That actually makes sense. We did see The Troll spying on Ethan when he and his previous gf were breaking up. (I thought it was going to lead to her getting kidnapped and realizing Ethan wasn’t lying about being a hero. Messing with Ethan with a new manipulative gf he controls would be even more insidious.)
Troll knows Analog, he doesn’t know Ethan. (I don’t remember anything about him spying on Emily breakup either, got a page number for that?).
Even if he had magical plot omniscience, there is no way Troll could’ve manipulated the random events leading to Ethan meeting (and choosing to keep dating) Nicole.
None of the existing storyline makes sense if Nicole is somehow involved with the Troll. Troll should’ve had a billion better schemes with that level of knowledge, and Nicole should’ve had some reaction/involvement with the various Troll plot developments.
Nicole as a Troll minion would be ‘and it was all a dream’ levels of bad storytelling. It adds nothing, it just undoes any interesting moments in the storyline.
It could work if it wasn’t revealed abruptly, like “HA HA! SURPRISE!” But if Tim has dropped some foreshadowing in future strips it could possibly be the case. Though you’re right about one thing: Her just being a regular garden-variety abusive sh*tstain of a human would hit harder narratively.
We’re already long past the point where that could’ve been a viable twist. Adding foreshadowing in future strips does nothing to undo the sudden lack of sensible story going on right now, if Nicole is somehow supposed to be a Troll minion. When going for twists like that, it’s important to make sure the twist works within the existing story. Everything from Ethan meeting Nicole, to how their relationship developed, or how that interacted with the Troll plot only works if she isn’t a Troll minion. What could work by foreshadowing is Nicole coming in contact with Troll sometime in… Read more »
Agreed – she shouldn’t be a Troll plant *now*. But she might make for an interesting foil if she discovers Ethan’s secret and then gets mad at being finally outed as abusive and dumped for it later on. Extinction burst type thing, going to volunteer information to his enemies.
Only way I can see that working is if she started dating him before the troll reached out to her, and the troll ends up manipulating her to be more toxic by convincing her its for his own good, to get him to stop “putting himself at risk” and stop being a hero because if you disengage trolls think theyve “won.” If thats the case it wouldnt suprise me if the troll contacted her during this little break by having sent a message to her after she stormed out but before the guys fought him. If that is the case… Read more »
The only version of this that I’d accept would be if she essentially got together with Ethan accidentally. Like, without realizing in the least that he was Analog. Then one time she says some dogwhistle line like “Yeah, Supes are no good, like that supposed ‘hero’ Analog. Did you know he tried to KILL The Troll by dropping him off of a building? Total psycho, for sure.” and cause of that immediately Ethan’s able to finally see her true colors.
I don’t think she is…. now. However, if Ethan ever gets sick of her antics, I could see him breaking up with her, and her getting so warped about it, that the Troll recruits her, and she becomes one of the manifold faces of the Troll…. known as, the Gaslighter!
Scott T
4 days ago
Jesus this feels like word for word lines from my marriage.
I’m so sorry you’ve had to go through that. It’s such a difficult thing to go through- I know from experience, as well. I hope you got away from a toxic influence like that; but, if not, as of yet, I wish for you the strength to do so. If you have, I’m proud of you for having the strength to stand up for yourself, and I hope someone’s already told you that- and does so frequently.
If it’s still an ongoing relationship: seek professional help/counseling and/or legal cousel.
If it’s a former marriage: I’m sorry for your pains, sit and rest here with us, the breeze feels nice on the ankles after the shackles are removed.
It is, but honestly it’s good reading for those unaware of the traits of a narcissistic, abusive partner.
Robert
4 days ago
The way this arc makes my spine itch is something else.
evilleet
4 days ago
Its like watching a car crash in real time, its horrible and i cant look away.
Tim, for all that is good an holy in the world… please make this stop. (i know the comic is written, drawn and pretty much finished already, but still… my toenails can not take this anymore)
Others have probably said it before, but I do think we are at the point that even Ethan, even original very first comic Ethan!, would have more alarm bells going off than an alarm clock testing facility and more red flags than have been produced in the entire history of China.
Yeah, even Sara, from the original series back in 2002, was better for him than Nicole, and SHE gave him the “it’s me or the games” ultimatum.
Baroquen
4 days ago
This is a great, dramatic, character-driven storyline. But it’s not fun. Every new strip is another step toward seeing how badly Ethan gets hurt. And it’s not a “can’t look away” kind of thing. It’s just discomfort/disappointment. Looking forward to resolution. (But just my cent and a half opinion. I know. Carry on!)
Verdiekus
4 days ago
Noooooo!!!!!!!!
Crestlinger
4 days ago
Screw It. Zeke! Target for you.
Kasey
4 days ago
I appreciate that Ethan is not completely folding like we saw earlier in the relationship. It can be hard to keep your head above water when the other person is so overwhelming, but he is starting to tread a bit better than before. Progress.
He really isn’t. How he considers himself a hero while disregarding the crap she was pulling is ridiculous. Maybe next arc will be him taking her back, and realizing it was such a mistake he tries to get troll to make a working concoction.
