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24

Bad Blood, p17

November 2, 2022 by Tim


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Amosho
Amosho
1 year ago

I WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED IN BETWEEN!

Vincent Price
Vincent Price
1 year ago
Reply to  Amosho

I’d imagine something along the lines of Deathblood killing Ethan until he realizes it’s an exercise in futility.

CTOWNS
CTOWNS
1 year ago
Reply to  Vincent Price

I would imagine Deathblood just mowed them all down and assumed the job was done and left right away, without being particularly meticulous about who soon magically respawned or not

Lily
Lily
1 year ago
Reply to  Vincent Price

I would say he didn’t shoot Ethan, because Ethan is covered in blood, and when he respawns he is clean.

John Swift
John Swift
1 year ago
Reply to  Lily

Ya i was wondering about that. The blood is mostly lower on his body but is prob more of a splatter than him laying down in it after a respawn or two.

ShonaSoF
ShonaSoF
1 year ago
Reply to  Lily

Ethan might have tried to check for survivors.

Pulse
Pulse
1 year ago
Reply to  ShonaSoF

given his personality i would second this.

Paula
Paula
1 year ago
Reply to  Lily

The blood is not his.

Watcherzero
Watcherzero
1 year ago
Reply to  Lily

Ahh but does respawning clear him of all blood or just his own?

Lily
Lily
1 year ago
Reply to  Watcherzero

I don’t recall if there was a situation where it has specifically came up, but every time I recall him respawning, he looked like he has a crisp brand new uniform on. So I personally think if he was eating a hamburger and spilled ketchup on himself then was shot in the head, I think his uniform would be clean.

Last edited 1 year ago by Lily
Vampyrr
Vampyrr
1 year ago
Reply to  Lily

But even if he respawns clean id imagine the area he respawns in to be a bit gore splattered and hed have to walk through it

Montaillou
Montaillou
1 year ago
Reply to  Vincent Price

Or he ran out of ammo.

foducool
foducool
1 year ago
Reply to  Vincent Price

dude just ran out of bullets at some point

The Legacy
The Legacy
1 year ago
Reply to  Vincent Price

I think it’s way darker than the other suggestions here, based on his reaction. My going headcannon, knowing how ruthless Deathblood is, is he could have very easily grabbed Ethan, broke off his limbs, finished off the gang, and then proceed to torture Ethan using every non-mortal method in the book, since there was no way to execute him in the conventional method. Let’s not forget that Ethan’s superpower only kicks in upon his DEATH – NOT when he’s merely injured. Now consider how screwed up Ethan is right now. Seeing death is one thing, but what I’m also potentially… Read more »

ouRKaoS
ouRKaoS
1 year ago
Reply to  The Legacy

I think it’s dark, but in a different way: I think Deathblood mowed down the bad guys w/o hitting Analog, called it done, and left before they were fully dead, so now Ethan is dealing with 3 bad guys slowly bleeding out and begging him for help. “you’re a hero… you’re supposed to save people…” and they’re grabbing at his legs as he’s trying to figure out if he should help them because they’re dying, or if Deathblood is right & they need to die because the system has failed. Now he’s replaced Deathblood with Scott and the gang as… Read more »

Lily
Lily
1 year ago
Reply to  ouRKaoS

Deathblood had a huge gun. I just assume he mowed them all day and then left. Ethan was trying to save them, so them just dying is sufficient enough to crush his spirit. There is no need to make it complicated.

Swiftbow
Swiftbow
1 year ago
Reply to  The Legacy

Lucas said that he’s back early. (Which would not leave much time for all that.) Even without that evidence, I think you’re inventing WAY too much here based on very little.

PhobosRising
PhobosRising
1 year ago
Reply to  The Legacy

I actually could see this with the judgement of the other hero. I could definitely see Ethan receiving some Black Site treatment before the other “Hero” giving up and going to get more tools for clearly a stubborn case.
In all seriousness, you don’t deserve the thumbs-downs. That’s a good analysis.

Last edited 1 year ago by PhobosRising
Gonfrask
Gonfrask
1 year ago
Reply to  Amosho

Wait for the flashback in one or two issues

Impybutt
Impybutt
1 year ago
Reply to  Amosho

Well, Ethan’s only super power is respawning, so all he could do while Deathblood indiscriminately executed a bunch of people was watch on impotently with a generous helping of bullet wounds. On top of being unable to find Zeke, I imagine he feels pretty worthless, right now.

