First Random Last |

You are currently browsing the archive for Analog and D-Pad



24

Drive, p4

June 3, 2022 by Tim


Subscribe
Notify of
guest

74 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Jon
Jon
2 years ago

OOoooh! I totally didn’t catch the reverse time jump in the last panel!
Very cool with some origin story <3

jere
jere
2 years ago
Reply to  Jon

The last time we got an origin story flashback was when Ethan was struggling with the aftermath of The Troll and remembered why they became super heroes in the first place. So hopefully, this time leads to Scott coming back on track, even though i can also see it going the complete opposite (“I wanted to do this to protect people, also you from yourselves! Without me, you would have caused more harm than good, just like with this robot!”)

Eldest Gruff
Eldest Gruff
2 years ago
Reply to  jere

That storyline started on May 30, 2016, in case anyone wants to stroll through the Archives for a refresher.

Stef
Stef
2 years ago
Reply to  Eldest Gruff

wow, that long ago?

The Legacy
The Legacy
2 years ago
Reply to  Stef

Time flies!

Avion
Avion
2 years ago
Reply to  Eldest Gruff

SIX FRIGGING YEARS?

Andrew
Andrew
2 years ago
Reply to  Jon

Took me a moment to notice the difference in his beard in the last comic

GUNnibal
GUNnibal
2 years ago

Hey, is that an arrow or are you just happy to see me?

DontBeThatGuy
DontBeThatGuy
2 years ago
Reply to  GUNnibal

HA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Eldest Gruff
Eldest Gruff
2 years ago

I can *smell* that apartment.

ReaverRogue
ReaverRogue
2 years ago
Reply to  Eldest Gruff

Ahh. Youth.

nealithi
nealithi
2 years ago
Reply to  ReaverRogue

I am not sure that is youth given what was happening previously.

Welp
Welp
2 years ago
Reply to  ReaverRogue

Not youth. If I am not mistaken, this is some time after the death of Ethans sister (Scott’s significant other) and apparently just after Lucas and Ethan gain abilities. The state of his home is an example of what deep depression and unexpected loss and tragedy can do to people (including the panel previously regarding suicidal thoughts). I am curious just how long it has been after Ethan’s sisters death.

Eldest Gruff
Eldest Gruff
2 years ago
Reply to  Welp

My best guess is somewhere between one and three weeks, depending on whether Carly-era Scott had facial hair or not. Apartment is trashed, but not TOO trashed; beard and moustache growth isn’t super scraggly yet. Plus, he still had quite a large amount of Oxycodone, and doctors generally want to get you off of that and onto something milder as soon as possible to avoid a dependency.

Hunter
Hunter
2 years ago
Reply to  Eldest Gruff

I’m sorry to counter Eldest Gruff but I would say months had past since Carly’s death not weeks.

Remember that Scott was paralyzed in the same attack that killed Carly. If you lose the use of your legs due to a gun shot you don’t get out of the hospital after only a few days or a week. Scott probably spent a month or more in the hospital recovering plus further time spent learning how to live without the use of his legs.

Eldest Gruff
Eldest Gruff
2 years ago
Reply to  Hunter

Oh dang, you’re right. Great point; it’s got to have been a few months at least. I completely forgot about the actual spinal cord injury; only how long the emotional downward spiral’s been.

IIRC, Ethan said during the double date that his parents moved away from Omnitropolis after his sister was killed, leaving the store to him. When Ethan and Lucas got their powers, they were still setting up GameHaven for the grand opening.

7eggert
7eggert
2 years ago
Reply to  Eldest Gruff

I’d guess if you don’t count the time in the hospital you might still be right.

jere
jere
2 years ago
Reply to  Eldest Gruff

I guess he might probably have spent some time in the hospital as well? I feel like one week doesn’t really fit how Ethan and Lucas act in their flashback.

Ash Ketchup
Ash Ketchup
2 years ago
Reply to  Eldest Gruff

It’s possible it’s still early on after the incident. I also can’t recall what year the storyline takes place in, but it’s also possible this was back when the opioid epidemic was still fresh, and doctors were prescribing oxys left and right without regard for dependency or addiction. Scott may just have a pill mill doctor regardless of time period.

Lance
Lance
2 years ago
Reply to  Eldest Gruff

Judging by the number of Oxyc pill bottles in the 4th pane from the previous comic, I would say a 3-4 months after the accident and however long Scott was in the hospital.

Borderlander
Borderlander
2 years ago
Reply to  Eldest Gruff

Also depends on if he lost his legs/got paralyzed in the same event that killed Carly. If he did, then he would have been in the hospital for… weeks at least? And only at home for just the 1-3 weeks you mentioned, so the apartment wouldn’t be too bad yet. I assume the recent trauma would also explain the Oxycodone.

