Priceless

I <3 Cale sooo much!

Seriously, you'd think Cale would know better than to call Richard "Dick" after what happened last time.

I also thought it was nice how Krunch decided to help Richard out. Aww. I think he's securing his place as Richard's closest and dearest companion. But I wonder, Richard was able to use his hands even before Krunch broke the mast free. What's the difference? Is it that Krunch is now able to face Richard towards the battle?

Not too bad, good humour to this one instead of story progression, I like that every once in a while. "I slipped, honest" was rather good.

"I sliped! Honest!"

Benny had his back though.

We dont get to see enough of Cale being a wiseass, but when it happens it's great!

Yeah, hehe. Lately it seems that Richard and Cale are reminding me more and more of a couple of bickering siblings. Richard pulls pranks on Cale, Cale makes fun of Richard's name, and Benny has to be the mom and clean up after them.

awww... i was reading page 9! damn... lol

LOL! I thought krunch was going to pull the sticks out, instead he pulls out the mast pole, and the dick joke makes a come back! beautiful!

bad kale no soup for you

Am I the only one deeply amused with Cale holding the Legion soldier in a headlock and punching him out while giggling over Richard's situation?

I was also amused by that, even more amused by how in the next panel he just tosses him away like he was nothing...while giggling

Hey, has anyone else noticed that this is one of the first times Krunch has ever spoken to Richard directly? Besides this page and that panel on 24 where he tells Richard to "fire it up", Krunch never directly addresses him. There's never even been a third-person reference where he simply mentions his name. Weird. Still, I think it might be getting to a point now where Krunch is starting to accept the warlock on more friendly terms, rather than just as an ally.

Which kinda leaves me to wonder, if Krunch calls Benny "Gid" and Cale "Pinky", what nickname might he pick for Richard?

Well, there's Dick, and Dick on a Stick...but those are Cale's, and Krunch is wise enough to know they're not the wisest choices.
Um...'warlock,' I guess? >.>' Hasn't he said that one before?
Or maybe 'insurance.' *snicker*

"Slim"? "Spooky"? Those sound like names Krunch might use. Heh, that might be a fun topic. "What Nickname Should Krunch Use for Richard?"..Nah

And no, Krunch has never referred to Richard in any way. Not even to call him "the warlock".

Cale: 1 Richard: *FWOOSH*

I like how he was still laughing, even as he stabbed a sailor in the face and had fireballs thrown at him.

Cale does seem to be adjusting to his surroundings. He doesn't mind killing what are probably lawful soldiers, and can make jokes while doing it. Oh well, he'll probably have a moral attack soon enough.

Awesome top view of Krunch and Richard! And I like Benny fighting in panel 1.

But the humour... eh, it's hit and miss and for me, the Dick joke is more on the side of miss. Perhaps because I'm not a native English speaker. But mainly because Cale seems so out-of-character in this strip, looking starry-eyed at Richard's fireballing (he looks like an anime elf in panel 3!), giggling and laughing, pointing out Richard to Benny like a 4-year old pointing out something funny to his mother... Yes, he's done the "Dick" joke when he first met Richard (you'd think even Cale would learn from experience?), but seriously, Cale, are you on drugs or what? Did you sneak into the Captain's illegal supply of happy pills?

Cale's been an efficient and even ruthless fighter before, but he's usually shown remorse over bloodshed and slaughter and tried to avoid it if possible. Now he's either not taking this whole fight quite as seriously as he should... or that laughter is tinged with hysteria and his mind has finally snapped: he's regressing into his naive enthusiastic persona whenever he can't face reality. Cale vision: Hey look, so many new people to meet! They're all so friendly, they're coming over for tea! *giggle* *punch*

Come on, even Benny seems to think Cale is acting strange. The prospect of having a heavily armed insane elf with naive notions of chivalry in her team can't please her. So far the person-most-likely-to-kill-you-in-your-sleep was Richard, while Cale was the gentle one, but if Cale turns stark raving nuts he becomes a loose cannon (pardon the nautical pun) who must be watched constantly. He has flipped out once before when he went berserk on the Vulii off-screen, and Benny seemed concerned about that too. If Cale becomes a liability, Krunch might simply try to take the Gamlon blades away from Cale and abandon Cale on the roadside (since Krunch has alread proven that you don't need Cale to activate the hologram-map, you just need to "bathe the blades in blood" of an enemy, or possibly in the blood of a Vulii elf).

