"Spectacles of Doom" (an ongoing multi-part sci-fi adventure comic).

[Low_Roads]

No, Jones can't see the amusing side of the situation! :happy: He's got no sense of humor at all unless it comes at someone else's expense! Then again, Seiderbaum is so sanctimonious I sometimes want to thump him myself!

 

[Janus4385]

Mmmmm, interesting. Either Red is not much of a hunter, or somebody is trying to prevent Jones from using the helm by distracting him... I guess we'll know soon enough...

As entertaining as always my friend 🙂

 

[Low_Roads]

Thanks as always, Janus! We will indeed find out as soon as the next scene! Not to spill anything, but... don't be too tough on Red! He's an old fart (like me!) :laughing:

 

[Low_Roads]

Episode 17, scene 2, pages 1-5:

 

[Low_Roads]

Episode 17, scene 2, pages 6-10:

 

[Low_Roads]

Episode 17, scene 2, pages 11-13:

 

[His Divine Shadow]

So begins the final conflict (Hubbard sneaking in there, eh? 😉 )! Even the Homo Cannabis is getting some action. 😛 Pursue them, commander, pursue!

 

[Janus4385]

Well, looks like they're not so tough without their mighty Helm to save them, huh?
That Felicity sure is one tough cookie ain't she? I just love a gal who can hold her own :happy:

I just have one question, how did the rest of the crew get up there so fast? 😛

Ah, can't wait to see what happens next, they might have beaten Jones, but they surely can't let him escape with the helm...

 

[Low_Roads]

So begins the final conflict (Hubbard sneaking in there, eh? 😉 )! Even the Homo Cannabis is getting some action. 😛 Pursue them, commander, pursue!

Thanks HDS! 😀 If only I could have L. Ron Hubbard's career! Constant literature production, even after death... so that's what comes from being a "Clear"!

So delighted you enjoyed the Homo Cannabis/Zadax antics! That panel was a late addition... I was eager to show that they were feeling a bit more chipper. Also that, despite the savage mauling they gave one another, they weren't bad animals when left to they're own devises. Unless, of course, you're one of the pirate crew... then, they're really Bad Animals! Just a friendly reminder, kids; stay on the right side of the law!

Well, looks like they're not so tough without their mighty Helm to save them, huh?
That Felicity sure is one tough cookie ain't she? I just love a gal who can hold her own :happy:

I just have one question, how did the rest of the crew get up there so fast? 😛

Ah, can't wait to see what happens next, they might have beaten Jones, but they surely can't let him escape with the helm...

You're so right, Janus! The Gorgonhelm's a potent threat yet, as upcoming incidents will make clear! And yes, Felicity is highly hazardous to tangle with when not secured to a torture chair! She too will figure in future events!

About the crew members... they really didn't need to arrive. Every one of them (or at least a goodly portion) was already present on the Battle Bridge, trust up to be monster-chow for whichever ravenous participant won the Battle-of-the-Beasts brawl from last chapter (ol' Doc Siederbaum nixed that outcome, of course). The Commander, Quincy, Lithia, Mr. Uultarre, et al, have been cutting 'em loose during the fight (I guess a few shots of this happening would have been advisable to clarify the activity), until the Federeation fighting force more than out-matched the pirate invaders!

Believe It or Not! (it's my story, and I'm stuck with it! 😉 )

 

[Janus4385]

No no, the rest of the crew that was already there for the "monster-chow" is completly understandable. I was actually asking about Felicity, Quincy, Lithia, Mr. Uultarre and the rest of the ones that were on the other side of the station... then again, I don't have a map of the X-Minus-Zero, so I don't really know how far they were... uh well, the great mysteries of life... LOL 😀

Don't worry, I'm just giving you a hard time about an insignificant thing... the frames are perfect the way they are. And I repeat, can't wait to see more!!! :happy:

 

[Low_Roads]

I was actually asking about Felicity, Quincy, Lithia, Mr. Uultarre and the rest of the ones that were on the other side of the station... then again, I don't have a map of the X-Minus-Zero, so I don't really know how far they were... uh well, the great mysteries of life... LOL 😀:

Ah! I see your point! Alas, I'm not above cheating for the convenience of the plot! The X-Minus-Zero can prove an impenetrable maze when called for, or a multi-lane freeway when someone needs to be somewhere in a hurry! A certain vagueness about ship layout works to my advantage here... the less concretely I explain things, the more I'm able to get away with! 😉

 

[Janus4385]

😀 😀 😀 Very well put my friend, very well put!!! You have placed a smile on my face today XD And cheating is definetly an art...

