124 The Battle for Gobwin Knob, Page 112

[SteveMB]

Tam Lin might do well to understand that this strip is, formally, a tragedy.

I recall Rob describing Erfworld as "a farce" -- but that may simply reflect the differences between the story as originally conceived and the story as it ultimately developed.

[sherlock]

My first comment on Erfworld I think, just to say that panel 6 is an absolute masterpiece. Kudos to the authors, it's difficult to believe that "toy-faces" like the ones of erfworld characters can express such sorrow as Sizemore.
And the contrast between Sizemore's sorrow in killing in battle and the "gamish" attitude of Parson ... well, this may easily be one of the most profound and "moral" pages you produced so far. I'm just sorry for TamLin that he couldn't grasp that.

[Psychosomatic]

If I wanted to set another trap for Ansom, lacking Jillian as bait, as a lure I'd use a lot of Uncroaked for him to wield the Arkenpliers against. He loves playing hero, and lacking Vinnie to restrain him, I can't see anything stopping him this time.

And at the end of the uncroaked marbit trail? Why, none other than uncroaked Dora and Webinar, of course!

[headhoncho]

...
Parson's levity is not unusual for a tragedy. Shakespeare often uses humour to highlight the intensity of tragedy by contrast. The humour regarding "hosed" fills at least two important niches here. In the first place, it points to the standing concern with the theme of free will. In the second place, as a light moment, it serves to highlight Sizemore's conflict. Webinar dies a noble death, a good death: the sight of Sizemore being moved by it makes the reader share a thought with him. This does more than make him ympathetic -- Sizemore has become a protagonist, with whom the reader can identify.
...
This is all pretty deep stuff for a comic strip.

QFT. This entire post is excellent, and I agree whole-heartedly. Thanks for presenting your view.

[BarGamer]

Not enough detail to see it in panel nine, but if Sizemore seals up the outside entrances and the rubble in the city, any "Spidew's KISS" they sent down there in panel 5 of the previous comic probably won't be coming back to the garrison or the walls, and he probably won't be sending those particular troops out to attack Ansom. What is his plan??

And now, for some gratuitous violence: *Beats a pile of marbits with a meat tenderizer, until milk comes out.*

[Prowl]

I am baffled by the reaction that death and destruction is inappropriate, given the fact that the entire Erfworld is essentially a big turn-based strategy wargame. I don't see how you could read the strip and not understand it.

If you don't like the genre, don't read the strip. I happen to like it (probably due to endless hours spent playing Warlords II - I see Stanley as having selected "I am the greatest" at the game setup screen) and find it very cool, so I will continue to read the strip.

[fendrin]

Not enough detail to see it in panel nine, but if Sizemore seals up the outside entrances and the rubble in the city, any "Spidew's KISS" they sent down there in panel 5 of the previous comic probably won't be coming back to the garrison or the walls, and he probably won't be sending those particular troops out to attack Ansom. What is his plan?

You actually answered your own question, in a way:

Seal up the outside entrances and the rubble in the city. Not the entire cave system. The spidews will get out the same way they presumably went in: via the interior connection from the caves to the garrison.

[teratorn]

It's impressive the amount of damage that rock golem had sustained. Must have been a hell of a fight.

[kynalvarus]

I think the key here is going to be information. Ansom does not know exactly what happened. He may have gotten some reports about traps, golems, gobwins, maybe even about a Dirtamancer, but it doesn't matter. Ultimately all he knows for sure is that he sent his most loyal Warlord and a significant force of Jetstone and Marbit troops in, and nobody came back. He doesn't know how much damage his troops did, or what losses GK took.

Look at it from Ansom's POV. He breaks alliance with Transylvito, Charlescomm, and Jillian, expecting them to team up and nail Stanley. She goes to GK instead, there's a huge pyrotechnics display, and nobody reports back to tell him what happened. Charlescomm and Transylvito, for reasons he can only guess at, fail to reach alliance. He sees almost all the GK forces he knows about on the walls, so he sends his troops (including all/almost all diggers) into the tunnels at the supposed weak spot. Nobody returns.

