Annotated 20-8
So I don’t know if it’s clear here or not, but rather than just trying to do a job and screwing it up, Gravedust and E-Merl are “working” these ghosts a little bit, playing Good Cop and Dangerously Stupid Cop. That’s why E-Merl smirks in panel 2 and reveals he had a spell prepared to put out the fire in the last frame. “My associate set this tomb on fire. How unexpected. Soon we will have to flee this place– this is your last chance– you are running out of time– SPEAK NOW, I DON’T KNOW HOW LONG I CAN KEEP MY PARTNER HERE FROM CONSIGNING YOUR MEMORIES TO OBLIVION, HE’S A MADMAN, HE’S OFF THE CHAIN.”
Of course, what Gravedust has trouble grasping is that the Cultists kinda like oblivion.
Thinking that his efforts have led to failure when they may not have failed at all is, of course, very very E-Merl. What exactly Gravedust learned that will be useful later is a bit vague; it’s more a general understanding than a specific spur to his next action. But as Phil and I would eventually figure out, GD’s battle with Cultism and what it represents is just ramping up.
This page has a special memory for me, as my comment on the original earned a gold star. Always fun to filk TV theme songs.
It’s also part of what I call my “binary system,” since I earned a second star in the same week!
Glad you mentioned they are playing a bit, I didn’t get that the first time.
“…and Dangerously Stupid Cop.”
Ok, now _that_ was hilarious!
I need this in my negotiating toolkit. So many people are unwilling to see danger until it’s threatening to actually rustle their jimmies.
Alternative embed: “Do you need anything dampened, or made soggy?”
https://media1.tenor.com/images/ec60319d5b14f627c14628ee991593a2/tenor.gif?itemid=14454861
This was the very first page I ever saw of Guilded Age. I don’t recall why a friend showed me this one specifically, but I remember E-Merl’s smirk. Immediately I had to see where all this was going and read faithfully to the end.
So many good memories…