Annotated 11-21
It’s interesting to think about giving a memorial speech to the departed as if they were still alive but just going. Syr’Nj can’t know if Best can hear her or if he’ll even be alive at the end of her words, but such speeches are often really to provide closure for those left behind. Still, the group has more evidence than we do of an afterlife.
The group kept her promise, by the way, though it was the publication of Gravedust’s “My Travels” that really solidified the record of Best’s history with the group for future generations.
There are things Byron could add to Syr’Nj’s talk here (“just as we began to truly know what a tool he was”), which explains his awkward look in panel 2. But he respects Syr’Nj far too much to flout her authority by doing so.
Cut dialogue:
Frigg: Just curious: if she’d told him he sucked, would we have had another restless spirit as fuel for your arrowbooms?
Gravedust: Provoking Best into haunting us would seem unwise.
I thought Byron’s look was because Syr’nj mentioned Bandit’s untimely death.
Ditto.
Same.
Probably doesn’t remember sinking his axes into her.
Same, actually.
So what Best discovered by means of the basin is that eventually he’d die and someone’d take care to find a nice spot to bury him. (Which is at odds with his current fate.) What’s so bad about that?
He probably imagined he’d see a more tangible answer or reinforcement of his own belief. Something like him striking down a powerful dark lord or him watching a parade being thrown in his honor.
Instead he sees a lone grave. It doesn’t support his own personal sense of self worth that he is barely grasping on too as times. And instead introduces doubt. Unfounded doubt. But doubt nonetheless.
No memorial. No huge statue saying, “He saved the world a lot.” Just a lonely grave.
No legions of fans perpetually mourning around the grave.
Not sure if serious, but Best was hoping for an image of himself saving the world, leading a glorious army, defeating Harky in single combat, something like that… but he probably could’ve lived with a scene of his grave if it had been a massive memorial statue and a dozen fresh-planted roses. Being dead and forgotten, that’s the problem.
What I’m serious about is that what Best (and we) infer from that vision is worse than what it actually represents. (Which is obviously the point.)
Honestly I thought what it showed him was that his future was being part of the group rather than being the greatest solo act
OH. Right. Gotcha.
Ya’know, even after reading the above, I don’t recall this from the first pass.
Even more interesting, when the future unfolds the way it has (did? will?) I wasn’t totally surprised when the helmet was removed – because I’d forgotten that the future Mr. Green/Black even existed by that point.
Not sure if that’s due to the webcomic format of (time-till-next-page x distance-in-story), but I assume that.
Why did the basin not show him helping save the world?
It’s a nihilist basin.
Everyone’s destiny is a grave. If they’re lucky.
And now we know why the Sky Elves abandoned the artifact. It shows everyone who’s not immortal their ultimate resting place and nothing else.