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24

Surrender, p21

January 17, 2024 by Tim


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6 months ago

Going through the trouble of adding liposomes seems like it indicates the vial actually was at least an attempt at gene therapy to remove Ethan’s powers.

Or of course that’s what the Troll wants us to think! trolololol

Scortch
Scortch
6 months ago
Reply to  Esc

Agreed. Honestly, I think it’s a bluff. The troll doesn’t want to kill Ethan, he wants to fuck with him forever, or until he gets bored. I don’t think he wants to kill anyone. He’s not against it, but it’s more a byproduct of trolling people.

Shona-SoF
Shona-SoF
6 months ago
Reply to  Scortch

That’s honestly the best case, I think.
But _daaaamn_ this is going to screw with Ethan.

Robin
Robin
6 months ago

So when all is said and done, we’ll be looking at a) a glorious self-sacrifice by Ethan at a pivotal moment, b) a ‘death by accident’ (preferably by an axe wielding pizza delivery boy) or c) a ‘mercy kill’ by D-Pad and/or Scott because they don’t want him to suffer any longer

Owyn
Owyn
6 months ago
Reply to  Robin

I’m feeling a glorious return of Zeke who not knowing of this update to Ethan stabs him, to which Ethan says something about how good it was knowing him and Ethan dying in Zeke’s arms. This causing all sorts of ‘feelings’ to course through Zeke and setting up a perfect cliff hanger for a shift to one of the other storylines.

Tim
Tim
6 months ago
Reply to  Owyn

I could see Zeke coming back, putting on airs about having near-instantly doing the research legwork and figuring out the Troll is full of shit, then doing a “proving a point” kill on Ethan to shut him up about it. And then they become besties through some psychological whiplash shenanigans.

Jedi
Jedi
6 months ago
Reply to  Robin

i like the ‘mercy kill’ theory …

Dom
Dom
6 months ago
Reply to  Robin

That… would actually be something Tim would write (option A)… Not a bad way to end a this Ethan’s story.
I already know Tim is a great writer (despite what others might think). But I wouldn’t also rule out Tim doing a 180 reviving Ethan after a whole sad ending arc as a joke/gag/silly 6 months after a supposed ending.

But I don’t think Tim would be so cruel in reality. He might have played with the thought at least.

SkullsGrav
SkullsGrav
6 months ago
Reply to  Dom

Ethan’s story doesn’t end until the comic does.

Deadly
Deadly
6 months ago
Reply to  Dom

given that is how he ended ethan in the original story it wouldnt be uncalled for for him to do a call back of that moment of sacrifice.

Not that Brian
Not that Brian
6 months ago
Reply to  Dom

CAD 1.0 ending
1.0 appeared to end with Ethan’s death.

It wasn’t until we got the book set that it became clear that it was actually that he was lost in time.

Arcatus
Arcatus
6 months ago
Reply to  Robin

I am feeling option a.

It would be hilarious if Tim did it while trolling us. Something like:
Ethan: Decpacitated
Tim: Aight folks, that wraps that up. Next is a new series I have planned for a long the: Adventures of Axel the Axolotl; a new AAA quality online comic.

Freddie
Freddie
6 months ago

I’d say both. Germs are notoriously slippery.

Jedi
Jedi
6 months ago

Much to learn you have, young padawan. Its crystal clear that you prefer death by slipping over the slow death of getting infected and slowly die in a quite painful way.

evilleet
evilleet
6 months ago

Maybe the troll wants ethan to become so broken and depressed that he decides to kill himself.
Once he respawns, his mind would snap and he would go crazy. (just like the joker did in batman, after he fell into the chemical compund and then saw his reflection in the water, iirc anyway…)

Kenju
Kenju
6 months ago

You know, this has got me thinking, couldn’t Ethan sue Troll over this, even if just to screw with him? Toll is expecting this to either break him or crack him, he wouldn’t expect Ethan to, well, sink to his level in effect by dragging him through court for loss of property (his powers) workers comp (no longer being able to work) emotional damages etc This being played right after some big news piece about a gofundme for the Troll as a way to take the money would be a nice bit of payback and stealing the spotlight. Seriously just… Read more »

Eodyne
Eodyne
6 months ago
Reply to  Kenju

So from a legal perspective (I’m a lawyer) he’d be suing for personal injury and emotional distress. Can’t sue for worker’s comp since Ethan doesn’t have an employer.

