A Holiday Harlequinade part 5
Look at these magnificent images. I’d picked up a real head of steam. Just imagine if I could work at this speed all the time. I’d be able to draw (thinks) more than a thousand pages a year. Most likely from hospital. Anyway, we all love Susan, or at the every least, I do. The final part is here on Monday, and then you can breathe a sigh of relief.
Here comes Susan, a grim reminder that I missed the planned Susan art exchange. Well, it was planned in my head, I doubt John remembers. It will happen eventually, apparently I have 25 more years.
I am genuinely loving this story, even if (because?) the plot is blatantly stolen from that classic Christmas tale, Die Hard.
One assumes that Monday’s page will climax with John hurling Magus Tom from the top of Nakatomi Tower.
“CONSISTENTLY EXACTLY 30% TOO HARD ON HIMSELF”
Pithy, and true!
You have predicted yourself a 5% longer lifespan than the average UK male though. So you’re kind to yourself when it counts.
Is it a kindness, though? It means he’ll be 5% harder on himself, overall, than if he lives an average lifespan.
So 31.5% too hard on himself, all in all?
John smiles as he goes to his grave! Perhaps it brings him gladness to know with certainty his fate, and its date.
(but are these the shadows of things that will be, or that may be only?)
I love it when you do these loose all-pencil comics. They bring back a sort-of nostalgic flashback of doing such things in one’s own school notebook, invoking that raw creativity that is missing from so many current polished works [not yours, though – relax].
If you were to release a trade of nothing but these, I’d be first in line to get one.
These are wonderful
Meet Susan and then die. Not a bad thing. I could accept it.
There certainly worse people in the Bobbinsverse to meet right before you die. Tom, Maggie’s dad, or grandma certainly are bad. Sorry to say Des is certainly one of the worse, because most likely it’s because of him. Tim Jones is probably the worst because your death is most likely due to whatever experiment in the service of science or mankind he was performing and you end up paying for his good intentions.
I think meeting Tom right before you die could be amusing, so long as you keep your wits about you, and don’t sign anything.
The issue is, we’re both Cornish Satanists and am-dram enthusiasts. One of us will have to change.
Breathe a sigh of relief? I think you mean weep tears of loss. Many of us will miss this story when it’s over.
Thank goodness you managed to avoid the Murder Hornets, at least
I read just yesterday that they consider Washington State cleared of all murder hornets. I live here, so I got that going for me.
Which is nice.
I think some variant of pink-eye got John after he shook hands with Susan P. who has a raging and probably terminal case. Made the Lancet!.
Due to the mystery of consciousness and thus the mystery of life itself- to quote LUCY, “We never really die.” Then we arrive at the mystery of other dimensions, where anyone can still overwork themselves, but maybe eventually it all pays off bigtime.
I imagine that, much like Terry Pratchett used to talk about how hard it was to not have Death show up and take over any book, it must be a constant battle to not have Susie P just show up and take over every story.
This is definitely the case.
Natalie Durand is SO jealous right now.
Does anyone remember A Lesson is Learned but the Damage is Irreversible? A mysterious, impressionistic classic of the webcomics era. Something about the fluid panel design and dark journey of this page just put me in mind of that – a nice throwback, thanks John!
PS feeling very ‘seen’ as they say these days over the favourite character Susan moment, many of us who thought we were cool and individual just now realising how basic we really are.
I do! Loved that comic. Love this one too. Comics are good
It’s still online
http://www.alessonislearned.com/
How grim, but all things in their time. Rest peacefully John Allison.
To be honest, I’ve always been an Esther guy.
Esther’s the girl you date. Susan’s the girl you marry.
I honestly would not have guessed Susan as your favo(u)rite character, just based on the amount of screen time she’s received. But somehow it makes sense, probably.
There’s a lot you don’t know about me.
Mary-Susan (I just said this to rile you I don’t really even know what it means)
That sounds rather ominous. Like ‘I chug milk straight from the container’ or ‘I throw jelly babies at others while sitting in a darkened theatre.’ I’d much rather live the illusion that you mend the broken wings of birds that have fallen from trees or teach small children to say ‘effing jeff’ instead of %$#&*!!
Your bank account and routing number, for starters
To be fair, this may say more about me than you.
Susan has had plenty of screen time but it’s mostly in Giant Days, which was mostly non-free. (I suppose technically it was “page time” then.)
“I am no one’s wet duvet cover” is the best line of the holiday season.
Seconded.
I’m still going with “Des Fishman’s murky torrent”, but yours is a close second.
My vote has to go to, “We have no time for your thodden roly-polies!” But Susan still has time to top it!
I would have bet Shelley was your favorite character, and was almost certain she would show up as a goofy Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.
You are a man of many surprises, Mr. Allison!
That’s how I want to go: face up, open coffin, as they shovel the dirt in. Bonus points if it’s my favourite webcomic characters doing it.
Officiant: “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust—”
Me: (sputtering) “You can really taste the dust!”
I’ve been telling people for years, if I die, I want to be buried in my armor. Just to mess with future archaeologists.
I’m absolutely getting anachronistic pottery shards
We put my Uncle’s ashes in a giant glass Pepsi bottle. (He was an addict.) When we buried the bottle in a hole dug with a post hole digger, my cousin insisted he be buried pointy side down.
So the world could kiss his ass, you know.
Susan always had the best lines. That she’s favoured this much makes a lot of sense.
Consistency has always been my gaol