– UPDATE!!! Looks like Modest Medusa didn’t make it into the 4th round of the ComicMix March Madness contest after all, despite winning by more than 20 votes. The contest allowed for paid votes (5 for $1) and apparently someone on the other side bought enough to push them over. I totally don’t mind loosing to Bittersweet Candy Bowl. It’s a great comic, and we had a great contest! More people votes on our contest than any other! I’m a little put off that in the end voting didn’t matter much at all, and it really came down to which readers wanted to spend the most money. In a contest where voting is the primary way to interact, I don’t think a secondary mechanism of vote purchasing should really be the deciding factor. I spent the last week campaigning for Modest Medusa, and you guys really stepped up. I appreciate that! Really. I appreciate it so much! It’s disappointing to know that it didn’t really make much of a difference, and someone could have just spent $20 at the last minute to get the same result.
Anyway, the experience was far from a waste. We have a lot of new readers! But next year I hope ComicMix either does away with paid votes or decided to just make the whole contest a fund raiser and eliminate votes entirely. The way it works this year, where you vote for you favorite comic and then someone else spends $1 to get 10 votes… that’s just not working.
(Here my original post) Thanks for voting in the Comicmix march Madness contest. Last week we had an amazing face off against Bittersweet Candy Bowl. That match was crazy, with more votes than any of the other matches in the contest! Comicmix won’t be posting the winners and new match pairings until later today (Monday), so even though we got a few more votes we won’t be sure if we won for a few more hours (since paid votes are counted later). Either way, thanks a lot for voting and getting Modest Medusa this far!
If we did win the match we’ll be up against Cucumber Quest in the next round. This is another great comic with super loyal fans, so beating them won’t be easy. The match should last from Monday till Weds, and you should be able to vote each day. Please do, and ask your friends to vote as well! Assuming we actually made it to the next round, I think we can beat Cucumber Quest if we try hard! I’ll be posting the voting link as soon as it’s up.
– I’ll be at Sakuracon 29th-31st at the Cel*Style booth (SP04?). I’ll have all kinds of cool Medusa stuff, so please come by and say hi!
– Kickstarter shipping has slowed to a halt while I wait for more shipping supplies and some of the higher end rewards to arrive in the mail. I should take the time to take care of some of the rewards that involve producing art, but I haven’t felt up to it this last two weeks. Anyway, it’s going slow, and i apologize for that. Hopefully I’ll be able to get a chunk of packages out before Sakuracon and the rest out after.
And I thought xenomorph biology was strange…
Let’s hope there’s a way out of this for Modest or there will be some pretty unhappy fans. What happens if she returns to the “real world” permanently?
Well, most of the medusas–or I guess hydras?–in this comic haven’t been bound by human decency when young.
Wait, that’s the case for humans when they’re children, too.
So the part that looks human is just there to protect the snakes until they’re big enough to just eat anything that comes their way. That might explain why most of them have the brains of an eggplant.
more likely it is because they are stuck in a large group of children that act and think the same as them, for the most part, and thus cannto experience more.
that and that her mind is in five parts. probably esy to get distracted when jsut one of her snake hairs is looking the other direction entirely.
This is an unexpected, yet absolutely delightful twist. Clearly there must be some way to prevent or delay this shedding however, or perhaps that was just Gorgon’s wishful thinking/blind hope.
or maybe aware of something else. it seems that there is a specific reason the runt of the litter was chosen. it turns out modest IS a pricness, but why have a creature who will become a large, powerful, logic driven monster be your heir? even if the prince is evil, or dark, he would know that a giant serpent is not exactly a good figure head or leader. hard to command an army if the soldiers and heading toward the enemy because they are horrified of you, nor can one mark important documetns when you have no hands. and if they suddenly had the inclination to devour a servant or advisor, that would be bad too.
something must be truly different about modest. though it is beyond her being metnally more developed than her sisters, cause obviously her own mother had a more developed mind too; both had experiences outside of their group of sisters thus allowing their minds ot grow from the experience, like how real kids do.
i wonder what it is.
and this also explains why we have momma hydra eating her kids suddenly. she only had them because the pricne wanted to have his heir, and hoped that the next generation would produce the same unknown properities that modest has. now that modest is back, momma hydra has to dispose of them. largely beucase her lack of humanity causes her to be more driven by serpent instinct and logic, thus knowing that she has to regain the nutrition she lost birthing them, and also that they cannot have the land flooded with hydra, as would be the case now.
Psh! I don’t see how ANY of this could be relevent… or important to our main cast! 😛
Hush it’s called back story.
I dunno, I think he was being sarcastic.
that’s… creepy >_x_<
Aside from the wonderful art, THIS is why I enjoy this comic: excellent pacing, storytelling and plenty of unexpected twists around every corner. Good job, man!
