Jan 2, 2017 - Dat Axe! (Welcome, Cheyenne!)

[WearsHats]

First page of the year! First page with the new colourist! Welcome, Cheyenne Wright!

The coloring style is going to take a little while to get used to, but I think it's a good blend of Thunt's older (pre-Morikahn) style with a greater depth of texture and shading. It's not what I've come to expect from this comic, but it looks great on its own terms.

Hopefully, this will allow Thunt to keep to a better update schedule and maybe even have time to do things other than sit at his desk and draw.

As for the page itself... Thunt is no longer allowed to complain about my puns. Way to start the year, Thunt!

The axe itself, however, seems best suited to functioning as an oversized socket wrench. Given its shape and capability, you could really screw something with it.

I wonder how the treasure actually works, and if they'll be able to take anything else. We shall see...

Permalink: http://www.goblinscomic.org/01022017-2/

[Krulle]

Indeed, not my favourite shading style. Bit looking forward to see this once a week.
Welcome, Cheyenne!

[Shardstorm]

That link doesn't work.

[ForgetsOldName]

I don't trust these weapons. Seems like too much of a Monty Haul and so far they've managed to flub every encounter and put themselves on a Hellquest. Even Herbert wouldn't throw a wall of weird weapons at a party and not follow up with something that needs to beat down by weirdness.

[WearsHats]

That link doesn't work.

Thanks. Fixed now.

Also, it's interesting to see how reactions have varied from here and Patreon to the Facebook group and Twitter. The change seems to be going over much better on social media, perhaps because the more dedicated fan communities are more committed to the comic as it's been up until now?

[Tofu]

Morning Everyone. I think the shading experience is quite different from Cheyenne's usual style. Don't forget that Tarol has a very complex color and composition requirement. It will take time to sort out and ensure consistency. I'd think Tarol would be one of the more challenging coloring tasks out there. Also, I think it is much more challenging to work through with the borders that are in place but I am sure that over 10 or so strips, the imaging and resulting increased understanding of the two, there will be an improvement in the work being done. I look forward to faster updates and a sense of a developing colourist symphony on the page.

Story line, well, this should be interesting - I think getting descriptions of these nutty items is helpful. An axe that can't cut but can clamp seems useless ... we shall see ...

[Overshot]

What does this axe do? I'm confused.. Clamp down on anything it surrounds?

[WearsHats]

The head of the axe is shaped like a tennis racquet with no strings. It can constrict, gripping any object inside that loop.

[ASFreefall]

Assuming that they're not going to be able to simply pull each and every object out of that wall (because, face it, there's just no way that that'll happen - either someone/something is going to happen upon them, or the room's going to start exploding... or something horrible is going to happen), I think they should prioritize the ring and amulet - better chance of getting something useful that anyone can wear.

[Someguy]

The Axehole... Oww the pun. Besides that, it's function seems to be that of a glorified Man Catcher. It would be useful for Ears as a substitute weapon since he specialises in axes and a shameless double entendre by the DM (Herbert)as a reference to Ear's sexual orientation given it's name and function.

[Guus]

I agree that the new shading will take some time to get used to, but I like it. I think it can turn out very well.

[thinkslogically]

Also, it's interesting to see how reactions have varied from here and Patreon to the Facebook group and Twitter. The change seems to be going over much better on social media, perhaps because the more dedicated fan communities are more committed to the comic as it's been up until now?

Or because we're all stubborn and set in our ways and the folk on social media are more relaxed and open-minded Now get off my lawn!

I think you could be right though, maybe partly because the changes are so sudden when you bring in a new artist / colourist. Instead of watching a gradual evolution of a style, it just slaps you in the face with something new all at once. Folk who've been reading for a while might be more likely to make comparisons to the earliest comics where the colouring etc was super simple and see a larger difference than folk who are making comparisons to the more recent design style.

[Catmandont]

Also, it's interesting to see how reactions have varied from here and Patreon to the Facebook group and Twitter. The change seems to be going over much better on social media, perhaps because the more dedicated fan communities are more committed to the comic as it's been up until now?

Or because we're all stubborn and set in our ways and the folk on social media are more relaxed and open-minded Now get off my lawn!

I think you could be right though, maybe partly because the changes are so sudden when you bring in a new artist / colourist. Instead of watching a gradual evolution of a style, it just slaps you in the face with something new all at once. Folk who've been reading for a while might be more likely to make comparisons to the earliest comics where the colouring etc was super simple and see a larger difference than folk who are making comparisons to the more recent design style.

What he said...

