How far do you have to be in the comic to read the prequels?

[Loki_42]

Hello everyone.

I recently got a friend of mine into OoTS, and they want to read Start of Darkness and On the Origin of PCs, but I want them to be spoiler free. The prequels reveal information that is better revealed in the main comic, and I want them to have the optimal reading experience. So, about how far in the online comic do you have to be to read the prequels at the optimal moment.

[hamishspence]

I'd say Origin of PCs can work after strip 300 easily- and Start of Darkness can work after strip 484.

[Seppl]

I would say 294 for both. If you read to 400 you also get a nice closure for many plotlines.

[Gift Jeraff]

I say Origins goes best between #189 and 190 or #197 and 198. SoD after #484.

[Mando Knight]

Start of Darkness was first published in '07, and references a few things shown after Roy bought the farm.

On the Origin of PCs references pretty much nothing that isn't covered in Dungeon Crawlin' Fools, and was published in '05.

[factotum]

Given that Rich has been quite careful to ensure that you don't need any knowledge from the prequels to enjoy the main strips, I'd say you could read Origins at more or less any time...in fact, reading it immediately before the first strip would make sense to me, because they follow on directly from each other chronologically. (Yes, you get a mild spoiler about Haley's dad, but nothing that really causes a big issue, IMHO).

The big spoiler in SoD is Redcloak's story about the Snarl, so I wouldn't think reading that before the courtroom scene in Azure City is a good idea. I would personally suggest putting it between #421 and #422, though, if only because it makes Redcloak's whispered "This one's for you, Mom" in the latter strip more evocative.

[Whiffet]

If we group strips by books, then put On the Origin of PCs after Dungeon Crawlin' Fools and put Start of Darkness after No Cure for the Paladin Blues. Either one can wait, of course. That's just if you want to read them as soon as possible. You may want to wait for SoD if you want Eugene being unable to continue to the afterlife to be a surprise, but that's it.

[King of Nowhere]

otootpc contains the information that haley must get 200k gp to free her dad. that's not in dcf, as it's revealed around strip 130.
i'd say the best moment for both is after no cure for the paladin't blue.
redcloak's actions in the next book will make much more sense after sod.

[Jay R]

You posted this 3 1/2 hours ago. Hasn't he caught up yet? I certainly read all the way through when I found it.

(Of course, that was all the way through about 300.)

[B. Dandelion]

It would appear there isn't any such thing as an objectively "optimal" time...

For myself, I read both almost immediately after War and XPs. Origin could have been read much earlier -- any time after 131 would be fine -- Start of Darkness I thought worked very well at the point I did get to it, particularly for its portrayal of Redcloak and Xykon's alliance. Up through the end of War and XPs, you get a very different feeling out of it than you do after SoD, and DStP and beyond start hewing far more closely to SoD's presentation. Thus WaXPs->SoD->DSTP flows rather naturally, while (IMO) SoD->WaXPs->DStP winds up bouncing you back and forth.

[Porthos]

I don't know how much you care about "authorial intent", but IIRC, it was intended that OtOoPCs was read after this strip (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0131.html) as that is supposed to be a surprise to the reader (i.e. Haley in fact has a reason for her greed*). If the reader already knows about it, then the strip might lose some of its punch (for the record, again IIRC, OtOoPCs came out some time in the 200-220 strip period well after that comic).

* Well, sorta. It's complicated. :smalltongue:

As for SoD, it was intended to be read during the Battle for Azure City arc, as that is when it came out. But, realistically, I would say anytime after the Miko v Redcloak (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0376.html) strips and anytime before this strip where Redcloak has an epiphany (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0451.html) about what he is doing in regards to the hobgoblins he is leading.

But, really, that's probably a tad complicated. So reading both prequels after NCftPB is probably optimal.

[Dr.Epic]

I'd say Origin of PCs can work after strip 300 easily- and Start of Darkness can work after strip 484.

Sooner than that. Origins can be read by 150: once Haley's letter is shown in comic. SoD can be read any time after the Gates are explained in comic.

[Morgan Wick]

If you don't want to be given any spoilers at all, I honestly don't think SoD is entirely spoiler-free until after 830 at least, if it's even spoiler-free yet at all. It completely recontextualizes the entire comic and every one of Xykon and Redcloak's appearances in it, and 830 has a lot more impact if (http://webcomics.morganwick.com/2012/01/also-contribute-to-richs-kickstarter-drive-and-hasten-the-day-i-get-any-collections-of-the-online-comics-other-than-the-first-if-i-had-money-id-contribute-just-to-get-the-bonus-story/) you haven't read SoD (http://webcomics.morganwick.com/2012/01/richs-kickstarter-became-the-most-funded-kickstart-in-the-history-of-the-comics-category-in-two-days/).

[Jay R]

You need to have read SoD before Tsukiko starts calling Redcloak "Wrong-Eye", if you want to understand what it means.

[Morgan Wick]

You need to have read SoD before Tsukiko starts calling Redcloak "Wrong-Eye", if you want to understand what it means.

Not everything that's a reference to a prequel necessarily requires that you have read that prequel, and in fact "Wrong-Eye" works surprisingly well as an inducement to read SoD. I could make a case that Origins should be read after DStP, though I do think the Thieves' Guild sequence in the latter works better if read after the one in the former.

[CharityB]

True, but you probably won't understand why that would hurt Redcloak's feelings without reading the prequels. The plot still works, but the prequel knowledge really adds something to the scene.

[Tev]

OOTS has tons of stuff you easily miss when you read it for first time, and many scenes have a lot more depth when you know the stuff from prequels . . .

So for most value squeezed out of it I'd say read entire online comic, then again with prequels included. Second time reading will definitely be worth it, but it's very time consuming, and best done after a while.

The most efficient way is to read prequels right away, and continue with main story . . . but you will miss a lot of emotional impact some revelations in main comic have, and you're going to lose a lot of details (and there are MANY (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=203505) of them)

Anything in between is sort of compromise between the two (further you go w/o prequels, more you miss and re-reading will be better for understanding everything) with kind of linear scaling + a few jumps in it already noted ITT

[Dr.Epic]

If you don't want to be given any spoilers at all, I honestly don't think SoD is entirely spoiler-free until after 830 at least, if it's even spoiler-free yet at all. It completely recontextualizes the entire comic and every one of Xykon and Redcloak's appearances in it, and 830 has a lot more impact if (http://webcomics.morganwick.com/2012/01/also-contribute-to-richs-kickstarter-drive-and-hasten-the-day-i-get-any-collections-of-the-online-comics-other-than-the-first-if-i-had-money-id-contribute-just-to-get-the-bonus-story/) you haven't read SoD (http://webcomics.morganwick.com/2012/01/richs-kickstarter-became-the-most-funded-kickstart-in-the-history-of-the-comics-category-in-two-days/).

SoD came out long before strip 830. A lot of people have read SoD before they read strip 830. Strip 830 is a very recent. It doesn't really spoil anything. If we're going to these such lengths, why not just saw don't read any of the prequels until the entire comic is finished.

[Whiffet]

The comic spoils the prequel stories. You may as well just skip the online comic if you don't like spoiling the prequels. :smallwink: