Endtown by Aaron Neathery for July 12, 2013

Yep. that’s Aaron Marx, alright.

This guy seems over the top, even for AM. Something is very odd here…

And The Ministry of Silly Walks comes to Endtown. I hope that this goes somewhere and doesn’t become just Aaron Marx wandering around “fixing” things.

To quote Queen Victoria from ‘The New Adventures of Queen Victoria’: ‘We are not Amused!’

Is it time for an exodus? Might there be tunnels still accessable in Sparkplug’s old city? People have suggested that maybe Endtown is running out of food. Maybe that’s true and it’s time to leave, satellite or no satellite.

Oh silly rats! You should have Closed your eyes! Now they are truckin’ and trippin’ and looking extremely silly.Their legs just got long too, but he must have made sure that Velda and Jake had their eyes closed. A dark and disappointing thing that he did to the rats. Even if they do look hilarious.

Well at least as long as they are like this it should keep them out of trouble. Better that getting their heads blown off.

Yeah, add me to the chorus: totally underwhelmed that this guy came back.

I am humbled. I was wrong. I appologize for sending out a tornado of doubt. All goes as it does. periodBlessings

Marx: “Now, everyone get into the elevators down to the colony.”Jake: “I love this part! Let’s watch!”Velda: “Later, I gotta do my nails.”

“This isn’t the jackrabbit you’re looking for.”

I wasn’t sure this was Marx until now. But there is no doubt about it, the trickster is back. Darn!

The last time this happened the doc came to save the day but will he this time?

Now I’m scratching my head, wondering. Word Of God tells us that character definitely is Marx. So what the heck is he playing at? The only thing I can think of now is to agree with the others who have pointed out that the food is running out and that using mutant by-products for food will at least extend their survival time. Perhaps that’s what Marx is aiming for?

“That’s one way to solve the Mouse Problem.”

“You mean the rat problem.”

“No, I mean Mouse Problem.”

“Look, I didn’t come here for an argument…”

Is Marx’s version of “the greater good” just a euphemism for his own personal private amusement? What’s his angle? I can say for one thing tho, the milk three wont be executed. His cheese may be slipping off his cracker but no one was ever actually harmed or allow to be harmed. Watch out AM, JJ is very manipulative and shady. May want your bling for himself

Aargh, Whiplash!!!

Don’t know what’s going on here, but it HAS to be something more than what it appears to be. Aaron is simply better than this. Color me confused, but still hopeful.

I agree.

I’m REALLY hoping there’s a good angle to what he’s doing

So, what’s next, the “Dead Parrot” Sketch, or the “Fish-Slapping Dance” Sketch? Also, I’m not sure which Endtowner would be more upset, the parrot or the fish.

Just out of curiosity, are there auctions still going on?

I’m not sure what Aaron Neathery is up to but this does feel a little disappointing. I suspect that Aaron N has a soft spot in his heart for Marx and it sometimes blinds him a bit. Mind you it does create a bit of mystery here. What is Aaron Marx doing with Jacob Jackrabbit? He may enjoy toying with the Rats a bit but his original appearance was anything but happy. He seems to have decided that he has some good reason to support Jacob but he seems anything but happy about it. Maybe it is just the food issue (Jacob may have more supporters than Allgood but most of the town is uneasy about eating mutant products) but I suspect it may be something more.In any case I’m hanging in there. Marx redeemed himself in the Flaskback story, he may do the same here.

Folks,I for one use to do it. So I do mean this for myself. I am one of the more guilty ones.It is fun but after a while you can get to taking this way to seriously.One time I was advised by friends here to take a step back, take a deep breath. Its a story plain and simple.We can pick at it till we wear out our pickers.This universe, that universe, this Marx, that Marx, Deus Ex, Occam’s Razor, what is the meaning, are Twinkies really coming back. (Maybe DingDongs and HoHos!!!)Let the author tell the story.Sure we can analyze this till we wear out our brains but are we missing something?The joy of being told a really ripping story. I feel better when I let the inner child look at this and laugh with glee at Marx and what his doing now.That is about how as much I am going to analyze today.I mean Silly Walks??? You got admit that is funny.

I’ll admit that you could call this splitting hairs, but in the countdown arc, AM didn’t actually save Wally, Holly, Linda & Flask. The salvage ship was running on autopilot at the time it picked them up. AM’s contribution was to conceal the event from the TSers by using the dittos. Now he did intervene by rigging the gun to kill Flask, but she was his primary target anyway. The whole point of his entry into the story was to provide the vehicle for Flask’s backstory presentation. W, H & L were “colatteral salvage” if you will. The whole point of that arc was to wrap up Flask and (secondarily) to provide backstory for Wally. I would withhold judgement on whether or not this has become a farce until everything has played out. It’s hard to see the “big picture” when the details are revealed at such an agonizingly slow pace. You may think I’m full of it and that’s your perogative, but I believe Endtown has always been a very complex tapestry being woven right before our eyes. Sometimes the details seem out of place because we cannot yet see how the fit into the overall pattern. I have faith that, by the time all the pieces are finally in place, the true extent of Aaron’s vision and the grandure of the Endtown saga will be evident to all. ;-)

Let’s see…Aaron Marx makes a reappearance, Endtown is in riots, the High Council’s whereabouts are unknown, Jake Jackrabbit and Velda have mounted a coup d’etat, the Security Rats have been disabled in the middle of a counter-coup, Allgood’s life hangs by a thread, and Holly, Maude, and Linda are still imprisoned somewhere.#Yup. What a way to fill out a weekend.

