[Camp Comic] Friday, October 23, 2015 - Prep Time

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[Camp Comic] Friday, October 23, 2015 - Prep Time

Prep Time

http://campcomic.com/comic/257

Read the full story here

briguy

Tanner's face.

Interesting to note the father(?)'s facial hair. It looks like the something bad happened theory is panning out.

But mainly I want some chicken nuggets now.

Butler

augh no my heart no why

SunBroSolaire

I never thought I'd be rooting for a bitter divorce yet here we are. Keep the feels a comin'. Is that a scar under his eye I just noticed its not there in the prior flashback so maybe it's an indicator of the worst case scenario.

Talyn Rahl

Aaand there it is... The sad ending to last weeks happy story

Nagora

Oh, that hurt.

Xadins

@SUNBROSOLAIRE : If you backtrack to when the crate fell, the mark you're talking about is on the other side. Pretty sure those are just bags/stress lines under his eyes.

briguy

The lines are just face lines. They're present on pretty much every camper.

Dublin

The dad is distraught, but not Fred. She left him. If she had died or anything horrible, Fred would be distraughth yoo.

Ya know, the feels? They are being felt.

mathsgeek

@SUNBROSOLAIRE: A divorce is slightly less sad that what my original interpretation was for the back story. Adam and Katie come up with such tragic flashbacks.

I really like that Cindy's logo on the bag, I don't like washing my hands either.

briguy

Divorce or other, she left Fred (by the very nature of being at the camp, he was abandoned), too. Either way Fred lost her. He looks distraught to me. Looking longingly at the empty chair.

SpinelesS

I'm guessing the wife died, and the father shut down.

mathsgeek

@BRIGUY:It's just that they were so happy in the flash back of the last panel, I didn't think she'd leave either of them, I thought perhaps she got hit by a Bus or something.

darkmage0707077

It was divorce, nearly 100% sure, And she even forshadowed it last comic, too:

Note the ring on the mother's hand at the dinner table, prominently displayed...

WestIndianAgouti

This entire scenario is incredibly sad. I'm from the Caribbean (an island near South America called Trinidad, to be exact), and divorce has always been a problem for many families in this part of the world. It's always, always difficult to see families fall to pieces due to spousal separation, however, there's always hope, even in the darkest of situations. If any of you here have ever been caught up in divorce as a child, I extend my sincerest sympathies towards you, and I wish you all the very best in life .

Roymaster45

God damn it, Katie.

CheddarLimbo

God damn it...

WestIndianAgouti

Also, Happy Friday to all the other commenters/ readers! Hope you guys are doing well

Finnish_Line

No. She dead.

Unwieldy

Tanner is really growing on me through these past few comics.

Hugoku

I think she left.

The dad seems very sad, while Fred looks confused.
If she had died, they'd both be sad. If it was a divorce I don't think the dad would be so down, but rather putting up a strong front at least.

plato360

Knew it was coming.... still hits right in the feels....

APMEW

The feels, they will be coming soon!!!

dwt

Note that the line under Fred's eye is missing in the happy flashback...

Also - for non-US viewers - Cindy's in a play on Wendy's, which is a well-known fast food vendor here in North America.

PrincessMud

...OH.

...oh...

the_jake_1973

I would lean towards the death/sickness side of the tragedy. Fred, given his age, could very well be confused by his mom's absence. The father is unshaven and looks depressed at the table. If it was divorce, Fred could still cook with his mom. She certainly could have just walked out on them, true, wouldn't have as much impact.......unless this is an camp for unwanted children. Then the walking out scenario fits.

DrunkMc

God damn, another comic that hits ya right in the gut!!! Amazing job as always!

armatur3

I almost feel like a traitor for saying this but I actually have more feels and anticipation invested in this comic than Penny Arcade anymore. I really enjoy PA and I think it may just be the narrative nature of this story that really appeals to me. It's a continuous theme that builds and grows whereas PA has always been somewhat of a stream of consciousness thing that shifts with current interests.

Both have their place and both are awesome but, damn it Katie, I love these characters.

HochDeutsch

Did the wife leave him or pass away? Katie, don't leave us hanging!

FriedKeith

Aaaaaand there it is.

SynDuo

Oh geez what an emotional feeling to kick off the weekend too. :' )

This is really beautiful story telling, I really love how you can tell so much within the span of a few pages. Tanner's such a good friend/bro, Yay cooking with Fred time.

253Lboard

okay... this is going to get a bit weird before it starts getting fun again. I bet that Fred's mother either passed away or his parents got divorced and Fred tried to fill the void that was left in the kitchen.

patrizl001

RIP that guy that thought Fred's story was a good one

Mr Fish

@PATRIZL001
Oh I'm still alive and well, and it's still pretty happy. I mean, look! He's got a Happy Meal!...... wait..... WHERE'S THE SPECIAL TOY THAT CAME WITH HIS MEAL?!?! Did they forget to put it in the bag??? Oh God this story is sadder than I thought..... Poor Fred! Luckily it looks like Fred's mom went to Cindy's to straighten out this no free toy situation. All will be well soon enough! See?

TrueLink

Aww... here comes the sadness.

KittLee

I know believing it would be divorce would be slightly less sad but, I think the logic is flawed for those who think she just left because he doesn't look distraught, in that scenario, his mother LEFT him, abandoned him, with a miserable father and a broken home, nobody can tell me he wouldn't be just as sad if she died as if she walked out and pretended he didn't exist anymore. His facial expression to me just means, as a kid, he doesn't fully comprehend whatever has happened.

P.S I think the eye lines are probably stress + the fact they're all badly fed and underweight as balls orrrr they cry a lot. Probably all 3

WestIndianAgouti

@DWT We actually have a few Wendy's restaurants here in Trinidad. They're alright

briguy

mathsgeek wrote: »

@BRIGUY:It's just that they were so happy in the flash back of the last panel, I didn't think she'd leave either of them, I thought perhaps she got hit by a Bus or something.

I still think bad thing happened to her is a possibility. We only know her absence is causing pain. Maybe she's in the hospital during this flashback? Maybe she's dead. Maybe she left them. Maybe she's sick. So many possibilities. Maybe it doesn't matter why. Whatever happened destroyed the family and left Fred alone. Poor Fred. :[

Also Wendy's is the devil and nearly killed me when I was kid, and my mom, with the worst food poisoning I've ever experienced. So maybe Cindy's killed her. :P

WestIndianAgouti

@BRIGUY I'm so sorry to hear about your bad experience with food poisoning I'm glad you made a good recovery though, and I hope it doesn't happen to you again in the future.

AdamRW

Oh, man! I just realized that the Cindy's burger should have been square.

That will be updated 20 years from now when we release the special editions of these comics.

briguy

You gonna go all George Lucas on us? What will be the 'Han shot first' moment that splits the fandom apart?

It was nearly two decades ago, but I've never trusted Wendy's since. It's also the only time I've completely hallucinated. It's not as fun as television and movies would have you believe.