OOTS #282 - The Discussion Thread

[The Giant]

So, I finished the script and found it was way, WAY too long for one strip. But rather than force two consecutive "closing argument" strips on you, I give you one mammoth double-sized strip.

[Ranorian]

Yay!!!

Hahaha, gotta love Vaarsuvius' response.

[mdsoze]

Great comic, Rich. I really enjoyed this one.

Now I'm wondering if I'm the only person who heard a Law and Order style ::dum dum:: after reading the closing arguments.

On the nit-picking side of things, doesn't the prosecution usually go last, because they have the burden of proof? Or does the defense have the burden of proof in this court? Or did it just work better for storytelling/creative reasons to have the defense go last?

[Marller]

V, you are the man. ;D

[pquekadl]

First page!

Very nice. I especially liked hearing DnD alignment argued over by lawyers. And V's comment was great.

[Alfryd]

So, I finished the script and found it was way, WAY too long for one strip. But rather than force two consecutive "closing argument" strips on you, I give you one mammoth double-sized strip.

Eeexcellent.
"Lawful can be wrong foe all the right reasons, and chaotic can be right for all the wrong reasons." I like. V is amusificating.

[El Jaspero, the Pirate King]

Celia's argument is an absolute treasure; it should be added to the "alignment" section of every WoTC product from here on out. Bravo!

[fwiffo]

LOL... I think Celia has been reading this forum.

[captheather]

Love it! Now I see why the Giant has been avoiding us for a while. All our arguments about alignment were actually spoilers, but he couldn't say they were spoilers without posting a spoiler himself.

And V's comment at the end made me snort. Good thing I wasn't drinking any milk.

[Jibar]

Great, the new strip is up
1. Amazing arguments.
2. fetching blue jacket, Celia,
3. You've just addressed the concerns so many people have with the alignment system of DnD. Well done Giant.
4. I bet you Vs player would be a collage lecturer or something like that.

[enigma]

Are you sure you weren't a lawyer in a previous life? Those two arguments are great.
Too brief indeed.

Enigma

[Shlik]

AAAAAAAH! You better have the next comic be the verdict... Mr Burlew, you have been teasing us for weeks now!

I can't wait to find out the final verdict. I knew I shouldn't have checked the update today.



Very good comic though. I have really enjoyed this story arc and this is a nice climax.

[Ravenlord]

I loved V's comment in the end. ;D

[Sarathi]

Nice conclusion! Im glad for the double closing arguement, the trail was getting a little long winded. Though I really not sure how the court will rule, given the militant jury.

[Nighthawk4]

Very nicely argued on both sides. I love the way that Celia thinks that Elan could not possibly understand what he was doing - so it is entirely coincidental that he did the right thing.

Then, to follow all that summing up from both sides with V's comment is brilliant. :D

[Jevanyn]

Woot! I have that warm, snuggly, Law-and-Order feeling. :)

Elan: Dun dun DUNNNNN
V: No, no, it's "DUNT DUNT!"
Elan: Oh, sorry.

[slowly_insane]

Wow, thank you Rich! Loved Roy's pointing at Elan and saying "no singing." while he's looking at Celia.

~Celestia

[Norri_Windwalker]

really cool! good job!

[Leo_Forestclaw]

Rich, that was great!

The examination of alignments pretty much summed up what the boards have been rambling about for pages and pages on the board. Nicely done.

Again, I wanted to comment on how good your layouts are. Simple things like line thickness on the character's clothing to body posture and guestures. It makes this series a joy to read!

Also: "no singing!" LOL!!

edit: spelling errors.

[Antina]

Wooo - big fellas ;)
Expecially loved the part about "proving gods will by Mikos still having her godgiven powers"
V = just great!
Nicely done, Giant! Thanx! :)

Antina ;D

[saraswati]

Great comic, Rich. I really enjoyed this one.


On the nit-picking side of things, doesn't the prosecution usually go last, because they have the burden of proof? Or does the defense have the burden of proof in this court? Or did it just work better for storytelling/creative reasons to have the defense go last?

I would assume that, just like the rules of D & D, the Giant can change some legal rules to serve to storyline or make it funny. In the US, the prosecution goes last. But in some instances the prosecution actually goes first, then the defense, then the prosecution again. In the UK, cases used to be summed up by the judge instead of allowing closing arguments. There's a lot of variation.

Very cool strip, IMHO. The whole Miko story has made us all think about alignment and "absolute good" or "absolute evil". It's great to see some of the Giant's ideas gone into in depth.

[fwiffo]

Oooh... And he even addressed the issue with Miko. Let's see what Mr Jones said:

"...wouldn't they [gods] have revoked the divine powers granted to the arresting officer? We can easily interpret their will by observing that they have not yet seen fit to do so."

Yet... Hmmm... What does Mr Jones know that we don't know??! :)

[Albion]

Ooh ooh, a lot to read. Not that I'm complaining! I smirked plenty of times in this one. ;) The most at the end, not surprisingly - which is always nice.

[Shhalahr Windrider]

Finally! The Word on alignments! ;D

[King_Troll]

Wow! I could almost hear Denny Crane in the background saying "It's just that simple." Of course Denny would be all over Celia...

[metawidget]

Very nicely argued on both sides. I love the way that Celia thinks that Elan could not possibly understand what he was doing - so it is entirely coincidental that he did the right thing.

It reminds me a little of the JusticeWorld episode of Red Dwarf, when Kryten sums up the defense of Rimmer... I really enjoyed it.

The intertwining of the rules beyond the (ruins of the) fourth wall and the rules on the characters' side is really fun, too. I'm looking forward to the exciting conclusions of many things now...

[Melnor]

Hahahahaha,
Ah Giant, you rock my world!
That was so hilarious, and it made sense!
You studied law in school, didn't you, eh EH? ;)

[Karellen]

I'm unconvinced as to the validity of Celia's arguments for the functionability of the Alignment system, but as a legal argument, it's certainly fair, and definitely superior to Mr. Jones' obtuse "Gods didn't say a damn thing, and that means they must be guilty". Right.

[Duskrider_Moogle]

That was amazing on so many levels...the closing arguments thing takes me back to good ole high school mock trial. And "Prove that the alignment system still works" was amazing both as an argument for the alignment system and as a play on a real social issue ("prove the system still works").

And V's "far too brief for my own taste"...pure awesome.

[zibeck]

Awesome strip. Great speech on Allignment by Celia. A Monty Python reference. And a zinger by Vaarsuvius!