VeeFriends Issue 04 Explained: Belief, Assumptions, and the Harpik They Were Wrong About

VeeFriends Issue 04, Hunt for Harpik, looks like a simple fantasy quest for Willful Wizard, but the real story is about belief, assumptions, and what happens when a supposed monster turns out to be thoughtful.

Before VeeFriends Issue 04 begins, we see the following quote, "I guess I only know what I was told. But now I know, what I knew, might not always be," attributed to Knowing Gnome. 

My first thoughts when I read this are about altered timelines. Changing the course of time itself is one clear scenario when what someone was told and had known might not always be. In VeeFriends Issue 01, we learned that part of what VeeFriends do in the human world is intervene in people's lives at crucial and pivotal moments where one positive interaction could save a life or create a better future as a whole. Or both. 

My second thought is about how this is Willful Wizard's first comic book appearance and he is appearing without a hand. If you're a VeeFriends OG, you may know that this one-handed version is in alignment with the Gary Vaynerchuk hand-drawn Series 1 NFT art for the Willful Wizard character. But the reason this plays into Knowing Gnome's quote is because the Series 2 NFT art for the character was not missing a hand. So in Series 1 we knew the Wizard only had one hand. In Series 2 we knew the Wizard had two hands. And in the first comic book appearance, we know that Willful Wizard has one mystical magic hand and one regular human hand. In other words, what we knew might not always be true. And in this scenario, it may also not be true and then be true again. 

The fact that the Series 1 Willful Wizard has only one hand in the original art was actually pointed out to D.J. Coffman and that is when he made the decision to honor Gary Vee's Series 1 NFT art over the artist-rendered version in the Series 2 NFT art. I wasn't there but if you remember this interaction in detail please feel free to reach out to me and I am happy to include those details in this section. 

The story begins in VeeWorld, which as we learned in VeeFriends Special Edition A, means that this is taking place in a 5th dimension of reality, beyond the 4th dimensional land of imagination and our 3rd dimensional world. That is where VeeWorld exists, filled with humans, magic, new creatures, and who knows what else! The scene opens with Mystery Mountain in the background, which is one of the "scenes" in the VeeFriends Series 2 NFT collection. 

Willful Wizard is in need of a Harpik Horn, and three adventurers are listening to the offer he's making them to bring him one. If you're not sure what a Harpik is, that might be because it's the only creature character among all of the VeeFriends that comes entirely from Gary Vaynerchuk's imagination. One might argue that Be The Bigger Person, which is a brown body humanoid body with a giant heart shaped head is also a completely imaginary character. The argument there is that Be The Bigger Person is a personified concept whereas the Thoughtful Three Horned Harpik, which is that character's full name, is an intentional creation as opposed to an artistic expression of an idea with which we are already familiar. 

With all of these references jumping out at us before the issue gets going, you're probably wondering who these three adventurers are referencing, right? Too bad. Besides the blonde haired lad who is a reference to artist Kate Windels' nephew, these characters don't even get names before the end of this issue. They are not part of the pre-existing VeeFriends IP and it is unclear if they will be permanent characters in the VeeFriends Universe or if they will ever show up again. Frankly, I didn't notice or care they didn't have names on my first read through but it caused a stir online when @OldSailor333 was vocal about it. 

At the time, we were only four comics deep and it felt like unnecessary criticism. But my inner Balanced Beetle has me thinking that the bigger issue for me isn't that characters we're not sure if we will ever see again aren't named. It's that these first issues of VeeFriends comics are building a world where we are waiting for over 251 characters we already know to get introduced. So why choose no name characters when the grand task has only begun? Perhaps we will see them again and they are indeed significant. Who knows? Patience is one of Gary Vaynerchuk's favorite virtues. Maybe we don't need to analyze and pontificate on every little thing before we let it unfold and observe it as a whole before forming an opinion. 

Then again, what sort of KOWSKY The Undisputed VeeFriends Lore Master would I be if I didn't analyze and pontificate on every little thing? Sometimes you just have to Ponder It From All Angles. 

Willful Wizard warns that no one has ever made it back alive from hunting a Harpik but these three young adventurers are not deterred. They boldly accept the challenge to slay the Thoughtful Three Horned Harpik. Next, we see the three adventurers searching for hours in the Frowning Forest, which is another VeeFriends Series 2 NFT scene. They are searching for so long that the woman with braids and the orc looking guy start to doubt both their mission and Willful Wizard's sanity. 

The blonde haired one is certain the Harpik is real though because he carries with him a picture of a Harpik that his Uncle drew after seeing it. All the while, we as readers see the Thoughtful Three Horned Harpik watching them as they search for him.  

The difference of opinions and mission frustration leads to tension and confrontation. The orc guy shoves the blonde haired dude as they argue about whether they are scared of monsters like the Harpik or if those types of monsters are imaginary or real. The woman with the braids attempts to intervene before deciding she's so frustrated she wants to give up and go home. The orc guy pretends to make peace in response but ultimately he was just tricking the blonde dude so he could steal his lantern and runs away.  Presumably he is giving up and going home along with the braided woman given they both lost belief in their mission. 

