July 6th, 2010
Page 377
Comics for July 6, 2010 - Page 377
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July 6th, 2010 at 12:19 am
Bit of an a-hole….
July 6th, 2010 at 1:00 am
It would serve him right if she rammed that dagger into his back. She won’t do it though, ’cause she’ll suffer severe repercussions if she does-she is the truly powerless one here, even more so than Maldik.
Though I have to say when I saw the first two panels I thought Maldik was gonna kill her for sure. I was quite surprised by his attack of conscience (thought he no longer had one). Well done JE, in making Maldik a bit more complex than we originally gave him credit for (he’s actually trying to APOLOGIZE to her!).
July 6th, 2010 at 1:02 am
“and then they…they” What Maldik, what do they do? Perhaps the question is- What did they do?
July 6th, 2010 at 1:09 am
Looks to me like Maldik might have a change of heart.
especially after realizing what he almost did to the poor girl.
After what the Bishop Told him, and the truth of his mother’s
words sinking in. I half wonder if our Prince Maldik might be having
second thoughts about whether or not he really wants the
responsibility of Kingship.
The Terrified Girl’s tears may have just opened what remains
of Maldik’s heart. I wonder if he’ll salvage the rest.
Will he use this as a lesson, and change his ways?
or Might the Prince steel his resolve and kill all those
who stand against him?
Push-over?
Tyrant?
Kind-Hearted Prince?
Which Path shall Maldik set his foot upon?
July 6th, 2010 at 1:24 am
Well we all know the queen is a big slut. At least by the standards of her people. That is enough dissapointment to make a son go ballistic.
Still making deals with man-eaters to get back at her… a bit much.
July 6th, 2010 at 2:09 am
Yanora is a man-eater herself, no? (not that there’s anything wrong with that … >.>)
Maldik just said - and, god help me, did - what he’s had to do all along. Get his emotions out so some clarity can finally sink in. The tragedy here is, he couldn’t do it with his mother herself, so instead he does it with this poor girl, who has next to no power to act on the revelation of Maldik’s innermost self.
I say next to no power, because the right words from her now might yet effect a miracle … but I don’t know if that’s what’s going to happen. I WANT that to happen, but I can’t expect it from the scene or the character.
I don’t know what’s going to happen next. Nicely done JED (nods respectfully)
Loranna
July 6th, 2010 at 3:32 am
Woah….
Hmm, I wonder if this is the part where Maldik realizes HE’s been whoring himself out to get power?
Nice work as always JED.
July 6th, 2010 at 4:03 am
Very powerfull page! Unfortunately i do think the following applies:
A leopard cannot change its spots !
July 6th, 2010 at 4:12 am
The saving of Maldik? Maybe. Yatta was fun and I can see Maldik stepping out to make a stand, then dying for it. Gloriously or ignominiously, doesn’t matter. I don’t see a way to rehabilitate him totally and let him live.
Hmmmm. Continue to be Mr. “Bad D*ck”, no change we can see, except some “lucky” breaks for our heroes (Maldik has a hissy fit when he needs to send out troops to trap them) until they finally get a big “lucky” break when Maldik dies stopping the supervillan uberdeath plot that cannot fail.
Remember, at this time, Maldik will probably die if he tries to do anything but continue. Of course, I don’t see Gorshash caring whether or not the country is “allied” to him secretly or in open civil war. In either case, he will still have sources and tools among the humans to do his work.
Of course, we have to wait and see. It might be a long wait to see which side Maldik gets the chop from in the end…
July 6th, 2010 at 6:46 am
Professionals would call this a psychotic break. Anyone else would call it “unfit for breathing.”
July 6th, 2010 at 6:50 am
the dude needs to try decaf…
July 6th, 2010 at 7:31 am
Maldik just saw something that struck a cord in his memory and now comes the flashback (maybe). and yes he is a dick but he wants the power without the responceability. in some ways don’t we all.
July 6th, 2010 at 8:14 am
Hmm, he may still have a heart?
Can we see it?
Father beans anyone?
July 6th, 2010 at 9:12 am
No, Maldik is nonredeemable. All he showed was that he has no spine.
Scumbag…kill him…slowly.
July 6th, 2010 at 9:27 am
I think he did have a revelation, and that it might lead to further awareness, but not necessarily to any different actions.
July 6th, 2010 at 9:46 am
I’ve heard it said that the true test of a person is how they treat those less fortunate than they are, when there’s nobody watching.
Maldik is still a weak and small man, casually brutal to those beneath him, treasonous where it’s to his perceived advantage. This does not ENTIRELY preclude his having some empathetic moments, but it makes them stand out against the general morass of his persona.
