I never expected to end up finding Piotr to be a more likeable character than Sarah, but it works. Aaron really knows how to throw us a curve ball while using the twist to make the story more realistic (if you get what I mean). It makes sense that not all of the reptilians would be as callously homicidal as the majority.
Piotr may just be finding himself wondering what he’s getting himself into.I’m guessing that Wally is still on the verge of having a breakdown in his cell. In a way that’s good as Holly and Chic are out and nothing good could come of him risking his life to rescue someone who is already safe.
Wow. I mean, there’s cold, and then there’s that. Looks like Sarah’s showing some real signs of sociopathic or even psychopathic tendencies. All of the manipulation coupled with absolutely no show of emotion…looks like her mutation is just showing her to be what she always was—cold blooded. I wonder if that is an actual aspect of the mutation process.
Also, looks like Piotr is none too pleased in the final frame…
Also, I have a feeling that Jim’s death may be greatly exaggerated. There’s no real way that Piotr would know for sure that he is dead, he’s just assuming the gas will have gotten him. Normally, that probably would be a fair assumption, but I doubt they’ll be rid of the crazy raccoon that easily. You know what they say about assumptions…
Well, we’ve certainly seen folks cheat death here before, but I have a sneaky suspicion Jim has passed in the gas. I suspect he was here to give us a close up look at schism syndrome (the horrors of which had only been hinted at up till now). ;-)
Sarah made a better lizard because she had a head start on being a cold blooded Bee to the itch. All the makings of a good sociopath with psychotic tendencies. Let’s she how she does when the time comes to execute someone for some petty crime. If she can live with what she’s done, then she’ll be in good company, Hitler, Stalin, Mao, “Baby Doc”, Idi Amin, Pol Pot, Assad, etc..
Let’s do the Time Warp again!.This may be a lengthy comment; hope you’ll indulge me..Yesterday’s Endtown holiday greeting prompted me to see what Aaron served up last year on Christmas. What I discovered was apparently, our introduction to Jim and Sarah, still in human form, and still wearing their “freezer bags,” as I believe Jim called them..(In fact, I don’t think Jim or Sarah were ever shown as humans – they were not depicted until they came out of their bio-suits).This got me thinking. Comic strip time is rarely in sync with real time; we know that. Sometimes, it takes days, even weeks, to portray the action of just a few minutes. Dick Tracy is such a comic strip; I’ve heard complaints that Alley Oop may be even slower..The question at hand is this: How much time has passed since Christmas 2013?.Methinks, not a lot. Perhaps just a few days..They had to skedaddle out of Albion West. In their escape, they were intercepted by these lizards. Wally had that scrap with Phil shortly after their arrival; soon after his incarceration, he was promised that rematch with Phil “by Saturday,” if I recall. Therefore, less than a week has occurred since they first stumbled across Lizard Land..Therefore, I suspect their escape was less than a day, and the events since they have been in this colony have been a couple of weeks – or less..
Now, back to Sarah and Jim. Burned into my brain were Sarah’s words to Jim when they approached Wally, wanting to “mutate”: “Jim, whatever happens, please stay with me!”.Which he did..Which is what makes today’s episode, well, sickening. As others have noted, no sign of emotion and certainly no remorse. But, most of all, without the year of time between them that has elapsed for us. That is what makes these events so sickening..Sarah brought Jim here, just to dump him days later..This, perhaps, is worse than Jim’s very ignominious death..Now, for Piotr..Certainly, he shows both remorse and concern. But how sincere?.Benefit of the doubt: Perhaps Sarah never told him about Jim – or herself, for that matter – other than that she was once a “Topsider.” But what about Chic? What was Piotr’s relationship with this other misfit in the colony?.For surely, Piotr is a misfit in this colony. He does not approve of what his kind has been doing and freely filled Sarah in on the dark side of their history. But, how repulsed is he by the action his fellow lizards have taken? After all, he is still there..To be fair, we don’t know what his options are..But now, he’s with Sarah. And, if he only knew about her what we now know….