This character makes my skin crawl, but I guess that’s the point. I don’t see how Ethan, simple as he is, is not seeing through this. Her behavior isn’t even subtle; she’s the “script kiddie” of toxic relationships.
*Looks at one relationship that I had in college which became my yardstick for manipulative relationships.* Yeeaaah, that’s always easy to say from the outside looking in or with enough time/experience put between you and the relationship. For me, looking back, I have trouble believing that I was doing all her work on a team project as well as other work without any form of real reciprocation and I somehow didn’t see what was going on. But, given that my high school experience was pre-Columbine with all the bullying that went on for people who weren’t in the right clique,… Read more »
Paula
4 days ago
I am proud of Ethan. You want to talk? Well, we’ll talk.
Nightdagger
4 days ago
Fuck.
Zequeins
3 days ago
Personally, the “I didn’t mean it” argument is a trigger for me.
“Oh so you didn’t mean it? This time? Then how can I take you seriously?”
Afterwards, when I went into argument with my last ex-gf, if she said something hurtful or such, I like to say “think what you just said. Repeat to me, and decide if you meant that.”
Parson1122
3 days ago
When she goes crazy and stabs him, at least he will respawn now.
Dan
3 days ago
The only thing missing from this (from my own horrible experiences, yes plural) is her saying that now he has to make things up to her so she can trust him again. Which is often combined with some “vigorous making-up” then with-holding because she needs to make sure it’s not all about intercourse.
Vampyrr
3 days ago
I think its gone on long enough he just needs to tell her to take a hike and move on at this point I hate the strips with her in them
Dodo
3 days ago
Ugh, I. hate. this. so. very. much.
Tarl
2 days ago
I get creeped out every time I see that last frame. Just no. helllllls no.
Jim
2 days ago
She’s gonna kill him, but he won’t stay dead. Calling it now.
Mkhsjwkh3bnfjd
2 days ago
This arc makes me so uncomfortable. I’ve seen this play out so many times. Abuse comes in many forms kids
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I can see Ethan’s eyebrows cocked one-sidedly, indicating incredulousness.
Which in this case, is a good thing, he can feel the bs manipulation.
she ain’t even got the excuse of just having a toxic personality. She knows EXACTLY what she’s doing.
That IS the toxic trait.
She’s obviously not THE Troll, but it would not surprise me in the slightest if Nicole was one of the Troll’s Myriad minions.
That actually makes sense. We did see The Troll spying on Ethan when he and his previous gf were breaking up. (I thought it was going to lead to her getting kidnapped and realizing Ethan wasn’t lying about being a hero. Messing with Ethan with a new manipulative gf he controls would be even more insidious.)
It really doesn’t, though.
Troll knows Analog, he doesn’t know Ethan. (I don’t remember anything about him spying on Emily breakup either, got a page number for that?).
Even if he had magical plot omniscience, there is no way Troll could’ve manipulated the random events leading to Ethan meeting (and choosing to keep dating) Nicole.
None of the existing storyline makes sense if Nicole is somehow involved with the Troll. Troll should’ve had a billion better schemes with that level of knowledge, and Nicole should’ve had some reaction/involvement with the various Troll plot developments.
I’d prefer it if she wasn’t.
I don’t want people to think abuse is some rare thing limited to supervillains and their minions.
Not to mention how awful it would be narratively.
Nicole as a Troll minion would be ‘and it was all a dream’ levels of bad storytelling. It adds nothing, it just undoes any interesting moments in the storyline.
It could work if it wasn’t revealed abruptly, like “HA HA! SURPRISE!” But if Tim has dropped some foreshadowing in future strips it could possibly be the case. Though you’re right about one thing: Her just being a regular garden-variety abusive sh*tstain of a human would hit harder narratively.
We’re already long past the point where that could’ve been a viable twist. Adding foreshadowing in future strips does nothing to undo the sudden lack of sensible story going on right now, if Nicole is somehow supposed to be a Troll minion. When going for twists like that, it’s important to make sure the twist works within the existing story. Everything from Ethan meeting Nicole, to how their relationship developed, or how that interacted with the Troll plot only works if she isn’t a Troll minion. What could work by foreshadowing is Nicole coming in contact with Troll sometime in… Read more »
Agreed – she shouldn’t be a Troll plant *now*. But she might make for an interesting foil if she discovers Ethan’s secret and then gets mad at being finally outed as abusive and dumped for it later on. Extinction burst type thing, going to volunteer information to his enemies.
Only way I can see that working is if she started dating him before the troll reached out to her, and the troll ends up manipulating her to be more toxic by convincing her its for his own good, to get him to stop “putting himself at risk” and stop being a hero because if you disengage trolls think theyve “won.” If thats the case it wouldnt suprise me if the troll contacted her during this little break by having sent a message to her after she stormed out but before the guys fought him. If that is the case… Read more »
The only version of this that I’d accept would be if she essentially got together with Ethan accidentally. Like, without realizing in the least that he was Analog. Then one time she says some dogwhistle line like “Yeah, Supes are no good, like that supposed ‘hero’ Analog. Did you know he tried to KILL The Troll by dropping him off of a building? Total psycho, for sure.” and cause of that immediately Ethan’s able to finally see her true colors.