We already know that his fellow warlords are annoyed that he didn't just mass-attack on the previous turn. He can't explain Jillian's behavior or the explosions over GK. His brilliant alliance-switching plan has failed. He almost got pwned by the dwagon donut, and he's not used to anyone on Stanley's side out-thinking him. Charlie's archons are holding the GK airspace and are of unknown loyalty. If they're enough to destroy GK's garrison, they're also enough to do grievous damage to the RCC forces.

Key factor 1: Parson has planted the seed of doubt in Ansom's mind, that his allies are not reliable.
Key factor 2: Jillian has vanished after doing something she didn't tell Ansom she was going to do.
Key factor 3: On 119, Wanda suddenly knows the Foolamancer's name right after Jillian says it. I suspect Wanda has some form of spell on Jillian left, perhaps a tracer or spy spell.

I suspect that Parson is going to attempt an info-op on Ansom. Make him believe that his forces failed in the tunnels not by the skin of Sizemore's last bit of magic, but due to treachery. I think he tries to frame Jillian. If Wanda knows about Jillian's antipathy to Webinar, he can use that. He can throw in her known anti-royal bias. He can reveal that the "caster Jillian knows" is Wanda, the dreaded Croakamancer, and that they're (probably) former lovers. Jillian's rescue of Ansom at the dwagon donut can be framed as a setup for a defeat not just of Ansom personally, but destruction of the entire RCC and discrediting of the entire principle of royal rule.

Get inside Ansom's OODA loop, then get in his head, mess with his emotions, convince his allies that he's outclassed, then show him Webinar + Dora leading the Uncroaked troops on the walls... and he just may snap and try to salvage his reputation, prove his royal superiority, by doing something foolishly heroic like rushing the walls. He's prone to it, and he no longer has Vinnie as his voice of reason to keep him centered.

Now that's ruthlessness.

[BarGamer]

You actually answered your own question, in a way:

Seal up the outside entrances and the rubble in the city. Not the entire cave system. The spidews will get out the same way they presumably went in: via the interior connection from the caves to the garrison.

Oh, I thought he WAS asking Sizemore to seal up the whole cave system. Ok, yeah, that makes a lot more sense. *Smacks his forehead a few times.*

[CaptC]

Clydesdales are draft horses; they're bred for straightforward hauling of heavy loads, not for combat. Good destriers were smaller and more agile, compactly muscled, particularly in the hindquarters, for rapid turning and quick acceleration. Andalusians were probably the most coveted breed of warhorse in the Middle Ages.

Clydesdales are drafthorses today and are bred as such, but were probably originally bred as warhorses.

Other than that, I just spent an interesting afternoon learning about medieval armor. I've been fooled by an old wife's tale regarding the weight of the armor of your average medieval knight. I concede I knew not what I was talking in that regard.

But back to my main point: Fred the peasant/pawn is still horribly dead when captured by a knight, and I still don't care. No chessplayer would.

Parson is not evil, he's just a game player. Pieces exist to be conserved or sacrificed in the name of winning strategy.

(BTW: The ultimate ending of a wargame is not death. The pieces just get put back on the board for another game. What a horrible ending that would be to a narrative comic, though.)

[J.Gellert]

Key factor 3: On 119, Wanda suddenly knows the Foolamancer's name right after Jillian says it. I suspect Wanda has some form of spell on Jillian left, perhaps a tracer or spy spell.

Huh, you know that's interesting, didn't remember that was on the same strip. Still, Wanda probably knew the name anyway because she served with him in Faq.

[SteveMB]

I suspect that Parson is going to attempt an info-op on Ansom. Make him believe that his forces failed in the tunnels not by the skin of Sizemore's last bit of magic, but due to treachery. I think he tries to frame Jillian. If Wanda knows about Jillian's antipathy to Webinar, he can use that. He can throw in her known anti-royal bias. He can reveal that the "caster Jillian knows" is Wanda, the dreaded Croakamancer, and that they're (probably) former lovers. Jillian's rescue of Ansom at the dwagon donut can be framed as a setup for a defeat not just of Ansom personally, but destruction of the entire RCC and discrediting of the entire principle of royal rule.

