I made the mistake of reading this at work and they’re wondering why I started crying during a meeting. Tim, if you read this: Well played. (slow clap)
Rolando
2 years ago
That’s how the best intentions can actually be behind BOTH their positions and actions.
And we all know, what road is paved with good intentions.
Awesome. Just what I planned for. I knew about M25, and its presence in fiction like MAC089 pointed out. But I didn’t remember enough details to look it up.
So, I trusted some of you would mention it 🙂 Thanks.
Good omens is on my to-read list. I’ll get to it, eventually.
Says a lot that he (somewhat) experienced what Scott experienced. Even more that they are both shedding tears about it. There’s hope for both of ’em.
Damn, Tim’s storywriting is top-notch. You can’t convince me otherwise.
Acher4
2 years ago
oh no… the feels!
The Feels!!! O.O
Killiak
2 years ago
Layered like an onion. Teary like one too.
Good stuff.
Derptastic
2 years ago
I do love the arc, I really do. But I can’t help but feel a bit sceptical about Ethan’s feelings towards the gang. They weren’t *just* bad people. Ethan got shot no questions asked as soon as he fished something out of his pockets, and that’s ONLY because he fished it our earlier than when they were planning to kill him anyway (by Albie taking him out the back first). Yes Ethan can respawn, but I think that’s screwing with his sense of perception in this case. He’s someone’s son and brother too. And it wasn’t even him messing in… Read more »
It’s not just the gang he’s shedding tears for though. The whole thing is a metaphor for his own painful experiences and it’s worth mentioning he went into the situation in a bad place mentally and I’m sure seeing people die is pretty traumatic too. With all these things compounding, I get why he’s crying.
I think also that the strain of others being able to die and he can’t might be starting.
Agreed, Ethan seems to have forgotten how rotten this gang was throughout this whole thing. Like I keep saying, they were the villains. Deathblood rattled off a whole list of violent crimes the members had committed before this encounter, and it just went in one ear and out the other. Ethan also seems completely clueless to the fact that he was abducted off the street (or alley, or warehouse district, or whatever it was) and their intent was to kill him. They did kill him, several times. If Ethan was just a normie looking for a lost dog or child,… Read more »
Yeah, I venture to say, he still hasn’t even come close to what Scot’s been through.
“I’ve seen a few rando murderers getting murdered, being perfectly safe because I can respawn at any time” vs “The woman I planned on spending my life with died in my arms, while I lay on the floor bleeding, never being able to walk again”
Sure, not a pleasant experience, but not nearly comparable.
Yeah, ok, I take that. And to be fair, Ethan does acknowledge that in the last panel. I kinda misread that on the first go. I thought he said, basically, “And now I totally went through the same thing you did”.
While I agree with your sentiment about the gang in general, i feel you are neglecting Ethans trauma. Despite the situations he has been in he has never seen another human murdered in front of him. For Ethan, in that moment, good and bad didnt enter into it. A life was snuffed out. Sure they were violent criminals, if the way they dealt with Ethan is any indication they have murdered before and would have again. This doesnt diminish that he witnessed a human life being exterminated. What i am actually slightly more curious about is if this will make… Read more »
Unicornlazers
2 years ago
I did not know a webcomic could be this emotionally distressing. Superb storytelling.
Jonathan
2 years ago
And this strip is another reason why anyone who calls comics a “lesser kind” of art/storytelling can shut the hell up.
evilleet
2 years ago
Tim!
Did your mom never tell you that its not nice to make strangers get feel … well.. feelings for drawn characters?
Uncool bro! 🙁
Do like the story arc though. But i am on a strict no drinking route, so thanks for that! :/
GurrenLagann
2 years ago
“They were still people” I just can’t with this. It means nothing. I just can’t defend Ethan here, the views in this comic are so naive and insane, I’m from a different country and culture and learn English online but this silly insane naive view is just too common in the west for some reason. Is always the innocent and at least people that don’t hurt others that get the short end of the stick and the Bad people that keep claiming “Justice” Deadblood is 100% right on this one and he can get away with it because well he… Read more »
Batman doesn’t kill because a LOT of people forget he is in fact deputized, same as any police officer. You don’t see it brought up in the newer movies, but it is still canon. He captures villains, then turns them in along with evidence of their crimes for prosecution. He does *NOT* send them to Arkham, though he does take those who escape from it back to it. Otherwise he hands them over to the G.C.P.D. The reason for this is it allows him to do what he does without the police going after him, as being deputized means he… Read more »
He also has personal reasons for not killing. Many continuities have Batman claiming that if he started killing his enemies, he’d essentially be no better than they are, and he’s not wrong since murder is, you know, a crime.
