Webcomic / 70-Seas

Yo Ho Ho!

Written and drawn by Nick Daniel, 70-Seas (formerly Lagend) is the (mostly) lighthearted story of the adventures of Lewk of Azeramethonrel (not really from Azeramethonrel), Nikol Mimagi (AKA Mimagi Niku), and Serra Serif (Self proclaimed most badass pirate alive), as they travel around, suffering through an endless series of hijinks. Oh, and land moves. The world is well developed, the characters are witty and engaging, the story is enjoyable and fun, and the art is... interesting. Definitely worth a read. Found here.

The comic concluded on June 28, 2013 and the author moved on to his next work, Latchkey Kingdom, which started off as an Affectionate Parody of The Legend of Zelda and evolved into something much wider. Many of 70-Seas cast appear there as background or episodic characters.

Note: As of May 2018, the website is currently down and bought by cybersquatters. The prologue and chapters 1-9 are available at The Duck The official site with all chapters, side stories and authour's comments can be viewed thanks to the Wayback Machine, but some images are missing or not displaying. The comics themselves are also available for sale on Gumroad.

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This webcomic provides examples of:

• Abnormal Ammo: The first chapter opens with church agents launching jellyfish at our heroes.
  • In Chapter IV, the privateers use barnacles to grapple onto a ship.
  • The fifth chapter revolves around a giant squid fired from a cannon.
• All There in the Manual: The author explained in the last page's comments what he couldn't properly explain in-story about Grin and Kings.
  • Grin's nature (see Doing In the Wizard below) and Nikol's backstory would require a year-long storyline without Serra or Lewk and with Nikol acting out of character. Basically, abandoning everything he liked about 70-Seas.
  • The Kings claim to be employed by Cartographers' Guild, which leads to some not-so-obvious implications. The Guild is responsible for mail. It routinely inspects politicians' letters and occasionally tries to avert global catastrophes with surgical strikes. This only became important shortly before the end, giving no good opportunity for explanations, and the Kings are unlikely to reappear in the spinoff.
  • On an unrelated note, many characters are never named in comic, but only in webpage tags.
• And the Adventure Continues: The story ends with the crew working directly against Grin, and having taken the lead, while Sawl and Crystal continue tailing Lewk. However, it doesn't last. By the chapter 17 of the spinoff:
  • Nikol lives with her sister in a backwater kingdom and works at a post office.
  • Lewk and Alice perform together as escape artist and stage magician.
  • Sawl has been disgraced and demoted.
  • Crystal is a peaceful door-to-door preacher and recently proposed to Sawl.
  • Grin accepted the peace treaty, but will attack, if Nikol seems to breach it.
  • Serra is a famous privateer captain and friends with Edward Mutiny, but it's unclear if she continues privateering with a new crew or retired.
  • Edward Mutiny, the nuns, the snake cult, Hilde Magecrusher and black cat twins continue getting in trouble with all ensuing hilarity.
• Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: A confession that Grin's henchmen try to get Nikol to sign lists her crimes as "murder, treason, regicide, littering..."
• Bilingual Dialogue: In God Dog the titular hound is fully capable of understanding the common language of the more anthropomorphized characters, but needs a translator to have his language of grunts and growls understood by them.
• Brick Joke: In Chapter X Nikol asks a stranger on the street to read a note◊ (she can't read Inglish) and then beats him for no apparent reason◊. Well, not apparent to Alice, but clear to those readers, who remember the headhunter from the prologue. Granted, Art Evolution complicates recognizing him.
