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.

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...

That does make me wonder, though: how advanced are Schlock's current nanites?

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.

Welp, that was masterfully done.

Incredible as always, Mr. Abrams.

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!

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.

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.

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.

Very satisfying to see the old evil bugger die like that.

Vale Schlock you wont be missed

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.

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!

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.