I love the amount of details that went into this! There is so much going on between the last three panels. Not everyone bought in to Brian's cheer, some were spooked by the noise (but not the cat!), and there was no need for tomato rocks. It's amazing how much of each campers personality can be conveyed in the last panel. Katie, you are amazing!
happy ends. love it. Also I love to see that the mean tomato painted rock throwers are drooping away with their tails between their legs. Great ending to a great arc.
Game, set, match Brian. A great end for a very good tale. Really showed the persona of some characters, both main and background. I can't search right now, but is this or is it the "hair/puma" the longest tale we had so far?
Sorry for the length in advance. I got a little heavy (as in, WAY overboard) with the theoretical questions in my first post.
I've been reading this comic since April (I back read all of them though) and finally decided to go through the hassle of registering just to say how much I love this comic. The stories and art are beautiful, detailed, and well thought out. It's not the kind of comic you can get everything out of in one glance including today's story. There is so much depth here. I love all the minor details and all the thought that goes into each one. I'm seriously hoping the panel with them jumping together ends up as a poster. ^_^
Earlier today, I started thinking about to the universe these children live in. Somewhere out there, there are parents/guardians/adults that decided that they didn't want these children and dumped them off at this place where there is a real possibility that they could die (low on food, lack of medical care, high risk of injury,...). How would a world like that work?
Why?
Did something happen (global disaster, food shortage, laws, population control, nanotechnology,...) where only the best are allowed to be loved and grow up to be a part of society while the rest are left to fend for themselves? Is it their cultural norm to discard children in the wild in predetermined areas if they don't excel at what adults decide they should, if they don't fit in, or if the adults just don't like them? Is it a government funded site where parents can dump children without consequences? Is it an experiment that allows parents to lend, sell, or donate their children? Do they film it for entertainment/gambling purposes and give the adults prizes based on what their child does?
How?
Has it been going on for generations with set guidelines where everybody knows about it or is this the first time they've set anything like this up? Do the adults feel conflicted or ever regret it afterward? Do the adults have to fill out forms stating that they willingly give up their children or do they just dump them? Has an adult ever tried to get their child back after taking them to camp? Are there requirements (age range, shots, health,...) and things that make a child not eligible to be sent to the camp (like sever intellectual disability or paralysis)?
What happens to disabled children that nobody wants or children with special needs they don't allow in the camps (amputee, blind, low to mid functioning Autism, heart defect,...)? We know a few of the campers may have a learning disability and/or higher functioning mental issues, so is there a cut off functioning level and physical ability for them to be approved? Think about it. A child missing an arm would do as well as the others, but living there without a leg (they would outgrow their prosthetic) would be challenging. A child in a wheelchair would face even more hardship (the camp is not exactly wheelchair friendly). A deaf/mute child could struggle to communicate. One with an organ transplant would die without medication. A hypoglycemic child could become unconscious from not eating often enough. Is that why there are no children like that there?
Supplies
Where do the crates come from? Company/government? Citizens trying to help discarded children in restricted areas? Hunger Game -esk sponsors? People looking for a laugh? And why do they send the supplies they do? Is it all part of some sort of elaborate test? Do they just dump stuff there that nobody else wants? Did they send the domesticated cats for the campers to observe or practice hunting with (they are starving)? They must have released cats more than once for there to be that many in the camp/woods.
Long term
Is their stay at the camp temporary or permanent? Do they get to leave at a certain age, get transferred to a different camp, or live out their lives in their original camp? What happens if they try to escape when they get older? Do they ever get any education beyond what they have learned before they got there? Can they ever rejoin society or will they be forced to live on the fringe, in special districts, or in camps for the rest of their lives? If the adults dump the kids in a specific spot for a few years before moving to another, each group of campers would be around the same age and grow up together (meaning the feral child could be the first child dumped in their area, not the first one period). What happens when campers get old enough to date, fall in love, and have children of their own?
tl;dr I love this comic, it's amazing, and it makes me think and wonder how their world works (obviously way more than any normal person! XD ). I hope they make a poster out of the panel with Seventeen and Mal jumping because it's adorable. ^_^
Just discovered this comic yesterday and had to make an account to say how much I goddamn love it already. So much joy can be derived from every single aspect, it's amazing.
Katie, I was wondering, would it be possible for you to post a clear version of that big, semi-transparent image of Seventeen and Malachi holding hands while jumping in panel 6? Seventeen just looks so incredibly happy, I'd love to get an isolated version of that moment.
@Serpit Malachi also looks pretty legit happy in that image. It's telling that if he relaxes and just tries to enjoy the moment he can have fun too. He might also be enjoying seeing Seventeen having fun, her joy can be infectious!
I cant help but feel that this camp is an "after-life" like place for kids who died. There are NO adults, and all of the children seem to have come from some sort of rough background.
Seventeen could have died when the still exploded. Mal died in the chemical explosion. The kid who used to get dunked in the toilet could have drowned....
Perhaps this camp is made to help children make peace with themselves before they move on to the next life?
As always, an awesome ending to the story arc. I still hope Malachai realizes how much joy he's brought even if it wasn't his intention. As for Brian, I've always thought he was awesome and this just adds to that. Makes me more curious about his back story (uh, not that I'm hinting or anything like that).
As always, an awesome ending to the story arc. I still hope Malachai realizes how much joy he's brought even if it wasn't his intention. As for Brian, I've always thought he was awesome and this just adds to that. Makes me more curious about his back story (uh, not that I'm hinting or anything like that).
