Chapter 48 – Cover & Page 1
THREE CHAPTERS REMAIN
New avatars & DLC today, though! Whooooo did you get?
Annotations Every Day - Written by T Campbell & Flo Kahn - Illustrated by John & Jason Waltrip
Guilded Age
The Saga of the Working Class Adventurer – New comics every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday!
Tigress Queen
Allison Shaw
A barbarian warlord and a pampered prince try to avoid a marriage alliance that could end decades of violence.
Fireweeds Moors
Gato Iberico
A cat-headed man and a girl with a sandwich hankering accidentally end up in a myth-infused country where magic chalices are a really big thing.
Monster Pulse
Magnolia Porter Siddell
Four kids run afoul of a creepy secret organization's experiments, which turn their body parts into fighting monsters. Part sentimental coming-of-age story, part monster-training shonen manga, with just a bit of sci-fi body horror.
Jailbird
Charlie Davis
An all-ages comic about a recently escaped prisoner's struggle to understand the outside world, and vice-versa. Also, a magic cape!
The Sanity Circus
Windy
Magic, monsters and mysteries await in the odd city of Sanity. It's up to Attley and a colorful group of characters to find out just what is going on.
Anarchy Dreamers
Emily Ree
Sparkly undead kids fight society's worst Nightmares in this pastel-punk urban fantasy coming-of-age!
Dumbing of Age
David M Willis
Joyce has been homeschooled her entire life until now, when she's suddenly a freshman in college! Things don't go well.
El Goonish Shive
Dan Shive
WARNING: This comic often ignores the Laws of Physics
Real Science Adventures
Brian Clevinger
Spin off stories and other adventures from the world of Atomic Robo!
Never Satisfied
Taylor Robin
Lucy Marlowe, a magician's apprentice, competes against other apprentices for an important, magical, Goverment Job.
Sister Claire
Yamino
In the troubled aftermath of a great war between Witches and her fellow Nuns, novice Sister Claire just wants a purpose.
Widdershins
Kate Ashwin
A series of light-hearted Victorian-era adventure stories featuring grumpy bounty hunters, accidental thiefkings, and more, in England's magical capital city Widdershins!
Atomic Robo
Brian Clevinger, Scott Wegener
The robot punches monsters and bad robots and one time he was a cowboy.
Empowered
Adam Warren
A sexy superhero comedy (except when it isn't) about the never-ending struggles of a plucky but very unlucky young superheroine.
Paranatural
Zack Morrison
Superpowered middle schoolers fight evil spirits in their rural hometown. Come for the jokes, stay for the cast, the creatures, and the mystery that ties them all together!
The End
August Brown, Cory Brown
Two aliens crash a sci-fi convention and accidentally take seven nerds on an adventure that spans the galaxy!
Starhammer
J.N. Monk, Harry Bogosian
A teen girl inherits a powerful alien artifact and proceeds to make a series of increasingly poor decisions
Wilde Life
Pascalle Lepas
Oscar decided to rent an old haunted house, and that's when things got weird...
Go Get a Roomie
Clover
Experience the queer journey of an upbeat hippie and the friendships she makes along the way! A tale of self-discovery and love of many forms.
[un]Divine
Ayme
A highschool senior thought giving up his soul for a demon was a good idea. It wasn't.
Bicycle Boy
Jackarais
A cyborg named Poet wakes up in the post-apocalyptic desert with no memory, no limbs, and no idea why he keeps getting punched.
Hazy London
Scotty
A story about messy relationships. From friendly foes to crazy families. Nothing is black and white, just full of color. But, all colors can get a little hazy...
Wychwood
Varethane
When Tiara's pyrokinesis is finally noticed, she is captured by a magical research organization for study. If she cooperates, she could be helping to save humanity from a dire threat - but can she trust them?
Cassiopeia Quinn
Gunwild, Psudonym
A cute, pantsless thief is pursued across the stars by a buttoned-up military officer in the spacey, laser-filled future.