 

[Low_Roads]

Episode 17, scene 3, pages 1-5:

 

[Low_Roads]

Episode 17, scene 3, pages 6-10:

 

[Low_Roads]

Episode 17, scene 3, pages 11-13:

 

[Janus4385]

And so the hunt continues... Luckly for the commander, Jones doesn't believe in confirming the kill. And likewise, luckly for Jones, the commander believes in charching in like Galahad without checking the surroundings properly. Perhaps it's due to the heat of the moment. Guess will have to wait and see whose mistake comes to cash in first 😀

Hopefully Jones won't realize that the helm could prove effective if used again.

Ah, I had my dose of spectacles for the day, yet, I still want more... this stuff is addictive 🙂 Will be patiently waiting for the next pages my friend!

 

[His Divine Shadow]

For such a large one, Jones certainly manages to flee with great haste he does. *Cheers for Taloshi*

 

[Low_Roads]

Thanks once again, guys! Your constant kind replies have kept my enthusiasm for this project red hot!

And so the hunt continues... Luckly for the commander, Jones doesn't believe in confirming the kill. And likewise, luckly for Jones, the commander believes in charching in like Galahad without checking the surroundings properly. Perhaps it's due to the heat of the moment. Guess will have to wait and see whose mistake comes to cash in first 😀

It's a solid point; both hero and villain are wallowing in their flaws (conveniently for me... the flow of the story would be difficult to maintain if either had behaved prudently). Expect duplicity and recklessness right up till the very final fight... which won't be far away now! Only two scenes till the finish, and the climactic battle will be next! It's a long one, so the pages will take some time to prepare... gods, it feels like I've been slaving over this story for the better part of my life!

For such a large one, Jones certainly manages to flee with great haste he does. *Cheers for Taloshi*

Jones is wily and swift, all right! GM's original concept for the character cast him as a sort of galaxy-spanning Hell's Angel; I reconfigured him along the lines of a cunning jungle animal (scant book-learning, but loads of instinctive intelligence). Either incarnation found him more than a match for the Commander in one-to-one fighting... well, heros do need a mountain to climb!

I did hope you'd be pleased when Talioshi finally proved good! He's had a particularly tough time in this story. My only regret is that I didn't give him anything pithy to say. At the time, the story didn't seem to call for it... considering his fractured sentence structure, it wouldn't have sounded very clever anyway!

 

[His Divine Shadow]

Jones is wily and swift, all right! GM's original concept for the character cast him as a sort of galaxy-spanning Hell's Angel; I reconfigured him along the lines of a cunning jungle animal (scant book-learning, but loads of instinctive intelligence). Either incarnation found him more than a match for the Commander in one-to-one fighting... well, heros do need a mountain to climb!

That decription reminds me of another character. Ever heard of Lobo?

 

[Low_Roads]

Yes! I do remember Lobo (a fine Wikipedia entry; I learned a lot more about the character than I'd known before), and the similarity is distinct, especially as originally envisioned! In the Commander Duck movie, Robot Men of the Lost Planet (where Jones first appeared), I played the part with a full head of unruly hair, clad in a Greek breat plate emblazoned with a Harley-Davidson logo (the rest of the costume remained pretty much the same). There was never any sense that Jones rode any sort of outer-space hogg, but otherwise the personas are striking reminiscent of one another!

Funny thing is, with a little nudging Jones could easily have slipped into anti-hero status. He nearly is the protagonist in "Spectacles"... most of the standard hero activity (fighting monsters and legions, pursuing rewards) is his to perform, as opposed to the Commander (who's basically just reacting to Jones' antics). We never could have gotten away with such gray lines as a common feature of the show, though... it was kiddie fare, and had to adher rigidly to a "good triumphant" paradigm.

 

[Low_Roads]

Episode 17, scene 4, pages 1-5:

 

[Low_Roads]

Episode 17, scene 4, pages 6-10:

 

[Low_Roads]

Episode 17, scene 4, pages 11-15:

 

[Low_Roads]

Episode 17, scene 4, pages 16-20:

 

[Low_Roads]

Episode 17, scene 4, pages 21-25: