Most interesting that I should go back a chapter and jump this far back in time having just replied to you, only to then see your reply right before me.
Truly we are bonded – though you may never see this.
So, did he have the arena built so large more for the practical sake of seating more people or more to strong his own… ego, I wonder? The rows of status of himself that are tall enough to touch the sky makes me assume the latter with the former being a happy coincidence.
Two observations: first, this event has happened before and Solomon is probably just trying too hard to remind everyone how big he is… harder and harder every time he has to rebuild the whole place again. Appearance is everything to a God autocrat.
Second, this event has happened before. I’m pretty much certain he commissions a new Ring every time because the contestants are so awesome THEY BLOW THE PLACE UP.
“If the Treasury were to fill old bottles with banknotes, bury them at suitable depths in disused coalmines which are then filled up to the surface with town rubbish, and leave it to private enterprise on well-tried principles of laissez-faire to dig the notes up again (the right to do so being obtained, of course, by tendering for leases of the note-bearing territory), there need be no more unemployment and, with the help of the repercussions, the real income of the community, and its capital wealth also, would probably become a good deal greater than it actually is.
It would, indeed, be more sensible to build houses and the like[…]”
–John Maynard “”The Assault of Thoughts on the Unthinking” Keynes
We’re talking about a multiversal tournament with contestants powerful enough to split mountains organized by one of the seven rulers of all of creation. Of course the arena is going to be big.
And the gentle ripples on the light blue sea on either side. Soon it will be a red sea, once the fighting starts. Do not forget what is about to happen here.
Gunwitch at the stall in the heels and hat is giving Alison the sly eye! Also am I weird for noticing no nipples on the ginormous Solomon David statues? Seems an odd sort of self-censorship.
While it is A gunwitch I don’t believe it is THE gunwitch who has been after Alison. I am seeing lots of people who resemble members of the group but none who I remember actually being part of it.
Absolutely Magnificent ! Just discovered this webcomic last week. Completed upto this point in just one night and was mindblown!!!
Awesome work and just waiting for more action and worlds.
Good day, my friend.
Take a seat, enjoy yourself;
Try not to be killed.
For you are now inside
The Ring of Fire~
– GOG-AGOG SINGS THE RING OF FIRE INFOMERTIAL JINGLE
Wonderful details ! Lots to love here ! The priest’s frog familiars, the Fox headed samurai on a bridge off to the left in the background, the Eidolons, the Infinite Mother, the frieze of Solomon on the Triumphant Arch ( yet more evidence of his tremendous pride ). Mr. Green Flame “HEY Buddy ! What Are Ya – Vatra ?” “ZOT !” He hisses… “MAYBE…!” Tall Berserker dude taking five, “Is that You Fafhrd ? !” One can’t help but notice the little shrine to Aesma ( if that’s Her and not some other Goddess of Combat ) !
Gosh – and it’s all so Clean ! There must be a hidden army of sweepers somewhere. Maybe I missed the sign that says “Litterers will be tortured in public, shown the error of their ways, whipped, healed, made to clean up, get flayed, decapitated, and then be thrown to the war-beasts.”
Unless I’m mistaken, the white fuzzy being with a large blue devil head behind it is a Head Lopper reference. You can see him on the left side of the arch.
Fafhrd seems to have a beef with the taller blue-faced, red-headed woman(?) on the other side of the archway; she seems to be literally blowing smoke at him. What’s that all about, I wonder?
Indeed, it has the seeming of a Good Kingdom, ruled by a wise and noble King. Nothing like the realms of his squabbling, debased rivals.
This, of course, is exactly what Solomon David wishes (you) to believe.
That’s a nice coliseum ya got there, Solomon… It would be a shame if a horde of desperate gloryseekers and a worm-sponsored AL-YIS-UN did something to it……
Aw, but ’tis even more delightful than the glorious triptich depicting the siege of Yre. And Solomon monuments higher ‘n clouds – nice touch. Though the diversity of crowd in shapes and colours is much more enjoyable.
The tails mean they are quite young, still part pollywog. Don’t say that to their face though! They are deadly accurate with that sticky tongue of theirs and don’t take kindly to slights.
I believe the better question to be, “Where ISN’T Gog?”
Certainly not not in your favorite restaurant, or passing you by on the street, or warming your bed on cold nights, or looking back at you in the mirror.