Parson doesn't know about Jillian's relationship with Wanda (whatever, exactly, it is) beyond a very abstract and impersonal level ("We captured Ansom's main air-units warlord, Wanda squeezed a bunch of intel out of her and put a suggestion spell on her, but she snapped out of it and ganked the wounded dwagons from the siege raids.") He similarly doesn't know about Jillian's relationship with Ansom beyond the basic fact that they love each other.

That said, the general concept that Parson is trying to mess with Ansom's head is probably correct. He was certainly doing that with that needling Thinkagram. You're also correct that Ansom's situation, based on what he knows, leaves him very vulnerable to such head games.

[BRC]

You must also factor Ansoms pride into this situation. Ansom and Stanley are actually very similar in that both of them share their pride as their weakness. The difference is that Stanley's pride comes from his having risen through the ranks and attuned himself to an Arkentool. Ansom's pride is due to his status as a royal. Stanley's pride caused him to attempt this whole Quest for the Arkentools in the first place, thinking he could essentially take on the whole world. That's why when Jillian broke the spell, Stanley fell back on the philosophy of "If you want something done right do it yourself".

Ansom is equally proud, perhaps more so, it's just that until now that hasn't been a problem. He dosn't like how Stanley claims Divine Right, and has a lightning shooting divine artifact to prove it while he can't attune with his pliers. So Ansom builds up his coalition and gets ready to crush the worm under the boot of superior numbers. He's miffed when he almost gets taken down by Stanley, although still proud. Vinny, ever the Pragmatist, recommends cutting their losses and getting out of the Doughnut of Doom. Ansom, too proud to admit defeat, instead goes all in on the slim chance that Jillian will be able to find and take out the Dwagons. Parson then hits him right in the Ego with the Tauntagram. Ansom now wants to prove that it's his status as a royal that will cause him to win. He wants to say that he could have won against Stanley even without the coalition. So rather than relying on his allies he sends in Webinar. The defeat in the tunnels will simply drag him deeper in. The question is, will he suck it up and order the mass assault, giving the glory to his allies, losing the principle but winning the war, or will he keep trying to prove that Royalty trumps all and get taken down.

[Jimorian]

1. Armor of Emperor Ferdinand I; Weight: 52.9 lbs
http://www.metmuseum.org/works_of_ar...=40002166&vT=2

2. Late German Gothic Armour of the
Archduke Sigmund; Weight: About 40 lbs
http://www.myarmoury.com/feature_gothic_armour.html

If you look at any modern reproduction, they tend to weigh about the same as these two examples.

Heck, if you look at a modern soldier's overall combat kit, you find that this 40-60 lb limit of what a soldier can wear/carry and still be effective is probably an empirical number that has derived numerous times independently as far back as history goes.

[kreszantas]

Yeah yeah, no one agrees with me. Fortunately, my opinion is not contingent on everyone elses.

1. The "Don't read it" argument: Well, I might decide to do just that. In the past I've found Erfworld enjoyable, but if it keeps things up the way they are that may change and I'll stop bothering. However, the qualities of the story exist independently of whether I read them. If there's a giant pothole in your street, and I tell you "Just drive around it", that may help you avoid the problem, but it doesn't change the fact that the problem exists, does it? Nor does it invalidate criticism of the problem.

2. The "You don't speak for everyone" guy: No, I don't. When did I say I did? I'm sharing my opinion, not yours.

3. The "There are no good guys and bad guys in real life" argument: I adressed this many times in my OP, if you care to look.

4. The "Life/war/entertainment is violent argument": Yes, but what's the point of the violence we're being shown here? Unlike real life and real war, Erfworld is fiction and therefore things don't just happen for no reason, they're conscious decisions on the part of Mr. Baldwin and Mr. Noguchi. And that's what I don't get, what's the point of all this? To tell me that war is horrible? Fine, but then why play it for laughs? Is it trying to be ironic and satirical? Is so, of what? Society? Entertainment? Gamers? It's not clear.

