|
It's all fun and games until the screaming starts...
 (From Schlock Mercenary. Click on image to see full-sized image.)
It's amusing that the day after I posted my last tangent on Schlock Mercenary that Howard Tayler switched back to the "save the galaxy" storyline. I suppose I should have expected it. The story was at an excellent pause point and had gone on for a couple of weeks. It's only natural that they'd switch over to the "main" storyline.
I'm not disappointed though. The last week was perhaps a little slow, building up to this meeting of allies (though it did so most amusingly). We've also learned that this alliance is a shaky one at best - just about everyone here has been taking potshots at the others. The only thing holding this together is the need to save the galaxy (though that is a fairly big reason!).
The shunning of the Ob'enn by Petey makes sense. He comes up with some damn good reasons for it. But... I can't help but think that Petey is also acting on his prejudices. The Ob'enn were responsible for the death of his original self (as well as the Post-Dated Check Loan), and since then he's been focusing on a war to deny the Ob'enn the ability to expand their empire (at the expense of other races, but still!). And if the Ob'enn ships have the ability to go "claw to claw" with these "generators" that will be destroying the galaxy... shouldn't they be included?
Naturally things will never go "the easy way". I fully expect our alliance, even if it sticks together, to prove inadequate to the task. In fact, once the action starts up we'll no doubt go back to Tagon and crew... and maybe even save them.
Wouldn't it be amusing if Tagon's Toughs end up going in to do what an alliance among some of the biggest galactic powers were unable to do? Then again, that's what mercenaries are for... *wink*
As for the Ob'enn? Well, if they listened to their captains more than their generals, I half-suspect the galaxy would be safe from them. (Or whatever the rank of that green-shirted teddy bear is...)
Side-note: I absolutely love the fact that every one of Petey's ships has the initials P.D. Cute touch, and a nice eye for detail, Howard. *smile*
Robert A. Howard
------------------------- The newest thing in Floozy Repellant!
 (From 9 Chickweed Lane. Click on image to see full-sized image.)
9 Chickweed Lane is a syndicated cartoon strip that actually defies traditional logic: it's funny. Oh, not all the time, but then again few comics are funny everyday. I include the gag-a-day strips in that bunch as well. Sometimes you just have an off day... or you're building up a storyline and don't want to sacrifice the story for a punch line.
Fortunately, it's part of the United Media syndication group, which means the last month of strips is available free of charge. Sure, you don't get to go archive surfing without subscribing to the archives for at least 6 months, but on the plus side quite a few of the archives are available for sale in book form.
And you don't really need to know the storyline to grasp the Sunday comic. Think of it as a side-strip, taking a glimpse at the everyday lives of the characters without interfering with the actual storyline going on. So you don't need to wonder what's going on with Amos and Edda and why they're on the outs. You don't need to know that Seth is gay and is rooming with Edda, or that he's plotting to get Amos and Edda back together again because he's a big romantic.
Instead, you can take a moment to laugh at the evil delight in Edda's face as she clings to Seth's arm, denying the young floozies and their moms the chance to annoy Seth by flocking all around him. And of course Edda's silent admission to herself that she enjoyed clinging to Seth far too much. (Or... was she enjoying being evil to the young floozies? Only Edda truly knows for certain.)
The nice thing about 9 Chickweed Lane is that you don't need to know everything that's going on. Newspaper strips tend to be easy enough to jump into. And 9 Chickweed Lane is definitely worth a read.
Besides, the weekday strips has Seth's plot to get Edda and Amos back together again working nicely. Especially with Saturday's strip, and Edda just relaxing into Amos's arms as they tango. But then again, she just looooves to tango... *grin*
Robert A. Howard
------------------------- |