21 Majestic Songbird Teeters On The Edge Of Extinction
The pale faceless guy standing next to flaming skullhead should be a tennis player. He’d have a great fourhand, er, I mean forehand. Do they even play tennis in this universe?
It appears to be a Sliver, You know, from one of Gog’s worlds. perhaps a Sinew or Synapse Sliver. Hard to tell for sure. Those things adapt so fast you never can tell what they will look like next.
There is a little green guy with eye stocks and a squid face on the very bottom center. There is a beast of burden with almost the exact same face on the left hand side. Are they the same type of creature?! Different life stage? converging evolution? mutation? slavery? Illusion?
I get the impression this area of the city was built to suggest that Throne could look this nice if only someone could free up Solomon to take up complete rulership of the multiverse.
I sweat, it’s scenes like these, with the bird-mounts and the people with fancy hats (Oscar’s missing out!) that make me look in all the little background nooks and crannies of Abaddon’s pictures.
You see, I remain convinced that somewhere in all of that lovely chaos, there’s a tiny little Jean-Giraud gleefully bouncing up and down and clapping.
Thank you. Been waiting for another amazing spread like this.
Abbadon is a master at these wide shots, such a pleasure to behold.
Most interesting that I should go back a chapter and jump this far back in time having just replied to you, only to then see your reply right before me.
Truly we are bonded – though you may never see this.
Sorry for offtopic but that’s probably the best possible way to name yourself Zero… Mathematics can be very magiclike sometimes.
Heh, thanks. I thought of using “enoonmai” (the demon from “The Exorcist”), but he/she/it was kind of a jerk.
So many lovely details here, including clearing up the mystery from the previous page of who is carrying the tea set: it Allison.
So, did he have the arena built so large more for the practical sake of seating more people or more to strong his own… ego, I wonder? The rows of status of himself that are tall enough to touch the sky makes me assume the latter with the former being a happy coincidence.
Two observations: first, this event has happened before and Solomon is probably just trying too hard to remind everyone how big he is… harder and harder every time he has to rebuild the whole place again. Appearance is everything to a God autocrat.
Second, this event has happened before. I’m pretty much certain he commissions a new Ring every time because the contestants are so awesome THEY BLOW THE PLACE UP.
Government spending, am I right?
“If the Treasury were to fill old bottles with banknotes, bury them at suitable depths in disused coalmines which are then filled up to the surface with town rubbish, and leave it to private enterprise on well-tried principles of laissez-faire to dig the notes up again (the right to do so being obtained, of course, by tendering for leases of the note-bearing territory), there need be no more unemployment and, with the help of the repercussions, the real income of the community, and its capital wealth also, would probably become a good deal greater than it actually is.
It would, indeed, be more sensible to build houses and the like[…]”
–John Maynard “”The Assault of Thoughts on the Unthinking” Keynes
I like the idea that contestants destroy arena every tournament. This MUST be true.
Parties, woo!
I mean, no, massive environmental and infrastructural collapse, bad.
But woo!
We’re talking about a multiversal tournament with contestants powerful enough to split mountains organized by one of the seven rulers of all of creation. Of course the arena is going to be big.
“Only the evil live to see their own likeness in stone”
Fantastic.
One little touch I love: everything under the lady’s sunshade being tinted by the sunlight shining through it.
And the gentle ripples on the light blue sea on either side. Soon it will be a red sea, once the fighting starts. Do not forget what is about to happen here.
! We have waited for this day to come !
! AI AI !
Yae ae ae!
Gunwitch at the stall in the heels and hat is giving Alison the sly eye! Also am I weird for noticing no nipples on the ginormous Solomon David statues? Seems an odd sort of self-censorship.
You pointing out that second bit makes wonder if the Ken-doll anatomy extends down below the conveniently concealing clouds.
While it is A gunwitch I don’t believe it is THE gunwitch who has been after Alison. I am seeing lots of people who resemble members of the group but none who I remember actually being part of it.
No, definitely not Layla Brimstone. I suspect we’ll be seeing the stars later, and in a bunch; they wouldn’t be as much fun by onesies and twosies!
There are a number of prices on her head.
It would be weird if none of the assembled killers-for-hire gave her a second look.
I just though she was looking at Alison’s butt, but I guess sizing up the competition makes more sense, and is more boring.
His nips are covered up by some weird mantle thing.