It may yet be that he actually intends to apologize to his latest victim, but we still have to see what actually gets said. However, just apologizing for the assault he’s just committed, rather than doing more to make it right, would still leave him further beyond the moral event horizon than he was 2 strips ago.
JED, Well done, to make us further hate the treacherous, evil little princeling, then present a softer, or at least morally conflicted side to him to generate empathy, ambivalence, and ambiguity. You’re doing a superb job giving even your least sympathetic characters human depth.
July 6th, 2010 at 9:55 am
“And then they…they…”
Who exactly is the whore here, Maldik? Are you looking at a servant, your mother, or in a mirror? Hmm?
July 6th, 2010 at 10:14 am
“And then they betray you” would be my guess. Great job of making me conflicted JED; I usually have no difficulty hating the bad guy. -.-
July 6th, 2010 at 11:13 am
Going to go way out on a limb here. We have lots of info about Yanora’s self-control and we know Kendrick was a superlative swordsman (”But, you’ve also bested my Spaniard, which means you must have studied, and in studying you must have learned that man is mortal, so you would have put the poison as far from yourself as possible, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me. “). Sooooo… What member of this family do we know the LEAST about?
What kind of big brother was Gudik?
Maybe Maldik is remembering HIMSELF pleading for mercy. He’s still scum and should still die, but that look on the face comes from being hit with a BIG 2×4 between the eyes.
JED, absolutely amazing.
July 6th, 2010 at 1:29 pm
s-suh… such an idiot?
s-suh… suhroy?
s-suh… something else?
which will it be?!
JED, just how hard is it to come up with a cliffhanger for nearly every page?
July 6th, 2010 at 4:07 pm
I vote for “I’m s-suh-Such a Prick!”
July 6th, 2010 at 4:32 pm
Firstly , perhaps i am missing something , but where do we see he’s using Dia (the lady of leisure ) as a replacement for mummy?
Maldick in a lot of way reminds me of Gollum. mean , spiteful ,devious , repulsive, trisky yet haunted by a spark of humanity as well.
July 6th, 2010 at 5:45 pm
Looks like she will live. For now. Somehow I don’t see Maldik as apologizing to her, but instead saying something like ‘clean yourself up’ and leaving it at that.
July 6th, 2010 at 9:45 pm
I sense a bit of psychosis, lined with a penchant for stammering and a little ADD, with a smidge of stuttering.
July 6th, 2010 at 10:08 pm
My guess is that he wont be able to apologize in the end.
July 7th, 2010 at 12:26 pm
Actually I think he’s trying to say he’s sorry. As for “and then they”, isn’t there a persistent rumor that Yanora killed or had killed her husband?
July 7th, 2010 at 2:30 pm
Come on prince you can say it. “I’m sorry”
July 7th, 2010 at 4:20 pm
him having an attack of conscious is a rather realistic thing. I mean, he has to realize what he is doing. This makes him a lot more realistic as a character. Not relatable, or nice, or deserving of anything but death. But realistic. He is a person rather then a caricature… a mean, petty, petulant, cruel person… but an actual person.
July 7th, 2010 at 6:10 pm
I really, really hate that guy! I seriously hope he dies soon.
July 7th, 2010 at 7:33 pm
wow, mommy issues much? who does he see in her eyes? in her plea? himself maybe?
July 7th, 2010 at 8:18 pm
Guys…
Sheesh..
This is to show us that, although he is an over-entitled useless prissy bitch… The man-boy not only has legitimate reasons for his social malaise, there ARE places he does not want want to go. Even if he’s already gone there, cognizant of that fact or not.
Maldik has grown up privileged, and expected to lead an entire nation. oops, excuse me.. He’s been expected to WAIT to lead an entire nation, if his brother dies, fails, or the sun explodes…
Real life monarchies have proven time and time again that the want of power is usually the last thing you should have if you actually GET it. Being told you can’t have power, but having it just within reach, since birth?? BIT of a personality warper..
He’s a dick.
He’s someone who hits women without even pausing to care.
He’s a traitor.
He’s an idiot.
But the poor idiot isn’t irredeemable..
Yet.
Honestly.. The only way he isn’t ending up with his head on a pike would be to walk up to the Queen and challenge her for leadership, and act like a man when he gets his ass whipped by a 12 year old (the only person the “barbarians” think is a fair fight for him)
But our author is a far better writer than I am, and that is too kind for maldickie..
