Oh, if Zeke finds out that there’s a possibility Analog might not have come back that time, he will 100% MURDER THE TROLL and there is nothing anyone there is going to do to stop him, Ethan included.
Ethan is the only being in the whole world that holds any sort of value to Zeke, the threat of that being removed forever, even if it was only a troll, would enrage him beyond mortal comprehension.
I was really, really, really hoping that would be a plot point, however brief. I feel like Zeke really needs to confront the mortality of a meatbag friend head-on to gain some introspect. You never fully realize how much you feel about something until you directly confront losing it.
The first time. After that, when you see ahead of time what is coming, that digs up the memory of the first time. On the one hand, less shock, but more sadness and trauma.
aech2x
2 days ago
Sigh of relief
foducool
2 days ago
wasn’t gonna rename the comic as D-Pad and Game Boy
Of course not. Game Boy and D-Pad works a lot better as a title.
Jeff
2 days ago
..and just like that, Ethan got Super-Trolled.
Acher4
2 days ago
Hallelujah!!! *so happy*
Daniel
2 days ago
Are his eye’s become brighter? The color is quite different of the deep red after the betrayal, but maybe it’s just art style change.
I’m also very confused. What the Troll tried to achieve by this whole ordeal? He lost his only good card – the antidote hoax – to scare everyone for 30 seconds max. Obviously he couldn’t account for Zeke showing up, but killing Ethan knowing well that he’s coming up is quite self sabotaging.
Unless if he’s now outside the frame, doing something really shitty, which is not improbable.
His eyes do look a tad more Orange to me IMO. They do change change depending on his mood. Probably showing a little relief that ethan did actually respawn.
Yeah that impaling that a bit too deadly, complete waste of a good trolling opportunity. Imagine nerve damage or long-term internal damage, Ethan being stuck for life in a wheelchair, crutches, or simply unable to do acrobatics. Maybe being in pain at every movements involving those destroyed muscles. The Troll could taunt him forever : “Are you going to kill yourself to respawn? All your pain could go away! You would be healthy again! … or maybe you would just die lol” Well… let’s see what’s next, maybe it wasn’t just an opportunity attack and there was an actual plan… Read more »
Even worse, we know how Ethan’s revives handle things like lost blood, and how once he’s back to “full health,” things like extracted blood don’t disappear. How does that handle things like nerve damage or paralysis once the wounds have healed? Is scar tissue considered “healed” or still being damaged? Basically, can Ethan put off reviving long enough to have permanent damage inflicted upon him that will not be healed with a revive? The Troll’s chemical plan could have done a lot of damage, but he could have even done more had he, say, just severed Ethan’s spine and left… Read more »
It might be – if you figure the logic/rules under which the troll operates.
F.ex., Joker in “The Dark Knight” movie had the specific goals (to break Batman and force him to kill, and also break Harvey Dent… well, break people in general, hence the two ships with bombs, “I’m just ahead of the curve”), despite his claims to the opposite.
I don’t know if the troll was 100% sure about what effect the antidote had. So, he probably thought it was a good idea to take the chance and hopefully, in the confusion finish his plan.
Now, Lucas, Ethan and game boy big hug!
He was going to drop Ethan into the vat, before Zeke intervened.
I think it’s quite possible, that his plan was to get Ethan to look like him (via whatever’s in the vat), and THEN respawn, having to deal with that look for the rest of his life.
I think most people got so caught up in between “Was the Troll lying about the antidote” vs “Was the antidote real” that most people forgot the 3rd option; “The Troll never had an actual test subject for the antidote.”
I take this sequence of events as indication that the Troll wanted to create a real antidote, but had no way of testing it unless he succeeded in killing Ethan.
It’s also entirely possible that the troll Didn’t know Ethan would come back from this… he may have genuinely believed there was at least a chance that whatever he injected into Ethan would be permanent. Or maybe he thought Ethan would live to hit the acid, become disfigured, and then respawn in the disfigured state and keep that change with him forever.
Or maybe he really is JUST a troll, 110%, and thought that killing Ethan even once after dunking him was worth going back to prison for life.
Also, Zeke hit him REALLY hard, and probably put him out of commission for a few hours, which he didn’t see coming. He probably thought killing Ethan and leaving would give him enough time to escape while everyone else deals with the speedster and the bomb.