But yeah he could absolutely do that.

KillerDragon989
KillerDragon989
6 months ago
Reply to  Eodyne

Even if Ethan is technically self-employed? Lol.

Captain Chelo
Captain Chelo
6 months ago
Reply to  Eodyne

Thou we need to be aware that we don’t know what effect super heroes do have in the legal system. Deathblow mentioned the “vigilante act” which means there’s at least an attempt to make a legal process to how super heroe actions has to be processed legally.

Depending on how the law see the actions of both Ethan and the Troll, it could be considered that the trauma he’s going is something he agree on taking the role of super heroe.

SkullsGrav
SkullsGrav
6 months ago
Reply to  Captain Chelo

We dont need any special superhero laws for a court case. What the troll did is felony assault and battery, plain and simple. Plus there’s all the kidnapping, terroristic threat, etc… Hell if you want to get down to “minor” stuff all the “Analog is gay” stuff is either a hatecrime or slander.

Steve
Steve
6 months ago
Reply to  SkullsGrav

I don’t think there was ‘Analog is gay’ so much as ‘Analog likes to f**k armpits.’ And that came from the troll legions. In the US (presumably this setting), a hate crime would usually only be an aggravating factor (e.g., someone attacked someone BECAUSE they were gay… but troll is just an all purpose troll and unless you want to count his mental goofiness as a disability, Analog isn’t in a protected class).

This should not be taken as legal advice, but I do have a lawyer in the family.

Captainchello
Captainchello
6 months ago
Reply to  SkullsGrav

My point wasn’t about the Troll being inocent or not, he’s a criminal and I do expect the legal system of that world treating him as such. My point was about Ethan being able to sue the Troll for damages and how his superheroe status would have a weight on the case. For starters, there’s the question if Ethan had to present himself by his real name or his heroe persona, that on itself is it’s own can of worms. But also there’s the fact that since the vigilante act does exist, it could label what happened to him as… Read more »

Kenju
Kenju
6 months ago
Reply to  Eodyne

Ethan does have an employer, himself, he’s co-owner of the game store, so he would still be able to sue for disability wouldn’t he? That aside there is something I’m curious about since you are a lawyer. When it comes to superhero’s with powers if someone were to take them away, would that count as property damage or injury? With someone with Ironman obviously that is simple, it’s property damage to his suit, but powers seem to be more of a grey area. Like, if you are born with them, they are a part of you, your DNA, so it… Read more »

Chris
Chris
6 months ago
Reply to  Kenju

I’m pretty sure the term ‘property’ in a legal setting would have to mean something (tangible or not) whose ownership could be transferred to another person or organization. Spiderman cannot sign over his powers to anyone else, or in any way give up his access to them.
On top of that, his powers (like Analog’s? Maybe?) are really a symptom of physiological changes to his body; it’s just how his body works. Ergo, personal injury not property damage.

Kenju
Kenju
6 months ago
Reply to  Chris

I thought that at first, until I remembered ‘organ theft’ is a crime on the books, along with a number of other crimes connected with doctors or others using things like your blood or DNA without your consent. So in some respect your body *is* property that you own within the confines of law.

Carbonaut
Carbonaut
6 months ago
Reply to  Kenju

Now that we talk about it, are spider man’s powers legally his? I mean he got them from someone else’s spider…

some guy
some guy
6 months ago
Reply to  Kenju

Ethan in public spotlight and on morning talk show? Have you seen Ethan? With his communication skills and charisma he’d probably self-implode.

Eric
Eric
6 months ago
Reply to  Kenju

There are a few problems with that
1. Ethan isn’t a registered hero, so he doesn’t make money heroing I don’t believe
2. He’d have to prove that the Troll actually took his powers away. The only way he can do that is by dying and not respawning

chargersfan
chargersfan
6 months ago
Reply to  Eric

Yep, this. Ethan’s lawyer would be unable to prove physical or monetary damages. Plus, Ethan would have to give up the secret of his real identity, which might be moot since he may no longer be a hero, but I wouldn’t want to do that with how many troll fans there seem to be out there.

Kenju
Kenju
6 months ago
Reply to  Eric

He does not make money from being a Super Hero, that is true, BUT you forget he *DOES* have a job. You don’t need to be injured on the job to sue someone for disability IF something they did renders you incapable of working.

