3.34

I like the idea of narcotic plants that people chew all day, even though it is super gross in practice. For an example of this, Google “Betel leaf.”

I’ll paraphrase something Bobby Chiu said the other day, artistic efficiency isn’t about working fast, it’s about putting down the right information down the first time. This means brainstorming, thinking and planning before you actually start drawing. It’s very tempting to just jump in and “do,” but ends up being 10x more frustrating. The reason I bring this up is that I redrew this page like 5 times, haha. DON’T DO THIS. I am filled with terror about the next page, so I’m going to plan the hell out of it.

Last, and regrettably, I haven’t done a webcomic pimp in forever :C I’ll more than make it up with this pimp though: Cucumber Quest! Terrific art, fantastic designs and a on top of that it’s a cute all-ages story. On the internet. I know, right?? If you don’t find at least one aspect about the comic to enjoy then I’m sorry but there isn’t any hope for you.

74 Comments

  • AWESOME!

    WIcked comic! I’ve gotten all my friends to start reading!

    • Oogie

      mine too!!
      its so awesome

  • Yesssss, you plugged Cucumber Quest :D
    Can’t believe it’s so fantastic despite it just having started.. All of my love for it, and it’s also a great inspiration and motivation for my own comic, haha. <3

  • sugar-cubes

    You did a lovely job of making certain people look absolutely disgusting! Not many people can really pull that off. Keep up the good work!

    • Haha, I hate them.

    • John

      I feel as though that guy has always been very “unpopular.”

  • Elizabeth

    Ugh I doubt I will be revisiting this page much. Oh, it’s quite well drawn but do I really want to look at that guy’s face for another several days until you update?? Similar to Phe’s deathface, I really would rather not

    Poor Alamand XD

  • kishimobot

    Alamand doesn’t look too happy at being lumped into “ladies” :)

    • Happy

      Dude, yes. I only caught the joke second time through and laughed my head off. Also this technically isn’t a reply to you, but the leaf guy’s headwear confuses me; I thought it was his hair and then I saw his actual hair. OH WELL.

  • Jenny

    That guy’s face= greatest thing I have seen all day. Also: that is a big spider. Also also: haha Alamand you are such a lady. -that is all-

  • Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeew! I do NOT want whatever that guy is having.

    I’ve been kind of an underground follower of The Meek, but I’ve just got to say, you’re the first web comic writer that’s wrapped me in to your series. It’s so brilliant, well-colored and has a wonderful storyline! I very much enjoy your hard work. Thank you!

  • GOD, I’m in love with Soli. T_T Every page with her shoots another arrow into my heart.

    … Oh wait, I have a real-life boyfriend, forgot about him for a moment, haha, eehh-

    Love this comic loads, btw. :D Keep up the fantabolous work!

  • Emzy

    Ten bucks says Alamand will scream like a lady if he sees a rat in there. Lovely page.

  • I’m more impressed by the fact that Soli was called a “lady” than amused by the fact that Alamand was, too XD

  • I like how the guy calls Ali one of the ladies.

  • Jenny

    *apologies for second comment*
    I noticed on second read-through, that it’s a good thing they had to get rid of their horses in the last page; how on earth were they going to fit them through that little hole? XD

  • Hanan

    Have you ever seen the Movie El Norte? It’s in Spanish and it’s really sad, but sneaking through the border in a rat infested tunnel kinda reminds me of it.

    • Grey

      Yeah! I really liked that movie. This reminded me of that too…what a terrifying scene….

  • kyrie

    I’d much rather wait for an excellent comic to be redrawn a few times until everything’s in what the artist feels is the right place than get a poorly executed comic immediately. Instant gratification is overrated.

  • S'Kittles

    Ahaha I love that you pimped CQ! <3 Peachi/Gigi is one of my favourite artists. : )

    LOL "people like us". I don't think Alamand is too impressed.

    … Ladies.

  • Jay

    Oh man this scenario makes me think of El Norte. Aaaaaah raaaaaats whyyyyyy D: D: D:

  • Eleanor

    Midday update I am so happy I sqeaked! People stared. I shouldn’t read comics in the library.

    Love this page! People do actually chew on leaves all day. Like cocaine! The plant it comes (Erythroxylum coca) from has less cocaine in each leaf than a cup of coffee has caffeine, so people chewed them all day to increase their energy. A traveler from Spain raved about this “miracle plant,” so the monarchy had him send bushels of it to them via ship, the fastest transportation they had in the 1800s. Thing is, the alkaloid cocaine disappears from the leaf within a day of harvesting, so the monarchy had never understood why it was such a big deal.

