Part 2 of Jason Deroga reviews UnComix One-Shots (Un-Iverse #15)! 🌟

Jun. 1st, 2025 08:34 pm
jasonderoga86: The O.G. Lil' Hero Artist (Default)
Hey, Dreamwitdh Family!
 
After a killer heat wave yesterday, I was able to cool off well enough today to finish up the rest of Matt Zimmer's UnComix One-Shots (Un-Iverse #15). I've labeled this as "Part 2" of my overall review of the episode given how large the entire first One-Shots episode is, and because I think as a review it's much easier to digest. Without any further ado, let's jump right in!  

Story Number Five: Un-Comix Korner “Un” Truthiness by Matt Zimmer
 
• My theory? Un-truthing just ain’t sustainable, friends. A house built on un-truths is doomed to collapse, because all dirty little secrets of this world take more effort to maintain than to expose. World history lesson here, folks. Why else do people in any position of authority have to literally kill themselves every day to maintain a façade from their “inferiors”? All that power expended to protect a lie while the “inferiors” very existence portrays more destructive power? Food for thought.
 
Story Number Six: Un-Comix Korner “Rats” On Notice by Matt Zimmer
 
• Oh-hoooh! Whoever wrote the saying, “it ain’t nice to kick ‘em when they’re down” never met this rodent. A perfect portrayal of bullies in society – they pretend to care about others, but when their morals are tested there is no measure to how fast they drop their humility at the tip of a hat. Sorry, that’s the employee part of me speaking, on behalf of the disabled community I serve. The outside world claims to care about the vulnerable, but when they are forced to act as they speak, they will have no qualms about turning their backs to appeal to the ignorant “normal” society. To me, the rat in the last panel is symbolic of “the system” deciding to consume the vulnerable and what the vulnerable needs out of a false sense of morality – a blatant action of “we never actually cared about them, anyway.”
 
Story Number Seven: Meek and Bernadette “Hiccups”: BEARS! By Matt Zimmer
 
• Here we see that Meek’s got a bad case of the hiccups. He asks lil’ Bernadette to use the ol’ scare tactic to banish this dastardly malady, and Bernadette obliges. What follows next is a sequence of absolute brutality as Bernadette does more than just SCARE the hiccups away: one minor note here -- a folding chair was used to terrifying effect in the process. On the upside, the harrowing ordeal was more than sufficient to drive the hiccups away, but on the downside, well… we can rest assured that Meek will definitely be having some issues with “accidents” for a while. And hell, who WOULDN’T be capable of normal bodily functions after that walloping? Just another reminder that though Bernadette may look innocent and cute, she does not eff around when the situation demands bluntness. 
 
Story Number Eight: Howler “Bad Moon Rising: Part One: A Shot In The Dark” I Miss Colbert by Matt Zimmer
 
• The story starts off with two dudes in trenchcoats meeting in an underground garage in the bustling city of Washington D.C. One time is that rather shifty-looking cat Mitch, the other a human with shades. The two shadow agents are meeting out of confidentiality; this garage is space that their superiors’ eyes and ears can’t reach. Which is a good thing, according to Mitch, as he’s got info on a Dog who aced the FBI Academy and is on his way to Appleton, New York to start playing with the Big Blue Boys. The Dog in question is a chap named Juan Timone Howler, who is in fact not a Dog at all according to Mitch’s confidant. 
 
• Mitch goes into why he’s tracking Howler in the first place: Howler’s joining the FBI for the purposes of slandering Mistress Augatha. The Human immediately understands the gravity of the situation, claiming that Howler is one of the few people on Earth who stand in the Mistress’s way of dominating the entire planet. But the Human also knows that the FBI cannot be trusted, which Mitch confirms by stating the Bureau’s refusal to get involved in political matters despite his several attempts to warn them of the grave risk Howler poses should they keep him. Not good enough, the Human responds, adding that the U.S. Government is actually funding Mistress Augatha’s campaign to take over the world. Well, damn… then the FBI NEEDS to drop this Howler guy, right? The Human here is talking about nationwide riots if Howler is allowed to procure the evidence he needs!
 
• But according to Mitch, the cat’s already out of the bag (pun intended), because Howler’s already GOT the evidence. However, he hasn’t disclosed his findings to anyone… which means that Howler poses a MUCH graver threat to Mitch and his ally than to anyone else. Yep, this is straight up playing dirty, and our two agents here stand to lose damn near EVERYTHING once Howler springs his trap. The Human then asks if Eddie Cat is aware of the scheme and what his plan is to fight back. Mitch reveals what Eddie’s up to, and daaayuumm, is his counterplan a doozy. Eddie is going to excruciating lengths to get a fundamentalist minister from Appleton successfully into the Presidency. The sitting president, named Gardener, is a staunch opponent of the Augatha Pact of 1986 (hey, that’s the year I was born!). But Eddie’s candidate, the preacher – revealed to be none other than Vic Puff – will prove to be much easier for our two agents to manipulate from the shadows as opposed to Gardener due to his own corrupt ideals. The Human agent is skeptical at the idea, dismissive of Eddie Cat having any kind of credibility in electoral machinations. Mitch insists that Puff is the correct candidate by reminding his doubtful friend of Eddie’s exceptional manipulative puppeteering prowess in any situation. Once Puff is president, he will open the nation’s doors to Augatha without a second thought. What’s more, Puff is more than just a preacher; he’s been twice elected mayor of Appleton and has a thing for prophecies (there it is people – remember, “prophecy” is a key word in the Un-Iverse). The Human responds with his knowledge of Puff as a womanizer who lost his wife due to his vices, to which Mitch confirms it is the same Puff.
 
• The Human agent is incredulous – how the hell was someone this foul and decadent so politically successful? Mitch answers that question with three simple words: “He’s a Republican”. And you know what? That DOES sum it all up. Mitch does go into some detail, stating things such as how this political party runs on abdication of morals, filling the masses’ heads with persistent lies until they become the truth, and general unfitness for any public office, but the message is clear – a heart of corruption and soullessness are all you need in this party to win any election. 
 
• Hilariously, the Human agent condescendingly asks if Mitch really thinks so lowly about the American people, to which Mitch asks the same question back given that they’re even conversing over this very issue. Realizing Mitch’s point, the Human agent asks another honest question about Puff’s “credentials”; if he did all these deplorable things, why isn’t he rotting in a cell? Mitch responds again with those three simple words: “He’s a Republican” and adds another damning statement: “Jail is for the little people.” Boy, Mitch just hit the nail on the head, ‘cause I cannot for the life of myself remember any big-name politician who has ever been sentenced to prison for crimes committed in office (save for maybe George Santos but look at how long it took for THAT justice to be served). For a country that always like to meander to the “little people” about the “rule of law” and “holding elected officials accountable”, America spends a lot more of its resources (and tax dollars) providing legal defense for politicians than it does with funding a justice system that functions on legal merit instead of stupid power and wealth dynamics. Ahh, capitalism is wonderful, isn’t it? (rolls eyes)  
 
• We are finally invited to a look inside Howler’s Appleton home, hard at work on looking for the key to defeating the Mistress. His wife happens by with tea and a hopeful message for the morrow, but Howler is in no mood for optimism. First day on the job, and it’s apparently time for the monthly torture ritual as Howler’s hunny has everything prepared. Howler maintains his priorities with his paperwork but seems weirdly excited for said ritual as he reminds his wife not to leave any item for extremely painful purposes out. I’m with the Narrator on this one: Wut…?
 
• Thankfully, the Narrator speeds us past whatever ungodly horrors Howler was subjected to and we arrive at the following day at the F.B.I. headquarters. Howler is partnered with Agent Phil Douglas, who also graduated with top brass at the Academy – the Bureau Chief feels it’s only natural to pair up two of the Academy’s best and brightest. The two agents are then given their assignment: to round up a drug ring stationed on the West Side of town. An undercover mole is wired to HQ, ready to assist in the arrest of the dealers along with Howler and Douglas the moment the criminals expose themselves. Yep, it’s an undercover search-and-capture mission – pretty badass for a first assignment from the F.B.I. Props, Howler and Douglas, props.
 
• While they wait for the go-ahead from the mole via radio at the West Side, Douglas strikes up a candid conversation with Howler about family life and kids. Howler talks about priorities coming before having kids, but in thought knows that part of that priority was how to stop Mistress Augatha – something he can’t disclose to Douglas yet out of trust issues. But at that very moment, both agents are horrified to hear the drug dealers discovering the mole and swiftly wasting him with a shower of bullets… damn, that was quick! Howler and Douglas have no choice but to breach the operation…
 
• Upon barging into the shady warehouse, both agents find a frightening sight: their undercover friendly lies dead along with three of the dealers in a pool of blood, but one of the bad dudes is still alive – obviously armed and dangerous. It doesn’t take long before the remaining dealer ambushes Douglas and Howler and opens fire on Howler before either agent has a chance to respond. Howler takes four – count ‘em, FOUR – bullets to the chest before Douglas pulls off a headshot to drop the dealer and quickly calls in the medics to the scene. I dunno… four shots point-blank to the chest at close range? I’m not betting money on Howler pulling through this…
 
• As the medics attend to Howler, Douglas is already guilt-ridden over failing to protect him and bringing this calamity upon him his first day on the job. Well, to be honest, I would’ve felt the same way. The F.B.I. is serious business and carries a heavy risk – I’m sure some first-timers don’t survive their first real gig. Fortunately, the medics report that Howler will not only make it, but that surgery was fully successful, and that the agent only needs a steady regimen of painkillers – Howler didn’t graduate at top brass at the Academy for nothing, after all. With that, Douglas goes to see Howler, who is sleeping calmly. Before long, the sun begins to set…
 
• A couple hours later, Howler slowly wakes up and questions the hour. Douglas tells his partner that it’s 7:00 pm, and that Howler has been on a steady dose of painkillers. But at that moment, Howler becomes fully alert and terrified as it dawns on him. He tears off his nearby IV device starts furiously attacking himself in a panic, but to no avail – his pain receptors have all been numbed! Growing more unstable, Howler tells his partner to get the hell out of the room ASAP as he starts to undergo an unsettling change – his fingers grow sharp claws while his teeth sharpen, and his muzzle elongates as his overall physical shifts alarmingly to a more feral, beastly state! Are we witnessing the awakening of a werewolf in a hospital room?! (you don’t find a scene like THAT in today’s typical pop culture fiction films!)
 
• Yep, turns out Howler IS now a werewolf (and how fitting, given that his name is “Howler”), and his mind is regressing to an animalistic state before his terrified (ex?) partner. Upon seeing what has become of his ally, Douglas is overcome with memories of how his old partner and late friend Warren was murdered by a Werewolf. This traumatic trigger turns Douglas cold toward what can now be considered another lost partner as well as an affront to Warren’s memory, and he draws his pistol with a vengeful glare. Howler attempts to reason with Douglas with the last of his humanity and begs him not to pull the trigger, but Douglas coldly responds with two words: “For Warren.” The gun goes off, and a body hits the floor. But whose body was it? Well, that’s the cliffhanger right there! 
 
And that ends the first of the One-Shots! Gotta say, this was a refreshing UnComix episode, given how the previous episodes up to this point were more connected in a closer narrative (especially the prequel epic “The Pontue Legacy”). Matt says that quite a lot of people hated the One-Shots, but I can’t find any reason to hate them; many of the characters introduced here are new faces, and I’ve taken a liking to them all. For example, the story surrounding Narf-Narf, Chirp, and Stella Stickyfingers had the spunk of a Secret Squirrel episode, and the first story featuring the Humans as they come across the deceased Hubbahotep and what follows was adorable in a crude way, if that makes any sense. It was good to see The Piranha again too, and his encounter with the disgruntled mailman was told in such a way that I never would’ve anticipated the outcome. 
 
So, that ends this One-Shots episode, and next time we’ll be diving into the next one: UnComix One-Shots (Un-Iverse #16): “Narf-Narf and Chirp” – and given how I just gushed about how cool these two characters are, you can bet I’m looking forward to reading this one!
 
Till then, peace and love to you all, and have a good night!
 
Nana
 
--“Jason Deroga”    
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Part 1 of Jason Deroga reviews UnComix One-Shots (Un-Iverse #15)! 🌟

May. 7th, 2025 05:48 pm
jasonderoga86: The O.G. Lil' Hero Artist (Default)
Hey y’all! Jason Deroga here!

Looks like I finally got some free time on my hands to check out the next chapter in Matt Zimmer’s Gilda and Meek and the Un-Iverse! And talk about a change of pace – after the six-part “Pontue Legacy” epic, we’re being treated not with a return to the present with Gilda, Meek, and the gang, but a separate story altogether: UnComix One-Shots! As teased at the end of The Pontue Legacy: Part VI – The Promise, we’d be taking our first trip with the One-Shots with a story simply called “The Humans”. Seeing how Humans have played an interesting role in the Un-Iverse thus far, color me intrigued; one thing I love about the Un-Iverse lore is the unique way that Humans relate with the various animal species as the interactions shed clarity on not only their differences, but their toils to find common ground. And I gotta say, the cover of this one-shot already has me humored; the caption says everything: “Shut up. We’re doing this.” It doesn’t come off as overbearing to me in the slightest – The Un-Iverse is HUGE, and our Narrator wouldn’t dismiss any story as “filler material”. Every branch of THIS Un-Iverse is crucial, and we’re gonna sit down and DIGEST this, dammit. So let’s go!

Gilda and Meek (Un-Iverse #15) – UnComix One-Shots: “The Humans” Review - Part 1

Notice how I wrote "Part 1" at the top of this entry? That's because I thought it'd be better to divide this review up into portions. There are several one-shots in THIS one-shot, and for the sake of a little brevity, it just sounds right to post my thoughts this way. 

• Okay, Intro Page says we’ve got FIVE stories in this particular one-shot: The Humans, Narf-Narf and Chirp, The Piranha (*squeals with excitement – light bulbs are BACK, baby!), Howler, and Meek’s Chiller Theatre. 

• Ha, we’re getting “spoiler quotes” as well. There’s the admonition from the Narrator that we’re keeping our glutes glued to our seats for this, but two other quotes depict some rather serious matters – I’ll definitely stay away from ANY pink gorilla, but trusting Mitch… I’ll remain reserved on that one.

All right, Story Number One: “The Humans (Untitled Mummy Project)”

• I’m not even to pretend that the Narrator starts the story off ignoring matters in OUR universe by mentioning Rick Santorum. He WAS a fundamentalist Republican, for sure. Clever play of words on the follow-up, though; though I’m glad we’re not going to read about Santorum, at the same time the Narrator is warning that this story will be far more ridiculous. Kinda hard to top Republican dogma in the stupidity department, but I digress…

• The story starts off at the site of an ancient Pyramid in Egypt, where the four Humans are searching for their missing brother Link (no, no, no, not THAT Link! We’re in the Un-Iverse, remember? Not the Kingdom of Hyrule. You won’t find any “Master Sword” here, and the last princess we met was named “Sarah”, not “Zelda”! C’mon, man…). They spend a moment ruminating over whether Link would actually BE in said Pyramid, but agree on the conclusion that hey, good ‘ol television preaches that Mummies hang out in Pyramids – thus, THEIR Mummy must reside in the Pyramid, and she must know of Link’s whereabouts. Yes, I’m trying – unsuccessfully – to stifle myself from bursting out into laughter, otherwise I won’t be able to do this review. So please, bear with me…

• Getting in line before the Pyramid’s entrance, the Humans join many other tourists as their tour guide gives a history lesson on Egyptian religious thought, in which we have three commonalities: Order, Chaos, and Renewal. The fundamental order in religious belief is called “Maat”. At the front of the line, one tourist asks how the pyramids were created, to which the guide says no one yet knows. The tourist suggests aliens built them, but the guide shoots down the theory with a smile. Our tourist buddy here still wants to know the logic behind the alien theory, to which the guide turns to a nearby Professor to have him do the honors while admitting the intrigue behind the otherwise debunked inquiry.

• The Professor explains that there is an urban legend that tells of an alien race named Ra’ans who were behind the construction of the pyramids, who would eventually go on to be the basis for Egyptian mythology and the namesake of the Egyptian Sun God Ra. By extension, that means that the Ra’an race were said to be gods themselves, with a plan to one day return to the Earth to claim it for themselves. The Professor ends his tale with a blunt question: “Can you imagine anything so ridiculous?” No, Professor… actually, I can’t. But you just put a dopey grin on my face!

• Next, we learn that an Egyptian Pharoah named Hubbahotep was buried deep in the catacombs beneath the Pyramid, with his Mummy on display nearby down the hall. But there is also a prophecy that whoever violates the sanctity of the Pharoah’s tomb will in turn awaken the Mummy, and great calamity will befall the foolish soul who was too brave for their own good. While I’m curious as to which “mummy” is down the hall and which “mummy” is in fact the Pharoah himself (which would mean things just got a LOT more dire for our expedition of tourists here), the Humans also have a question of their own – where’s THEIR Mummy? 

• We later see the Humans messing around with a nearby sarcophagus – their attention spans obviously couldn’t take any more history lessons, it seems – and as bad luck would have it, they get trapped inside. However, instead of pounding the casket from the inside and screaming for health, the Humans have a… better idea. They decide to take a snooze. Yep. Egyptian history lessons are NOT their cup of tea, and hey, if I were out there in the brutal heat of an Egyptian desert sun, I’d jump at the chance to find some shade and take a much-needed nap. Heat exhaustion? Heat STROKE? No, thank you.

• As night falls, a foul odor startles the Humans from their slumber. The unearthly odor belongs to none other than the corpse of Hubbahotep himself, bandages and all! But, if Hubbahotep’s mummy is here, and the Humans are in the sarcophagus, does that mean that the tomb is actually NOT in the Pyramid and instead is… okay, let’s slow down and see how this goes. Patience, Jason. Patience…

• Hubbahotep is enraged at the sight of the Humans as they pop out from under the sarcophagus! But while the mummy obviously has vengeance on his mind – with an unholy roar, he charges the Humans with being “Interlopers! Dark Bringers of Chaos!” – the Humans seem to believe that this hideous being could be their mother… 

• Before Hubbahotep can unleash his wrath on the unfortunate souls before him, the Humans each respond with rather disturbing claims, of which one claims the mummy could be either their mother or even Link (again, not THAT Link! Yeah, he’s gone up against undead monsters, but HE’S not an undead monster)! Hubbahotep stops raging when he notices something far more terrifying than his own cadaverous visage – the Humans are looking back at him with VERY disturbing glares. After all, one of them saw a rather plentiful amount of toilet paper draped over the mummified – and now mortified – man before them. Yeah… this is going to get rather dirty, rather quick.

• As Hubbahotep is outright shredded by the Humans, the Mummy comes to the realization that the aforementioned prophecy was hogwash from the start – as Gilda’s signature phrase rings in my head, we are told she could have mentioned to him how prophecies are never absolutes – it was not the soul who awakened Bubbahotep who ended up ultimately destroyed, but rather the Mummy himself. Apparently, Hubbahotep awakening the Humans from within the sarcophagus was the “disturbance of the tomb” and was thus doomed to oblivion from that point onward. The story ends with the Humans going on their merry way (with tatters of the Mummy’s wrappings sticking out from their clothes), the Universe takes note of how they’ve left another place worse off than how they found it. That leaves a sense of dread in my head as the Humans did some real damage here, absentminded as they may be...