Very true, my comment was more pointed at the very specific case of the Joker that the previous commenter mentioned. The Joker is *not* insane, as has been proven on a number of occasions: Is The Joker Legally Insane? – YouTube You also have the entire factor that the Joker *wants* Batman to kill him, because it would mean the Joker was right all along, that the Justice System doesn’t work and that law has no meaning. Batman refusing to kill the Joker is his way of showing he believes the power to make decisions lies with the people as… Read more »
It certainly says something about Tim’s writing that people are falling in on different sides of the argument. That said, I disagree… Ethan’s view of them still being ‘people’ is valid. Your point is whether or not they forfeited some right to the public ‘justice system’ by their actions. Ethan seems to be arguing that they are still ‘people’ and deserved to be arrested; according to his personal morals . Similar to ‘Batman’ I suppose.. It’s definitely an interested discussion once it reaches the point of our personal morals and what we ‘feel’ we should do. Rounding it off; well… Read more »
Sadly, irrespective of the (fine) quality of Tim’s writing in these arcs, it’s rather easy to get people to rise to the defense of the death penalty if not simply summary execution.
I work for a large hospital that is our region’s only Level 1 trauma center. We’re not in a terribly violent city, but gang violence is a thing, and as the trauma center they are treated here. This situations are often messy (both literally and figuratively) with injuries on both sides and no innocent parties. We treat them all the same. In Boston, the bomber was treated for his injuries just as his victims were for theirs. This is what gives us the moral standing to call the actions of others reprehensible. If we acted the same as those that… Read more »
It’s less about “standing up for the criminals” and more about “upholding the rule of law”. If we define “criminal” as “anyone who breaks the law,” Death blood is, in fact, another murderer, as Ethan states in the comic. He is operating outside the law, killing people who, yes, are criminals, but he is ignoring the governmental justice system to do so, based on his own whim. By the laws, this makes death blood just as guilty as the gang members he just gunned down. Ethan was going to collect them and turn them in to the police, effecting their… Read more »
No one is ignoring the innocent people harmed. Think about that tragedy. Think about the maimed and mutilated people that would have flooded the Boston hospitals. No one is ignoring that. You can’t witness something like that and ignore it. That said, people who are capable of an act like that do it because they feel that the lives they take are worth less than their cause. We, as whatever society you belong to, turn a blind eye (or at least a blurry eye) to violence in the name of whatever we believe in. Maybe you’re American and accept all… Read more »
YOU are calling US naive and insane? YOU, who literally just advocated mass murder simply because those who died were operating outside the law? By your logic if someone who shoplifts a candy bar runs across The Punisher and gets shot, they deserved it. Do you have any concept of the reasoning behind degrees of criminal activity? it’s because actual justice ensures that the punishment fits the crime. But sure, go ahead and keep on with that crappy worldview where jaywalkers apparently deserve to be riddled with bullets because they committed a crime. Also, Joker did not in fact die… Read more »
Last edited 2 years ago by Richard Weatherfield
Andhaka
2 years ago
That’s a nice bit of growing up for Ethan. I was convinced he was just going on a rant on how he was right and Scott was wrong, but I stand corrected.
Kudos, sir.
Cheers
Chrispy
2 years ago
I definitely like this ethan better. The original ethan was obviously a wonderful break in seriousness in our lives, but this one incorporates both the casual joy that is ethan, but also the dark reality of being human in an imperfect world.
What whole timeline? No plot went on longer than what? 25 strips?At least until the last arc, which was frankly is what got me excited about this version.