I think one of the news posts at the end of season 1 said Brian's backstory would be one of the things they're working on for this season.
TBH I'm terrified. I don't think I can handle another emotional roller coaster. (I'm only kidding, despite how bad things are sometimes, I think the comic has a strong sense of hope and friendship that make it a very enjoyable, if emotional, read.)
Posts
Lovely comic to end it all! Truly a happy ending if I've ever seen one.
The expressions are so great again.
Seriously:
The mean girls, Fred, Steve(n), the Twins
Also, I love how the two kids in the bottom-left are still earning the titles of "Asshole 1 and Asshole 2".
(Did anybody else notice the Russell cameo?)
Boy with six fingers
Reactions of mean girls and ropes course kids
Brian's hair in 3rd last panel
Russell!
The twins
One question, where is rat kid? He's not sitting with ostrich kid and manatee kid
One more thing it's interesting to see that Jeremy is still hanging out with those two girls. Is he interested in the one who likes him or the friend?
~ Myke
I've been reading this comic since April (I back read all of them though) and finally decided to go through the hassle of registering just to say how much I love this comic. The stories and art are beautiful, detailed, and well thought out. It's not the kind of comic you can get everything out of in one glance including today's story. There is so much depth here. I love all the minor details and all the thought that goes into each one. I'm seriously hoping the panel with them jumping together ends up as a poster. ^_^
Earlier today, I started thinking about to the universe these children live in. Somewhere out there, there are parents/guardians/adults that decided that they didn't want these children and dumped them off at this place where there is a real possibility that they could die (low on food, lack of medical care, high risk of injury,...). How would a world like that work?
Why?
Did something happen (global disaster, food shortage, laws, population control, nanotechnology,...) where only the best are allowed to be loved and grow up to be a part of society while the rest are left to fend for themselves? Is it their cultural norm to discard children in the wild in predetermined areas if they don't excel at what adults decide they should, if they don't fit in, or if the adults just don't like them? Is it a government funded site where parents can dump children without consequences? Is it an experiment that allows parents to lend, sell, or donate their children? Do they film it for entertainment/gambling purposes and give the adults prizes based on what their child does?
How?
Has it been going on for generations with set guidelines where everybody knows about it or is this the first time they've set anything like this up? Do the adults feel conflicted or ever regret it afterward? Do the adults have to fill out forms stating that they willingly give up their children or do they just dump them? Has an adult ever tried to get their child back after taking them to camp? Are there requirements (age range, shots, health,...) and things that make a child not eligible to be sent to the camp (like sever intellectual disability or paralysis)?
What happens to disabled children that nobody wants or children with special needs they don't allow in the camps (amputee, blind, low to mid functioning Autism, heart defect,...)? We know a few of the campers may have a learning disability and/or higher functioning mental issues, so is there a cut off functioning level and physical ability for them to be approved? Think about it. A child missing an arm would do as well as the others, but living there without a leg (they would outgrow their prosthetic) would be challenging. A child in a wheelchair would face even more hardship (the camp is not exactly wheelchair friendly). A deaf/mute child could struggle to communicate. One with an organ transplant would die without medication. A hypoglycemic child could become unconscious from not eating often enough. Is that why there are no children like that there?
Supplies
Where do the crates come from? Company/government? Citizens trying to help discarded children in restricted areas? Hunger Game -esk sponsors? People looking for a laugh? And why do they send the supplies they do? Is it all part of some sort of elaborate test? Do they just dump stuff there that nobody else wants? Did they send the domesticated cats for the campers to observe or practice hunting with (they are starving)? They must have released cats more than once for there to be that many in the camp/woods.
Long term
Is their stay at the camp temporary or permanent? Do they get to leave at a certain age, get transferred to a different camp, or live out their lives in their original camp? What happens if they try to escape when they get older? Do they ever get any education beyond what they have learned before they got there? Can they ever rejoin society or will they be forced to live on the fringe, in special districts, or in camps for the rest of their lives? If the adults dump the kids in a specific spot for a few years before moving to another, each group of campers would be around the same age and grow up together (meaning the feral child could be the first child dumped in their area, not the first one period). What happens when campers get old enough to date, fall in love, and have children of their own?
tl;dr I love this comic, it's amazing, and it makes me think and wonder how their world works (obviously way more than any normal person! XD ). I hope they make a poster out of the panel with Seventeen and Mal jumping because it's adorable. ^_^
Katie, I was wondering, would it be possible for you to post a clear version of that big, semi-transparent image of Seventeen and Malachi holding hands while jumping in panel 6? Seventeen just looks so incredibly happy, I'd love to get an isolated version of that moment.
also I like that you subverted the "Malachi's talent is organizing the talent show" payoff.
Because the puns always get me.
Adam's responsible for the majority of them. :]
https://www.flickr.com/photos/katiejrice/19678521434/in/album-72157642879862734/
:]
Seventeen could have died when the still exploded. Mal died in the chemical explosion. The kid who used to get dunked in the toilet could have drowned....
Perhaps this camp is made to help children make peace with themselves before they move on to the next life?
Just saying...
I think one of the news posts at the end of season 1 said Brian's backstory would be one of the things they're working on for this season.
TBH I'm terrified. I don't think I can handle another emotional roller coaster. (I'm only kidding, despite how bad things are sometimes, I think the comic has a strong sense of hope and friendship that make it a very enjoyable, if emotional, read.)