Chapter 1: Page 37
A fine application of the tenets, indeed! It seems now that Quinlan is back up to speed on the core values of Tesque, he’s more than a match for Crim. Of course, the boisterous Tesque trainer isn’t one to shy away from a challenge, especially given that he went out of his way to prove Quinlan wasn’t a warrior to be taken seriously! Needless to say, this fight isn’t over yet!
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I like Dakkan’s expression in the third panel XD
Oh, looks like Crim’s getting angrier…that’s just gonna make him make more mistakes…
I dunno, Alex, but Crim’s looking more like Biff Tanner here to me than ever – the Biff from “BttFII,” when he turns legitimately menacing whenever things don’t go his way. Up ’til now he’s just been a cocky show-off looking to knock Quin down a peg, but now that Quin’s starting to hold his own, he’s looking a lot less like a harmless buffoon and more like a malevolent adversary. However ill-suited he might feel Quinlan is as captain, the simple fact is that Quin is technically his superior (or so I assume) which begs the question of just how aggressively he can go after Quin without violating any Tamian laws or rules. Or does the entire superior-underling dynamic go out the window once you enter the Tesque ring?
In any event, another great page with great actions and expressions. Quin’s leap at the end is impressive, but I guess we all have to wait another week to find out just how much that maneuver will avail him.
Someone is beginning to lose their cool. His anger is either going to help him out or make Crim much more venerable… we’ll see which one next week.
But would a venerable Crim be more vulnerable? THAT is the question!
*has a hard time picturing Crim being venerable in any way, shape or form*
You’re not the only one, Highwing. Though I’m sure Mushroom meant what you said XD
Why not post pages longer than about 6 panels? I’m really interested in the progression of the story, but the updates are usually only a few panels of dialogue and mostly action or scenery shots :(
Hi Aisling,
We settled at one page a week hovering around the 6-panel layout because that is where we are most comfortable production-wise. Putting out a full-color page a week when both of us have day-jobs is tough work! :)
When Rachel thumbs out a page, we try to ensure that important information is conveyed that moves the scene forward, and also try to make sure that the conversations/actions don’t seem rushed or unnatural. It’s a tricky balance, but I think if you read the comic from beginning to end, you’ll notice the page-by-page pacing feels pretty good compared to other serialized web comics that cram a lot of info into their pages.
I can guess by your handle that you’re probably interested in seeing the Canid. If that is the case, then don’t worry – they are a presence throughout the story, and chapter 2 is devoted largely to them (as chapter 1 is more focused on the Tamian).
Hah, it was just a random name decision, really. This beginning part is well-done; I’m very interested in the development of each region. Now that you’ve brought in two main characters, I’m more interested in their development than anything.
I agree that your page-to-page pace is very good when compared to most webcomics, it just feels a bit slower and sparser when it’s a week-by-week thing.
Ah, well, this is going to very probably be a great comic, so I guess I’ll just have to deal with my impatience and wait it out.
I only wish I was capable of more at the moment, yes. It frustrates me as much as I’m sure it does you. We are looking into ways to refine the pacing so it works better at the week-to-week level as well as overall… but we’re still pretty new to this long-format thing.
Thanks for your interest. c:
That’s good to hear! Don’t take my comment too seriously, this is just a really intriguing comic and I’m excited about it! A majority of general webcomics and an especially large majority of webcomics that feature anthropomorphic characters focus on a slice-of-life narrative. It’s great to see one that looks to be taking on an actual plot.
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!! QUINLAN!!!!!!! WEEEEEEE!!!!!
Yay, the otter getss foreground time!
I’m glad to see that the protagonist is smart enough to leap away. Here’s hoping this particular incident doesn’t drag on beyond this moment.
*gets
//mumbles about using an unfamiliar keyboard
Well, now it’s on! Crim’s not about to take Quin’s turnabout in good grace! This is the first time we’ve seen Crim be genuinely pissed off, and like Wing says, he really does look more like Biff Tannen here than ever. I love Dakkan’s “Yes, give him what he deserves!”-face in the third panel.
Still, as much of a prick as Crim has been, you have to admit he’s been pretty ingenious as a Tesque instructor – managing to turn his thrashing of Quinlan into an object lesson for his students lets him combine business with pleasure in a great way! Let’s hope he does also turn it into an object lesson in letting your anger control you and lead to your downfall…
I feel like Crim is crossing some sort of line here . . .
Hunter is quite correct. An angry opponent is an opponent who makes mistakes. I used a similar tenet in a story I wrote several years ago when a trainer was teaching his friend about sword fighting.