November 13th, 2009
Page 323
Comics for November 13, 2009 - Page 323
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November 14th, 2009 at 1:51 am
Clueless, as was stated before. Has to be some sort of self-delusional denial.
November 14th, 2009 at 1:54 am
Really my friend just been waiting for the laugh out loud that I knew was coming from this.
November 14th, 2009 at 1:57 am
And Mentl Just stands there. Smirking.
This page is just awesome.
November 14th, 2009 at 1:59 am
by the way the faces while laughing are excellently done.
November 14th, 2009 at 2:02 am
Best. Page. Ever.
I think we all saw the massive laughter coming from about panel 1. And yet he STILL stands there looking oblivious, like his obliviousness is some kind of shield. Apparently he won’t be laughed out of the valley…
November 14th, 2009 at 2:07 am
I almost feel sorry for the lunkhead. Almost. It ain’t easy to keep your dignity in the face of such a massive wave of laughter, knowing it’s all AT you, NOT with you.
November 14th, 2009 at 2:31 am
God, I love this comic!
November 14th, 2009 at 2:35 am
Oh man. Poor Yatta.
But I am now hanging on harder to my theory that there is more to him than mere cluelessness. He doesn’t look oblivious to me but determined.
November 14th, 2009 at 2:53 am
Mentl, old lovers. Old lovers, the new lover.
Nice to see the tribe have a jester now.
November 14th, 2009 at 2:55 am
Honestly I think that little man is going to be the village joke for a lonnnnnng time.
November 14th, 2009 at 3:04 am
“Nice to see the tribe has a jester now.” …Well put, Kern!
*applauds JED, particularly for Yatta-ta’s obstinance in the face of ridicule* This should prove verrrrry entertaining. <3
November 14th, 2009 at 3:10 am
LMAO at Ipola. She cracks me up the most for some reason with her “oh dear” look on her face.
November 14th, 2009 at 3:17 am
Note how Ipola, while laughing just like Tula, covers her mouth so her grinning face doesn’t hurt poor Yatta’s pride any further. -This- is why Ipola’s the Queen; even in the midst of such utter hilarity, she remembers her manners and tact ^_^
Just out of curisotiy, is the Queen allowed to have lovers? I would SOOO love to see Yatta’s face if Zona’s mother gave him a knowing wink and a come hither smile - though he’s probably not her type.
Loving the story; you’re an inspiration to hopeful writers of female barbarian fiction everywhere
Loranna
November 14th, 2009 at 3:55 am
Gotta love Zona’s apologetic expression there….makes you wonder if she actually feels sorry for the birdbrained swordsman.
November 14th, 2009 at 4:00 am
I think this might be my new favorite page.
November 14th, 2009 at 4:06 am
Only one word comes to mind now…BURNED! XD
November 14th, 2009 at 4:20 am
Thou has been served
PWNED!
November 14th, 2009 at 4:31 am
I am actually starting to feel sympathy for our idiot swordsman and have this feeling that there is actually a tragedy hiding behind all this comedy. I hope someone can help him although I would not be surprised if Ipola had him clapped in irons and… *castrated*. Isn’t that what Yanora said Erogenians do to their retarded, when they were back in the court?
November 14th, 2009 at 4:49 am
He needs to go see the wizard, heart and courage not included.
November 14th, 2009 at 4:59 am
Y’know I think they might let him stay around for a little while just because he’s fun.
Love the expressions as they are all laughing at him. Ha ha ha!
Especially Zona’s little ‘I told you’.
November 14th, 2009 at 5:30 am
The only thing missing are the bodies rolling on the ground because they can’t stand while laughing so hard. The last panel must not be large enough… @~@
November 14th, 2009 at 6:01 am
Considering his facial expressions, I don’t think our dear Yatta is quite convinced.
November 14th, 2009 at 6:44 am
No, I don’t think he is, Uhl…which means either Zona will have to copulate with someone in front of his eyes (and obviously NOT with Yatta-ta himself)…or (far more likely) the idiot jester is going to insist upon following through with the challenge fight.
Those who are delusional are not easily swayed. Particularly if it runs contrary to their preciously-held world-view.