    They made wine out of the leaves, though.

  • Comett

    must..stop looking.. at his teeth u_u

  • oh awesome, that chewing guy is just wonderfully gross.

    I watched Anthony Bourdain try and chew kava leaves some time ago. He did not like them, as I recall. Sounds digusting. Like people here chewing tobacco. Blegh.

  • Kaytay

    So I was readin’ that Cucumber Quest webcomic thing and it’s AWESOME so far, only I accidentally hit “Last” instead of next and went straight from page 29 to page 38 and it was EXTRA AWESOME and I had to tell someone 8D
    (…sorry for being off topic…)

  • Saurus

    Hahahaaa I love how Alamand’s like, “They are touching me now CREEPY CREEPERS AAAAAHHH GET AWAY GET AWAY”

  • Hoheh

    Oh dear. It is that bad. They should wear those things they were earlier. At minimum, their hair and faces will be hidden.

  • CelestialTeez

    These guys make Al and Soli look gorgeous.

    • HopelessO

      ARE YOU SAYING THEY ARE NOT

      blasphemy

  • I don’t know. I’ve had a lot of experiences where I made a plan, but then during the process of making it, the piece deviated way the hell away from the plan.

  • Tim Kietzman

    Finally! Thanks for keeping this comic up! What happens next? I hope the next one will come soon.

  • AlmostLiterally

    Oh man Ali’s not having a good time even remotely.

  • Nes

    Uuuugh what’s that guy got in his mouth?? DD8 I can’t decide between chewing tobacco or rotted teeth..! *flails* Ugh XDDD

    But I really like this page. Poor Alamand. Methinks he wants a haircut.

    • HopelessO

      Betel leaves, according to the author’s notes down below.

  • Cherry B.

    Wow. Just wow.
    I don’t mean to sound like I’m a kiss-up, but you’re so seriously awesome. That gross dude is just….perfectly disgusting! It makes you want to look away, but at the same time admire how detailed his repulsive face is. << It's weird.

    Flipping pickles, Soli is darn hot! 3:

    Thanks for that new comic! xD It's sooooooo funny. I love that the colors are all flat and how cute it is! At first though, I thought Cucumber was a girl. << I like his dad though, he's goofily sexy.

  • I love the mouth on that eating dude. That’s a nice drawing :D

  • Omochao

    I loove this comiccc~ Like. You’re so awesome asfdhgfsdj. ;A;
    ….Forget betel leaf. How about betel nut? I watch this travel show religiously, and when they went to Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and other places like that, they chewed it with the locals. It dyes the mouth this horrible blackish red, and if the travellers’ reactions were to be trusted, it has to taste horrible. I guess it gives you a nice buzz, though.
    Also, yay Cucumber Quest! I’ve been reading it since around the start, and I gotta say it’s flippin’ awesome.

  • Liz

    Gee, it looks like somebody’s scared of the dark! ;lol;;

  • Run away, Almand!

    Hell, I’d run too of some guy had chewing tobacco (or something, this is a minor guess) and was talking in my ear. Not to mention he looks like he hadn’t bathed in weeks…

    Still awesome page~ :D

  • Dot

    Well, no matter how many times you had to re-do it I love the first panel! It’s just so amazing. The shadows of the cave and Soli framing Alamand (his expression ;D ) and the others!

    Still love reading yours comic! (you have awesome colouring skills)

  • Cheri

    Oh, jesus christ.

    They’re climbing into a giant vagina.

    • Every cave is actually a giant vagina. EVERY CAVE

      • Cheri

        Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

  • dani

    Awesome page! :D (As usual)

    I have been wondering, though – are Rana and Suda named after frogs?

    • All three kids are named for frogs… genera, anyway :) Nice of someone to notice.

      • bradford

        Sigh . . . Caecilians can’t get no love. Also, Suda? I don’t know/remember any Suda?

        • His full name is Sudacris :B

          • Suilean Dubh

            …Did anyone else think “Ludicrous” when they read that? Cuz… It rhymes.

  • sweet_gardenia

    OOH ALEXDS WHY YOU MAKE SUCH SEXY MENS LOOK AT HIS TEETH MM YES

    …I’m kidding I promise.