Story Number Two: Narf-Narf and Cheep “Ocean’s 2 Or A Bird In Heat” I Don’t See Color

• The next tale speeds us to Appleton, New York, inside a bird’s huge tree house. As the size suggests, the bird in question doesn’t live alone. We are introduced to a couple in a nest in what seems to be the bedroom, given how “Baby” is musing about the great time she and her partner Chirp had last night. Note that Chirp refers to his partner as “Baby”, which angers the little lady on account of her actual name not having to be remembered. Chirp is immediately worried, with the adage “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned” written all over his face…

• Before he knows it, “Baby” is upon the terrified Chirp, asking – no, DEMANDING – he call her by name. Turns out her name is “Dolores”, as Chirp meekly replies. Yep, Chirp has himself a fiery one here. I’m reminded of many male cartoon characters who must contend with girls so absolutely obsessed with them that it frightens the hell out of them – Sonic the Hedgehog’s issues with Amy Rose come to mind, though that’s not anywhere NEAR the level of fright I’m feeling here.

• Satisfied with her partner’s sharp memory, Dolores lovingly cuddles up with Chirp. But their intimate moment is disrupted when a Cat barges into the house with a drugstore plastic bag and a maniacal furor in his eyes. Understandably, Dolores is frightened, but Chirp is rather chill. You see, the Cat is Chirp roommate Narf-Narf, and as he doesn’t eat either Chirp or his guests, Chirp in return provides a place for the Cat to stockpile his cache of weapons. Dolores takes the words right out of my mouth – since when the hell DO cats need weapons in this Universe? 

• Narf-Narf responds by claiming that day of the Apocalypse is nigh – quite a jarring statement indeed – and brandishes a huge container of… sore throat spray. Dolores goes from terrified to annoyed in a nanosecond, demanding an explanation, but Chirp tells her to lay low as he’s all over Narf-Narf’s antics like the chill canary he is. Dolores is unmoved however and boldly flutter up to the maniacal Cat’s face to let him just HOW crazy she thinks he is. She then turns her glare of disapproval upon her date, chiding Chirp for being crazy enough to hang with someone like Narf-Narf. And with that, Dolores soars out of a nearby window, never to return. Damn, I know romantic partners sometimes don’t get along with each other’s outer circle of friends, but Dolores REALLY didn’t give this dude a chance. Not a case of hard-to-get, but rather hard-to-please…

• Narf-Narf apologizes for scaring off Dolores only for Chirp to grin back, reminding him of why he asks his roomie to crash in every morning. The maniacal Cat grins wider than even the Cheshire Cat from Wonderland, saying that a woman named Stella Stickyfingers has an epic heist plan ready. Well, the title of the chapter IS called “Ocean’s 2”, so it makes good sense. But given that this is the Un-Iverse, no doubt the heist is sure to be an outlandish one…
          
• At the mention of Stella’s name, Chirp is immediately aroused; Miss Stickyfingers is supposedly a Terran Dog with a helluva lot of sex appeal, and Chirp feels he’s gonna get some real lovin’ tonight. But as Chirp’s a member of the avian breed, such a communion of lovers sadly ain’t in the cards for the lil’ fella. As he and Narf-Narf meet up with Stella in the appointed park, the Terran canine babe fills them in on the scene: there’s a sweet-looking Diamond on display at a nearby museum. We take a flashback and see Stella meeting with a security guard named Hank Wanklin – had to take a moment to let out a chuckle at how that name rolls off the tongue, sorry. But what’s even more hilarious is how their meeting went down; Stella smooth-talks Hank, only for the latter to brush her off curtly. Then Stella goes direct and asks for the password to deactivate the museum’s alarms at midnight… and Hank immediately delivers the goods. As Stella declares to her two fellow heist-mates, “It’s an easy score.” You’re tellin’ me, Miss Stickyfingers.
 
• The plan is as follows: thought he and Narf-Narf wearing suits would be a dead giveaway (it was Chirp’s idea, he must be feeling those “Secret Agent Man” vibes), Chirp’s diminutive size makes him the ideal choice for flying through an open window to steal the diamond and make a getaway break if the alarm is deactivated. As the plan goes into effect and Chirp enters the lion’s den, Stella and Narf-Narf discover a common fandom in the Star Wars franchise and develop an instant friendship right on the dot over Narf-Narf’s prideful display of nerdom and being in tune with the Force. But it is at that point that Stella is gobsmacked as the alarm goes off; looks like Hank Wanklin is the one who played her after all! Well, dogs are known to be super-perceptive, but even a Human would know better than to give a REAL password to a super-priceless diamond just willy-nilly like that! And with that, ladies and gents, I guess the jig’s up…

• As we later find out, Chirp is well on his way to escaping with the priceless Hope Diamond, dodging multiple gunshots by the Night Watchman due his small, feathery frame. He’s able to get the diamond into Stella’s hands (right after one of the guard’s bullets almost grazes her face), and then the ever-resourceful Narf-Narf deploys his grappling hook to get the fearsome threesome to the ground and hopefully to safety. After yet another close call with Chirp catching the diamond after it accidentally slips through Stella’s paws, the threesome bail the hell off the premises. Looks like the heist was a success, surprisingly.

• Stella makes good on her promise to pay up Chirp and Narf-Narf’s cut of the spoils once they’re in the clear and then declares that she’s planning to mail the Hope Diamond back to the museum, much to a puzzled Narf-Narf’s surprise. Stella acknowledges the truth; this score was indeed far too easy, and she’s not ready to take on selling her successfully stolen goods on the black market yet. This evening’s heist was merely practice, a training run. Many future heists won’t be as much of a cakewalk, and excellence is something that can’t be rushed. Girl’s a smart one, I’ll say. But Chirp and Narf-Narf are too distracted to understand that, because the former is busy lustfully ogling Stella’s curvy posterior and Narf-Narf is caressing the three bottles of throat spray that are his perks for tonight’s big win. The weirdness is off the heezy, yo! 

• As this escapade ends, Narf-Narf returns to his true storage facility (Chirp mistakenly thinks he keeps his stash in the treehouse), accompanied by another Terran Dog. This Dog could get grilled something fierce for renting the pad to Narf-Narf, but as the adage goes, there’s nothing money can’t buy, right? And what his Human boss doesn’t know won’t hurt him, so yeah. As the Dog Attendant opens the vault, he takes a moment to compliment (read: condescend) Narf-Narf on his oddness, to which the latter confidently claims he alone will be the last feline stand come the end of the Apocalypse. After the Attendant takes his leave, we are treated to the true contents of Narf-Narf’s stockpile vault: a mountain of various oral remedies to surely last centuries! And as the Narrator humorously quips, “Is this The End? We should be so lucky...” Come now, I’m enjoying this!

Story Number Three: The Piranha, “Speedy Delivery” – People Tell Me I’m White And I Believe Them

• Well… can’t say that The Piranha’s rage over the disfigured Buck Bokai card that arrived in an equally disfigured mailing package is out of the ordinary. I remember back in sixth grade just how finicky everyone was over the immaculacy of their holographic first edition Pokémon cards (so many people groveling at one guy’s feet to auction for a first edition Charizard…). That was the first time I ever learned about collector’s goods being worth anything, let alone the condition of said things. But on the same token, in The Piranha’s case, he didn’t have to put down a penny to get this prized card. Regardless, as any smart guy will tell you… an angry Piranha is a dangerous Piranha.

• The young fish takes it to the mailman who effed up his priceless card and warns that his boss is gonna get an earful. The mailman leers back and tell Piranha that the complaint department was essentially rendered null and void when a disgruntled ex-employee arrived and shot the entire post office up – the ex-employee was fired for the very complaint that Piranha here is threatening to lodge. The Piranha bravely contests that the mailman’s thinly veiled “tough luck, kid” response won’t drive him off, but the mailman responds by indulging in animal abuse with the nearby dog that was snarling at his heels the whole time. Piranha is enraged, and had he been a bit older, a thousand profane armaments he would rain down on this sadistic public servant.

• The Piranha quickly snaps a photo of the sadistic public servant as he goes on his un-merry way, then tends to the abused dog who happens to be called Rudy. Rudy fills our fish buddy on the situation: the mad mailman has been assaulting dogs throughout the neighborhood, many with worse injuries than his own. And just as Piranha promises to dish out justice to the mad mailman, Rudy suddenly becomes suspicious – point blank, he questions that Piranha may have eaten dogs before, but Piranha prioritizes avenging the neighborhood dogs over what or who he’s eaten and whether they tasted great or not. Rudy quickly acquiesces, ready to school some mad mailmen. With a quick press of the “Send” button, Piranha sends the photo to Bernadette… only for the mad mailman to show up moments later, much, well, madder than before.

• The mad mailman demands to know the deal, and Piranha simply states that photos of the mailman’s posterior are now circling ‘round the World Wide Social Media. Nothing too damning, right? But the red-faced mad mailman begs to differ, as this isn’t just an ordinary photo of his glutes; it’s streaked with skid marks! Ah, the endless possibilities that a graphics-editing software such as Photoshop can provide! But wait, it gets better… the embarrassed mad mailman soon finds his inbox flooded with texts from fetishists at the equally lewd Skidmarks Monthly! I must admit, I cracked up at this part. Not just because of how owned the mailman seems to be here, but also because in this day and age, one can argue that if it exists, there’s a fetish for it. Oh, this is just too much.

• …wait, wut? Well, damn. The mailman just struck it rich on account of the salary offer. There’s no need to keep languishing in this line of work (postal workers are even more underpaid now than they ever were, right?), which means the mailman no longer needs to be a major a-hole. With a predictable change of heart, he tries to make good with both Piranha and Rudy before taking his leave to start living that privileged lifestyle he always wanted. This leaves a very pissed Rudy glowering at Piranha, saying what I think we all had on our minds: wasn’t this dude supposed to get his comeuppance? Piranha responds with some of the simplest logic I’ve ever had the honor of learning: that the lesson taught here is everyone is better off for having known him. And to me, this speaks of how spreading kindness can make even some of the most hardened people soften and open. A great example is when I was working my first job at a local supermarket and I had to assist an elderly White woman who clearly had issues with race; as I was trying to help her find an item, a younger White woman beat me to it. The elderly White woman smiled at the younger White woman and thanked her, then looked back at me with a scowl and cocked her head onward in a condescending manner. I had to assist this woman several more times, but because I didn’t respond with any anger (though I was angry inside – enraged, even), the elderly White woman slowly began to open up, at times repeatedly gratefully commenting, “You’re being so nice to me.” I’ve noticed this approach has worked with a lot of harsh people in my life, proving that kindness can move proverbial mountains.

Story Number Four: Un-Ad “You Know” Matt Zimmer Is A Formidable Opponent

• Our next story here is more of an intermission, with a literal television advertisement for a product known as “You Know”. According to the ad, “You Know” is a cure-all for our problems, even if its contents are a either trade secret or a secret formula. It’s the newest product from the corporation “Shhhh!” And well, for the difficult times we’re in, why not scoop up some of this You Know to ease our stress, hmmm? Heh, I like how this intermission is worded – it’s like implying that the solution to all our stressors and anxieties is closer to us than we might think, because “we know” what it is deep down inside. And believe me, as someone who deals with anxiety daily, it IS reassuring to be reminded that inner peace can’t always be found in a mysterious unreachable-by-reality-means special potion or what not. I’m reminded of Matt’s statement about kindness as the antidote to stupidity – because kindness is a simple emotion to convey.

And with that comes the end of Part 1 of the first UnComix One-Shot. I'm about halfway through the next story, "Howler", and then "Meek's Chiller Theatre" is what remains. I'm hoping to get Part 2 of this review completed by the weekend, provided work doesn't tucker me out -- and then there's also the fact that my brother and I plan to treat Mom to dinner for Mother's Day... 

Anyway, peace and love to you all, and see ya next time!

Nana

--"Jason Deroga"
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Jason Deroga reviews UnComix #14 - The Pontue Legacy's CONCLUSION! ✊🏾🎆

Dec. 6th, 2024 08:05 am
jasonderoga86: The O.G. Lil' Hero Artist (Default)
All right, DW Family! It’s been a long time coming, but I’m finally ready to dive into the conclusion of the prequel saga to Matt Zimmer’s Gilda and Meek and the Un-Iverse: “The Pontue Legacy Part VI – The Promise”.

Previously, our band of protagonists – Princess Sarah, President Zyle, King Krac, Winifred, Captain Henry, and the dashing swordsman Pedro – were locked in a gruesome battle of wills inside the Dragon Council’s mountain fortress as a trio of Dragons forced them to take part in a vile reality TV show in which female Dragons are put through the most dehumanizing of situations… such that one unhatched Dragon was inadvertently killed during the skirmishes! However, Sarah was able to locate and rescue the cherished Egg the protagonists had been searching for since they arrived at the dreaded mountain, while Zyle unleashed his innate powers to give a rather stern lesson in humanity values to the amoral Dragon Council. But as the good guys hopped aboard their winged steeds, Sorceress Augatha and Tork, along with Scuzzy and Fuzzy, suddenly caught up! The chase led to the land of Ralla, ending in a final duel of magic between Zyle and Augatha. Zyle eventually drives Augatha back with a Banshee Scream, which put the real HURTIN’ on the sorceress… but in a shocking turn of events, Zyle’s trump card inadvertently led to his tragic passing after dropping 200 feet into the earth. Though Zyle was indeed a “Blessed Child” (the term that explains his powers and abilities), he was NOT immortal, not like Augatha. Sarah took a moment to grieve for her lost love, and makes a promise to him before he passes on: that she will never forget Zyle, and as God is her witness, she’ll make sure no one else forgets him either. Augatha, on the other hand, has also made a promise, to herself: that this time, she will not only never question a prophecy, but that her sister won’t be deep-sixed until she’s certain the girl cannot be turned to her side of the fight…

So, without further ado, let’s dive into the conclusion of The Pontue Legacy, and see if we can’t find some Easter eggs or other links to the main Un-Iverse Saga, hmm?

Un-Iverse #14: “The Pontue Legacy, Part VI – The Promise” Review

• As we left off, our heroes are still mourning over the downright soul-crushing loss of Blessed Child Zyle, with Sarah obviously the most aggrieved. I mean, Zyle was EVERYTHING to her… and admittedly, I thought they really were a lovely couple, and that’s not just because of the slightly censored “nighttime scenes” in earlier parts of this saga. Sarah seemed to really feel open and free upon meeting Zyle, so it's totally understandable how this loss cuts so deep for her. Zyle’s steed Gerald walking up to his deceased owner and friend and realizing he will never again open his eyes was another heartstring-tugger; there are few things sadder than an animal, be it a steed or even a pet, witnessing the passing of their owner. That kind of bond sears the heart and the psyche when it breaks. And to add to the pain, King Krac and Winifred are nearby and are so overcome with emotion that Krac tries his best to brighten the mood by proposing to Winifred, who promptly accepts but still needs his embrace for the time being. Even the Narrator reflects on just how emotionally traumatizing the end of Part V was, and before everyone collapses from grief overload, he moves to jump ahead a few hours… 

• While there two celebrations going on in the Kingdom of Ralla – a celebration for the Kingdom’s prosperity and a celebration of life for the dearly departed Zyle, Sarah has gone into isolation to reflect on the good times she had with her lost beau. She remembers a conversation with Zyle ages ago in which the latter smugly calls her a crank. Sarah responded with admiration on how someone could literally call her – a princess who could have Zyle decapitated come sunrise – a crank to her face; hell, she finds that kinda sexy. Zyle doubles down on his statement, citing the cynical nature of his reasoning. Sarah loves it, and so do I; it seems Zyle was using his humor to show Sarah just how unique she is – a princess unlike any other. And with that memory, Sarah returns to the present moment with a smile. I think she’d be great in starting this trend in royalty going forward…

• Captain Henry arrives to inform Sarah that the time has come to discuss their counterattack against Augatha’s forces. The two meet up with Krac and Winifred, and right away Krac asks the question that’s on everyone’s mind at the moment: without Zyle on the team, how the hell are they supposed to win this fight so they can reclaim the Kingdom of Finn? Winifred reveals the answer: Krac now has an army of his own, ready to get their hands dirty. But Herny points out the obvious; Ralla’s soldiers are untrained and would face a serious size disadvantage and would not suffice on their own. Sarah asks if there are any stray Finn soldiers in the forests, as does Winifred on any regular people roaming about the area. Henry references the posters Sarah had placed earlier in this saga and concludes that there may very be such soldiers lying in wait for a battle. Sarah remains unconvinced, saying that those posters were distributed two weeks ago, thus it could already be too late for most of those soldiers. Pedro lays the cold, hard facts: not even the combined might of Finn AND Ralla’s armies would be able to overcome the enemy they now face and—

• Suddenly, both Pedro and Henry draw their blades, with Henry also mounting his steed. Yep, trumpets are blasting, and that can one mean one thing. See, we’re in medieval times, right? And usually when a brass horn goes off, it’s the musician’s way of epically shouting “Warp Speed, Mr. Sulu!” –er, I mean, uh… oh, right. “ENGAGE!” But contrary to what we’d be led to believe, the approaching army isn’t an enemy one… it’s Kosram’s! As in, the Kingdom of Kosram, the kingdom of which Zyle was President! And of course, as Vice President Raz reveals to Sarah, Kosram has already received the news of their President’s passing. As of right now, Raz is now Temporary President Raz until the next election during harvest, and as we would expect, he and the Kosram army have pledged their lives to the princess in honor of her and of Zyle’s sacrifice. Getting straight to business, TP Raz informs Sarah that the time has come for an all-out assault on the Vikings who still have control of Finn Castle, led by Sven. TP Raz reports on the “presumed dead” status of Augatha, something Sarah – and all of us who’ve been following this epic to the end – already knows to be false. I mean, the Narrator puts it so succinctly - “The world is not that lucky.” But time is of the essence, and our princess is also just plain exhausted from the events that have led to this point, so she’s ready to just take it to the Vikings. Henry and TP Raz discuss the five-day march back to the Kingdom of Finn and the provisions which should sustain the whole troop along the way. The banquet stored for the trip is music to Krac’s people, for obvious reasons… but were that old curmudgeon Farrell to discover that an entire Kingdom of Dogs were suddenly running amok in his kingdom, he would most certainly NOT be pleased…

• While the next five days are dedicated to battle planning and trekking through the rugged wilderness, our Narrator friend here decides to spare us those mundane details with something of more sustenance: Augatha is still making her way to Dragon’s Mountain, with Scuzzy and Fuzzy in tow, as is the way with the three. But the sorceress isn’t looking too good, even for an immortal being – she is bloodied, beaten and broken, and here I thought that Blessed Child Zyle’s final attack was the worst of Augatha’s injuries. Suddenly, to the dismay of both Fuzzy and Scuzzy, Augatha keels over. The two slippers are momentarily grief-stricken, but soon relax and chill out. Many, many hours pass, with the two slippers still chill and waiting patiently as hellish thunderstorms and equally hellish sunbaked scorchers come and go. Obviously, Fuzzy and Scuzzy are on to something, or why else aren’t they weeping over the loss of their fallen queen?

• …Because Augatha’s an immortal, bro. As in, she’s NOT a mortal, and can therefore take much, MUCH more punishment than a mortal can. And she proves it by teaching a foolish vulture not to eff around with her when it attempts to feast on her eyes, swiftly snapping the avian’s neck like a twig and downs its nourishing blood in a mad thirst-fest. Yeah – you don’t screw with an immortal sorceress.