November 14th, 2009 at 8:26 am
Zangoules: I think he already has heart and courage but yes, he needs an economy size delivery of brains, Stat!
I’ve got to wonder why he’s so adamant about her being a virgin. Was he raised in some sort of seclusion, the Kilvallian equivalent of a monestary? I’m also willing to bet that while Zona’s not a virgin, he is.
Loranna Pyrel: Given the Erogenian culture I suspect that, while Ipola has only had one real love, Zonn, she’s had a passel of lovers/sex partners. I suspect Erogenians regard voluntary celibacy as a form of mental illness. As for her “taking Yatta under her wing” as it were she might. It would be a way of diffusing the problem and he’s good looking enough. The question is if he’d be willing. While most het men would jump at the chance to get in the sack with Ipola he has some very strange ideas.
calisto: That may be next page. And you will note one guard has an arm draped over yatta fopr support.
November 14th, 2009 at 8:34 am
I love how Zona’s all like, “See? If you’d have listened the first time, this wouldn’t have happened.”
November 14th, 2009 at 8:43 am
Oh jeeze… this guy obviously was last in line for the brains when they were being handed out. The third panel is the perfect pictorial companion for the definition of “facepalm”. And I laughed as well!!! Plus, I LOVE the last panel. Keep up the AWESOME, J.E.!!! ^_^
November 14th, 2009 at 9:15 am
Classic!
November 14th, 2009 at 9:22 am
I like how the guard on his right throws his arm around Yatta’s shoulder. As if, “Geez, guy, if you wanted to sleep with her you coulda tried ASKING.” Seriously doubt the kid’s gonna be punished any more than this.
November 14th, 2009 at 9:40 am
Well, I guess that told HIM…
…then again, maybe not.
November 14th, 2009 at 11:22 am
Even the Royal Mother can barely suppress her laughter!
November 14th, 2009 at 11:36 am
I think Yatta-ta’s world view tells him that no woman could POSSIBLY be such a mighty warrior without supernatural help, thus the virgin schtick. Being bigger than everyone else and training hard for years? Hah!
Let’s see if his mind can adjust…
November 14th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
He will probably find out that mentl and zona is a couple. And as thickheaded as he is, he will probbably challenge mentl for zonas hand in marrige. The S.O.B wont know what hit him !
November 14th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
Poor Yatta… if his delusion hasn’t already been popped, Tula may have to help him pop it himself, by guiding him through a couple points.
Tula: Yatta, do you believe in my sister’s honesty?
Yatta: Of course she’s honest! To be dishonest would make her less admirable!
Tula: So you’ll believe her when she tells you something, even if it’s not what you want to hear?
Yatta: Well, I should hope so, since her honesty is without question, and if it’s something she would know about.
Tula: And is there anyone who could know about Zona’s nights better than her?
Yatta: If there is, I’d want to face him over my blade, but of course Zona should know her nights of loneliness and yearning better than anyone else.
Tula: OK, Zona, please tell our noble young swordsman about some of the people who’ve shared your nights, would you? And Yatta, remember Zona’s honesty; she’ll tell you the truth, and if you don’t believe her, that’s like calling her a liar.
(of course, that’s only an approximation, but Tula could make Yatta’s delusions serve the purpose of making him realize that Zona’s human, rather than some unimpeachably pure mythic figure)
Jed, a little constructive criticism, if you don’t mind, and a simple technique that may help.
If you’ll look at the character’s mouths where you have them talking, the interiors of their mouths are lit equally well as the outside of their heads, which doesn’t happen unless somebody’s given them a luminous molar or something similar. Since the cheeks are mostly opaque, in that it takes a strong light source to be seen as a glow through them, the mouth should be a shadowy environment.
Placing a small point light source with a negative brightness value in the mouth and a small radius of action will remove a lot of the ‘I can see their molars from 20 feet away when they’re talking’ from the pictures. The mouths don’t need to be reflectionless voids, but unless a person’s in a dental chair, the mouth is filled with shadow.