July 8th, 2010 at 1:05 am
@Crazeyal Maldik has knowingly entered into treasonous collusion with creatures who view humans as a part of their diet, and who have been historically consistent enemies. In doing so, he’s betrayed his ruler, his family, his nation, his allies, presumably his church and faith, and his species.
How is he redeemable?
July 8th, 2010 at 1:38 am
>>Gremalkin
Oh there are ways. Such as Maldik being such a dirty bastard that he’s one big spot that looks like a leopard…just need to give im a damned bath and maybe we’ll see a cleaner, more complex pattern on that cat’s skin ;P
His mom’s already dumped the tub on im, lets see if the girl can scrub him down, and rinse im off. <:)
July 8th, 2010 at 6:17 am
@Lictre He entered into that deal out of greed and a need to be seen by his mother as a powerful ruler. He resented her because she never showed any interest in him. Now that she has admitted to that and expressed her regret, his driving motive has been severely weakened.
I think that this, in combination with the abject fear the girl shows towards him, has caused him to examine his own reasons for doing what he did. And he’s slowly realizing the extent of the horror he has helped to create and the kind of trouble he’s in.
He can be redeemed if he realizes his mistakes and asks for help from the right people - his mother and the Erogenian tribes. He will still have to be punished for his crimes against the throne, but that first step will be crucial.
July 8th, 2010 at 6:19 am
By the way, I really like the glowing rage effect in his eyes and the way it fades at the sight of that girl.
July 8th, 2010 at 2:42 pm
Again, without giving anything away, I don’t want to answer piece-by-piece this time. Hope you all understand, and hope you’ll all have the patience to wait through the next two pages or so. After that, we will not see Maldik up close for some time.
Suffice to say that, yes, he’s an asshole. And a traitor. And allllll that. but one rule I try always to observe is that the only characters that aren’t human are those that literally aren’t human. Maldik is the way he is for a reason. And we have just seen, as I said last time, just how low he can go. And below that point, he finds, he simply cannot. We never really know what our personal breaking point is, do we, until we’re actually challenged in that way. Mentl never thought of himself as anything but a coward. In fact, his past life has lots of incidents of things he’s not proud of, which he’s only hinted at before (and don’t worry, they’ll come up eventually) but it seems he found something that was more important, and it kindled the inner badass inside him. Now Maldik is finding a spark of decency - enough, to use his own words, to at least feel ashamed. How long will it last? Sometimes moments of courage and decency in folks are not permanent. Other times they mark a change that puts them on a whole new path. Most times, I have found, progress and growth in people is not even or smooth, and we take at least one step back for every two steps forward.
Anyway, I hope to get the new page up tonight. If not, then tomorrow night for sure!
July 8th, 2010 at 5:27 pm
@ Lictre
Because ANYONE is redeemable. Forgiven by the people he betrayed? Trusted and loved? Probably not. Redemption is simply knowing you were wrong, accepting it, and making the honest effort to change. Some people live their whole lives with a mistake and never stop paying it back. Redemption isn’t about justice. It’s about peace.
July 8th, 2010 at 5:30 pm
@JEDraft
Thank you for the art. No spoilers or special treatment is necessary. When I get a few coins to rub together, I will thank you properly.
July 8th, 2010 at 11:18 pm
JED, I am honestly surprised that in most cases you answer us individually. Most comics I read don’t involve much feedback from the creator. NEVER worry about not giving us individual attention. I, for one, would rather you focus on the story and I hope that you get enough enjoyment out of this to continue until the end. Too many times the creator of a comic that I REALLY enjoy gets ‘burn out’ and has to take a sabbatical and that usually ends with no more updates. Also, while I am suggesting things, don’t sell yourself short. You have a GREAT product here and business is business. don’t be afraid to charge what it’s worth. (just my 2 coppers worth of opinion.)
July 9th, 2010 at 10:05 am
explainable is NOT redeemable, everything can be EXALINED… just because we know WHY he did it, and that he did it not because of villian ball, doesn’t make any of it redeemable. Its funny that the moral event horizon for so many is him beating up a woman (whose morals are in doubt too btw, but she obviously did nothing to deserve this).
His collusion with the uurts is, as lictre said: “he’s betrayed his ruler, his family, his nation, his allies, presumably his church and faith, and his species.”
@ JEDraft: you certainly made him a human rather then a caricature, I can’t stand those flat 2d archetypical villians… he is a decidedly human vilian, he does have a few soft spots and a conscious, but he doesn’t have ENOUGH of a conscious or a soft spot to redeem himself. Which, I believe is as you intended.
July 9th, 2010 at 11:08 am
IF he redeems himself, and I still consider it a big enough IF to have it’s own gravity well, I suspect he won’t survive it.