Thanks!
While I do agree that the pacing & art of this arc have been fantastic, I just wish that there had been a cleaner transition from the previous one, which itself was a significant gear change from the previous three.
Yeah, I’m trying to get a lot in at the end of teh season here. Hopefully when its done the transitions will make a little more sense.
The Prince kinda looks like a pale (er) version of Deviculous from Brütal Metal,doesn’t he?
A Monday update? In the morning? Wishing on a star does work after all Yippie!!!!!!
I’m trying. I swear.
I kid I kid Im happy just to get updates 🙂 My sister is the artist at http://www.tamurancomic.com/ so I know how draining it can be to get these out on a set schedule.
Ohh, that’s a neat looking comic!
Hey Matteo. Actually your sister worked on the story with us for a while writing for one of the characters, Kipnerys Jintaudri. She’s not the artist.
We just found this link via our traffic stats. Thanks for the shoutout, Matt (though I am not your sister, lol).
This looks like an intriguing comic. I’ll look forward to reading through it when I get some time. 🙂
Cool! I’ve added yours to my list as well.
That’s a horrible fate!
It’s not horrible to the Hydra, it’s just their natural life cycle.
It’s horrible to one-fifth of the hydra.
Still, majority rules!
So now it’s Momhydra or Momhydradusa or some such. No wonder all this ancient lore gets lost so easily, nobody knows what to call anything.
You know, it’s really awesome that you can take a funny comic like this and make it so serious when you want to. I thoroughly enjoy both aspects of this comic!
And oh… dear… This could be a problem.
Thanks. I’m looking forward to returning to the funny stuff though.
It’s not so important that Modest keep her human form, rather it’s more important that she keeps “human” emotions, or at least a form of ethical or caring behavior. In gaming terms I’d say mom is Lawful or True Neutral, while Modest (and her surviving sisters) are still Neutral Good.
Turning into a giant snake doesn’t make you a bad person. It just makes you a giant snake.
well turngin into a werewolf doesn ot mean you turn into something evil. but you are sitll dangerous, and a threat. even if you are not a man eater or man killer, as if often a depiction, you are changing into a volatile, powerful beast that is difficult to stop by normal means if not impossible.
shedding her human form, the hydra also shredded its human compassion and reasoning. meaning that now she is a dangerous threat, incapable of connecting psychologically with other beings and will attack and even devour people. she didn’t even tell mister chainsaw head with a healing factor to stop his attack, nor give modest a way to stop him, as she simply viewed the humans as an obstacle rather than comprehending them as the people who took care of her only truly precious daughter for so long.
in other words, a monster with little to no connection to who she was. true her soul and experiences are there, but the heart is gone.
My mom’s a giant snake! 😀
Oh, wait… that was MM. My mom is a giant bitch.
(aww crap!) Can we trade?
Heh.
i remember when it felt like a gag comic. now its exploded with a deep story and characters that are detailed greatly. and words are escaping me cause i woke up 10 min ago
Well, there is that eating-the-kiddies thingy. I’m a pretty broad-minded feller but if I saw Mom looking at me like that and shaking a bottle of ketchup I’m thinking cultural relativism has gone a little too far…
Kind of reminds me of a Mike McDonald act:
“I believe one should never have to hit your kids. Well, unless they’re coming at you with a knife. I’m not going to be one of those ultra-liberal parents getting stabbed, going ‘Son, I’m sensing hostility (gurgle)’.”
Duuuuuuuuuude. This is awesome. Yes, excellent.
At first I was really excited for Modest Medusa to win, but Cucumber Quest is one of my favorites, too. I’m conflicted. 😛
Well, it looks like neither of us made it into round four despite winning the votes. Oh well.
lets hope that living in our world – along with a healthy diet of chocodiles – will keep our medusa´s snakes in their pet-like state.
Wow! I was wondering if you would explain the biology of the hydras of Yeld. But this is very interesting and has raised a big question for me: Since CSU was slowly transforming thanks to staying in Yeld for so long, would the same hold true for Modest?
The fangirl in me hopes for that ending!
I’m just wondering that, if Yeld as a region changes those within it, if Modest’s time in our world has held back her development as a Hydra, ie: the human part remains and remains the primary drive.
Maybe. We’ll see. Actually, we won’t. I don’t think this comic is ever going to be about her growing up. I also think that Hydra kids probably have a long childhood.
I am 120% okay with Modest doing a Peter Pan!
So, the Hydra is of one mind, divided into five parts….so what happens if the ‘human’ part remains dominant?