At this point, I'm not even sure how Benny feels about Cale; did she shield him against Richard's fire because to her he is simply another sword-for-hire who conveniently protects her life and might prove useful as cannon-fodder, does she feel she owes him because he volunteered for the Kethenecia portal-into-the-past thing, or does she like him a little bit? THere were times in the past when she seemed to at least like Cale, while Richard got on her nerves. But I think Benny is far too jaded and cynical to find Cale's naive enthusiasm endearing, as much as I'd like to see their relationship progressing; not progressing towards a love-affair, mind you, just progressing towards trust or friendship instead of her ignoring him.

Hm where's Sooba?

And Captain Tah'Vraay does NOT look pleased that Krunch just ripped out the mast of her ship! Not at all pleased. There's gonna be trouble afterwards.

Benny's personality and looks have become my rolemodel for the sultry but crabby humanoid priestess.

I'll speculate that she saved Cale from Richard because... you don't waste food

Seriously, she's a team player ... Richard is always a bit edgy on that aspect of grouping.

I'm anticipating a bit of anger from the captain in a while when she points out that it's hard to sail anywhere without a mast...

I love the look Richard's giving Benny in the last panel when she's scolding him. It's like, "Bring it, beeyotch!"

Is it me or the drawing gets really more, so to say, sopistichated. In the good meaning of the word of course.

Good job guys!

Yeah, I like the evolution in the art too. Has anyone noticed Benny's face in this comic (especially panel 5), and compared it to the banner? amazing improvement, if you ask me. Krunch has also changed for the better, too.

about richard being able to fwoosh before, well if u noticed krunch got the pole around 180º. Richard couldnt see nothing before, now he can. Thats why he can fwoosh now .

Eh. To tell you the truth I thought the joke was a bit below Cale - It doesnt seem funny to me. But "I slipped! Honest!" was awesome, as always.

I agree with Tobrian; Cale really seems to be OOC in this strip. While the joke itself certainly isn't, having him say it in the middle of a battle with the Legion is a bit strange. We know Cale will fight the lawful guys out of necessity (despite knowing it was the Legion, in page 12 he's still shooting at them), but he only takes joy in fighting if he believes he's doing it for the right reasons (look how happy he is in page 7!). Has Cale finally accepted that the Legion is bad? Has Gamlon affected him more badly than anyone realises? Or is he just laughing at an inappropriate moment?

And how on earth can Krunch rip up a mast with one hand? That doesn't make sense O_o

I think it's just Cale being excited that he finally gets to be the one joking at someone else's expense. Especially at Richard's. I'm not sure he's really forgiven Richard for that hole-in-the-mountain gag. Heh.

As for Krunch ripping out the mast? Dude, he tackled a dragon without even looking particularly strained. Not sure "strong" is a word that really applies, there.

Yea, don't think I'd like to mess with a dude that can tackle a dragon and not seem winded by it. Love the comic guys, keep it up! And the headlock was great.

Usually I'll let you guys fend for yourselves and try to figure things out, but I felt the need to step in here, regarding Cale's OOC behaviour.

Did none of you notice what race the attacking Legion are?

Well with Somer's recent bit of enlightenment I went back and did some referencing, it would appear these aren't the Legion they are fighting. Anytime the legion have been involved in the past they were wearing dark armor, these 'elves' appear to be wearing white/silver with a familiar pink skin.

Dun dun dunnn..

Could these be the surviving Gamlon elves? Protecting the Sword of Truth perhaps?

Y'know, I kinda thought the way Cale's been acting is EXACTLY within character. I thought teh funnee lay in the dichotomy between his high-brow, honorable behavior and his low-brow sense of humor. Picture Judi Dench laughing at a fart joke.

And, I must say that Benny gets sexier with every page. Harem pants FTW!