• However, the blood does not satisfy, and Augatha reaches for the water bottle she packed for the trip. Turns out the bottle’s empty, and after saying an incantation twice to apparently refill that huge flask, Augatha is soon troubled. As she takes a closer look at the flask to discern what the problem is, both Fuzzy and Scuzzy have already figured it out: the incantation for magically creating water has lost its power, seemingly due to Augatha’s weakened state. Fuzzy and Scuzzy attempt the incantation themselves, but to no avail… which means that this could actually be a LOT more dire than I was led to believe. Stranded in a sun-cooked desert with no H2O is NEVER a good thing. And worst of all, it implies in an interesting way that either Fuzzy or Scuzzy is somehow responsible for the ineffectiveness of the spell!

• After keeling over once again, Augatha manages to hold out until the next rainstorm, where she uses Fuzzy as a makeshift bowl to fill with rainwater. The water seems to do the trick and revives the sorceress, and soon the three baddies are back on the trail. Along the way though, her leg suddenly gives – as Scuzzy pointed out earlier, Augatha’s leg got twisted along the way to the Mountain, and it proves to be quite an inconvenience. But a quick snapping of a thick tree branch to use as a makeshift cane, and again, the three baddies are back on the trail – gotta hand to Augatha; despite her nearly diminished magical strength, she still has the best backup weapon of all… her brain and ability to improvise. Dedication to a goal does that to a person.

• After what seems like many eternities, the three arrive at what’s left of Dragon Mountain – a “mountain” of nothing but rubble. Augatha finally speaks (she had been silent since drinking the rainwater from the storm earlier), saying she was silent because she needed to save her strength in order to perform the upcoming incantation. T’ is a LONG one, too, in an ancient tongue so foreign that the Narrator read my mind and provided a nifty translation so I wouldn’t be completely lost or that my mind wouldn’t overheat with confusion. And through that incantation, Dragon’s Mountain is restored… and then some. And then, THEN some. See, the resulting fortress is much more than what was once Dragon’s Mountain. The resulting fortress will withstand nearly 10 centuries with its reinforced Granite battlements… ladies and gents, we are witnessing the establishment of the hallowed Mount Crushmore. Filled with the energy from Augatha’s determination to never again ignore that prophecy. And now, the goal is clear; Augatha is no longer fixated on murdering Sarah, but rather on finding her sister and taking her FROM Sarah. To raise her into the very being that will end up destroying the princess. She’s in this to coax her sister into someone with a thirst for hellish destruction as raw as hers, and she’s gonna do this RIGHT. “Returning” home once more, the game plan is set. This time, our princess will looking death straight in the eyes – Death, in the guise of her sister. And that’s a VOW coming from Augatha. Shit just got *real*, peeps.

• Meanwhile, our cavalry team has finally rallied, sufficiently armed themselves, and is on their way to Finn. The first part of the game plan involves a section of the army taking a secret passage to access the drawbridge, facilitating the entry into the fallen Kingdom. Which is smart, of course, because of, well… I’m just gonna say, “Vikings”. I don’t think the rest should be too hard to piece together, hmm?

• Sarah is determined to make her presence known as the army moves to reclaim the Kingdom of Finn, but Captain Henry is still very much concerned for her safety. Sarah understands the risk, and it’s a risk she’s ready to take. She also understands that the Viking leader Sven is a man of reason and an exceptional example in leadership. What Sarah did NOT understand though, is the reason behind Captain Henry’s hesitancy – that her Pops, King Farrell, had slain Sven’s wife in battle. Suddenly, the “man of reason” argument just lost much of its validity. All the same, soon nightfall arrives, and Sarah turns in for the night with her newborn sister. But then an interesting phenomenon happens…

• As her sister gives off an eerie glow, Sarah’s dreams become clouded and troubled. Before long, the princess finds herself standing before her sister, who’s now all grown up. Sarah’s lil’ sis requests to go with Sarah into the upcoming battle, a request that Sarah reasonably chooses to deny on grounds of potential child/younger sibling endangerment. But Lil’ Sis retorts by stating that not only is this sensation not a dream, nor that she’s a figment of Sarah’s subconscious. What we’ve got here is a premonition, a precognition of sorts, one of the ominous type – Lil’ Sis here is warning that if Sarah refuses this request, then come tomorrow, she’s dead royalty. Sarah counters by forfeiting her decision to fight, and Lil’ Sis responds by bluntly stating that road will lead to a miserable life or a meaningless death. In other words, refusal at this point means that regardless of the actual result, it’s ALL bad from here on in. Sarah explains by expressing her raw grief from the loss of Zyle, and that she can’t risk cumulative grief with the potential loss of her sister as well – and as someone who has personally been through cumulative grief, I don’t blame her. But Lil’ Sis once again dishes out the tough love, reminding Sarah of why Zyle died; he died to protect her, the woman he loved. Stepping down at this point would surely trivialize his sacrifice as well. And most of all – and this is most likely the reason behind this chapter’s namesake – Sarah made a *promise* to Zyle. To turn away from all of this would be to break her promise to Zyle, and given how much she loved him, breaking that promise would condemn Sarah to a fate worse than even death itself… which becomes evident as she wakes up drenched in sweat and terrified, while a saddened Winifred approaches her side. Not gonna lie, this scene was deep. Definitely getting the feels here, as it reminds me of how I had to get back on my feet after losing two friends this summer so I could continue being there for my friends and family who still need me.

• Winifred offers some much-needed aid to Sarah to help her out of her delirium, and the princess manages to gradually calm herself. But she also made a decision on the upcoming offensive – she will take her little sister into the heat of the battle, and orders everyone to respect that choice. Captain Henry again voices his concern over the decision, but Sarah maintains that the decision is final as she come to it in a premonition and most of all, because she cannot break her promise to Zyle – to the only man she ever loved. Sorry, Cap, but I think that pretty much ends the discussion. She IS your princess, you know.

• It isn’t much longer until a small party consisting of Sarah, her sister, Henry, Pedro, Winifred, Krac, and a small group of Raz’s knights infiltrate the kingdom’s castle through the secret passage spoken of earlier. Upon arriving in the castle’s kitchen, Sarah is aware that there are cooks and chefs present through an audible mix of voices. Captain Henry assures her that despite their station, the cooks cannot be spared – this castle is under the control of enemy forces, and there can be no mistakes this deep into now-enemy territory. Sarah’s lil’ sister’s eyes give off a glow, which is followed by quite an audible commotion from the other room. Winifred finds that all the cooks have been put to sleep, negating any need for bloodshed. Well, whaddaya know… Lil’ Sis’s got some skills, for sure. At that point, it all starts coming together for Sarah; with her little sister’s abilities, there won’t need to be any bloodshed at all, and she and the crew won’t have to stoop down to the level of killers to accomplish their objective. Not bad, given that taking a life isn’t the same as whomping a spider.
 
• Next, the crew dons their cloaks – and gloves to hide the paws of the non-humans in attendance – and decide to take the long way on foot to the drawbridge, avoiding several Viking Cats along the way. And with a diversion from Krac, the Vikings are alarmed to an apparent security breach! And in the next moment, it’s Krac’s time to shine. And boy, does he SHINE – I swear, his way with the swords reminds me so much of the scene in Captain America: The Winter Soldier with Cap and a combat knife-wielding Bucky (one of, if not THE best MCU film in my opinion), especially his prowess with that reverse/backwards sword snatch and slash! And yeah, of course he’s gotta do a pose after that stylish finish. Gotta indulge yourself a little, King! And oh my God, the ending… Winifred now knows exactly why she has the hots for the King, as he himself explains it: “You don’t grow up with a name like Krac without learning how to fight.” 

• Soon, Sven is alerted to the commotion by a soldier, and realizes that for responding on his end, time is of the essence. Like, in seconds. Next, we’re treated to Pedro deftly cutting down all resistance headed his way while Gerald and the Winged Horses that Zyle created arrive with more reinforcements to rain hell on the tower guards patrolling the battlements. At long last, the drawbridge is finally lowered, and even more reinforcements charge through while making mincemeat out of the Viking Cats futilely pushing back. Seems like this is going very, very well… the good guys haven’t even suffered one casualty in this fight! Man, where’s my popcorn?! This is flippin’ AWESOME. 

• Unfortunately, Sarah is eventually separated from the warriors in the confusion of the gory melee, and before she knows it, she’s cornered by three smug Vikings, and they’re confident this’ll be an easy fight. As the princess trembles in fear of what could be very well a swift and sudden end, her Lil’ Sis’s eyes glow once more. In mere seconds, the Vikings have their overconfident mugs smashed in by a rain of boulders from the castle’s ramparts. Looks like Sarah’s premonition of her sister was onto something, as she finally sees clearly: Sarah bringing her Lil’ Sis along was indeed the right decision, as she is literally serving as a guardian angel of sorts. This sisterly bond is literally unbreakable… and right now, that’s a good thing, folks. 

• As Krac and Winifred adopt a shrewd yet adorable team fighting style of assaulting the advancing Vikings with an assortment of cutlery and cookware (followed by an extremely valuable Ming vase which fetched the worth of a much-needed Viking’s concussion) along with Pedro’s dashing swordsmanship, Henry is concerned by another triplet of sword-wielding Vikings with murder all over their faces. Sarah notices the grim scene, knowing exactly how this is going to play out… and she’s right, in a way. A violent raging rain-and-thunderstorm besets the entire area, with our Narrator cuing for the soundtrack director to start the slow, dark, and ominous theme for Track 10 of “The Pontue Legacy – Original Motion Picture Score”, titled “Fatal Azure River’s Upheaval of Violent Light”… except that we are NOT witnessing this in animated form, with the soundtrack director telling us to get back to the action for now. 

• Despite what Sarah thinks, Henry didn’t perish under the sudden raging storm; he’s alive and well, and uses the precipitation accompanied by violent light to take his blade to the distracted Vikings. He personally deals a brutal yet decisively surgical stab right into one Viking’s guts, which means whatever the cat ate just digested faster than was expected. Throughout the slaughtering, Henry temporarily finds himself drenched in Viking blood, much to the disgust of himself, Sarah and some nearby Vikings. But a quick shower under the blessed rainfall from the otherwise terrible storm fixes that right up, and as Henry claims, “The black guy LIVES!” I gotta say, this scene drew a big smile on my face, for exactly what Henry said. See, back in the day when a few friends of mine would head out to see one of those “slasher films”, one pal told me of a running gag of sorts: that in many action/horror/sci-fi/thriller films, the Black character is the first character to fall, either to poison, murder, or other form of death. In fact, I believe there was a scene in one of the Anaconda films in which Ice Cube’s character breaks the fourth wall while referring to this very trope. I’m indifferent to the gag, but I’m sure there have been people who lambast such a trope since it seems to look at Black characters as expendable or useless. And whaddaya know, Henry sees my reasoning, but in a more literal and joyous way. Serving in any kingdom’s military and seeing that Black soldiers always serve the first line of the defense just to preserve the White back-up soldiers kinda defeats the purpose of the White soldiers even enlisting, no? Any-who…

• But then SVEN shows up, and the celebration’s over. It’s time for the final throwdown! Sarah is the first to speak, and she demands that Sven step down; his army is decimated, Augatha isn’t coming back for him, and at this point any further slaughtering would serve no purpose. If he can agree to Sarah’s terms, the bloodshed ends, and so does the animosity – this will be a kingdom of TRUE equality, where status and/or royalty don’t step on HUMANITY. No supremacy here. 

• Sven’s response is awesome not only because of its directness, but because of its simplicity. If Sven were a member of the United Nations, I guarantee you that the world would be a MUCH better place. And it would rid much of the world of evil, as love would instead be focused on the world around us and each other. Not to mention that minutes later we’ll learn that Sven is a born politician as well, which segues into why Gilda is so skilled and articulate with political matters, the cold hard truth, and her catchphrase about prophecies. Tell ‘em again, Sven!

 --Sven: “Peace is more valuable than money.”

• Unfortunately, the citizens of Finn beg to differ, citing the murders that the Vikings committed against their kind, specifically King Farrell. But Sarah fires back with the most direct statement I’ve read in this chapter, and possibly the entire Pontue Legacy epic: she states that her kind – humans – have also committed great sins, of special note with King Farrell having killed Sven’s wife, and thus both humans and Vikings must acknowledge their crimes against each other and work towards an equal and peaceful coexistence. Yep, there’s blood on both sides, and the only way forward is to accept each other’s guilt and use it to create a better future. As Henry states, the enemy here – and in our reality, the enemy of humankind – is hatred. Hatred robs people of logical thought and reason and only leads to mindless destruction until they realize the real (and often irreparable) damage they’ve caused to those around them and even themselves. Now it’s SARAH and HENRY who would also make great United Nations ambassadors from Finn, as such statements could go a long way to improving world relations!

• The Narrator’s following statement about the peace between the Humans of Finn and the Vikings and how both sides are willing to trust in that peace even though neither side is 100% sure it will last – which it seems that it actually won’t – strikes a chord with me, for a few reasons. First, that mindset has been my mindset for quite a while. My sociology class in college during the early months of 2020 was full of all sorts of interesting concepts, the most interesting of which was the concept of the “self-fulfilling prophecy”: the mental process that turns thoughts of the worst possible outcome in any event of decision into reality in some way, shape, or form. Now, what I learned wasn’t some Pollyannish “positivity prevents ALL bad things from happening!” nonsense. It was learning to acknowledge that catastrophizing and focusing on the worst outcome can likely subconsciously drive you to create that outcome, and when it eventually does come to pass you don’t feel any better; in fact, it’s at that point that you start asking yourself, “What could I have done to prevent this outcome?” But the damage will have already been done, and the only course of action is to learn from the outcome so as not to repeat it. In early 2022, I remembered the Serenity Prayer, which basically encourages us to be able to accept what we truly can’t change, get the strength to change the things we can, and to find the knowledge in ourselves to know the difference between the two. Again, the Serenity Prayer isn’t a magic wand that will prevent all bad things from happening, but it puts us into a mindset where we are aware of what we can’t control so we can focus on what we CAN control – things like hanging out with our friends, catching a movie, beating the last boss of a video game, and/or reading an awesome book or comic/graphic novel (like I’m doing here right now). And sometimes, the things we CAN control can bring us a much-needed mood lifter. 

• At that point, a cloaked individual grabs Krac – who has a title of “The Fearless”, which explains the awesome ass-kicking he was dishing out earlier – and accuses him of some crime against the Warlocks’ Council. The cloaked guy, Bob the Wizard, holds Krac accountable for Zyle’s death, claiming that as the Warlocks’ Council’s job is to ensure the historical timeline isn’t tampered with; Zyle’s death obviously screws up that historical timeline, and as the Warlocks consider themselves to be Gods that walk amongst men, it looks like there will be a hefty price to pay for Krac and the gang’s interference…

• Bob goes on to explain the grave offense that Krac committed: by having Zyle lift the curse on Krac’s kingdom, that in return also violated the universe’s will. Krac’s kingdom was supposed to remain in shadow and oblivion as spirits for eternity. Zyle was never supposed to defy the will of the universe. And having learned that, now things are starting to look grim all over again. Is there any sort of negotiation that can be done here? Any at all? I mean, the good guys won, the kingdom’s saved, peace is on the horizon… there’s gotta be something!

• Krac is enraged at what Bob is implying, drawing a sword. But things take a turn for the worse when he finds that his messenger is not of the flesh, but an apparition of sorts – Bob used a dimension-shifting spell to assume a spectral form. Bob lays down his terms: for Krac’s interference with the natural universal order, he has but ten minutes to say his goodbyes to his kingdom before it’s erased from existence for all time. Fully understanding the gravity of the situation, Krac relents and asks Bob’s terms, and the Wizard promptly states them – Krac must now swear a blood debt to allow Bob to assign him or a descendant with the task of restoring order to the universe at a time of Bob’s choosing. This is to compensate for Zyle’s deeds that tampered with the universal historical timeline, and Bob makes it crystal clear that should Krac or any of his family fail to commit to this task, then Krac’s entire bloodline will be stricken from existence in the universe. So, Krac can either go ahead and sign this contract in blood, or his entire bloodline will be as if it never existed. Steep terms, to honest… after everything Krac’s been through, and what probably might’ve been his bloodline carrying on through Winifred as they are to wed eventually, to turn this deal down, horrible as it sounds, I think would leave him with a guilt that would live on even after he passes away. 

• As Krac agrees to the deal, he and every family member and descendant from this time forward are now the property of Bob the Wizard. And to prove he’s not effing around, Bob makes a personal statement to Krac, reminding of the consequences of his or his bloodline’s reneging on their agreement. After the warlock vanishes, Krac is already emotionally pained, and at that moment, Winifred approaches. Oh, man… here we go. This is literally gonna be hard to witness, because Winifred and Krac were so great together… not just by cuteness standards, but that epic team-up against the Vikings… *takes deep breath*… alright, let’s see how this plays out…

• It turns out that the two Dogs are still going to marry, and both have many puppies on their minds in the future. But Krac has to break the news about what responsibility this will come with…

• And while Krac converses with Winifred about their future, the Narrator tells us that Bob the Wizard was b.s.-ing Krac the whole time. Turns out that there WAS no tampering of the universal historical timeline, and Zyle lifting the curse did not damage the natural universal way of things. Bob’s actions were purely for his own benefit, and now he’s got an entire bloodline of Dogs at his mercy. Pretty cold-blooded, if you ask me. But then again, Bob was Zyle’s mentor if I’m not mistaken. And that fact’s gonna play a MAJOR role in the chapters to come, that’s for certain.

• Later as night falls, the armies’ leaders put their peace agreement in place. Sarah is crowned Queen of Finn but makes the pronouncement for the crown and the throne to be handed to Henry. Whoa. Then the Captain of the Guard’s position is handed to Sven. Double-whoa, especially given his battle experience – Finn’s army is about to rise to a new level in badassery. Krac also abdicates his crown with the intention of merging his Kingdom of Ralla into the former Kingdom of Finn. And although all peoples are aware that this peace is going to take a continued effort to thrive, the Dogs, Cats, and Humans are willing to make it work. Sorta reminds me of the ending of The Matrix Revolutions, in which the franchise’s most powerful seer, Oracle, admits that even after Neo and the Machines worked to together to terminate Agent Smith, the peace between Zion (the humans) and the Machines is not hers to decide. She trusts that the peace “will last as long as it needs to”, alluding to what many historians talk about with the idea of democracies falling into autocracies and then those autocracies falling to a revolution that creates a new democracy, and how the lessons from these events lead to stronger democracies and less violent conflicts. 

