^ 36 Comments...

1. AdamZero
   June 22nd, 2010 at 9:56 pm

   so, what is the face that turns back the lady in waiting? A mother in tears? A queen on the verge of wrath? Or the puppeteer, smirking in success?

2. AdamZero
   June 22nd, 2010 at 9:57 pm

   that was probably an expensive glass too…

3. Lebbrin
   June 22nd, 2010 at 10:22 pm

   Ahh, so it’s not to be redemption. Oh, well. I suspect that the queen is feeling so many emotions that her face is a turmoil now. Grief for her kingdom, grief for her son, rage at what he’s done… The next page should be VERY interesting…

   Thank you JED for yet another wonderful page.

4. Karyl
   June 22nd, 2010 at 10:50 pm

   this won’t go well for the prince, but little does he know how badly it will go–too bad she didn’t manage to raise him with more sense of self and self-worth but I ay it’s not ALL her fault. He doesn’t like hard lessons.

5. Jim Farris
   June 22nd, 2010 at 11:16 pm

   Kinda what I expected. Brush her hands aside, try to say something cutting to regain his manhood, storm out. Really, he DOES make the Uurts look better in comparison. They’re not fooling themselves, and they don’t lie about their motives. They kill you because you’re not an Uurt. They eat you because you’re tasty. That’s what makes Gorshash a true villain, I think. He DOES lie about his motives.

6. Lebbrin
   June 22nd, 2010 at 11:24 pm

   In truth, the only thing Gorshash lied about was WHICH humans he would kill. Maldik thinks he’ll stop at the Erogenians. We know better.

7. TB
   June 23rd, 2010 at 12:25 am

   Ok I take it back, I don’t want an anvil to suddenly crush Maldik. I want HUGE anvil to crush him. Two huge anvils, two spiky huge anvils, and then an offal cart, and maybe a duck…..

8. vrwhammer
   June 23rd, 2010 at 12:36 am

   TB: then a ox, large sailing ship,[or battlewagon], then maybe an asteroid strike. Such supidity makes me want a tardus. Love the story just not ONE particular character. I can even stand the uurts since they are true to themselves not that …
   Excellent story to make me care so much. Thanks

9. Acipenser
   June 23rd, 2010 at 12:55 am

   Perfect.

   Such a tantrum you throw, Maldik. No thought, mere fury. Thank you, JED, for yet another well-crafted page.

10. The Old Hack
    June 23rd, 2010 at 1:49 am

    While I respected the Queen’s character, I had not really believed I could feel sorry for her. Until now. And ironically, I even feel a twinge for poor Maldik. While he is not a good man, his confusion and pain stands plain to read.

    Thank you, Jed. Amazing work.

11. JustMe
    June 23rd, 2010 at 2:47 am

    @vrwhammer: That’s a part of a great story, you have one character that every single reader hates with a vengeance, but that person is not (necessarily) the main villain. Maldik is in a position where he will remain in power right untill the Urtz turn on him, in some stories the hated character manages to redeem himself in his final moment, other stories they go down never admitting they were wrong. In Maldik’s case I guess the second one… Great comic JED

12. Gremalkin
    June 23rd, 2010 at 2:58 am

    He better look out, because: Hell has no fury like a woman scorned

13. Retiarius
    June 23rd, 2010 at 5:55 am

    Maldik’s a vewwy bad wittle boy…

14. Kern
    June 23rd, 2010 at 6:23 am

    So, why do I get the feeling she’s just gotton exactly what she was after?

15. Uhl
    June 23rd, 2010 at 7:14 am

    You had your chance, Maldik. Now there is no mercy or redemption for you.

16. BkC
    June 23rd, 2010 at 10:28 am

    Little bastich doesn’t even guess that Mother could have left long before now, probably through front gate had She chosen to do so.

    Kind of reminds me of my own beloved & departed Mama, kind & generous with a meanstreak wider than the gorram Mississippi!