• Brown Note: The horror from the deep in a jar. Do NOT look at it.
• Conversational Troping: Sword, Fish, one of the secondary storylines, involves a discussion between two sisters on various destiny tropes.
• Cool and Unusual Punishment: Lewk's punishment of Nikol for attacking him and Serra (besides charging her 50 zux to do so) is to forbid her from ninja training.
• Country Matters: Could be a coincidence, but the Etoese expletive, "tunk," is an anagram (sort of) of... well, I think we get it.
• Doing In the Wizard:
  • The last couple chapters suggest that Grin isn't so much a demon as a cult leader who converts like-minded people into more of himself, with telepathy employing a parasitic fungus, sharing memories using pheromones. Word of God confirmed it in the comments to this comic.
  • Also, the wizards Hilde of Stykkisvik attempts to "smash" don't seem to have any actual magic. One is the Lagend equivalent of a mall Santa, and another's just a creepy snake handler (with a lot of snakes).
  • The miracles in Chapter II prove to be caused by hallucinogen in food.
• Ears as Hair: The way Nikol ties hers.
• Every Scar Has a Story: Grin gave Nikol a new scar every time he bested her, those on her arm are "credit" for two dead friends, from when Serra and Lewk faked their deaths in Chapter IX.
• Extended Disarming: In one comic Grin has Nikol pinned and is pulling weapons off her, kunai, shuriken, nunchuks, then he finds a taser and asks "Where did you get room for all this junk?"
• Fantastic Drug: The side-story "The Dive" has brain snails, that latch on people's head and make them high.
• Fantastic Racism: We see no discrimination between pureblood yuman subspecies, but Natural History says hybrids are discriminated against.
• Fantasy Counterpart Culture: Several. Eto is Japan, the Sorse are a blend of Norse and Russian, Tarka is Rome and Greece, and Wetonet is England. Maybe. They have a very fancy flag, though. While Fra's government and majority culture resembles a blend of Imperial Britain and the Ottoman Empire, but is so multicultural that their capital resembles New York.
• Fantasy Gun Control: The closest thing to a gun seen in the entire comic was an air-pump cannon that fired a giant squid in a jar.
• Flock of Wolves: The false-flag approach in chapter V.
• Parody/Homage: Of the Last Supper here.
  • And of Brave and the Bold #28 (the first appearance of the Justice League of America) here.
• Genre Savvy: Nikol explains how ninja training works.
• Gratuitous Ninja: Yes, it's a webcomic about pirates. However, it became 1000% more interesting when a ninja appeared. And then more ninjas appear. And then wannabe ninjas appeared. The author likes ninjas, apparently.
• Hekk Hound: Large, intelligent (but incapable of speaking Inglish) hounds are worshipped as gods by one religion, and used as guards by others.
• The Heretic: Lewk has dissident opinions on how to worship Lapak. And given how badly they want him silenced, his church is outright scared of him and his silver tongue. With good reason, if Crystal's reaction is typical.
• Hidden Depths: There may actually be a reason behind Lewk's alleged heresy, as hinted at here.
• Highly-Visible Ninja: The Mimagi clan wore bright yellow, and if Niku is a fair example of them they barely even bothered with discretion, just sheer strength of martial arts, presumably why there's so few left. Her relatives in the Miyomi clan (who wear pink) are more pragmatic.
• Hive Mind: the "demon" Grin.
• Immortality Seeker: Blackadder isn't quite content to simply leave a stronger legacy than Genghis Khan, which is why he wants Grin.
• Impossible Thief: In chapter 1, Lewk steals Sawl's cross from around his neck. The impossible part is because he was dangling off of a cliff at the time.
• Indy Ploy: Lewk's preferred method of planning.