Welp
Welp
2 years ago
Reply to  Welp

Thanks everyone who replied. My assumption/guess is roughly 6 months to 1 year since Carly’s death. Again, this is based on pill bottles, collection of mail, state of the home/apartment & his appearance.

Maybe Tim can clear it up for us…

Vincent Price
Vincent Price
2 years ago

Just wait until Ethan has to demonstrate his own abilities, and Scott simply loses it.

Last edited 2 years ago by Vincent Price
Gonfrask
Gonfrask
2 years ago
Reply to  Vincent Price

Was thinking the same, and maybe not the best time to show that you can respawn. Something tell me that Lucas is going to suggest that it can be show later “in a safer place” as he seems to be noticing things.

Pulse
Pulse
2 years ago
Reply to  Vincent Price

im expecting him to go “watch this” and send the arrow through his neck just as hes going on and on. scott loses it for a second before blip and hes back without missing a word.

Marcus
Marcus
2 years ago
Reply to  Pulse

im wondering if that comes with its own story of ethan being hit by a car or something totally mundane on the trip home.

Christopher
Christopher
2 years ago
Reply to  Marcus

Which part? Ethan discovering his ability, or accidentally demonstrating it to Scott? I think the discovery came when Lucas accidentally killed him with an arrow that first night.

Mike
Mike
2 years ago
Reply to  Vincent Price

Perfect time to bring in the ninja to decapitate Ethan… Like the ol’ days 🙂

Esc
Esc
2 years ago

The mail is always a dead giveaway.

foducool
foducool
2 years ago

Lucas makes a point

JozMk.II
JozMk.II
2 years ago

The smug look on Lucas’ face in the last panel!! XD

Henchman Twenty1
Henchman Twenty1
2 years ago

Lucas decided to provide a little bit more Direction to the story.

Ben
Ben
2 years ago

Ethan then slipped on the good, broke his neck and respawned

Ben
Ben
2 years ago
Reply to  Ben

Goo*

jere
jere
2 years ago
Reply to  Ben

Given how often stuff like that happens, I’m slightly curious how pre-superpower Ethan made it that far. He probably got a lot more careless in the time afterwards, when actions suddenly had less severe consequences.

Pulse
Pulse
2 years ago
Reply to  jere

honestly wondering how previous timeline ethan made it as far as he did

Jacob
Jacob
2 years ago
Reply to  Pulse

Plot armor and being animated help a lot.

Eldest Gruff
Eldest Gruff
2 years ago
Reply to  Jacob

Especially when arrows shoot you from off-panel or ninjas stab you from behind.

D00dM4n
D00dM4n
2 years ago
Reply to  Eldest Gruff

I miss the random Ninjas….

7eggert
7eggert
2 years ago
Reply to  Pulse

Just like Kenny

Ben
Ben
2 years ago
Reply to  jere

Knowing he’s functionally immortal made him less careful than he was before

Christopher
Christopher
2 years ago
Reply to  Ben

Sounds like a Ryan George setup. “He did a backflip, snapped the bad guy’s neck, and saved the day.”

ShonaSoF
ShonaSoF
2 years ago

“I’m done with this nonsense.” to “What the holy hell is that?!?”

Xanthicirs
Xanthicirs
2 years ago

Do we know if Lucas’s arrows make a noise when popping into existence? Because in my head it sounds like when Jelly Kid makes bread exist in Bravest Warriors.

Marsh
Marsh
2 years ago

‘Surprised Scott’ makes me feel happy because I know he’s okay and this is a turning point for him.

Logan
Logan
2 years ago
Reply to  Marsh

Ya know this is a flashback.

But in sure it *was* a turning point. If not THE turning point in his life, where he began to be obsessed with “this with power/s using them negligently and causing harm to others. And back in present day, a Rogue AI controlled ‘killer’ robot is likely his very last straw.

Mousio
Mousio
2 years ago

That look on the last page! PRICELESS!!!
Bit late to the party, but this flashback (last page mostly?) pretty much confirms my head cannon as to why Scott was so against Zeke (All the “saving humanity from super machines” aside); if they are what gave him another reason to keep going after he lost the rest, this makes his reaction more understandable.
Not exactly forgivable, but gives much more context.
Well done Tim. Can’t wait for the next feew chapters?!!

7eggert
7eggert
2 years ago
Reply to  Mousio

Everything people do is because of reasons that seem valid to them. They look at the situation from their own perspective and use the tools they have. Sometimes this will result in hammering in a screw.

When we discover that we we made mistakes we usually want to be forgiven, not condemned for things we could or somehow would not perceive differently back then. Therefore we should at least try to do the same for others.

FireballDragon
FireballDragon
2 years ago

Oh, I thought Scott was gonna OD over Zeke. Apparently that was before EnL became Analog and D-Pad.

Logan
Logan
2 years ago
Reply to  FireballDragon

Welcome to the flashback! xD

Paula
Paula
2 years ago

I love Lucas. His facial expressions are one o my favorite things about this comic.

