Those are some sneaky ass dragons. Why, Kohr… WHY did this happen? Stay tuned!!
Next Episode: Thursday, Dec. 1 – Be here!! P.S. BIG props to our very own wizard Don Kuehn’s coloring! And be sure to join the LoB Facebook Pagefor lots of extras!
Um. Dragons generaly don’t just jump one house out of the blue. Either Kohr was in that tavern for a rather long time, and for some reason compleatly oblivious to what was happening outside, or this wasn’t a normal raid. If the latter, I very much look forward to hearing Frank’s version of the story.
I’m not so sure that they are just jumping that one house they very much look like they are going to burn the rest of the town with it, also if the last strip is anything to go by then they have been right behind him the whole time and that would make him about as big a moron as Bill
I guess she’s pretty much toast. Or parboiled, if already in the bath.
This – so far – is what I expected, with an adequate explanation as to how:,/i> the bride actually died. Now unless David’s going to pull her fat out of the fire (literally), the only question now is why. Cruel streak, yes, but if I were these two pyromaniacs I’d have more method behind my madness than that.
I’ll repeat what i noted earlier because i think it bears restating….This strip has some definite anime qualities to it that i like….the hints that those whom seem to be evil may not be, and that which seems to be good has their own little dirty secrets. In some respects, it is like Macross, a classic series in which two empires are at war….neither side is ‘evil’ as we might understand it…both sides are noble in fighting for their ends, but there is some great philosophical gulf that will not simply allow them to settle things peacefully and live side-by-side in harmony. Somehow, i get this is what i am seeing here with Kohr….not truly evil, but a good man driven by his inner torments to do things he might not have otehrwise done. (And believe it or not, i see much the same from the Evil Queen…as besmitten she is with Bill, can she be truly that evil? Or did she turn to evil to attempt to free herself from her burdens?)
The problem with the human condition is not that Good and Evil don’t exist abstractly, it’s that we all are mixtures of Good and Evil by nature – which partially is what we get for thinking that we can tell the difference all by our lonesome. But the other part is that we all have the capacities by nature and we’ve all yielded to evil at some point. A corollary is that for every strength we have there is a weakness – and vice versa.
Heroes and villains that are convincing in literature take this realistic state of affairs into account. It will be very interesting to see if David pulls off Kohr’s transformation from a decent guy into what he is today without making things too simple for him in the process.
I would agree totally with your statements. I am currently writing a multiple-chapter Sailor-Moon-based epic in which the heroine has had to endure the loss of her Mom when she was an infant, then had to watch her Dad pass away when he gave his life up for hers when the villain got the drop on her in a particularly unpleasant way…so far she is holding on because she has some good friends , but there have been some cracks on her self-control that should make for some decent storytelling as the epic moves along
Those authors and cartoonists who can take into account the complexities of the human existence write the best tales, which is why i find the three strips so riveting…the hints that the so-called villains (Kohr, the Dragon King in the Gnome Syndicate, and many of the characters in Barwench Tales), don’t see themselves as villains, but trying to right old wrongs done to themselves or family……THAT is the kind of storytelling i enjoy the most
Thanks, Plaidwolf. It’s amazing how much of my own self and life comes out in this comic, via the characters. In one’s own victories, faults, shames and forward momentum, one can pour these things that make us whatever we are, for better or worse, into even a 1-3 panel comic strip that consists of living, breathing characters who allow me to see myself, or ourselves, in them in even a small way. if I can actually do that to some degree, I am a very happy cartoonist. Thank you for the insights and analysis.
I think that is what make a comic or story more enjoyable,and real. In my story, i use several people who i know or have known in my life and it seems to bring the tale to a greater degree of life than if i was working generically. My favorite character in my epic is Lola/Electric, a developmentally disabled girl in a wheelchair whose character and personality were based entirely upon a similar girl i worked with in a group home years ago. Her personality was so fun and the way it translated to the printed page made her a fun character to write for…
and of course, my boss and a couple of my professional coworkers are also part of the fun as characters in the story, although i treat them with respect (although i wouldnt rule out using them as “victims of the day” so to speak.
