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Lord Golbez
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Post Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2018 12:29 am |
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Joined: Tue Aug 22, 2006 4:50 pm Posts: 1772
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The time when what we get in 6 months now happened in a month was long, long before Sluggy 20+ if ever. The pacing in general has been glacial since bROKEN at least. It's a little bit slower now, because we have fewer comics per month, but 8 months for a major story arc was de rigueur before 20+. This one has arguably taken nearly 2 years from the start of Falling, but it's clearly a more expansive arc than any that have come before. Sure, early on, we would get multiple major arcs in a single year. The tradeoff was that they were less detailed with some stuff glossed over to keep things moving. Pacing was governed more by rule of funny than any kind of dramatization, I kind of miss that, but there is some extra depth in the kind of storytelling that Pete does now.
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KikiDee
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Post Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2018 2:41 am |
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Joined: Sun Aug 26, 2007 6:38 am Posts: 52
Location: Australia
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Vale, Doctor Irving Schlock. We knew ye so long, yet not so well.
If there’s enough of you left, I’m sure the gang will procure an inflatable coffin.
Gotta admit, I was waiting on the heel-face turn right til the end. Looks like instead he’s left us a bigger, badder baddie...
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CheeseWhisper
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Post Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2018 1:27 pm |
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Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2008 12:40 pm Posts: 3341
Location: Right behind you.
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Sotanaht wrote: pelrun wrote: I'm totally okay with this, but Riff only just reminded us how 4U Schlock needed to use an EMP to kill himself, thanks to Dr Crabtree's nanites... ( http://archives.sluggy.com/book.php?cha ... 2018-09-10 ) More like thanks to 4U nanites that could rebuild a body almost from scratch. Those were at least 3 generations more advanced. That does make me wonder, though: how advanced are Schlock's current nanites?
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garyfritz
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Post Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2018 2:39 pm |
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Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2009 11:47 am Posts: 1859
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Almost certainly less advanced than 3G 4U nanites. And I doubt even those could rebuild a body blown to bits and vacuum-dried / frozen / fried in space.
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CheeseWhisper
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Post Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2018 4:16 pm |
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Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2008 12:40 pm Posts: 3341
Location: Right behind you.
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garyfritz wrote: Almost certainly less advanced than 3G 4U nanites. And I doubt even those could rebuild a body blown to bits and vacuum-dried / frozen / fried in space. Well, they'd certainly need more organic matter -- though that doesn't seem to stop vampires.
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alphacow
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Post Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2018 10:07 pm |
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Joined: Thu Apr 24, 2008 5:09 pm Posts: 13
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Welp, that was masterfully done.
Incredible as always, Mr. Abrams.
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lensam69
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Post Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2018 12:15 am |
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Joined: Sat Jul 09, 2011 10:54 am Posts: 4
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OMG.... So many years reading this comic, and mostly lurking in the forums. I had to finally register seven years ago for the end of the 4U arc. ( http://archives.sluggy.com/book.php?cha ... 2011-07-08), and if I hadn't done so then, I definitely would've done it today just to comment. It's amazing how consistently good Pete has been over the years. You still got it! Bravo!
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garyfritz
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Post Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2018 2:40 pm |
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Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2009 11:47 am Posts: 1859
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CheeseWhisper wrote: garyfritz wrote: Almost certainly less advanced than 3G 4U nanites. And I doubt even those could rebuild a body blown to bits and vacuum-dried / frozen / fried in space. Well, they'd certainly need more organic matter -- though that doesn't seem to stop vampires. I think vamps fall into the realm of magic, so they run on different rules. Interesting to think, though... what if Schlock DID have uber-3G 4U nanites that could completely rebuild his blown-up / frozen / fried remains? And also somehow rebuild a spaceship or spacesuit that could keep him alive in space after being rebuilt? If you get too much damage -- and I'm quite sure being blown-up/etc would qualify -- you revert to your last snapshot. Which for Schlock, I suspect, was quite some time ago in his timeline, probably in the future when he GOT the nanites. So maybe Schlock's body would be rebuilt, but it would probably be the body and memories that traveled back to the 70's, with no memories of all the evil-overlord shenanigans he got into later. So it seems to me, one way or another he is GONE.
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Rombobjörn
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Post Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2018 4:15 pm |
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Joined: Fri May 03, 2013 9:56 am Posts: 509
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JoshS wrote: I made an account on the previous comic to point out that the missiles came out of a portal next to a bloody-bun skull and crossbones, so I figured that it was bun-bun who shot, not the AI. That's not the Bloody Bun mark though. It has no ears. But it's certainly mis- teer-ious. Why is the Jolly Roger painted on the Dire-REA? The mark is also visible here, and if that's not the AI taking control of the Dire-REA, then it's some extremely sneaky misdirection by Pete.
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NovemberMists
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Post Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2018 11:18 pm |
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Joined: Sat Oct 02, 2004 12:00 am Posts: 303
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Gotta admit, I am really sad to see Schlock go, despite all the wrong he's done, I'm a sucker for holding out hope/redemption and he was one of my favorite "villains?". That being said, THANK GOD RIFF IS OKAY.
Someone is going to need to take care of poor Frog :( This is gonna hit him hard.
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Marcus
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Post Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 6:59 am |
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Joined: Mon Sep 13, 2004 12:00 am Posts: 785
Location: snuggling Kittens
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Very satisfying to see the old evil bugger die like that.
Vale Schlock you wont be missed
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kitoba
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Post Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 4:29 pm |
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Joined: Mon Sep 23, 2002 12:00 am Posts: 2699
Website: http://kitoba.com
Location: Televising the revolution
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pelrun wrote: I'm totally okay with this, but Riff only just reminded us how 4U Schlock needed to use an EMP to kill himself, thanks to Dr Crabtree's nanites... ( http://archives.sluggy.com/book.php?cha ... 2018-09-10 ) Don't forget, Schlock was hit by an EMP and by the missiles. Maybe so Pete could make it extra clear...
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ramoss
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Post Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 8:55 pm |
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Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2009 9:39 am Posts: 655
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kitoba wrote: pelrun wrote: I'm totally okay with this, but Riff only just reminded us how 4U Schlock needed to use an EMP to kill himself, thanks to Dr Crabtree's nanites... ( http://archives.sluggy.com/book.php?cha ... 2018-09-10 ) Don't forget, Schlock was hit by an EMP and by the missiles. Maybe so Pete could make it extra clear... The one showed the small escape pod outside the emp range.. otherwise the escape pod would have been effected too. Not that I think the nanites would be able to put him back together anyway.
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jamesdwitmer
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Post Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2018 10:13 am |
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Joined: Fri Oct 12, 2018 10:02 am Posts: 2
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Wow. I had to register just so I could chip in to agree that Pete is still a magician. Because of the pacing changes, I haven't had such an emotional response to a single strip since Fire and Rain but this - this is gold.
I love that I'm feeling satisfying justice/vengeance appreciation... and also some bittersweet sadness that Schlock couldn't be saved from himself. With all the evil he's done, goodness knows he's had it coming. But he was part of the gang, for a while.
Pete, please just don't bring him back. This is too good to reverse!
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garyfritz
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Post Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2018 11:41 am |
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Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2009 11:47 am Posts: 1859
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jamesdwitmer wrote: Pete, please just don't bring him back. This is too good to reverse! Amen to that. This was a masterful and bittersweet end to a loved/hated character. It would cheapen the work if he somehow weaseled out of it and came back.
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