Oh, poor Stephanie.
And poor Robespierre.
But, was Larry wrong about the bath? Is this really the end of the Li’l Stinker? And, if it is, how will he break the news to Edison?
Maybe we should wait until he and Eleanor get back. Perhaps all is not lost.
We’ll just have to wait and see…
No matter how hard he tries, Even Superman cannot save everybody.
Same goes for Larry.
But, the Disa….(you know), must continue, or Eleanor will be next.
Robbieeeeeeeeee!
Congratulations, Charlie. You finally got me to say these words: I hate you.
Ouch.
I understand your feelings. I don’t like seeing Stephanie or Robespierre suffering any more than you do. This was a painful page to do.
But I’m trying to stay true to the characters, and that can go in some unpleasant directions sometimes.
Thank you, melaredblu, for being honest. I do appreciate it.
All I can say is, stick around a little while longer.
Ask Marius and Daniel Sharp and they’ll tell you that if I say “I hate you”, that’s actually a compliment. There’s a big difference between me thinking a scene is sad and actually feeling sad after seeing it. Not many webcomics manage to pull the latter off for me and I HATE BEING SAD, DARNIT. But bravo for pulling it off.
Poor Stephanie…
Thank you, my dear. I’ll take that as a great compliment. Those are some pretty heavy-hitters when it comes to great comics. I’m proud to be in such company!
For those of you who don’t know, Marius makes “October 20,” and Daniel is one of the geniuses behind “The Demon Archives.”
What are you doing to us?
Weell, one could say: ‘That he is setting us up for something.’
Either, The Li’l Guy’s funeral or Rebirth.’
Any takers?
“I’ll buy that for a Dollar!”
Yeah, judging from past experiences we’re being primed for something.
Trouble is Charlie likes to prime with DetCord.
Perhaps he only reacts to soapy water. I don’t see any soap bubbles.
This is so heartbreaking. From Stephanie’s desperate optimism in the first two panels, to that final scene of her hold a lifeless Robbie, the anguish of that pose you just nailed. I feel so sad just looking at her, and the curl’s gone out of her hair again. Poor babies, both of them.
Is this some kind of revenge for killing your favorite character?! Damnit, Charlie, I said I was sorry! 😛
Yes, mj. This is all your fault. I’m taking revenge for that heartbreaking storyline in Vatican Assassins.
But I’m not going to tell you who my new favorite character is, because I don’t want you killing them to get back at me.
Larry never said the warm water in the sink was for a bath; Stephanie assumed that…
Exactly.
It doesn’t diminish Stephanie’s suffering. But it does offer some hope.
There’s hope for the little guy. Isn’t there?
There’s always hope in the Groovy, Kinda world, Vas.
I knew it! 😀
He ain’t’nt dead.
No.
Move over George R.R. Martin, we have a more heartless writer.
Ouch again.
I’m sorry I upset so many people. Robespierre and Stephanie are two of my favorite characters, and watching them go through this hurts me too.
I wish I could say more, but I don’t want to give anything away.
Since nobody else has said it yet:
” ‘E’s not dead, ‘e’s resting!”
“I’m feeling better!”
Miracle Max: [Lifts and drops the arm of the dead Westley] “I’ve seen worse”…
If Larry joked like that with Robespierre, Stephanie would put him through a wall.
Would and could…
One measure of a writer’s ability, is how deeply his readers embrace his characters, involve themselves in the lives of those characters, react to the characters as to personal friends–that is the mark of great writing.
You and Hemingway, Charlie, you and Hemingway. 🙂
Hemingway wrote comics?
Seriously, Delta-v, thank you. Much as I hate making people feel bad, I love that you can feel as much for these characters as I do.
I love them very much, and it’s nice to think that other people share that.
Well, no…. But I don’t think he could draw worth a darn. On the other hand, he was really good at character development, so if he had thought of it, who knows?
I like the roller-coaster analogy for story writing. The most serene part of the ride is the initial climb, but if that’s all there was to it, there’d be no thrills in store no matter how long it took. The real allure of the ride is when your emotions are stretched to their limit (and beyond), and you don’t know if you can survive the next bank, loop, or plunge, and your heart is in your throat. The same people who curse the designer of the ride as their equilibrium is being assaulted, praise him for his abilities as they stagger off afterward. Buck up, and enjoy the screams-they mean that you’re a success. 🙂
Hemmingway came to a pretty bad end…
Yeah, but not because of his writing ability. I’m pretty sure Charlie’s safe from that other stuff. 🙂
Um, right, Charlie?
Right, Delta-v.
And I love your roller-coaster analogy. Since I’m scared of heights, the scariest part is when the car is going up the tracks. My favorite part is when we’ve just crested the top.
Fun fact: One of my library patrons/bookstore customers brought in a rubbing from Hemingway’s grave in Ketchum Idaho. He built a beautiful frame for it and it’s hanging on the wall to my right right now in my bookstore.
Papa…
I haven’t even started reading this comic, and have no idea what the story is, and this page made me cry. Bastard.
Ouch. Sorry about that. You started on the saddest page in the strip.
It does get happier, I promise.
And welcome to the Groovy, Kinda community!
lol nah man it’s a good thing. It’s an effective page.