• The next morning, Henry is fitted in the Finn Kingdom’s regal cloak as Winifred, Sarah, Pedro, and Krac look on with pride. And as expected, Winifred is carrying her and Krac’s firstborn (though she’s waiting for the right moment before she breaks the good news to him)! Pedro, who has often lived a life of combat, elects to resume his quest for Piranhala soon, to which Henry responds by stating Pedro as a citizen of Finn, and as such is always welcome. Pedro humbly acknowledges that Henry is just the monarch that Finn needs, while also lamenting how much he’ll miss his newly-decreed friend. And soon enough, the procession begins as the Kingdom’s knights arrive with the crown of Finn. Sarah officially crowns Captain Henry as KING Henry of Finn, the Kingdom’s new monarch, and the celebrations commence. Sarah silently leaves the festivities, both proud and sad at the same time – as am I. Not gonna lie, this scene packs quite a emotional punch; the pain and the grief that the main protagonists have suffered as well as the victories they achieved together really makes this moment a “coming full circle” moment. But the story’s not over yet, of course…

• Sarah approaches her sleeping Lil’ Sis, rocking her while humming the lullaby her own mother often sung. She reveals the Idol of Light – one of the great powerful items revealed at the very beginning of this epic, which has been safely hidden from Sorceress Augatha. The artifact glows as Sarah holds it before her younger sibling, acknowledging that while King Farrell was indeed a detestable person with many flaws, it is thanks to him that the Idol hasn’t fallen into Augatha’s hands, and Sarah will at least be forever grateful to him for that. If the Idol had been revealed, Augatha would’ve mercilessly pursued Sarah until the princess was six feet in the dirt. And that would’ve been a REALLY bad thing, peeps. And I’m in full agreement with the Narrator. Sometimes, one good deed can prove even the worst of people can have a heart, even if it’s just for a fleeting moment.        
 
• Next, Sarah and Winifred say their goodbyes, with the former concealing Gerald’s Pegasus-like wings until far enough from the Kingdom of Finn – and from the Sorceress’s eyes and ears – at which she will live a life of her own. What’s really special about this moment is that after everything they’ve been through, Sarah considers Winifred to be more than just a servant, but also an equal and a sister. That’s a serious level of deep, and it shows, even with the Narrator nicely belaboring the point. 

• But the final goodbye looks to be the hardest… between Sarah and the newly-crowned King Henry of Finn. His Majesty implores that Sarah stay in the place of her birth, noting that she doesn’t HAVE to set out on her own. And the King has a point, considering the journey they both took to get to this very point; chillaxing at the castle after what was definitely a roller coaster of a quest doesn’t sound too bad right about now. But Sarah kindly rejects the offer on the grounds of Augatha not resting until she has claimed her younger sister, and thus her continued presence will doom the entire kingdom under a constant threat by the Sorceress and her forces. That, and Sarah got as much as she could out of her ascension to the throne in just under five minutes, as crowning Henry and relieving the kingdom of eternal danger was all she felt necessary to do under the crown. No regrets are always the better choice, and boy, has this lady KEPT her promise. Gotta hand it to Sarah: the lady knows wassup.
 
• His Majesty gives Sarah his blessings, as well as the obvious reminder that she’ll always be welcome in the kingdom. Sarah gives Henry her utmost gratitude, especially for not dying in the war with the Vikings. As I also felt, Sarah found that moment refreshing – and in honesty, I think it is a good thing that films sometimes refrain from always killing off the Black character first. With so much of world history proving how much the Black civilization has been through – the struggles, the fight for rights, full liberation from all forms of discrimination and bondage – all of that represents a civilization that has never truly yielded to oppression. As a Black guy, I can attest to that feeling; we’ve been in this fight for over 400 years, and haven’t backed down. If we were as weak and insignificant as our oppressors want us to think, we’d have acquiesced the struggle long ago. Black people across the world know that their oppressors are carry immense guilt over the centuries of injustice Black and brown people have faced, and that guilt triggers one of two things: that people from the group of oppressors own their guilt and stand with Black and brown people for a better world (as exemplified by the peace between Cats, Dogs, and Humans in Finn), or to use the refusal to own that guilt and channel it into harmful ideologies to bury the truth under the illusion that the privilege it brings will drown out the angry conscience they will be forced to live with until they unbend. And refusing a guilty conscience will destroy a person, because their rage will overtake every action they take. 

• Making clear her vow never to return to the kingdom despite her status, Sarah mounts Gerald and makes a statement to her Lil’ Sis: Sarah bestows upon her younger sibling the name “Gabrielle” – yep, the very same Gabrielle that we met in the main saga with Gilda and Meek with the sunglasses who matches wits with the soon-to-be Mistress Augatha – the same first name of their mother. She bestows this name through the power vested in her as Queen of Finn, even though it was just for a few moments, and in doing so she also fulfilled her promise to her late beloved Zyle. This was the sole royal decree she made as monarch, but it was also the only one necessary. With this in mind, she rides off into the unknown as we witness the newly-named Kingdom of Zyle’s new future unfold… 

While this part of the story ends, Matt Zimmer’s got more to tell – now begins the aftermath of the Pontue Legacy: Fates. First, we’ve got “The Stewards of Earth – The Book of Un, Part II”.

• Here, as the story’s namesake suggests, we learn of the fate of our main protagonists. King Henry was indeed exactly what Pedro believed he would be, as he was just and morally sound monarch who led the Kingdom of Zyle to prosperity with the combination of both his and Sarah’s groundwork. For 218 years – that a little over two centuries, folks – the Kingdom of Zyle had peace. All species maintained a beautiful coexistence throughout, and the historical precedent of the unions was the most significant of its kind. Zyle’s name became more than just the kingdom’s; throughout the ages, Zyle’s name became a holy invocation, a verbal symbolization of peace, goodwill, and most importantly, acceptance across the Un-Iverse. Even after death, Zyle’s status as the Blessed Child of his time can still be felt through every corner of the Un-Iverse… and I just gotta take this moment to salute the guy. You’re a boss, Zyle, and you know it. Godspeed, brother. *holds hand to chest*

• King Henry eventually married his future Queen five years into his rule, eventually passing away at age 91 and survived by his wife, his four sons, and his twelve grandchildren. His benevolent lordship over the Kingdom of Zyle was felt in all its citizens hearts, with the monarch passing into the hereafter with his family and friends at his side. I’m gonna miss this guy too, his evolution throughout this tale was really moving and at many times had me cheering. 
   
• Winifred and Krac ended up leaving the kingdom as well, settling down in a small village not too far off. Winifred truly loved Henry and Sarah, but the painful and traumatic memories of her time at the castle were too great to ignore, and Krac decided that the two of them would be best off starting a new life. I can understand where Winifred is coming from, given that one incident in which she was brutally assaulted over a simple miscalculation from her nose. That kind of ferocity would dog a person forever (no pun intended). And besides, Winifred has shown throughout this whole story that she’s a genuine soul; yeah, she was loyal as a servant, but she turned out to be so much more – to the point of being accepted as a sibling, a sister, to Sarah herself. That is the sign of a special bond of friendship, no lie. Henry provided the couple with enough funds from the kingdom’s vaults that Winifred was able to purchase the Silverhaven Inn, and she and Krac raised three children and lived to their ripe old ages. And as I suspected, two of their children just happen to be part of the main cast of the original Gilda and Meek saga: Meek and Bernadette Anderson. Bernadette in particular shares a bit of Winifred’s brunette hair and blue fur, now that I think of it. Oh, and Bob the Wizard’s cocky ploy with the whole blood debt thing? Turns out he never collected it, which doesn’t surprise me given his reasons for attempting to do so. Someone’s gonna be getting a LOT of coal in their stockings this Christmas, and Meek and Bernadette’s fates are indeed “still in play” as we’ll soon see…   

• Pedro of Pontue resumed his quest for the fabled land of Piranhala a day after Sarah took off from the Kingdom of Zyle and was never heard from again. Though something does interest me… Pedro’s face does bear a striking resemblance to another character in the present period of Gilda and Meek: I recall the character known as Dr. Smog, who also has a long nose and a pointed clefted chin but wears an eye-patch instead of a monocle. I’m really interested in seeing if my assumptions are correct about this, and if there’s any connection between the two. 
 
• Sven the Viking was able to live a normal life. Sure, he wanted a position of power far higher than the one he was given, but is content in the grand scheme of things; he’d be a cadaver in kitty litter if he refused to stand down to Sarah during the war with her army, so the card he was dealt was the card he’ll live by. And live he did, for forty years — that’s a way better deal than a pointless fight to the death. Oh, and we also got a cameo appearance from Gerf! Still curious as to his whereabouts and motives…  

• Next, we learn that Gabrielle gradually grew up under her older sister Sarah’s guardianship, and the latter even taught her the art of winged horse riding with Gerald. Gerald grew to love Sarah and Gabrielle as he could also feel Zyle’s love for both sisters also passed down to him. Gerald lived up to the age of 42, longer than most winged horses… and something tells me that’s in large part because of the cherished life he lived with the two siblings, and by extension, Zyle as well.

• President Raz won re-election in Kosram’s next election, despite him not being a Magician; the citizens of the Kingdom of Finn believed that his leadership during the battle with the Vikings and an extremely tiny amount of causalities on their armies more than made up for his lack of magic abilities. And though Raz wasn’t a Wizard or Warlock, the Kingdom of Finn believed they were far better off with a master tactician to counter the forces of Sorceress Augatha, and Raz had certainly proven that during the battle. Sometimes, uber-powerful magic isn’t always the answer; an opponent who can flank your blind spot can unleash a surprise or two. 

• Sorceress Augatha remained concealed in Mount Crushmore for many decades, satisfied with the world presuming her dead. And during that time, the Sorceress focused her time into improving and strengthening her magic – 150 years’ worth of honing and training, and Augatha soon doffed her sorceress mantle; with such deadly potential flowing through her, Augatha became Mistress Augatha, the antagonist we know from the original Gilda and Meek saga. The Mistress continued to court Gabrielle with temptation and offers of power at her side, but as we know, Gabrielle hasn’t fallen for the bait, thanks to Sarah.

• And when we meet Sarah again, we discover just HOW she was able to prevent Gabrielle from being seduced by Mistress Augatha’s offers of greater power, not to mention Gabrielle also growing into a powerful sorceress herself; anytime Augatha tempted Gabrielle, Sarah was always able to dissuade her from giving into the temptation, right up to her last days. By the time Sarah was at death’s door at the age of 95, Gabrielle made a promise to her that she would use every ounce of free will in her body to resist Augatha’s persistent attempts to corrupt her as well as any other malevolent forces that attempt to prey on her. That’s awesome; as Sarah made a promise that she kept with every fiber of her being, now Gabrielle is taking after her Big Sis with her own unbreakable promise. Attagirl, Gabbie. And I can also feel the dedication too, as it becomes clear that as Sarah aged and weakened, she began to forget the meaning of the stories she repeated to Gabrielle about Zyle the Magician and the grand adventure they had. All of this comes full circle as the physical and mental toll that evading Augatha for so long has taken on the two Farrell sisters, such that Gabrielle decided they needed a place to call home.
 
• The Farrell sisters take a vessel to a tropical island named Tahlia, where Gabrielle would befriend the island’s natives and use her magical abilities to shield herself, the natives, and Sarah – this island would be where the latter would live out the final years of her life. Sure beats the hell outta hospice, that’s for sure. Regardless, we ARE talking “final” years here, and eventually Gabrielle has to face the moment she’s been dreading ever since she and Sarah arrived at Tahlia. After suddenly collapsing on the floor one evening, Gabrielle helps her weakened and brittle sister to her bed, where after giving a heartfelt statement of love and pride for what Gabrielle had accomplished all the way up to finding this island and evading Sorceress Augatha, Sarah Farrell – former Princess and Queen of the Kingdom of Finn to Kingdom of Zyle – succumbs to her age and passes away into the hereafter. And this scene was REALLY hard to read, given everything Sarah herself accomplished. But all living things must run their course, and no living thing lives forever – unless they’re a god or have a special amulet that provides immortality. Speaking of which, what’s the deal? I mean, Sarah possessed the Idol of Light, right? Shouldn’t that have saved her?

• As we find out, Sarah gave the Idol to Gabrielle to keep hidden from the eyes of the soon-to-be Mistress Augatha due to the extremely dangerous threat she posed to the world, much like how their father Farrell had given the Idol to Sarah to keep hidden from then-Sorceress Augatha. The latter had assumed Sarah had the artifact when Gabrielle came of age, but the centuries-long lifespan of Gragnocks held her back for some time to be absolutely certain of her suspicions. Of course, Augatha continued to pursue Gabrielle by sending legions of her demons to acquire the Idol but has failed with every attempt. Finder’s keepers, Mistress. 

• And though Gabrielle’s life was pretty ordinary and uneventful, at some point things changed for her. The year was 1989, and Gabrielle came across none other than another big player in the original Gilda and Meek saga: Julius T. Raggleworth, who would soon become Gabrielle’s lover. And as the Narrator points out, this is where things changed for Gabrielle – though they didn’t change for the better…

And that, my friends, is where this final leg of the prequel to Gilda and Meek – The Pontue Legacy – draws to a close. I’ve got a mixture of emotions after completing this saga, but the most prominent ones are happiness, a bit of sadness, and a lot of excitement. This prequel goes to show that you don’t need stellar art skills to tell a powerful story, and though Matt is critical of his artistic abilities, I can still see the raw emotion shown by his characters, and it is that emotion that makes the characters come alive in ways I’m not yet used to. That’s why I think it’s important to check out comics that have the most rudimentary-looking of art, because oftentimes a powerful story can complement even the tackiest-looking of illustrations. I’ve read several stories that have drawn this reaction, with one in particular being from my co-creator and collaborator on Lil’ Hero Artists, Nick Vollmer. Long ago, he wrote a neat webcomic called Dreaded Eater, which was essentially a stick-figure comic with a unique sci-fi plot; the characters are intentionally stick figures because of the planet they live on (thus excusing his art style), called Tyvane. The first part of the series follows a soft-spoken but heroic stick figure character called Skate, who witnesses the Dreaded Eater arrive on Tyvane and begins to devour everything in sight. Tyvane’s military is summoned to fight the creature off, but struggles to even damage the Eater. To make matters worse, a dangerous cult of female warriors who see divinity in the Eater stand to defend it from the military assault, while another character, Tilly, looks on. Eventually at al comes to a head as Skate takes it upon himself to stop the Eater, and matches wits with one of the warrior cult’s strongest commanders as well as running into Tilly, who also assumes a heroic stance and seems to have an infatuation with Skate – and the way that the first chapter concludes is a literal upheaval of a moment. 

Such is the reason I say what I always say with Gilda and Meek and the Un-Iverse: It’s a comic so unlike any that I’ve ever read. And it proves that the stereotype that people far too often heap onto comics is just that—a stereotype. And a bad and harmful one at that. Saying that “a good story can’t save bad art, but good art can salvage a bad story” is, quite frankly, a lot of bullshit, and serves as an excuse to defend the status quo standards of big comic book publishers. In this day and age where some of the most detailed and well-drawn issues of comics from Marvel and DC come with a price tag of almost $5.00 and downright horrible storytelling, that stereotype died a quick death and for the sake of the comic book medium, should be buried and forgotten. As Neil Gaiman said in his commencement speech (and later pocket-sized book) “Make Good Art”, the gatekeepers are leaving their gates – let’s not call them back so they can stifle originality and creativity, please. That’s what drove people away from the “authority” and privilege of publishers like the Big Two, anyway. 

With that, the next story lined up is billed as a “Killer Filler” – an UnComix one-shot is next, simply titled “The Humans”… and despite what y’all might think, I’m actually excited about this one. Shutting up, and getting ready to check out an possible extension of what I’m assuming.

To Matt Zimmer, I applaud you, man. The Pontue Legacy was an emotional thriller from start to finish, and it has a lot of heart. It takes a really stellar story and script to illicit this kind of an emotional reaction from me, and you’ve got all aces here. Not to mention that it provided much-needed “cheer-up factor” throughout this otherwise emotionally and psychologically challenging year, especially summer. I look forward to checking the upcoming one-shot soon. 

As for the rest of you, peace and love to you and yours, and may you have the best Christmas possible; we all deserve it. 

Nana

--“Jason Deroga”   


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WOW. That was... that was... DAMN. 😮

Dec. 5th, 2024 07:32 pm
jasonderoga86: The O.G. Lil' Hero Artist (Default)
Hey Dreamwidth Family,

Quick few minutes here. I've been getting back into many of the webcomics I follow, and I just finished reading the concluding chapter of Matt Zimmer's Gilda and Meek and the Un-Iverse prequel, "The Pontue Legacy". As you'll soon find out, the prequel left me with a lot of powerful emotions, a credit to why I treasure Gilda and Meek so. I just finished writing my review, but I'm feeling a bit tired from the day. Must be the weird weather patterns...

Anyway, I hope to have the review up sometime tomorrow, after which I'll be catching up on the many other comics I've bookmarked. Gotta say, reading webcomics ain't a bad way to spend a day.  

Peace and love to you all, and I hope to be able to share my thoughts! Take care,

Nana 

--"Jason Deroga"
 

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Cinematic Poster Fan Art for Gilda and Meek - Happy Birthday to Matt Zimmer!

Sep. 30th, 2024 08:05 am
jasonderoga86: The O.G. Lil' Hero Artist (Default)
Hey, Dreamwidth Family!
 
As you all probably know, Matt Zimmer's birthday is today! I had planned far in advance to create a fan art piece for him as a present, given I had done a couple fanarts for other webcomic artists. I made one last year based on his comic, Gilda and Meek and the Un-Iverse, both as a birthday gift and as a new fan of the comic -- I drew (and inked) both Gilda and Bernadette in my own trademark style. Though it was a bit hasty as I had only just learned of Matt's b-day, it still came out remarkably well. 
 
Now the day has arrived again, and I stated that this time I would attempt the first full-color attempt at fanart; after completing Sneakers' U-Force #12 -- arguably my finest coloring work to date -- I felt applying the same approach to a fanart piece would be a great challenge. I decided on a movie poster-like image for where I currently am in Matt's "Un-Iverse" series: the prequel arc to Gilda and Meek and the Un-Iverse, "The Pontue Legacy". Also if you recall, I just recently posted my feedback to Part 5 of the prequel saga; now only Part 6 - "The Promise" remains, and judging by the way Part 5 ended, let me just say my excitement levels have reached critical mass. Oh, yeah - it's on like Donkey Kong, yo. 
 
I based this fanart loosely off of the teaser poster for the 2000 DC animated direct-to-video film Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, both because it's one of my favorite DC animated films (I only have the original uncut version, though I had seen some parts of the abridged version prior on Toonami back in 9th grade) and also because of the menacing feel of the poster. In this piece, we have the heroes of the story, from left to right: Captain Henry, Winifred, King Krac, Princess Sarah, Zyle, and Pedro. In the background looms the ominous visage of Sorceress Augatha.
 
It was a LOT of fun putting this together from start to finish, and I want to thank Matt Zimmer for giving me the opportunity to take on this challenge, as well as for creating such an awesome comic. As I always say, Gilda and Meek and the Un-Iverse is a comic so unlike any that I have ever read. 
 
Happy Birthday, Matt -- I love you so much.
 
Nana
 
-- "Jason Deroga"

 
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Jason Deroga reviews The Un-Inverse #13: "The Pontue Legacy - Part V: The Dragons and the Egg"! 🌟

Sep. 27th, 2024 09:04 am
jasonderoga86: The O.G. Lil' Hero Artist (Default)
What is up, Dreamwidth Family?