Eldest Gruff
Eldest Gruff
1 year ago
Reply to  Impybutt

I think exactly this. Ethan’s blood disappears when he respawns, because it’s HIS blood. But not anyone else. And Deathblood’s guns wouldn’t be trained on JUST him. Probably, he did a sweep. The placement of blood here is interesting. The gang were behind him, and his front is bloody. At first, I thought that there might have been a long, drawn-out fight, or that some of that blood was Deathblood’s- but most of the blood is on his legs and knees, with that spot on his torso maybe being where he wiped his hands. I think what happened here is… Read more »

Esc
Esc
1 year ago
Reply to  Amosho

Pretty obvious to me that Deathblood shot everyone to death.

Ethan survived of course.

Arcatus
Arcatus
1 year ago
Reply to  Esc

Plus: Ethan just got “killed” several times. He has stated before how terrifying that is. In the moment, during the fight, he probably doesn’t think too much about it, but during the long walk home, covered in someone else blood…. And there is even more: He isn’t trusted by his best friends, they keep secrets from him. Tonight he failed saving several lives. The entire “Troll” storyline is unresolved, he still blames himself for letting him fall. Ethan is under an insane pressure here. And with no-one to lean on. I hope this arc leads to Lilah covering the latest… Read more »

Vincent Price
Vincent Price
1 year ago
Reply to  Arcatus

Tim has said that there’s no guarantees that relationships will fall into place in the same ways as with CAD 1.0.

Arcatus
Arcatus
1 year ago
Reply to  Vincent Price

Tim, schtim, I don’t care. Ethan needs a hug goddammit.

The Legacy
The Legacy
1 year ago
Reply to  Arcatus

He does. Poor guy. I actually know his feeling all too well. Except the whole dying and respawning and all that.

Gonfrask
Gonfrask
1 year ago

Could it be that Deathblood even with such weapons, can do bullseye? So all the bullets missed Ethan but hit the Devilsuns…or Ethan tried to save their lives…(but he should have much more blood in the gloves)

CTOWNS
CTOWNS
1 year ago

I need assistance identifying the game Lucas is playing

Sub to SkilledNub
Sub to SkilledNub
1 year ago
Reply to  CTOWNS

Fnaf 6

Steve
Steve
1 year ago
Reply to  CTOWNS

Might be ‘Stray’ if the blob on the bottom left is a cat?

Eldest Gruff
Eldest Gruff
1 year ago
Reply to  Tim

Sixty-some odd people are trying to piece together what happened between Monday and Wednesday, and the one guy who knows is silent.

Some dude openly wonders what game is playing in the background, and suddenly that guy’s an open book.

Mm hm. I see how it is. Be that way.

(fantastic story btw)

Last edited 1 year ago by Eldest Gruff
Sub to SkilledNub
Sub to SkilledNub
1 year ago

Poor Ethan, but well, with an actual personality, emotional damage comes around eventually

GUNnibal
GUNnibal
1 year ago

I feel you Ethan, I’ll miss Albie too…

no thanks nintendo
no thanks nintendo
1 year ago
Reply to  GUNnibal

I won’t. He’s at minimum a kidnapper, drug dealer, and murderer. Regardless of Deathblood’s methods, society is most definitely better off without evil people like Albie in it.

Darkhorse
Darkhorse
1 year ago

“Regardless of Deathblood’s methods.” I am disgusted how people continue to justify murder. Not just that, it is murder against the Geneva convention. I do agree it is better if people like Albie aren’t around, but the manner in which is still important. There are lines a society shouldn’t cross, or else the difference between Albie and the rest of society is negligible.

Kazuma Taichi
Kazuma Taichi
1 year ago
Reply to  Darkhorse

Absolutely. Like heck, even going along the line of “it’s better if people like Albie aren’t around”, a solution to that is get people like Albie to stop being like that

Sure that’s not an easy endeavor but I think the results are worth the effort.

