Dominic Deegan: Oracle for Hire, Mk. XXVII: God Has Nothing to do With This

[Coidzor]

Team Fortress Two, you philistine.

Conveniently, my family thinks we're descended from those guys.

Seriously though, isn't that a yiddish variation on the spy's utterance?

And yet there's no yiddish spy....

[SaintRidley]

Conveniently, my family thinks we're descended from those guys.

Seriously though, isn't that a yiddish variation on the spy's utterance?

And yet there's no yiddish spy....

Take the m and g in Gentlemen. Transpose them.

[Garland]

Don't know if it was already mentioned, but based on the evidence we've gotten thus far, it's safe to say that SOUL HUNTERS seem to have only one leg, and move by jumping hilariously, or running on their three limbs.

[rocketpony]

Sneaky Gate

Future link

OH BOY WOT REVELATIONS.
Also - is P4 some kind of SYMBOLISM?!?!?! wokka wokka wokka

[colonelslime]

Sneaky Gate

Future link

OH BOY WOT REVELATIONS.
Also - is P4 some kind of SYMBOLISM?!?!?! wokka wokka wokka

I feel dirty...

[Palmer]

Good news: This is as subtle as the comic will ever be.

Bad News: It's unleashed a floodgate of terrible thoughts.

[Humbug]

I wonder if that's what Mookie intended. Hrmm, subtle imagery? Nah, not his style.

[TheLaughingMan]

Sneaky Gate

Future link

OH BOY WOT REVELATIONS.
Also - is P4 some kind of SYMBOLISM?!?!?! wokka wokka wokka

I can't help feeling how perfectly this goes with Humbug's redrawn comic.

[Coidzor]

Hmm, I feel stupid. I don't see a P or a 4...

[averagejoe]

Nice. The old "lead the horrible soul eating monsters to devour other souls and torture them for all eternity to throw them off your trail" gambit. Are these guys supposed to be the misunderstood heroes of this arc? Because I like them already.

[T-O-E]

I wonder if that's what Mookie intended. Hrmm, subtle imagery? Nah, not his style.

It's the only sex joke* Mookie is capable of making.

Here Here and Here.

*And I use that term loosely.

[Turcano]

Conveniently, my family thinks we're descended from those guys.

Seriously though, isn't that a yiddish variation on the spy's utterance?

No, that would be Yentlmen.

[Khosan]

There are levels of innuendo here that I didn't even see coming.

Oh God, now I'm doing i-

Noooooo!

[Lillith]

I don't know if reading the newspost makes this update worse or not.

Here

Is that Naga thing flipping off the crowd in the fourth an fifth panel? Did Mookie try to say something with that joke? Stay tuned! (or run for your life)

[Morty]

So he was going to do something that, while probably wouldn't look well due to the overall level of the art in the comic, might be imaginative and fit the tone of the arc, which kind of takes place in, you know, hell. But instead, the demon slurped the tentacle down like spaghetti because it made the author giggle.

[Gez]

I wonder if Mookie is honest with himself. Is he trying to convince himself he changed his mind because it was funnier, or is that just a coping mechanism when he found out he had no idea how to illustrate a "pain that cuts deep at the very soul"? Because I really can't imagine today's Mookie managing that. I can picture yesterday's Mookie (the one from the Visions of Doom/Storm of Soul era) trying, and failing but with a honest attempt. Today's Mookie, though?

[Ignition]

Soul Hunters are the new Crotch-Punching Dwarf. There must be many slays of them sucking Dominic's non-existant soul out through his urethra

Also, the very first, and in fact only, thought that I had in regards to panel eight: "Holy crap, he just fell through a plot hole!"

This is the best comic in awhile; it's practically slaying itself now.

[Lillith]

But instead, the demon slurped the tentacle down like spaghetti because it made the author giggle.

Everything he does is because it makes him giggle. The only reason things happen is cause it makes Mookie giggle. He´d take a main char and then get it raped if it made him... .... ohhhhh....

Nah that doesn´t make sense cause if he´d find those things funny Mookie would show that in other ways, like disturbing photographs of women in blood and...

I´m just not going to read the news posts anymore.

[SpekterofDavid]

Oh my god. The wandering, the hunting for demons... KARNAKS HUNTING FOR XP! It al makes sense, the demons seriously do not appear until they are up in his face, the fact that we dont even see him slashing or stabbing anything (Its like Dragonquest)! So hell is one gaint RPG!

[rocketpony]

Oh my god. The wandering, the hunting for demons... KARNAKS HUNTING FOR XP! It al makes sense, the demons seriously do not appear until they are up in his face, the fact that we dont even see him slashing or stabbing anything (Its like Dragonquest)! So hell is one gaint RPG!

"How can a demon not drop a Demon's Heart? UGH I'm NEVER going to get twelve of these! This sucks, I really wanted that pet."