Nightdagger
2 days ago
So, my prediction here: D-Pad “No, Zeke, you don’t understand, the Troll told us he negated Analog’s power, we thought he was gone for good” Zeke: (to the Troll) “You what.” Troll: “LOLOLOL, gotcha, I knew he was gonna come back, that’s why-” Zeke: (enraged beyond mortal comprehension) “You told him his power was gone and let him continue to go out and protect other people at the possible cost of his own life and put him through all of that fear and pain AS A FUCKING JOKE?!?!” Troll: (gets promptly turned into a fine pile of goo by a… Read more »
YES! YES YES YES YES YES!!!!! WOOHOOO IT’S CONFIRMED AT LAST!!! HE STILL HAS HIS POWERS AND NO LONGER HAS TO LIVE IN FEAR!!! EAT IT, YA TROLL BASTARD, LOOKS LIKE YOUR LITTLE SERUM CAME FROM A TOTAL QUACK AFTER ALL!! YEEHAW!! NOW DROP THAT TOXIC SHITHEAD IN THE VAT, ZEKE!
Well, it’s a Troll. Perhaps he knew all along that this “serum” wasn’t anything but colored water. In this case, he just master-trolled Ethan, but still remains the question “why”…
My guess is actually the opposite and that he lost consciousness but his body kept trying to soldier on for a little bit longer.
Marvin
2 days ago
Well.
That’s a relief.
El_
2 days ago
I’m so glad this wasn’t a cliffhanger
B b
2 days ago
Welp, that solves that arc. And now we look like we’re going to get a little more closure on Zeke too. Hurrah!
Returning to the domestic abuse arc after this is gonna feel like a big tonal shift from all this good news. And now that he’s got confirmed respawn back it could go some pretty dark places when Ethan tries to break free.
chrispy
2 days ago
To be clear, I think we’re all just breathing a sigh of relief that Tim didn’t throw us the cliffhanger of a lifetime right now.
(Edna Mode mode) “NO CAPES!” (ok, Ethan is excused as far as his own life goes, but dying still hurts, and also he could fail at preventing someone else’s death or injury)
Ro ro
2 days ago
“And the theater erupts in cheers and jubilation”
some guy
2 days ago
Yes, he’s back!
Also, great work with those contrasting reactions, Tim.
Qstknight
2 days ago
No need for murder just let the curb stomping begin!
GeorgeV
2 days ago
Next panel: It turns out Ethan respawned mid-air above the acid tank, dropping right in.
One quick melty ‘Aagh’ later, he respawns again. And again. And again…
Fortunately he spawned behind Lucas, and there’s a railing behind him. So, bets are he’s just on the walkway, too. Nice and safe, from falling (and permadeath).
Though, damn that *would* be comically unfortunate.
Solokov
2 days ago
Zeke, one explanation later: I have been denied, critical, need to know, information!
Nox
2 days ago
Guys, you’re missing the important issue here. The Troll SUPER Trolled Ethan. SUPER TROLLED.
Prepare for the super sayan Troll evolution comic that’s going to last the next 10 comics before he’s finally evolved.
FireballDragon
2 days ago
Then what was with the delay?
moortu
2 days ago
I read “D-pad, is he dead?” as “D-dad, is he dead?”
Crestlinger
2 days ago
A great 2026 Restart!
Peter Cleaveland
2 days ago
OMG – I thought sure we were going to be tortured by a week of angst, go through the all-is-lost moment, get to see Zeke rage, before the delayed return, probably just the sound off-panel. THEN Ethan could come back and talk Zeke down. All the lost drama opportunities!
Ben
2 days ago
I know we all knew it was gonna happen, but it’s still a relief.
Shot Hot Prince
2 days ago
If Tim is evil, he could still add a twist: In the next comic strip, we see a number above Ethan’s head which then decreases by one.
While he would still have his powers, he would now have a limited amount (which depending on his “achievements” could increase or add continues). He would still revive but couldn’t be as reckless as before. His power not erased but modified.
Bob
2 days ago
And now everyone can breath.
Marsh
2 days ago
Anyone have the link to Ethan’s last regen? Does it look the same?
Yeah, it’s the same style it’s been previously (the earliest respawns didn’t have the darker blue squares, but that’s just the change in art style I’d say). The fun bit is that they both went “Aaaargh” the first time he respawned.
Ander Kingslin
2 days ago
Thank you for NOT cliffhanger-ing us.
Someone
2 days ago
I mean. The power did have to go looking for an archived health state. That takes a while.
