Almost there! Next week is Page 100! So close. But I won’t pontificate about it. Not until next week. But still, it’s exciting to have gotten so far…
Anyway, yes, let me say thanks for last week – really extensive and spirited discussion was had by all! I encourage and endorse it, from everyone. I know that I’m treading in some very controversial territory here, especially with this current scene (and believe me, it gets even more so in the coming chapters) but your willingness to discuss this all and yet keep such a respectful tone has been exceptionally gratifying to me. So thank you, everyone, and please, keep it up!
Anyway, down to bid’nizz. Foyst, I promised details on next week’s contest. It’s fun and easy. It’s called 6-Commando Poker, and I’ll give the whole skinny next week when the game starts, but the basic preview is this: all you have to do is vote for 6-Commando once a day for five days. No esoteric trivia or special knowledge is needed, except a basic understanding of hands of poker, which you can find here. Each day, I’ll post a new “incentive image,” which will each be a playing card drawn in the 6-Commando style. Remember the cards, and at the end of the five days, you’ll have five cards, and they’ll add up to a hand of poker. Tell me what the cards were and the hand they made (Flush, Straight, Full House, or whatever) and it’ll give you the chance to win a prize – Stickers, 6-Commando pins, hand-drawn sketch cards, or even a cameo role in Chapter IV of 6-Commando! I’ll get super-specific next week, of course, but there will be a LOT of these prizes going out so all you have to do is cast a vote at topwebcomics.com for five days and you’re almost certain to win some cool stuff. And you can ask Ulrich – I make good on my offers, and do not abuse your personal info, ever EVER. So here’s hoping you play!
Until then, I hope you’ll vote anyway, and I’ve put up this next two-page spread for your edification. So have at it!
And finally, another comic I’ve been meaning to plug for some time. VERY early in 6-Commando’s days, I got a great plug and support from David Pauwels and Nicholas Giacondino, the writer and artist, respectively, of what was then The Sisters Grimm, and is now Free Mars. Trust me when I tell you that this is one of the coolest comics out there right now – the design is one of the most unique I’ve ever seen, and the story is like Guy Ritchie, Ridley Scott and Kim Stanley Robinson got mashed into a genetically-engineered super-science fiction freak, but one who knew and respected all the best rock music of the past forty years. It’s a story of music and armed revolution where cyber meets punk, and I’m long overdue giving it the attention it deserves – though at this point their work is so well known that they hardly need me to say it. Nevertheless, let me just give it my highest recommendation. I should note, however, that it is a bit racier than you might expect at first, and by reason of adult situations, profanity, nudity and violence, it is by NO means suitable for work or those of a sensitive temperament. But still, as an adult capable of putting such things in proper perspective, I totally dig it and I can’t possibly do it justice here. Go read it. Now. Go.
ANYway, there goes another week! Until the next one rolls around, run the race, keep the faith, and I’ll ketch you later on down the trail!
>>> And you can ask Ulrich – I make good on my offers, and do not abuse your personal info, ever EVER.
My prizes arrived last week. 🙂 The pins are cool, so are the stickers. The other extras (sketch cards) will get a special place in my collection. Oh, and I will continue voting of course – no doubt about that!
3rd panel looks great. Rucker looks very determined. Nice details on the gun as well – even the little red lights are there.
1st panel I don’t like. Rucker’s head looks kinda skull-ish and a little unnatural. But the puzzeled expression he has works quite well nontheless.
2nd panel offers the answer to the discussion from last week if UNA follows a mercy-killing policy. From what we can read on the bottle it looks like it.
I said it before and will say it again: Good work on “drawing emotions”. Haakman looks guilty and sad in the large panel and the style works so well. Or Rucker in the 3rd panel.
Now Major, what are you going to do? Stop Haakman (by killing him in cold blood)? Stop Haakman but let him live? Or allow him to continue, because deep in your heart you start to realize that he is right…
The choice is yours. :/
Which does raise the question of, if he did ‘save’ Sarah, what then? She’s still dying of radiation sickness, infections, half her face is burnt off with even more burns across her body, she’s lost an eye and who knows what other organs she’d lose to infection and radiation damage?
Is he going to carry her out of medical, shooting anyone who tries to stop him? Then what? Hole up in the quarters and watch her die there or just wander out into the wasteland?