They dated, married, got pregnant, had the miscarriage, kept going. Also, Wintereenmas happened every year. There was an all different thing with Zeke. Frankly, I do not remember which was the last arc.
Ben
2 years ago
“I CAN see it from your perspective, and it still looks wrong from that angle.”
Yeah understanding why someone’s trauma made them do something bad doesn’t mean they didn’t still do something bad. At the end of the day we’re responsible for handling our trauma triggers, and the consequences of our actions are ours alone.
Nayrael
2 years ago
One of the rare few good uses of the whole “Trigger-Happy murderous Hero is bad” trope, as it actually shows the psychological consequences of someone acting like that.
Paula
2 years ago
Bam! That was excellent!
FITSniper
2 years ago
#TeamScott
Verdiekus
2 years ago
Yaaayyy!!! Common ground! Tim, you are an amazing writer and I am constantly sucker punched in the feels. I was here in the beginning when it was a nerdy comic with watermelons and random ninja, but stayed for the amazing stories you weave. Your art has grown along with your writing and I’m glad you can do something you love full time. I have enjoyed watching you grow as an artist and storyteller, and I can’t wait to see where you take us. Thank you so much for sharing your art and stories with us.
Brian
2 years ago
the day it went from a Comedy to a Drama. still evolving Tim. keep going
Soag
2 years ago
So Ethan resembles Bruce Wayne morals and Scott resembles Thomas Wayne’s ones – in their respective superhero versions…
Austyn
2 years ago
Since everybody is giving their opinion anyways… It’s good to see Ethan understanding things from Scott’s perspective, but it’s still a pretty far gap. Deathblood was wrong to kill the gang, but the they were far from innocent, having only failed to murder Ethan because of his power. However, I’d say that Scott has made himself (in a way) as bad as Deathblood, the thugs, and whoever killed Carlie. Zeke, while powerful, was an innocent himself. His only crime was being raised (programmed) to hate humanity by a maniac who also hated people. Zeke was essentially a child, and still… Read more »
Yeah – that was one of the things I was thinking about. I do not agree with Deathblood’s whole thing of ‘they’re bad people, they deserve to die’ – especially as he justified it because of “countless incidents of violence and intimidation” and an active assault warrant, none of which carry a death sentence. But they did at least commit acts of violence against innocent people of their own volition. Did Zeke commit any crimes after he was disconnected from his programmer? I don’t remember him doing anything. I remember him expressing intent, but he seemed to be working with… Read more »
Worst Zeke did after getting their freedom to move back was grab Ethan and threaten him after he broke Zeke’s eye. Lucas and Ethan managed to talk them down before they did anything, though.
(also, just a reminder, Zeke decided they’re a they, not a him)
Technically, Scott neglected to disable the perimeter fence trigger when he was asked to buy d-pad(for the life of me can’t remember his name). Scott was reaching for the control to turn the explosive off when Zeke crossed into the main room of the store.
Fred
2 years ago
Well, I don’t say this often…
But holy fu*k Tim, the writing is top notch.
Chibi-Acer
2 years ago
Dang. That’s deep.?
Kudos on the excellent writing.
Guy Incognito
2 years ago
I was wondering if it was going to turn out that Ethan had accidentally killed Deathblood in defending the gang, and could therefore now understand Scott’s position. Obviously not the direction it went but this revelation works really well too.
Kaitensatsuma
2 years ago
Oh shit, things just got serious.
You’re not about to reboot CAD again are you?
Crestlinger
2 years ago
For those remembered are never truly gone. *Raises glass! To those gone before!
I played several scenarios through how I expected this to go, and never saw this coming. You’ve gone from those three panel comics in 2003 where you had Ethan arguing with Lukas about if they should include a melon in the strip, to this complex interplay between characters.
Wow, Tim, wow. You have come a very long way in your storytelling. Bravo.
Del Cox
2 years ago
With this context and going back and looking at the page where Ethan comes home, you realize the significance of the blood on his costume. He respawns clean and standing upright. Since it’s made clear Deathblood didn’t try to avoid shooting him, if he has someone else’s blood on him, it’s because he was trying to help them while they were dying.