And, ya know, it's not neccesarily about violence, but about the degree of it, the overall tone of the story, and the emotional damage done to the characters. You notice how in the begining of Erfworld violent acts were depicted in funny, almost slapstick ways, "I can taste key lime pie", etc, but as time goes on it becomes more and more grim and nihilistic. I find this rather manipulative, as it points out to the reader that they really probably shouldn't be laughing at "people" dying in the first place. But then this nihilistic violence is followed up by more attempts at humor, and notice who is cracking the jokes here: Parson, the gamer, the reader's proxy in the story. Translation: Shame on you, gamer culture, for using violence as entertainment, just look at what you've done. Sorry, but I don't appreciate the finger-wagging, nor the way in which I was set up for it.

Then again, perhaps I'm overanalyzing. Perhaps there IS no message at all. But then again I have to beg the question, what's the damn point? I don't think anyone found it really funny, so "entertainment" doesn't seem like a likely answer. Are you just telling me that war is miserable? Well duh, I didn't need little cartoon people to know that.

And it's not an isolated incident, the whole comic has been full of this stuff. We started off with Wanda as the main character, and Mr. Baldwin made her sympathetic by depicting her as long-suffering and the only rational person in an irrational situation. Then, once enough time had gone by that we might identify with her a bit, the rug gets pulled out from under us and we learn that she's really just a sick freak who treats rape/torture/emotional sadism as a hobby. Then we set up Sizemore as the Everyman character that we can all root for, only to then be treated to watching his mental breakdown. They introduce Misty and give her just enough personality to be likable before then having her killed (this death SEEMED to have a point to it, as it showed Parson that he was not just playing a game and there were real consequences to his actions, but that message doesn't appear to have sunk in). And then we've got Parson. He's clearly the guy we're supposed to root for and identify with: He's the fish-out-of-water, he's the one forced into an unenviable situation, he's the funny, creative guy, and he's a gamer, just like most of us. Hell, his name is an anagram of "Protagonist". Obviously this character is designed to make us identify with him as much as possible. And then what happens? He gets a crazy magic sword and becomes "Ruthless". It's Wanda all over again.

So it's obvious that they're intentionally screwing with reader's expectations and setting us up for various falls. Which is fine, to a degree, but it's not clear why, and it never has been, and this aimless manipulation is starting to, as I orginally noted, just come off as mean-spirited. Like it or not, that's my opinion. If you have a counter opinion, I'd like to hear it.

I would like to make a couple comments here:

1. Parson took months to design a campaign for his gaming buddies to act out. Each of them would have a character they are playing. I can easily see that one of the 3 would have each of the "style" of characters needed to fill the roles of Sizemore, Wanda and Webinar.

With those roles now filled by a PC (which makes the PK all the more meaningful) you are showing the farce that a lot of gamers do by putting lots of emotion into their characters to make them as real as they possibly can.

2. With http://www.giantitp.com/comics/erf0014.html foreshadowing please do yourself a favor and really check out all the things in that particular page that will make things more palatable

3. Parson took five solid months to designing a turn-based game that his buddies may or may not like. Remember the line that Parson uses that "unspeakable" and really stop and think on panels 7 & 8 in #15. Parson is owner in the game that he was about to do to his friends, nothing like the judge, jury and executioner being all the same.

What does this really mean? Once you insert real emotion to fantasy, you will not have any control of the results, much the same in real life where hard choices have to be made and we have to face the results or get sent to a padded room and put a strait jacket on.

Parson is living his dream right now an actual beta-test of his game but he does not have all the rules that he can bend to his will, however he does have cheat codes

All I can say is lighten up a little bit and take a step back and have an open mind for a different view.

[LordVader]

Hahahaha, PKer golem. :D

[Oracle_Hunter]

2. With http://www.giantitp.com/comics/erf0014.html foreshadowing please do yourself a favor and really check out all the things in that particular page that will make things more palatable

Man, I must be slow, but what foreshadowing do you see on that page? I mean, yeah, it's a great establishing shot for Parson, but I don't see much that has come up in-story that has been "foreshadowed" here.

