Annotated 48-6
We’re covering a lot of ground in this page and the last, literally and metaphorically. Each of their four frames represents a different battle, and even in modern times, no army can just go from epic battle to epic battle without time to rest, refuel, replan, mourn their own losses, and so on.
But as shown in the first panel here and the last panel prior, the Rebel army has serious game changers on its side: Frigg and her disciples’ glowy hammershit; the sky elves’ portal-making; Fr’Nj’s power over vegetation, enhanced by her druidic status; and Magda’s power over the earth. Heck, go ahead and add in that “bardic magick” seen in the last chapter and referenced earlier in this one. Any one of these five factors could turn the tide in an otherwise even battle. All of them, together…
Note that Fr’Nj and Magda are using their power mercifully. Neither of them really need to use their power fatally unless desperate, and they are not desperate today. This restraint will be remembered, not least by the Iwatanian deserters that the rebels continue to recruit.
Gnomes liberated! It looks like the guy on the lower right may have started out being Dean Reynolds and then John changed his mind. In any case, it’d be more likely for Reynolds to be a political prisoner in the capital than kept among his people where he could stir up trouble.
FB is a pretty clunky pun, but I didn’t have much to riff on here: Some people are just really excited about the uppercase letters of the alphabet and see them everywhere, we guess.
For some reason, armoured dirigibles offend my sense of disbelief more than magic earth movement, attacks of sudden vegetation and glowy paladin hammershit. Possibly they occupy that uneasy space between what’s possible and what can only be achieved by magic. And if we’re looking at magic flying ships, Space Battleship Yamato or the Caspartine from Stardust are somehow more convincing.
Oh, I know it’s just me, but…
While I agree, it’s possible they aren’t ‘really’ armored. A very thin sheet of some kind of Gnomish metal (an Aluminum equivalent for example) wouldn’t provide much protection against a firearm or explosive, it could be enough to keep Avian claw weapons from getting a hold, or more importantly, flaming arrows from setting the whole thing on fire (since they traditionally have little to no piercing value.)
The whole structure of the armored dirigible does look like it’s probably pretty dense, but maybe there is some Sky Elf floatation magic at work as well.
Well, I am an engineer, and was involved in the defence industry, so I may have some accumulated distaste for “things that look cool but really won’t work”. Back in the day I had to disappoint more than one “manager with a really neat idea…” And those armoured airships are just a bit too close to the knuckle.
Protection against fire arrows is a good thought, realworldairships used to use very inflammable gases, and setting the envelope on fire is never going to be good even if your lifting gas isn’t flammable.
Now, I know these are Gastonian, sorry, Iwatanian machines so need to seem solid and workmanlike, but its a fine line.
But, as I said earlier, it’s probably just me, and not a cataclysmic throw-the-book-across-the-room moment. Or monitor, Or computer. No, can’t do that, I need it for other things….
Those avians are the first alliance casualties we see. Never forget.
Also just noticed that the second panel here somewhat mirrors the previous second panel with a foreground character crying out about the Capital. The difference is that one was retreating (towards the camera) and another is advancing (away from the camera).
First they tried using lead zeppelins, but then someone pointed out that very little X-ray weaponry seems to be in use these days.
It was quickly decided to go with Brass Zeppelins after that.