B B
B B
1 year ago
Reply to  Kazuma Taichi

Which results are worth it? If all the effort you can muster just ends up with a couple more innocents murdered as you realise reform has failed the second time, as it did the first, were those deaths really worth it? How do mesh the people deserve to live metric with the cost of failure being other people dying? “It’s not easy” means a chance of failure. There is no “fix this person” button that just works if you press it hard enough. The thought that everyone can become anything if you just encourage them hard enough is a fantasy.… Read more »

Kazuma Taichi
Kazuma Taichi
1 year ago
Reply to  B B

Well it’s not like the penal system in the States is mustering any effort, let alone all their effort. Canada’s neither. There’s no such thing as “reform” in those systems so you can hardly say reform failed the second time as it did the first, because their was no first time.

Saying that said reform is a fantasy is itself washing ones hands of responsibility. Don’t have to worry about it if you just send them off to death row or life in prison.

Esc
Esc
1 year ago

Even a drug dealing criminal deserves not to be murdered. No one does. We’re a nation of laws for a reason.

And with drug money like that a replacement Albie is always going to crop up. Someone will move all that value, with violence if necessary. Deathblood didn’t stop the problem which is that people will pay lots of money for illegal drugs.

Skull the Troll
Skull the Troll
1 year ago

Given that we watched Albie “murder” someone I understand your position, but… society wouldn’t be better for him being extra-judicially killed even if there one less murderer is in it. Part of living in a good society is knowing that there isn’t anyone out there who decides what right and wrong is all on their own. That those things are decided by the group as a whole.

leduk
leduk
1 year ago

death penalty is barbaric and never works.

ocramot
ocramot
1 year ago

Missed opportunity for irony here: Lucas should have been playing the Punisher videogame (or something like that, since that’s a too old game)

Bulk up
Bulk up
1 year ago

Well what did i say, if your only superpower is respawn it is quite useless against a lot of guns and muscles

Sujad
Sujad
1 year ago
Reply to  Bulk up

Also since he doesn’t look to be wearing any kind of armour, the bullets would go straight through him and into the people behind him so he wouldn’t even be able to make himself into a human shield.

Skull the Troll
Skull the Troll
1 year ago
Reply to  Bulk up

I’d say it’s pretty damn useful. Ethan needs to have some remote taze capabilities on that tool belt. Discount Punisher would be in a cell right now. I think Ethan is going to be a on a Worm (by wildbow) like arc. Its the story of a young metahuman girl that can control bugs within a few blocks radius. At first you think she’s nearly powerless compared to bulletproof superman types. She turns out to be one of the most powerful parahumans (as Wildbow calls them) in the world. Ethan has that potential.

JozMkII
JozMkII
1 year ago

I reckon he’s feeling like he’s useless on his own, without D-Pad or any other fellow superhero around.

Last edited 1 year ago by JozMkII
Scortch
Scortch
1 year ago
Reply to  JozMkII

Yeah I’m thinking that’s exactly it. His only power is saving himself. And he couldn’t talk Deathblood down, so I imagine he’s feeling really bad right now.

ShonaSoF
ShonaSoF
1 year ago

Blood is mainly on his legs and cape. I assume he tried to check for survivors in the aftermath. That has to take a toll.

Last edited 1 year ago by ShonaSoF
Dom
Dom
1 year ago

What is Lucas playing, Tim?

Just a thought
Just a thought
1 year ago

Ethan isn’t particularly durable, and Deathblood was using rifles. He likely just fired right through Ethan, killed the gang, and left. Ethan respawned and tried to see if anyone could be saved.
Looks like, No.

Paula
Paula
1 year ago

OH NO! Poor Ethan.

Glaedien
Glaedien
1 year ago

I love the parallels Tim set up here. Ethan has had a real bad time lately with people doing the “right” thing because they’re the only ones that can, regardless of what others in their communities may think.

leduk
leduk
1 year ago
Reply to  Glaedien

difference is, deathblood never did the right thing

Glaedien
Glaedien
1 year ago
Reply to  leduk

Unsure if you read that as me agreeing with Deathblood’s actions/rationale (I don’t, hence the quotes on “right”) or if you’re stating that Scott (the other half of the parallel that I may not have implied well enough) did the right thing, which I would also disagree with.