It just makes the writing more entertaining when you can use people whom you know as models…and if you are entertained, usually, your readers are likewise….such as here!
Yeah, well, for one thing, the word you’re looking for is “reeks”. “Wreaks” is what the dragons are doing to that inn and its hapless inhabitants. Don’t worry, we all have our fallibilities and we can use those to our advantage (for every weakness there is a strength, remember).
Thanks for your own kind words in return – all the better because you know how direct in praise and critique I can be by now.
But be encouraged! In Bill alone you have the archetypical ENFP hero/klutz and I wonder if that’s because you’re drawing upon self-knowledge (no offense – consider that cartoonists seem to be disproportionately ENFPs because they have the “screwballitude” combined with artistry required). His “Billzerker mode”, for example, is exactly where and what it should be: at the bottom of his subconscious mind, barely accessible to him, but like a Bat Out of Hell when it’s unleashed. And everything else fits the pattern of that type.
Making an ENFP heroic – outside the context of humor – isn’t easy. Apparently the top-heavy redhead in BLEACH is one, humor and all (and she is a hard character for the voice actress in English to render precisely because of that). I think I succeeded with my own Alain Harper because he, like his author I hope, has learned to listen to the full range of his intelligences including the existential one and thus become the Disciple of Light and Shadow combined. I have no doubt you will succeed with Bill and the others if you’ll be honest with yourself and with the world. “Be authentic” is the ENFP motto, if you will: good advice for people such as you and I both seem to be…
I enjoyed this analysis GREATLY, Plaidwolf. Thank you for it. I concur in what you say about Macross and a lot of the background of anime. Ghost in the Shell is another fine example of this. Real, yet fallible beings full of mistakes and dilemmas.
And I often wonder too, just how evil the Dark Queen is, deep down. Methinks we will draw back to her and the Princess sooner rather than later, and will find out more of Vasheeva’s backstory, and discover the answers.
Maybe someone confused the Dragon B-Gone with Dragon NIP, and we can see the results. Either that, or the mayor did something REALLY stupid like make an omelet out of an especially large egg?
Yes, it is a curious thing that the dragons “appear” to be targeting this inn completely out of the blue… not to mention didn’t EAT Kohr and his lovely bride the moment they were directly behind them… hm… I wonder why… Gawd I LOVE your speculations and thoughts, Billbarians. It makes it absolutely Fun to me. It’s like being a Dungeon Master and we’re all at a big internet table playin’ D&D!
LOL! If this is D&D she just tanked her saving throw! you figure with 2d20′s she just rolled a double 1. OH! *covers up her Geek* Sorry I mean uhhh Oh look sparkles and ponies and flowers and butterflies?
Eh, I’ve long thought “sparkles and ponies and flowers and butterflies”, in this context, just as geeky as…whatever else you were saying. Never played D&D, was too busy doing RP and creative writing of my own. But I think we should redefine “geekitude” to take in how gender and temperament affect its expression.
In that light, don’t try to hide your ineffable geekitude. You won’t succeed anyway.
Oh my god look at the house! It’s an evil house – it stares at me through its windows/eyes.
Yeah the dragons acted in total selfdefence – being the good dragons that they are vanquishing the evil haunted house with their cleansing breath of fire.
Awww I has a sad….amazing details gentlemen!
i am thirsty. give me ale. give me beer. give me diet coke. but make it fast,
Um. Dragons generaly don’t just jump one house out of the blue. Either Kohr was in that tavern for a rather long time, and for some reason compleatly oblivious to what was happening outside, or this wasn’t a normal raid. If the latter, I very much look forward to hearing Frank’s version of the story.
I’m not so sure that they are just jumping that one house they very much look like they are going to burn the rest of the town with it, also if the last strip is anything to go by then they have been right behind him the whole time and that would make him about as big a moron as Bill
Sé onr sverdar sitja hvass!