There is *a lot* of side eye coming from all sides in this scene. Is Allison walking into a trap…?
I think it more likely just contestants gauging each other’s abilities.
A Devil and an Aeon? in the same party? Why that’s the third strangest thing I’ve seen today!
The second one was an iron plum.
Well, statues don’t actually have to depict their subject nude!
I suspect those statues simply show Solomon in armor, or at least clothes.
The black-furred devil to the left looks devilishly similar to me ducky pal Oscar.
Also princess is killing the fashion scene.
Absolutely Magnificent ! Just discovered this webcomic last week. Completed upto this point in just one night and was mindblown!!!
Awesome work and just waiting for more action and worlds.
Good day, my friend.
Take a seat, enjoy yourself;
Try not to be killed.
For you are now inside
The Ring of Fire~
– GOG-AGOG SINGS THE RING OF FIRE INFOMERTIAL JINGLE
Welcome to the Concordance of Demiurges.
May you reach Concordance.
And pray that demiurges won’t reach YOU.
Silly Honker, nothing is beyond their reach, they simply fail to reach for it.
Probably not. Too many sharp edged things. Remember the third maxim of power gatherings: a well armed [society] is a polite [society].
Hrmm… Tengu in attendance. Harbingers of war. Fitting, eh?
Wonderful details ! Lots to love here ! The priest’s frog familiars, the Fox headed samurai on a bridge off to the left in the background, the Eidolons, the Infinite Mother, the frieze of Solomon on the Triumphant Arch ( yet more evidence of his tremendous pride ). Mr. Green Flame “HEY Buddy ! What Are Ya – Vatra ?” “ZOT !” He hisses… “MAYBE…!” Tall Berserker dude taking five, “Is that You Fafhrd ? !” One can’t help but notice the little shrine to Aesma ( if that’s Her and not some other Goddess of Combat ) !
Gosh – and it’s all so Clean ! There must be a hidden army of sweepers somewhere. Maybe I missed the sign that says “Litterers will be tortured in public, shown the error of their ways, whipped, healed, made to clean up, get flayed, decapitated, and then be thrown to the war-beasts.”
Unless I’m mistaken, the white fuzzy being with a large blue devil head behind it is a Head Lopper reference. You can see him on the left side of the arch.
Fafhrd seems to have a beef with the taller blue-faced, red-headed woman(?) on the other side of the archway; she seems to be literally blowing smoke at him. What’s that all about, I wonder?
Everyone looks so healthy. Everything looks so clean.
Enjoy it while you can. Considering Alison’s record so far, this will probably end with the whole place lit on fire.
I would be surprised to find anything left TO be on fire. Rather than reduced by explosion to a crater of smooth glass.
Indeed, it has the seeming of a Good Kingdom, ruled by a wise and noble King. Nothing like the realms of his squabbling, debased rivals.
This, of course, is exactly what Solomon David wishes (you) to believe.
I feel like Solomon taking a little civic pride in his empire puts him ahead of the pack, no matter how much of a despot he is.
I’ll take living under a self-aggrandizing philosopher king over being consumed by an insane worm hive-mind.
That’s a nice coliseum ya got there, Solomon… It would be a shame if a horde of desperate gloryseekers and a worm-sponsored AL-YIS-UN did something to it……
Do we know how often he runs these? Yearly, every decade, once a generation? Seems like it would take a while to rebuild all this crap.
Don’t underestimate the resources you can pull from 111,111 iniverses when you aren’t trying to feed them to an evil tree god.
The First Obstacle:
The Line to Register. :<
Aw, but ’tis even more delightful than the glorious triptich depicting the siege of Yre. And Solomon monuments higher ‘n clouds – nice touch. Though the diversity of crowd in shapes and colours is much more enjoyable.
Those pigeons though.
Floofy yeti!
FUNNY MONKEY EAT MORE FRUIT.
i have a stinking suspicion those are just painted rocks, given to them to distract them from the actual fruit.
I like the monkeys but in this scene I’m really digging the little frog guys with tails. I see four of them.
The tails mean they are quite young, still part pollywog. Don’t say that to their face though! They are deadly accurate with that sticky tongue of theirs and don’t take kindly to slights.
Fitting to make a killing on others soon to be making (literal) killings
Those who know their last breath may come soon are refreshingly lax when it comes to defining “reasonable,” yes.
Mighty figures standing proud
Eat the fruit and ride the cloud
Seventy-two forms allowed.