Both parties did what they viewed as right/necessary/responsible/etc., however they justify their actions to themselves… and everyone else around them has to deal with it. It’s for their own good after all.

leduk
leduk
1 year ago
Reply to  Glaedien

Well, I would disagree a little less with scott than with deathblood. And yeah I read that as you agreeing with deathblood actions, my mistake.

Prime_pm
Prime_pm
1 year ago

Looks like somebody had a pizza party at work today.

Daniel
Daniel
1 year ago

Deathblood probably saw his superpower and said something along the lines of that being the best superpower anyone could ever have, and that it is wasted on someone weak like Ethan.

Coming from someone Ethan despised, that probably hurt just as much as not being able to save anyone.

I’m baffled why Ethan isn’t trying to learn some martial arts to go along with his powers. He could survive any training on Earth.

Pandamonium
Pandamonium
1 year ago
Reply to  Daniel

I would say Ethan does know some martial arts for just that reason. However, martial arts can only do so much against an abnormal opponents, especially ones with firepower. Given Ethan’s build, he is especially at a disadvantage (nothing which he can’t adjust and adapt to, but he is not throwing anybody like Deathblood onto ground anytime soon).

Bain
Bain
1 year ago
Reply to  Daniel

Well they havent been heroes for long, and he does appear to do training often. However combat skills that allow you to mop the floor with people typically take years to develope. On top of that we dont know how his powers work exactly. Its possible that he is stuck in a permanent form from when he first got the powers. Which means he’ll never get physically faster or stronger than he is. Or perhaps its a shorter time loop, but that still could mean he loses several days of exercise gains everytime he dies and he appears to die… Read more »

Ben
Ben
1 year ago

Wow…

So first, he got repeatedly and horrendously traumatized by violent murder, probably more so than he ever has before. Then Albie & Co probably died anyway, since an extra target would not have been likely to slow Deathblood down by much. Then he came home to his home, where his closest friend lives, and could not even unburden himself by talking about the experience, because of this massive trust violation.

Ethan is in a DARK place right now. Z too, for that matter.

The Legacy
The Legacy
1 year ago
Reply to  Ben

Totally. We also don’t know what Deathblood did to him. My going headcannon, knowing how ruthless Deathblood is, is he could have very easily grabbed Ethan, broke off his limbs, finished off the gang, and then proceed to torture Ethan using every non-mortal method in the book, since there was no way to execute him in the conventional method. Let’s not forget that Ethan’s superpower only kicks in upon his DEATH – NOT when he’s merely injured. Now consider how screwed up Ethan is right now. Seeing death is one thing, but what I’m also potentially seeing is a psychological… Read more »

Scott
Scott
1 year ago

Ethan says “Deathblood,” but Lucas has a space in between Death and Blood. Should the space be removed, or is it trying to say that Lucas pronounced it differently?

RblDiver
RblDiver
1 year ago
Reply to  Scott

Could be a sign that DB changes his name all the time (something established before), so people are never quite sure how to do it.

NotWhatYouThink
NotWhatYouThink
1 year ago

Plot Twist: Ethan killed Deathblood to save the criminals.

austindorf
austindorf
1 year ago

Ethan is going to have a MASSIVE Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Giraldi
Giraldi
1 year ago
Reply to  austindorf

More than he already did before this chapter?

Cory B.
Cory B.
1 year ago

It’s all speculation at this point but this is how it played out to me. Deathblood mowed everyone down, including Ethan, then leaves. Ethan respawns in the middle of all the “victims”, some who are grasping at life, and at Ethan (Hence the blood only being on Ethan’s legs), realizes there’s nothing he can do, and walks home defeated. The only question left… how much more can he take?

SuperSyrias
SuperSyrias
1 year ago

Deathblood hurt Ethan. At least mentally. Lets hope for Deathblood that a certain Robot does not find out right after remembering that Ethan was always on their side.

LadenSwallow
LadenSwallow
1 year ago

My hypothesis is that Albie as a named ‘mook’ was more than just another ‘mook’. So my hypothesis is that he was an undercover cop sent in to get enough information to shut down the whole operation, before and after the city level. As a result his criminal record is fake, and therefore DBs information also fake. Albie tried to remain in cover, attempts on Ethan’s life were deemed to either by futile (super) or necessary. Ethan was in the uncomfortable position of being there long enough to hear his dying story (apologising to Ethan/tell my wife/kid I’m sorry. Get… Read more »

GeorgeV
GeorgeV
1 year ago
Reply to  LadenSwallow

Making a lot of assumptions there.