Kochab
Sarah Webb
A YA F/F fantasy comic about Sonya, a lost skier trying to survive a snowy wilderness and find her way back to her village; and Kyra - a fire spirit trying to fix the home that she let fall apart around her.
Awaken
Koti Saavedra/Flipfloppery
Superpowers, monsters and conspiracies. Piras, the spoiled Dameschi heir, fights to recover his identity after becoming a terrorist!
The Automan's Daughter
Mike Stamm
Aisha Osman and her uncle Siddig outwit bikers, spies and kidnappers while gearing up for a showdown with the formidable Widowmaker mecha.
Godslave
Meaghan Carter
Edith has been thrown into the dangerous world of modern-day Egyptian mythology. Fighting monsters and dealing with family drama of godly proportions.
Cyanide & Happiness
Explosm
Satire, dark humor and surreal humor.
Guilded Age
T Campbell, John Waltrip, Florence Machina
Welcome to the saga of the working-class adventurer! Enjoy the complete story with new annotations daily!
Lilith's Word
inkPangur
If you had the power to make any wish come true using just one word, what would you say?
Star Impact
Jack McGee
A young, energetic woman fights her way up in the world of super-powered boxing after discovering the mighty gloves of her missing idol!
Love Not Found
Gina Biggs
Abeille is on a quest to find someone who wants to do it the old-fashioned way in a time when touching has become outdated.
Nerf Now!!
Josué Pereira
A cute webcomic about fanservice, video games, and... love. Mostly video games, though.
Kiwi Blitz
Mary Cagle (Cube Watermelon)
Steffi thinks she can use her kiwi mech to become a superhero. This idea turns out to be very stupid.
Whomp!
Ronnie
A depressed, portly, hirsute anime fan stumbles through life in the ever-pursuit of chicken nuggets and other life-shortening indulgences.
Girl Genius
Phil Foglio, Kaja Foglio
In a time when the Industrial Revolution has become an all-out war, Mad Science rules the World...with mixed success.
Between Failures
Jackie Wohlenhaus
The low stakes adventures of an assorted group of 20 somethings trapped in the declining years of American retail. They are naughty and say lots of swears.
Stand Still, Stay Silent
Minna Sundberg
A few generations after the end of the world, a small, poorly financed research crew is sent out to rediscover whatever is left of the forbidden old world in the south.
Devil's Candy
Rem, Bikkuri
A lush fantasy about boy genius Kazu Decker, the girl he constructed for his 9th grade science project, and the world of devils and monsters they live in.
Lighter Than Heir
Melissa Albino
A young Volant woman joins the military in an effort to upstage her war-hero father.
Sam & Fuzzy
Sam Logan
Troubled by gangster rodents, lovesick vampire stalkers, or confused ninja assassins? Don't panic! Sam and Fuzzy are here to help. (For a reasonable fee.)
Sufficiently Remarkable
Maki Naro
Two young women living in Brooklyn discover that you're always coming of age.
Alice and the Nightmare
Misha Krivanek
Alice finally attends University to learn to collect the dreams of humans, meet new friends, and deal with a pesky reflection along the way.
Caramel Corn
Potchimew
Sarah is the only human left in a world full of mythical creatures and monsters. All she wants to do is live a quiet life, but everything changes when she meets her guardian angel, Jacob.
The Lonely Vincent Bellingham
Diana Huh
Vincent is an unkind man looking to disappear, and finds himself in the care of a vampire and her two wicked children.
Astral Aves
Moon Cabal
A fantasy coming-of-age following the adventures of Astra The Black and friends, as they navigate the mysterious world around them. It's politics, adventure, and the supernatural; oh, and crazy hair.
Monsterkind
Taylor C
Wallace Foster, a young, bright-eyed human social worker, has his entire world view rocked when he's suddenly relocated into a city primarily inhabited by monsters.
