Have you ever done something really, truly awful? This is a yes or a no question, not a tell-us-all-about-it question.
I feel like I certainly have. I’ve done things that made me feel like I didn’t deserve love or a second chance or just basic, decent, good things in my life. I’ve also known people who felt the same way about things they did and it’s just a destructive, destructive pattern of thought.
Sometimes, it’s satisfying to wallow in the mire. We think we deserve the muck and the stain and so we stay there and call that just and fair and right. But it’s not. As human beings, I think we’re worth a lot more than that. We have a divine spark that shouldn’t be put out by our mistakes. It can be, but only if we let it.
The question is: are we willing to pull out of the depressing muck of our own making? We’re certainly able, but after (perhaps) so many failed attempts and the many slaps life likes to dish out, maybe we think we can’t.
That’s the lie.
Next week: Soviet Sam wants to talk to Spy Gal about a little, uh, incident that happened earlier. But will she let him?
I haven’t liked Tangerine much because even when he went from intentionally two-dimensional to getting depth (his conversion), that added depth still felt… well, as flat as the cliche he used to embody. This, though? He’s feeling real now. I feel bad for him, but he’s feeling real now. Thank you.
You’re welcome. I think it probably feels more real because he’s been tested now. He failed the test and we’re seeing the fallout from that (and, honestly, it makes me sad–an early version of Tangerine’s story went in the opposite direction). Time will tell whether he can come out of it.
Is that why Sam has the paw on his shirt? Cuz he can bear the pain now? š
…Is there some sort of a Pun-Police department? Because that pun……Just….wow. *shaking head*
We all think it: This pun was unbearable. It is un-bear-lievable you made it.
You are most certainly not qualified as “ze Ć-BEAR joker”.
…
Muahahaha!
That was utterly grizzly.
I just… I don’t even know.
with that look Tangerine could go to some peak in Nepal and became a hermit so people try to reach the top where he would live and ask him meaningless questions about the existentialism and so. Is kind of expected the position where he is, but I don’t think I buy it. I thought that he would recluse himself in some part in the USZ where the feeling of peace can be perceived, away from the fight. If he is with a resistance, he must be asked to fight and right now he is a liability.
You’re gonna like Monday’s strip.
What I want to know is: Did both of his sons make it out? We’ve seen Captain Emo (in a kick-ass coat), but where is Mega Matt? Not that I personaly would mind him disappearing, but Tangerine would suffer if he would.
Also: He is in awesome shape for someone who has kicked himself for a year. Maybe just a design choice, but somehow I had to think about that.
We actually did see Mega Matt, in the big shot of everyone coming to Spy Gal and Soviet Sam’s rescue towards the beginning of the chapter. He’s there, I promise.
It’s funny how everyone turned on Mega Matt after I brought him back. Before that, nothing but love and requests for his return.
I never really understood the dislike for him. He’s not super, but he seems like a decent guy. Certainly more so than a certain dead sibling.
I must say, I cannot wait to see how you’ll do the redemption of Tangerine for this tale of yours.
Also, it would be interesting to see Sam being the one to bring Tangerine out of his funk and back to fighting spirit.
Keep up the good work. š
Thanks, Marcus! I’m looking forward to seeing how Tangerine turns out as well. I have a plan of sorts, but that’s one character I’m allowing myself to feel my way on as much as possible. I feel like it’s a complicated journey he’s taking and I want to do it justice.
Is… is that Tangerines REAL arm we can see in the back of panel 4?!? I had to go back a strip just to check that he still has his shiny metal hand o’ doom – colouring error maybe?
Yeah, panel 4 is missing some metal.
Thanks for noticing, guys. Fixed.
To your question, “yes.”
The sun has a bad habit of rising. The world spins on. And if you live long enough, sooner, or later, you find yourself trying again, perhaps not out of the possibility of forgiveness, but an unwillingness to simply stop or say “That was all I was”.
Nicely put.
Based off of Sam’s comments, I am assuming he doesn’t know that Money Man was (is??) still alive.
I wouldn’t say Soviet Sam doesn’t know Money Man’s alive, because in the end he still punched a noncombatant, thought he killed him (and that’s what counts) and lived with a life time of guilt. And I think for Sam, it’s not just the action but also the knowledge of that you are capable of that horrible action that adds to the guilt.
For the post question, I’m not sure that I feel like like I’ve done one horrible thing. However, sometimes I feel like I’ve done a small string of horrible things that add up, even repeating actions I know isn’t the best. I think that is what can be really difficult, going through the process over and over and over, never feeling like your improving.
We don’t really know what Sam knows. We know that Percy is part of the Society now and presumably he could have told him about Money Man’s appearance, but that hasn’t been addressed… yet.
Also, there is still plenty of speculation that the Money Man we’ve met “recently” and the Money Man that Sam killed aren’t the same… In which case Sam still killed a noncombatant
The best piece of literature that I ever read that deals with the “what do you do AFTER you screw the pooch?” is Memory, by Lois McMaster Bujold. You might need to read a couple of the other books in the series, but it’s worth it to get to THIS one.
Sounds interesting. Dr. Rocket is another figure like that, but unlike Tangerine he accepts that he’s damned.
Yes.
Can I just say that you have knocked it out of the park with this one. Superb pacing and the detail on Sam is sublime.
Awesome. From me an Marc to you: thanks!
The artwork is lush. Really a lot of work done on such close detail. Face closeups, especially during such heavy emotions is hard to do justice to. The growing anger in the second panel and the third … you’d almost swear he was just words away from tears if Sam hadn’t shut up.
One nitpick. That single hair standing up on his head is distracting! Really! It is! Sorry, great artwork and story, but that hair is driving me nuts!
Also, his arm is still fleshy (as of this post).
Oh, shoot. I replaced it in my files but forgot to upload it to the site. Now it’s really, REALLY fixed. Thanks for the heads up.
Agreed on the art. The emotions were tricky in this one and Marc nailed it.
Yes, I did it. I enjoyed it.
Watching the results of my work? Not so enjoyable.
Meh, I got over it.
Well done gents. This is the best Tangerine panel ever.
It took me a while to get sold on the One Year Later idea. But I’m there now. Love this comic, you guys!