I know it’s easy to do in DAZ studio, and with your skill in poser, it should be a breeze to figure out. I first read it in a tutorial about how to keep the nostrils from being too shiny, before people started coming up with ambient occlusion shader controls for DAZ. I need to get off my lazy butt and start getting some rendering practice of my own.
I’m a bit detail obsessive, in that I read like a proofreader, and look at renders like a photographic critic.
November 14th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
I’m wondering if Yatta-ta has a bet going with his buddies back in Kivalia that he can sleep with an Erogenian princess. It feels like there’s a little more to his idiocy than meets the eye.
Heehee…. “you think she’s a virgin? Woo boy, buddy, have you been barking up the wrong tree!”
November 14th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
This is one of those golden moments that made me guffaw like no tomorrow! So few comics reach these moments or get them so right. I am so glad I found this comic.
November 14th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
well… they COULD use a royal jester…
November 14th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
I love how Ipola *almost* manages to keep a straight face until the last frame — even then she tries not to hurt Yatta’s feelings by laughing right out in his face - after all, having everyone else laugh at you is bad enough, but having the QUEEN laugh at you would hurt. No wonder she’s been able to deal so well with all the tribes. Somehow, I don’t think Yatta is convinced — he’ll probably declare this is some sort of test of his faith and resolve. An interesting bit of depth there with Zona in the last frame too — a bit of compassion there - almost a bit apologetic - that Yatta should find out in this way.
November 14th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
How did I not notice how awesome thew big cheesy grin on his face in panel one is? It’s directly to “camera” and just so incredibly over the top. Hilarious.
November 14th, 2009 at 4:12 pm
All I see are nipples….Why are Zona’s nip’s always poking out like that in that top!? >.<
Teehee…poor Yatta…I’d be laughing too though. x3
November 14th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
RE: The lit-mouth problem:
It only happens when one or more lights are from behind, because of how shadowing works in Poser (and D|S) and how the characters’ mouths are modeled. Nostrils and eyeballs often have the same problem. The “negative lighting” trick does work. However, if you don’t want to fiddle with negative lighting in Poser (which is tedious if you have more than one character in the scene), then after you have the pose and expression you want for the character, simply select the head, click the grouping tool, click “create prop”, click “invert normals”, click the material room, set all transparency values on whatever material you see to full transparency, save the texture (so you can apply it with one click later), right-click the work area, select “apply to all” on the popup. Poof - prop is invisible, and shadows will now render correctly inside the mouth. For further characters, finish their pose and expression, then just click the head, spawn the prop, invert the normals, apply the saved invisible texture to all zones on the prop, and done - move on to the next one.
November 14th, 2009 at 4:53 pm
Been busy but lurking…had to comment as this was just too much fun to watch. Ahh the joys of living in a fantasy lane (while living in a fantasy land). Well as a psychologist…it will be interesting whether Yatta’s belief system will be able to withstand this dose of reality…I am betting that only a fight (that he loses) will end it for him…and that should take about 2.4 seconds considering Zona level of irritation…
November 14th, 2009 at 5:04 pm
{addenda to above}
You can save time later by simply spawning an un-morphed head prop for the base character, inverting normals and giving it invisible materials as above, parenting it to the head, then saving it with the character to a new file. Or, just create a master prop for Michael and Victoria, parent it, and just save it to the library as “Michael/Victoria Mouth Shadow” - that works, too.
November 14th, 2009 at 5:10 pm
I don’t know…to me, it looks like Yatta is going “Great, I was misinformed yet again… And I found out at my own expense…again. When will I learn?”
But, that’s just me. Great job, and I have a feeling that after Yatta is done getting laughed at, some woman is going to take pity on the poor fool and educate him in the finer points of Erogenian sexuality…
November 14th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
JD: This makes it easier to see what I mean:
http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/6141/mouthshadow.jpg
November 14th, 2009 at 10:49 pm
dalewake - denial is a powerful self-defense mechanism. The surest road to complete madness is looking at the world exactly as it is.
RandonessIncarnate - Oh, honestly, I think everyone saw this coming from miles and miles away. And thanks.
Local Yokel - Well, he *did* try to tell him. Twice.
The Macnut - No, he will stick it out. If getting bashed in the face, popped on his bun, and tossed bodily into a ravine didn’t stop him, a little honest ridicule won’t.
