Chapter 4: Page 34
Hey folks! Did you cast your vote for the RINGO AWARDS yet?
If you haven’t, please head over to https://ringoawards.survey.fm/ringo-awards-2021-nominations and do consider voting for Beyond the Western Deep in the “Best Webcomic” category and anywhere else that you deem fit!
Wow, looks like Rathik’s got a little more gas in the tank than Kenosh expected, huh? Even with two crossbow bolts sticking out of him and the ire of his former allies now collectively building up against him, Rathik clearly does not want to concede this particular fight.
I also love that Rachel’s adopted “glowy-eyes-Bevan” as an official thing. For folks unfamiliar with the visual shorthand, it calls back to a classic visual trope in certain iterations of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles where the titular characters’ eyes would turn white whenever they were being particularly awesome–usually on covers, but also whenever they were fighting or doing something particularly ninja-esque.
Bevan’s exhibited this behavior before–we saw it in his ‘mind’s eye’ iteration of himself sneaking up on a canid guard on the wall tops of Deltrada, for example:
Heh, lookit him, so excited to be murdering canid soldiers!
For guest art this week, it’s a real special one indeed! David Petersen, creator of Mouse Guard, was kind enough to create this incredible piece of artwork featuring Hardin as a thank-you gift for my participation in this year’s OnlineCon! Check it out!
LOOK AT THAT GRUMP! Gosh I love this piece so much! David’s done some incredible Western Deep artwork in the past of course–his piece of Quinlan and Dakkan at the Land’s End Tavern was featured in the guest artist section of our Volume One hardcover, and I actually have the inks framed up on my wall.
This Hardin piece is also framed now, but I need to actually find a good spot on my wall for it before it goes up. Ah the perils of living in an apartment with only so much wall space!
Thank you SO MUCH, David! We all love how Hardin looks in your style, and I can’t wait to see what wonderful new folks come to OnlineCon in Year #3!
DM: “Ok, so you all turn on the barbarian in your party. Paladin, your up next. He’s distracted and you have advantage so as long as you don’t roll a nat 1…”
Paladin: rolls.
DM: …
Paladin:…
On no!! I hope Bevan doesn’t get killed
Oh cripes, for how long they keep killing my boy? Stop ganging up on him, he’s already deaaaaaad!
He’s not dead, he’s a berserker! :D
Bevan looks like he’s in for an elbow to the face in the last panel. Poor guy, his face is a magnet for blows ;-;
Finally someone call Rathik with real name <3 I agree ^^
Finally, some good long fight – just bit a pity that it is fight of Rathik with the others. I like that you made him strong body and organism, that despite many already fatal wounds (which any of them could kill ordinary man in one moment) he still stand and he seems to be stronger and more wildly pissed off with each new hit or stab. I had assumed for several years, that Rathik would die, more or less like this (in style of death like Blackbeard capitan – who died after about 20 hits with sword into his chest, or Longinus Podbipięta from “with fire and with sword” by H. Sienkiewicz, who was shoted with arrows in fight with tatars and was looking like headdog), but from the canids arrows, not at the hands of his brethren. Well,
it has gotten so complicated that I have no idea what will happen next. I just hope Rathik doesn’t do anything bad to Bevan. I hope ;_; Alex, pls. Save Bevan.
Damn, Rathik really getting Caesar-ed over here
Come to think of it, I forget, but… has anyone been clawed in the comic prior to this page? If not, then… congrats, Kenosh, you were the first? (And it would be Rathik doing the clawing, wouldn’t it)
Yep. Just because someone’s mortally wounded doesn’t mean they’re down for the count. Adrenaline is a heck of a drug.
Which reminds me: What’s Hardin up to?
Rathik is this universe’s Wolverine!! ;) And they can’t waste time with this, the canid are getting CLOSER…..
Bevan took the time to put his hood up before going in for the stab. How very Assassin’s Creed.
XD
I like how in Kenosh looks so bored in the first panel. He’s just: “Aight. Time to finish this one off I guess.”
Sure, he’s determined, but he also looks kinda nonplussed.
“Rathik, Rathik, Rathik. How can you be sooo predictable?”
One does not simply attack the resident Assassin’s second dad. Rathik gets Detroit’d.