Annotated 47-7
FB: These national security councils are rotating faster and faster.
Let’s let Flo do the talking here:
OK so we’re going to try and get a good two or three pages worth of data into one here on the basis that a picture is worth a thousand words. So let’s prove that right!
1. Wide panel. Penk walks through the “downtown” of Souff Koral, such as it is. It’s a busy, busy, busy world! We’re talking Richard Scarry up in here. Soldiers of all walks of life from the Troll, Avian, Goblin, Gnoll, and Dwarf sects are packing up and loading rhinosaurs and brontothrashers alike as they muster for war. Families are saying their goodbyes, lovers their last kisses, soldiers bonding in camaraderie… Some passerby are saluting or cheering for the new Warchief. Penk’s “Hope & Change” rhetoric is energizing the populace, because a newer, stronger, Tectonican-favored leader right before the final fight is a good fucking omen, buddy.
But Penk walks through them dutifully. Warmly, but stoically, as he typically does.
2. Wide panel. Penk pushes a drape away to enter the arrives in a familiar setting, the cabin of the “Royal” Brontothrasher cabin from all them chapters ago. He greets the newly established war council:
Madam Arfa stands with a young, handsome gnoll who looks a bit more “wolf” than “Hyena” of the grey/silvery variety, and an eye patch. He looks like he’s seen a few fights in his time, but also seems like he’s survived them because of his wits. He is Arfa’s soon-to-be successor, and she holds onto his arm for old lady support (the fact that he’s devilishly good looking is just a perk).
Gravedust is present, wearing something that is much fancier than he typically does, but is still very dwarven and not so fancy that he doesn’t look right in it. His hair is no longer in a ponytail, and it falls regally.
Don Gobligno is there, of course, sharing the wine with Arfa and her successor because Goddamn, she’s probably the only other person there besides him who knows what the fuck “A Good Time” is.
Gondolessa stands alone, and wears black.
Man, the only one who looks less like he wants to be there than Gravy is the man who was just widowed…
To me, Gravy doesn’t look so much like he doesn’t want to be there. More like he’s concentrating hard on fulfilling his new role. Should be easy enough to look like a competent leader when Don Gobligno is standing right next to him :)
Don Goblino, unlike another Don we know, **is** competent.
It’s just that the things he’s competent at are … morally questionable.
The other Don got away with a lot of bad shìt for a long time. Hopefully a bit of it will be catching up with him soon, and hopefully that bit will be enough to keep him away from power. But even if that happens, given how much he did get away with, I think calling him incompetent is wishful thinking at best, and tends to minimize the risk he cauzes when allowed to remain free.
I think (almost*) anybody who makes it to the top position of leadership of any entity of significant size, is competent *in some way*. Usually, that competence has to do with being good at getting to top leadership positions, and since there are multiple strategies to achieve that, there are also multiple types of competence which would help you achieve that goal.
Unfortunately, many of those types of competence are only weakly correlated to the skills needed to actually do the job well, and more to obfuscating one’s own mistakes and claiming credit for whatever does go right.
…but that’s not the type of competence I meant here.
(*) the sole exception potentially being people who are put on the “ejector seat” because nobody actually wants that office, so they pick someone they think won’t last and who might be naïve enough to be flattered. But of course taking that spot might also be a good strategy for someone who has a lot more of a plan than they’re letting on…
Never has a black robe of mourning ever seemed so appropriate.
If it hadn’t been obvious that the two shared at least companionship if not an outright romantic relationship, it is painfully obvious here.
Harky’s Troll sign has been replaced by Penk’s Fiery Mace symbol. A nice touch and, since it’s missing from Flo’s panel description, obviously John’s initiative. Pity about the Troll sign, though. I liked how pervasive it was throughout Troll culture, turning up in the shape of everyday objects like chairs and such.
Sir Groff not tagged.
T, noticing that the RSS feed hasn’t been updating with these past few pages. This and the previous two if I’m correct.
RSS feed has worked fine for me.