Endtown by Aaron Neathery for January 10, 2012

Wally calls it like it is. Brutal, honest and truthful.

Killing women is a sin here? Does that mean Wally is completely useless if Linda manages to grab a raygun? Does he have any idea how many of the mutant brains in the MUTTs he shot had come from females? I get the feeling that he wasn’t thinking before he opened his mouth. What happens if Flask goes ballistic and attacks Holly – will he still be unable to kill Flask in defense of a loved one?

Come on, TSOJ. He’s talking non-combatants and you know it. You pick up a weapon and you are fair game. Wally only kills when there is no alternative. With Flask it has become a way of life. Speaking as a former member of the military who has launched actual weapons in combat, I have prayed many times that the only casualties were legitimate and necessary.

Define children then. Doug was 17, and had been pretty experienced in removing brains. How young are the TSers that are out patrolling now – how many under 17? How many of the people in the colony are noncombatants and how many are just resting up between patrols? We have no idea what goes on in a TS colony. For all we know, it’s like an early U.S. frontier settlement where everyone picks up a gun as soon as they are old enough to learn what a “safety” is. I’m willing to accept “innocent children” (i.e. under age 6). But, “noncombatant women”? Not sure if such exist in TS society.

@Three Steps Over JapanTraditionally, “children” cease to be so… when they pick up a weapon and become combatants. As a phrase, “women and children” is archaic, but the spirit of the statement refers to noncombatants. Doug, despite being 17, was armed and willing to use lethal force, and qualified as a combatant… right up until he was disarmed and begging for his life.

Wally won’t kill noncombatants, but because Flask has a nonfunctioning moral compass, she doesn’t distinguish between combatants and noncombatants. She only distinguishes between “asset” and “other.” She is incapable of seeing those around her as anything other than assets and liabilities; that is what makes her a sociopath.

Wally for President!!!!

@TSOJ I do agree it is a bit anachronistic of wally to use that phrase. I think its more of a comment on his ongoing adjustment to life as it is now. When I read that, I had to shake my head and smile.

So what to do with kittycat?..Stun, Kill or Disable?They could stun her and leave her for the TS to harvest her brain but she might spill all she knows about Endtown’s defences….

bravo!

The formulaic thing would be for an accident or less moral person to take Flask out and absolve Wally of having to make hard decisions about her. The obvious thing would be for Linda to somehow get a gun and shoot Flask. But Endtown isn’t formulaic.

Lets face it. Flask is going to get court marshaled.

Flask is merely echoing the sentiments of Gen. P. Sheridan, “the only good Indian, is a dead Indian”. That line of thinking bought us atrocities similar to what Wally is trying to avert here. Villages destroyed that contained nothing but women, children and elderly simply because they were easy targets; which in the end only served to drive the enemy warriors to respond in kind. This is the classic question that conflict poses and it boils down to the morality of intentions. Flask accurately portrays (we believe) the viewpoint of the TS. Kill them (the mutants) all simply because they exist. The mutants begin the conflict from the morally superior position of self defense. Wally is patterning this. Killing is only justified when all other options are exhausted. But if the “kill or be killed” tactical imperitive of the firefight is allowed to spill over into strategic planning, then you end up becoming the same as those you are fighting against; the position of moral superiority dissappears and all that is left is survival. The philosophical question is this: once you reach that point and become morally equivalent with the enemy, does it matter any longer ( in the scope of history) who wins? Many would argue that once the moral aspect is abandoned, humanity ceases to exist and we all become merely animals. That is a big part of the lovely irony present in this story. The humanity that remains in this world resides in those who no longer appear (externally) human. For the Endtowners, the most dangerous threat to their physical existance is that posed by the topsiders. But the “real” threat to the “humanity” that remains are the Jacob Jackrabbits and Captain Flasks.

Since the weapons I was tasked with doling out were long range cruise missles, I have the luxury of not having to have seen my targets through a gunsight. I can take refuge in the uncertainty of the outcome. I have nothing but the deepest sympathy and respect for those brothers of mine who faced the horror at much closer range, and who therefore had to witness firsthand the results of their handiwork.

As Aaron’s lovely artwork shows,There is no black and white.

Ok, you have a gun pointed, ready to fire at me. I have a gun that I am totally capable of using to fire back at you(or first if needed). Do you fire to save your own life or let them fire first to kill you? Now…The young child has a sucker, you have a sucker…who will get to the tootsie roll center of the tootsie pop first??

This has to be one of the most (insightfully) commented strips around. Wow. But I think Dadof3 nailed it when he said, “…the “real” threat to the “humanity” that remains are the Jacob Jackrabbits and Captain Flasks.”

