Endtown by Aaron Neathery for August 21, 2015

So unlike Holly…There is something afoot – well, not Clyde, anyway..

Naive and uncultured, sure, but Kirbee isn’t unintelligent. After their last two party members, having someone who, A) isn’t a likely candidate of schizm syndrome, and B) has no real agenda, and C) takes the lives of others into consideration of her actions, Kirbs would be a very welcome member to their merry band of adventurers.

On the other hand, this situation does stand a good chance of driving a wedge between Holly and Wally. Just wait for the “you need to choose which of us is more important to you” speech she delivers to Wally in a few days.

Who knows better? Wally, who spent six some post-apocalyptic years out in the wilderness, or Holly, who spent most of those same years in Endtown?

I am certain I did not cover everything, and at least half what I said is probably wrong. I did not mean to kill the thread. Carry On, JusSayin

Anyone else note that Kirbee spent days above ground, without the dittos to help her, and avoided being discovered (and the colony) by topsiders? That’s gotta count for something.

If anybody wants a refresher for just before Holly and Wally left Endtown, maybe July 30, 2013 ~ Holly at the Clocktower may be a good place to go Back in Time.

If he’d seen how slow she was during the firestorm… he might reconsider such generosity. Afterall, one thing they’ve learned is that although kindness can be an asset… stupidity kills.

Kirbee is at the cosmic fool, the idiot with the charmed life, who blunders into situations and causes a ruckus for everyone else. Yes, of COURSE she’ll be a problem. She’s a good-hearted, simple soul, but she’s not empathic to others’ needs. She’s quite socially blind. She shoulders burdens stoically and pointlessly, can’t see any big picture and doesn’t bond with loyalty. She may and will be a loose cannon on deck.

This just isn’t the same Holly who stowed away on the Countdown mission. She started to show more of an edge in her dealings with Linda (before the trial) then went full blown crackers after the trial. The first great Endtown quest was to allow Justine to re-discover her humanity through self sacrifice. This one may very well be to provide a similar healing for Holly. She was obviously hurting when she arrived in Endtown (as evidenced by her time in the clock tower). It had taken several years (perhaps under Doc’s watchful eye) to get her to the place where we met her. The events we have witnessed since that time have apparently shown that the healing process was not complete, and when pushed to extremes by multiple near death experiences, the (figurative) stitches have pulled loose. Who and what she will be from now on hangs in the balance. While she once provided a starting point for Wally’s recovery, I’m afraid Wally will need to come up with much more than a game of “cat & mouse” to get Holly’s feet on the road to redemption. ;-)

Well said, Wally.

Would it not be interesting if Chic, living in the walls, may have overheard info about surrounding colonies and their locations? Also it looks like Chic and Kirbee are bonding.

The readers are getting reasons to like Kirbee. And not like Holly as much. This shows good writing. Characters have all sorts of dimensions. Though I fear that the more we get to like and know Kirbee, the more we are being set up for her eventual martyrdom. There may be no Kirbee in the future because she will go out doing something great (but losing her life) to save the group. Tears ahead.

Her face in panel 3 shows that she not only doesn’t want to hear what he is saying, but that she Can’t" See it his way. Both refusal to see it and possibly an unwillingness to Try to See it.She may be having a premenition though.Her charming lack of social and even practical applications means she could make a serious mistake.On the other hand she very well may save their skins in several ways, being familiar with the territory.May depend on what else she might say about snipes. That could have been a rare but occasional food source.

how weird is it to have to wander across a post apocalyptic wasteland with a ditz like her?

People fall in and out of love, and relationships change. We may be seeing Wally become disillusioned with Holly and discovering Kirbee as a truer love.

But then, the last panel reminds me of the scene in “Paul” where Paul resurrects a bird…

I fear Holly’s horrendous treatment during The Milk Trial took more of a toll on her than we realize. I remember when she was far more compassionate.That, combined with how the lizards treated her (remember when she and Jim were crammed in carriers?), has hardened her heart.And now we have Kirbee, someone who is just as (if not more) compassionate as Holly used to be. I can’t help but sense a bit of jealousy lurking in Holly’s heart.…And jealousy can be quite ugly…

Holly has serious issues with the reptilians in general now.Not only were they thieving, murdering sadists, but they were the worst type of cannibal. The eggs had to be almost fully developed to recognize the species. A real horror to someone who has lost a baby.

I agree with TSOJ.Holly wanted to go topside for a great adventure and escape Endtown. Now they have extra baggage. The kid she don’t mind. Kirbee she does. This is her “adventure” and she does not want to share it especially with Kirbee.As long as the dittos support them, our weird little family group will be alright. Wally is going to be occupied with insuring survival as both Chic and Kirbee are naïve about situations up there. Holly is going to be a drain if she does not accept the fact. Time to pack up and move out. Hopefully the next settlement is not like Albion West…..I would guess Topsiders have not just been sitting around doing nothing.

So much for my theory. Oh well.

I have a feeling that Holly feels a little jaded after the whole Linda being a nice person bit that ended up with her and Maude in that cell with Linda for so long. She hasn’t been able to put it behind her yet.

I notice Holly’s not talking about cutting Chick and Irving loose. Seems they’re likely just as much trouble on the road as Kirbee would be.

And she could be a constant source of eggs.