After taking a good long look at the prince It’s become obvious that captain boxer shorts is his song Illegitimate or otherwise.
now thsi is an itnersting twist. so in reality what she, both modest and her mother, is a hydra, and you connected the human form to the development of the large and powerful hydra, but at the cost of the concept of humanity unfortunately. intersting….
wait a moment, then it makes a cold, cruel sense for the prince and the mother. they can’t have hundreds of massive hydra running around…. especialyl considering momma, s goofy as she technicalyl looks, looks like an apex predator, and that even baby medusa have stone venom.
wiat a moment, then what is different about modest? inevitably she is going to become an adult hydra…. or is she? did the prince discover that something is off with modest?
okay, i like how this sotry has evolved voer time here.
and it explains why mdoest had all of thoe sisters when she returned. modest has some unknown properties to her i guess, which is why the prince chose her. i can only imagine what they are, and you probbly know, cause i doubt such a volatile and dangerous creature is a good leader, the hydra.
when modest disappeared suddenly, whether vanished or dead, the prince had momma hydra produce more young in hopes that another medusa that had modest’s properties would be born again. however, since now that mdoest has been found and ‘rescued’, she needs to now dispose of her brood. albeit her snake instincts would probably drive her to chase them off and have them strike off on their own, thep ricne is probably the source of her devouring them. he does NOT want a mass of hydra rampaging through his lands, and sicne the hydra is an apex creature it seems, they would be impossible to stop almost.
it also explains why the larger brood too. he wanted it done as quickly as possible.
There is, of course, always the possibility that Dragul is misleading the Knight. Just because it is something that happened in this case, I am sure we all remember that the former Momdusa performed some sort of ritual? Magic? Something; where she saved her friend, and he was supposed to have saved her. Perhaps preserving his mind and goodness cost Mom-Hydra her humanity? Her form and humanity?
We’ll have to see how this plays out.
Aww, also condolences on not making it to fourth round. I guess 40 votes was insufficient on my part. Sorry. I let you down with my bribery sceme. =
I appreciate you trying. I guess someone on the other side just spent more money. I wish they had found another way to raise money and just let actual votes be the decider. The whole contest is kind of tainted when you can win the vote and still lose anyway.
Woah. This is clever, and I enjoy this kind of stuff, as a biologist. This is also one of the saddest things I have ever read. 🙁
Oh, no, poor Medusa!
So…she’s actually a Hydra? Not a Medusa?
Medusa is just her family name.
Or possibly a generational name?
Actually Jake I came up with another type of character I’m trying to fit in an Roleplay. Skipping all the details like Father/Daughter Brother/Sister or lovers. The character has an absolute devotion to another character. A devotion to the point where he’s willing to sacrifice the universe for them. But they don’t recognize the monster he’s become and end up leaving him for dead. So basically like Anakin Skywalker if Padme shot him and left him for dead/killed him.
That’s interesting.
This metamorphosis didn’t necessarily make her evil on its own, though. He said she shed her human emotions. But Vulcans aren’t bound by emotions either. It doesn’t make them evil. Just logical.
That the hydra considered everyone else to be so far beneath it that they were nothing but food is obviously really bad. But at this point, it’s still possible that that’s just part of this hydra’s personality. It’s not necessarily true of every hydra. Something happened to this one to make it believe that it was superior. Or that’s just its instinct; but instincts can be overpowered with enough effort, as my house-trained kitten-loving dog proves.
Also Jake some questions. If you don’t want to answer any or all of em here you know my email. Also if you don’t want to answer all of em don’t approve this comment.
1. How many people up to the current point in the Story with Marah and Jake have stumbled into Yeld from our world?
2. How many people have stayed long enough to change into creatures?
3. How many Worlds are there in your canon? {After all CU wasn’t wearing Jeans and a Buddy Holly T-shirt when he stumbled in so either he was from the roaring 20s or a whole diffrent medevily world} If answering it requires explaining the time difference which you’ve said you intend to do in a future comic then don’t answer it. After all Yes CU’s outfit was peasenty But earth had points in history that were peasenty {Or heck he could have stumbled in through a ren faire.}
4. Has anyone from Earth actually stayed in Yeld despite the fact they were becoming a creature because either A. Their life was too boring on earth or B. They were scientists and wanted to figure out how why they were changing. Obviously C. The inability to find away back is a major source. Unless CU actually did find a way back and all those times he left her to find a way back home was merely him exploring.
6. Does the Prince actually love Gorgon? {I know it’ll probably be answered in the comics but the idea that he might be just using her is a little depressing}
7. If there was a scientist who stayed because he was curious about how Yeld worked. Do you need/want research notes? {I’m bored lately and need a writing project even if it’ll ultimate be thrown away and ignored}
these are all questions that are the kind of thing the Yeld rpg will be about, but…
1. Quite a few. e probably haven’t met any in this story though, besides the boy.
2. Also quite a few. Yeld is full of monsters.
3. just our world and Yeld. Oh, and presumably some kind of after life inhabited by the Drudge Angel.
