Book 2 – Page 61

[╒╦╧╬╩╦╦╛]

Obviously the mystery caster has no particular feelings one way or the other about Parson, he simply heard "cue the Benny Hill music" and gave chase, compelled to do so by forces outside his control.

That makes perfect sense.

Indeed! Maybe Parson just casted his first spell... Unknowingly ... and to his disadvantage...

If I remember correctly, the other spells also had pretty funny incantation, "Benny Hill" would make perfect sense as a spell to compel a pursuit.

[justamessenger]

George Supporters Unite!

Perhaps I am being pigheaded, but I simply cannot look at the illustration and see anything other than George Harrison. The outfit is *identical* as in *just like it, no variance whatsoever* to that worn by George on the SPLHCB cover. The braiding, epaulets, wavy hem on the coat are all a spot on match. Also, George did have ample facial hair later on in his career, so I can only surmise that it is intended to be George, rather than Evtichev.

At any rate, I am also very curious as to his motives. If it is Bea's former caster, then they must be intended to harm/hamper Parson in some way. If it is George, then perhaps he *is* a thinkamancer who is interested in running interference somehow. Then again, he may represent yet another rogue element in the MK that we are not yet privy to.

To quote von Moltke: No plan survives contact with the enemy.

I can't wait to see how it plays out...one plot wrinkle after another!

[Housellama]

George Supporters Unite!

Perhaps I am being pigheaded, but I simply cannot look at the illustration and see anything other than George Harrison. The outfit is *identical* as in *just like it, no variance whatsoever* to that worn by George on the SPLHCB cover. The braiding, epaulets, wavy hem on the coat are all a spot on match. Also, George did have ample facial hair later on in his career, so I can only surmise that it is intended to be George, rather than Evtichev.

The two aren't mutually exclusive, you know. Look at Issac. He is obviously referencing Issac Newton, and JUST as obviously referencing Carl Sagan. The Caster could be referencing both George and Chewie. There's nothing that prevents it from being both, and indeed there is plenty of precedent for it to BE both.

I'm just sayin... It doesn't have to be one or the other.

[Cadrys]

A note on the "ambush" question. Jeftichew (no doubt in my mind) was not at the portal when Sizemore arrived in the MK and started his "Mind the Gap" spell.

So all that's left is Bowie... Wonder if he'll be dressed as the Gobwin King?

[Swodaems]

Do you think it's deliberate or a mistake that Parson's breastplate's hamstard logo is missing on page 61 but present on page 60?

Whatever it is, that's a very intriguing observation.

Damn it. We're supposed to be some of the detail observant fans on the net. How did we get to page 6 of the thread without someone noticing this before?

[WaterMonkey314]

Do you think it's deliberate or a mistake that Parson's breastplate's hamstard logo is missing on page 61 but present on page 60?

Whatever it is, that's a very intriguing observation.

>wear tinfoil hat
You put on the tinfoil hat. The landscape around you suddenly swarms with epileptic trees and shady characters...

That makes two intriguing art omissions - the vanishing flower on Ossomer's crest and now the Hamster crest on Parson.
Admittedly, the first could have been a mistake, and the second could have been a mistake on panel 13 due to the angle.

But on panel 6? That's a bit too obvious of an omission to easily be a mistake. I'd like for it to mean something.

>remove tinfoil hat
As your hand approaches the tinfoil hat, a creeping sense of dread overwhelms you, forcing you to give up!

>g
You try again, but the sense of dread returns...

[pSycHOtic chICkeN]

My first thought was 'What if that's Charlie?"

...but I don't really think it is at all, because why would Charlie risk himself ever?

I suppose you enjoy living in your bunker. Most people and, I believe, most intelligent beings need a little excitement occasionally. Charley strikes me has risk taker. The odds have to be favorable but Charley definitely gambles.

I doubt that Charley is allowed in the magic kingdom. He is a ruler. If rulers were allowed in the magic kingdom a lot of royalty would already there.

[Morgaln]

My first thought was 'What if that's Charlie?"

...but I don't really think it is at all, because why would Charlie risk himself ever?

I suppose you enjoy living in your bunker. Most people and, I believe, most intelligent beings need a little excitement occasionally. Charley strikes me has risk taker. The odds have to be favorable but Charley definitely gambles.

I doubt that Charley is allowed in the magic kingdom. He is a ruler. If rulers were allowed in the magic kingdom a lot of royalty would already there.

Charlie strikes me as someone who would be extremely reluctant to take a risk, especially one as big as this one. He seems to be the kind who tries to make sure he can't fail. In fact, even says so in this comic, but of course everything he says himself needs to be taken with a grain of salt...

[Atomic]

I've been saying it for months, guys: Charlie is the red-eyed Knight near Tramennis at Spacerock.

