One of the things that’s really hard to achieve in the strip format is any sense of scale. A comic book page gives you that vertical space that really allows you to expand the visuals out that a strip just doesn’t. True, there’s nothing saying we HAVE to do this in strips–that’s a self-imposed restriction–but that’s what SF is and, save for those rare occasions we do triple-sized strips (what’s that you say? 500 is coming up soon? hmm…), scale is nearly impossible to get across.
Which is why today’s strip impressed me so much. It’s not just the fact that in the first panel the camera is pulled back so far, it’s the storytelling choices Marc made. We get a really full, complete view of the scene by the time we get to the fourth panel and you do get the idea that these guys are pretty high up and Dr. Rocket has a long, long way to fall. Harvey, too. Gonna miss those guys.
Did you know the navigation issue between chapters was fixed a few weeks ago? Now, when you click on “Next Chapter” you’ll go right to the next chapter. This was particularly a problem with going from Chapter 1 to Chapter 2. Big thanks to SuperFan Scott Norton for his help with this!
Please dude — if Dr. Rocket didn’t kill a minor villain like YOU in that flash-back, what makes you think your wimpy little cane-push is gonna do anything to an insane evil genius and his zombie bunny?
That cane is made from pure space gold, I tell you! SPACE GOLD!
Well that was a fast revenge, but even I don’t think they could kill Dr. Rocket that easily. š
#1rule when killing someone check to see if they’re actually dead body and all. š
I’m scared. It sounds like you’ve done this before.
Nah, I’ve seen it in comics and on tv multiple time to gain a plot reference.
The sunray has had plenty of time to recharge.
True… where did that thing get off to?
Maybe he dropped it in Cuba. I’m picturing Fidel and his lady friends now using it to go galavanting around the world causing all manner of mischief in their swimwear.
I kind of pretty much love that idea.
Nah, we haven’t seen the body, and only Joss Whedon kills off characters in that off-handed a manner š
I don’t know, Dr. Rocket looks pretty much like a leaf in the wind to me.
Well so much for that plan. Still it did get rid of some of the space villains. As for the Dr. Rocket death… next update could be a fall to his death (and possibly “splat” sceen)
A distinct possibility. My guarantee: the next strip WILL follow up on this moment.
We’ve already had Doc Rocket’s funeral once. That didn’t work.
Well, to be fair, the funeral was a top notch event handled with grace and sensitivity by all those involved. But I get your meaning.
Epic plot twist! This Dr. Rocket is a zombie-clone! (hey, if he can do it with Harvey, why not with himself?) The real one has been in hiding, dying slowly in a comfortable bed and watching how its zombie-clone does.
Or a more realistic one, Percy saves him to keep him as a pet because he is curious about humans…
Or an even more realistic one. Star Maiden suddenly wants to play with Dr.’s tush
I like the last one.
Maybe this is another fake Dr. Rocket….or Harvey will sacrifice himself to cushion the fall, well he is a zombie rabbit, so maybe not so much sacrifice himself but at least lend a soft body…or….. Yeah, I just don’t sense this as being the closing chapter on dear Dr. Rocket. You never turn your back on Revenge, you watch it until you know it’s completed.
I agree on the Perspective Brock, Marc did a wonderful job on capturing he height of the impending fall.
I think if I went to the well of a fake Dr. Rocket again you all would revolt and kill me. Hmm… y’know, I think I just talked myself into it.
More likely is that Zudrida believes Dr Rocket is lying and staying behind to find the power source herself. Which means the next strip will be a ‘resucue’ of Dr Rocket so he can provide more info.
So let me get this straight: you, SirCrash, do not believe that in the next strip we will see a crash? You, sir, do not live up to your name.
Unless you toss the body into a woodchipper, burn the remains, and bury the ash on separate continents, I would never believe that a super villain were dead. Then just to be safe I’d run the planet into the sun, which would have to be swallowed by a black hole. Of course in the Marvel Universe it would turn out I’d killed his clone, so I’d have to start all over again…
Annnnd therein lies the problem with comic book “death.” Is anybody’s death permanent? I can think of a few in the SF world (Mr. Crook, Money Man, Herman, The Society of Heroes, etc.), but Dr. Rocket was Exhibit A for the fakeout death, I admit that.
One would think that Pilatius of all people would not go with the “I shall drop my enemy from a great height and assume they have fallen to a mangled and/or splattered death below” approach, particularly since it didn’t work when Dr Rocket did it to Pilatius himself. And of course Zurida – such a charming woman – offered to selflessly stay behind. No doubt to spend time with her newly reformed, if somewhat involuntary, family. I mean, how cynical would she have to be to not believe every word Dr Rocket said? Who doesn’t trust a guy in a black half-mask and old fashioned lab coat, universal symbols of trustworthiness? Well, she could stay behind because she figures Star Maiden will massacre most of the other aliens, leaving her and the Space Pigs the only ones with a foothold to conquer Earth. After which she could acquire the Power Crystal for herself with only the Space Pigs for competition. Unless she had the foresight to work out a deal with them behind everyone’s backs in advance. My guess for the next strip: Zurida watching the alien ships fly off, then a couple of filthy Space Monkeys flying back up with Dr Rocket between them, then something like, “Now, my dear Doctor, where is the crystal really?”
Loving the theories. Can confirm that somebody is right, but there’s a piece to this that nobody seems to have noticed yet. All will be clear on Monday.
Um…we haven’t seen where the Third Man went off to from Dr. Klein’s office just yet. It’d be awfully convenient for a door to open up under Doc Rocket and Harvey as they fall. But then, I don’t make predictions about this comic.
That would be convenient… but we did indeed see where Third Man went after leaving Dr. Klein’s office–to his underground cave/lair.
That was a while ago. He’s moved on. I think he’s expecting company any time now.
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