B B
B B
1 year ago
Reply to  LadenSwallow

I don’t imagine there’s ever been an undercover cop program that excused executing civilians as “necessary to maintain cover”.

If that’s the case in this world there’s some dark cognitive dissonance going around for everyone to be as OK as they seem to be with the cops.

ThatMageGuy
ThatMageGuy
1 year ago

“Fuck. Instead of taking initiative and attacking the guy with the fully automatic guns, I used Talk No Jutsu and everyone got murdered, because this isn’t a shonen manga where I can charisma my way to a solution.”

-Ethan’s thoughts

Maybe next time you banter -while- fighting the violent antihero?

ThatMageGuy
ThatMageGuy
1 year ago
Reply to  ThatMageGuy

Also, given the blood placement, Ethan was almost certainly trying to do first aid and cradled a dude before he died. The fact there’s none on his hands is probably artistic license or explained away by Ethan simply changing his gloves. Or maybe they’re some sort of durable latex that can be rinsed off.

Willess12
Willess12
1 year ago
Reply to  ThatMageGuy

Looking back at the page, we don’t get a good look at the palms of his hands (kinda in panel two, but not clearly). It’s possible he does have blood on his hands.

GeorgeV
GeorgeV
1 year ago
Reply to  ThatMageGuy

Are you really suggesting Ethan could’ve done anything to stop Deathblood by fighting him? This page seems a decent indicator of how effective he was at that. Respawns are neat for surviving an encounter like this, but they’re rather useless for stopping an actual superpowered gun berserker. The only reason Deathblood didn’t fire earlier was that he didn’t want to kill a super, as he’s only interested in killing criminals. Analog hadn’t done anything to warrant execution, so Deathblood gave him a chance to step aside peacefully. And the moment it became clear Analog wasn’t going to do that, Deathblood… Read more »

Robert L
Robert L
1 year ago
Reply to  GeorgeV

Only because Ethan limits himself to non lethal damage. A simple .32 handgun would have been enough to wreck Deathblood. Fortunately Ethan doesn’t swing that way.

Last edited 1 year ago by Robert L
GeorgeV
GeorgeV
1 year ago
Reply to  Robert L

It it really was that simple to stop Deathblood, don’t you think at least some of the many criminals he hunted down over the years would’ve tried that?

Skull the Troll
Skull the Troll
1 year ago
Reply to  GeorgeV

I assume most of those criminals can’t pop up directly behind him with the gun already in hand after getting shot 75 times.

ThatMageGuy
ThatMageGuy
1 year ago
Reply to  GeorgeV

“Beaten” Deathblood? No.

Disrupt his ability to aim by charging recklessly at the guy? Buy them a few seconds to GTFO before Ethan goes down?

Oh yeah, for sure. At the very least, anything is better than literally just talking.

Crestlinger
Crestlinger
1 year ago

That stain isn’t coming out.

Verdiekus
Verdiekus
1 year ago

I love how no one thinks Ethan killed Deathblood. That could explain the blood on his clothes….

Reshad
Reshad
1 year ago

I am glad that Lucas wasn’t there.

Dehnus
Dehnus
1 year ago

Someone lost faith in humanity.

Skull the Troll
Skull the Troll
1 year ago

You know, increasingly, I’m feeling bad for Lucas. He’s only marginally responsible for what happened, and he’s trying hard to be a really good friend. I’m quite certain if he wasn’t doing what he is this situation would be a thousand times worse. Scott can go die in a fire though. No sympathy.

Eldest Gruff
Eldest Gruff
1 year ago

Lucas just looks not so terrible when compared to Scott. This is a trust thing. Lucas and Scott conspired, yes, and they both lied to Ethan. Advocating for the kill switch to be removed doesn’t absolve him. Not telling Ethan, even after it was all done, was literally what lead to Zeke’s near-death. Ethan would not have been so cavalier to invite him out if there was the remotest chance. It almost doesn’t matter what the crime is. The break in trust is the major thing. Ethan’s shown, through all this, that he CAN and SHOULD be trusted with information… Read more »