Other odd notes: Scotty to Jim in Star Trek: “I cannot change the laws of physics!” But fiction authors often do just that – not just in Star Trek, but here in Endtown, as well. It is very clear that, while Wally is a cat and Holly is a mouse, nevertheless, both are about the same size. Is Holly from the south side of Chicago? Rats get pretty big there….More about Wally and Holly: When they first met Jim and Sarah, it was Wally who became willing to listen to them. Holly just wanted to kill them and move on. In light of the actions of just about a year ago, Holly’s actions today are rather understandable..Other odd facts: From about a year ago, we learn that all it takes to “mutate” is the slightest exposure to the atmosphere, for an incredibly short period of time. The “mutation” itself also takes an incredibly short period of time..Wally knocked Jim and Sarah out, punctured their bio-suits, and what seemed seconds later, Jim the raccoon and Sarah the lizard were born..We were told that what the “Topsiders” didn’t know was how to control the “mutation,” becoming “anthros” instead of monsters. Given the certainty – and swiftness – of the “mutation,” the actions of the “Topsiders” are becoming even more understandable..It was also bringing back the memories of this last year’s outbreak of Ebola. Don’t worry, we were constantly being told, it’s really difficult to catch the disease. Still, at the height of the outbreak, every new patient seemed to generate at least five or more new cases – and many of them were health care providers..And let’s not forget about “schism syndrome.” Methinks “Topsiders” are aware of that, too..Which kind of puts “Topsider” activities in a different light, at least for me..Just what the sam hill kind of disease is this that, in order to not be transformed into a monster, they have to be encased in what Jim called “freezer bags”? And, as Jim and Sarah demonstrated, perhaps if “Topsiders” knew how to control the “mutation,” becoming “anthros” instead of monsters, perhaps they would have an another “tool” in their box for dealing with this epidemic..Old saying: If the only tool you have is a hammer, all problems start to look like nails..This, I believe, is the world that Aaron has introduced us to..But maybe one of the next twists and turns Aaron will give us is that “Topsiders” may be more “human” than these “mutants” we have been following for as long as this strip has been around..It began as an apparent war of genocide against “mutated” humans, but may well have been the response of rational doctors, seeing a horrific disease, but not knowing how to stop the spread of infection other than eliminating those who have already been infected..And, who knows, to them, having “mutated” may already be a form of “death,” so killing all these non-human former humans may not mean that much to them. After all, what do we think about the death (or killing) of an animal? Let’s face it; we may feel remorse, but not the same feelings as if the victim were a human….And these “mutants” have been rather misbehaved, of late, as well..Why else did Wally and Holly leave Endtown in the first place?.With Jim and Sarah, we got our first “human” look at “Topsiders.”.What I liked about Jim is that he showed us that not all “Topsiders” are monsters..Which is what has made the events of (our) last few weeks so stomach-wrenching.
It’s nice to see that Sarah has found her place in the world.It was clear from the start that she and Jim were just not made for each other (illustrated when Jim freaked out in horror at seeing her outside of her Topsider suit). Now, if she succeeds in her plans to take over Reptiville, the lizards will be in a position to compete on an even footing against Jackrabbit.
You know…the change heals you. That was the whole point of them becoming anthros.
Maybe that’s exactly what happened. The change removed what she considered her greatest problem…emotional ties and compassion. To somebody used to Topsider society, those are major drawbacks…
Ya know? This really doesn’t surprise me at all. If you think about the fact that most Topsiders consider themselves above the general “riff-raff”, Sarah’s attitude is consistent with how she’s been all along. Since the first colony of other anthros they found were her “kind” and treated the rest of her party with, at best, moderate disdain, she considers herself above the fray.
I don’t think she’s lost her Topsider mentality or attitudes. When you also consider that she really didn’t remember Jim immediately after she came to as a mutant, not having solid ties to him aren’t much of a stretch.
Wow, a whole year since Wally and Holly met Jim and Sarah. including the hiatus Aaror took for the strip. Things have been moving slow indeed. Alley Oop seems almost stagnant by comparison.I went back to re-read a bit of the strip, and noticed something. Jim told Wally he was waiting for him.He was waiting for Wally..Specifically?I postulated the possibility that the Topsiders had an extensive dossier on Wally and may have been keeping tabs on him while he was oblivious to the fact, like a good little bunch of Nazis in biosuits that they are.
Ok I REALLY don’t like Sarah now. Can’t we petition Aaron to mete out justice? How about Jim’s not really dead and gets to take out his ex wife in some grisly way. It would be Karma.