This is where the ball enters Scott’s court. Ethan is now able to see it from Scott’s position and can see where Scott was coming from. At this point, Scott needs to be able to truly admit, without defensively using “whataboutisms”, that he failed to move beyond his confirmation bias concerning the Zeke situation. If he can do that, the relationship can be mended. If Scott is still unable to admit where he went wrong…. Well, he’s the one who told Zeke that, if they truly have free will, they have to decide how they want to use it. https://cad-comic.com/comic/trust-p15/… Read more »
Rake
2 years ago
Man, this story line keeps getting better and better.
And it’s so great to have been here for most of CAD’s existence – reader since 2006 – and see how wonderfully Tim has grown as an author.
Vedrit
2 years ago
Huh. Did not expect that. Nicely done.
Also, obligatory “Today is my birthday”
ShonaSoF
2 years ago
Daaaamn…. I’m glad Ethan has more thoughtfulness in the reboot. I can empathize with Scott, but I still feel that he handled things very badly.
Nightdagger
2 years ago
One thing that hasn’t been explored yet is that while this is the first time Ethan has seen someone killed in front of him with nothing he could do about it…it’s not the first time he’s almost seen it.
And that was Scott’s fault.
I don’t think we’re kissing and making up quite yet here.
Troy D Bird
2 years ago
Great use of negative space on that bottom frame, btw. Excellent for the emptiness of the moment.
24
ah, there is how it ties together.
Just once I’d like it if the spambots could read the room
They don’t have eyes, and unfortunately, no one has taught them to read Braille.
At least they can read the ROM
cease your existence if at all possible
oh, wow, even though it’s “just” a comic, that really hit hard… wasn’t expecting a dose of pain with my Monday morning coffee
Yeah, I never thought a web”tragic” would be a thing.
*sad badum-tss’
Don’t leave me hanging, bro. ✋
Condolence five. ✋
Pain…you want it? …It’s yours, my friend.
I made the mistake of reading this at work and they’re wondering why I started crying during a meeting. Tim, if you read this: Well played. (slow clap)
That’s how the best intentions can actually be behind BOTH their positions and actions.
And we all know, what road is paved with good intentions.
The M25
I have no personal experience of the M25, but will take Pratchett and Gaiman’s word that it is a demonic symbol of great evil power 🙂
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M25_motorway#Cultural_references
This is the best answer ever
Awesome. Just what I planned for. I knew about M25, and its presence in fiction like MAC089 pointed out. But I didn’t remember enough details to look it up.
So, I trusted some of you would mention it 🙂 Thanks.
Good omens is on my to-read list. I’ll get to it, eventually.
You need more upvotes. Sadly I could only give one.
Remind me, what road is paved with bad intentions? Oh wait, same one.
You know which road is also paved with good intentions? The one going in the opposite direction. Quite arguably a lot more. Contains bad ones too.
Of course none of that matters because a stylized expression based on a fiction holds no actual truth value. Intentions, they’re just good pavement!
*Blasts AC/DC outside your home with a boombox, dressed in the Black Mamba suit*
Btw, I replied to you in the previous strip a few hours ago.
… goddammit Tim.
I think I need a drink, too.
Tell me about it. And it’s not even 9am where I am.
It’s 5 o’clock somewhere?
it’s 5 oclock here! Just… 5 am…
Monologue (?) is going to start hunting street heroes…
gaius van baelsar?
Such devistation.
Says a lot that he (somewhat) experienced what Scott experienced. Even more that they are both shedding tears about it. There’s hope for both of ’em.
Damn, Tim’s storywriting is top-notch. You can’t convince me otherwise.
oh no… the feels!
The Feels!!! O.O
Layered like an onion. Teary like one too.
Good stuff.
I do love the arc, I really do. But I can’t help but feel a bit sceptical about Ethan’s feelings towards the gang. They weren’t *just* bad people. Ethan got shot no questions asked as soon as he fished something out of his pockets, and that’s ONLY because he fished it our earlier than when they were planning to kill him anyway (by Albie taking him out the back first). Yes Ethan can respawn, but I think that’s screwing with his sense of perception in this case. He’s someone’s son and brother too. And it wasn’t even him messing in… Read more »
Are…are you Deathblood?