So, now that it seems to finally be cooling down on this side of the States, and I don’t have to worry about constantly feeling dizzy from heat exhaustion symptoms, I can finally catch up on reading some webcomics, the first of which is Matt Zimmer’s Gilda and Meek and the Un-Iverse. Last time, I had completed the fourth part of “The Pontue Legacy”, a prequel of sorts that sheds light on the events in the Un-Iverse’s past that set the stage for the events to come, leading to the current adventures of Gilda, Meek, and a host of other colorful and unique characters who lead the fight against Mistress Augatha and her own dark minions. Where I last left off, the leading group of protagonists – Zyle, a magician’s gifted apprentice and president of the Kingdom of Kosram; Sarah, Princess of the Kingdom of Finn and Zyle’s lover; King Krac and Winifred, two dog companions (also, Winifred is a servant of Sarah’s) who are also lovers; and Captain Henry and Pedro, two swordsmen who play a sort of bodyguard role (Henry is the Captain of Finn’s kings guard, and Pedro was a bridge guard who antagonized the heroes at first but later relented and joined them on their quest). The crew is on a perilous journey to stop the recently crowned (via a coup of sorts) Sorceress Augatha, who is currently seeking the keys to dominion over the entire Un-Iverse, one of which is a particular egg. In Part IV, our heroes made it to a mysterious mountain where the egg was said to be lying in wait. What they didn’t count on was a trio of dragons who had anticipated their arrival, eerily declaring that our baffled heroes were to serve as their “entertainment” …

Okay, let's get this review started!

Gilda and Meek and the Un-Iverse #13: “The Pontue Legacy Part V: The Dragons and the Egg” Review


• We start off further in the distant past – 1087 A.D. to be exact – where Sorceress Augatha laments a depressing scene outside of a decadent and decrepit castle; flames are devouring the kingdom, with brutal civil violence running rampant. Augatha is dismayed that “opportunity” had guided her actions, reflecting on her recent actions; when the stars aligned for the first time in 6,000 years and provided the opportune moment to cast a spell to blot out the Sun, Augatha took it, only to now regret it. Scuzzy and Fuzzy reassure her that she couldn’t have foreseen this outcome; she didn’t know what would transpire if she cast the incantation, so why beat herself up over it, right? But Augatha, overcome with grief, rebukes the excuse, and explains that her error was due to her overconfidence and arrogance; she believed she had the means to control the chaos such a spell would wreak, ignoring the possible long-term consequences in exchange for the short-term efforts to seize the power she’s been craving for so long. Simply put, she realizes that chaos is her enemy, not her friend. From this time forward, Augatha declares her new ally will be Order, and that going forward, her approach towards her goal will be one of planning and patience. This way, she believes, senseless violence can be mitigated, innocents won’t become collateral damage, and not everyone in the kingdom will stand as an enemy. In a way, this perspective reflects real-world crises; we see nations around the world that have fallen into disarray because of the rise of certain people that world news media refer to as “agents of chaos”: rebels who brook no leader and adhere to no law, who’s untamable methods shake government foundations to their core and can lead to things like military coups to overthrow a sitting government and install a ruthless autocrat who subjugates the masses and effectively strips them of basic human rights, effectively creating a dictatorship or oligarchy. Augatha seems to be averse to such a government, and now swears not to let such an outcome become a reality. And with that, the Narrator takes us back to our heroes and Los Dragones Amigos… 

• Henry asks what kind of “entertainment” the three reptiles have in mind, obviously leery about the whole situation. But the three dragons seem to insist the show isn’t about bringing harm onto the good guys; they intend to kill Augatha, but need something fun to do in the meantime, which is where the heroes come in. Zyle is not convinced however, as he’s already aware that the dragons are allies of Augatha, not her enemies. But the reptiles rebuke the claim, simply stating that “things change”, and that Zyle and the others would be foolish to reject their assistance in beating Augatha. Winifred too is unconvinced, and who could blame her? Or Zyle? The common knowledge has been that these three dragons have been on Augatha’s payroll, and now our heroes are suddenly supposed to trust them? Aren’t the dragons asking for too much? But Boco dismisses the skepticism, inviting the heroes to “the studio”. Sarah asks the obvious question: “What the heck is a studio?” Dragon Springer responds by explaining “Talk Shows” to Sarah. Given that Dragon Springer parodies a certain talk show host with the first name of “Jerry”, I think I’m pretty sure of where Springer is going with this. Indeed, I’m already humored.

• And… yep. We’re looking at a medieval reptilian version of that certain talk show. We’re now on the stage set for The Dragon Springer Show, with an audience of some male dragons and some scantily dressed female dragons. Henry is unnerved by the manner of the females’ attire, and if I were there, I think I would be too. Given the parody material, these female dragons may’ve bought into the “dress like this if you want men to fall for you/this is the form that’ll spice up your bedroom acrobatics” narrative in beauty dressing advertisement.  
        
• The host of this show is the dragons' “greatest warrior”, the Five-Headed Morton Dragon Jr., whose “verbal skills” can effortlessly fell an opponent. I’m not so sure about that, but those “verbal skills” scared the literal shit out of King Krac. 

• The show gets underway as Springer introduces the Mighty Mouths of Morton Dragon Jr. Apparently, a certain writer named Kitty Smelly wrote a controversial biography on former First Lady Nancy Dreagan, which drew the ire of many conservatives, including the Mighty Mouths. The Mighty Mouths insinuate that Nancy Dreagan’s husband would be infuriated as well, as Ronald Dreagan (as I assume he’s called) was leading the charge on the War on Drugs. Besmirching Nancy Dreagan is therefore tantamount to dissing the War on Drugs, and to the Mighty Mouths, that’s an unforgivable offense. And as it is an unforgivable offense, punishment is in order. The Five-Headed Morton Dragon Jr. passes judgment with his “verbal skills” once more, this time incinerating Miss Smelly and frightening the heebie-jeebies out of Sarah, who is visibly shaken by the act of cold savagery. Miss Smelly isn’t dead, of course, but those burns are certainly permanent, and life will surely be burdensome for her going forward. 

• Welp, looks like the Taklar our dragon trio hired to take out Augatha was offered a better deal by the Sorceress herself. Obviously, Springer isn’t too pleased about that, but the game plan of “keeping the guests entertained” is still the priority until Augatha is deep-sixed. Larnath suddenly has an idea, though; first, he states that though the Blessed Child is prophesied to destroy the Dragon Council, it is not clear WHEN that’s supposed to happen. Los Dragones Amigos had worried themselves sick thinking today would be the day of their demise, thus hoping to team up with the Child until Augatha’s destruction. But Augatha’s death doesn’t seem likely anytime soon now, does it? But the Blessed Child will continue to grow in strength and ability, which begs another question; what if Zyle destroys Los Dragones Amigos in the future due to them allowing for it while focusing on Augatha? Hmmm… I think Larnath may be on to something here, as it seems the greater threat turned out to be different than what he and his brethren were led to believe…

• Larnath suggests bringing the protagonists into their Talk Show, but Springer is not convinced, citing how there is too much risk involved in this gamble. But Larnath remains unconvinced of Zyle’s abilities, pointing out that he’s only a kid and questioning his intelligence. He maintains his stance of taking the little dude out while he’s yet to achieve his potential. Springer begrudgingly decides to follow through with Larnath’s idea as the Narrator makes it clear it was against his better judgment. In so doing, the fate of Los Dragones Amigos is now sealed.

• As Springer takes the stage, Henry is immediately on the defensive, questioning why the Dragon Council’s leader would step up. Boco assures him that all will be well, and that there needn’t be any cause for alarm. Springer introduces Austin, who has fathered a child with two other lady dragons, his girlfriend Tammy and another lady dragon named Denise. This already looks fishy, on both the two impregnated dragon girls and the importance of a certain Egg that our heroes are currently searching for. Could this be a scheme to swap Eggs or something? 

• As if to answer my question, a cart is soon wheeled out carrying two eggs. Don’t know why, but the label “Hatchery” is hilarious, as if this cart was meant for an incubation lab or something. Tammy is none too pleased to see the evidence of Austin’s infidelity, and despite Denise’s claims of not being “serious” with him, Tammy rips into her and the two duke it out. Unfortunately, the melee ends with both eggs being destroyed. Both Sarah and Krac are mortified at the sight, as the two dragon femmes are so caught up in an estrogen-fueled rage brawl that they’re completely oblivious to the fact that they just mutilated their own children. Responsible parents, these two ain’t. And through it all, Pedro believes this to be living proof that dragons aren’t as far ahead on the evolution chain as he once thought; in fact, he’s starting to see dragons as beneath him. The overly obvious Pedro is complimented by the Narrator, who justifiably claims that “You can be lame and you can be right at the same time.” Which also reminds me of a quote that Matt recently showed me recently on religion, by a guy named H.L. Mencken: "Morality is doing what is right, no matter what you are told. Religion is doing what you are told, no matter what is right." It’s kinda like saying doing the right thing isn’t always the same as doing the popular thing or doing the trendsetter’s thing. Interesting stuff.

• It’s a good thing Pedro came to this conclusion now, because the Dragon Trio are about to show just how base and barbaric they really are; now it’s the heroes’ turn on the stage. Sarah refuses, knowing what’s in store, and Larnath sinisterly answers by stating she can’t even imagine just HOW gruesome things are about to get. In minutes, the heroes are put into bondage and marched on the stage while Denise mourns her shattered egg, lamenting that the father of the child actually wasn’t Austin, but another person entirely -- which just made her case a LOT more tragic. Now I’m starting to see the dark nature of this game show… yep, this trio of dragons seems to be more dangerous than I thought. 

• And it turns out I’m not alone; Sarah catches on as well once a guard dragon marches on stage and literally decapitates Denise to shut her up. This is definitely going to get gruesome, but that glare from Sarah gives me pause… she knows what’s going down, and probably has a plan at the ready…

• Henry goes on the defensive once more, ready to defend Sarah at all costs. But the Princess orders him to stand down, as she knows she and Zyle are the intended targets and the ones in true danger. Right away, Springer goes for the low blow personal feels by musing about Zyle’s incident with a tavern wench back in the Capitol of Kosram, implying that Sarah has no idea how unhinged Zyle possibly is and has bad taste in boyfriend material.

• As Zyle naturally doesn’t take kindly to such a statement, Sarah finally figures out the dragons’ ruse; none of the allegations against the show’s contestants are founded in reality. Denise’s egg carrying the child of a man other than Austin are the proof; the “allegations” are lies spread with the sole purpose of turning the contestants against each other and enraging them to the point of violence, leading to bloody brawls strictly for the entertainment of the audience. Yep, it IS literally “Dragon Springer”. And thus, Sarah calls out Springer’s bluff, and the audience is immediately soured.  

• The audience calls for a swift execution, and another Dragon rushes out with axe in-hand, immediately swinging away at Zyle. A quick dodge by the Blessed Child and the axe flies out from the Dragon’s hand. The pommel of the axe flies right into Sarah’s stomach, forcing the air out of her and causing unimaginable pain. And that’s where one Dragon in the audience would most likely wave their finger in a patronizing manner and say, “Oh no, you di-in’t.” Zyle, upon witnessing his lover so grievously harmed, immediately becomes enraged. See, that Dragon made Zyle angry, and he’s about to find out that he won’t LIKE Zyle when he’s angry…

• First off, Zyle breaks the bonds off the heroes. Sarah leaves the Dragon Council to him while she goes to find her sister, knowing full well the absolute carnage that is to follow – yeah, I wouldn’t wanna stick around for this slaughter, either… Psych! I’m reading the tale, right? And I read the Un-Comix rating: PG-13, and I’m WELL over 13 years of age.

• It doesn’t take too long before Sarah is able to find the aptly labeled hatchery, and as luck would have it, her sister’s egg is within sight and within reach! Moment of truth, now; fingers-crossed that this ain’t a setup…

• Hold that thought… cut to the OTHER highly-anticipated event. Okay, maybe “event” isn’t the right word for what’s happening back on stage with the Dragon Council. See, it REALLY wasn’t a wise idea to piss Zyle off. I hate to sound redundant, but they don’t call him the "Blessed Child" for nothing. Springer was right about Larnath’s cocky idea, unfortunately. Zyle goes full Mewtwo-Strikes-Back on the entire Council and everyone else stupid enough to hang around. His powers are so highly attuned, a simple glare is enough to magically ignite the heads of his victims into crimson explosions of blood, and the funny thing is, there is not fear among the Dragons, but fury and rage. Fury and rage at… actually, it isn’t known what they’re furious and raging at, or why they’re furious and raging. Total pandemonium, right here. And Zyle isn’t the only one dishing out the pain; Pedro deftly drops all five heads of Morton Dragon Jr. with one clean run of his blade, and Henry takes his sword right to both Larnath and Boco without mercy. I feel sorry for whoever’s on clean-up duty tonight, because there’s gonna be a LOT of dragon blood on the stage and the floors of this castle when all’s said and done. But there’s one person left… who was it again? Oh, right… Springer himself! And there’s no audience here to cheer him on, either. Good, because hearing his own screams as the last thing he experiences sounds about right for the creep at this point. And who else would be the one to finish him but Zyle himself? That axe is about to become SO symbolic in a second. Springer seems to want to at least give his last thought (or last words, I suppose), but… Zyle’s had enough of the smart-ass’s mouth at this point. One hatchet axe to the face, and Springer’s show is now officially cancelled and off the air… permanently. 

• Meanwhile, Sarah’s baby sister hatches as her egg responds to the princess’s touch. Interestingly, the infant has the tail of a lizard. But as Sarah takes her first real look at the little one, she realizes that Zyle’s done on the other end; the Dragon Council is no more and every dragon is now worm food, which means that the magic maintaining the structural integrity of the entire mountain is gonna give REALLY soon. Sarah can only carry her present cargo – her sister – nothing more and nothing less. She hurries to Zyle and the crew, and they make a beeline out of the doomed mountain palace. Their winged steeds are waiting anxiously to get the hell off of this rock, and our heroes waste no time in obliging as the mountain finally collapses. Hate to see the Dragon’s meet THIS fate as, you know, they’re already dead and all, but they DID have it coming in the end, so… yeah. What goes around comes around, right? 

• But there is someone else who’s also thinking karma… as she sees Sarah escaping with the new hatchling, Augatha is now officially in rage mode. Sarah beat her to the egg, and that can only mean that now Sarah AND her sister are Priority One on Augatha’s “Kill List”. This time, there will be NO mercy on her end, as she’s planned a most gruesome execution for Sarah and the newborn. Zyle wastes no time in leading the rest of the crew to the Invisible Kingdom, and undoes the curse of Krac’s people while doing so. Yeah. Zyle’s a boss and he KNOWS it. 
  
• Augatha and Tork immediately give chase upon their own steeds, now large, winged bat-creatures, with Fuzzy and Scuzzy tagging along as Augatha’s spiffy footwear. Neither look like they’re interested in even talking once they’ve caught up with the heroes; it’s murder and murder only, I’m guessing…

• The crew eventually land in the Kingdom of Ralla, where they are given a hero’s welcome. Fittingly, Zyle is seen as His Holiness Himself – he DID just do these people all a BIG favor, so yeah, the denizens gotta show the proper respect and all. Krac shares a hug with Winifred, who looks a bit alarmed by the sudden closeness… which makes sense, given the mutual affection both dogs have for one another. 

• However, the celebrations are cut short when the denizens of Ralla see Augatha, Fuzzy, and Scuzzy arrive on their steed. Augatha is ready to make good on the threat she made about a page and a half ago to slay Sarah, the newborn, and now the Blessed Child as well! Not gonna lie, the sorceress is COMMITTED. However, the Narrator points out something alarming: though their first order of business is to protect the baby, neither Sarah nor Zyle actually knows who the Blessed Child is. So… that means Zyle ISN’T the Blessed Child, which means this story just a LOT deeper. But first things first, Zyle steps up and prepares to face Augatha to protect his loved ones. Sarah warns him of the VERY REAL danger he faces and tries to discourage him, to no avail. Mounting his steed Gerald and manifesting a Kosram magic staff, Zyle prepares to face his enemy.

• Zyle and Augatha are locked in a battle for magical superiority, each of them giving it their all. If it weren’t for the stakes, this would be an exciting spectacle for our other heroes and the people of Ralla, but given that the stakes ARE there, everyone is on the brink of tears – there is the extremely likely probability that Zyle won’t survive the onslaught of Augatha’s magical fury, and if that comes to pass, who else is strong enough to stand against her? During the violence, Tork is hit by a stray bolt of magic and is instantly vaporized. The Narrator asks a very logical question in response: if Tork is destroyed here, then what exactly is he doing in the main series, “Gilda and Meek and the Un-Iverse?” After all, “Gilda and Meek” takes place LONG AFTER this story arc, so how did Tork survive this encounter? Or is the Tork we meet in the main series from another reality? The possibilities are endless… but in truth, I’m having so much fun with this story arc that I’m okay with arriving at the conclusion when it’s time.

• After a lot of back-and-forth with lethal magic bolts, Augatha decides that playtime is over as she steers her ride smack into Zyle’s and goes right for the jugular while hurling him into the air. Caught up in a moment of hubris, she taunts Zyle by mocking his “Blessed” status, enraging the magician as his eyes glow once more, ready to permanently obliterate the smug sorceress. Augatha is momentarily taken aback as Zyle… deals a crippling blow with a vocal auditory assault of the highest octave! This technique is called a “Banshee Scream”, which is enough to drive Augatha off a fair distance. But though she’s been temporarily defeated, there are no cheers…

• …because Zyle just took a straight dive 200 feet into the ground. Okay, so maybe Zyle ISN’T the Blessed Child after all, but the emotional impact is still there. I was NOT expecting this, gotta give kudos to Matt for breaking the truth about Zyle in such a fashion. Sarah is the first to scream out in fear at the sight and runs to the man she loved as he makes impact with Mother Earth. Tearfully, she kisses his face, and his eyes open. Sarah, with renewed hope, begs for Zyle to hold on for the medics, but Zyle responds much like Phil Coulson did in Marvel’s The Avengers by telling her that he’s clocking out here. Sarah replies like Nick Fury did, saying that’s not an option and that they have so much to talk about. However, Zyle is absolutely sure that this is where the ride ends, asking for her to promise him one last thing before he puts himself out to pasture. Sarah, now fully aware that Zyle is serious about the gravity of his injuries, starts to fall into denial of what she’s witnessing, but Zyle again begs her to promise him that one thing. Sarah finally obliges, and after fully acknowledging the spectacular woman that she is, Zyle’s last words are: “Promise me, you’ll always remember me.” Sarah acknowledges and is soon heartbroken where she realizes that Zyle is gone… like, for GOOD. But he died a hero, as Sarah sees, and she swears to not only always remember him, but to make sure everyone she knows remembers him. And it’s obviously personal between her and Augatha as well; there’s no mistaking the righteous indignation on Sarah’s face as she cradles Zyle’s broken body. Not gonna lie, I’m gonna miss the lil’ magician; his status as the president of Kosram, his loyalty to the crew and to Sarah, and his heart of gold. Godspeed, little fella… 

• Meanwhile, Augatha slowly gets to her feet. Even though she IS immortal, that doesn’t rule out the ability to feel pain, and good God, she’s in a LOT of it. Fuzzy and Scuzzy congratulate her on successfully destroying the Blessed Child, and question her on why she look so frazzled. She responds by saying how the prophecy that she would be the one to eliminate the Blessed Child was never in question, but the Child’s strength was not at all what she had anticipated, hench her unimaginable pain while Zyle barely put up any effort. As such, Augatha swears to never doubt another prophecy as long as she lives… which would mean she’ll never again doubt a prophecy, as she’s immortal. 