Just thought of something: Gas will seek the lowest level. Chic and Holly may are on some kind of ledge, and may be above the poison gas’s “settling level”. So they might be safe after all.
Unbelievable……Sarah was dying of cancer. She was about to be written off as a wasted resource by her own people. Jim willingly risked everything to save her from being killed from both her own people and the cancer.…He paid a terrible price. And how does Sarah react? She thinks nothing of her betrayal, and even less about how her betrayal may have led to the death of an innocent child, who has suffered dearly for the crime of not becoming a lizard like everyone else.…Jim became a crazed raccoon, but Sarah is clearly a monster.
I have enjoyed the responses to my post..And while, for the most part, it has been a Sarah-bash kind of day, there are other responses suggesting the stereotypical – that all Topsiders are bad guys, as well as our newfound lizards. Not a lot of you are saying that, but a few..My main problem with that is, is Endtown the only “good guy” colony out there? If so, then why did Wally and Holly leave? If it’s already known that all Topsiders are enemies and, now, we find that even other mutant colonies are also enemies, then what’s the point of going out?.Benefit of the doubt: Perhaps Wally and Holly didn’t know that other mutant colonies are worse than their own – or even their enemies, the Topsiders..But I thought I’d like to add:.Trying to find some “hope” in this blown-out world that Aaron has created, there simply has to be other “good guys” out there. Granted, this is a “post-apocalyptic” world, and I suppose there isn’t supposed to be much good left in it..But if there isn’t ANY good left in it, then why bother to explore it any further?.More importantly, as many of you have reminded me in the past, Aaron is a far more nuanced writer than many of us have supposed..Not all lizards are bad guys. I think we’re seeing that in Piotr..Not all Topsiders are bad guys. I think we saw that in Jim..Most of all, for this story to remain interesting, it has to be more than simply Wally and Holly as gunslingers in this new world of Cowboys and Mutants..There has to be more to this story, in this brave new world, for which time moves like Jupiter’s calendar…
Most of all, I’d like to close with the following old saying: If the only tool you have is a hammer, all problems start to look like nails..Since the vast majority of problems, both in Endtown and for real, are not nails, we need more tools than just hammers…
I don’t think we know all there is about Sarah’s personality just quite yet…
…to play devil’s advocate, I was a little taken back when Sarah first toured the hatchery and saw the eggs that were being incubated. When she talked to the various females there, they all praised the situation and how they could be with any male they wanted, when they wanted.
I had a stray thought at the time that they might be receiving some sort of influential drug to put them in such a mood, and when Sarah had her affair with Piotr, she might had received the same.
Her personality change would seem to wild a swing from, being with the guy who (quite literally) gave up everything for you, to drop her like a bad habit so quick. I might be completely off in all of this, but I’m gonna hold my judgement until I’ve seen it all play out..
…besides…we having had confirmation that Jim is dead just yet—only Piotr’s assumptions…
Sarah is truly awful, Piotr is not.I’ve been expecting Chic’s mom to show up and raise a lot of dust about Chic. Even Chic’s father had some fondness for him, not that he has done anything to save little Chic from being collateral damage. Some comics move Incredably slow. It was almost thwice as fast when it was every weekday.I remember the bittersweet anguish we felt at weekend cliff-hangers.But, I and several others know what chronic illness and pain takes as it’s toll.I’m just glad that Aaron has the drive to do what it takes to tell his stories. Somedays you just wish you were a kid and could "stay home from school because you feel too awful.
I’m glad the ditzy lizard-ess was thrown in for a bit of comic relief. The Al and Gustine series had considerable humor, the cook and the “rats spicy-ness” was my most favorite week. Also enjoyed the glimpse of rat life when one of them got killed was an added a vision that the rats Had a life. and just didn’t hang themselves on coat hook each night to sleep.
I wonder if maybe Sara’s cancer was in the part of the brain that governs emotions, and if maybe in the healing that accompanies mutating she lost her emotions.