The Witch Door
Anni K.
Katariina Lehto discovers her neighbor is a witch called Jousia Muotka. Jousia introduces Katariina to the strange people and places beyond the witch door...
Knights Errant
J.R. Doyle
Wilfrid's humble quest for revenge becomes bigger and bloodier by the day.
Cut Time
Juby
Rel and her trusty avian friend Fugue are on a quest to save a world that's lost track of time. Follow them and their new recruits, in a story written with help from the stars.
Demon's Mirror
Harry Bogosian
Based loosely off of "The Snow Queen", a story by Hans Christian Andersen, we see things take a different turn as the demons become central characters, and the side characters stick around. Yup, that's the only differences. Enjoy!
This is Not Fiction
Nicole Mannino
What do you do when the person you're in-love with is an anonymous romance novelist? Get your best friend to hire your worst enemy for help!
Goodbye to Halos
Valerie Halla
Cuddles, gay flirting, weird feelings, and magic-fueled knife fights - it's an adventure across the queer multiverse!
Star Trip
Gisele Weaver
Jas is a human taken from her home planet on a trip across the galaxy she will never forget.
Ghost Junk Sickness
Studio CARTRIDGE, Laura Lee
Two hunters try to survive and end up being pushed to pursue a deadly bounty dubbed "The Ghost".
Guilded Age is co-written by T Campbell & Flo Kahn, and illustrated by John Waltrip. Site design by Samantha Kyle. Fonts by Blambot.com.
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Privacy Policy
Guilded Age does not claim ownership of any of the corporate branding that appears in this comic, nor does it claim any affiliation, partnership, or endorsement of any kind.
They are used strictly as an artistic choice for the set dressing of the comic.
They are used strictly as an artistic choice for the set dressing of the comic.
What a little Joffrey.
I mean, what a little shit. Hard to keep that straight.
Six of one, half dozen of the other… :P
What’s the point in keeping shit straight? Are you making a sculpture?
Look at you, with your fancy custom plumbing that accepts more than one shape.
Hmm… do not underestimate the power of poo sculpture effigies.
Sir Orloff Broloff approves of this comment.
Taro is a little more competent than Joffrey.
Emphasis on the word “little”- as in we may soon be seeing the full tiny difference.
He offed his momma and did the poisoning himself.
He’s like Joffrey’s evil mirror.
He’s more of a Ramsey Snow without birth out of wedlock.
he’s going to be the second fictional kid whos death is praised. its a shame he’s not just a program
“That’s my new word for ‘shit.’ Because of today’s events.”
And this is why you don’t poison your father before he’s done teaching you how to be a cold and ruthless despot. (Also why I won’t ever tell my son “Son, you have now learned everything I have to teach you about being cold, ruthless and despotic”).
It’s why you encourage familial love so that when your son becomes a cold and ruthless despot, he just posts you to some pleasant backwater villa with a pension to live out your dotage.
If it weren’t for current events, I’d be complaining that this comic is terribly unrealistic. There’s no way a country could put up with such a ridiculous, hateful and inept leader.
Reality is, in a sense, just a step removed from a fiction that isn’t taken seriously enough by anyone to act it out.
Honestly, complaining about surrealism in a work of fiction is like complaining that you’re bored when you have an exciting source of entertainment right in front of you, and nothing to stop you from enjoying it but your own dry personality.
My comment was more meant as a criticism of the state of American politics then this comic.
My comment was more meant as an explanation of what happened to America than a criticism of your comment :P
I feel like you may have missed the point of his comment.
Sadly, you’d be surprised at how much people are willing to put up with- or even do for- a “ridiculous, hateful and inept leader”.
While the end result may look similar for the country (i.e. ruin, shame, unrest, etc.) Taro has nothing in common with the individual you allude to, except cocky arrogance and perhaps that his physical age is comparable to the other’s mental age. Taro’s actually very intelligent, but also very evil and ruthless.