Actually, it’s been longer. I went back and checked: Ethan “lost” his powers on January 1st, 2024. So it’s been just over two years.
Paradox
2 days ago
I’ll be honest, I was expecting the outcome to be that he wasn’t dead, just unconscious, but this wouldn’t be revealed until after the fight, leaving the mystery going for a while longer
ZFTX
2 days ago
The Troll was trolling the whole time! Who could have predicted that‽
Victual Brother
2 days ago
I knew it! I mean I didn’t, but.. I KNEW IT!
Robert 'CockRoach' Archer
2 days ago
Woo! Glad that bit of the arc is resolved! Plus gameboy. Now for the others!
I am interested though if Tim would do a non-canon one off comic or two where Ethan did die to show how things might have gone down. Maybe like a ghost of alternate timelines visit him in a dream or something!
Matt G.
2 days ago
Do you think we’ll see something like a red “-1” hovering above Ethan? I’ve imagined that maybe the Troll didn’t negate his powers, but could have weakened them and put something at stake for Ethan’s crime fighting career.
This isn’t Goblins and Ethan will never be in negative hit-points.
jam szechuan
1 day ago
A worse author would have made this a cliffhanger. Appreciate you so much, Tim.
Foxhood
1 day ago
Now. If the Troll has any shred of survival instinct. He will NOT start gloating about having trolled Ethan with a fake cure in front of the ninja-robot that has no qualms about killing people outside of Ethan asking him not too…
Soeroah
1 day ago
Zeke accidentally confirms he finds the power impressive
Shaedo
1 day ago
Again showing a great writer can explore deep philosophical issues (what it means to be human,confronting mortality, our social contracts, authority vs autonomy, etc)without compromising on the excitement and storytelling. Continuing huge respect!
goyjo
1 day ago
Ethan is just such an enthralling, layered character. The comic is nothing without him.
darkoneko
1 day ago
Even if it still worked this time, that’s a baaaaaad sign.
24
Yay!
Woohoo!
Can you imagine how Zeke would have reacted if he knew that Analog may not have come back that time?
Oh, if Zeke finds out that there’s a possibility Analog might not have come back that time, he will 100% MURDER THE TROLL and there is nothing anyone there is going to do to stop him, Ethan included.
Ethan is the only being in the whole world that holds any sort of value to Zeke, the threat of that being removed forever, even if it was only a troll, would enrage him beyond mortal comprehension.
I yearn for a short ‘bad end’ split where we get to see that for the catharsis
I am imagining scorched earthed scenario.
How did we have it in CAD1 ? Robot Crusade ?
Zeke need a system update 😋
I was really, really, really hoping that would be a plot point, however brief. I feel like Zeke really needs to confront the mortality of a meatbag friend head-on to gain some introspect. You never fully realize how much you feel about something until you directly confront losing it.
The first time. After that, when you see ahead of time what is coming, that digs up the memory of the first time. On the one hand, less shock, but more sadness and trauma.
Sigh of relief
wasn’t gonna rename the comic as D-Pad and Game Boy
Of course not. Game Boy and D-Pad works a lot better as a title.
..and just like that, Ethan got Super-Trolled.
Hallelujah!!! *so happy*
Are his eye’s become brighter? The color is quite different of the deep red after the betrayal, but maybe it’s just art style change.
I’m also very confused. What the Troll tried to achieve by this whole ordeal? He lost his only good card – the antidote hoax – to scare everyone for 30 seconds max. Obviously he couldn’t account for Zeke showing up, but killing Ethan knowing well that he’s coming up is quite self sabotaging.
Unless if he’s now outside the frame, doing something really shitty, which is not improbable.
Everyone’s attention is on Ethan / Analog, NOT on him. I give it good odds he’s about to brain Game-Boy with a crowbar or something like that.
I’d say the Troll’s initiating every villain’s best plan B: Heroes distracter, I’mma outta here!
His eyes do look a tad more Orange to me IMO. They do change change depending on his mood. Probably showing a little relief that ethan did actually respawn.
