Annotated Chapter 31 Cover
Hmm, let’s see, do I tag this one? No tags in the original, but it’s pretty obvious whose shadow that’s supposed to be. Yeah, let’s go for it.
I think this one was mostly Flo, but regardless of who came up with it, there’s one more “Anatomy Lesson” echo in it. That old Swamp Thing story prominently featured a Newton’s cradle, the row of pendula that makes physics into an idle plaything for many executives. There as here, it was both a symbol of their power and a general nod to the idea that actions have consequences, however inconsequential they might seem if all you look at are the middle balls.
We’ll be diving into Republic pretty quickly in this chapter. I have to admit that in this digital age, it humanizes HR a bit to still keep what looks like his college textbook on his desk. Though the tube blueprint should establish this as earlier in the timeline than we’ve ever seen HR so far, back when he was still acting more human than last we saw him.
Funny, I’ve only seen Penguin Classics in paperbacks. Perhaps it’s a sign that HR lives in the universe next door.
Huh. I didn’t even notice that was a hardcover. Yeah, I’ve never seen a Penguin Classics hardcover before, either. I was under the impression that ‘paperback’ was part of the whole point of the line.
Might be a library-bound copy?
“He may be mad, but there’s method in his madness. There nearly always is method in madness. It’s what drives men mad, being methodical.”
HR is old. Old fogies like their touchy-feely books.
I mean, books they can touch and feel.