• Now that that order of business is over with, it’s time to check out what’s left of the mountain abode of the Dragon Council. As Augatha takes off her spiffy footwear and Fuzz and Scuzzy return to the role of full lackeys, Augatha makes it clear to herself that this time, hubris is taboo. The search for the egg and her sister has ended, and from this time forward, Augatha no longer means to exclude her sister from her agenda; she’s even betting it’s possible that her sister could be persuaded to join her. The bottom line is, Augatha won’t waste her sister unless it’s absolutely clear she can’t be turned. With this goal finalized in her mind, Augatha begins the long trek back to Dragons’ Mountain…

And that, my friends, ends the fifth installment in "The Pontue Legacy". I’m really getting a sense of finality here, especially with the role Zyle played. He virtually moved mountains to protect our other heroes and get them to where they now needed to be, and he was also a great companion for Sarah. I’m sure his sacrifice wasn’t in vain. But I am curious about his status as the Blessed Child; neither he nor Sarah knew who the Blessed Child was, so that must mean that Augatha is actually mistaken about her prophecy. The “Blessed Child” she just killed wasn’t the real one, and that means when things eventually fall apart for Augatha, it’s game over for real. But as it’s been said throughout the Un-Iverse series, prophecies are not always “prophecies” – they can be changed, given the right circumstances. All that remains now is to see how the whole saga wraps up in the final chapter of the Pontue Legacy: “Part VI – The Promise”. And since we just heard a promise at the end of this chapter, I think I have a good idea of how this final chapter might play out. Till then, ciao for now, and peace and love to you all!

Nana

--“Jason Deroga”  
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Jason Deroga's Fan Art W.I.P.s #1: Matt Zimmer's "The Pontue Legacy" (UPDATE: 9/4/2024) 🌠

Sep. 4th, 2024 10:27 am
jasonderoga86: The O.G. Lil' Hero Artist (Default)
Okay! 😁
 
After visiting my friends (staff, management crew, and our clients) at my old job yesterday afternoon, and after catching up with a BIG comics/manga/film adaptation buddy of mine (he's also the tech whiz and a top instructor in many classes I assisted), I was energized to jump back into the aforementioned fan art I'm making for Matt Zimmer as his birthday's coming at the end of this month. If you all recall, the fan art in question is a cinematic poster based on my current place in his huge epic, Gilda and Meek and the Un-Iverse -- a webcomic truly so unlike any I have ever read. I recently finished (and reviewed) the latest of the "Pontue Legacy" arc, whose premise is summed up so succinctly, yet beautifully, on each cover: "The Key to Gilda and Meek's Future Lies in the Past." 
 
Last time, I finished reading Part IV (Part 4 for those who aren't familiar with Roman numbering), titled "The Blessed Child". The title describes the character Zyle, who starts out as a seemingly bright and aspiring magician's apprentice, but by this point in the story is FAR more than he first came off to be. Soon, I'll be diving back in for "Part V - The Dragons and the Egg" -- and for what I'm showing below, looking at the cover gave me some much-needed references.
 
Those "references" I speak of are the color keys for the main cast and characters of the arc, because as I had hinted last time, this is the FIRST TIME in my history of fan art go-arounds that I'm attempting to fully color a piece. What I've posted below is the "flats" of the artwork: these are the base colors that I'll tailor the upcoming shading techniques on. It's how I shade (or "tone") all of my full-color works.
 
The shading will take some time, but at this point, it's looking like I should everything polished up and ready to go in time for Matt's B-Day. Like him, I need to do a better job on my friends' birthday's myself; of all the other things I remember like yesterday, one would think this'd be second nature by now. But I digress. We're not omniscient beings anyway, right? 🤣🤣🤣

Here's the work in progress as of now, before the upcoming shading/toning touch-ups:


The "flats" (base colors) for the "Pontue Legacy - 'Cinematic' Fan Art". 

I'll keep you all in the loop of any further updates, and peace and love to you all!
 
Nana
 
--"Jason Deroga"
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Jason Deroga's Fan Art W.I.P.s #1: Matt Zimmer's "The Pontue Legacy" Draft 🎇

Aug. 31st, 2024 01:29 pm
jasonderoga86: The O.G. Lil' Hero Artist (Default)
So, seeing as I just did two different fan art pieces for two different Comic Fury webcomics I've been following for a long time (I'll get to that in a minute), I thought I'd post a DW  journal entry detailing any future fan art I might be up to. 
 
First, I had to inform the two previous recipients of how I've been meaning to try my hand at new fan artwork for them, but as we all know, sometimes Life doesn't go the way you want it to. Not out of guilt, though. Just a means of staying in touch. The two CF comics I'm speaking of are Erin Weinstock's Iron and Steel, and Shannon Lewis's Zack Dragonblade and the Excalites. For those who need to keep their distance from CF,  Iron and Steel can be found on DeviantArt under Erin's "systemcat" username profile. Likewise, Shannon has Zack Dragonblade at DeviantArt as well, under the "ShannonthePanda" username profile. Both are great comics, and "Zack Dragonblade" in particular is very much like a blend of "'Final Fantasy' meets 'The Legend of Zelda' meets 'The Powerpuff Girls'" -- it's super cute, but NOT for the faint of heart; we're talking demons, curses, a scene of genocide by incineration, LOTS of blood in rare jump-scare moments, and even a cremation scene early into the story. 😮
 
The following are the two fan artworks I did for both Erin and Shannon, respectively.

 
  
 

 
Which leads me to my next point: Matt Zimmer's birthday arrives at the very end of next month (September 30th, I believe), and I promised him another birthday gift similar to the one I sorta hastily created last year. He gave me the go-ahead, so I decided I'd put up the "first draft sketch" of what I have in mind this time. Last year, I put together an inked sketch of both Gilda and Bernadette in my signature style for Matt's B-day as a token of friendship as well my excitement for what's in store for Gilda and Meek and the Un-Iverse, his webcomic. This year, I'm turning things up a notch and designing a sort of cinematic teaser poster based on where I currently am in the "Un-Iverse" -- it's a poster for "The Pontue Legacy", with the overall layout inspired by one of my personal favorite DC animated movie covers for the direct-to-video film Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (comparison shown below).  Below is a work-in-progress: both the sketch in question, and a customized logo I whipped together that'll be superimposed on the final piece (I'm shooting to ink this baby as I did with the first piece from year). And for the first time in my "fan art" career...  I'm aiming to dress the final work in my new and improved coloring style, first developed during the creation of the recently-released (and extremely well-received) Sneakers' U-Force #12. Hopefully I can have this ready by 9/30, so wish me luck!
 
Below are the first sketch (and its comparison to Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker's Fall 2000 teaser poster) along with my customized logo (also somewhat inspired by the admittedly vague-looking logo for the Batman Beyond film).

   

Look out for the real deal to hit Dreamwidth hopefully by this September's end!


Nana

-- "J.D."
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Jason Deroga reviews The Un-Inverse #12: "The Pontue Legacy - Part IV: The Blessed Child"! 🌟

Aug. 7th, 2024 11:26 am
jasonderoga86: The O.G. Lil' Hero Artist (Default)
What is UP, Dreamwidth Family?

At long last, I’ve completed the next part in the Un-Iverse epic that is “The Pontue Legacy”, and getting it outta the way now, I had SO many good feels reading “Part IV: The Blessed Child.” This chapter left me with an even higher respect for series creator Matt Zimmer, especially given his statements on the entertainment industry and the dark side of fandoms. Not gonna preach too much about it, let’s just jump right in, shall we?
 
The Un-Iverse #12 – The Pontue Legacy, Part IV: “The Blessed Child”  
 
• Oh, man, can you say coincidence? Reading the opening page with Zyle and Sarah promising each other’s partnership to the end while playing “True to Your Heart” by 98 Degrees w/Stevie Wonder from Disney’s Mulan soundtrack was just too perfect, especially with Zyle’s impulsive reluctance for perceivably “moving too fast”; she loves you, Zyle, and you know that can’t be bad… you should be glad! I don’t mean to invoke American politics, but Sarah’s view of Zyle’s leadership as the President of Kosram really echoes the current sacrifice of Joe Biden. Sarah refers to Zyle as the heart and soul of the movement to take the fight to Sorceress Augatha, basically calling him the hero, the Mjolnir-wielding Captain America who’ll assemble the resistance to make their stand. It just feels really fitting considering the current times and me happening to be playing “True to Your Heart” – you gotta be true to your heart, Zyle. She loves you; you can accept it now. 

 🎵True to your heart, you must be true to your heart
That's when the heavens will part
And baby, shower you with my love
Open your eyes
Your heart can tell you no lies
And when you're true to your heart
I know it's gonna lead straight to me...🎵

• Bob the Wizard was responsible for the banishment of the Dragons to the lair that now stands as the Dragon Council – damn, one human wizard single-handedly defeated an entire race of fire-breathing warriors means Bob was the shit. That takes guts from a human, magician or not. Gotta respect that. Eventually Augatha made a pact with them, but they broke the cardinal rule; they didn’t tell her they stashed the egg. And for that, well… it’s a “hell hath no fury like a woman deceived” lowdown in the works. And she’s already at the Council – our protagonists haven’t even set out yet. I believe the trope of “the shit’s gonna hit the fan” will commence in about the next two seconds it’ll take for me to scroll down to the next page, so… 
 
• Dragon Springer, well met. You wouldn’t happen to know a human from Earth-1 named Jerry, would you? Judging by your attire, I think you two would get along great! Boco, you’d fit right in with the Sesame Street crew -- but you play nice with Elmo, got it? Larnath, my man, there’s a fella from Middle-Earth named Smaug who’d jive right with you, chemistry-wise. Oh, and uh, your cousin stopping by to say hello… and goodbye. She might throw in a “burn in muthafuckin’ Hell!” too, just giving y’all a heads up. 
 
• Springer… see, Jerry from Earth-1 is known for fights breaking out on his pad, but I don’t recall him ever trying to start one. And if you know your “cousin” is a Sorceress, what exactly makes you think it’s a good idea to be lecturing her on the issue of respect? I mean, Boco and Lanarth picked up the hint that you overstepped your boundaries in one second just by doing that. Better prepare yourself, pal…
 
• See? Just like that, the ultimatum comes down. You already screwed up once by waxing pompous arrogance, Springer. You’d best hand over the goods now if you don’t want to lose your seemingly already meaningless life. The girl don’t play that, thought you’d have figured that out by now. And she’s implying it with the tried-and-true threat of intending to prove that indeed, there are many things worse than death. 
 
• Holy—okay, this is new. Los Amigos Dragones have plotted something far more sinister as a response to Augatha’s threat; they’re blackmailing her. My repsonse? I’m just gonna paraphrase to ‘em: “Let me get this straight. You think that your cousin-in-theory, the most powerful sorceress you’ve ever beheld, of whom the Un-Iverse itself is terrified due to her immense power, isn’t a problem because you truly think you have an effective bargaining chip in play that’ll keep her at play… and you seriously wanna blackmail her, now of all times? …Good luck.” Ho-hoooh, this is gonna be good. 
 
• Okay… I stand corrected on all counts. Turns out what I said before about Zyle was apparently only the tip of the iceberg. This guy isn’t just a magician’s apprentice, president, and hero – he’s the freaking namesake of this chapter of The Pontue Legacy. Dreamwidth Family, I give you… Zyle, the Blessed Child himself. And he literally is. I mean, the title card for the episode appears right afterwards, epic soundtrack by John Williams and all. And Augatha knows it, as Dragon Springer conjures an image of the other half of her soon-to-be-problem: a make-out session between Zyle and Sarah teetering on into censorship territory (we are watching a PG-rated visual comic, and Matt Zimmer is a man of standards). Sarah possesses knowledge about Pontue that if passed to Zyle will effectively Infinity Gauntlet-Snap Augatha out of existence. That’s some serious shit right there, and our Sorceress is terrified. It’s now decision time; like, split second decision time. Time to roll out the dice, deal her hand. This is one outcome she hasn’t foreseen.       
 
• BUT she remains dead set on her goal – whether Los Amigos Dragones can keep the egg hidden matters not, and if Sarah finds the egg, our lady Augatha will have the princess dead at her feet anyway. Again, “hell hath no fury like a sorceress deceived” and all. Relishing the fact that she literally just played the three angry Gigante-lizards, Augatha boastfully takes her victory lap while Los Amigos Dragones look at each other with a singular facial expression that reads, “Dude… we just got royally fawked.” 
 
• Now realizing their very lives are slated for execution, Los Amigos Dragones have no choice but to resort to Plan X – they have to kill Augatha or be killed themselves. It is time to release the Beast itself! Larnath seems most interested, judging by his sadistic grin and the fact that the mention of slaughtering Augatha just brightened his day in a nanosecond. Oh yeah, he’s gonna enjoy this.  
 
• Zyle is a man after my own heart; to borrow a line from Milo James Thatch from the animated Disney film Atlantis: The Lost Empire, when it comes time to decide on something, it doesn’t matter if it’s the smart thing – what matters is if it’s the right thing. But his Veep suddenly drops in and seems visibly unsure of the viability of his superior’s mission. Zyle responds by invoking a “failsafe servant” protocol similar to America’s process in the event a sitting President dies or is otherwise unable to effectively carry out their duties; if Zyle never returns, due to loss of contact or being killed in action, then Kosram will have the Veep serve as an interim President. The Veep will also be tasked with providing continuing support for Princess Sarah in her quest to take back the Kingdom of Finn. The VP is honored but doesn’t sugarcoat the facts; he doesn’t have full confidence in his abilities and knows next to nothing about leading a kingdom. Again, I don’t mean to mention American politics, but the situation oddly reflects the times today – Joe Biden deciding to have his VP Kamala Harris lead the Democratic Presidential Ticket for 2024 (now with her own VP pick Tim Walz at her side), putting his hope and faith in her to protect and strengthen American democracy is quite similar to the trust Zyle has placed on his VP, confident that his possible successor will find his way through the pressures of a position of leadership. It’s a neat emotional moment where I see two people who are terrified of what the future may bring, but who have also accepted that fear and have focused on having faith in each other and the world to strive towards defying the odds. It shows the kinds of emotions that run through the minds of heroes who are pushed to the brink – sometimes to an acceptance that the ultimate sacrifice may very well be necessary – when the odds are mountainous. 
 
• Oh my God, Disney nostalgia overload here! Just as our protagonists prepare for what is arguably a daunting travel prospect – a three-day trek, followed by another’s day worth of steady trek and ending with a flippin’ two day mountain hike… all on HORSEBACK, mind you – Zyle reminds us all again WHY they call him a “magician”; Nope, he didn’t say “hocus-pocus” (that would’ve been SO uncharacteristic of him, wouldn’t y’all agree?), he stylishly channels magical electricity like the BOSS he is, and transforms each and every one of our heroes’ equestrian transports into dashing Pegasus horses! Yeah, man, they goin’ to the Mountaintop in style. I’m seeing Disney’s Hercules flashbacks all over again… it’s… so overwhelming, and so… beautiful. Matt, I HAVE to express some REAL gratitude for this scene, as Hercules remains one of my favorite animated Disney flicks since elementary school (even if James Woods is a prick now). And our Princess, understandably, feels like she’s on Cloud Nine at this point with her personal Pegasus, the wind on her face, and the closeness of her sweetheart more present than ever… sigh… 
 
• At Sorceress Augatha’s campsite, however, the situation is nowhere near as optimistic… at least, as far as the two sentient footwear entities, Fuzzy and Scuzzy are concerned. Fuzzy is visibly unnerved about Augatha’s brazen confidence over coming out as the victor in the conflict ahead, and especially about just how much of a potential MacGuffin that Zyle could be, given his status as The Blessed Child. Scuzzy doesn’t wanna hear it, as his faith in his sorceress remains unshaken. Or does it? I mean, let’s hear Fuzzy out for a second; Scuzzy wants to believe that Augatha generally always comes out on top, regardless of being wrong sometimes. But Fuzzy begs to differ on that, citing that the last time Augatha was “wrong” about something, well… the sun – the light that God was said to have “turned on” on Day One of “Project: Genesis” – ceased to exist for THREE FRIGGIN' YEARS. Three years without sunlight would surely kill every living being on this planet, no joke. Fuzzy’s basically asking, “do we really wanna risk THAT again?” And y’know what? Scuzzy suddenly gets it, and he silently calls his own prideful piety into question. And just when things couldn’t get any tenser…
 
• THERE THEY ARE! The Kosram Cavalry has already arrived (yeah, having wings kinda makes things a lot easier. The power of flight is so underrated in this day and age…) Tork and Augatha are understandably surprised, but the Sorceress is still not intimidated upon laying her eyes on the Blessed Child bearing down on her. That… can’t be a good sign. Sarah and Zyle join hands, seemingly preparing for some kind of ritual, with Augatha looking on with a pair of binos that look like they could give the night-vision goggles from Jurassic Park’s SUV transports a run for the money in efficiency, given the weather conditions at the moment…  
 
• Winifred and Krac are psyched up and ready to join the others, but not before… oh, come on, Winifred. You KNOW you wanted to get in a little lip-locking with him. Don’t lie to us, you wanted that. You trying to give the princess some attitude on that? Lady, Sarah knows a romantic moment when she sees one. You saw her plant a nice one on Zyle lips right at the beginning of this chapter! There’s no shame on being open about your infatuation with your beau here. S’all good.
 
• Zyle says that to enter the mountain ahead, the earthly construct demands an offering: the blood of either a Magician or a Sorceress. He offers his own blood, which triggers an opening awash with heavenly light. Opening another door with Zyle’s blood leads our intrepid protagonists… right into the mitts of Los Amigos Dragones! Sarah politely requests the egg she’s been questing for, but the three reptilian giants say that’s to be decided later as there are more pressing issues to discuss. King Krac is already leery, judging by the sinister glares from the dragon buddies that this is NOT going to be a friendly meet-and-greet. Dragon Springer, glad that he has his guests right where he wants them, narrows his eyes and grins menacingly as he assures them they aren’t here for serve as sustenance for the three dragons’ bellies, but rather “entertainment”… Oh, God. If he’s thinking about enacting his version of “The Jerry Springer Show”, then I’m gonna say right now that in the Un-Iverse, that very thought has me scared as hell. And that… is where the cliffhanger ending is capped! Matt, you tease me so! Seriously, though, this is looking pretttyyy bad for the good guys. And while all this is going down, who’s holding back Sorceress Augatha? Damn, it’s ‘bout to get real bad, real soon. 
 
I gotta give props to Matt for this chapter in terms of emotions. The previous episode had a lot of powerful optimistic feels to it, and the moment between Zyle and Sarah were not only cute, but also real and human. I saw a lot of realism during those scenes, and for Gilda And Meek and The Un-Iverse, I always see that as one of this series’ strengths. Being to look at the past episodes from a more personal lens and not solely political ones (which, looking back, I think were mainly because the political climate in America prior to the rise of the newly christened Harris-Walz campaign dragged me to an alarming low, mentally speaking) has also made me really appreciate the work as something that is for all intents and purposes a story, first and foremost. I remember back in high school that my first “brooding superhero” comic “The Viper” was mainly politically charged (it was originally written to remind people of how America screwed up in Vietnam and as a voice to protest the calls for invading Iraq, given the known savagery of war and how it guarantees nothing both death and grief), but over time, I saw that writing it as a story first and ditching the anti-war tropes was a better idea. My series Sneakers’ U-Force is broader, focusing on awareness about the continued downplaying of the climate crisis and its very REAL consequences, and Lil’ Hero Artists turned out to basically become my personal expression on what it truly means to be an artist on my terms. It really shows how “writing from the heart” rather than writing “what sells” or “what the market wants” is what makes for successful series like Gilda and Meek and my own personal works. I have a whole new level of respect for Matt now, especially since he’s one of the few people out there who know how “the fans” actually DON’T know what’s best for mainstream IPs. Fans ARE the industry’s worst enemy in that regard, full stop.
 