Well, after about 2 months, I still have no clue what is going on. I guess i have to go way back in the archives.

One of the things with Aaron Marx resurfacing here…well, back when I first encountered him standing on the rail of the deck of the Opabinia Queen, I didn’t know Aaron from Adam. (I hadn’t encountered Endtown or Mr. Neathery before running across the strip on goComics.) He was just a guy who seemed to have these odd powers, a deux ex machinia (if I’m spelling that right), someone who got the main characters out of a bad jam, got them into other troubles, and played well in subsequent plot points till he was last seen finishing a conversation with the Oracle. (His role in Flask’s Story in particular proved utterly unpredictable and fascinating.)#Now, things are different, when Aaron Marx morphed into view, I already knew him, knew what he was capable of, what he could do. What he’s up to here, why he seems to be backing Jake Jackrabbit and Velda, I can’t say and can’t even guess…which will make for an interesting next week, I hope.

It makes no difference to me how you feel about Endtown, that’s not the point. Nothing appeals to everyone. What I was saying was that the whole point of the Countdown arc was to wrap up the Flask character and AM was the vehicle Aaron used to do that. To say that the story is hurt by his existance makes no sense because without him the story would not be the story. The story is neither helped or hurt by his existance, only your opinion of the story is. If Aaron told the story differently, it would be a different story. The story is the story, take it or leave it if you will, but wishing it were different is irrelevant.

Keep in mind, if Marx is on the bad guy’s side, he can’t be 100% infallible. He’s got to have an exploitable weakness or there’s no story anymore. If Endtown is to survive Jake’s coup, someone else has to stand up against him, and that means someone has to take down Marx. I’m betting that that’s going to be Wally, who may be looking for payback following his treatment on the ship.

I am still leery of Jack being the voice of reason here….

I just noticed they have no tails. Did they all have the Flask reaction?

I mean the Underground, don’t know why I keep calling it a forum. Oh well………be there and bring your thinking cap. For those who like well rounded discussions.

One curious point is that Jacob definitely seemed to have a strong dislike for those Endtowners who did not seem to mutate, like Al or Maude’s husband. Now he’s depending on the support of a godlike person who appears human. Curious.

Open reason why Jacob and Marx are working together.Dimensionometer.If it works on Rats it would probably work on angry Rabbits.Do it this way and show no fear.May explain why Jacob “grew a pair” as said the other day.Not done to Velda. It is why she flinched. She does not know.Marx has been running the show using Jacob.I have dwelled on this for about a week.Remember the Art work on Jacob sitting on the stool.Think of the ventriloquist with his “dummy”.Jacob is the dummy. Marx is the ventriloquist.Amazing his mouth does not even move.

Quite simple the way I now look at it.Marx is the ventriloquist. Jacob the puppet.Think Dimensionometer and its current usage.Marx needs a “front” man. Jacob fits the bill.Remember Jacob had very little backbone when times got rough. Would you think he had the guts to face down a gun? With Marx help to “suggest” he can do this. Well there you are.Think back on Jacob art on the stool. I kept thinking why a stool. Then it dawned. Ventriloquists use a stool. Jacob is the “dummy” on the stool for Marx to use.It is simple.Velda does not know. All she sees is a more confident Jacob. Helped by Marx “suggestions” and his little device.The silly walking gave it away. If Marx could do that could he not get Jacob the way he is now?

I hadn’t thought of that. When I saw the drawing of Jacob on the stool my first thought was somebody had to help him up there. Turns out it was Marx.

Veteran,I don’t think Marx hypnotized Jacob. My recollection of dimensionometer hypnotism suggests that its effects are anything but subtle. The hypnotized become glassy eyed and somewhat zombie like. Think of the Rats in today’s strip or the one where Wally and Holly were released from their cell and saw the rats doting on Marx. Jacob, by contrast appears to be clear eyed and in control. If this is Marx’s work it is far more subtle than we had expected. I’m guessing the reason Jacob “grew a pair” is that he believes he has Marx’s full support and understand’s enough of Marx’s power that he feels invincible. Imagine how you would feel if you walked into a situation wearing hyper advanced body armor that would repel any firearm round known to man, including so called “armor piercing” bullets. You would probably feel much calmer and more in control than you would if you had no protection whatsoever. At least that’s how I see it.

