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Apologies for Sunday...
Yesterday I got a fairly late start on the review. I decided to start browsing through the archives of Schlock Mercenary to get more of a feel for the comic as I reviewed it... and was dragged right in. It did result in my getting some nice panels to use for the review (as well as the cast page, which was hiding *rolls eyes*). By the time I'd finished, it was after midnight EST, and Keenspace had started its massive daily update. There was no way to get it updated quickly at that point.
Anyway, the Sunday Mega-Review is up and ready for your enjoyment. My apologies for anyone who logged in to see it yesterday.
Robert A. Howard
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It's about time you showed up, lass...
 (From Flipside. Click on image to see full-sized image.)
I suppose a lot of fans think of Maytag when they think of the comic Flipside. I mean, she's vibrant, joyful, a flirt, and goes around in a skin-tight jester's outfit. She's also almost two people in one, like identical twins, with one dominant and aggressive one, and the other more passive and restrained. (This seems literally linked to her wearing a jester's outfit. When she lost her costume, she freaks out over being naked in the street. With even the jester cap on, she's much more assertive.) But to me, Flipside is about the partnership between two women, Maytag... and Bernadette.
Unfortunately, to learn anything at all about Bern, you have to read Book 0. I say unfortunately because while the current "books" have been well crafted, we've gone 110 strips without even a sign that Bern exists. And this is truly a shame.
I must admit to some disappointment when Book 0 ended. I liked the character of Regina, a young sorceress who was trying to break through her mental seals to achieve the next level of mastery for her sorcery... and I also enjoyed watching the evolution of Regina from a fairly passive and nondescript young woman to someone was more willing to fight for what she wanted, and defend herself.
Likewise, the character of Moss grew from the sardonic sadist into someone who was hurting inside and lashed out at everyone because of a curse that wasn't his fault. But Moss too has vanished like ether with the new Flipside.
This isn't for the better. Brion Foulke has slowed his pacing to try and tell a fuller story... but has ended up telling a story about someone older fans don't care about and aren't all that interested in. We're here for Maytag and Bernadette... and instead are following an angry and bitter young man, Crest, through his day. I watched as he spurned the hand of friendship from Orransong, a decent older knight, and for no visible reason. (Yes, the other knights seem to look down on him, but not only have we not seen Orransong mistreat Crest, he was the only knight willing to risk his life for Maytag and Crest.
But to be honest, I just don't care that much about Crest. I was overjoyed when, after 38 pages of story with nary a glimpse of Maytag, she reappeared to save Crest when he was caught cheating at cards. And there were a couple times since then where Maytag got Crest and her out of trouble... including one instance where I was sure Bern would show up to save the day.
We'll likely be seeing a half dozen strips of Bernadette fighting off Voulger. She may even kill him. Heavens knows he deserves it. And then we'll likely move on to the next chapter and quite a few more pages of inaction.
That's the problem with Flipside. I understand he's trying to build more of a story here and get us interested in a new character... but I honestly don't care. To me, Flipside isn't about the secondary characters. It's about Bern and Maytag. If the comic focuses on them, and stays focused on them, then no doubt it'll keep my interest through each update.
Up until now I've been counting the days and updates until Bern arrived. I just hope she remains central to the story in the future. While Flipside is an excellent comic with superb art and the like... it should focus more on the two main characters instead of a young lad who's garnered no sympathy and little interest. Touching up the pace slightly wouldn't hurt either.
But who knows... maybe Brion will give us a story or two about Bernadette's past. We've only had a hint as to her past... and I for one would like to see more of it.
Robert A. Howard
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She tested her mettle...
Gunmetal Annie is the sixth strip to drop out of the 3x Grind, though not unexpectedly. Gunmetal Annie's creator, Mercury Hat, narrowly avoided elimination with Thursday's update but expressed reservations as to being able to continue to keep up with a three update a week schedule at that time.
Seeing as the 3x Grind is as much for fun as it is to get people updating thrice weekly, it's not unexpected to see her toss in the towel. Mercury Hat expects to update infrequently until after July 12th, at which point hopefully life will let her start updating more frequently.
Good luck to you, lass! And good luck to the rest of you!
Robert A. Howard
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