I’m sure they had their reasons, remember, dragons do have a cruek streak a mile wide. We’ll just have to wait to see how this story turns out.
what i would like to know, is why kohr did not have Dragon Insurance?
you never go with OUT car insurance.
you never go with OUT home insurance.
you never go with OUT runaway robot insurance.
and most of all, you never go with OUT dragon insurance.
I’m not sure I’m buying Kohr’s “I was a simple shepherd boy” story…
ye of little faith
I guess she’s pretty much toast. Or parboiled, if already in the bath.
This – so far – is what I expected, with an adequate explanation as to how:,/i> the bride actually died. Now unless David’s going to pull her fat out of the fire (literally), the only question now is why. Cruel streak, yes, but if I were these two pyromaniacs I’d have more method behind my madness than that.
THIS THING NEEDS AN EDIT BUTTON!!!
I’ll repeat what i noted earlier because i think it bears restating….This strip has some definite anime qualities to it that i like….the hints that those whom seem to be evil may not be, and that which seems to be good has their own little dirty secrets. In some respects, it is like Macross, a classic series in which two empires are at war….neither side is ‘evil’ as we might understand it…both sides are noble in fighting for their ends, but there is some great philosophical gulf that will not simply allow them to settle things peacefully and live side-by-side in harmony. Somehow, i get this is what i am seeing here with Kohr….not truly evil, but a good man driven by his inner torments to do things he might not have otehrwise done. (And believe it or not, i see much the same from the Evil Queen…as besmitten she is with Bill, can she be truly that evil? Or did she turn to evil to attempt to free herself from her burdens?)
I shall wait to see this epic tale unfold
The problem with the human condition is not that Good and Evil don’t exist abstractly, it’s that we all are mixtures of Good and Evil by nature – which partially is what we get for thinking that we can tell the difference all by our lonesome. But the other part is that we all have the capacities by nature and we’ve all yielded to evil at some point. A corollary is that for every strength we have there is a weakness – and vice versa.
Heroes and villains that are convincing in literature take this realistic state of affairs into account. It will be very interesting to see if David pulls off Kohr’s transformation from a decent guy into what he is today without making things too simple for him in the process.
I would agree totally with your statements. I am currently writing a multiple-chapter Sailor-Moon-based epic in which the heroine has had to endure the loss of her Mom when she was an infant, then had to watch her Dad pass away when he gave his life up for hers when the villain got the drop on her in a particularly unpleasant way…so far she is holding on because she has some good friends , but there have been some cracks on her self-control that should make for some decent storytelling as the epic moves along
Those authors and cartoonists who can take into account the complexities of the human existence write the best tales, which is why i find the three strips so riveting…the hints that the so-called villains (Kohr, the Dragon King in the Gnome Syndicate, and many of the characters in Barwench Tales), don’t see themselves as villains, but trying to right old wrongs done to themselves or family……THAT is the kind of storytelling i enjoy the most
Keep up the good work, David & Co!
Thanks, Plaidwolf. It’s amazing how much of my own self and life comes out in this comic, via the characters. In one’s own victories, faults, shames and forward momentum, one can pour these things that make us whatever we are, for better or worse, into even a 1-3 panel comic strip that consists of living, breathing characters who allow me to see myself, or ourselves, in them in even a small way. if I can actually do that to some degree, I am a very happy cartoonist. Thank you for the insights and analysis.
I think that is what make a comic or story more enjoyable,and real. In my story, i use several people who i know or have known in my life and it seems to bring the tale to a greater degree of life than if i was working generically. My favorite character in my epic is Lola/Electric, a developmentally disabled girl in a wheelchair whose character and personality were based entirely upon a similar girl i worked with in a group home years ago. Her personality was so fun and the way it translated to the printed page made her a fun character to write for…
and of course, my boss and a couple of my professional coworkers are also part of the fun as characters in the story, although i treat them with respect (although i wouldnt rule out using them as “victims of the day” so to speak.
It just makes the writing more entertaining when you can use people whom you know as models…and if you are entertained, usually, your readers are likewise….such as here!
agreed completely Plaidwolf!