[teratorn]

Key factor 3: On 119, Wanda suddenly knows the Foolamancer's name right after Jillian says it. I suspect Wanda has some form of spell on Jillian left, perhaps a tracer or spy spell.

Huh? Wanda lived for ages in Faq. By the way, we know that casters can lead stacks, but it still feels strange that Stanley refered to Wanda as commander in #017. Has she done this kind of stuff before?

[fractal]

I think probably the other golems are lost for good; Sizemore appears to be out of juice. He couldn't even replace one of the arms on this particular heavy metal golem. If he doesn't repair other fallen golems before GK's next turn, presumably they disappear? That makes this fight as close as it could be; the last hp of the warlords against Sizemore's last bit of magical energy.

We don't know if he can seal outside entrances with the remaining dregs of his power, or if he'll use minions (gobwins or golems from elsewhere) to do the job.

[BRC]

Man, I must be slow, but what foreshadowing do you see on that page? I mean, yeah, it's a great establishing shot for Parson, but I don't see much that has come up in-story that has been "foreshadowed" here.

The only foreshadowing I can see in that.

In his car he's listening to "Re: Your Brains", a song about Zombies. He's summoned to Erfworld by Wanda, a Croakamancer.
His calculator watch.

The Model GK set up on his table.

Goblins in his favorites list. He is summoned to command Gobwins.

Other than that, nothing.

[SteveMB]

We don't know if he can seal outside entrances with the remaining dregs of his power, or if he'll use minions (gobwins or golems from elsewhere) to do the job.

Given the apparent size of the rocks sealing the tunnel entrances (see this view as Webinar's forces moving in to get a rough idea of the scale), I'd say it was almost certainly Sizemore. He probably knew that, if at all possible, he needed to reserve enough power for that job (just as Maggie held back enough to send a couple of Thinkagrams after spending the rest of her energies trying to bring Wanda around, because she was on notice that she'd be needed for that task).

[kreszantas]

Man, I must be slow, but what foreshadowing do you see on that page? I mean, yeah, it's a great establishing shot for Parson, but I don't see much that has come up in-story that has been "foreshadowed" here.

Look at panel 5 -7 close... then think how each part is getting or being used.

[BRC]

Look at panel 5 -7 close... then think how each part is getting or being used.

Every part of what?

[Norsesmithy]

Clydesdales are draft horses; they're bred for straightforward hauling of heavy loads, not for combat. Good destriers were smaller and more agile, compactly muscled, particularly in the hindquarters, for rapid turning and quick acceleration. Andalusians were probably the most coveted breed of warhorse in the Middle Ages.

(If you've ever seen Lipizzaners - which are an offshoot of the Andalusians - note that those are actual trained warhorses demonstrating their training. All that fancy jumping and turning stuff they do is pretty and flashy, but it's basically all designed to kill people, or at least facilitate the rider doing so.)

The Lipizzaners are descended from the Andalusian line through a breeding program that produced horses for Curiassers and other medium to light cavalry.

They didn't need to carry as much, or throw as much force behind a charge as a true Destrier. The Andalusian of the late medieval and early Renaissance period was probably heavier in conformation, though it was not as heavy as a dedicated charger like a Friesian.

Though a Friesian (probably more famous than even the Andalusian for its use as a heavy charger) is surprisingly light on his feet for such a massive animal, and still retains the sense of his own irresistible momentum a charger should possess (they don't tend to think much of gates or fences, if they feel they should be allowed to go somewhere else, a line of men with pikes may have given him a little pause, but if his friends were charging, and he had been desensitized to it in training, he may have even been willing to run them over; give him decent armor on his collar, and he would even probably succeed).

But a ton and a half is still excessive. Say 1100-1600 lbs for the horse (depending on breed, and location) another 200 for the man, 50 for his armor, 25 to 30 for his panoply of arms (Lance, sword, hammer, dagger, sometimes more), 100 to 150 for the horse's armor, and another 100 or so for the tack and saddle. The biggest men on the biggest horses are going to be over a ton, but most won't quite breach that mark.