  Lewk: Alright, let's go.

  Bludgeon King: You have a plan already?

  Lewk: I will in twenty paces.

• In Which a Trope Is Described: The long chapter titles. One fake cover parodied it with an extra-long title.
  • Which Lewk bumps his head on.
• Just a Kid: Nikol is a prepubescent, yet can take on an entire pirate crew single handed. 3rd King is much like that, only more murderous.
• Kleptomaniac Hero: If it's not nailed down, Lewk's probably already stolen it.
• Knight Templar: Sawl the Vigilant.
• Lampshade Hanging: Done liberally by Nick Daniel in the artist's comments.
• Last of Her Kind: Nikol is the last of the Mimagi clan, since the rest of them were killed by Grin.
• Literal-Minded: Nikol

  Serra: Laps, Nik. Think you could have messed that guy up more?

  Nikol: *CRACK*

• Mad Scientist: Mary Mendele, much to the chagrin of her fellow nuns.
• Massive Numbered Siblings: Serra’s biological father being the Lagend equivalent of Genghis Khan she’s not particularly surprised to meet one of her thousands of siblings on the high seas.
• Mr. Alt Disney: Waldo Frizzy creator of Toby Terrier and Toby Town.
• Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Sister Mary Mendele, Grin, Black-blood Blackadder...
• Neck Snap: Played with. Nikol snaps a guard's neck, then puts it back.
• Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot: There's a crew of pirates. Then a ninja appears. The ninja becomes a pirate. The ninja is now a pirate ninja.
• Not What It Looks Like: Used almost word for word on this page. Two men tying up a little girl.
• Nun Too Holy: The sisters of the order of Our Lady of the Impetus are essentially mad scientists.
• One-Man Army: Nikol, who can clobber a dozen full grown men by the time most people can have a conversation, Serra, who can take on an entire crew of other pirates and win easily. As for the other member of our Power Trio? Well, he's... Lewk.
  • Serra's strength and aggressiveness seem to be typical for children of Black-blood Blackadder.
  • Each of the Kings. Three psychos employed by a well-intentioned Chessmaster.
  • Dirk Angelous from the side story "Tossa Roto". According to his Badass Boast there's 1 man like him per about a (few) hundred "trash" like his crew.
• Orgasmic Combat: When asked how killing feels to him, Boomerang King compares it to sex.
• Paper-Thin Disguise: In Chapter V, Serra and the other privateer's attempt at posing as Wetonetians consists of speaking in nothing but stereotypical "British" phrases.

  Haley: What’d you say we dock and have a spot of tea and some such, humph humph? Eh, Guvnah?
  Serra: Quite.
  Haley: Bully.
  Serra: Cheerio.
  Haley: ColoUr.
  Serra: Uhh, mincemeat pie.

• Playboy Bunny: Stage magician Alice is a white rabbit and normally performs in such outfit. And she is introduced as a casino employee. As a bonus, she is the only lagomorph in the comic with a proper rabbit tail — the rest have much longer dog or jerboa tails.
• Playing with Syringes: Mary Mendele tends to do this with Sister Debra, the results being that she became super strong in her first appearance and had grown at least two heads taller by her second.
• Privateer: Serra and by extension her crew.
• Really Gets Around: Black-blood Blackadder. Over his 45 years of activity, he is estimated to have sired over 13,000 children. Mainly, by rape.
• Real Men Wear Pink: Wetonet's flag is pink with a unicorn on it, thanks to Lord Wet, a hulking knight who wore pink armor with unicorn sigils and mercilessly beat up and teabagged anyone who thought he was a sissy.
• Similar Squad: Chapter V involves the gang running into another group of Fra privateers consisting of a quack doctor, a Scottish Highlander equivalent, and one of Serra's half-sisters (her old man really got around).
• Squee: Apparently pirate queens are not immune. When the loot is large enough.
• Staged Populist Uprising: It's suggested that the Etoese revolution was just one rogue clan and Grin.
• Subordinate with an F in Crusading: Crystal really should have figured out by now that this is not the proper way to greet a heretic.
• Theme Naming: Serra's half-siblings (on her father's side) are named after character fonts.
• Tomato Surprise: Used offensively in the side story, Lost and Found when a man in a stolen Toby Terrier costume convinces the Toby Town security guards that have surrounded him that he was a lost child who grew up in the park's lost and found, only to reveal that it was actually the park guards who had been raised in the lost and found and suppressed their memories of it.
• Translator Microbes: In "Tossa Roto", Dirk Angelous's pet bird, Pally, can perfectly translate the words of any two languages it has heard. However the order of those words remain untranslated. Smaller "Babel finches" only know two languages, like Irlan and Etoese, or Hekkiform and Inglish.
• Turtle Island: Oh, come on!. Played for Laughs, at Lewk's expense.
• Waif-Fu: Nikol Mimagi (a.k.a. Mimagi Niku), is easily the most lethal of the three main characters even though the other two are adults.
  • Though to be fair, the other two are against killing. For different reasons. And according to the Three Kings arc, Nikol didn't actually kill anyone, or at least never in cold blood.
• Wham Episode: Chapter XIV. Blackadder is attacking Fra, the Kings capture Grin (one of them, at least) and appear to be bargaining with it, and, to top it all off, you know that whole deal about Nikol being the last of the Mimagis? Turns out she's not.

  Nikol: What's he showing the demon?

  Bludgeon King: That would be a letter from your sister.

• Worst Aid: Leeches appear to be an unsettlingly common form of medical procedure.
  • Apparently they still believe in humorism.
  • The fun part? They really seem to cure anything short of death.

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