In the next panel, the blonde dude is alone as the last man standing to search for the Harpik. He believes in Willful Wizard's quest because he knows that his Uncle was telling the truth about seeing and drawing one. Lost in the darkness, the blonde dude sees a light in the distance and it just happens to be Fly Firefly which is one of the known VeeFriends characters! Given the character is named, has speaking lines, and functions as a plot pivot, I would wager this counts as a first full appearance instead of a first cameo appearance. Ultimately Gary is deciding which and there are no official brand-published criteria, but regardless of which type, this is notably a first appearance for Fly Firefly. 

The blonde dude follows Fly Firefly's light and ends up running directly into the Thoughtful Three Horned Harpik. He shows up holding his own lantern and is a magnificent sight to see as a first full body illustration. The blonde dude who so recently said, "I'm not afraid of anything" is clearly terrified when the Harpik appears, as he lays on his back shouting, "Stay back monster! I won't let you eat me." 

This causes the Thoughtful Three Horned Harpik to cackle uproariously. He then explains to the blonde dude that he doesn't eat people because he only eats clean. Only eats clean? Does that mean he is a vegetarian? A vegan? What makes people too unclean for him to eat? According to Mayo Clinic, eating clean means, "...prioritizing whole, minimally processed foods while avoiding refined sugars, artificial additives, and ultra-processed ingredients. The goal is to nourish your body with nutrient-dense, natural foods like fresh produce, lean proteins, and whole grains." 

I am probably being too technical here but I am addressing it in case others had the curiosity too. In the IRL, eating clean doesn't mean you can't eat meat, it means you don't eat processed foods. People are not a processed food. But in the context of VeeFriends Issue 04, it is clear that humans are too dirty to be considered clean eating for the Thoughtful Three Horned Harpik. 

The blonde dude explains to the Harpik that Willful Wizard sent him on a mission to find him. Before the blonde dude can explain that what he really needs is the Harpik's horn, the Harpik quickly ushers him onwards. The Harpik explains that it is best to get out of the Frowning Forest before real monsters with "bad intentions" arrive. This is a reference to the VeeFriends character named "Bad Intentions" which became VeeFriends most notorious villain in VeeFriends Issue 02. 

Unfortunately, lurking in the background are the blonde dude's not so loyal companions. They spring forward and attempt to surprise attack from the shadows. The blonde dude cries out attempting to warn them that the Harpik is peaceful but it's too late. The arrows are already flying through the air. 

Thoughtful Three Horned Harpik conjures and commands a surge of lava to both block the arrows and knock the bow out of the braided woman's hands. As the orc guy prepares to attack next, Thoughtful Three Horned Harpik conjures and commands a surge of bubblegum to trap the aggressive orc guy and braided woman to immobilize them. 

If you're not familiar with the VeeFriends NFTs this presents as Thoughtful Three Horned Harpik being a magical character that can therefore magically summon lava and bubblegum and thus doesn't require explanation beyond saying a magical character is using his magic. However, if you are familiar with the VeeFriends NFTs this presents as a deeper reflection of world mechanics within the VeeFriends Universe as a whole. 

In the VeeFriends Series 1 NFTs, there are only 40 NFTs created for each character with different levels of rarity.  Of the 40 variants for each character, 20 of them are core, 8 of them are Rare, 5 of them are Very Rare, and 2 of them are Epic. The rarest of all variations is known as a "Spectacular." Each VeeFriends Series 1 NFT comes in 5 different types of Spectacular variants. They are Bubblegum, Lava, Diamond, Gold, and Holographic. Unlike the other variants that come in quantities of 2 or more, there is only one of each Spectacular type, which is why they are referred to as "one of ones."

With that paradigm in mind, Thoughtful Three Horned Harpik isn't just using and conjuring magic, he is accessing the Spectacular versions of himself. This makes me wonder if all VeeFriends characters can access their Spectacular natures at will? Or if it is a special skill they can all learn? Or if only certain VeeFriends can do this? Or if it is only Thoughtful Three Horned Harpik? I'll be keeping this in mind to see how the concept may either evolve or fade away as the series develops.  

Once the other two adventurers are ensnared in the bubblegum, the Harpik proclaims, "And now... we feast!" Despite how poorly the other two treated him, the blonde dude still cries out on their behalf, "No! Don't eat them! They're my friends!" I take this two ways. It could be a touching moment where we see how empathetic the blonde haired dude is. And I think that was the intention. But part of me is also thinking our blonde haired friend has boundary issues and needs to learn to let go of people who abandon him and return to his life only to attack him. Maybe I'm projecting. 