Cheapskate,Per my previous comment about the lizards. Aaron is not the kind of story teller who does the simple “good guy/bad guy” thing. Human civilization has ended and everybody has lost big time. Things that were anchors in their pre end life, work, home, hobbies and even the form they were born with have all been swept away. The Topsiders are trapped in their biosuits with no hope of enjoying the things we take for granted until every last mutant is destroyed. The mutants are also struggling for resources. Very little, if anything, is being created in the great wastes and the existing supplies that everybody is scavenging are running out. Those conditions do not lead to ideal behavior.The Topsiders are the main threat to this world. If one assumes that they don’t have a cure for the mutagen, then their belief that destroying the mutants who are carrying the plague sort of makes a twisted kind of sense. We have seen little of TS society outside of Flask’s flashback, so we don’t know what kind of home life the topsiders have. Its possible that a guy could come home from dusting and debraining mutants and be a decent guy who loves his wife and kids.As far as the lizards go, they are under the belief that a “single species” colony provides the best chance of survival. Some, like Piotr, are decent people and others, like Phil and Sarah, are less so. I have a feeling that the Leader has mixed feelings about killing Chic, that its something he “needs” to do to protect his position but he is still bothered by it. I also don’t think the ditz is mean, just clueless.As far as Endtown itself, its a mix of different kinds of people, some kind and thoughtful, some mean and spiteful, all suffering. The impression one character had was that the pressure of living underground and eating beans all the time was getting to people.
She does the lizard thing quite well … He is however not quite so good at it. But I guess she won’t have issues with schism syndrome by being cold blooded to begin with.
Real question to ask here is this: Who is she telling to not beat themselves up over Jim’s death; Piotr or herself?
Just because she isn’t in hysterics and bawling her eyes out doesn’t mean she stone cold gives no fucks about Jim’s demise. I’m not willing to write her off as just a “cold blooded bitch” just yet. She’s more complex than that.
Besides that, she didn’t owe Jim nothing for what ultimately were his choices and consequences. Even this wasn’t her fault. Jim doesn’t own her heart, body, and soul just because he did something decent.
They already weren’t compatible anymore come the mutation. At least so in her mind. I think the stress of all of what’s happening coupled with a shot at a halfway “normal” life was a hell of a lot more appealing than wandering the wastes with Jim until they died.
Who knows? She probably internalizes everything, she seems the logic type after all. She could be upset and we may not know about it until a lot later. What we have seen from her emotionally when it comes to Jim was a lot of stress, annoyance, and exasperation. Thinking she should have stuck it out with Jim isn’t all that realistic an expectation.
Something about what Piotr is saying is fishy. He’s the one that told the boss leader that Jim had gotten into the passages. It’s not clear if he was part of the team that blocked all the exits off, but there’d be no way for him to know that Jim is dead now unless a team went in to look for a body and then made the announcement later. Plus, Piotr is friendly enough with Chic to know that Chic lives in those passages, too. He’d have to suspect that Chic was intentionally killed along with Jim, so if they’d found Jim’s body and Chic’s hat nearby, there’d be some kind of a search for Chic’s body, too. Either Piotr is lying about not knowing that gas would be used to kill Jim and Chic, or he’s lying about Jim being dead.
MattStriker over 9 years ago
Every time I think she can’t get any less likeable…
Melkior over 9 years ago
I never expected to end up finding Piotr to be a more likeable character than Sarah, but it works. Aaron really knows how to throw us a curve ball while using the twist to make the story more realistic (if you get what I mean). It makes sense that not all of the reptilians would be as callously homicidal as the majority.
Darwinskeeper over 9 years ago
Piotr may just be finding himself wondering what he’s getting himself into.I’m guessing that Wally is still on the verge of having a breakdown in his cell. In a way that’s good as Holly and Chic are out and nothing good could come of him risking his life to rescue someone who is already safe.
Robert Nowall Premium Member over 9 years ago
Cold. Boo, Sarah, boo.
Robert Nowall Premium Member over 9 years ago
By the bye, what is Sarah reading? A newspaper? Does the Endtown Examiner distribution network reach that far?
Happy, happy, happy!!! Premium Member over 9 years ago
She’s not a lizard. She’s a cold fish.
MajorMajorMajor over 9 years ago
Wow. I mean, there’s cold, and then there’s that. Looks like Sarah’s showing some real signs of sociopathic or even psychopathic tendencies. All of the manipulation coupled with absolutely no show of emotion…looks like her mutation is just showing her to be what she always was—cold blooded. I wonder if that is an actual aspect of the mutation process.