Yeah that impaling that a bit too deadly, complete waste of a good trolling opportunity. Imagine nerve damage or long-term internal damage, Ethan being stuck for life in a wheelchair, crutches, or simply unable to do acrobatics. Maybe being in pain at every movements involving those destroyed muscles. The Troll could taunt him forever : “Are you going to kill yourself to respawn? All your pain could go away! You would be healthy again! … or maybe you would just die lol” Well… let’s see what’s next, maybe it wasn’t just an opportunity attack and there was an actual plan… Read more »
Even worse, we know how Ethan’s revives handle things like lost blood, and how once he’s back to “full health,” things like extracted blood don’t disappear. How does that handle things like nerve damage or paralysis once the wounds have healed? Is scar tissue considered “healed” or still being damaged? Basically, can Ethan put off reviving long enough to have permanent damage inflicted upon him that will not be healed with a revive? The Troll’s chemical plan could have done a lot of damage, but he could have even done more had he, say, just severed Ethan’s spine and left… Read more »
Trying to apply logical thought to trolling is not a productive exercise.
It might be – if you figure the logic/rules under which the troll operates.
F.ex., Joker in “The Dark Knight” movie had the specific goals (to break Batman and force him to kill, and also break Harvey Dent… well, break people in general, hence the two ships with bombs, “I’m just ahead of the curve”), despite his claims to the opposite.
I don’t know if the troll was 100% sure about what effect the antidote had. So, he probably thought it was a good idea to take the chance and hopefully, in the confusion finish his plan.
Now, Lucas, Ethan and game boy big hug!
He was also going to throw Ethan in the tank, maybe that was supposed to do some other effect
The Troll’s just an agent of chaos, like a dog chasing a car, he wouldn’t know what to do once he caught it.
(Coyote caught Road Runner)
I’m pretty sure Zeke is standing on the trolls throat
He was going to drop Ethan into the vat, before Zeke intervened.
I think it’s quite possible, that his plan was to get Ethan to look like him (via whatever’s in the vat), and THEN respawn, having to deal with that look for the rest of his life.
I think most people got so caught up in between “Was the Troll lying about the antidote” vs “Was the antidote real” that most people forgot the 3rd option; “The Troll never had an actual test subject for the antidote.”
I take this sequence of events as indication that the Troll wanted to create a real antidote, but had no way of testing it unless he succeeded in killing Ethan.
Or Troll believed that it would work
Or Troll believed that the chemicals would still work on Analog
It’s also entirely possible that the troll Didn’t know Ethan would come back from this… he may have genuinely believed there was at least a chance that whatever he injected into Ethan would be permanent. Or maybe he thought Ethan would live to hit the acid, become disfigured, and then respawn in the disfigured state and keep that change with him forever.
Or maybe he really is JUST a troll, 110%, and thought that killing Ethan even once after dunking him was worth going back to prison for life.
Also, Zeke hit him REALLY hard, and probably put him out of commission for a few hours, which he didn’t see coming. He probably thought killing Ethan and leaving would give him enough time to escape while everyone else deals with the speedster and the bomb.
So, my prediction here: D-Pad “No, Zeke, you don’t understand, the Troll told us he negated Analog’s power, we thought he was gone for good” Zeke: (to the Troll) “You what.” Troll: “LOLOLOL, gotcha, I knew he was gonna come back, that’s why-” Zeke: (enraged beyond mortal comprehension) “You told him his power was gone and let him continue to go out and protect other people at the possible cost of his own life and put him through all of that fear and pain AS A FUCKING JOKE?!?!” Troll: (gets promptly turned into a fine pile of goo by a… Read more »
or zeke finds it hilarious
YES! YES YES YES YES YES!!!!! WOOHOOO IT’S CONFIRMED AT LAST!!! HE STILL HAS HIS POWERS AND NO LONGER HAS TO LIVE IN FEAR!!! EAT IT, YA TROLL BASTARD, LOOKS LIKE YOUR LITTLE SERUM CAME FROM A TOTAL QUACK AFTER ALL!! YEEHAW!! NOW DROP THAT TOXIC SHITHEAD IN THE VAT, ZEKE!
Well, it’s a Troll. Perhaps he knew all along that this “serum” wasn’t anything but colored water. In this case, he just master-trolled Ethan, but still remains the question “why”…
The “Why” is simple, it is because no one loves him.
Slow death so slow revival? 🤷♂️
We are back!
Maybe his brain function was still on, and needed those extra seconds before shutting off
My guess is actually the opposite and that he lost consciousness but his body kept trying to soldier on for a little bit longer.
Well.
That’s a relief.
I’m so glad this wasn’t a cliffhanger
Welp, that solves that arc. And now we look like we’re going to get a little more closure on Zeke too. Hurrah!