[sihnfahl]

"How can a demon not drop a Demon's Heart? UGH I'm NEVER going to get twelve of these! This sucks, I really wanted that pet."

"Bwahahha! Fools! They're staying for the mere chance of a vanity pet. Quickly, my minions, lower the drop rate!"

[Helanna]

Originally I wanted to make the soul hunter's consumption of Bulgak's infernomancy whip thing to be a lot more splattery and horrid. I wanted it to look like a truly painful thing that signified a pain that cut deep into his very soul.

But, in the end, I got the chuckles at the thought of the soul hunter sucking it down like a piece of spaghetti.

How kind of Mookie. I never thought he would post something that would allow me to point and say "This. This, Mookie. This is EXACTLY why you are such a horrible writer."

Seriously? "I wanted to do something deep and meaningful that would contribute to character development and world development, flesh out this magic system, and overall make for an interesting and intriguing scene . . . but hahahahahahaha it's like spaghetti, see?!"

Now admittedly given Mookie's drawing level I'm not saying that it would have come off particularly well, but seriously? Not even remotely trying? That's why you suck at art, too!

I loathe this update. So much.

[Ignition]

Well, if it's going to be dumb either way, it may as well be irreverently dumb, so we can stop taking this crap seriously If it were emo dumb, I'd feel slightly bad about not taking his crap seriously, but this way I know even he doesn't care.

[Morty]

I agree. The comic used to feel like the author was trying and failing. Now it feels like he doesn't even care, much less try. How are we supposed to care about the story, whether positively or negatively, if the author doesn't?

[guttering flame]

I don't know. Evocative images of spaghetti-tongued soul-suckers are better than pathetic failed attempts at emo. I hope there's going to be some plot in all of this but as a one shot this one is pretty neat.

[CurlyKitGirl]

Analysing Dominus Deegan

The Golden Age*
A Frail Hope of Adequate Enjoyment
21/05/2002 - 17/07/2002 Arcs covered: Oracle for Hire, The Curse
The First Signs of Serious Psychological Issues Appear
18/07/2002 - 4/12/2002 Arcs covered: The Curse, Luna, Into the Woods
In Which Teh Great Dominus Indulges in Torture and Terrifies Me
5/12/2002 - 21/02/2003 Arcs covered: Into the Woods, Couch Forts and Crying
Dominatrix Luna. Oh, and The Dominus is More Feared Than A Necromancer
22/01/2003 - 11/03/2003 Arcs covered: Makeover!, Mob Mentality
Thing Are Looking Up
12/03/2003 - 30/04/2003 Arcs covered: Visions of Doom Parts One and Two
Siggy Is Iesus. Make of That What You Will
01/05/2003 -23/06/2003 Arcs covered: Visions of Doom Parts Three and Four
The Great Dominus Is Officially A Marty Stue an It's THRILLER! THRILLER NIGHT!
24/06/2003 - 19/08/2003 Arcs covered: Visions of Doom Parts Five and Six

Character Development! And We Conclude an Arc
20/08/2003 - 10/09/2003 Arcs covered: Visions of Doom Parts Seven and Eight

Spoiler

Show

Hey, I was right, Gregory chose not to heal Siggy because he's a ierk. Granted, Siggy did beat him and his brother up; but Gregory's a white mage like Lady Iayden. Compassion and healing: it's what you do. Heal those who need it whether you like them or not.
Strange as it may seem, at least the GD offers his skills to everyone.
Still, Gregory's finally decided to take a stand for himself. A very ierky moment to do so, particularly because Iacob was the one to brutally attack Siggy, and you're temporarily Siggy's ally. Oh no. Wait. A sad look breaks his vow. Buuuut, given what I know of Gregory, I think he did want to help him; but had a grudge.
I do think that his revelation about Iacob (see VoD Parts Five and Six) should help him develop from naive, psychologically damaged man-child to a far less naive psychologically damaged man-child. I see the glimmerings of potential postiive character development.
Spark's attitude in p.4 is my reaction to Iacob so far. Have I mentioned I love Iacob? He's one of the most well-rounded characters so far, and I like his attitude.
Maior gaff: why did Mookie double-post the page for 25/08/2003? Does this happen often?
The hell? Why is Lady Iayden thrusting her chest forwards like that? For the record: white magic dissolves bandages. I don't actually get that pose Siggy's in either. It's not good artistically, or even logically. He floats semi-upright, but his hands stay crossesd in front of him, yet his head lolls sideways.
Furthermore, those two white patches on Siggy's hair (in p.3) are always in that exact same place, no matter the lighting, the positioning of his head or anything. I know they're meant to be glossy patches, but the similarity between Siggy and Iacob makes me say this:
The zebra stripe hair is a characteristic of the males of the Damaske line. I have conclusively proved that Siggy and Iacob are half-siblings and that Lord Damaske was boinking Deegan Mama.
Oh, and Gregory can walk now. How distracted must he have been to not notice? And that's a very swift bounce back from having his heart broken. The GD cheered his little brother up.
Siggy's rage is particularly notable today as not only has Gregory iust saved his life and prevented him from being crippled; but he's angry because a Deegan did it. Perhaps he recognises the inherent evilness in the family and that they need to be stopped? Maybe he doesn't like the fact that his half-brother tried to kill him and his reacting appropriately? Either way, Siggy's grudge is dancing on the edge of OOCness as most people would be thankful to their healer for a little bit.
o.O
Go Iayden! Go Iayden! However, p.1 of the second comic there looks a little suspect. It looks like she has a crush on Siggy, even though she iust made out with Lord Dan a few minutes ago. Bad art or foreshadowing? I don't know yet. I particularly like Siggy's expressions, and the interaction between Siggy's group (I really need a name for them), it seems more real and human than between that of the Dominus. Either way, Mookie's art in these comics is actually quite good and the expressions on Siggy's group's faces really say everything.
Hey, and it even work's on DOminus' group too. Mookie's on a roll with this epilogue; I like it much better than the Into the Woods one.
And we get one for Iacob too?! Excellent. Nice to see the half-brother's have something in common, the art here is still fairly good, especially for Iacob's bone arm. And is that a complex motive? A good one? Yes it is. An aesthetic one. (Although if he does do this I will be forced to rename him Iack Skellington) I'm not sure about the phrase "zombie alive", it seems over the top and slightly narmy, but the rest of his philosophy is intriguing and provides a lot of insight into his actions - particularly that of making Gregory despise him, so I give it a free pass too.