17. Lora
    June 23rd, 2010 at 10:36 am

    Uh-oh. I don’t think this will end well for Maldik. He got his change and he pushed it away. Can we see Yanora’s expression on next page, please?

18. Rassafrassa
    June 23rd, 2010 at 11:32 am

    … And on the next panel, the queen turns to the camera and yells…

    “WHAT IS A MAN?!?!?!”

19. Lictre
    June 23rd, 2010 at 12:03 pm

    Little Maldik just made a huge error. He just announced to Yanora that he has no intention of killing her, but of keeping her in a state of perpetual house arrest in her tower. He’s just simplified Yanora’s planning drastically by reducing the number of things she needs to attempt to counter, and relaxed the timelines of any number of plans.

    If this double-posts, I’m sorry. My web connection is being erratic today

    If she were to find a way to escape, she’s in a fine position to operate a government-in-exile, perhaps from Erogenia, perhaps from a city in some other neighboring allied kingdom.

20. ladygreensleeves
    June 23rd, 2010 at 1:24 pm

    Wow. I know that Yanora and Maldik are not on good terms (to put it lightly), but that… that HAD to hurt. I mean, no matter how oafish, small-minded, and controlling he is, he’s still her son. The emotion in this page is phenomenal. I second TB’s and vrwhammer’s statements… something large and heavy should fall and crush Maldik. Like maybe, his plot?

21. JEDraft
    June 23rd, 2010 at 5:05 pm

    AdamZero - It was a face that could launch a thousand plots, or break a thousand hearts. And yes, the glass is worth the equivalent of thousands of dollars in our world. She could give a shit at this point.

    Lebbrin - Page 374 is going to be interesting. The art is coming out pretty cool, and I’m tempted to release a teaser … but no. It would reveal too much. =D

    Karyl - I hate to admit how much fun author-wise I’m having with Maldik. But don’t worry, there’s just a few more pages with him to go.

    Jim Farris - Gorshash is like many fanatics, indeed, many tribal people. It’s not really lying if you lie to the “other,” since obviously honor or social obligation are reserved for the tribe and not for them.

    TB - LOL! Maybe I’ll render that. Hm … now, where did I put my ACME anvil?

    vrwhammer - Many thanks to you. I’m gratified you enjoy it. If not for all of you reading this, I’d just be jerking off.

    Acipenser - Oh, but wait: There’s more.

    The Old Hack - Oh, yes. All our choices come back to haunt us, eventually. For good, for evil and forever.

    JustMe - I have very interesting plans for Kivalia’s benighted prince. Muahahahahahahaaa… Yesss. Interesting ….

    Gremalkin - Oh, when it comes to Her Maj, you have no idea.

    Retiarius - Oh, yeah.

    Kern - I couldn’t say. No, I mean, I really couldn’t say.

    Uhl - That’s not what Thrasu would say.

    BkC - Heaven help your Papa, then.

    Lora - Sorry, no. We’re following Maldik for a couple more pages or so, and not coming back to Her Maj. You’ll just have to use your imagination.

    Rassafrassa - “The paragon of animals …”

    Lictre - Wish I could comment on all that, but … well, I can’t. Still, to say that Maldik’s made a mistake, well - how can I count them all?

    ladygreensleeves - Yes, it seems it did hurt.

22. Kaila
    June 23rd, 2010 at 6:08 pm

    TB, vrwhammer, what did the duck, the ox, and for that matter the boat do to deserve that? Eh? Poor duck. I like ducks. Aside from the fact they can be messy they’re often pleasant animals. Not deserving of any kind of encounter with Maldik, let alone at high velocity.

23. Kaila
    June 23rd, 2010 at 6:09 pm

    And as for not seeing Mumsy’s face - I think the shoulders say it all.

24. hans
    June 23rd, 2010 at 6:12 pm

    Ugly scene, but had to be done.
    Now the lines are finally drawn. No mercy anymore.

    Great page! BTW am I really the only one noticing the typo?
    FACT instead of FACE!