Anyway, I’ll see you all again in the hopefully near future with a review for the next chapter in this arguably high-stakes saga in The Un-Iverse #13 – The Pontue Legacy, Part V: “The Dragons and the Egg!”
 
Peace and love to y’all!
 
Nana
 
--J.D.
 
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The time has finally freaking COME! Saturday, I plan to return to the Un-Iverse. 😁

Jul. 26th, 2024 02:44 pm
jasonderoga86: The O.G. Lil' Hero Artist (Default)
To my good friend Matt Zimmer, fear no more. Today I've been invited to a hangout with some friends, hopefully we'll be able to catch a screening for Deadpool and Wolverine, which just opened today. Super excited! 

But Saturday, at long last, I mean to return to the Un-Iverse -- Gilda and Meek and the Un-Iverse, that is. A reading of "The Pontue Legacy, Part IV: The Blessed Child" is in order after many personal setbacks. It's gonna feel real good reviewing Gilda and Meek again, especially given how Part III had brought me out of a real downer of a life situation. 

Haven't forgotten about you, Matt! It's gonna be a blast, I just know it! 😁
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Jason Deroga Reviews Gilda and Meek #11: "The Pontue Legacy - Part III" 🌟

May. 28th, 2024 07:15 pm
jasonderoga86: The O.G. Lil' Hero Artist (Default)
Hey DW pals, Jason here. 

So, I finally wrapped up the third part of Matt Zimmer's Gilda and Meek and the Un-Inverse's epic arc, "The Pontue Legacy". Before I begin though, I'd like to say a few words on this episode. 

I was in a very sad place after the news about my high school's Class of 2024 Graduation Commencement Celebration. I never thought such a tragic thing would befall my alma mater, especially given my experience there. There was only one time in my high school where I generally feared for my life, but there was someone looking out for me who got me home safely. I'm grateful to have gotten my diploma in spite of that one incident, and my fond memories of my time at high school far eclipse the anger I felt upon hearing the news about what happened.

I was dinged on social media for posting a message on my high school's Class of 2005 page calling for thoughts and solidarity to support and help the new graduates, their families, the staff, and the two victims. I was initially enraged, as I thought Facebook was taking my post out of context. But rather than fight with the admins, I choose to acquiesce and accept the removal of my post. It's been only two weeks since my current mental health situation forced me to resign from my third job -- undoubtedly the best job I have ever had -- and to obsess over this would not be good for my road to recovery. I've carried such a burden, so much emotional baggage that just thinking about this injustice and the state of things in America literally gave me a throbbing headache. Right now, that's the last thing I need. 

So, after I cooled off, I decided to finish up the remaining few pages of Gilda and Meek, since last time I spent four hours reading and journaling my thoughts into the review you'll see below. And upon finishing the episode, I felt a sense of calm -- this was a feeling I haven't had for nearly a year, given what I've been through. In that moment, I returned to the Serenity Prayer I re-discovered in 2022, and decided to just appreciate where I am now, what I've accomplished, what I've learned, and reflecting on the lives I helped to make just a bit better. As a result, I can allow myself to once again let go of my ruminations on the world's problems and focus on what's best for myself at the moment. I told Matt about this positive reaction near the end of my writing the review, so you could say this is also a thank you to him for being one of the rocks I hold onto in life. Thanks, Matt. You are awesome. 

And without further ado, here we go... 

Gilda and Meek and the Un-Iverse #11: "The Pontue Legacy - Part III: The Magician and the Swordman" Review


⦁ Well, Henry's starting off his swordfight with Pedro/Inigo with a meme statement, plus the obligatory menacing, P.O.ed face. Memories of that meme being used in reference (and origin) during The Super Mario Bros. Movie wisped through my mind for a moment. But now, once more unto the breach... oh, and Henry's out-bladed by one, btw. Dual-wielding swordsmen are not to be trifled with, as Henry soon finds out for himself. Outmatched and outclassed, the advantage is Pedro's, and it's game, set, and... 

⦁ Princess Sarah thought showing up at the opportune moment to play referee would make Pedro yield to royalty, but the dashing monocle-sporting master of blades states that his allegiance is to no one. A regular Aragorn, a lone ranger. Love it. But then we're informed that Pedro's beef ain't with the princess, it's with Sorceress Augatha. He's the last of Pontue's elite guard, who witnessed her murder at the hands of Augatha, the latter procuring the Dark Idol of the Gragnocks. The whole "stand and deliver" deal with the bridge is to prevent any of Augatha's crew from reaching the Dragon's Council. Have to say that's pretty tragic, not only being the last of your kind but also having seen your liege slain in cold blood right before your eyes, topped by the assassin becoming the inheritor of an omen. Being alone and guarding a bridge in the netherlands of your kingdom would probably invite misery, then delusions...

⦁ Pedro once again expresses the gravity of the situation; with Mistress Pontue and the Knights of Pontue extinguished, failure to put an end to Augatha's agenda pretty much means the End Times are coming. Overcome with emotion and at Princess Sarah's request, Pedro fills the crew -- and we, the readers -- in on the whole shebang: he and the Kingdom's citizens were on the lookout for a sacred realm that Pontue claimed would be the only sanctuary left once Augatha fulfills her agenda of laying waste to the entire planet. The Sancturary -- the "paradise" Pedro menacingly invoked at the cliffhanger of the previous episode -- is known as Piranhnala. It's described as Heaven on Earth, and for good reason; for one thing, aside from the obvious beauty and wealth, these folks got advanced magic. They call it... technology. Oh, yeah -- this is definitely Heaven on Earth all right. The only question I have is, just how advanced is their tech? Are we talking techno-kinesis, or even technomancy? The possibilities are endless... and, of course, fish have made this wonderland their crib. And, according to Winifred's mother, this sanctuary does indeed exist.

⦁ Pedro joins the party, equipped with his dual blades, Henry with his single blade, and Sarah and her canine escorts are now under the protection of both swordsmen as they head for the Dragon's Council. The first order of business, of course, is to find the magician known as Agnor, who was mentioned in the previous episode. Makes sense; Agnor is a magician, and the Crew will need all the extra aces in the hole they can get for what they're up against. However, Sarah knows that Agnor won't exactly be giving her the "Pumbaa gravel at Her Majesty's feet" when they meet the magician. She and Agnor have a history involving a student of his, which cost him something so near and dear to him, and apparently irreplaceable. And for that, Agnor holds quite a grudge against Sarah that has yet to be quelled. Sounds deep. Sarah proceeds to bring up the slideshow to explain it all...

⦁ Flashback time! Three years ago a procession from the Capitol of Korsam arrives at the welcoming gate of the Kingdom of Finn. The honored guests are Agnor and his apprentice. An interesting fact about Korsam is that it isn't a monarchy; there are no coronations, crowns, or thrones. Nope, this is a democratic kingdom, playas. The people of Korsam elect their president, who just happens to be Agnor himself. Agnor's remark about Henry's skin complexion drew a slight chuckle from me. For the uninitiated, a diverse kingdom is a JUST kingdom. 

⦁ And now we're introduced to the yet-unnamed apprentice of Agnor, and he's not too fond of the kid. He's Zyle, and he's a regular heartthrob nobody can will themselves to despise at first glance. Unfortunately, that's one type of magic that Agnor is NOT skilled in. Zyle owns a confidant in his teddy, Gerf. And don't be fooled; Zyle may be the dashing hero, but man alive does he LOVE that teddy. And Gerf is a living being to boot. Sarah makes an interesting remark about that quality, to create life from nothingness. As a self-taught artist, that's something I believe truly defines the magic of art, of creation. Many world religions speak of an omnipotent, almighty entity (God, Allah, Krishna, etc.) responsible for bringing the universe into being. That aspect, creating something from nothing, is the connection between human and metahuman/entity/higher power. Both beings share that ability, just in different literal shares. Humankind can't create other living humans of their own will (unless reproduction is considered), but the ability to make images of any shape, sometimes in sequence, is still an act of creation by that human, and thus creation is a common ability for both humans and higher beings in that regard. That's a nice little "soul statement" from the princess, and it reminds me of why I do what I do in art. 
  
⦁ Well, well... though it's obvious that Princess Sarah has the hots for Zyle, the young apprentice seems a bit... reserved. He admits that he finds our princess here at a 10 our of 10 on the "Damn, is she HOT or WHAT?" scale, but he's also wary of the stereotypical "If the Princess's dad catches me getting intimate with her, which could very well happen REALLY soon, I'm most certainly a dead man" response, so he holds his admiration back. I can sympathize with him in a way, since the kingdom doesn't think too highly of King Farrell, and also... well, Sarah's a princess. That's pretty concerning territory on which one would be wise to tread lightly on. Also, Zyle has respect for Winifred despite her station as a servant, and stands with Sarah for having the pup join in on getting their cake-grubbin' on. I gotta say, Winifred obviously commands a certain level of respect for someone of her position, which does remind me of many story tropes involving the protagonist finding great worth in a character that, at first glance, would seem like a throwaway or just a lowly plot device to advance a story. 

⦁ Zyle's statement about his liege being super conservative despite leading a democratic kingdom reminds me of a conversation with another webcomic artist about a crucial theme in his story, covering looking past someone's appearance and into their hearts. I'll explain how:

⦁ The protagonist in this story, titled "Good Words with Sako", is a young Japanese girl named Sako Fujita who falls victim to a horrible tragedy that inadvertently turns her into a large, humanoid Stegosaurus. Though her appearance turns off nearly everyone else in the fictional city of Margoda, Sako finds respite through a webshow in which she shares messages about the goodness in people, forgiveness, and even failure and disappointment from seemingly dead dreams. I gravitated to this comic during a point in my life last summer when I had been questioning if I was being my true self or keeping up appearances just to feel tolerated in my family. Recently I was able to reclaim my identity, but it was by no means easy to reach that point. Anyway, Sako soon finds a boy who works at her local manga bookshop, Zan Sudo. Over time, Sako develops very strong feelings for Zan, but she's dismayed at the fact that Zan already had a girlfriend, and she was currently a literal humanoid dinosaur who society would surely mock for romanticizing about a human. However, it is soon revealed that Zan's girlfriend got drugged by a bullish dude at a party and shared explicit photos of herself and this guy having sexual relations on the internet. When Zan found out, he was heartbroken. At the same time, he had also developed feelings for Sako, refusing to judge her by her scaly appearance, but by the general goodness of her heart through her messages on her webshow. Eventually things got to a head and Zan met with his remorseful girlfriend to voice his pain. And though his girl tried to patch things up and start over, Zan had had enough. He declared he was now in love with Sako, and formally broke up with his former beau. The relationship between Zan and Sako grew up to a moment at a dance party where Sako accidentally bumped her spiky Stegosaurus tail into another woman on the floor, who proceeded to berate the dino-girl for being so careless. Zan hurried to Sako's defense, basically telling the woman to piss off since Sako didn't hit her intentionally. But the damage was already done; Sako fell into a self-pity, hating that this was what she was now. Zan later cheered her up by asking for one last dance, to which Sako reluctantly agreed. Turns out that Zan asked for that dance to prove to Sako -- and the whole crowd -- how he felt about her by embracing her and slowly leaning into a kiss that took Sako by surprise, which then turned to reciprocated love as she too fell into the kiss. At that point, Zan had considered Sako his girlfriend, refusing to judge her by her appearance. Sako happily accepted that notion, and the two were happy for a time. 

⦁ But Zyle mentioning "super conservative" in a democratic concept reminded me of how Zan's father took the news. Mr. Sudo and Zan never saw eye to eye on anything, with Mr. Sudo having become even more bitter since the passing of his wife/Zan's mother. He wasn't at all happy with his son dating a dinosaur. Zan retorted that he wasn't in love with her for her appearance, but for her good heart and soul. Mr. Sudo shut down that point by doubling down on the fact that Sako was not human, despite acknowledging the unfortunate circumstances of her current state. Plus, he was concerned about the effect Zan and Sako's pairing would have on his business partners and interests to provide fot himself and his son. He then gave Zan an ultimatum: break up with Sako or be cut off from all family inheritance. Zan chose Sako, and vehemently disowned his dad in a show of raw contempt. 

⦁ It was at this point that I left a comment lambasting Mr. Sudo for being so cold-hearted and willing to even cut his own son out of the family will for dating someone who wasn't human, especially in the interests of keeping up appearances with his business partners. I sarcastically labeled him a "conservative" who was afraid of change. The artist, who goes by the username "KaijuKid" (he's a major Godzilla fan), replied to my comment the following day gently telling me that I should hold back on the harsh comment on grounds of conservatism -- KaijuKid himself hold some conservative values too, but not at the expense of alienating open-mindedness. He also added that Mr. Sudo's actions weren't to drive his son away from his new, scaly girlfriend out of scorn; he was masking his real concern for how society would reject Zan for dating a dinosaur girl. Yes, his approach was harsh, but not in the interest of "conservatism". He was truly concerned about how Zan would likely be targeted by hate groups and paparazzi hack writers. I think my response was due to the divide I had with my own dad, which had reached its peak last summer, and I felt like I was seeing my own father in Zan's father; not allowing for me to follow my dreams and instead forcing myself to be a bookworm so my dad could our extended family and friends a son he could be proud of. Now, while that doesn't excuse MY dad's actions as they were purely for his own pride, Mr. Sudo was looking out for his son's safety. And soon after Zan abandoned and moved in with Sako, Mr. Sudo arrived to finally tell his son that he was okay with Sako being his girl, on some temporary conditions until Zan would be able to fully provide for himself and Sako. He was also touched prior to this by hearing Sako's case in a personal meeting. In the end, Both Sudos and Sako were content, though there were other, graver things happening in Margoda that threatened only them, but many others in their circle of friends. I haven't caught up in a while, but I can certainly say that the stakes saw a huge spike in a VERY short amount of time.
 
⦁ So that, along with Zyle's "conservative" father leading through being elected leader of his kingdom via democratic means reminded me of how rigid my own views of conservatism were, mainly due to how Republican politicians had basically rewritten the definition of such into an extremist agenda championed White men who profited from growing up in the Jim Crow and saw an opportunity to recreate that style of "government" for the modern age. But that isn't conservatism. I interpret that term from a non-political standpoint, one that believes in holding some societal norms in place in the interest of a peaceful existence; things like declaring murder is wrong, that the proliferation of hatred coupled with that of unrestrained violence can and will destroy society, the rule of law and mutual respect for each other regardless of personal views -- basically the Golden Rule. These days people worldwide are renouncing that simple concept and replacing it with complicated "power dynamics" that don't maintain a society, but fracture and eventually destroy it. Unfortunately in America, there's a lot of that kind of rebellious vigor that is considered conservatism today, and it spreads a bad message about REAL conservatives not affiliated with politics, as it had with me. BUUUUT anyway, ahem. Okay, moving on...

⦁ Using a clever (and loud and messy) diversionary tactic, Sarah, Zyle, and Winifred score BIG on the cakes. It may've been a bit noisy and disorganized, but hey, it worked. And isn't that what's most important? Of course, they gotta keep their plan unnoticed by King Farrell and Magician Agnor, lest they pick up the act. All the while, Sarah becomes more open about her attraction to Zyle, to the point of the ol' touching-your-crush's-hand during a moment that couldn't be more romantically fitting before Gerf decides to literally break the silence. Kinda reminds me of that girl from 11th grade, Nina; aside from her flirtatious remark about the similarity between our names and slyly asking about what our kid's prospective name could be, there was a moment -- during Valentine's Day of all days -- where I ran across her and two of her friends during the passing period between classes. She advanced towards me with arms wide for an embrace, which I nervously gave into while greeting her by name, which really lit her eyes up as she acknowledged that yes, I remembered her name. Her friends wished me a happy Valentine's Day while Nina smiled fondly. That whole thing was so sudden that it took me completely off guard, leading to me somewhat absentmindedly welcoming her hug. I'm an introvert and really shy, especially around women. Even if a girl walks up to me and tells me that I look "cute", I usually either pretend not to have heard them or acknowledging it sheepishly. Yep, I got next to NO experience if a girl is close by and wants to strike up a conversation, whether I'm attracted to them or not. I'm not sure why. Mysteries of my life, heh... 

⦁ Lady Heather, Princess Sarah's monotonous cousin, doesn't approve of Zyle. Like, at ALL. Never mind that she sees his father's kingdom as FAR beneath hers, but by that virtue she dubs Zyle as likable as a dumpster truck. Zyle retorts by telling Heather that she has the literal ODOR of a dumpster truck. Heather declares Zyle to be sent to the guillotine for such a smart-alecky quip, but it turns out that she in fact DOES reek of an odor, but instead of a dumpster truck as I had earlier imagined, it was rather that she didn't know where she was sitting; turns out that the seat of her chair wasn't a cushion, but rather something that a bear had done -- the bear in question being the stuffed teddy, Gerf. Apparently housekeeping forgot to clean that up. Damn, that MUST have been totally humiliating. 

⦁ Later on, my "foresight of the stereotypical" begin to come to pass, with King Farrell not thinking to highly of Zyle in terms of status; Agnor is a powerful magician, but where he comes from apprentices apparently aren't worth jack. They're essentially guinea pigs exploited for the most optimal use by Kosram's leadership, regardless of government by democracy. King Farrell responds with even more proof of my "foresight" by stating a person of such lowly status such as Zyle is NOT what he considers monarch material, discouraging Sarah from seeing him. When he invokes his wife/Sarah's mother, the princess remains unmoved as well as offended that the King would even go that far. Daddy states that Agnor is already preparing to send Zyle on his way anyway, so it's already a done deal, and tells Sarah to give her parting ways speech and to make it fast. Oh, and Farrell has seen to it that our two lovebirds will be permanenty separated. As in, forever. 

⦁ In a fit of frustration and rage, Sarah rage-slams the nearby door, clearly ready to blow like a Hawaiian volcano. Zyle just happens to be nearby, and is already jerky at the sudden explosion of a scorned woman on a hellish warptah. Almost instantly upon seeing him, Sarah goes from "there's gonna be HELL to pay now!" to "Ohmygod-he's-right-here-and-I...I...come here, you fine little guy!" and locks lips, momentarily wowing Zyle. But then he quickly collapses into a self-conscious panic attack, in disbelief that Sarah would even find kissing him something even remotely considerable. But though Sarah begs to differ on those grounds, she has to keep it real with Zyle: as the heir to the throne, Sarah's royal obligations take all precedence over other matters -- even matters of the heart. Plus, there's also the issue of her cousin; if Sarah abdicates the throne to Heather, well... she'd effectively King Farrell seems like the late Queen Elizabeth II. And Sarah says this with veritable fear in her eyes and in her voice. Unfortunately, she and Zyle can never be. 

