty, especially if said royalty is your girlfriend’s mom? AND not to mention that said girlfriend’s mom could probably break you in half WITH HER MIND, if she wanted to!
    Keep up the good work!!! ^_^

25. Lord_Corwin
    November 7th, 2009 at 4:37 pm

    IS the Torque on his wrist the favor or is it the bracer? I thought he already had the bracers..

26. Wyrmhand
    November 7th, 2009 at 7:14 pm

    The torque is the favor, he has the bracer on him two pages agao.

27. Tricksterson
    November 7th, 2009 at 7:38 pm

    I suspect the three of them have been through the bowing thing before with Kivalians.

28. firegoat
    November 7th, 2009 at 9:16 pm

    I don’t think Mentl will ever mention this to anyone, least of all Zona, but I think he’s probably perfectly happy looking all these lovely ladies in the chest. Hey, he’s a musician not a saint. >:P

29. Dondosan
    November 7th, 2009 at 10:07 pm

    I would say that the look on Zona’s face in panel 4 is probably more one of puzzlement. There are still a lot of things about Mentl that she doesn’t understand, especially in the more subtle cultural context. As a ’stranger in a strange land’ myself, I understand that sometimes cultural behaviors can be misinterpreted. What might be seen as a respectful gesture in one society, could be insulting in another.

    As an aside question, has anyone been able to keep track of how many days (weeks, months) Zona and Mentl have known each other? I’ve been following the comic for a while, but it’s easy for me to lose track of these things. Namaste.

30. Odin Chen
    November 7th, 2009 at 10:43 pm

    Maybe the reason Mentl bowed down was that because he had looked up and seen those MEM [Mammarius Erogenius Maximus] of the queen

31. Melon
    November 8th, 2009 at 1:48 am

    I really wish I could see Zona’s face in panel #2……

32. Kamatu
    November 8th, 2009 at 2:50 am

    Aha, the complaint was against the bowing of the head, but not against kneeling, so the kneeling (head up) would do the trick and probably also extend to bowing (head up).

33. Moox
    November 8th, 2009 at 4:22 am

    I just love the addition of “Ma’am.” It’s great on so many levels.

34. Raoul
    November 8th, 2009 at 4:28 am

    Drat you, JED, you gave me an eye infection with this strip. Now they’re all runny and stuff.

35. Jim Farris
    November 9th, 2009 at 5:07 am

    Wait, wait… “This will make you free in our country.”? Erm… Come again? Does this mean he was a slave before?

36. Shadowwarrior
    November 9th, 2009 at 5:53 am

    I think it is more like “free in our country” as in free to go where you will and keep him from being “arrested” by other tribes. He is an outsider in the Erogenian lands. Impola’s (sp?) favor means he is a friend of the Erogenians and thus allowed to go where he wishes in the lands, with in limits of course. The sentence, while clear if you take a few minutes to think about it, is a bit vague at first.

    The favore also indicates that Impola (sp?) likes Mentl.

37. BongMasteR
    November 9th, 2009 at 7:51 am

    Hi Guys

    Awesome page again J.

    Is there only the one vote link? being http://topwebcomics.com/vote/5754/default.aspx …?

38. Fire Fae
    November 9th, 2009 at 8:20 am

    I do soooooo love this comic!

39. JE Draft
    November 9th, 2009 at 12:20 pm

    VERY busy weekend, Very Busy Day, too, so sorry if I don’t answer you all individually this time. Still, thanks as always for all the positive feedback, and when MacNut started the whole riff on “looking in my eyes” being hard because of the queen’s huge … tracts of land, I busted up completely. It’s to the point where I’m so used to the design of the character that I really, sincerely hadn’t even thought of that when I wrote it, as she’s laying the whole egalitarian respect of not averting your eyes thing on him. But “Hey! I’m UP HERE!” is also appropriate and damm funny!

    The minitature torc is a bracelet of silver and gold. Making him free in Erogenia means he’s free to go anywhere without worrying about getting hassled. Basically, yes, he’s a friend of the Erogenians now by word of the queen.

    As to the timeline, there’s been a lot of travel and time passing that hasn’t been covered, so I am putting it at about two months of comic time since Page 1.

40. Jean
    November 10th, 2009 at 12:59 am

    My favorite line on this page: “You’ve brought honor on yourself.”

    She’s reinforcing not only in Mentl’s mind that it is HIS actions that have caused him to have honor and respect in her eyes…but she’s also enforcing it in the eyes of those listening to her speak. Speaking of the courage and loyalty and honesty is an emphasis of Erogenian traits…which the Erogenians listening to this would think “yeah, that’s about what he (or anybody) should be doing…(dumdeedumdeedumm)…” but having her re-emphasize his actions, that THIS man has done these very Erogenian things, AND done them BEFORE meeting the queen (which is when one would presume favor-currying would begin in earnest if one were a toadying type), she’s encouragin her people to realize “Hey, he IS an outsider with weird customs (including the so not Erogenian bowing thing)–and yet he IS Erogenian by instinct and inclination.”

    I just love that phrase. I wish more people in our world strove to earn that kind of praise.

41. Sarge
    February 23rd, 2010 at 1:59 am

    Archival post again: Back in college I literally ran into (accidentally) a Zona-esque lady. Now I am 5′11″ and she was standing on a step above me, but my face was wedged between her ‘territories’ to the point that my glasses remained wedged in her cleavage when I recoiled from the collision. She just calmly pulled them out and handed them back to me, like it happened every day (maybe it did for her). At least Mentl doesn’t wear specs…

42. Sarge
    March 28th, 2010 at 6:24 am

    I wonder where Ipola was carrying that ‘favor’? That outfit doesn’t have pockets…

43. Prairie Son
    August 30th, 2011 at 10:52 pm

    Probably contained in her clasped hands. The posture’s a trifle awkward otherwise.

44. JED
    August 30th, 2011 at 11:32 pm

    She gets handed it off-camera by a servant.

    `Kay?

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