Annotated 8-9
[plot intensifies]
Those computerized rug-patterns inserted into the line art are a fun experiment the likes of which John was also sneaking into a lot of Widgetitis. (Before much longer, he’d leave that strip to focus exclusively on Guilded Age.) But they’re a little hard to integrate in terms of perspective, which may be why you didn’t see too much more of this trick, at least not in any obvious way.
Phil and I debated some over how consistent it was or wasn’t to have Gravedust come into a full settlement and observe the behavior of the people if Iver had told those same people he was dead. Wouldn’t that expose Iver as a bit of a, well, liar? These days, it seems all too believable to me that a fast-talker could weasel out of such contradictions in his past statements with great ease, as long as he’s telling his “base” what they want to hear at regular intervals.
It’s not all that difficult to see why people would follow Iver. You have Gravedust and the other mystics telling the Savasi to be happy with what Gastonia has left them and then Iver telling them they can get it all back. While eliminating the other mystics might be over the top there’s some sound logic in their murder too.
Given how adamantly anti-Gastonia Gravedust was at the start of the comic, somehow I don’t think the Mystics were telling the Savasi to be happy with what Gastonia had left them. They just weren’t advocating for war and the development of an expansionist military regime.
Functionally, what’s the difference?
Gravedust isn’t pro Gastonian, but like Iver said he has no vision as to how to reverse the Savasi’s status quo. He’s resigned himself to living in the desert and maybe getting Gastonia to offer some compensation to his people. Iver on the other hand is promising them their homeland back and knows that can’t be achieved without violence an allies.
So… Make the Savasi great again?
If Iver struck at Gravey fast enough, it’s likely that not many knew he had come back. So perhaps Iver didn’t have to lie much. Just tell everyone that Gravey’s return was an unsubstantiated rumor.
**Spoiler Alert**
But ironically, I think Iver’s talk of killing Gravey may have ultimately been part of his own undoing. Not only did Iver show himself as a coward at the arena, but he got his butt handed to him by a man who was supposed to be dead. So in the eyes of the savasi, the coward was a liar and/or Gravey was a powerful man who could choose to ignore the rules of death. Either way, choosing Gravey was a win-win for team savasi.
**Spoiler Alert**
Iver’s undoing was striving too high. The powerplay against Harky would’ve ended badly even if he had killed Gravedust in the arena. In the end Iver wanted others to fight and die for what he believed in and that’s what was exposed in the duel. Harky died in his duel, but at least he fought which is why Penk and the other trolls still revere him.
Those are real rug patterns by the way, not computerized. But yeah, they do look a bit out of place among the cartoon art of the scene. I just wanted the interior of Iver’s tent to look more opulent than the average Savasi tent. He is ,after all, the leader, and the leader gets the best stuff. “It’s good to be the king.”
those rugs really tie the tent together.
So – because I am dense enough to bend light – Gravedust just got himself poisoned, amirite?
Yes.
I confess that my mercy got the best of me (I have the best mercy people tell me). I banished Gravedust in exchange for his life; but his return has now forced my hand.
“So, thanks for dropping by.” That’s still one of my favorite lines.