Fred - Well, it loves you back.
Kern - Well, Danny Kaye proved that a jester isn’t always the worst thing to be.
Jean - I do the best I can, Maid Jean.
Latty - Well, she is the queen, after all, and has lived long enough to see some interesting things - and Yatta-ta ranks up there.
LorannaPyrel - Yes, Ipola is not only allowed to have lovers but, like most Erogenians, would be considered extremely odd if she didn’t. Even now she’s fairly hotly sought-after. One of her best friends and lovers for over twenty years has been Tula’s father Uthic.
Sleepinin - Well, she DID try to tell him.
Someguy - Glad you like it!
zangoules - Heh. Yeah. And I do love and embrace the Oz reference.
Zenla - Yea, verily.
Burgeri - The castration happens to Erogenians who are mentally defective from birth, or physically deformed in some way. It’s mainly to keep them from breeding, though they still try to make a place for them in the tribe and otherwise treat them with compassion. In fact, Queen Yanora didn’t quite understand the process (which I won’t go into here) which also involves some mitigating spells so that they don’t suffer the fate of eunuchs. Regardless, Yatta-ta, being Kivalian, would more likely just be killed outright than be — well, that.
Lora - So far there seems to be no outright malice in him, so in the absence of that, Erogenians are usually fairly easy-going. Like a lot of folks, if you make them laugh, it counts for a lot. On the other hand, he DID come into the valley uninvited, which is a huge no-no, especially for Kivalians. We shall see.
calisto - Right. You can’t see them because we’re so tight on the foreground figures. They’re there.
Uhl - Not telling.
Tricksterson - Not giving anything away. Wait.
Aust - Yup.
ladugreensleeves - Thank you so much, lady.
Hugh- Thanks. Yeah, well, it was pretty predictable. Just needed to make sure that the font was large enough.
Peregrin - Ah, but is the cha truly balanced? That will probably be up to the queen herself.
Black Ethel - Wonder on, wonder on. Is his preconcieved notion proof against reality? Is it that important? What’s the real deal? Is there a real deal?
SamuraiDemonPuppy - There’s a whole thing he has. But at least part of that will be revealed in upcoming pages.
Gremalkin - An interesting idea.
Lictre - Thanks so much for the suggestion. I was trying it out and I’ll see if it’s practical. For smaller scenes it might work well, but I have about twenty human figures in this scene (some of which are hidden at this angle) and I find that Photoshop postwork techniques are often faster than trying to fix it in Poser.
Gemma - We’ll see.
Jaibyrd - You’re very kind. But yeah, I like this one. Honestly, given her history, there’s no other way for the tribe top react to that statement.
taltamir - Couldn’t we all?
reddwarf - Ipola is a class act and has a lot of experience dealing with Kivalians. Zona’s just - “dude - toldja.”
Someguy - He’s winking at a pretty Erogenian girl whose eye he’s caught.
Lynnix - Hey, that’s just the way the gal’s built. I have had the distinct pleasure of knowing a couple lovely ladies who have that particular anatomical bonus. Even through sweaters it is very distinct. Sometimes socially problematic, but believe me, I like it. So - Zona is that way.
Jim Farris - Thanks, very very much. I will try that and experiment to see if the time spent is worth it. Right now, I think I will just add shadows and darken in Photoshop, which seems to me to be less labor intensive for production. But it seems fascinating and has already taught me something new about Poser. Thank you!
Soulworker - Thanks for posting! I love that you’re having fun watching Zona - that’s the only point of this exercise.
Midnight Wolf - Ah, and so what will happen to Yatta-ta? Is he a virgin? Is he truly mad as a hatter? Tune in on Tuesday, same Zona-time, same Zona-station!
November 14th, 2009 at 11:58 pm
Just a fantastic page.
November 15th, 2009 at 12:19 am
Say Draft have you thought of doing your own rendering of Red Sonja maybe as a visiting guest of the clan?