Full disclosure: I'm not a fan of the artstyle of Girl Genius at all, and I was a bit put off by the new coloring as a consequence. However, I love Goblins and I'll accept any change as an improvement, as long as it helps Thunt get his comic to the world, and I'm sure that I'll adjust nicely.

[jbrecken]

The head of the axe is shaped like a tennis racquet with no strings. It can constrict, gripping any object inside that loop.

I think it's more likely it irises closed with sharp blades, severing anything passing through that loop. See those little teeth? Besides, axes are for chopping -if it was just for gripping it would be a mancatcherhole.

For the record, I like the new shading, even if it's softer.

Also, the Hell border is back and nearly complete - was it's absence on the last page a mistake, or is it flashing on and off, growing every time it comes back?

[Krulle]

Nope, last page has not been shaded yet. There are more missing shadings (when morikahn left/started, and a few more oages ago)
Thunt did not get around to do that on some pages...

[spiderwrangler]

Nope, last page has not been shaded yet. There are more missing shadings (when morikahn left/started, and a few more oages ago)
Thunt did not get around to do that on some pages...

Well, would alter continuity for anyone reading from the beginning, but might give Cheyenne something to do when he inevitably is waiting on Thunt to ink pages...

[Aegis J Hyena]

I like the new style of coloring. I like Thunt's more toony "reflective" (lack of better words) style, but I could get used to this.

Also, what Someguy said about it being little more than a reskinned Man Catcher. I was thinking those pole-and-noose style things they use to catch angry/rabid animals, myself...

[RocketScientist]

I like the shading. I like that it's faster, too. I love that the armor is textured now. I don't read Girl Genius, and I'd never heard of Cheyenne Wright before Thunt hired him, so I didn't have a a prior opinion. But I really expect them to work even better together in the future, as they get used to each other's styles.

Axehole. lol.

[spiderwrangler]

Seems some are thinking it isn't an axe anymore? I read that as still a +3 axe, but has the additional ability to grab stuff.

[WearsHats]

Seems some are thinking it isn't an axe anymore? I read that as still a +3 axe, but has the additional ability to grab stuff.

Yes, that's how I read it, too. It's a +3 axe. Those purple things on the outer rim are blades, and it has a +3 bonus. But it can also be commanded to grip things that are inside the loop. It's not clear whether or not there are blades on the inside, if it just holds, or if the wielder has the option.

I'm pretty sure it's moot, though. As with Tayshun the guard, I'm betting this is a one-off joke and we'll never see the axe again.

[(^_^)]

Minmax is here... so if it's some gruesome greed trap (take 3 things, you're ok, take fourth, everyone dies), they are all dead.

It could be final room with unusual looting system, but there would have to be more to it than just what we've seen. Like one person per item or no hading items over or something.

Or, more liekly, it's a puzzle room where items are supposed to be used to solve it with their bonus abilities. Add to this some limit like 3 items out at once at most, and some dynamic threat that requires cooperation in quick pulling out proper item. And obviously Minmax somehow breaks the puzzle. Then cries when items disappear as soon as they leave the room.

[spiderwrangler]

[
I'm pretty sure it's moot, though. As with Tayshun the guard, I'm betting this is a one-off joke and we'll never see the axe again.

Yeah, either that or a Chekovs Gun, clamp it on someone with a weight tied to the other end and toss them into Mt Doom.

[Shardstorm]

As with Tayshun the guard, I'm betting this is a one-off joke and we'll never see the axe again.

I genuinely never noticed that joke. Sad on my part.

As to the comic, that axe looks like it'll work fine, got a wicked looking outer edge, and +3 seems pretty strong to me. I'm curious what else is in there. There's a ring, necklace, sword, hammer, some sort of sickle, and a few things I don't recognize. Of course, I wouldn't expected the Axehole to be an axe based on the vague shape either. I expect the next page to be them getting rudely interrupted from finding out what other excellent items of power there are around. At least the creeping Hell Border means something has to happen and soon, or it means we're going to cut to another story and not see this one for a while.

[WastesTime]

When it comes to the art, I'm gonna wait for the "Blue Moss Staircase moment". For now it doesn't bother me either way. It is very nice, maybe not fitting the comic but I'm used to the previous art style and I do not easily adapt. I remember I couldn't get used to the first artist as well (the one from back when Biscuit had a fight with Grem).

[Orzahn]

When it comes to the art, I'm gonna wait for the "Blue Moss Staircase moment". For now it doesn't bother me either way. It is very nice, maybe not fitting the comic but I'm used to the previous art style and I do not easily adapt. I remember I couldn't get used to the first artist as well (the one from back when Biscuit had a fight with Grem).

Blue Moss Staircase Moment??