Thoughts on Visions of Doom
This arc is why I read Dominic Deegan. The first few were so-so, but here Mookie hit his stride, and this arc in particular is what kept me reading the comic.
It's a good progression from the dramedy of the earlier arcs, and you can even see that Iacob's appearance as a main villain in the comic was foreshadowed back in the Makeover arc.
This arc is tightly written - not perfectly, there are still some writing and timing flaws, but they aren't big enough to make me complain. This arc was two days shy of lasting six months or, to put it another way, one-third of the comic's run. I have the feeling VoD was being planned from fairly early on, and it's been naturally cooling down.
The character development up to this point has been fairly solid with the Dominus having progressed from a complete anti-social sociopath with no social skills whatsoever, to one who's grown as a person into his skills and friendships and has found a new way to help people. Yep, he's still manipulative and cruel, but a little less than earlier on.
Siggy likewise has progressed from "BEAT UP PEOPLE WHO ANNOY ME!" to well, feeling embarrassed by an overreation.
The others have developed somewhat as well, not as much as our two focal characters, but still quite well. With the exception of Luna, naturally.
Iacob, despite only being physically in the last three and a half arcs of the comic has a very good presence and has been looming over the action for quite some time. He has been well realised, and I think a lot could be done with him later on, especially given his unique motivation. I'm pretty sure the zombie will feature heavily in the next few arcs, and I'd like to see what Iacob does with him. Frankly, Iacob is by far the most interesting character, shortly followed by Siggy, but, well, anti-heroes and villains are often more fun than straight up heroes, even if they are massively flawed.
The overall plot of VoD is pretty standard, but that's no problem. Some of my favourite fantasy novels are by David Eddings, whose books are pratically cookie cutter copies of each other. It's how the plot is approached and what the characters are like that shapes the story.
And here, they were good. With the exception of Deiah who felt like nothing more than an exposition blob, I enioyed the vast maiority of this story. Furthermore, the hero's quest ended in total failure, having been manipulated perfectly by the villain; it's a refreshing change, and it provided some zest to the comic.

Don't get me wrong, there are still problems with the art, characters and story, but the arc in general is very good. The Golden Age has been good. Aside from Gregory going all anime on me.
Seriously, that was like something from a shonen anime.

*Ages as defined by Trazoi here.

[T-O-E]

I do think that his revelation about Iacob (see VoD Parts Five and Six) should help him develop from naive, psychologically damaged man-child to a far less naive psychologically damaged man-child. I see the glimmerings of potential postiive character development.

...

So funny it's depressing.

Spark's attitude in p.4 is my reaction to Iacob so far. Have I mentioned I love Iacob? He's one of the most well-rounded characters so far, and I like his attitude.

Well you'll loooove Maltak!

[Thrawn183]

I´m just not going to read the news posts anymore.

How many times have I said that DD would be way better if Mookie kept the news posts to just actual news?

[SaintRidley]

Nice to see another Eddings fan.

And yeah, you pretty much got VoD right. It's one of the few things held remotely close to the pedestal of quality here because it's one of the few remotely quality things we've gotten out of the comic.

[spectralphoenix]

Panel 4 just cracked me up. Bulgak obviously wanted to save Lady Loxo with his demonic tentacles, but they went limp as soon as they entered the Soul Eater's mouth. Now he is a sad orc. In his pants.

Sorry, I know that was juvenile, but I just had to get it out of my system.