It’s Iimi! The Ox Man Cometh

Iimi’s godfather, Lt. Col. Edward Oxley (“Uncle Ox”) of the Royal Marine Commandos, has come to visit and help with UK passport renewals. He has many comments that appear to be inside jokes. But is there more to it than that? Iimi has questions. We get some insights into how she researches when… The Ox Man Cometh

Pre-Comic Notes:
I am in the process of having a series of cataract surgeries this month. Please keep me in your prayers that all goes well. I will try to keep up with the comics as much as my schedule and recovery needs allow. The July comics are covered, but this set of operations will fall during the time when I work on the August comics as it shifts to college. At this time, the first one is done. While the astigmatism means I’ll always need corrective lenses, I can see much more without lenses than I could before, and I can still work on the comics (currently working on the 8/1 issue). We’ll see how it goes after my second surgery at the end of the month.

Post-Comic Notes:
When it came to the portrayal of the one the Iscra family calls “That Man,” I operated under a few rules. 1) No stereotypes. 2) No accusations that were not proven. 3) Keep my personal views of him out of it. I tried to follow the example of the old Marvel comics, where the portrayal of a President is either a generic figure or neutral.

Image Credits
All Map images are © OpenStreetMap contributors.

It’s Iimi! Sunken Costs?

With college less than a month and a half away, Iimi and Krysta realize that they have gone as far as they can at the Seishin Renshinkan Dojo until they graduate. But when it comes to finding dojos conveniently located near Moore, it’s hard to find one that aligns with what they have already studied. Do they need to sacrifice what they have already achieved? Or is that a bad way to look at it? Does that apply to other areas? Why is it hard to be objective when it comes to… Sunken Costs? 

Preliminary Notes: I will be having a series of cataract surgeries this month. Please keep me in your prayers that all goes well. I will try to keep up with the comics as much as my schedule and recovery needs allow. The July comics are covered, but this set of operations will fall during the time I work on the August comics, as I shift to college.

The SSPX (re)entered schism today. Pray that this be ended soon. If there was any doubt, I stand with Pope Leo XIV as the legitimate successor of St. Peter.

Image Credits
The cover image is © Dean Spencer, used with permission. All rights reserved.
The cover backdrop was created by FiguD and is used under license.

  

AI Disclaimer
Regrettably, I used AI to generate covers and background scenery for Issues 184-277. I still use it (reluctantly) to create logos, doodles, and symbols, simply because there are no non-AI logo-creation programs (suggestions are welcome). Some previously used images have been kept for consistency (iconic buildings and “historic photographs”) with the intent of replacing them when possible. Any other appearance of AI means the stock art seller I purchased from misrepresented their product.

It’s Iimi! Truth For Consequences

Kismetta tells the others about her experiences in looking for an apartment in the Goregeton area. Malik has questions about the new encyclical. And the members of the AThE think that they can stump Iimi with an ancient paradox. Can she give them the… Truth For Consequences

Pre-Comic Notes:
There are some long quotes in this issue. Due to automatic scaling based on screen size, it might be necessary to zoom in to read them, depending on your device.

Post-Comic Notes:

Act 2 was something that I thought should be written, given Iimi’s previous discussions (in passing) of the Church and slavery. While I’m only addressing it now in the 6/21/26 issue, I was scripting this issue when the Pope’s encyclical was published (5/25/2026).

What you see in Act 2 reflects my own searching. The Holy Father viewed the significance of some documents differently than I (and Iimi) did originally. Like Iimi, I saw Sicut Dudum, which explicitly condemned taking slaves, as having more weight than Dum Diversas (which came later). But I don’t see my different interpretation as “Pope Leo XIV being wrong.” Knowing I am not infallible, I gave religious submission of intellect and will, and saw this as an opportunity to reconsider my interpretation. (Krysta’s statement that parsing Dum Diversas broke her brain reflects how I felt reading it.)

Much of the secular media's focus on the encyclical seemed to miss the point of what he said, reducing the main thrust of human dignity, spinning it to look like a document where the Church “admitted” it caused and approved of the slave trade. So, to be clear, I accept Pope Leo XIV’s assessment of Dum Diversas. But I believe the secular interpretation of that assessment is wrong.

But as I said through Krysta, the first paragraph in Dum Diversas is extremely difficult to parse. It can be interpreted in several conflicting ways (which probably explains why I took a different interpretation from Pope Leo XIV). So, I don’t accuse those secular interpretations of malicious intent.

Image Credits
Cover artwork is copyright © 2006-2014 Bradley K McDevitt.

 

AI Disclaimer

I used AI to generate covers and background scenery for Issues 184-277. I still use it to create logos, doodles, and symbols, simply because there are no non-AI logo-creation programs (suggestions are welcome). Some previously used images have been kept for consistency (iconic buildings and “historic photographs”) with the intent of replacing them when possible. Any other appearance of AI means the stock art seller I purchased from misrepresented their product.