All Ethan has to do is prove he is mentally incapable of living a normal life due to trauma caused by the Troll.

Esc
Esc
6 months ago
Reply to  Kenju

You can sue anyone for anything in civil court. The crux is damages and proving fault.

This would probably require Ethan to unmask himself unfortunately. And prove his powers are gone, which is impossible.

But for just the stabbing and inject, he’s welcome to go ahead. That’s probably criminal assault even, not that it matters, this guy is going away for attempted murder.

Kenju
Kenju
6 months ago
Reply to  Esc

Not *entirely* sure Ethan would need to unmask himself, as this has come up at least one time I am aware of within superhero media. The 60’s Batman series with Adam West had an episode where the Riddler tried to use this as a loophole after Batman arrested him once. To summarize what happened, Riddler argued that because Batman *is* a legally deputized officer of the law, and was the only one present during the arrest, he would have to appear in court as a witness. Likewise because he would be testifying as a witness, the Riddler had the legal… Read more »

Ashi
Ashi
6 months ago
Reply to  Kenju

I actually have a book about legal issues in the context of superheros, and the answer is “It depends on what the writer wants.” Marvel invented an Avengers scanner in order to confirm that Spider-man was who he said he was in court without having to unmask, while DC made up a Constituional amendment which allows Superman to testify without revealing that he’s Clark Kent.

The Legacy
The Legacy
6 months ago

Whelp, guess Ethan needs to bite the bullet and… bite a bullet. Only way to know for sure, and he’d be free of this horror either way.

Thomas
Thomas
6 months ago

Wonder if he’s still got all those buckets of blood sitting around.

Jedi
Jedi
6 months ago
Reply to  Thomas

probably not, didnt they despawn when he died the next time ?

raven0ak
raven0ak
6 months ago

I Think Ethan will get back into analog role after Zeke comes and kills him and Ethan finds Troll trolled him

Jack s
Jack s
6 months ago

Ethan doesn’t heal or regenerate like Deadpool/Wolverine, he respawns to the last healthy “auto save” point. Does it matter what happens to his body after that save has happened? In games, we get poisoned, when we die and respawn we do not keep the poison. While this mixture may be preventing new saves, if it did anything, does it invalidate the last save before he was injected? Is the respawning something his body handles at the time he dies, in which case the trolls mixture may work, or is it something more powerful and happens before he dies. He pops… Read more »

Algonar
Algonar
6 months ago
Reply to  Jack s

While I agree with your interpretation of this mechanism, and there likely being an “auto save” feature that was working (at least pre-injection) – the “auto load” feature may not be working any longer. It’s like a game you lost at, and you can see all your previous save points…but can’t press ‘load’ on any of them.

In other words, it’s the final death. He’s in ironman mode with no ability to load a save.

Chris
Chris
6 months ago
Reply to  Jack s

“…or at his death and his body triggers a ‘rollback’.” I am liking this theory. Perhaps it’s some sort of energy field that somehow holds a record of Ethan’s physical state, and upon losing the ‘generator’ of that field (i.e. he dies), it rolls back, as you say, to the last stable ‘record’. But… how would he remember what happens between the ‘save-state’ and the respawn? We know he remembers each time he dies. I suppose it could turn out to be a mental rather than physical thing. Psychically willing himself back to life? “…after Ethan is next killed, he… Read more »

Mia
Mia
6 months ago

Oh snap, Ted the penguin is being reintroduced!

SkullsGrav
SkullsGrav
6 months ago
Reply to  Mia

Yup, Aves is the class name for Birds as well.

SteelX
SteelX
6 months ago

I think in a way…the troll didn’t just “cure” him. It probably gave him another power he never had before.

Lord Fancy
Lord Fancy
6 months ago

I wonder if there’s a superhero who can actually help here. Someone with a power to see genomes, or smell powers.

Timmeh
Timmeh
6 months ago

Here is the thing. We keep saying “it’s a bluff” or “no, it’s real”.

It doesn’t matter. The troll got the effect he wanted. He very effectively has neutralized Ethan to the point where he cannot function. it doesn’t matter AT ALL if it was real or not. The effect is the same.

We/Lucas/Ethan/Scott can say either side but the ENDING is the same. the troll won this battle and unless Ethan can figure a way out, the troll will win the war.

