Yamara™

First published: December, 1991. First posted online: October 17, 2005.

Just think. If the mainstream news media had actually improved substantially in the 14 years since this strip first came out, how dated the jokes would seem.

Guess we’ll have to settle for timely.

And believe it or not, this is Blag’s very last appearance in the original run of the series. It’s not that we grew tired of him– quite the contrary. He remains one of the most popular of our thought-children. But in the course of Yamara‘s rampaging plotline, our dour straightdwarf had little chance of blundering in. We almost didn’t notice, since his reporter nephew kept showing up, but by the time the book was being created, we were concerned about his extended absence.

Readers will be happy to note that the book has a text story in there of Blag’s further experiences in hospital, and introduces a naive nurse named Rella who becomes… entangled with him. A continuance of “When Blag Met Rella” is posted in Radio Free Wyhtl #0.3, as is a background of how Blag came to be in Yamara.

FAQ:

Q. Will we ever see Blag again…?

A. Sure. He made an appearance (with Rella) in a Dork Tower swimsuit issue a few years back, and we’ll post that here eventually. And see if you can’t spot his cameo in this last episode of Warchief.

Also, when Yamara ran in Valkyrie, he and Rella were among the first characters to be revisited. It is part of the Hundred Classic Episodes, and will post in April of 2006. The panel below, long standing upon our Axe In My Head page, is a teaser from that episode:

And take heart: In any continuance of the Yamara story, Blag will certainly have a place, and make his unmistakable smell.