If Aaron Marx truly had godlike powers, he could un-mutate everyone in Endtown. So his powers lie somewhat below that level…

Although Marx seems to be with Jacob, the timing seems not to point to Marx helping him pull this off. Marx was on the Opabinia Queen for some of Jacob’s/Algood’s machinations. Also, Marx’s reaction to Endtown when he saves everyone by pulling them through the hole in the air and does the “no place like home” thing seemed genuine. We find later that he “started” this Endown (and others); but he doesn’t live in the continuity of each. He just visits. So…“I’m watching and I’m waiting but I’m hoping for the best” (to quote a Frank Zappa lyric)

oh come on! Every time you guys start complaining about where Aaron’s taking the story, he broadsides you with something you weren’t expecting.

Stop complaining and anticipating, and just enjoy the strip.

I dunno about all this. Superficially, this all could be a wheels within wheels story in which the full truth of the matter is still to be revealed. Or, the Artist has jumped the shark a bit. While I’ve got a lot of emotional investment in how the story seems to have been going so far, the Artist’s grand vision may go off on a tangent that I wouldn’t expect. Is it a matter of shark-jumping, a brain fart (no one is immune), or simply an unexpected personal twist that might make perfect sense to the Artist’s over-arching scheme, even as it has his audience scratching their heads?I’ve done stuff that has fallen into each of these categories myself, and had the added handicap of not always knowing what I was doing half the time. I hope/guess we’ll soon find out what the Artist is up to, ‘cause I don’t have a clue as to what he’s doing at the moment.

who introduced "Schism syndrome? was it in the story or did a reader say it 1st? Just curious! What does it mean, I think I know, but I can be wrong sometimes.

Thank you Jayce.

Steve, there have been several past occasions in Endtown when the plot has taken such a sudden, unexpected course that it looked fundamentally lost. Each time, it has turned out to make sense once we understood the over-arching universe, and each time, once all the pieces had been finally revealed and put in place, the end result in my opinion has been strong, good and more than satisfying. Writers can all have their stumbles, but Aaron Neathery has my vote as a writer with an excellent track record. He has never let me down with a flimsy cop-out; no, he’s a damn fine story crafter, one of the best I’ve ever seen. On that basis, even though I don’t understand this latest twist of events, I’m prepared to trust him in any direction he takes and go with him where he may go. I have confidence this whole narrative arc will be well worth the journey. Occasional distress and dismay notwithstanding.Endtown is a bizarre, perceptive, rich and unusual comic. It’s not typical, and it can never be the product everyone wants. Not everyone will be into it. No reader should be derided for not having a taste for it, and for those who don’t like it, there are a huge number of other comics out there to be enjoyed. What I will always stand by is that Endtown has merit, real literary merit, as judged by the applicable measures. There are many things you cannot depend on about Endtown, but there is one thing you CAN depend on: Mister Neathery is very good at what he does. Trust him, read on and become amazed.

witchspell63 “Just out of curiosity, are there auctions still going on?”’. I believe some prints are available at a very attractive price of $20 plus shipping. aaronneatherygmail.com may still have some original strips at the usual price.Can everyone do me a favor and make sure the donate sites at the auction site at Wordpress and at endtown.com and at aaronneathery.org still work. Just try with $5 or $10 or $50 or whatever would help our favorite struggling artist.aaronneathery.org has past stories if anyone were interested.Thanks,JusSayin

Remember to vote ea rly and often for Endtown and DocRat. Vote ENDTOWN Vote ENDTOWN first generation Vote Doc Rat

Thanks Again,JusSayin

HAPPY BASTILLE DAY

I wonder how far back Marx has been meddling with the histories of Endtown. He’s been watching the alternate timelines long before he showed up to question Flask’s motives, and in at least one dimension he and Flask built the foundation for Endtown. He may be responsible for the creation of this Endtown too, and possibly the End itself. He has godlike powers, and might have been playing god with Endtown all along.

Before this passes, I want to congratulate the Security Rats on their transfer to the Ministry of Silly Walks…

Once again, point taken. Endtown experiments with how to tell a story. Usually, the experiments work, but it’s great we’re discussing the stronger and weaker points of the results. The thing is that I really believe the experiments are being done by a mature and skilled storyteller, not a school kid, so the experiments are worth sticking around for. I’ve found that whenever I’ve felt let down that the explanations I’d been waiting for weren’t forthcoming, and the story transported into a strange new chapter, what I’d lost was at least compensated for by a new thing I’d gained. I note your views about Aaron Marx. He’s not an easy character to get close to. He could become too much like a magical “Get out of jail free” card. That’s what people worry about. I’ve gotten to know more about him over the long course of the story. All I can say is this type of character has a great risk of spoiling a story if handled poorly. When handled well, he can be fascinating. We’ll see. Neathery has gone all-in in this poker game. We’ll see.I trust Neathery as a truly great writer. But I must admit he’s giving me the willies.

By the way, I LOVE the face shape of the rats in panel 1.

Thank you John Gleese.