⦁ Angor's unique enchantment, the Whahuma Talisman, stands ready for use to end the Kingdom of Finn's catastrophic drought dilemna (too many fond memories of a dinner hosted by Barack Obama and a well-known Black comedian who commented on California's predicament at the time: "Hey, if y'all haven't noticed, California is BONE DRY. It's like Mad Max up in here!" Too bad I can't remember the dude's name, but he had a perpetual fury-eyed glower that I can't believe Obama didn't flinch at...). I'm reminded of a recent plot device in my own comic book series Sneakers' U-Force in the form of an ancient relic called the Eco-Scepter, which has the ability to manipulate the weather for better or worse for two full hours of beautiful bliss or Hell on Earth. But that's just for two hours. The Whahuma Talisman here? This baby can change not only the weather, but the very fabric of reality. That's GODLY power there, folks. You do NOT want that in the wrong hands. The king mentions a disaster of apocalyptic proportions were this artifact to fall into the hands of Sorceress Augatha, but Agnor slighty rebukes that statement on the grounds that Augatha does not believe in domination through "video game cheat codes" -- Augatha a sorceress of standards, and will do things by the book. Better to earn your right as Goddess of the Cosmos than to just buy an Infinity Gauntlet complete with all six Infinity Stones off of Amazon and do your thing once it arrives on your porch and you unbox it. Where's the feeling of victory, of ACCOMPLISHMENT in that?

⦁ Farrell questions Agnor's view on the use of the Whahuma Talisman for his own ends if he so desired. Turns out Agnor doesn't like using cheat codes either; he too believes in using the power to warp the space-time continuum with a level of restraint and formality. He will never go out of his way to just snap his fingers and all that was shall cease to be; like Thanos from the Avengers fame, Agnor would rather work his way there and earn his victory. I gotta respect both Agnor and Augatha on at least those grounds; even with my own comics, I had to learn to really enjoy the process of making each page rather than to rush through them to make self-imposed deadlines in the interest of maintaining update schedules, especially given that I'm not charging money to view the work (I could've chosen to do it that way on GlobalComix.com, but that would be a losing battle against the likes of Image Comics, Oni Press, and Antarctic Press, which have acquired FAR MORE exposure than I could hope to build in such a short amount of time... plus, it's just not my M.O.). The feeling of accomplishment after doing things that way is seldom matched by any other euphoria I experience in life. 

⦁ Eventually a mysterious figure sneaks into the King's study and steals the Talisman, then makes a break right though a nearby window. Upon discovering the theft of the artifact, both King Farrell and Agnor order Winifred to use her canine senses to identify the culprit. Unfortunately, Winifred loses the scent just quickly as she had picked it up, prompting the two angry old men into a fit of serious animal cruetly towards the helpless servant. Naturally, Winifred, having just been on the receiving end of the " Screw 'never kick your dog, not even if your upset with it', this mutt needs to learn some RESPECT" plus a dose of domestic violence seeing as she is a female and this is King Farrell's Crib, breaks down into tears and makes herself scarce, with Henry looking on in horror at the sight of what just transpired. The two men immediately committ to retrieving the Talisman as they know that whoever owns it now has frickin' REALITY at risk, with Farrell promising full compensation in wealth to Agnor in the event the Talisman is forever lost. BUT... well, the Narrator doesn't dub Agnor a douchebag for nothing. In his mind, the only thing that's worth mentally salivating for is just how much bank he could be potentially be rolling in. They say that "the love of money is the root of all evil", and Agnor looks like he wants to maintain the veritability of that adage.

⦁ Winifred suddenly recalls the scent of the thief as she meets up with Sarah and Zyle, who were having a fond moment. The canine, whose nose has never led her astray reveals the identity of the culprit... as Zyle himself! Sarah immediately gives a stark rebuttal, stating that if that were the case, then Zyle would've already taken the Talisman for himself back in Korsam. Zyle adds that he's never even been in the King's study to begin with, so what the hell with the Sherlock Holmes "A-HA!" spiel?

⦁ Winifred recalls the little "whoppie cushion prank" with Gerf's little deposit after ingest some of those decadent cakes to prove her point. And to Sarah and Zyle's surprise, the menacing teddy looks at them with a face that while completely vacant, is also completely telling. Gerf is one who procured the Whahuma Talisman, displaying a sudden example of intelligence the whole crew is almost floored by upon witnessing it. Turns out he was summoned from the Whahuma Plain by Zyle at the age of three, but simply bided his time for a dozen years before making his big play. Seems like he's also trying to rewrite history by stealing the Talisman with the intent of surpassing Zyle's supposed magical prowess. And when Zyle, and shock and sadness, asks why Gerf would do such a thing (while Sarah poses the "why didn't you just steal it back in Kosram" question to Gerf as well), Gerf lays it out, plain and simple: the intent to sow as much of a false sense of friendship and trust as he could before taking an axe and finally cutting through it all just to enjoy the resulting wound bleed out dry. Simpler still: it was for pure sadistic pleasure. Now that the work is done, it's time for Gerf to make his Exit, Stage Left.

⦁ But Gerf doesn't really just how deadly STUPID making that statement, as Zyle's eyes go bloodshot, and his dormant magical abilities go in into overdrive; the proverbial "it's over 9000!!!" act has just begun. He gives Gerf a taste of that raw power, channeling his pain at this deliberate betrayal in a focus beam of enegry with the intent to literally INCINERATE this cocky piece of pompous fluff... only for Gerf to survive completely unscathed and unsinged, restating his intentions mattor-of-factly, and bounces by teleporting away. Wow. God...DAMN, just... I need a moment, guys. Hold on...

⦁ As Zyle returns to a sense of calm, collected sanity, Winifred reiterates Sarah's feelings toward him: "What'd I tell ya, huh? HUH? He's SOOOO HOT! You really got GREAT taste, girl!" Zyle, who is not at ALL flattered, chastises the canine for absentmindedly calling him out as the thief, to which she remorsefully apologizes. Zyle admits that he himself is also remorseful for putting his faith in a companion who had totally owned him at the eleventh hour, and that he's devasted that he so easily allowed this new evil to ascend to unholy heights. But at the same time, Agnor is also well aware of Gerf's stunt... and he's beyond pissed. Now it's HIS turn to go full rage-mode. And rage-mode he does indeed, viciously brutalizing Zyle, Sarah, AND Winifred ALL AT ONCE. You don't fuck with a magician. Uh-uh, that's a line you NEVER cross. 

⦁ But somebody benefited from Agnor crossing that line, and that person is Sarah herself. Having provoked Agnor into rage-mode, now the ball's in HER court as Agnor realizes he just beat the heir to the throne of Finn to within an inch of her life. And he's well aware of what happens when you fuck with the crowned PRINCESS. Agnor tries to counter her threat by reassuring her that the King will never get word of act of child abuse (okay, not CHILD abuse, but you get my point, right?). But Sarah doubles down that King Farrell will indeed hear about this... unless Agnor agrees to some really humiliating terms in exchange Sarah's mercy, and by extension, that of King Farrell. Agnor, having been soundly outwitted and outplayed by a young princess who knows wassup, has no choice but to bow to Sarah's demands, but not without a really big grudge. And if that wasn't painful enough, when Agnor tells Zyle to pack up as they make haste back to Korsam, Zyle drops another bomb: He's going back to Korsam, all right. But he ain't going with Teach here, citing not only his disdain for being Agnor's apprentice but also the fact that magic-wise, Agnor is FAR beneath him, to the point of insignificance. In a surprise move to prove his point, it is revealed that Zyle is also apparently trained the Dark Side of the Force, as he uses the popular Sith ability to telekinetically choke Agnor to within an inch of HIS life. At that point, Agnor takes the hint and is ghost in seconds.

⦁ Sarah appeals to Zyle to stay with her in the Kingdom of Finn, but Zyle sadly echoes her statement of lineage in the family having to be put before all else; in two years' time, Zyle will reach the age of 17, at which point he'll be able to run for the Korsam presidency -- and as far as the election is concerns, Zyle intends to win in a landslide victory. Sarah offers an embrace as her sign of coming to an understanding, and the next day, Zyle takes up a horse offered by Sarah to travel back to Korsam with. Interesingly enough, he adopts the name "Gerald" to his new steed -- the same name as that of his father, whom he's not ready to tell stories about yet. And with a promise that he guarantees their paths will cross again, Zyle bids Sarah farewell and takes his leave, with the set piece of the obligatory sunset via green screen rolling for the final time before the director calls it a day and the cameramen shut off their equipment.

⦁ With their work laid out, the crew takes the road through an unholy place known as The Valley of the Running Noses. Didn't know that name was a literal one, but all the same, I'd be terrified if I ran into one of its inhabitants. It's been my experience that any creature out of the ordinary by any standards is not one to be trifled with. It also turns out that Pedro wasn't using his full skills in swordsmanship as he's actually taken a liking to Henry. Not gonna lie, that turned out pretty nice. After all, three swords are way better than one. As for the ladies, Sarah is due for some amusement after everything that's gone down. Escapism IS a valid pastime, nobody wants to mull on how the world often sucks ALL the time, now. The ferocity of the natives in the Valley still scares me, though. Seriously, their persistence is... ahem. Looks like we got away from 'em, so on we go!

⦁ Upon arriving at the Citadel of Korsam, the defenses are up and guards at the ready to deter any suspicious travelers. However, Sarah's royal swagger is enough for them to yield. "Queen of Finn" DOES carry A LOT of weight -- that's power right there, people. Genuflect for sure. Inside, it is clear that Agnor has spruced up the Citadel to a level comparable only to the likes of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. He's in the money, yup. All that's missing is the Hand of Midas, and maybe the Crown Jewels. But then again, we already have a Queen in the house here, so maybe we'll just keep the Hand. Don't wanna be redundant. 

⦁ Upon entering the castle, a VERY FAMILIAR face awaits at the Front Desk, asking if our crew here is on any kind of business here. Naturally, "Queen" Sarah requests a word with Agnor. To her shock however, it is revealed that Agnor became one with the Force six weeks ago, and isn't The Man anymore. But before Sarah can grieve or panic about who 's in charge now, her shock turns to joy as we meet the new Magician in charge... I guess dreams do come true after all, 'cuz the new head honcho is none other than our boi Zyle! Bust out the party hats and pump the music up, y'all! A celebration is in order!

And that, my friends, is where Part III of The Pontue Legacy comes to a surprisingly "happy" cliffhanger. Things are looking bright, our fair pair are finally one again. I agree with Matt on the reunion; Sarah and Zyle embracing at the end just really ties the bow on the feeling of a connection yearned for so long, and I do love Zyle's grin -- it pretty much says, "Man, Sarah here has NO idea how long it's been since I felt this close. Dreams do come true, so I'm just gonna put our mission, the egg, Augatha, all of that outta my mind and just take a moment to enjoy this." Which is fitting for me as well, since I've been able to focus on my health after resigning from my job. I received my last couple of checks, and after speaking with management to once again thank them for the opportunity to serve our clients, I can rest easy knowing no bridges were burned and that I am free to drop by and visit anytime. Despite the awfulness of current events in the country and around the world, I'll do like Zyle did here and just take some time to appreciate where I am right now; I have a place to live, a roof over my head, the company of the best mother a guy could ever ask for, and the living proof of my accomplishments in the five graphic novels sitting right next to this laptop. It's human nature to want to be happy, and right now I'm able to do so. 

I'll see you all once I've read the next chapter in the Pontue Legacy arc, "Part IV - The Blessed Child"! Judging by the name, I'm sure many surprises are in store, possibly beyond what I'm expecting! 

Peace and love to you all,

Nana  

--J.D.
 
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Reading-in-Progress: Gilda And Meek #10 - The Pontue Legacy, Part II

May. 5th, 2024 06:21 pm
jasonderoga86: The O.G. Lil' Hero Artist (Default)
Currently reading Matt Zimmer's Gilda and Meek and the Un-Iverse #10: "The Pontue Legacy - Part II: The Invisible Kingdom. Review is in progress; I hope to have it finished soon. So far, so good. I'm seeing quite a few interesting themes being explored here, and the Arthurian medieval setting is a nice touch for the subject matter.
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Jason Deroga's Feedback - Gilda And Meek #4, "The Woman in Sunglasses"

Aug. 9th, 2023 09:26 am
jasonderoga86: The O.G. Lil' Hero Artist (Default)
Hey all, I'm back with another review for Matt Zimmer's Gilda And Meek and the Un-Iverse on both Comic Fury and BlogSpot! This time, I'm covering Issue #4, where things are starting to get spicy. we learn a little more about Gilda's personality and past, and I'll go on the record and say that the character Bernadette has such admirable morals even the most grown of some people (looking at you, GOP politicians and CEO moguls) lack these days, and I firmly believe that's saying something. So, I present you this, my review to Matt, verbatim: 

Hey Matt! 

Just read another issue of Gilda And Meek! This one was quite a doozy, full of both humor and drama. In this issue, though, the drama was far more poignant. Some pretty deep themes were explored, which is why I believe this epic follows some of the animated movies which look cute on the outside, but actually address very serious stuff -- like death, sacrificing the thing one wants the most, and accepting reality with the love of friends by one's side. The OCD issue with Gilda was also well-implemented, and on a more personal note, something I seriously struggled with when I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder in high school. Anyway, without further ado...

Gilda And Meek #4: "The Woman In Sunglasses"

I'm starting to really like Bernadette's character. How I wish that there were more people -- especially kids in this generation -- with her perspective. And her delivering the roundhouse to Dr. Smog's face just makes me like her more. She's like the perfect child character for fiction, or even sitcoms. 

This episode clearly demonstrates your status as a Partisan Democrat, full stop. It's really funny how Mayor Vic Puff is a Republican -- he represents everything modern Republicans preach and encourage. I do see a lot of right-wing attitude in Eddie, and I gotta ask: is he a womanizer, or some kind of misogynist? I know Vic Puff pretty much is, but he's blatant with it. Eddie, I'm not so sure. That's just speculation on my part. 

What really got me, though, was the moment that Bernadette was forced to grow up much faster than she needed to. At her age and with her beliefs, taking a life obviously went against EVERYTHING she stood for. That kind of thing changes a person, especially at such a young age, and I think you pulled off her emotional realization VERY nicely. Also, the fact that unbeknonwnst to Bernadette she actually DIDN'T kill Dr. Smog speaks volumes to her growth and still overall upholds her moral views. Another question out of humor: Is Farbeeze a parody of Febreeze? I certainly think the former would be FAR less useful. XD 

Now I can understand what you were implying about Gilda's baldness. Doesn't matter, she's still cute (Admittedly, though not trying to sound perverse or anything, she was quite adorable in the shower scene, and Augatha's cold wisecrack over her lack of an "endowment" did put a smile my face). 

Obviously the Un-Iverse is MUCH larger than I thought. The Crisinians don't sound like your average, friendly next-door neighbors, and it seems Augatha's not the merciless witch I thought she was. By what Fuzzy implied after Dr. Smog's demise, it seems to me that the Mistress might pull an MCU Thanos-style perspective of "the greater good". Only further reading will tell. 

Gabrielle as Augatha's sister  -- and her being a human at that -- was a nice twist. And boy, that last splash page with her doing her best sinister-crime-boss-with-shades-glare was unsettling. And believe me, I don't say that about EVERY implication of back-stabbing villainy. Well done. 

I look forward to "Darkness Falls!"

A final word here: Again, Bernadette's character really speaks volumes about the concept of taking a life. To quote Denzel Washington's character Alonzo Harris from the film Training Day, "It ain't like steppin' on ants... it takes a MAN to kill." Now, I don't stand for the taking of ANY life. The point I'm trying to make is that ALL life is sacred, and I wish the sadists out there in the world who get off on spilling blood would get that straight. I heard recently that Ukrainian President Zelensky was almost assassinated by a Russian spy. This, after more than 500 Ukrainian children were massacred among other victims because of the lust for power and unquenchable blood thirst of a psychopath pretending to be a leader of another country. This same "leader" was seen going into a restaurant with increased, heavily armed security personnel MONTHS before this attempted murder, apparently afraid of a vigilante, air strike, rogue, whatever. Not to mention that a civil war almost happened right under his nose.

If you murder a whole bunch of people - some of which were children - and are scared of getting iced at a restaurant, then months later you feel you have the sole right to kill the leader of a country you're trying to conquer by means of unprovoked slaughter... it ain't your place to talk about who should and who shouldn't be assassinated. If you take a life (or lives), in my opinion, you invalidate yours. Period. 
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Jason Deroga's Feedback - Gilda And Meek #3, "Don't Logic Santa"

Aug. 5th, 2023 05:14 pm
jasonderoga86: The O.G. Lil' Hero Artist (Default)
In the spirit of my buddy Matt Zimmer's journal entertainment reviews, and by his personal request, I'm posting my own feedback on his comic, Gilda And Meek and the Un-Iverse, starting with Issue #3! It's a tale so deep, I really can't summarize it. It's something that has to been seen/read to understand. But it does give insight into things so inconspicuous at first glance, and it challenges the norms many have adopted (myself included) in this strange little world. The following is what I wrote in response to Matt after reading Issue #3, "Don't Logic Santa", verbatim: 

Hey, Matt! I just finished reading "Don't Logic Santa", and I gotta say it was impossible to stop reading until the last word! I thought I'd tell you some of the best parts of the chapter in my opinion. And on another note, it IS much easier to read on BlogSpot, as you get the whole course in one sitting. I know Comic Fury's file size limitaions make that damn near impossible, so I totally understand your preference in website for publishing the comic. I will NEVER knock the art style, it's living proof that a story with cute characters can have a mature, borderline dark-and-gritty theme and STILL work. All right, here we go:

(#3): "Don't Logic Santa"

⦁ Bernadette's speech to Gilda about pacifism and the death penalty is quite poignant in it's delivery. Me being a Christian, I can relate, and me and you just had a discussion about concerning Mr. 45 and Bin Laden. Real heroes never result to death as a first resort. A very potent lesson in morality from Bernadette.

⦁ Humor is nicely woven in. Gilda's sardonic response to Bernadette buying the muderous Gargoyle from a complete stranger and the latter's response legit made me unsucessfully try to hide my laughter. Vic Puff is so hopelessly oblivious in his "relationship" with his beau to the point of stupidity - and the scary thing is, I  think he knows it and is proud of it. Santa comes across as a Hulk Hogan holiday man, which in itself is cause for joyous ridicule. 

⦁ Man...it's DAMN interesting to have gotten that nice bit of info about Gilda's dark past as a CIA agent. Bill's palpable fear as his eyes scanned page after page of the files pretty much tells me, to paraphrase Viggo of John Wick, "Well, Gilda wasn't exactly the bogeywoman. She was the woman you sent to KILL the fukkin' bogeywoman". Nicely done there, I can't wait to learn more.

⦁ I know Gilda implied to Meek in the earlier issues that she isn't and never has been "about the ship", but I'm starting to see a smidgeon of something more than a friendship growing here. Only time will tell, of course. And Mr. X already won me over. I've always been a fan of trenchcoated characters, I got film noirs to thank for that. That was the main inspiration for my character Terry the Professional in the 4-part origin story for Lil' Hero Artists. 
 

 

I look forward to the next chapter, keep being awesome!

Next time, I'll update my feedback review for Issue #4, "The Woman In Sunglasses".
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