Also, looks like Piotr is none too pleased in the final frame…
MajorMajorMajor over 9 years ago
Also, I have a feeling that Jim’s death may be greatly exaggerated. There’s no real way that Piotr would know for sure that he is dead, he’s just assuming the gas will have gotten him. Normally, that probably would be a fair assumption, but I doubt they’ll be rid of the crazy raccoon that easily. You know what they say about assumptions…
DADOF3 over 9 years ago
Well, we’ve certainly seen folks cheat death here before, but I have a sneaky suspicion Jim has passed in the gas. I suspect he was here to give us a close up look at schism syndrome (the horrors of which had only been hinted at up till now). ;-)
DADOF3 over 9 years ago
This really shouldn’t surprise anyone. After all, reptiles ARE cold blooded…. ;-)
Space_cat over 9 years ago
Sarah made a better lizard because she had a head start on being a cold blooded Bee to the itch. All the makings of a good sociopath with psychotic tendencies. Let’s she how she does when the time comes to execute someone for some petty crime. If she can live with what she’s done, then she’ll be in good company, Hitler, Stalin, Mao, “Baby Doc”, Idi Amin, Pol Pot, Assad, etc..
salenstormwing over 9 years ago
Damn. That’s cold. And I’m not talking about breakfast or the weather.
Cheapskate0 over 9 years ago
Let’s do the Time Warp again!.This may be a lengthy comment; hope you’ll indulge me..Yesterday’s Endtown holiday greeting prompted me to see what Aaron served up last year on Christmas. What I discovered was apparently, our introduction to Jim and Sarah, still in human form, and still wearing their “freezer bags,” as I believe Jim called them..(In fact, I don’t think Jim or Sarah were ever shown as humans – they were not depicted until they came out of their bio-suits).This got me thinking. Comic strip time is rarely in sync with real time; we know that. Sometimes, it takes days, even weeks, to portray the action of just a few minutes. Dick Tracy is such a comic strip; I’ve heard complaints that Alley Oop may be even slower..The question at hand is this: How much time has passed since Christmas 2013?.Methinks, not a lot. Perhaps just a few days..They had to skedaddle out of Albion West. In their escape, they were intercepted by these lizards. Wally had that scrap with Phil shortly after their arrival; soon after his incarceration, he was promised that rematch with Phil “by Saturday,” if I recall. Therefore, less than a week has occurred since they first stumbled across Lizard Land..Therefore, I suspect their escape was less than a day, and the events since they have been in this colony have been a couple of weeks – or less..
Cheapskate0 over 9 years ago
Now, back to Sarah and Jim. Burned into my brain were Sarah’s words to Jim when they approached Wally, wanting to “mutate”: “Jim, whatever happens, please stay with me!”.Which he did..Which is what makes today’s episode, well, sickening. As others have noted, no sign of emotion and certainly no remorse. But, most of all, without the year of time between them that has elapsed for us. That is what makes these events so sickening..Sarah brought Jim here, just to dump him days later..This, perhaps, is worse than Jim’s very ignominious death..Now, for Piotr..Certainly, he shows both remorse and concern. But how sincere?.Benefit of the doubt: Perhaps Sarah never told him about Jim – or herself, for that matter – other than that she was once a “Topsider.” But what about Chic? What was Piotr’s relationship with this other misfit in the colony?.For surely, Piotr is a misfit in this colony. He does not approve of what his kind has been doing and freely filled Sarah in on the dark side of their history. But, how repulsed is he by the action his fellow lizards have taken? After all, he is still there..To be fair, we don’t know what his options are..But now, he’s with Sarah. And, if he only knew about her what we now know….