[Anderic]

while it's too bad Webinar and dora died
it it a good thing sizemore survives.

though personally i would have liked to see him level from that battle.
maybe a little "ding" near his head as he was mourning

though an uncroaked webinar might be interesting, especially if he has a catch phrase like manpower did

[LurkerInPlayground]

What in the world does "seal up the rubble in the city too" mean? I presume the panel shows the remnants of Webinar's camp... or is Parson destroying the city between the Outer Wall and the Garrison Wall?

EDIT:


Perhaps, but he has died a lot on the inside. Even were I a Sizemore Fan, I would probably have preferred he find solace in the grave.

He's better off dead than being a little bit hardened?

Seriously? You're pretty fatalistic.

I for one, like the new Sizemore. He needed to be tested against the distinctly unpleasant realities of his world. He's now starting to develop stronger opinions about his own sense of "right" and "wrong" and is becoming more assertive.

I also think he needed to come face-to-face with the kind of power he possesses. Firstly, because he needs to come to terms with it. Secondly, because he needs to stop being so self-effacing about his real strengths.

Innocence is an overrated luxury.

[Vercingex]

Hmmm... even after this decisive victory, I doubt Parson has the forces necessary to take on the Coalition forces in open battle. Therefore, I believe that instead of fighting the Coalition, Parson has been fighting Ansom.

Earlier, we have had Parson provoking Ansom into making arrogant comments in front of other coalition commanders. We have heard that there is some discontent among the other members of the coalition with Ansom. However, they still seem to respect him as a warlord and defer to his judgment when making plans.

Now, the force which Ansom relied upon to take Gobwin Knob from the tunnels has been crushed. Assuming Parson doen't sally, he may have the forces necessary to hold off a Coalition attack. When the attack fails, Ansom's credibility as a warlord will most likely disappear. He's made a number of command decisions that the other leaders have questioned- attacking a turn late, only sending Marbits and Jetstone forces into the tunnels, having Transylvito change alliance, etc. When you factor in Ansom's personality, then the coalition is likely doomed. And it is unlikely that the weakend Jetstone forces will be able to take Gobwin Knob by themselves.

[Oracle_Hunter]

Look at panel 5 -7 close... then think how each part is getting or being used.

Dude, I think you've just earned yourself a Tinfoil Hat.

Mind explaining what you're referring to?

EDIT:

He's better off dead than being a little bit hardened?

Seriously? You're pretty fatalistic.

I for one, like the new Sizemore. He needed to be tested against the distinctly unpleasant realities of his world. He's now starting to develop stronger opinions about his own sense of "right" and "wrong" and is becoming more assertive.

I also think he needed to come face-to-face with the kind of power he possesses. Firstly, because he needs to come to terms with it. Secondly, because he needs to stop being so self-effacing about his real strengths.

Innocence is an overrated luxury.

Still, puncturing one's innocence, particularly in a world literally built for war, is never something to be celebrated. Worse, Sizemore isn't just learning that he has power, he's learning that he is, in fact, bred to kill and kill well, not just dig tunnels and make crap golems.

He hates killing, and every time he has to end another life it kills him a bit more inside. Sure, he's a Technical Pacifist but being forced to confront that pretty much all he does is kill is just going to turn him into a Shell Shocked Senior which is not the fate I'd wish on anyone.

Heck, considering the structure of the game, it probably would have been a kindness for Sizemore to die before he had to order his creation to smoosh the heads of two lovers. The longer he lives the more lives he must take, and it's not a taste he enjoys.

[TamLin]

Tam Lin might do well to understand that this strip is, formally, a tragedy.

Is it? I've never gotten that impression. And that's really at the root of my criticism; it's not clear what genre Erfworld wants to belong to. This kind of nihilistic violence and agonizing moral dillemas are appropriate in some sorts of stories but not in others. Disaster can strike when you walk the line like this without your audience knowing what it is that you're doing.

