It's the End of Civilization as we know it. A mutagenic plague followed by a global war fought with disintegration weaponry has left much of the Earth a desert of fine powder and what remains of humanity fragmented into humans, animal-like mutants and bloodthirsty monstrosities with lots of teeth. The surface, still teeming with the mutagenic virus, has become the domain of the dreaded Topsiders; well-organized, technologically advanced, and heavily armed un-mutated humans sworn to exterminate mutations of any kind in order to clear the way for the eventual resurgence of a new, genetically clean humanity. Faced with annihilation, mutants and "impure" humans have retreated into the depths of the planet to form communities and hope to win, or at least survive, what may prove to be mankind's final war. Endtown is the continuing story of one of those communities.
© Aaron Neathery - All Rights Reserved.
Emmy Lou by Marty Links
Eric the Circle by .....
Comments (91) (Please sign in to comment)
Dr. Oetker Pistazien said, 8 months ago
I think that the look on Marx’s face and her reaction says it all… I feel bad for Flask!
Level_Head said, 8 months ago
A white lie for Blackie just might have served here
Or even an “I don’t know” — softening fear
But Marx’s look damned her and all she lived for
He’s killed her in life, and in death he’d do more
Now we don’t think Marx is quite evil, per se
He’s stated he just lets chips fall where they may
But he has shown here some compassion, concern
(Although, as he noted, he’s just there to learn)
So the Flask-back is over, we’re back to her, dead
Or has he some other plan for her instead?
I’ll wager her story’s not over as yet:
We’ll see more of Flask. (Who will take on that bet?)
=|====/ Level Head
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Nabuquduriuzhur said, 8 months ago
That doesn’t make any sense. Why would the guy risk his neck to see her, time and time again, if he didn’t love her? When freed, he would have gotten as far away from the Topsider camp as possible. Love would tether him. Fear would send him away.
dirtyoldlady1 said, 8 months ago
Been there, done that. Brought me to tears too. It is so easy to believe. If you really want to or need to. Where ever she goes now, it is not going to be her heaven.
Blessed Be
Sabreur said, 8 months ago
@Nabuquduriuzhur
Maybe Petey’s actions were out of gratitude, rather than love?
SapphireDragonStudios said, 8 months ago
Flaaaaa-haaaaa-haaaaaask!! and Marx, too. ;3;
SapphireDragonStudios said, 8 months ago
@Nabuquduriuzhur
He may very well have cared a lot for her, but while Flask may have thought that he sacrificed himself for her, he could have heard the Topsiders coming, dropped her like she was hot, and ran off into the night. He knew what he would have been in for if he was caught again, and his want for self-preservation could have overwhelmed any feelings he thought he had for her.
SapphireDragonStudios said, 8 months ago
Or, it’s also possible that Marx truly doesn’t know. The look on his face could be his sympathy for what Flask has suffered for someone that she loves so much while never knowing if he ever loved her at all.
Nabuquduriuzhur said, 8 months ago
I think you are right. Panel 3 looks like he really doesn’t know.
Coyoty
said, 8 months ago
Marx was cruel to put her through that to satisfy his fanboy curiosity.
SapphireDragonStudios said, 8 months ago
@Coyoty
I get the feeling that A) he really didn’t know how bad it was, and his opinion of Flask has drastically changed, or B) that he did know how bad it was and making her talk about it was a form of therapy (kind of like what he did with Wally, except Holly was there for him. Flask was utterly alone, so that might be why he confronted her, himself).
Three Steps Over Japan said, 8 months ago
@Nabuquduriuzhur
“That doesn’t make any sense. Why would the guy risk his neck to see her, time and time again, if he didn’t love her?”
Cruel practical joke. All the cool mutants do this to the Topsiders they meet.
Three Steps Over Japan said, 8 months ago
This builds on what I wrote yesterday about Flask calling Petey “her darling hero”. She wanted to think that the reason she woke up alone after mutating was because Petey got caught trying to defend her from the approaching patrol (i.e. – he loves her, too). Instead, she’s faced with the “cruel practical joke” or “he was a coward, abandoned her and bolted, and got caught anyway” prospects (i.e. – he was just toying with her). At least now Flask knows why Petey never returned her calls.
Three Steps Over Japan said, 8 months ago
@Nabuquduriuzhur
“I think you are right. Panel 3 looks like he really doesn’t know.”
Marx lies like a rug. If he wanted to know, he’d just slide over a couple realities and check. This is like when he shed tears after Mallard asked for Flask’s status after she’d been blown out of the ship. He’s sending a message; it’s up to the receiver to determine if he’s playing us.
Three Steps Over Japan said, 8 months ago
@Coyoty
“Marx was cruel to put her through that to satisfy his fanboy curiosity.”
If Marx just wanted to satisfy his curiosity, and be cruel at the same time, he could have used the dittos to do a Sparkplug Sanders-style flashback on Flask. The fact that he wanted her to explain things to him directly means that none of the regular approaches would have accomplished what he wanted.
Pick one (BGM):
Cruel to be Kind
Cuts Like a Knife
Love Stinks
Crawl Up and Die
Life Sucks and then You Die
Not the Man I thought You Were