Returning to the domestic abuse arc after this is gonna feel like a big tonal shift from all this good news. And now that he’s got confirmed respawn back it could go some pretty dark places when Ethan tries to break free.
To be clear, I think we’re all just breathing a sigh of relief that Tim didn’t throw us the cliffhanger of a lifetime right now.
the cliffhanger was already going on for several episodes
I adore Zeke, my favorite character aside from Ethan.
FINALLY!
Analog can wear a cape again wooo!
(Edna Mode mode) “NO CAPES!” (ok, Ethan is excused as far as his own life goes, but dying still hurts, and also he could fail at preventing someone else’s death or injury)
“And the theater erupts in cheers and jubilation”
Yes, he’s back!
Also, great work with those contrasting reactions, Tim.
No need for murder just let the curb stomping begin!
Next panel: It turns out Ethan respawned mid-air above the acid tank, dropping right in.
One quick melty ‘Aagh’ later, he respawns again. And again. And again…
Fortunately he spawned behind Lucas, and there’s a railing behind him. So, bets are he’s just on the walkway, too. Nice and safe, from falling (and permadeath).
Though, damn that *would* be comically unfortunate.
Zeke, one explanation later: I have been denied, critical, need to know, information!
Guys, you’re missing the important issue here. The Troll SUPER Trolled Ethan. SUPER TROLLED.
Prepare for the super sayan Troll evolution comic that’s going to last the next 10 comics before he’s finally evolved.
Then what was with the delay?
I read “D-pad, is he dead?” as “D-dad, is he dead?”
A great 2026 Restart!
OMG – I thought sure we were going to be tortured by a week of angst, go through the all-is-lost moment, get to see Zeke rage, before the delayed return, probably just the sound off-panel. THEN Ethan could come back and talk Zeke down. All the lost drama opportunities!
I know we all knew it was gonna happen, but it’s still a relief.
If Tim is evil, he could still add a twist: In the next comic strip, we see a number above Ethan’s head which then decreases by one.
While he would still have his powers, he would now have a limited amount (which depending on his “achievements” could increase or add continues). He would still revive but couldn’t be as reckless as before. His power not erased but modified.
And now everyone can breath.
Anyone have the link to Ethan’s last regen? Does it look the same?
Yeah, it’s the same style it’s been previously (the earliest respawns didn’t have the darker blue squares, but that’s just the change in art style I’d say). The fun bit is that they both went “Aaaargh” the first time he respawned.
Thank you for NOT cliffhanger-ing us.
I mean. The power did have to go looking for an archived health state. That takes a while.
What happened to the metal bar?!
It probably fell to the ground, wasn’t very far, since Ethan was lying down.
I would speculate the re-spawn power simply disappears anything that might have been lodged in his body.
Finally! Been only a year but seems forever!
Actually, it’s been longer. I went back and checked: Ethan “lost” his powers on January 1st, 2024. So it’s been just over two years.
I’ll be honest, I was expecting the outcome to be that he wasn’t dead, just unconscious, but this wouldn’t be revealed until after the fight, leaving the mystery going for a while longer
The Troll was trolling the whole time! Who could have predicted that‽
I knew it! I mean I didn’t, but.. I KNEW IT!
Woo! Glad that bit of the arc is resolved! Plus gameboy. Now for the others!
I am interested though if Tim would do a non-canon one off comic or two where Ethan did die to show how things might have gone down. Maybe like a ghost of alternate timelines visit him in a dream or something!
Do you think we’ll see something like a red “-1” hovering above Ethan? I’ve imagined that maybe the Troll didn’t negate his powers, but could have weakened them and put something at stake for Ethan’s crime fighting career.
This isn’t Goblins and Ethan will never be in negative hit-points.
A worse author would have made this a cliffhanger. Appreciate you so much, Tim.
Now. If the Troll has any shred of survival instinct. He will NOT start gloating about having trolled Ethan with a fake cure in front of the ninja-robot that has no qualms about killing people outside of Ethan asking him not too…
Zeke accidentally confirms he finds the power impressive
Again showing a great writer can explore deep philosophical issues (what it means to be human,confronting mortality, our social contracts, authority vs autonomy, etc)without compromising on the excitement and storytelling. Continuing huge respect!
Ethan is just such an enthralling, layered character. The comic is nothing without him.
Even if it still worked this time, that’s a baaaaaad sign.
LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
Good