    OR AM I

    hahah awesome page. I’m betting it’s a trap though. I wouldn’t trust those guys as far as I could throw ’em

  • Natalie

    Just wanted to let you know that your art (as well as your current update schedule!) is making me happy :). I won’t get used to it, because I know you’re probably busy/can’t always update this often. But yes, definitely awesome. Like the chewing leaf idea.

  • Tobu

    Lord help us, but if that top panel is anything to go by, Ali is going to be a real looker in about ten years. You know, once he shoots up some, fills out a little and stops perpetually making squirrel faces.

    …that, or he just looks good in comparison to present company. Hmm. : |

  • cats-eye

    Just found this comic. I must say I rather like it. It’s quirky and I like quirky! Looking forward to the next update.

  • Pneumonica

    Yeah, it’s good to hang around the “popular” people, right?

    This is… well, I can’t bring myself to call it beautiful, but it certainly excels. :-)

  • Suilean Dubh

    First thing, why a hat? I feel like I missed something. And omigod that guy is so gross he makes my skin crawl ew ew ew. And lastly… IT’S A TRAAAAP!!

    • Cailte

      Because they’re crossing the border into a country where towheads (means blond people) are said to have murdered the emperor’s wife. It may not be safe over there. D:

  • Sparn

    Woo~ Finally actually caught you at a con instead of finding out there had been a booth after I left!

  • Karrey

    The chewing guy cracks me up. XD A person at my job chews like that… ! With shinier teeth, thoo. You are so awesome with catching movements/expressions. Nom nom!

  • Ailynne

    I actually had a dream about the next page.
    I need a life. ;-;

    • lol, I had a dream about making the next page. I think we are both dreaming about the future.

      • Ailynne

        Does the next page involve more cave?
        If so, I dreamed right!

  • The art and storytelling are great as always, but one thing bugs me: why are white-haired, pale-skinned people hanging out in the desert? Even with protective clothes, wouldn’t they be burned beyond recognition in these painful days before the advent of sunscreen? Races usually evolve to match their environments pretty quickly: hotter climates mean darker skin to protect from sunburn, while colder areas promote lighter skin to take in precious sunlight for vitamin D manufacturing.

    Er, sorry for the 8th grade anthropology lesson there, I just thought I should back my question. So did the Carissi immigrate to the desert territory, and if they did, how do they deal with the climate? Again, I’m sorry for the overthinking that goes into this exceedingly long comment. Love the comic! I’ll stop typing now.

    • Great point, and that’s actually on purpose :) I get excited when people notice stuff like that, since it’s intentional… and the explanation will come up later, I promise!

  • Great seeing you at Fanime again! :D

  • Rylee Morgan

    I think by “people like us” he meant those of carissi race.
    Anyways, I like how unflattering this page is too. I’ve seen a lot of artist who always try to have “pretty” characters, but it’s nice… um well, a good change to see some sketchy figures. hehe.

  • Virginia

    Oh man. I love your comic pimps. I’ve found some really good ones through that. I’ve also lost track of the ones you’ve promoted… but in a similar vein have you heard of Happle Tea (http://www.happletea.com) Heelarious and worth a looky even if you don’t pimp it out. Or if you already have.. uh, OMG CAVES D:

    In unrelated news, in Soviet Russia, The Game loses you.

  • Those teeth…I can’t stop staring… The leaf bits spewing out of his mouth really make it perfectly gross and disgusting. :D

  • Tim W

    Just wanted to say thanks for being at fanime, it was great to meet you and get some autographed volumes!

  • Huh? Are they both girls? I though the short guy was at least… well a guy.

    • TLL

      Alamand’s a boy. The ‘ladies’ thing was a joke.

      • Anton

        When someone calls me a lady I always reply “Are you free tonight?”.

  • paski

    i just discovered your work in DA and i love your stuff!

    also i readed all the comic and looks so good, keep the good work!

  • adnamae

    Is it bad that I say ‘hearing’ like they would? ‘Hurrin?’ Maybe I should get my hands on some narcotic plants to complete the image.

  • Megii of Mysteri OusStranger

    I think “H-hey, wait for me!” equates to “Don’t leave me behind with these disgusting guys!” Haha.

  • Dot

    Your comic still stands as one the best in the world! The page is really beautiful as usual. Glad to see they’ll be reaching civilization soon… but a ghost town is always a bad sign…. tsk, tsk, tsk

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