The Attacking Legion are Vulii elves. Last time Cale fought Vulii elves he went beserk and slaughtered them all with the help of the others. What we are seeing is it in action again, only this time we actually get to see it. That we know.

Possibly though that Cale had an additional snap which is why he is even more out of the loop. Cale has not shouted his battlecry as we have seen thus far, nor is he fighting in a focused manner like he did last time. I think he had no mental preperation this time so he did like Tobrian said: Reverted back to his normal deny the world start. He still is willing to fight the Vulii elves, just he is not himself, focused, or prepared.

Of course I could be wrong.

Okay, I just want to add... the Dick on a Stick joke was hilarious. Well-played, Sohmer, well-played. I tip my hat to you, both of you.

Next thing: I personally didn't think Cale was acting OOC, even before Sohmer mentioned the race tht was attacking. To me, it seems like Cale has abandoned all his core beliefs for the moment to get this quest done so he can avnege (if thats the right term) Leena and Gamlon. I think the events that he witnessed changed him.

And I agree, he probably hasn't forgiven Richard for the Hole-In-The-Mountain joke.

Dick sitll is my favourite character tho .

Keep up with the good work guys.... I'm off to go catch up on LICD now

I knew it was odd they were using weapons far below the standards for a Government-funded legion of troops! Claws and Double sided Kamas!? Well, atleast that mystery was put to rest.

The 'Dick on a Stick' wasn't too gut busting, but Richard's response redeemed the out of placeness the joke was with his response.

Also commenting on the art, yes, I noticed Benny was looking alot more...eh, She seems alot more appealing to look at, cleaner or a more beautiful aspect coming out. A change for the good I say, makes her seem more lifelike than "RAGH, ME TROLL THINGIE, SMASH!" Krunch also seems to changed from the banner aswell, starting off like that, and is now alot more detailed. Richard's full picture has changed aswell, not slouching, and more defined. Cale is probably the one who has changed the least, just an outfit change really with small minor touched to the face.

Cale must not be so smart. Lucky Gid was there.

Personally, I dont think the whole "Dick on a stick thing" was too OOC, i think it was just a very random thing to put into a battle scene. It works though, a nice break from the chaos.

I also like the perspective used when Krunch pulled the mast out to face Richard towards the battle. Nicely done guys


That's because he was perfect to begin with

Cale looks so cute in panel 5! those legionaries look pretty human to me. you'd think if they were elves you'd be able to see their ears. Cale's joke is a bit... random i guess. i guess he just wants to make fun of richard for once. it's usually the other way around.

"Dick on a stick!!" Dare I say it that this could be the best quote in the comic yet?

You just think it's funny beause it's an alliteration. Although I did laugh too. Quite a bit, really.
It's up there with the good ones, at least. I still say that moment reminds me of Rayne and all of his innuendos.

All around awesome. Every character involved and being 'neat' 'cool' 'hip' and what have you. It took me a few seconds to realize Krunch actually pulled up the mast and twisted it around, but when I did, even greater coolness.

And I'll just say that I thought they looked elvish in the previous comic, but couldn't be sure. Figured they'd be Vulii. Didn't consider the possibility they might have been Gamlon's who fled. But figure they're the Vulii.

That said, Cale's crack on Richard is as in character as all the way back in page 3. Even if I don't think it's funny by itself, Cale would, and his amusement amuses me.

And "Dick on a Stick" is not alliteration (a schtick I use in my posts at times), though it involves rhyming. Alliteration is all the words having the same first letter (or sound).

Sadly I get them mixed up frequently. Can't we just use one term since they both involve repeating similar sounds?

Indeed, Benny looks much more human now and prettier, not as froglike as in the beginning... I think her mouth is not as broad, the tusk less pronounced (although I think it looks cute), and most importantly her lips and the "mask" around her eyes that used to be very dark green, nearly black, are now a lot lighter in colour.

Krunch's whole face is more intelligent looking, mostly it's because his snout (the nostrils and lower lip) are not as pronounced as before and look more like lips now. Although the difference seems to be mostly between the banner art and the comic, as Krunch's look changed subtly but pretty fast after his first appearance.
Is it just the perspective or do the points of Krunch's horns sometimes curve upwards and sometimes downwards? Maybe it's an indicator of his mood, like the ears of that elf girl what's-her-name, Deedlit or something, in Record of Lodoss War anime?