Cheapskate0 over 9 years ago
Other odd notes: Scotty to Jim in Star Trek: “I cannot change the laws of physics!” But fiction authors often do just that – not just in Star Trek, but here in Endtown, as well. It is very clear that, while Wally is a cat and Holly is a mouse, nevertheless, both are about the same size. Is Holly from the south side of Chicago? Rats get pretty big there….More about Wally and Holly: When they first met Jim and Sarah, it was Wally who became willing to listen to them. Holly just wanted to kill them and move on. In light of the actions of just about a year ago, Holly’s actions today are rather understandable..Other odd facts: From about a year ago, we learn that all it takes to “mutate” is the slightest exposure to the atmosphere, for an incredibly short period of time. The “mutation” itself also takes an incredibly short period of time..Wally knocked Jim and Sarah out, punctured their bio-suits, and what seemed seconds later, Jim the raccoon and Sarah the lizard were born..We were told that what the “Topsiders” didn’t know was how to control the “mutation,” becoming “anthros” instead of monsters. Given the certainty – and swiftness – of the “mutation,” the actions of the “Topsiders” are becoming even more understandable..It was also bringing back the memories of this last year’s outbreak of Ebola. Don’t worry, we were constantly being told, it’s really difficult to catch the disease. Still, at the height of the outbreak, every new patient seemed to generate at least five or more new cases – and many of them were health care providers..And let’s not forget about “schism syndrome.” Methinks “Topsiders” are aware of that, too..Which kind of puts “Topsider” activities in a different light, at least for me..Just what the sam hill kind of disease is this that, in order to not be transformed into a monster, they have to be encased in what Jim called “freezer bags”? And, as Jim and Sarah demonstrated, perhaps if “Topsiders” knew how to control the “mutation,” becoming “anthros” instead of monsters, perhaps they would have an another “tool” in their box for dealing with this epidemic..Old saying: If the only tool you have is a hammer, all problems start to look like nails..This, I believe, is the world that Aaron has introduced us to..But maybe one of the next twists and turns Aaron will give us is that “Topsiders” may be more “human” than these “mutants” we have been following for as long as this strip has been around..It began as an apparent war of genocide against “mutated” humans, but may well have been the response of rational doctors, seeing a horrific disease, but not knowing how to stop the spread of infection other than eliminating those who have already been infected..And, who knows, to them, having “mutated” may already be a form of “death,” so killing all these non-human former humans may not mean that much to them. After all, what do we think about the death (or killing) of an animal? Let’s face it; we may feel remorse, but not the same feelings as if the victim were a human….And these “mutants” have been rather misbehaved, of late, as well..Why else did Wally and Holly leave Endtown in the first place?.With Jim and Sarah, we got our first “human” look at “Topsiders.”.What I liked about Jim is that he showed us that not all “Topsiders” are monsters..Which is what has made the events of (our) last few weeks so stomach-wrenching.
Ida No over 9 years ago
It’s nice to see that Sarah has found her place in the world.It was clear from the start that she and Jim were just not made for each other (illustrated when Jim freaked out in horror at seeing her outside of her Topsider suit). Now, if she succeeds in her plans to take over Reptiville, the lizards will be in a position to compete on an even footing against Jackrabbit.
Ida No over 9 years ago
Go, Lizards!
Aconite over 9 years ago
The cold-logical reptile brain.
BeniHanna6 Premium Member over 9 years ago
One cold selfish evil biotch.
pathfinder over 9 years ago
What does Sarah wear when she needs to wash (dry clean?) that uniform?
gary wolner over 9 years ago
Cold COLD!!!!
MattStriker over 9 years ago
You know…the change heals you. That was the whole point of them becoming anthros.
Maybe that’s exactly what happened. The change removed what she considered her greatest problem…emotional ties and compassion. To somebody used to Topsider society, those are major drawbacks…
kazen101 over 9 years ago
I regret drawing fanart of her now. Christ.
scyphi26 over 9 years ago
Looks like she’s found her place in the world after all.
I AM CARTOON LADY! over 9 years ago
What a B……….!
Lynn Kurtz over 9 years ago
Ya know? This really doesn’t surprise me at all. If you think about the fact that most Topsiders consider themselves above the general “riff-raff”, Sarah’s attitude is consistent with how she’s been all along. Since the first colony of other anthros they found were her “kind” and treated the rest of her party with, at best, moderate disdain, she considers herself above the fray.
I don’t think she’s lost her Topsider mentality or attitudes. When you also consider that she really didn’t remember Jim immediately after she came to as a mutant, not having solid ties to him aren’t much of a stretch.
Space_cat over 9 years ago
Wow, a whole year since Wally and Holly met Jim and Sarah. including the hiatus Aaror took for the strip. Things have been moving slow indeed. Alley Oop seems almost stagnant by comparison.I went back to re-read a bit of the strip, and noticed something. Jim told Wally he was waiting for him.He was waiting for Wally..Specifically?I postulated the possibility that the Topsiders had an extensive dossier on Wally and may have been keeping tabs on him while he was oblivious to the fact, like a good little bunch of Nazis in biosuits that they are.
