Chapter 1: Page 36
Now that’s better! As I mentioned last week, you can only take so many knees to the sternum before you start remembering how to maneuver the close-quarters battlefield of Tesque – no matter how long it’s been since you’ve last trained. Quin just needed a little trial by fire to shake the rust loose, and now we’re starting to see why Crim’s students would have been intrigued in seeing their captain fight.
In this page, Quinlan is not only knocking Crim down a peg, but demonstrating the third tenet to the students in the process. When Crim says “Everything is a weapon – from your teeth to your tail”, he doesn’t necessarily mean that his students’ tails could be used as a weapons — but an act of distraction can be just as useful in a fight as an attack, and knowing where to find those distractions can make all the difference in a fight. For example, in this case, Quinlan’s used Crim’s own flashy belt to hang up his arm and throw the Tesque instructor off-balance.
See you all next week, and we hope you all have a fantastic Thanksgiving!
Not so tough now, are you hot shot? Crim just made two big mistakes in martial arts: Don’t get cocky, and don’t go in swinging. Now HE’S the one in for a butt kicking, I bet >:D
I agree with Hunter. After demostrating his quickness and assuredness in the first two clashes, it’s odd to see Crim just barging in for a full-frontal assault. Perhaps he thinks he’s inflicted so much punishment on Quin that he can now adopt a more direct approach, because otherwise this looks like a different fighter than we’ve seen so far.
Also, in that last panel, I had to stop and figure out whose paw was whose. Of course it’s obvious looking at the rest of the page that Quin’s fur is lighter and Crim’s darker, and also that Crim’s the one wearing the legging while Quin is not, but it still took me a few moments’ close examination to sort it out. And you can imagine my satisfaction when I confirmed that the *right* Tamian is taking the fall this time!
Another great page! And happy Thanksgiving right back at you two!
That’s not really true. The third panel on this page almost completely mirrors the one from the start of the demonsration back on page thirty.
Thirty-one.
Ah, the classic beckon! Can never go wrong with one of those.
I do agree that Crim seems to have lost his edge on this page. I mean, just look how wide those swings are! Telegraphing your attack is never a good idea. But hey! I’m more than willing to interpret this as his skill paling in comparison to Quin’s unrusted own.
Also, I very much like that belt tangle! Quin’s technique here really showcases the Tamian character. Freeflowing, a little unorthodox, more about strategy than brute strength. Definitely one of my favorite pages so far. :3
Go Quinlan! It’s good to see that the captain is stepping it up, and we hopefully won’t have to witness him used as a Tamian doormat again (though I suspect it might happen when he runs into Hardin for the first time…)
I just now realized this but Crim has a REALLY BIG NOSE XD
I used to think that too, and in some panels he does still look a bit Bozo-the-clownish to me, but that’s actually just a dark patch on his snout. Check out the middle left panel in this week’s page to see what I mean.
He does indeed have a huge nose, and the fact that it has a dark splotch over it makes it look even bigger, yup X)
And finally, Quin manages to turn the tables on his cocky opponent! This is a most unusual way to lay out the panels in the comic so far, but it fits perfectly with the scene. As usual, the sense of action and movement is great!
Crim does indeed have a big nose xD
Well! EVERYTHING is a weapon including your opponents sash. Looks like Crim got tied up in his training.