Again I have failed. But again, I am so very close! Tomorrow, I hope and pray, I’ll have this page done. It’s just too much for me to finish tonight. I think you’re going to like it though, for sure! Just twenty-four more hours, guys!
Poor Mike. He got more than he bargained for, it seems.
Sorry for all the delays on this one – your patience was deeply appreciated. Of course, you can see now why I ended up doing a design card for the Sentinel tank. It was giving me a lot of trouble last week but I got it the second time around.
For my part, I had the enormous pleasure of seeing some old friends of mine this weekend. Robert, an old buddy from college, came up to visit from Virginia, and we all went upstate to see some other friends of ours. They are natives of Iran, but left their country, partly because of discrimination as a result of their Bah’ai faith; they are now Americans, and I, for one, am glad that they are! We all, in true Persian fashion, drank tea and discussed law, fine art, politics, and the Old Days, then strolled through the Yale Art Gallery until they forced us to leave. It was spectacularly wonderful, the kind of thing I so rarely get to do yet always genuinely enjoy. And so, Shahin and Nasim, thank you both for your impeccable hospitality!
It’s an odd parallel that the craziness in Iraq, which is of particular concern to my friends, happens to be happening this week, of all times. And also, that I happen to be writing this around the 100th anniversary of World War I. Talking about both these things with Shahin and Robert dew this page into an oddly stark focus for me, and, well… I don’t want to go into the particulars. You all know how I feel about the state of things in the world right now, and to mention any one crazy, insane, violent occurrence is to neglect all the others happening simultaneously. Nevertheless, seeing Shahin and Nasim and Robert (whose little daughter is approaching two years old!) restored and reinforced my faith that, in the end, humanity and goodness can yet triumph over all of this.
Anyway, another week is underway for me, now. I’m already in the thick of it, so I’d better turn in.
I’m no expert on the brain, but since Mike’s core is organic and the brain runs on electrical impulses…
Also for the final panel, I hope you don’t mind a guess at that memory…
Rucker, Thomas Allen, First Lieutenant, 1st Continental Cavalry Division assigned to 12-Commando and dispatched to Mosul for Operation Scimitar with Northrop flying wings in support.
Flying wings are the best shape for low radar observability, so…
Actually, it may not be visible at this scale, but the planes carry markings from the Royal Hejazi Air Force. OVC-Northrop exports widely.
Once again “Ground Control” inspired greatness. 😀
Oh, Ground Control. Man that one set a whole new standard. Those FSW jets were so damn cool! Heck, the whole THING was so cool!
I really liked the realism and the music.
Interesting. Mike you’re just full of surprises.
So the airplanes look like jet powered updates on the Northrop N1M, interesting. I guess Northrup got to play with flying wings much longer there than here unless this was their take on the A-12 project.
I’m a huge fan of the flying wing design. Just so retro and futuristic at the same time. And in a comic, you can do whatever you want, so the OVC-Northrop FW-29 flies!
Boy howdy does it ever. And on that note could you please do some design cards for the aircraft as well, specifically the not in our universe ones.
Also, OVC?
OVC is the Omni-Vehicular Consortium, a Philadelphia-based defense super contractor which is one of the two main manufacturers of weapons for the UNA. Mike was built by OVC at their Iselin, New Jersey plant. OVC-Northrop is one of several aircraft subsidiaries, and is based in Alum Rock, California.
The other of the two is Toronto-based Nordyne Defense Dynamics. The Nordyne Regulator battlesuit is worn by Santelli and his troops.
And by the way, ask and ye shall receive. Next card: FW-29 “Condor” ground attack aircraft.
Woo hoo!
Also thank you for that little thumbnail of the UNA defense industry.
Finally my brain took Nordyne, went to Norodyne, and ended up at Yoyodyne. My brain at work, oy.
Take however much time you need on your work because this page is well worth the wait.
Still trying to read some of that writing on the tank
“Hey man — collectivize THIS!”
“Hey Ivan” but yes. 😉
Politically incorrect, I know. Hopefully my Russian-speaking friends will forgive me, but it suited the milieu.
In the background it says “If you can read this, you’re in firing range.”
I’m thinking Mike needs the input of someone who’s had to LIVE memories like these to help him gain some perspective on his big memry dump. And he’s enlisted (heh) Rucker as impromptu counselor to that end.
Well, he does respect Col. Haulley. Interesting “family” dynamics in a military unit.
… and MIKE only downloaded the bad ones.
Good men mean well, Mike. We just don’t always end up doing well.
In times of crisis, negative memories stand out in the starkest relief. And being overloaded with them, well…
Mike didn’t recognize the filing system.
That time and era is probably a depressing one anyway, filled with jingoism, rampant nationalism (or classism) and McCarthy-style paranoia.
Kafkaesque.
And after this strip, I have to go play “Tankionline” again.
😀
…The data could be called Pain…
Mike won’t steal your clothing, though.
I now have a sudden urge to replay the soundtrack from”Cats” (Memories, all alone in the moonlight…).
Interesting choice. “Paranoid Android” might be an alternative. 😉
.70 cal, huh? That’s quite a lot of co-axing they must need to do.
If something is worth coaxing, it’s worth coaxing RIGHT.
There is no “overkill”; there is only “open fire” and “I need to reload.” 🙂
–Sluggy Freelance
That is “Rule 37” from Schlock Mercenary.
😛
Right, my mistake; sorry.
Wow he can’t handle all that data? I guess Apple got the contract to make him.
Well, take the following into account:
– Mike is only five years old
– He downloaded several lifetimes worth of other people’s experiences in rapid succession over a matter of minutes
– He’s doing all this with a computer that was not meant to make even one person fully sapient – which he may or may not be, but still.
It’s still fit to give him a serious migraine, even in the best case.
Wow it sounds like an Ipad going on the fritz only, I’m less pissed off and more sympathetic towards him.
Ok, memories. Why did I assume that she was being filled with robotic parts. This is perhaps much less cliche, and quite interesting as well.
Keep at it sir!
It doesn’t preclude any of what you said. I neither confirm nor deny anything at this point. 😉
Hmm, so whose ghost is in whose shell. 😉
Only Shirow knows for sure. 😉