November 15th, 2009 at 2:23 am
Well…he may be forced to concede that nobody believes Zona is a virgin (except for him)…but don’t forget, he’s challenging her to make a -name- for himself. She’s still a massively good swordswoman, so if Yatta-ta can take her on and win, that’s worth the ridicule and laughter of the Erogenians…
November 15th, 2009 at 2:25 am
Oh, good, my comments didn’t come across as crossing the line into assholery. Socially I’m not the best, and it’s easy to come across with the wrong tone in a text-only environment.
I wonder if it would be reasonably convenient to create a negative light prop that you can parent to some part of the figure’s head so that it would almost automatically be positioned inside the mouth cavity. Sorta frontload the work into however long it takes to make a light-prop and figure out the placement and parenting, then be able to throw it in with just a few clicks. Just a thought.
November 15th, 2009 at 6:08 am
Just thought of something else important here.
Mentl has just been shown exactly how many lovers Zona has had, and simultaneously been spared being the focus of attention when he learns it. Obviously he knew she had a history, but most guys get a little sick feeling when they come face-to-face with 90% of it. The way things are here, he’s more focused on Yatta, so that initial reaction won’t ever be a problem.
Oh, and JED - that you even KNOW of The Court Jester is a big plus in my book! One of my favorites.
November 15th, 2009 at 6:13 am
Poor sap
November 15th, 2009 at 11:49 am
@Peregrin “Obviously he knew she had a history, but most guys get a little sick feeling when they come face-to-face with 90% of it. The way things are here, he’s more focused on Yatta, so that initial reaction won’t ever be a problem.”
I don’t know about “won’t EVER be a problem…” He may be distracted from thinking about her sexual history right now, but what about when things have calmed down? Remember, Mentl is a product of OUR society, raised where women who’ve been as sexually active as Zona are generally given a negative stigma. When it hits him how many lovers his sweetie has had, and especially when he MEETS some of those brawny exes of hers, he may get that sick feeling after all…
November 15th, 2009 at 11:53 am
I think he’s going to do something to obligate Zona in such a way that Mentl will go berserk.
November 15th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
Yatta-ta simply can’t be that dense and still be alive, not in a world where it appears a fairly easy thing to get killed. Stupidity, is, after all, the number one killer in fantasy scenarios. Of course, Yat may be insane, but I still wonder if it’s an act.
Macnut, Zona made it pretty clear to Mentl she’s never felt like this about anyone. Being a working musician (of sorts), he can’t be that hung-up. Everybody you meet has a past, you know? (Everybody interesting, anyway). Besides, surely no one could think brawn impresses Zona. What have they got that she hasn’t got?
What’s more likely to get to Mentl is another idea that’s bound to circulate: Princess Zona settled for *that*? Hopefully, though, Ipola’s managed to nip that in the bud at least somewhat.
November 15th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
@Raoul: “What’s more likely to get to Mentl is another idea that’s bound to circulate: Princess Zona settled for *that*? ”
You’re right Raoul, that idea’s much more likely to hit Mentl right where his insecurities live. Those same insecurities BTW, which may give him that sick feeling about the # of lovers Zona’s had. It won’t be so much about Zona’s feelings for him as his feelings about HIMSELF and whether he’s able to “measure up” to Zona’s past lovers, or is even able to keep her.
November 15th, 2009 at 2:47 pm
Dah-da-da-dahh,
We’re Knights of the Round Table,
We dance when we are able,
We do routines and chorus scenes
With footwork impeccable.
We dine well here in Camelot,
We eat ham and jam and spam a lot.
Yatta-Ta will have to push the pram a lot!
November 15th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
Don’t worry about Mentl, one show of major magic mojo and they won’t be saying “settled for” anytime soon.
As for Yatta-ta….that guy is a gold mine. Seriously.
November 15th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
Take a look at pages 320 and 321 for Ipola’s official meeting of Mentl… There might be ceremony later, but I don’t think Ipola would wait even a minute to officially greet a friend of her daughters, or to recognize a possible valuable ally of the tribe. Give him the visible favor immediately, get the basics of the info she wants the tribe to know out into circulation immediately, and that evening, present him more formally before the gathered tribe, once the rumor mill has had time to circulate that the guy’s been made welcome, and to start speculating as to his qualities. Right now, Ipola’s made her people curious about Mentl, so they’ll pay attention later on. Rumor will make sure that everyone wants to come to the celebration, just to find out about the new guy.