For every terrible ruler that is ousted by popular demand, there are two that hold on to power by sheer cruelty and dozens that just sort of slide under the wire
Looks like Gastonia is getting Minmay’d.
Yeah, if I had to listen to “My Boyfriend Is A Pilot” in combat, I would surrender as well.
Make it stop! Please, make it STOP!
kyuun kyuun
kyuun kyuun
HE’S A PILOT NOW!!!!
AND PENK WOULD DRUM 500 MILES
AND PENK WOULD DRUM 500 MORE
AND HE’D BE THE TROLL WHO DRUMMED
1000 MILES OUTSIDE OF YOUR FRONT DOOR
When I wake up, well I know I’m gonna be,
I’m gonna be the shit elf that wakes up next to you
When WAV goes out, yeah I know I’m gonna be,
I’m gonna be the shit elf goin along with you
Da da da (da da da)
Da da da (da da da)
Da da da dun diddle un diddle un diddle uh da
If I get drunk, well I know I’m gonna be fuck head
I’m gonna be the fucker who gets drunk next to you
And if I haver up, yeah I know I’m gonna be
I’m gonna be the fucker who’s havering on you.
Soon enough the phrase “payetrolling” will be coined.
Not only because Payet is doing the equivalent of rickrolling them, but also because the people will be paying the trolls to make him stop singing
I prefer Basara myself.
I am 10,000% sure this won’t backfire.
“Hey, dude – I know how to do this so don’t worry about me. My daddy told me how, just like he told me about the bardic magic.”
“Uhhh … yer Pop told you that the tooth sprite, the dire Easter Hare and Saxemas Clause were real too … AND WE ALL KNOW HOW THOSE TURNED OUT.”
“…What happened to the tooth sprite, the dire Easter Hare, and Saxemas Clause?”
They walked into a bar together. The bartender said, “when I ordered a case of holiday spirits, I meant the kind my patrons could DRINK!”
You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar, Taro.
Pretty sure if you told him that; he’d just poison the honey.
Also, in fact you catch more flies with vinegar, because it smells like rotting fruit. Seriously, try it.
Also, also, why is everybody so into catching flies? Is there a Secret Aracnoid Conspiracy I somehow missed?
Taro seems more of a “you catch more flies with napalm” kind of ruler.
He loves the smell of napalm in the morning.
Love is fleeting, but fear is primal.
Ah, but so is hatred, and it walks hand-in-hand with fear.
I know that’s an old saying, but the inverse is actually true.
Clearly Taro has read his .
And clearly I have not read my html tags.
Lol those guards are charged with guarding the throne, not the little shit on it. He gonna just storm out? Gotta keep an eye on this chair back here man.
Maybe they’re just cardboard cutouts, what with the new king firing everyone Azula-style.
You jest, sir/madam, but you are close to the truth.
As in real life, guards in full livery are as much for show as for security. Pageantry, very important.
Note how one is left-handed while the other is right-handed. They are symmetrical. Very aesthetic.
Presumably, there are already guards aligned along the walls in the corridor Taro is storming in. And in the each room branching from there. And the next ones.
At some point, they may run out of guards and the ones in the throne room may have to rush along secondary corridors to position themselves in a room before Taro enters it. Behind-the-scene Versailles was a bit like this, when the king Louis XIV was taking a stroll in his domain, especially in the gardens.
Too bad he’s already king. I had hoped his coronation would have the same pomp, circumstance, and immolation as Starscream’s.
Looks like it’s mutiny-o-clock.
All aboard ! Next stop : Gastonia. Population : just him.
And quite the avatar you got there!
He’s quite a bit more self aware than I expected.
Same.
Though, to be fair, my bar was VERY low to begin with.
Rolling for a matching gender and character class.
Boy, the little shit didn’t waste any time slapping a crown on his head, huh?
And the giant “I”, too. I guess the country’s called Iwatania now?
