Although I’ve never met Jason personally, he and I have been corresponding, and on occasion chatting over the internet, and I think I’ve gotten to know him pretty well. So I think I speak from some experience when I say that I’ve never known him to do anything in half-measures. This week’s page is no exception – Jason totally blew me away. He’d warned me he was going to “run wild” with it, but holy cow, man! Jason, if you don’t know, writes and draws the online graphic novel reMIND, winner of one of the last Xeric grants and now well enough known in the industry that I saw a copy of his book in the very shadow of the Empire State Building this past week. I think the first printing of his book is now sold out, but keep your eyes open for a second printing – it’s a beautiful book from a really fantastic artist!
As for me, I’m back on track. This weekend, you may have noticed we had a few hours of intermittent site blackouts, especially last night – that was me. I was making some much needed upgrades and backups to the site’s architecture. I hate HTML-fiddling, but my web host has a rather arcane method of backing up databases and such. But it’s all done, the latest version of WordPress is installed, and we’re running at 100% once again.
I also did some drawing. If you want to see it, I’ve put it over on topwebcomics.com for your viewing pleasure. Oddly enough, this seems to be the week of God Guys Getting Beaten Up. But oh, well. Coincidence, I guess.
And this coming week is Independence Day in the United States, also known as “Th’ Fourth’a JuhLYE,” to those who for some reason don’t like to think too hard about the Revolution, when we celebrate the birth of the Republic. It’s an oddly contentious time in this country, politically, but I do hope we will all still be able to have a good and relaxing holiday.
As for me, I’m off the bed. All the best, folks!
Torture has never been a reliable means of extracting information. It is ultimatley self defeating as a means of control. I wonder why it is still practised?
For a reason that seems to cover an awful lot of the things that people do to one another: Because people are stupid, vicious animals.
Beat someone enough and they’ll tell you anything, what ever you want them to say, regardless of whether or not its actually true. They’ll tell you the secret recipe for Coka-Cola if you’ll stop hurting them, even if Coka-Cola doesn’t actually consist of creek water and lark’s vomit.
That said, it is sometimes hard to suppress the desire to hurt and I mean REALLY hurt someone you hate and thus turn to torture for its own sake, out of sheer hatred and bloodlust, as is frequently the case.
Unfortunately you’re right. This is especially true when your country has invested decades in teaching you to hate some specific class of enemy. This is easier in the 6-Commando world than in ours, since even the “good guys” have been engaging in continuous war propaganda for eighty years or more. It being Independence Day this week, though, I like to reflect instead on the fact that the United States, for all it’s sins, has a long history of turning enemies into friends, from Britain to Germany, Japan, Russia, and onwards. It gives me faith that we may be able to overcome this vicious tendency in ourselves at some point. That might be utopian, of course, but it’s something to aim for, anyway.
–M
This was your most libertarian post ever! xp
Really? I can get WAY more libertarian than THIS.
–M
You have eight (or was it nine?) more chapters and the resulting edcuated discussions to prove it! 😀
Oh, and by the way, I want to commend you for recognizing that a libertarian standpoint is fundamentally about pacifism and respect for human rights – all too often we get dismissed as “those kooks who want to legalize drugs,” and it’s nice to know someone sees beyond the rhetoric.
–M
Libertarians, also known as ‘Them Liberal Commie Pinko Faggots’ in the less savoury parts of the world
And yet we’re the opposite of at least two of those things, sometimes all three.
–M
In a political discussion I was once called a “communist” by the same person who branded me a “nazi” earlier. ^^
1st mini panel: Is that Rucker lying there in a puddle of his own fear-pee or is it blood?
I’d call it blood. Fear-pee is not Rucker’s style.
–M
This is a really beautiful page. It’s very gritty which fits perfectly with what’s go;ing on with the story.