Ultimately, Thoughtful Three Horned Harpik meant what he said about eating clean and not eating people. He explains his diet as only eating "the healthy stuff" so it seems like it matches up with the IRL definitions and he is not a vegan, humans are just junk food.  He explains pretending to want to eat them was just a gotcha gag to teach them a lesson. What lesson? Don't attack a mythical creature who may be significantly more powerful than you are and could end your life if he wanted to but you're lucky he doesn't? Or was it the power of friendship? Regardless, it is the blonde haired dude's turn to do the abandoning as he and the Harpik proceed out of the Frowning Forest. 

The blonde haired dude apologizes for his friends' behavior and explains they were hired to procure a Harpik horn and assumed they would need to slay him to acquire one. Realizing he can't slay his new friend, the blonde haired dude tells the Harpik to stay behind. Luckily for everyone, it turns out that Harpik horns grow back instantly, meaning this Harpik can just snap off his horn and give it to our blonde adventurer to take back to Willful Wizard. No harm done. No slaying. Not even a regrowth delay. The Harpik gives his horn willingly as he thanks blondie for being thoughtful enough not to slay him. 

Then, it's time to part ways as this Harpik's grandfather calls him to come to dinner from the distance. Blondissimo is shocked. He was under the impression that there was only one Thoughtful Three Horned Harpik in all of existence. Well, he's wrong. A reminder not to assume. We all know what happens when we assume. 

The next page flashes forward to later that night when Willful Wizard is mixing his concoction of ingredients. We see him throwing in the Harpik horn which implies Blondario has already delivered it to him. We also see Willful Wizard adding failed fairy wings and "eye of" to the mixture. Bad Intentions was referenced once earlier in this issue and here he is being referenced again. The "eye of" reference I would guess refers to "eye of newt" which is a common witchcrafting ingredient. 

In VeeFriends Issue 02 we learned that Bad Intentions was once a fairy that mutated into a bunny rabbit after exposure to the ancient relic known as the Fear Carrot. In the VeeFriends newspaper comics, we get to see exactly how Willful acquired the "failed fairy wings" that had fallen off Bad Intentions during his metamorphosis. 

In the newspaper comic, we see that Knowing Gnome has been helping Willful Wizard acquire the ingredients on his list, which helps it make more sense why Knowing Gnome was chosen to be quoted at the beginning of this issue. 

The final pages also reveal that the reason Willful Wizard needed to gather these ingredients for VeeFriends Issue 04 was that his wand was broken and he needed this concoction in order to fix it. That said, you would have already known that if you were keeping up with what used to be the Sunday weekly web and newspaper comics prior to this issue. Now, the Sunday comics are clips of the actual comic books, which started after VeeFriends Issue 10. But you can still go back and read all of the Alpha age comics in the VeeFriends Online Archive. 

On the final page of VeeFriends Issue 04, Willful Wizard doles out another task to our brave blonde adventurer. This time, he needs to slay the Driven Dragon. 

In Closing

VeeFriends Issue 04 works because it looks like a simple fantasy side quest, but the issue is really about the gap between what someone is told, what someone believes, and what actually exists in front of them.

Knowing Gnome's opening quote sets that up before the story even starts. Willful Wizard sends three adventurers after a creature they do not understand. Two of them treat the Harpik like a monster because that is the story they were handed. The blonde adventurer keeps going because he believes his uncle saw something real. Then Fly Firefly leads him to the Thoughtful Three Horned Harpik, and the whole mission changes from slaying a monster to recognizing a being.

That is why the Spectacular magic matters. The lava and bubblegum are not just cool powers. They connect the comic back to VeeFriends Series 1 mechanics and make the NFT variations feel like they may exist inside the story as real abilities. The Harpik is not only a creature to be hunted. He is proof that the world is bigger than the assumptions people bring into it.

So Issue 04 is not only Willful Wizard needing a horn to fix his wand. It is a story about belief, bad assumptions, first appearances, and the moment a supposed monster becomes a friend. It leaves the reader with the same problem Knowing Gnome gives us at the start: what we knew might not always be true, and in VeeWorld, that may be the point.

After The Issue

If what resonated here wasn’t just the review, but the way identity, intent, and character traits were treated as forces that shape reality, that same line of thinking didn’t stop with this article.

Inspired by how VeeFriends treats character traits as forces that shape reality, I created Alien Traits: a 1-of-1 NFT series interpreting each of the 251 core traits. No repeats. Each visual piece also includes a written definition of the trait it represents in OpenSea's "About" section. 

It isn’t VeeFriends art. It’s a parallel conversation with the ideas underneath it.

Explore the full Alien Traits collection here: https://opensea.io/collection/alien-traits

Easter Eggs

1. The back cover of VeeFriends Issue 04 is inspired by the video game Castlevania, drawn by artist Andrew Drilon. 

Up Next

If you enjoyed VeeFriends Issue 04 Explained, next up in the VeeFriends Explained run is VeeFriends Issue 05 Explained, where the story turns toward murder, identity, and the birth of Motivated Monster.