Man I can’t wait for Frigg vs. Ardaic though!! Gonna be a good one!
Oh yay, Rachel!
I’m thinking it will be Ardaic vs. Syr’Nj. They have more history together.
One will result in a battle of words, while the other a battle of weapons. Honestly not sure which of the two I’d prefer to see.
We’ll prolly see both
Well I mean, there’s gotta be at least a little Ardaic vs. Frigg, or else the title page is A LIE! A LIE I SAY!
You’re right! I completely overlooked the title page. I still hope there will be an “aftermatch” between Ardaic and Syr’Nj. Closure and such …
Actually, it’s a cake.
Great idea. Because adding more subjugation is certainly not going to make people profess their loyalty on the surface while wanting, deep down, to stick it to you at the first reasonable chance they can get away with it. And if any such deep feeling of resentment was to somehow develop, against all odds, in response to your repression, it’s certainly not going to be something that bardic magic could exploit on the basis of your own thinking. Not at all. There is certainly no flaw with this plan that I can see.
Knowing Taro, the loyalty oath is a geas/quest deal that prevents disloyal behavior.
Someone read The Prince, failed to grasp it was satire…and still failed to follow the advice properly.
Random avatar thread, here we go!
.
Taro will have a platform built to announce to the people what is about to happen, known as The Taro Deck.
Something something The Tower something. You win the Internet fellow poster.
Which will shortly become the gallows of the Hanged Man… or , in this case, child.
Man, do I want to see that boy’s head on a pike, and then, in honor of the recently passed Stephen Furst, give him a little wave while grinning like a kid on Christmas morning.
That would be sweet, but I think getting stabbed with a poison needle is more likely. I’m not sure the creators of this strip really want to depict even the gruesome aftermath of a beheading when a child is involved, but accidentally poisoning himself would be fitting.
Using force to ensure loyalty = bad
Using force backed by magic, coercion, compulsion, and fear = still bad, but maybe effective. Until The Silver Centurion becomes the Paladin O’Pee that is.
;_; I don’t know where I’m going to direct my crazy fangirl energy.
… Maybe I’ll make a Frigg cosplay. There’s a new Ren Faire near me and I need to be badass.
http://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/2010-07-05
If Taro’s playing up the police state angle, does that mean we might get to see Best and Penk play punk?
I’m still Ardaic? This better be a sign that he’s getting a redemption arc. Or a redemption scene, at least.
Last panel: Nice reference back to the previous chapter.
And oh my, whaddyaknow, according to my calendar, today is Kill a Child Day! I wonder how the Arkerrans will celebrate this holiday…
Good catch!
AND ON AMERICA EVE, NO LESS.
“Fear is a strange soil. It grows obedience like corn, which grow in straight lines to make weeding easier. But sometimes it grows the potatoes of defiance, which flourish underground.”
-Terry Pratchett
Such a great quote, thanks!
Avatar check!
yep
Checking on America’s birthday?
You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
He’s going to rock them.
Oh s**t, there goes the server.
Ooohhh….I get it…this is a guildedage-starwars-crossover!
Oh, I’m so smart.
Let me just check….
Many apologies, folks, but the next comic will be up in the afternoon.
I’ve been saying it for 241 years now, this independence was a mistake. First the spoiled tea, now a delayed strip of GA!
It’s all good. You guys are one of the more regular webcomics out there. I don’t think many of us are willing to give you guys a hard time for being a behind after a holiday.
Spot the hilarious typo! :)
(At least I hope it’s a typo and you’re not sneakily calling them assholes.)
DAMN YOU I DEMAND MY FREELY PROVIDED CONTENT IN A TIMELY MANNER
Looking forward to it!
Aw it’s concluding :( Guilded Age has been my grand finale webcomic for 5 years (as in, I finish reading the day’s comics by reading Guilded Age)
Then again, what are subjects if not subjective?