It’s not just the gang he’s shedding tears for though. The whole thing is a metaphor for his own painful experiences and it’s worth mentioning he went into the situation in a bad place mentally and I’m sure seeing people die is pretty traumatic too. With all these things compounding, I get why he’s crying.
I think also that the strain of others being able to die and he can’t might be starting.
Agreed, Ethan seems to have forgotten how rotten this gang was throughout this whole thing. Like I keep saying, they were the villains. Deathblood rattled off a whole list of violent crimes the members had committed before this encounter, and it just went in one ear and out the other. Ethan also seems completely clueless to the fact that he was abducted off the street (or alley, or warehouse district, or whatever it was) and their intent was to kill him. They did kill him, several times. If Ethan was just a normie looking for a lost dog or child,… Read more »
Yeah, I venture to say, he still hasn’t even come close to what Scot’s been through.
“I’ve seen a few rando murderers getting murdered, being perfectly safe because I can respawn at any time” vs “The woman I planned on spending my life with died in my arms, while I lay on the floor bleeding, never being able to walk again”
Sure, not a pleasant experience, but not nearly comparable.
While not the same amount of pain, it is a start and it is enough to learn empathy.
While I only buried my parents and my sister, I can imagine how much more it would hurt if it was your spouse or your child.
Yeah, ok, I take that. And to be fair, Ethan does acknowledge that in the last panel. I kinda misread that on the first go. I thought he said, basically, “And now I totally went through the same thing you did”.
While I agree with your sentiment about the gang in general, i feel you are neglecting Ethans trauma. Despite the situations he has been in he has never seen another human murdered in front of him. For Ethan, in that moment, good and bad didnt enter into it. A life was snuffed out. Sure they were violent criminals, if the way they dealt with Ethan is any indication they have murdered before and would have again. This doesnt diminish that he witnessed a human life being exterminated. What i am actually slightly more curious about is if this will make… Read more »
I did not know a webcomic could be this emotionally distressing. Superb storytelling.
And this strip is another reason why anyone who calls comics a “lesser kind” of art/storytelling can shut the hell up.
Tim!
Did your mom never tell you that its not nice to make strangers get feel … well.. feelings for drawn characters?
Uncool bro! 🙁
Do like the story arc though. But i am on a strict no drinking route, so thanks for that! :/
“They were still people” I just can’t with this. It means nothing. I just can’t defend Ethan here, the views in this comic are so naive and insane, I’m from a different country and culture and learn English online but this silly insane naive view is just too common in the west for some reason. Is always the innocent and at least people that don’t hurt others that get the short end of the stick and the Bad people that keep claiming “Justice” Deadblood is 100% right on this one and he can get away with it because well he… Read more »
Batman doesn’t kill because a LOT of people forget he is in fact deputized, same as any police officer. You don’t see it brought up in the newer movies, but it is still canon. He captures villains, then turns them in along with evidence of their crimes for prosecution. He does *NOT* send them to Arkham, though he does take those who escape from it back to it. Otherwise he hands them over to the G.C.P.D. The reason for this is it allows him to do what he does without the police going after him, as being deputized means he… Read more »
He also has personal reasons for not killing. Many continuities have Batman claiming that if he started killing his enemies, he’d essentially be no better than they are, and he’s not wrong since murder is, you know, a crime.
Very true, my comment was more pointed at the very specific case of the Joker that the previous commenter mentioned. The Joker is *not* insane, as has been proven on a number of occasions: Is The Joker Legally Insane? – YouTube You also have the entire factor that the Joker *wants* Batman to kill him, because it would mean the Joker was right all along, that the Justice System doesn’t work and that law has no meaning. Batman refusing to kill the Joker is his way of showing he believes the power to make decisions lies with the people as… Read more »
It certainly says something about Tim’s writing that people are falling in on different sides of the argument. That said, I disagree… Ethan’s view of them still being ‘people’ is valid. Your point is whether or not they forfeited some right to the public ‘justice system’ by their actions. Ethan seems to be arguing that they are still ‘people’ and deserved to be arrested; according to his personal morals . Similar to ‘Batman’ I suppose.. It’s definitely an interested discussion once it reaches the point of our personal morals and what we ‘feel’ we should do. Rounding it off; well… Read more »
Sadly, irrespective of the (fine) quality of Tim’s writing in these arcs, it’s rather easy to get people to rise to the defense of the death penalty if not simply summary execution.