Mr. Baldwin and Mr. Noguchi have made Erfworld much too grim and disturbing to be a comedy (this is a matter of opinion, of course, as is everything, but even so, I contend that most readers look at something like what Wanda did to Jillian and have to consider this material more than a little ****ed up). On the other hand, I don't think that comic takes itself seriously enough to be a tragedy. That basically just leaves farce or satire, but as I've already said, it's not clear what's being satired here, unless it's we the audiece.

The comic, I feel, has something of an identity crisis going on. It's tough to figure out in what way we're supposed to be enjoying this material. The tone swings back and forth seemingly without rhyme or reason, and it feels like there's a lot of bait and switch going on. It's like eating a big cheeseburger but every third bite tastes like an apple; eventually, never knowing what to expect is going to ruin the potential enjoyment of both elements.

Parson's levity is not unusual for a tragedy. Shakespeare often uses humour to highlight the intensity of tragedy by contrast.

True, but humor in a tragedy should still be tone-appropriate. Speaking of Shakespeare, I actually think the Foolamancer is one of the better jokes in the comic for that very reason.

Arthur Miller once commented that the greatest tragic flaw was for a character to have a different view of himself than does the world. The tragic hero, in Miller's eyes, chooses to be destroyed rather than conform to the world's expectations.

I agree to the effect that I think the various characters, particularly Sizemore, are very well written, but again, I think the particular arch that they're going through may not be appropriate when it's going on alongside dancing vampires and bubblegum-breathing dragons. I mean, hell, the header at the top of this page right now describes Erfworld as a "fantasy-comedy webcomic". Sizemore losing his soul really kiboshes the funny, I think you'll agree.

The overall style of the story obviously juxtaposes cute and comical trappings with grim and serious events. I don't think the purpose of that juxtaposition is anything as simplistic as "finger-wagging" at gamer culture.

Well, I wasn't really talking about the artistic style so much as the changing tone of the comic. Early on the deaths were gags, and often those being killed were strange, funny, or absurd figures such as giant teddy bears, living peeps, or pink dragons. Gradually that tone has shifted to more graphic depictions of violence against more realistic characters. Speaking just for myself, I find this trend to be manipulative, lulling the reader into thinking that they're reading one thing and then suddenly dropping something altogether different (and unpleasant) into their lap.

There are all kinds of "funny". It reminds me a bit of the gallows humor in one of my favorite movies (Dr. Strangelove).

Yeah, I dig Strangelove too. Things like the "PK" sound effect and the key lime pie line seems like tone-appropriate black humor to me, but stuff like Parson's "Hosed" tangent clashes with that. You'll note again that tone is the key here; in "Dr. Strangelove" the violence is always played for laughs, but in Erfworld sometimes it's a joke and sometimes it's very dark. It's not clear what the comic is trying to do.

But I've never had as strong a reaction as you seem to be having now. Is that a good or bad thing? I don't know. I do understand your point. Sometimes a movie, story, comic, whatever makes you feel uncomfortable experiencing it although other people are comfortable with it. Punch Drunk Love and Tie Me Up Tie Me Down are examples for me. I was thoroughly uncomfortable through both though the person with me wasn't. On the other hand, I can sit though The Seven Beauties and love it though I'm revolted at the same time. I know people who can't see it all the way through.

It's not the discomfort that bothers me, it's the lack of clarity in what the comic is trying to do. It feels like the authors are trying to set us up by presenting amusing, farcical, and lighthearted fare one minute and then sucker-punching us the next. And, as noted, the big problem with that is that it's not clear why, what their intent is, what the message (if any) is supposed to be etc. As a result, the material seems aimless, gratuitous, and mean. I don't think that's really the authors intent, but at this point I feel pretty lost by the whole thing.

I really liked Erfworld at one point, and in many ways I still do. When Erfworld is funny, it's really funny. When it's dark, it's very dark. But as the material becomes more extreme its disassociated nature is becoming a bigger and bigger problem, in my eyes, and it's pretty late in the game now to be still trying to find direction.