Also, there were a good number of people in range when Ipola greeted him by describing him as “The man from another world.”, then immediately goes into a recitation of his qualities that at the very least could make even the most skeptical member of the Moon tribe give him a fair chance to prove himself.
The fact that she gave a less than physically impressive man that favor immediately on meeting him should say a lot about him. I’m sure it’s widely known that she loves her daughters, but I’m betting that nepotism isn’t something that she’s ever been realistically accused of.
November 15th, 2009 at 5:33 pm
Perhaps I am alone in this, but I would not be surprised in the least if Yatta turned out to be an accomplished swordsman. Granted, he is unlikely to rival Zona, but what else is to be expected? I agree with previous posters in that there must be more to him than is readily apparent. Perhaps he is accomplished in a duelist sense, in that he fares well in tourneys and such, but is no match for Zona’s abilities on the maelstrom of the battlefield.
After all, he somehow managed to survive alone in a seemingly unforgiving forest, which would necessitate some kind of ability. I don’t know, but it is perhaps worth thinking about.
November 16th, 2009 at 5:30 am
at local yokel… well, not if he can’t win the sword-fights
Wonderful comic as always, I do wish weeks were shorter!!
November 16th, 2009 at 7:11 am
Took another look at the page (and got another chuckle at Yatta-ta’s expense) and got to wondering: considering the Erogenian’s liberal attitude towards sex and sexuality, I wonder how early they start having sex? Humans in our world hit puberty around 11-12 (sometimes earlier) and many start having sex no more than a couple of years after that (in spite of any parental attempts to stop it).
Wonder how it works in Zona’s world?
November 16th, 2009 at 7:20 am
Hey just a thought about the mouth light issue. I don’t know much about 3d software in general or any in particular other than they are way too complicated for me to play with now, but… I do remember an older software package I had that had light sources that could be a single pixel point and that you could choose the color of light from a spectrum. This was on an amiga and I have no idea the name of the software but would a single point of gray “light” placed inside a mouth darken the image? can you even do that kind of thing with poser?
I only bring it up because it was as simple as a single mouse click and seems like it might be easier to deal with if it worked.
November 16th, 2009 at 7:52 am
And just a question I keep reading about. Where did the idea come from that Mentl has a problem with confidence or self image? If you ask me it takes a lot confidence to not be challenged by Zona’s physical prowess. Remember Zona saying how previous boyfriends all wanted to challenge her? In our world that would mostly be because most guys couldn’t handle the idea that their girlfriend is stronger and a better fighter. The “a REAL man could be better than any woman” crap that most won’t say out loud but still think to themselves. Mentl has a very powerful level of personal confidence that allows him to not compare himself to the people around him. He is constantly saying (unconsciously) “I am me, that is different/not as strong/not as athletic/not as tall/ etc BUT I am still ME and that is good enough for me.” We have seen him react this way on several occasions sometimes with just a hint of humor. The “Well I try to be.” response to the little girl is one example, the ability to use humor is another example of a powerful self image.
I think the real problem is going to happen later when he starts to learn to control his magic better and starts to go over things he has done in the past. The bombshell is going to be the question he will ask himself (if not anyone else) of whether or not Zona would love him now if he hadn’t inadvertently cast a “love” spell on her when they first met.
November 16th, 2009 at 9:02 am
I just love that mischievous look Ipola has in the second frame, cracks me up
November 16th, 2009 at 9:26 am
Mentl described himself as pretty much a loser earlier in the story. For example;
Page 149 when Tula explains Mentl’s power to him-here’s part of Mentl’s response; “…I…my whole life. I told you before, I fuck everything up! (emphasis mine) You can’t just give me this, you can’t just trust me with something…important like this!”
And when he mentioned “telling her before”, he meant back when he first met Zona, when he was telling her about himself. He described himself on page 14 in VERY negative terms, as basically a loser. Read what he says about himself on page 14. Does that sound like a confident man with a healthy self-image to you? I’m no mental health expert, but it sure doesn’t sound like that to me.
