Annotated 50-9
The fact that we’d already intro’d a few new characters in this chapter meant we could pull this fake-out. Neither of the characters seen here are new, but one is wearing a disguise and the other has only had a handful of appearances, none of them speaking. Tags would’ve given the game away back then, but now we can get a bit more honest with them.
Phalanx the Lich has his own “voice” (and we hadn’t even shown a lich before this, another case of pushing into new frontiers). But the powers he uses against Daisy and the way she never actually touches him may be clues to his real identity. What’s most recognizable on this page, though, is Daisy’s Rachelesque fire.
FB: Is Cynic Skull the new Courage Wolf?
He, Xykon.
I think I first saw the link to Guilded Age on the Giant In The Playground forum. Or possibly the Erfworld forum. Probably the way it will continue, with recommendations in forums or comment sections.
Traveler looks like it is ending, right? It says “check out 1 more in the app” instead of “3 more”. (No, I am not getting the app. Call me old but I think a web browser should be adequate to read material on the web). I checked out Webtoons while reading Traveler, and I have been reading Woven on Webtoons (though I think I found that through a tip), but otherwise Webtoon is not for me. The comics most of their readers like (and thus are highly visible) just isn’t the comics I like. And that’s ok.
So, what are other readers here currently reading? My current favourites include Unsounded and Wildelife.
And with Traveler and these annotations coming to an end, what is next for T?
Oh, man. I was so bummed when Erfworld croaked. It still felt like it was going to go somewhere once the story got out of its middle-of-the-trilogy slump. I don’t in any way begrudge quitting because real life got too real but every time I remember Erfworld I get a little sad.
Same here.
I actually became a “tool” there, about two updates before the last one…
Although I have to say I really loved the “Flower Power” bits. Nevermind the high prose content, that stuff is great.
The fact that it ended wasn’t so sad as the sudden and unexplained reason why. I still kinda hope it comes back one day.
Yeah. I have (I think) a pretty good guess what happened based on some of the old posts on the forum and…yeah. Totally valid reason to do something else with one’s time. I don’t know how I’d handle that, but I can’t imagine I’d just keep on going like before.
Balder has actually released a couple of Winter updates in December (and ongoing, I think, but with no schedule). Discussion between Parson and Jack about Christmas, God and Titans. Fun stuff, but to read it you have to both remember your forum login and have gotten a heart strings badge.
I have a pretty good idea what went down from the forums. I am not comfortable talking about someone elses private life, but it was a number of punches life threw at Balder. And eventually, something has got to give.
Wheter the story will be finished or not, I am glad to see he is comfortable with writing some Erfworld stories again.
That’s fair. I… admit to doing a little digging myself, and what I found certainly would make anyone retreat from the world at large, at least for a time. I just hope they return someday.
If you like fantasy, I guess there’s not much else beside Guilded Age and Unsounded. I read Daughter of the Lilies, which is amazing but is currently updating a bit irregularly. But then there’s a bunch of comics which are simply gone. I used to read Miamaska and Trial of the Sun- absolutely amazing comics which were left unfinished without a warning, and I fear something might have happened to the author.
If you’re just into magic thoug, I highly recomend Sword Interval on Webtoons. If you haven’t read it, it is finished, and it is one of my all time favorites.
Scrolling down my recent posts comic feed, there’s also:
Gunnerkrigg Court
Girl Genius
Forgotten Order
Carciphona
Namesake
All still ongoing, all fantasy, though most aren’t “pure” fantasy, e.g. first two are steampunk fantasy. There’s a few others but they’re more in the scifi (or science fantasy) vein.
Sword Interval, Carciphona and Namesake opened in new tabs.
Daughter of the Lilies, Gunnerkrigg Court, Girl Genius and Forgotten Order I have all read in periods. I am a disorganised reader, but that is rather an advantage when reading webcomics, because if I forgot about a comic for a while, there might be a bunch of updates waiting.
As someone who loves Unsounded and Wildelife, I have some suggestions for you:
Gunnerkrigg Court (but surely you know this already)
Tiger, Tiger
Mare Internum (finished)
Bicycle Boy
Paranatural
A Better Place (finished)
Tiger, Tiger looks like I have started reading it at some time but forgotten about it (maybe ther was a hiatus at some point, or I just lost the tab). I really love Mare Internum, if someone here hasn’t read it, do (unless you dislike Sci Fi, and / or find descriptions of depression and suicide attempt upsetting, then don’t).
Anyway Tiger, Tiger and A Better Place opened in tabs. And actually Mare Internum again.
Thanks for the tips everyone, I really fins this a much more useful way of finding new webcomics then any search, aggregation or algoritm.
What’s next for me is a little up in the air, right at this moment. There’s another Webtoon project that is not yet confirmed but feels like a good bet, and a couple of other projects that are in early pitch stages. The only thing I can definitely commit to, though, is not a comics project: it’s my Substack, which will be focused on the crossword side of my interests through 2023 at least. (I should be joining it up with Ubercross.com in the next couple of weeks, as I roll out my attempt at the world’s giantest crossword puzzle.)
I get the feeling that you are not hugely into self-promotion. You don’t have to be Yvette, but a bit of promotion is actually helpful.
Where should we who would like to read your next comic keep an eye out? Is your Substack the best place? I don’t see a big post there with “I’ve launched Traveler! It’s the best thing since sliced bread! Read it now before your neighbour beats you to it!”
(English isn’t my native language, and crosswords in foreign languages isn’t that enjoying (for me, others may find it stimulating). )
You’re right that I’m not super into self-promotion, but the bigger obstacle to my answering your question is that I just can’t say for sure. I’m now talking with both Webtoon and Hiveworks about different possibilities, but nothing’s got a contract yet, and I can’t guarantee a comic without one. If one happens before we wrap up here, I’ll bring it up here as well as on Substack.
Last year I wasn’t using Substack as a regular thing, and I did use the Guilded Age annotations to promote Traveler, to the point of using a whole update for it.
Intentional or not, this page has some first-few-pages-of-chapter-1 vibes, which I appreciate.
Okay, I guess I’m clueless. Why is E-Merl tagged? I mean, I don’t remember Phalanx at all, but I’m assuming this is not E-Merl Lichified, despite the very E-Merl wind spell
@mortissiumus and @lp- Erfworld ending was a shame as it was so well thought out and clearly had long ranging characterizations and plots, that made use of what appeared to be ad hoc gags. Far worse was the RL tragedies for the creators.
I think your question will be answered on the next page, and I won’t spoil it.
(but to be honest I absolutely didn’t remember from the first read-through. The hints T just gave are enough for me, though)
You are quite right. I have not read it yet, but just a quick glimpse as I went back to this comic to make sure I hadn’t skipped anything on the re-read reminded me what’s going on. No spoilers given by you, nor, I think, me.
I just want to say that this page is one of the moments that stayed with me the most from the first time I read this wonderful comic. I have actually had a lich villain of mine paraphrase this lich’s last lines in one of my D&D campaigns.
Fans! had moments like this. Penny & Aggie had moments like this. Traveler has moments like this.
I look forward to read more moments like this one.
Not getting hit might be one of Cynic Skull’s ploys! It says “you’ll never make an impact.”