I think this is a case of Mike playing on Rucker’s guilt over Sarah getting captured. Mike is still so fixated on saving Sarah from everyone, even though she’s dying and dying horribly, with nothing anyone can do for her, except make her comfortable and perhap make it quick. He’s aware that Rucker feels guilty over the incident and so has enlisted Rucker to aid him, even though nothing they do will really help her.
Its probably worth rementioning that Mike basically has the intelligence of a young child and probably the same emotional development. And now he’s an intelectual and emotional child, in control of the base’s systems and evedently in a position to kill everyone inside. AT this point, the only reason I could see for keeping Sarah alive and in doing so, prolonging her suffering, is just to keep Mike pacified, because even though I have no idea if Mike can get angry, this would probably be the very worst possible time to find out.
>>> Its probably worth rementioning that Mike basically has the intelligence of a young child and probably the same emotional development.
My first judgement on MIKE’s intelligence and personality was that he is like a dog or wolf – loyal, bound to defend his masters/pack and support them even at the expense of his own life with a hardwired will never to give up. He has probably a number of character traits programmed into his AI which make him a epitome of the old knights of a romantisized past and probably more noble and honorable than the humans who control him.
I’m no longer sure if that is the case.
I do have a suspicion of what might have happened to MIKE. But only time can tell if I am wrong or right. Keep in mind that Rhumblers are NOT considered sapient – *yet*.
MIKE has displayed a number of rather unusual powers. How did he connect to the bases mainfraime and infrastructure? Where did he get the knowledge of Major Bronnifords status and what will be done with her? He claims to know about Col. Haulleys (and Lt. Colonel Zaballas) secret agenda and it seems like he wants to stop them.
There is definatley something going on which we cannot understand yet, but from what we have seen so far putting it all down to Mike being a malfunctioning robot seems more and more unlikely.
Oh and I agree, he is playing Rucker like a puppet on strings like that drunk, guilt-ridden (and maybe even love-sick) fool Rucker is. Ruckers “mental instability” and broken spirit ain’t no help in this either. MIKE better play this on carefully otherwise it might backfire.
I think makes the plot so far loosely like Stealth, but with better art direction, far more interesting characters, and one of those talented writer folks that seem to be in such low supply these days. Oh yeah, covering a much broader spectrum of targets is a big plus, too.
Sadly, though, it lacks Jessica Biel’s boobs.
….
Ok, well, more relevant to the actual page, I really like how you haven’t taken the easy way out and just portrayed the U.N. (blast, almost called them UNATCO… too much Deus Ex) Doc as some kind of twisted murder who’s carrying out euthanasia on people because that’s how he gets his jollies.
The slumped shoulders and posture really sell, at least in my eyes, the fact that he fought no less hard to save the Major than anyone, but was defeated anyway and is down to the last and only resort he can find to ease the suffering of his patient.
Thanks everyone for the comments! Unfortunately, if I were to answer in more than the most cursory detail I’d be wrecking the story for you! So all I can say is that I am incredibly pleased at the questions you’re asking because it means that the story is having the precise effect I had wanted it to!
–M
Since Mike and Rucker now present a clear and present danger to the base with their actions, Mike will shortly be terminated and Rucker as well if he doesn’t back down.
At least, that’s how it looks so far. As Ulrich says there’s more going on here than meets the eye, the question is what…
😀
Just have to read on and see!
–M
Taking the needle is the easy way out, seems too much like surrendering.
I agree. There’s a fine but very definite line between prolonging suffering and actively shortening life, and it’s a dangerous one to cross.
–M
The Major is showing good trigger discipline, keeping his finger off the trigger like that.
Oh wait, just looked back at the previous comic, the gun has two triggers, like the gun it is based on. Why does it have two triggers though. What is the functionality of the second trigger?
Fires an under-barrel mini RPG.
–M
I’ve added Free Mars to my web comic rotation. Thanks for sharing!
Aye, me too. I wish it was Monday already. I can’t wait to see what Rucker will do now.
Man, look at That Gun!
OK, confirmation that it is intended for Major Sarah. I had been suspecting that it was actually Mike’s wetware that was due for euthanasia, especially given the quantity of KCN solution that had been prepared on the previous page.