I see it slightly differently… I can understand Topsiders’ view: try to keep a pure strain of humanity in the face of extreme adversity – the Outside Air will change you. If none of the Humans include scientists who understand how it came to be that way, the very human force of the Blame Game will designate Anyone But Yourself when the mob gets going. Meanwhile, the mutants were forcibly mutated, didn’t ask to be changed, are the victims of an old war going out of control. They exist, and in the case of Endtown, have managed to retain (various levels of) rational thought. The “monsters” have some self-awareness (remember the one this group encountered, wanting only its teddy), but less rationality. So if you know that you went to sleep one night, during the War, and woke up with fur and whiskers, and you turn around and someone says that because you’re the victim of someone else going insane, you now HAVE to die… This specific conflict is morally unbalanced from the start, and horribly complex. As a mutant, you may want to adjust and try to survive in the new environment (which is very Human). Keep this up for long in a bottle, though, and some start seeing this as “it wasn’t an accident, it was Meant To Be, and we are Chosen” (Jackrabbit back in Endtown). Most though are of the “just leave us alone!” variety, and self-defence as and only as someone tries to kill them (they had to break the rocket somehow) is perfectly justified, but the big point is whether to disarm or kill in self-defence. Disarming takes skill, and the point ("I could have killed you, but chose not to) rarely hits home on the target. Does it mean you shouldn’t try? These questions have been debated pretty much forever.

Ahh, like what England should have done to George Washington and the rest of that crappy rabble back in the day. Gotcha.

Slightly of topic – I’m on the mailing list for They Might be Giants. Just got a notice from them about their latest music video, and I can’t tell if it’s being sung at Flask, or at Linda.

not sure about flask being a sociopath…….she looked sad when she killed the mutant child under the sand

http://www.gocomics.com/endtown/2011/10/06http://www.gocomics.com/endtown/2011/10/07

http://www.gocomics.com/endtown/2011/10/10

i hope flask doesnt die or worse , i like this character

Now I’m more certain than ever before…that Flask got the job because nobody else wanted it.

I agree that topsiders are the enemy, and I had no problem with Flask killing Paul (or whatever that male topsider’s name was), as he was about to kill Wally & Holly. Similarly I can see her actions against Linda as being almost sane, at least as sane as revenge can be. However, Flask’s actions since Linda mutated, as well as her killing the monster they encountered earlier in this story arc simply because it existed shows she just likes to kill

wonderful storytelling

i believe she killed the monster under the sand because he/she was suffering

its the only time i can remember i saw flask showing remorse about killing

and i dont think taking Linda to endtown its a good idea we ve seen topsiders rather die than mutate (one asked to the other topsiders to kill him)

what do you think linda will do if she finds out where endtown is and gets the means to reveal it to the topsiders?

This arc has many interesting possibilities in it for future story spinoffs, but so much is still up in the air (literally) now. Will Petey survive? Will the rocket turn out to be a trap? Where did the mutts go? Where are the topsiders? How long till Flask gets the use of her hands back? Does Linda end up in perpetual protective custody? Do Wally and Holly send her back to her kid disguised as a teddy bear? We’ve only been on this arc for 5 months, there’s a good five or six months of story left in it I’m sure. Write on, Aaron! :) (Heck, we’ve still got 12 panels left until the weekend!)

Man, talk about tempering steel in the fire!

Everyone is right, and everyone is wrong…

There are layers here, sad ones and brutal They don’t lend themselves to simple answers Can one side stop a war? It is futile If the other side thinks you are cancers That they’re forced to destroy for their lives And if you’re not defending, it’s faster They don’t care about “children” and “wives” Letting anyone live’s a disaster! We’ve seen here how (some) Topsiders think For Endtown, the war’s needed — and grim (Bravo for Aaron Neathery’s ink And his story — all credit to him!) If the Topsiders quit, it’s all finished No more war, if that side drops the task Are the chances of ending diminished By the actions and thinking of Flask? Wally’s right, in his way, though old-fashioned “Non-combatants” (as he should have said) Are not targets. But Flask is impassioned And she wants every one of them dead There’s a difference here — it is their history Wally’s lived far away, in the field Flask, a Topsider (that’s still a mystery) Thinks like they do — that much is revealed In a war, there’s no easy solution If the other side must kill, you’re dead Unless you defend — but retribution Means no end — war’s forever, instead So you aim to stop them from attacking It means (sadly) their team is fair game But the townfolk? That rationale’s lacking It’s much tougher and just not the same We’ve seen Topsider forces. They’re giant Hordes of PTs and weapons and staff Endtown hides, and stays living, defiant But they’re so small, the Topsiders laugh So Endtown must change Topside’s position Make the war just one string of mistakes So far, Endtown’s been mere imposition With this missile, they might raise the stakes We can reach here a grim realization Endtown’s choice here, because they’re not strong Is a “desperate move” situation But Flask’s attitude, frankly, is wrong =|====/ Level Head Vote for Endtown 2.0 And for Doc Rat, too The Endtown Forum

Wasn’t his conscious what got those other people killed in the first place ? With all the evidence that Flask used to be a topsider, then her own actions and experience should justify her claims about the topsiders. If decisions like this werent made in the real world, alot of worse things would of happened. But i have a feeling its going to work out anyways.

between “her” and “rotting flesh”

Actually, the TSer’s will kill mutants that are considered unusable or just too much trouble. There was some discussion of using some of the animal archetypes for food or sports equipment, but that may have just been them joking around.

I believe Wally has called the straight shot. – now the question is what do you do with a sadistic sociopath?

I don’t believe Wally or Holly has the stomach to deal with the situation. — Perhaps the best possible option would be giving Flask the option – a brain reboot or – well dust.I feel though that there’s way too much dust in this world.

Sad thing is… she’s right. This isn’t just a colony it’s a military outpost filled with sociopathic nazi’s. It’s war, it’s the post apocalypse and it’s no place for the weak or the sentimental.