KainenFrost
KainenFrost
6 months ago

Why is nobody else mentioning that Scott’s “college friend” is Dr. TED

Ted is back people

SkullsGrav
SkullsGrav
6 months ago
Reply to  KainenFrost

Aves is the class name for birds too. 🙂

foducool
foducool
6 months ago

slipping in the shower is short term, germs from poor hygiene is long term

Greevar
Greevar
6 months ago

Given that their biology doesn’t offer any clues as to the nature of their powers, there is no reason to believe the Troll actually had a substance to nullify Ethan’s powers. The origin of their powers is a secret. Their blood does not indicate any clues to the nature of their powers. There is no usable data for anyone who has privileged knowledge of their powers. Therefore, it is virtually impossible for the Troll to hire some random chemist to formulate a “cure” when their blood contains no measurable clue of how their powers even work. It’s a troll, nothing… Read more »

MercuryGreen
MercuryGreen
6 months ago

WHEN Ethan’s inevitable “leap before he looks” kicks in and he respawns, Lucas should meet with the Troll and tell him that it worked, and Ethan died.

Paula
Paula
6 months ago
Reply to  MercuryGreen

This! And also pretend that he wants to kill him to get revenge about his fallen friend.

MusicManD
MusicManD
6 months ago

Because nobody else seems to have mentioned it, we have our first Ted sighting in 2.0! Dollars to donuts he’s a fan of penguins, plus his last name is a reference to birds.

Last edited 6 months ago by MusicManD
Paula
Paula
6 months ago
Reply to  MusicManD

I was wondering about Ted Aves, I did not realize. Thank you!

ReyMonoArdilla
ReyMonoArdilla
6 months ago
Reply to  MusicManD

Oh good, someone else noticed it.

super steve
super steve
6 months ago
Reply to  MusicManD

is this a practical joke? where is he ive been

Entercoven
Entercoven
6 months ago

Anyone else appreciate that they brought back Ted but as a (I assume) human doctor instead of a penguin?

Mike
Mike
6 months ago
Reply to  Entercoven

I can see it now: Dr. Ted Aves the penguin will be a parody villain (of both Penguin and Mr. Freeze I guess) in future Analog & D-Pad adventures.

Last edited 6 months ago by Mike
Paula
Paula
6 months ago

That sounds too generic, like something relatively easy to find that is not tailored for Ethan. It does not sound as if it works.
Meanwhile, I would like to know what happened with the media after the Troll vs Analog thing.

Del Cox
Del Cox
6 months ago

Gaslighting is the core of trolling. Gotta admire the dedication to the craft if things are in place where even the experts agree “we can’t be sure”.

Jay Lebo
Jay Lebo
6 months ago

How to solve Ethan’s dilemma in 3 simple steps:

Step 1: Administer a controlled defibrillator shock to his chest to stop his heart.
Step 2: Wait ~60 seconds to see if he respawns.
Step 3: If he doesn’t, administer another shock to restart his heart and save the demonstrably depowered Ethan.

Possibly the least risky way to test his powers so he can know for sure.

Atli
Atli
6 months ago

I get the feeling that all of this is the Troll tricking Ethan into not using his powers, so that his body doesen’t reset upon death, giving the compound the chance to enact its effects permenantly on him(which might not be related to his respawn powers at all)

SBlack
SBlack
6 months ago

There should be some genetic material like hair or skin cells around to compare the current genome against.

Del Cox
Del Cox
6 months ago

The Troll did say “any competent chemist” could have made a counteragent, but going by Scott’s experience, it would take a world-leading biologist to have identified what to target. So I’m getting on Team “Trolled”. But man, I’d hate to be Ethan jumping off a building to test a theory. Still, better odds than Russian Roulette by far.

Steve
Steve
6 months ago
Reply to  Del Cox

It would be weird to find a power blocker JUST from some stray DNA. Computer models won’t cut it, you usually have to actively experiment. Hence how drug trials start with mice then move to humans (and not every compound that shows promise in mice works on humans, even if it seems like one “should”). Unless there is a single DNA marker in all supers that triggers their powers, but if that were known, then nearly everyone would be looking for designer gene therapies. Science doesn’t stay secret forever (if it did, the USA would still be the world’s only… Read more »