I work for a large hospital that is our region’s only Level 1 trauma center. We’re not in a terribly violent city, but gang violence is a thing, and as the trauma center they are treated here. This situations are often messy (both literally and figuratively) with injuries on both sides and no innocent parties. We treat them all the same. In Boston, the bomber was treated for his injuries just as his victims were for theirs. This is what gives us the moral standing to call the actions of others reprehensible. If we acted the same as those that… Read more »
“If we acted the same as those that we judge”
Sorry, no, not even close.
“I’m going to blow up a lot of innocent people” and “I’m not going to treat a sociopath” are not even remotely acting the same.
Why do people always want to ignore the innocent people harmed and stand up for the criminals?! Especially using such utterly bad logic like this.
It’s less about “standing up for the criminals” and more about “upholding the rule of law”. If we define “criminal” as “anyone who breaks the law,” Death blood is, in fact, another murderer, as Ethan states in the comic. He is operating outside the law, killing people who, yes, are criminals, but he is ignoring the governmental justice system to do so, based on his own whim. By the laws, this makes death blood just as guilty as the gang members he just gunned down. Ethan was going to collect them and turn them in to the police, effecting their… Read more »
No one is ignoring the innocent people harmed. Think about that tragedy. Think about the maimed and mutilated people that would have flooded the Boston hospitals. No one is ignoring that. You can’t witness something like that and ignore it. That said, people who are capable of an act like that do it because they feel that the lives they take are worth less than their cause. We, as whatever society you belong to, turn a blind eye (or at least a blurry eye) to violence in the name of whatever we believe in. Maybe you’re American and accept all… Read more »
YOU are calling US naive and insane? YOU, who literally just advocated mass murder simply because those who died were operating outside the law? By your logic if someone who shoplifts a candy bar runs across The Punisher and gets shot, they deserved it. Do you have any concept of the reasoning behind degrees of criminal activity? it’s because actual justice ensures that the punishment fits the crime. But sure, go ahead and keep on with that crappy worldview where jaywalkers apparently deserve to be riddled with bullets because they committed a crime. Also, Joker did not in fact die… Read more »
That’s a nice bit of growing up for Ethan. I was convinced he was just going on a rant on how he was right and Scott was wrong, but I stand corrected.
Kudos, sir.
Cheers
I definitely like this ethan better. The original ethan was obviously a wonderful break in seriousness in our lives, but this one incorporates both the casual joy that is ethan, but also the dark reality of being human in an imperfect world.
I will always miss the old Ethan, I liked the whole old timeline better. But I can see your point, this Ethan is more mature and that is interesting.
What whole timeline? No plot went on longer than what? 25 strips?At least until the last arc, which was frankly is what got me excited about this version.
They dated, married, got pregnant, had the miscarriage, kept going. Also, Wintereenmas happened every year. There was an all different thing with Zeke. Frankly, I do not remember which was the last arc.
“I CAN see it from your perspective, and it still looks wrong from that angle.”
Yeah understanding why someone’s trauma made them do something bad doesn’t mean they didn’t still do something bad. At the end of the day we’re responsible for handling our trauma triggers, and the consequences of our actions are ours alone.
One of the rare few good uses of the whole “Trigger-Happy murderous Hero is bad” trope, as it actually shows the psychological consequences of someone acting like that.
Bam! That was excellent!