November 16th, 2009 at 11:58 am
Ah, yes but there is a difference between confidence in ability and confidence in self. A person might know they “fuck everything up” and still have confidence in what they can do. For example Mentl has clear and strong confidence in his music, how does that fit with “everything”? People have a tendency to talk in broad terms and not worry about the literal meaning of what they say. I think what mentl was trying to say to Tula was more along the lines of “I don’t want this responsibility, don’t count on me”
And as for page 14, yes it isn’t a statement saying “I’m all that” but he does say ” I am just me” as in not a warrior not anyone special. Not having been able to keep a job is a powerful negative influence in self worth, but the whole point of that page is that Mentl does not want to try and pass himself off as something he is not. None of that means mentl has a negative self image as much as it is him saying “I haven’t done anything impressive”. “I am just me” is a telling statement.
Oh and Macs rule…
November 16th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
I’m more worried about Yatta’s obvious disbelief when everyone makes it clear that Zona’s not a virgin. Erogenians don’t lie, and here he is implying the entire camp is lying to him (or may, on the next page). Or, if he suggests that Zona lied to him and her tribe…bad things may happen. Very bad things, because that would be an ultimate insult.
I’m curious to see how JED will handle this. Yatta is so obviously not convinced.
November 16th, 2009 at 8:46 pm
Hey J.E.D!
I revisit the page after a day or two, and it just keeps getting funnier! The sheer incredulity in the two Beefs in panel 4 just gets me each time.
Damn I love this comic.
November 16th, 2009 at 10:52 pm
Callisto: Humor can be a defense mechanism to cover insecurity, and we’ve seen plenty of insecurity in Mentl, including his concerns over what Zona’s mom is going to think of him.
November 17th, 2009 at 1:14 am
You know what could be funny? If this fool is like Aragones’ Groo - brain of cheese dip, but a virtual avatar of swordsmanship, and better than ANYONE once the swords come out…
November 17th, 2009 at 2:10 am
See Groo Slaying the soldiers in the Red uniforms!
See Groo Slaying the soldiers in the Blue uniforms!
See Groo slaying…the soldiers of BOTH armies?
Groo: Did I err?
November 17th, 2009 at 3:20 am
@Raven “Callisto: Humor can be a defense mechanism to cover insecurity, and we’ve seen plenty of insecurity in Mentl, including his concerns over what Zona’s mom is going to think of him.”
Exactly. Obviously you interpret Mentl’s speech on page 14 as him saying he’s just an ordinary guy, but to me there’s just too much…negativity in that speech for a guy with healthy self-esteem. There’s just too much negative self-talk, and it’s reflected in his underachieving life back in San Bernardino.
No, Mentl comes across to me as a guy who doesn’t like himself very much, who doesn’t think very much of himself at all. That’s why he was so insecure about meeting the Queen-he was afraid she’d see him as he saw himself, as basically “unworthy” of Zona’s affections and Tula’s esteem.
November 17th, 2009 at 3:24 am
People with low self-esteem often ignore or minimise very real achievements they’ve made, which explain’s Mentl’s continuing low opinion of himself in spite of his very real successes in battle against the Urrts and besides the ladies.
That’s how people with self-esteem issues roll (speaking from personal experience here…). Trust me when I say the ladies, including the Queen, have a MUCH higher opinion of Mentl than he himself does.
November 17th, 2009 at 5:54 am
I agree with MacNut. Been there, self0dissed that… Finally got around to whapping myself on the nose gently but firmly with a rolled up newspaper, too.
November 17th, 2009 at 7:40 am
Yeah, and so will Mentl at some point, but it migth take a gentle whapping from Tula or Zona or someone else before that happens.
I think he has made some progress since the start, but there’s still a way to go. These things don’t change overnight. (Not even in the presense of a loving woman).
November 17th, 2009 at 8:02 am
No, they most certainly do not. Not without conscious and concerted effort, anyway. Which Mentl has shown no signs of doing just yet.
November 17th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
OK I didn’t mean to spark off such a debate but hey here it goes…
First I respect your opinions and I am not saying a disagree with what you have said, it is just that I think you may be reading too much into a few comments.