Come on, wake up and smell the freshly popped coffee.

[Chit Rule Railroad]

I've been saying it for months, guys: Charlie is the red-eyed Knight near Tramennis at Spacerock.

Come on, wake up and smell the freshly popped coffee.

What ever made you think Charlie was limited to one body at a time?

[President_Allosaurus]

[Red Piker]

My guess is that Sizemore is going to do a "You shall not pass!" move and crush the other caster in the tunnel just adding to the list of boop to hit the fan. Sizemore will have croaked another caster on neutral ground and will have to leave the magic kingdom for good so that the rest of the casters don't tear him apart.

[Smittaugh]

Obviously the mystery caster has no particular feelings one way or the other about Parson, he simply heard "cue the Benny Hill music" and gave chase, compelled to do so by forces outside his control.

I really hope you're wrong. For if you are right, when he and Parson run out of the tunnel past Marie, Janis, and Sizemore, the force of the wind created by their passing will rip them out of most of their clothes, leaving them in their underclothes. Then they, too, would give chase. Depending on the strength of the Natural Whatever-mancy spell, the compulsion could, and I would argue, should, at that point, break down into a full blown Scooby Dooby Portals segment. It'd be awesome and take two years to be written.

Laughter aside, I have a question. Do we know if the MK has a ruling body or not? I know it looks like each -mancy has it's own hierarchy and whatever, but has it been stated that there's a government there? It is, in fact, a KINGdom. I'm just wondering, because if people got huffy about the situation to want to wage war on the MK, who would they wage it on? Seems like a rag tag group of unaffilliated, barbarian magic users could just say, "Yep. That happened. We didn't know that it could, but our Dollamancers have installed a new security system to ensure it won't happen again. If he tries, well, the new system will be GLaD to see him." Having a King allows someone to blame. Without it, it'd be like punching fog. A fog that can make flaming golems with a x3 mulitplier, read your mind, predict your moves, uncroak your losses...

Where's the fun in that?

[ftl]

We've seen no centralized authority.

Personally, I'm not convinced there is one.


I like your idea of the security system. Maybe have it test out its smarts on a golem or something, made just for testing.

[Sieggy]

Actually, the mystery caster is first seen on P 57, panels 9 (beside the yellow portal) & 13 (watching Sizemore et al walking). He then moves to a position behind the GK portal, where he won't be seen by Parson as he emerges.

[coyotenose]

Do you think it's deliberate or a mistake that Parson's breastplate's hamstard logo is missing on page 61 but present on page 60?

Oh geez! *slaps self* THANK you. Excellent catch! I stared at that so long, thinking something ridiculous along the lines of, "Parson doesn't look right there. He doesn't look as, as powerful and dignified as usual." I just could not figure it out.

So, apparently, I think he looks more dignified with fat hamster and pizza stain heraldry. I... I dunno.

[splexis]

Fun speculation: George Harrison's scroll will produce a portable hole. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNFum0P5pP0

[effataigus]

I'm just sayin... It doesn't have to be one or the other.

Possibly a visible tip of the hat to both, but we know we're only talking about one character with (I assume) one name. Given that we know there to be a character in Erfworld named Jeftichew already...

Was also suddenly suspicious that Sizemore might not be too safe. As Carne said, GMTTA is likely going to do some protection, or else it'd be weird to make such a stink about summoning them, but that doesn't mean Sizemore might not get gunned down in the crossfire. Especially now that he got a text update in which he expressed certainty about something good happening to him in the future (hitting master class... perhaps the caster equivalent of buying the retirement farm). I hope not... though this would also serve Parson as another object lesson paid for by the blood of a true friend.

Parson does have that staff that looked as though it might have protected Wanda from an Archon blast or two. If that is a shockamancy scroll, Parson might be able to survive for a little while on his own.

[Carne]

Hiding it might be a problem, in a group full of mind readers.

I'm just sayin...

Or, alternatively, a mind reader might know all the tricks, and be able to plausibly deflect. Perhaps there's one Thinkamancer who, no matter when the other try to gauge his/her thoughts, always seems to be subvocalizing the lyrics to "I'm Herery the Eighth, I am" After a few dozen attempts, maybe they stop trying. I know I would.

[Beeskee]

I'm more than a little concerned about the missing symbols now. It could even be possible that the spell was ALREADY cast, and the caster is trying to catch up to Parson to let him know. ("Hey, man, you're not part of a side anymore." or whatever.)

The symbol is there right up until Parson falls through the trap, and Stanley says "Hamster?" After that we don't see his front until the current comic.


Parson 'being attacked' by his own side via trap while on neutral territory could have some weird effects.


Or to ask the question another way, does anyone think the missing symbols ARE just an error or mistake in the artwork?