I don’t think she is…. now. However, if Ethan ever gets sick of her antics, I could see him breaking up with her, and her getting so warped about it, that the Troll recruits her, and she becomes one of the manifold faces of the Troll…. known as, the Gaslighter!
Jesus this feels like word for word lines from my marriage.
I’m so sorry you’ve had to go through that. It’s such a difficult thing to go through- I know from experience, as well. I hope you got away from a toxic influence like that; but, if not, as of yet, I wish for you the strength to do so. If you have, I’m proud of you for having the strength to stand up for yourself, and I hope someone’s already told you that- and does so frequently.
I feel you…
If it’s still an ongoing relationship: seek professional help/counseling and/or legal cousel.
If it’s a former marriage: I’m sorry for your pains, sit and rest here with us, the breeze feels nice on the ankles after the shackles are removed.
This. Scott, if your marriage is like this… RUN.
It’s a trap
It’s always a trap.
“Tyrone, you think everything is a trap… which is why I’m still alive.”
It’s a tarp!
The most dangerous one of all. She will ride him like a pony and the circle will continue.
I didn’t expect Ethan to have such kinks. But I won’t judge.
Tim did a great job depicting this relationship and the atypical emphasis of a male victim. This is uncomfortable reading.
It is, but honestly it’s good reading for those unaware of the traits of a narcissistic, abusive partner.
The way this arc makes my spine itch is something else.
Its like watching a car crash in real time, its horrible and i cant look away.
Tim, for all that is good an holy in the world… please make this stop. (i know the comic is written, drawn and pretty much finished already, but still… my toenails can not take this anymore)
This arc is titled “Waking Up” and if you look in the archives, after page 25 (10 more pages after this one) there goes page 1 of “Breaking Up”.
It is going to stop.
Unless the break up is Lucas…..
No, dont you do this to me!
That breaking up story line might have a few pages more?
I can fix her
She can break you.
Others have probably said it before, but I do think we are at the point that even Ethan, even original very first comic Ethan!, would have more alarm bells going off than an alarm clock testing facility and more red flags than have been produced in the entire history of China.
Yeah, even Sara, from the original series back in 2002, was better for him than Nicole, and SHE gave him the “it’s me or the games” ultimatum.
This is a great, dramatic, character-driven storyline. But it’s not fun. Every new strip is another step toward seeing how badly Ethan gets hurt. And it’s not a “can’t look away” kind of thing. It’s just discomfort/disappointment. Looking forward to resolution. (But just my cent and a half opinion. I know. Carry on!)
Noooooo!!!!!!!!
Screw It. Zeke! Target for you.
I appreciate that Ethan is not completely folding like we saw earlier in the relationship. It can be hard to keep your head above water when the other person is so overwhelming, but he is starting to tread a bit better than before. Progress.
He really isn’t. How he considers himself a hero while disregarding the crap she was pulling is ridiculous. Maybe next arc will be him taking her back, and realizing it was such a mistake he tries to get troll to make a working concoction.
You obviously don’t understand how abuse works.
Stay strong ethan! STAY STRONG!!!!
This character makes my skin crawl, but I guess that’s the point. I don’t see how Ethan, simple as he is, is not seeing through this. Her behavior isn’t even subtle; she’s the “script kiddie” of toxic relationships.
*Looks at one relationship that I had in college which became my yardstick for manipulative relationships.* Yeeaaah, that’s always easy to say from the outside looking in or with enough time/experience put between you and the relationship. For me, looking back, I have trouble believing that I was doing all her work on a team project as well as other work without any form of real reciprocation and I somehow didn’t see what was going on. But, given that my high school experience was pre-Columbine with all the bullying that went on for people who weren’t in the right clique,… Read more »
I am proud of Ethan. You want to talk? Well, we’ll talk.
Fuck.
Personally, the “I didn’t mean it” argument is a trigger for me.
“Oh so you didn’t mean it? This time? Then how can I take you seriously?”
Afterwards, when I went into argument with my last ex-gf, if she said something hurtful or such, I like to say “think what you just said. Repeat to me, and decide if you meant that.”
When she goes crazy and stabs him, at least he will respawn now.
The only thing missing from this (from my own horrible experiences, yes plural) is her saying that now he has to make things up to her so she can trust him again. Which is often combined with some “vigorous making-up” then with-holding because she needs to make sure it’s not all about intercourse.
I think its gone on long enough he just needs to tell her to take a hike and move on at this point I hate the strips with her in them
Ugh, I. hate. this. so. very. much.
I get creeped out every time I see that last frame. Just no. helllllls no.
She’s gonna kill him, but he won’t stay dead. Calling it now.
This arc makes me so uncomfortable. I’ve seen this play out so many times. Abuse comes in many forms kids
The trolls sister.