King doth stand on lofty skies
O’er his kingdom does he rise
Royal disguise for den of lies
the riddle goes unsolved
this is axiomatic
Alright, alright, it was worth the wait, Abbydon.
“Was there ever any doubt?”
Sometimes the authors of the other webcomics I follow complain about how much trouble it is to draw detailed backgrounds and crowds.
They know nothing.
A sight to behold, the civilized calm before the bloody storm of the arena. For the time being let them relax
Wasn’t expecting a member of the Voladores to make an appearance here. Then again, he probably came for bussiness
And of course, a member of the kind people is quite the treat
This is gorgeous. Something to look at again and again
Kangaroo people? Amazing.
I think I see Arzach on top of one of the monumental gates in the background. Excellent drawing and excellent story.
Trying to find an Easter Egg Millenium Falcon or R2-D2 somewhere in there.
ho ho ho I see that sneaky ORC stain cameo!
And I thought it was just me that was seeing that! Expect much poison to be tossed
POXA GRONKA!
But where is gog
Nowhere and everywhere
Within. Without.
Watching. Waiting.
Stalking.
I believe the better question to be, “Where ISN’T Gog?”
Certainly not not in your favorite restaurant, or passing you by on the street, or warming your bed on cold nights, or looking back at you in the mirror.
SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY
Hey Abby, if you’re reading this, I love the Orkstain reference. I wonder if there are any others, I’ve missed.
The pale faceless guy standing next to flaming skullhead should be a tennis player. He’d have a great fourhand, er, I mean forehand. Do they even play tennis in this universe?
SERVE OR DIE!
I’d love to know the story on Green Ghost Rider over there. Is he a Vatrya pushing contracts to the absolute limit?
A culmination of the mightiest of the multiverse, or at least those foolish enough to enter.
Perhaps finding my way home will require I retrace my steps?
TOUUUURRRNNNAMENT ARRRRRRRRRRRRCH
Ghost rider, Slenderman’s tanned cousin and the heiress to the Key?
I fear no humanoids
But that thing
*Sees bottom right corner*
It scares me 🙁
It appears to be a Sliver, You know, from one of Gog’s worlds. perhaps a Sinew or Synapse Sliver. Hard to tell for sure. Those things adapt so fast you never can tell what they will look like next.
Some form of white devil, I believe.
“Secretly, the most dangerous.”
There is a little green guy with eye stocks and a squid face on the very bottom center. There is a beast of burden with almost the exact same face on the left hand side. Are they the same type of creature?! Different life stage? converging evolution? mutation? slavery? Illusion?
Oh, of course! An alien horse mask!
Different breeds of the Servant race.
And take a look at who the squid-horse is carrying: a steampunk robot knight!
Is it just me or do our heroes draw a lot of attention? It’s like everybody is looking at them.
I get the impression this area of the city was built to suggest that Throne could look this nice if only someone could free up Solomon to take up complete rulership of the multiverse.
Preem Girst has observed the first principle of feudalism.
Flash your cash.
But since the purpose of war and conquest is only to redistribute wealth under “improved” control, they’d need a new universal war. Oh, wait…
and yet another “jesus f**k!” jawdropper of a page
Now that’s a new page
Good job, Abby, I’m fuggen ded
My favorite easter egg in this one is Starfox.
They say if you look far enough, you will see Super Saiyan Waldo
I sweat, it’s scenes like these, with the bird-mounts and the people with fancy hats (Oscar’s missing out!) that make me look in all the little background nooks and crannies of Abaddon’s pictures.
You see, I remain convinced that somewhere in all of that lovely chaos, there’s a tiny little Jean-Giraud gleefully bouncing up and down and clapping.
Awesome. Although there should be someone selling the multiversal equivalent of cold beer as well as lucky charms: it’s a hot wait.
Congratulations regarding your endeavour, dear artist. May your union be of the most harmonic and enduring kind.
But where is cool , magnificent and awesome Gog-Agog , our fashion queen lady Agoga ? I miss her !
Today is Salomon’s and David’s name day in Sweden. Fitting for the continuation.
The skull-faced beast of burden looks like one of Wayne Barlowe’s siege beasts.
Can you Where’s Waldo the Pan’s Labyrinth Monster next to green Ghost Rider?
I swear I’m running out of underwear, so fucking magestic.