Guy Davidson
Guy Davidson
2 years ago

Anybody else wondering what the volume of mail that Lucas is staring at in panel 1 portends?

Brian
Brian
2 years ago
Reply to  Guy Davidson

We’re exploring more origins, this time how Scott joined Ethan and Lucas as their tech-guy. Meaning we’re dealing with Scott shortly after Ethan’s sister/His fiance was killed.

The mail Is piling up because Scott is depressed. Given he was contemplating suicide in the page before this he probably didn’t see the point in opening the letters.

GeorgeV
GeorgeV
2 years ago
Reply to  Guy Davidson

I don’t think the mail portends anything in particular, it’s just Lucas noticing that Scott has not been keeping up with his affairs (due to him being paralyzed with grief).

Egasilon
Egasilon
2 years ago
Reply to  GeorgeV

And also being paralyzed with actual paralysis.

Brian
Brian
2 years ago

It’s those last three panels that clinch the laugh from me. Scott’s expression jumping from “What fresh spore of madness…” to “Holy s@#$!!!” And the smug look on Lucas’s face are the best!

Ben
Ben
2 years ago

I’m starting to see a piece of Scott’s motivation that I missed. While Lucas and Ethan were getting superpowers, he was losing everything that mattered to him in life. That… god that would feel so unfair to somebody in Scott’s position. The kind of unfair that you never get over. The kind that festers and corrupts you. He tried to be a part of it. To feel powerful by being the ‘guy in the chair’ who guided them and made them gadgets; it was a coping mechanism. But that was never going to be enough, at least not for long.… Read more »

Marcus
Marcus
2 years ago
Reply to  Ben

i like the way you think, it kinda sets up the separation that i recall a few people envisioning and scott becoming a villain.

Swiftbow
Swiftbow
2 years ago
Reply to  Ben

Very good analysis. However, Carli was Ethan’s sister, not Scott’s. Scott was dating her.

7eggert
7eggert
2 years ago
Reply to  Ben

I agree mostly, he wants power over the threat. IDK weather he’s interested more in having power or in someone having power over the threat (and not seeing A&D doing that). Both would explain what we saw.

Urainkhali
Urainkhali
2 years ago

Heh. Bitten by a radioactive arcade machine…

Drew
Drew
2 years ago

I wonder… “This guy…” who said “oops!”… he was in the explosion, too. Is he one of the supervillains we’ve seen?

Helldemon
Helldemon
2 years ago
Reply to  Drew

Was he? I thought he had left the store?

GeorgeV
GeorgeV
2 years ago
Reply to  Drew

On the page where the accident was shown he’d already left the room.

It’s possible he might’ve still been in the blast radius, but that by itself probably shouldn’t have triggered any supervillain powers. Those seemed mostly caused by the combination of exposure to ‘magic science goop’ + ‘lightning channeled through a video game machine’, and Oops Guy didn’t get either of those.

Zair
Zair
2 years ago

I’ve been reading the comic since… geez, I think before Ethan even built Zeke.

Tim, your art’s really improved over the years, and it really shows in this strip particularly. The subtle details in the expressions, Lucas looking so smug, Scott’s “I’m done with this” and subsequent shock.

Beautifully done.

Marcus
Marcus
2 years ago

SHIT MAN! you slingshot us into a backstory?!?! christ i had to really think about this one for a minute…. also, please tell us more about the goo and the kaboom. i love you, you will do this for me right?… right?

jere
jere
2 years ago
Reply to  Marcus

you may want to look into this former flashback: https://cad-comic.com/comic/analog-and-d-pad-04-03/

Marvin Martian
Marvin Martian
2 years ago
Reply to  Marcus

Well it certainly wasn’t an Earth Shattering Kaboom. I’ll tell you that much.

toughluck
toughluck
2 years ago

I can’t wait for them to show Scott Ethan’s superpower!

Joey
Joey
2 years ago

This bit shows how much Ethan and Lucas trust Scott. He is the very first person they go to, immediately, with something that they’d probably want to keep fairly secret. It’s interesting in that it shows that while they trust him implicitly, he does not reciprocate and didn’t let them know the head bomb was still active.

Kaitensatsuma
Kaitensatsuma
2 years ago

Lucas eyeing that pile of letters

Ash Ketchup
Ash Ketchup
2 years ago

Lucas can tell something’s not right from that first panel with all the mail. I wonder if he ever finds out Scott was contemplating suicide.

Snowfae
Snowfae
2 years ago

That last panel is perfect. Just the whole ‘ofukdisreal’ face.

some guy
some guy
2 years ago

I’ve been following this comic for over 15 years and I’m amazed just how far it’s come. Not only do you keep the quality, but you increase it and keep me hooked. Amazing job, Tim.