You think Mentl is showing evidence of poor self esteem because he was nervous meeting Zona’s mother for the first time? He was meeting the mother of not just his new girlfriend as well as the mother of her sister, together. BUT the woman is also a QUEEN and on top of all that he is going to be meeting her AT THE SAME TIME AS he is introduced to the ENTIRE FRICKEN TRIBE that consider both Tula and Zona celebrities.
Any normal average regular guy would be nervous under those circumstances. Why should the fact that Mentl is have some special meaning?
I didn’t mean to imply Mentl is some ivory tower of confidence, only that he also isn’t a quivering mass of jello. He is a regular average guy, normal people have a range of emotions and experience times when they are up and down. That is life. It says a lot about this comic that it can spark this kind of discussion, the characters are complex enough for this kind of inspection.
Yes, he has moments of doubt, you do not? That is not a sign of weakness any more than Yatta’s confidence is a true sign of strength.
I guess it all boils down to I think we should give Mentl a break and not be so quick to judge him.
OK now someone take this soapbox away from me….
November 17th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
First, The new page should be up tonight. Part of the delay is that even a crowd scene with only a dozen visible/semi-visible characters, such as this narrowed picture, means that I have to try to repose and re-expression every one every frame to keep it looking half-way real, and that is time-consumiing. I am, as I think I said, no longer able to stay up until 2AM for my usual 5:15AM wake-up. So, it’s taking a bit longer.
Moox - Gracias, senor!
dolo-pzora - No Hyborean crossovers, I fear, but I have definitely done some tests of Red Sonja. Maybe I’ll post as a vote incentive sometime.
As to the discussion about Yatta-ta? I will definitely let him show you just what he’s made of - in time.
And you all are great about Mentl and his reactions and insecurities. Without giving too much away, he does have some major deals with his own past behavior. The whole idea of him being doomed to fuck things up is the result of some very bad decisions he made years ago that lost him friends and status, and he tends to beat himself up about it. (Again, nothing that hasn’t already been established.) He has, however, been attending Miss Zona’s Finishing School and Self-Esteem Academy of Bouncy-Bouncy for the past couple of months, and so that alone is a factor in the plus column. He’s also just been handed the proverbial keys to the city which is another thing. Honestly, in some situations he *can* go either way, and that’s is what I like about him.
Thantoss - Well, the queen loves her daughter but there are absolutely NO illusions between them, and the idea that somebody thinks of Zona as akin to Jean D’Arc is the funniest joke the Moon Tribe has heard in a gontharg’s age.
Ed - Aragones is another of my personal heroes. I saw him win a speed-sketching contest at Comicon a couple of years ago. Wonderful. And Groo rocks out loud. Just don’t call him a “mendicant.”
Elfguy - LOL!
November 17th, 2009 at 4:24 pm
Maybe I’m the only one, but for some reason, I foresee something coming that Yatta-ta and Mentl end up going at it, and soon, and that would be how the Queen first sees Mentl’s powers. I may be wrong, but it’s been tickling the back of my mind for a bit now.
November 17th, 2009 at 5:23 pm
Since it evening, almost midnight, here does that mean the comic is updating now?
Sorry for the impatience, just want to see what comes next.
November 17th, 2009 at 8:36 pm
Can I sign up for the Academy of Bouncy-Bouncy? What is tuition like?
November 17th, 2009 at 9:45 pm
Well I have a laptop power cord now so I can catch up. I believe Yatta is probably a heavily tutored rich kid with a great deal of formal training and is probably an experienced duelist. His experiences however are probably on the field with other “expert” duelists that have never raised their voices, or their swords, in genuine anger or anything resembling a fight to the death.
Whatever Yatta’s weakenesses, he has a real look of resolve and is not about to be dismayed. I look forward to the ineviatable fight. Really all he probably needs to do to make his rep is cross swords with her and live.
November 17th, 2009 at 10:33 pm
Reviewing the look on Yatta’s face i suspect this isn’t the first time he’s gotten this reaction.
October 28th, 2010 at 12:35 pm
Now I feel sorry for Yatta-ta