25. MaxBigfoot
    June 23rd, 2010 at 7:03 pm

    No dreadful fate you have in store for Maldik is bad enough, JE. You have created a character I truly loath.

26. JR
    June 23rd, 2010 at 7:31 pm

    hans; intensional or not, I like “FACT”, but, that would entail deeper thinking/reasoning than Maldik is capable of…

    Bkc, don’t know if “bastich” was used anywhere else, but, it was used terrifically in the movie “Johnny Dangerously”. One of the funniest movies made of it’s time.

27. JR
    June 23rd, 2010 at 7:38 pm

    And JED, I’m in awe of your ability to maintain the threads/timelines of all the subplots and weave in such emotion. Salute!

28. Lictre
    June 24th, 2010 at 12:33 am

    I’m feeling proud of myself, getting JED to say he can’t talk about a comment I’ve made… kinda like getting a ‘I can neither confirm nor deny…’ response from somebody at a press conference.

29. Black Ethel
    June 24th, 2010 at 8:00 am

    JED, good job. The emotions you put on a page are incredibly complex. Few story tellers can do that.

    Can’t wait to see the outcome from this scene…

30. reddwarf
    June 24th, 2010 at 9:02 am

    As for Maldik’s deserved fate, I don’t think you can beat the classic historical fates of royalty — as compressed and purified by Terry Pratchett for the richly deserved sendoff of one King Murune of Lancre: “Involving a red hot poker, ten pounds of live eels, a three mile stretch of frozen river, a butt of wine, a couple of tulip bulbs, a number of poisoned eardrops, an oyster and a large man with a mallet. King Murune didn’t make friends easily.”

31. TheLastGarou
    June 24th, 2010 at 12:02 pm

    Wow….
    Just… just WOW.

    I don’t know if I’ve said it before, but if so let me repeat myself: I’ve read many a published author that couldn’t make me care so much about their characters. JED HAI!!!!

32. JEDraft
    June 24th, 2010 at 12:32 pm

    Kaila - That was the idea.

    hans - Thanks! Glad you approve, but - no, that is not a typo. He hates the very *fact* that she exists. The fact of Yonara of Normos. Her face he’s not too fond of, but that’s not what he’s saying.

    MaxBigFoot - Then my work here is done. =D

    JR - Many thanks. See above re: “fact” and he is capable of creative insults, and has given long thought to his venom.

    Lictre - Well, I try to keep close to the vest. It’s a huge temptation not to, because I have so much already written and I’m impatient to tell the tale. So, when I say that, it’s merely because you’ve presented an idea that’s detailed and may or may not have something to do with what I have plotted out.

    Black Ethel - Oh, we’re following Maldik back to the living quarters in the keep, so tomorrow you shall, indeed, see some more of it.

    reddwarf - Where was that from? One of the witch books? <|:}

    TheLastGarou - Gen eratu.

33. reddwarf
    June 24th, 2010 at 1:17 pm

    @JEDraft - yes, it’s from “Wyrd Sisters” in one of Pratchett’s great footnotes. I see I missed a bit of the quote - it actually starts out “Involving a red hot poker, a privy,….” It’s fun to figure out which fates befell which royalty - several are historical, a couple fictional or legendary figures, and at least one was an adviser/confidante/(probably much more) to royalty.

34. JR
    June 24th, 2010 at 7:21 pm

    “and he is capable of creative insults, and has given long thought to his venom.” Yup. Should have remembered the ‘practice mirror’/sentry scene from a few pages ago. Jeez, I’m waay too young for these senior moments (at least in my own mind). Oy…

35. firegoat
    June 24th, 2010 at 9:40 pm

    I predict that Maldik will meet his demise by finally suffocating after a life time of having his head up his fundament.

36. warnie
    June 24th, 2010 at 11:43 pm

    Pleasure of love lasts but a moment, Pain of love lasts a lifetime. - Jean Pierre Claris De Florian
    nuff said.

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