#TeamScott
Yaaayyy!!! Common ground! Tim, you are an amazing writer and I am constantly sucker punched in the feels. I was here in the beginning when it was a nerdy comic with watermelons and random ninja, but stayed for the amazing stories you weave. Your art has grown along with your writing and I’m glad you can do something you love full time. I have enjoyed watching you grow as an artist and storyteller, and I can’t wait to see where you take us. Thank you so much for sharing your art and stories with us.
the day it went from a Comedy to a Drama. still evolving Tim. keep going
So Ethan resembles Bruce Wayne morals and Scott resembles Thomas Wayne’s ones – in their respective superhero versions…
Since everybody is giving their opinion anyways… It’s good to see Ethan understanding things from Scott’s perspective, but it’s still a pretty far gap. Deathblood was wrong to kill the gang, but the they were far from innocent, having only failed to murder Ethan because of his power. However, I’d say that Scott has made himself (in a way) as bad as Deathblood, the thugs, and whoever killed Carlie. Zeke, while powerful, was an innocent himself. His only crime was being raised (programmed) to hate humanity by a maniac who also hated people. Zeke was essentially a child, and still… Read more »
Yeah – that was one of the things I was thinking about. I do not agree with Deathblood’s whole thing of ‘they’re bad people, they deserve to die’ – especially as he justified it because of “countless incidents of violence and intimidation” and an active assault warrant, none of which carry a death sentence. But they did at least commit acts of violence against innocent people of their own volition. Did Zeke commit any crimes after he was disconnected from his programmer? I don’t remember him doing anything. I remember him expressing intent, but he seemed to be working with… Read more »
Worst Zeke did after getting their freedom to move back was grab Ethan and threaten him after he broke Zeke’s eye. Lucas and Ethan managed to talk them down before they did anything, though.
(also, just a reminder, Zeke decided they’re a they, not a him)
Technically, Scott neglected to disable the perimeter fence trigger when he was asked to buy d-pad(for the life of me can’t remember his name). Scott was reaching for the control to turn the explosive off when Zeke crossed into the main room of the store.
Well, I don’t say this often…
But holy fu*k Tim, the writing is top notch.
Dang. That’s deep.?
Kudos on the excellent writing.
I was wondering if it was going to turn out that Ethan had accidentally killed Deathblood in defending the gang, and could therefore now understand Scott’s position. Obviously not the direction it went but this revelation works really well too.
Oh shit, things just got serious.
You’re not about to reboot CAD again are you?
For those remembered are never truly gone. *Raises glass! To those gone before!
First words, then whisky?
Whiskey makes a lot more sense now…
I played several scenarios through how I expected this to go, and never saw this coming. You’ve gone from those three panel comics in 2003 where you had Ethan arguing with Lukas about if they should include a melon in the strip, to this complex interplay between characters.
Wow, Tim, wow. You have come a very long way in your storytelling. Bravo.
With this context and going back and looking at the page where Ethan comes home, you realize the significance of the blood on his costume. He respawns clean and standing upright. Since it’s made clear Deathblood didn’t try to avoid shooting him, if he has someone else’s blood on him, it’s because he was trying to help them while they were dying.
That’s a good catch, I didn’t add that up myself
This is where the ball enters Scott’s court. Ethan is now able to see it from Scott’s position and can see where Scott was coming from. At this point, Scott needs to be able to truly admit, without defensively using “whataboutisms”, that he failed to move beyond his confirmation bias concerning the Zeke situation. If he can do that, the relationship can be mended. If Scott is still unable to admit where he went wrong…. Well, he’s the one who told Zeke that, if they truly have free will, they have to decide how they want to use it. https://cad-comic.com/comic/trust-p15/… Read more »
Man, this story line keeps getting better and better.
And it’s so great to have been here for most of CAD’s existence – reader since 2006 – and see how wonderfully Tim has grown as an author.
Huh. Did not expect that. Nicely done.
Also, obligatory “Today is my birthday”
Daaaamn…. I’m glad Ethan has more thoughtfulness in the reboot. I can empathize with Scott, but I still feel that he handled things very badly.
One thing that hasn’t been explored yet is that while this is the first time Ethan has seen someone killed in front of him with nothing he could do about it…it’s not the first time he’s almost seen it.
And that was Scott’s fault.
I don’t think we’re kissing and making up quite yet here.
Great use of negative space on that bottom frame, btw. Excellent for the emptiness of the moment.