MerriMagic over 9 years ago
Ok I REALLY don’t like Sarah now. Can’t we petition Aaron to mete out justice? How about Jim’s not really dead and gets to take out his ex wife in some grisly way. It would be Karma.
MerriMagic over 9 years ago
Just thought of something: Gas will seek the lowest level. Chic and Holly may are on some kind of ledge, and may be above the poison gas’s “settling level”. So they might be safe after all.
Shazzaron over 9 years ago
Wow. Here’s hoping she chokes on her breakfast. Man is it chilly in here?
Dragoncat over 9 years ago
Unbelievable……Sarah was dying of cancer. She was about to be written off as a wasted resource by her own people. Jim willingly risked everything to save her from being killed from both her own people and the cancer.…He paid a terrible price. And how does Sarah react? She thinks nothing of her betrayal, and even less about how her betrayal may have led to the death of an innocent child, who has suffered dearly for the crime of not becoming a lizard like everyone else.…Jim became a crazed raccoon, but Sarah is clearly a monster.
Dragoncat over 9 years ago
Was Sarah’s cancer in her brain, or her heart? Either way, she needs to have both re-examined.
Cheapskate0 over 9 years ago
I have enjoyed the responses to my post..And while, for the most part, it has been a Sarah-bash kind of day, there are other responses suggesting the stereotypical – that all Topsiders are bad guys, as well as our newfound lizards. Not a lot of you are saying that, but a few..My main problem with that is, is Endtown the only “good guy” colony out there? If so, then why did Wally and Holly leave? If it’s already known that all Topsiders are enemies and, now, we find that even other mutant colonies are also enemies, then what’s the point of going out?.Benefit of the doubt: Perhaps Wally and Holly didn’t know that other mutant colonies are worse than their own – or even their enemies, the Topsiders..But I thought I’d like to add:.Trying to find some “hope” in this blown-out world that Aaron has created, there simply has to be other “good guys” out there. Granted, this is a “post-apocalyptic” world, and I suppose there isn’t supposed to be much good left in it..But if there isn’t ANY good left in it, then why bother to explore it any further?.More importantly, as many of you have reminded me in the past, Aaron is a far more nuanced writer than many of us have supposed..Not all lizards are bad guys. I think we’re seeing that in Piotr..Not all Topsiders are bad guys. I think we saw that in Jim..Most of all, for this story to remain interesting, it has to be more than simply Wally and Holly as gunslingers in this new world of Cowboys and Mutants..There has to be more to this story, in this brave new world, for which time moves like Jupiter’s calendar…
Cheapskate0 over 9 years ago
Most of all, I’d like to close with the following old saying: If the only tool you have is a hammer, all problems start to look like nails..Since the vast majority of problems, both in Endtown and for real, are not nails, we need more tools than just hammers…
Wacky-D over 9 years ago
I don’t think we know all there is about Sarah’s personality just quite yet…
…to play devil’s advocate, I was a little taken back when Sarah first toured the hatchery and saw the eggs that were being incubated. When she talked to the various females there, they all praised the situation and how they could be with any male they wanted, when they wanted.
I had a stray thought at the time that they might be receiving some sort of influential drug to put them in such a mood, and when Sarah had her affair with Piotr, she might had received the same.
Her personality change would seem to wild a swing from, being with the guy who (quite literally) gave up everything for you, to drop her like a bad habit so quick. I might be completely off in all of this, but I’m gonna hold my judgement until I’ve seen it all play out..
…besides…we having had confirmation that Jim is dead just yet—only Piotr’s assumptions…
pam Miner over 9 years ago
Sarah is truly awful, Piotr is not.I’ve been expecting Chic’s mom to show up and raise a lot of dust about Chic. Even Chic’s father had some fondness for him, not that he has done anything to save little Chic from being collateral damage. Some comics move Incredably slow. It was almost thwice as fast when it was every weekday.I remember the bittersweet anguish we felt at weekend cliff-hangers.But, I and several others know what chronic illness and pain takes as it’s toll.I’m just glad that Aaron has the drive to do what it takes to tell his stories. Somedays you just wish you were a kid and could "stay home from school because you feel too awful.
pam Miner over 9 years ago
I’m glad the ditzy lizard-ess was thrown in for a bit of comic relief. The Al and Gustine series had considerable humor, the cook and the “rats spicy-ness” was my most favorite week. Also enjoyed the glimpse of rat life when one of them got killed was an added a vision that the rats Had a life. and just didn’t hang themselves on coat hook each night to sleep.