4. For most people going to Yeld is a one way ticket. If they have a way back it usually closes after awhile.
6. Maybe? I haven’t talked about Dragul much, but he;s a pretty crazy guy. Who knows what he feels?
7. Feel free!
Now i want to cry again 🙁
Knowledge is power, ignorance is Bliss.
So does the shipping of the Kickstarter stuff also delay the shipping of the regular book orders?
A little, but not much. my brother Nick is doing the shipping for the day to day orders. We’re both waiting for new shipping supplies to arrive though.
Poor little Modest if that is true.
…Now I’m thinking of poor Modest growing two (twelve?) heads after losing one. Thanks. <:(
I don’t know why, but I just now noticed the cover of the prince’s book and am suddenly curious as to the title. Obviously it’s about snakes.
I wonder what’d happen to the child form if the snakes were surgically removed…
So… she isn’t really a Medusa but more a Hydra?
Damn D: Great diffrence between that. Holy shit im seeing little modest growing into a huge aweful hydra thingie EEUW D:
Wow… didn’t know that. But Modest Medusa is so cute! I don’t want her to become emotionless like a Vulcan. Or evil like her mother now.
BCB YOU SUCK!!!!
I will forever love Modest Medusa! 🙂
GUESS WHAT!! Hostess products including chocodiles should start showing up on shelves again by summer hopefully. A judge just authorized the sale and the company that bought the rights wants to start production soon.
I’m hopeful!
how does the hydra decide which snake head grows huge?
It’s probably a dominant personality aspect kind of thing.
you know, the whole point of the comix competition is to raise money for charity, so it makes a LOT of sense to encourage people to buy votes… just saying, it’s not cool to be upset about that when all the proceeds go to a good cause.
Yeah, you know I was under the impression that the whole point of the contest was to promote webcomics? As a cartoonist with a chronic medical condition and no insurance I can totally get behind that charity. If ComicMix had asked me to campaign for donations for the charity I would have been happy to. They didn’t. They asked me to campaign for votes for my comic and compete against other comics. I wasn’t even really aware a charity was involved until I realized you could buy votes and gave the whole thing another look. the way ComicMix ran the whole thing was crappy. For webcomics and for the charity. It would have been much, much better to simply ask webcomics artist to encourage their fans to buy votes to help this charity then letting us waste time campaigning for real votes and then making that meaningless by selling votes for super cheap. Imagine how much money we could have raised? I’m really, really good at raising money, by the way. As it was, I was telling people NOT to buy votes because I felt like vote buying was kind of skeezy and cheating. I wasn’t the only web comic creator that felt that way either.
You know, playing Warriors Orochi 3 Hyper, this reminded me that our ultimate goal is to defeat a big Hydra in that game.
Of course, Medusa doesn’t turn into the Hydra in that game, Orochi does, but still…
You can defeat Medusa if you want, I guess. She’s not very tough.
Well, first I don’t want to defeat Medusa. She may be annoying, but so are most little kids, and I don’t usually want to defeat them ether… except for the stereotypical racist 12 year old on XBox Live. Then I use Dan, to no only defeat them, but to humiliate them that they were defeated by a D list character.
Also, Medusa isn’t in Warriors Orochi 3. Is she was I think I may want her on my team of three. =D
And just hearing “Orochi” reminds me of Okami. *shudders*
Lets all just be glad that this universe’s hydra don’t spew elemental death from each head….. O.O! … Or… or do they? ‘:/
ComicMix, paid votes? WTF, mate?
Yes, that’s right this election was brought and it was perfectly legal. 😉
*pokes at the calender and asks playfully* did the unfairness kill the comic?
pffft….. the way they went about it was stupid. mixing normal votes and paid masses of votes is not cool. Pick one or the other…. or don’t have them feed into the same count of votes. While I approve of the charity thing, but it’s not fair for someone to buy a ton of votes in what amounts to a popularity contest! the popularity should be based off of how many people voted for the comic, not how much money you’re willing to shell out to make certain that you win…. and they shouldn’t make it so that only certain people can vote…. *grumbles* I couldn’t vote. I tried, but it wouldn’t let me….. what kind of nonsense is this? totally rigged….
hope to see more pages soon!
Sigh… I’m running behind. I got a little sick this week and slept WAY too much.
that stinks. are you at least feeling better now? and being sick IS a good reason not to put up new pages.
I’m fine. I wasn’t really very sick, just kind of queasy. Probably I was just exhausted, which is why I slept for 17 hours. Doing all these conventions, plus everything else, is catching up to me. I feel good now though, and I’m hoping to be back on track this week.