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Sexist Surprise
 (From Wandering Ones. Click on image to see full-sized image.)
Wandering Ones has gone through several incarnations with the artwork, from a black and white comic with weekly color strip to black and white with occasional grayscale (and weekly color strips) and finally to 3 full-page grayscale comics a week. Sadly, the color comics have stop coming, but the scope and skill of the artwork more than makes up for it.
The story has also continued apace, but we've had few glimpses into the past. The recent revelation that Raven's father was still alive was one such shock, as was the realization that not all of the American Indian people had joined with the Clans. It makes sense that some people would consider the Clans spiritualism to be "hippie ways" and not want to follow that path. And I'm curious as to how these other tribes have survived... and what they've become in the wake of armageddon. Nor have they joined the Yakamas (who are also of American Indian descent, but are still willing to use technology rather than embrace the land like the Clans have).
(When you think of it, it's amazing that there are any tribes left. Over 80% of the world's population died off from the super-virus and resulting chaos. A tribe of a thousand people would have maybe 200 left. Add into that the wars and the like, and the fact that most of the tribes combined to form the Yakamas Nation...)
It's been interesting watching reactions on the forum boards to Raven's father, William. Quite a few people have been preaching tolerance and not to jump to conclusions. It's a noble endeavor, especially as quite a few webcomic fans can get rather... enthusiastic about their favorite characters, and judgmental on those who have hurt them. I doubt these people will be voicing support for him after today, however.
I suppose it's too much to ask that in 60 years that sexism will be a thing of the past. And I'm not sure how much of William's attitude is actual sexism and how much of it is to keep his daughter out of harm's way... but I'm more inclined to think that he's being sexist here, and would react that way whether he was talking to Raven, Bobbie (who is an officer in the Western Alliance's military), or Lila Whitefeather (a Yamaka medicine woman who was prominent in a previous storyline).
Mind you, Raven snuck up on William and his partner, and incapacitated one of their other men. She's shown skill and ability. She's not just a "snot-nosed kid" who walked up to her dad to talk to him or anything. She's a master scout of the Clans... and was treated like a little girl. "Run off and play."
The reaction of Raven's friends and allies is rather gratifying. They've seen her in action, with bullets flying and friends dying. They know what she's capable of. For her father to just brush her off without even a thought... is a slap in the face of a mentor and friend.
Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if they told him where he could go, and continue their plan without his and his people's help.
Well done, Clint. Very well done.
Robert A. Howard
-------------------- Aren't unicorns usually more... courtly?
 (From Rogues of Clwyd-Rhan: Courtly Manners. Click on image to see full-sized image. Warning: RoCR contains nudity and occasional adult situations.)
I think I started reading Rogues of Clwyd-Rhan thanks to CotC, though it was a fanart instead of a crossover that got me reading the strip. This was back before RoCR joined Modern Tales and the archives were free. And while the comic's art was rough at times, there was something special about Rogues that just caught my eye and encouraged me to read.
It's set around a thousand years in the past, in a time when the fae wandered the earth, witches were not hated by Christianity, and there were vast expanses of wilderness on the British Isles. Rogues concerned itself with some... less than savory characters, and their exploits and bumbling (about equal amounts of both, really).
The comic has changed since those humble days. It drifted into a semi-realistic phase and then back into a more fantasy-driven era with faeries that could alter their sizes, people who could transform into crows (and other related birds), and more.
Along the way, the comic shifted focus from the bandits to Kel, who joined the band partway through, and the bandits became more of a family (to the point that Kel and another female bandit both have had children. Kel also married and settled down to be both witch and wife).
Reinder hasn't lost his sense of fun, however. He's twice now written up a side-comic he calls "Courtly Manners" which concerns Kel and Krakatoa (a witch who appeared in a crossover that RoCR went through, and who was in the first Courtly Manners). Kel has been warned that there is a plot to assassinate the Witch Queen and blame them for it... but didn't have the opportunity to warn Krakatoa... who even now is riding the beast that no doubt will be used in this plot. (I mean, an "African Unicorn"? *chuckle* Well, I suppose rhinos do have one horn, so....)
Reinder also took a break from doing the comic during the Great Modern Tales Crash and wrote up a little side-story, which isn't part of the continuity of RoCR but was quite amusing, and involved a crossover with the new Dr. Who. It's just come to a close and is available to read on the main RoCR site without a subscription to Modern Tales required.
You can also currently check out the new Courtly Manners on the site starting here and read the current storyline. The next update will be this Friday and then update on a MWF schedule.
Anyway, enjoy!
Robert A. Howard
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