Cale's ears have shrunk (personally I prefer this to the usual "giant rabbit" anime/WoW elf ears).

Richard has changed the least, but then except for his eyes and claws all we can see of him is his outfit.




Benny thought that Cale doesn't have much of a sense of humour, or more precisely she said that he hadn't displayed one so far. I guess we can now say his sense of humour isn't very sophisticated, instead rather childlike. Poor Cale, to "get" irony you first have to be able to laugh at yourself; but he takes everything so very seriously, and wears his emotions on his sleeve. Tavor's wit in contrast seemed more... adult. Maybe because towards the end he had become rather bitter and jaded, prefering gallows-humour, although his teasing of Cale was still a lot more gentle than Richard's remarks. Cale has more in common with the Gamlonian king: no sense of irony, but a deep dedication to a cause... and a tendency to strike dramatic poses while delivering heroic speeches.



Well, we did speculate back in the June 7 thread that the attacking raiders with their white armor and strange helmets reminded us a bit of the Gamlonians and Vulii, but... now I'm confused. Tah'Vraay identified those guys as "the King's Legion". So far I was under the (mistaken?) impression that the King, whoever he is, is human? Why would Vulii work for...? Seems like my whole hypothesis about human empire was dead wrong.

The elven helmets left the ears free, while these helmets cover the ears.
http://lfgcomic.com/page/51
When I look at Panel 5 where Cale is punching the redhaired soldier after heaving him in a headlock, I think we can spot the guy's ear, and it looks round, not pointy. *shrugs helplessly*

I really REALLY hope these aren't the last remaining Gamlonians (now that would be a strange coincidence indeed) they're slaughtering. Why would Gamlonians attack random pirate ships in the middle of the sea far away from any coast?

His horns point (almost?) straight foreward. The angle of the 'camera' or his head change the direction they point.

Personally, I prefer the way Benny looked before. She was more stylized (and thus a bit cuter), and had a broader range of emotions...with a more realistic looking style, her face will be limited to drastically less dramatic expressions.

"Dick on a stick" has to be my favorite Cale quote thus far, I was laughing pretty hard when I read it :-)

Aside from that, I was thinking that possibly, the soldiers that they are currently fighting are privateers -- they could be decedents from the Vullii or Gamlonians, or what have you... hired by the King to attack the King's enemies. They could very well be an organized group of miscreants ordered to attack the pirates. Who knows, I guess I'll just have to wait for the next few strips XD

Other than my, more than likely, misguided guess... great strip, over all :-)

I'd just like to say that pulling the mainmast out of the deck can negatively effect the sea-worthiness and handling of a ship. Especially in battle. Also, given the fact that the mast is laden with sails, and is catching the wind, it would be extremely difficult to hold on to, with one hand. I hope Krunch realizes the severity of his actions.

I know. He can't hold onto that thing forever. I'm just wondering how he plans to avoid dropping Richard. Also, why can't Richard just free himself? All he has to do is take a couple of steps backwards and slide off of the spears.

I'm pretty sure it's because The Guys are having too much fun with him being stuck. How else could we have had Dick on a Stick?

...

Heheheh...gets me every time....

LOL "Dick on a stick! It's a Dick on a stick!!!"

HAHA that is so funny!!!

huzzah, Richard is now free!! i loved it when he immediatly spun over and made a triple fwoosh. that was crazy.. didn't know he could do that

Haven't been on inna while, but this was like a fresh breath of air ;p

I did see the Dick on a Stick coming somewhat, great humor ;p Entertaining that Benny knew what would happen the moment she heard him say it within Richard's earshot

Go krunch, proving that he's both highly intellegent and strong enough to wield several feet worth of wood and with a rotting fireballflinging cadaver impailed to it.

alas, i still pity Richard...

get him DOWN already!!!!!

and, a little off topic, once finals are over, it will be just me and my computer

That means you can get to work drawing a shirtless Cale for me and Sweetrobin yes?