EXCELLENT analysis, Johanan. Fingers crossed, I have a real doozy in writing here that wreaks of a fallible creature… i.e., human.
Yeah, well, for one thing, the word you’re looking for is “reeks”. “Wreaks” is what the dragons are doing to that inn and its hapless inhabitants.
Don’t worry, we all have our fallibilities and we can use those to our advantage (for every weakness there is a strength, remember).
Thanks for your own kind words in return – all the better because you know how direct in praise and critique I can be by now.
But be encouraged! In Bill alone you have the archetypical ENFP hero/klutz and I wonder if that’s because you’re drawing upon self-knowledge (no offense – consider that cartoonists seem to be disproportionately ENFPs because they have the “screwballitude” combined with artistry required). His “Billzerker mode”, for example, is exactly where and what it should be: at the bottom of his subconscious mind, barely accessible to him, but like a Bat Out of Hell when it’s unleashed. And everything else fits the pattern of that type.
Making an ENFP heroic – outside the context of humor – isn’t easy. Apparently the top-heavy redhead in BLEACH is one, humor and all (and she is a hard character for the voice actress in English to render precisely because of that). I think I succeeded with my own Alain Harper because he, like his author I hope, has learned to listen to the full range of his intelligences including the existential one and thus become the Disciple of Light and Shadow combined. I have no doubt you will succeed with Bill and the others if you’ll be honest with yourself and with the world. “Be authentic” is the ENFP motto, if you will: good advice for people such as you and I both seem to be…
Wonderfully, put, J! Thank you.
I enjoyed this analysis GREATLY, Plaidwolf. Thank you for it.
I concur in what you say about Macross and a lot of the background of anime. Ghost in the Shell is another fine example of this. Real, yet fallible beings full of mistakes and dilemmas.
And I often wonder too, just how evil the Dark Queen is, deep down. Methinks we will draw back to her and the Princess sooner rather than later, and will find out more of Vasheeva’s backstory, and discover the answers.
But Warrix? He’s just plain EVIL.
As Kathie Lee & Hoda say “Everyone Has a Story”, but you can’t blame frank for this or is it that!?
got marshmellows?
At the moment they seem more interested in “roast long pork”. If they wanted marshmallows I suspect they’d have lit up a grocery store.
Maybe someone confused the Dragon B-Gone with Dragon NIP, and we can see the results. Either that, or the mayor did something REALLY stupid like make an omelet out of an especially large egg?
I like the way you think.
Yes, it is a curious thing that the dragons “appear” to be targeting this inn completely out of the blue… not to mention didn’t EAT Kohr and his lovely bride the moment they were directly behind them… hm… I wonder why… Gawd I LOVE your speculations and thoughts, Billbarians.
It makes it absolutely Fun to me. It’s like being a Dungeon Master and we’re all at a big internet table playin’ D&D!
Now this is the part where I can find a happy thought. Thanks, Dave!
LOL! If this is D&D she just tanked her saving throw! you figure with 2d20′s she just rolled a double 1. OH! *covers up her Geek* Sorry I mean uhhh Oh look sparkles and ponies and flowers and butterflies?
Eh, I’ve long thought “sparkles and ponies and flowers and butterflies”, in this context, just as geeky as…whatever else you were saying.
Never played D&D, was too busy doing RP and creative writing of my own. But I think we should redefine “geekitude” to take in how gender and temperament affect its expression.
In that light, don’t try to hide your ineffable geekitude. You won’t succeed anyway.
LOL. BRILLIANT!
Good Godzilla, it’s a monster rampage! Awesome!
Oh my god look at the house! It’s an evil house – it stares at me through its windows/eyes.
Yeah the dragons acted in total selfdefence – being the good dragons that they are vanquishing the evil haunted house with their cleansing breath of fire.
Why do I suddenly hear “Burnin’ down the house” – that old 80′s tune? Thanks Marty! lol
And here all I saw was an innocent house with its eyes going TILT from mortal shock.
I hear Godzilla by Blue Oyster Cult