Kaeto over 9 years ago
I wonder if maybe Sara’s cancer was in the part of the brain that governs emotions, and if maybe in the healing that accompanies mutating she lost her emotions.
Darwinskeeper over 9 years ago
Cheapskate,Per my previous comment about the lizards. Aaron is not the kind of story teller who does the simple “good guy/bad guy” thing. Human civilization has ended and everybody has lost big time. Things that were anchors in their pre end life, work, home, hobbies and even the form they were born with have all been swept away. The Topsiders are trapped in their biosuits with no hope of enjoying the things we take for granted until every last mutant is destroyed. The mutants are also struggling for resources. Very little, if anything, is being created in the great wastes and the existing supplies that everybody is scavenging are running out. Those conditions do not lead to ideal behavior.The Topsiders are the main threat to this world. If one assumes that they don’t have a cure for the mutagen, then their belief that destroying the mutants who are carrying the plague sort of makes a twisted kind of sense. We have seen little of TS society outside of Flask’s flashback, so we don’t know what kind of home life the topsiders have. Its possible that a guy could come home from dusting and debraining mutants and be a decent guy who loves his wife and kids.As far as the lizards go, they are under the belief that a “single species” colony provides the best chance of survival. Some, like Piotr, are decent people and others, like Phil and Sarah, are less so. I have a feeling that the Leader has mixed feelings about killing Chic, that its something he “needs” to do to protect his position but he is still bothered by it. I also don’t think the ditz is mean, just clueless.As far as Endtown itself, its a mix of different kinds of people, some kind and thoughtful, some mean and spiteful, all suffering. The impression one character had was that the pressure of living underground and eating beans all the time was getting to people.
Robert Nowall Premium Member over 9 years ago
“Not all Topsiders are bad guys.” No, they just do evil things.
Tue Elung-Jensen over 9 years ago
She does the lizard thing quite well … He is however not quite so good at it. But I guess she won’t have issues with schism syndrome by being cold blooded to begin with.
TheCheryl over 9 years ago
Real question to ask here is this: Who is she telling to not beat themselves up over Jim’s death; Piotr or herself?
Just because she isn’t in hysterics and bawling her eyes out doesn’t mean she stone cold gives no fucks about Jim’s demise. I’m not willing to write her off as just a “cold blooded bitch” just yet. She’s more complex than that.
Besides that, she didn’t owe Jim nothing for what ultimately were his choices and consequences. Even this wasn’t her fault. Jim doesn’t own her heart, body, and soul just because he did something decent.
They already weren’t compatible anymore come the mutation. At least so in her mind. I think the stress of all of what’s happening coupled with a shot at a halfway “normal” life was a hell of a lot more appealing than wandering the wastes with Jim until they died.
Who knows? She probably internalizes everything, she seems the logic type after all. She could be upset and we may not know about it until a lot later. What we have seen from her emotionally when it comes to Jim was a lot of stress, annoyance, and exasperation. Thinking she should have stuck it out with Jim isn’t all that realistic an expectation.
Ida No over 9 years ago
Something about what Piotr is saying is fishy. He’s the one that told the boss leader that Jim had gotten into the passages. It’s not clear if he was part of the team that blocked all the exits off, but there’d be no way for him to know that Jim is dead now unless a team went in to look for a body and then made the announcement later. Plus, Piotr is friendly enough with Chic to know that Chic lives in those passages, too. He’d have to suspect that Chic was intentionally killed along with Jim, so if they’d found Jim’s body and Chic’s hat nearby, there’d be some kind of a search for Chic’s body, too. Either Piotr is lying about not knowing that gas would be used to kill Jim and Chic, or he’s lying about Jim being dead.
R.J.C. over 9 years ago
Piotr, if you feel guilty, you should do something to redeem yourself at least……get rid of Sarah. A lot of people will not miss her.
Tha_Hype over 9 years ago
Sarah’s all about the BBD (Bigger, Better Deal). Piotr’s spot is contingent on his usefulness. If she finds a BBD, he’s outta there.
Tha_Hype over 9 years ago
If Jim does lives, it will most likely be as a foil to whatever other malevolence that Sarah will get up to.