The Stick Awards II: Second Edition (#0881 - #0890)

[Porthos]

Welcome to The Stick Awards II: Second Edition! :smallsmile:

The Stick Awards are handed out to the best strips of all time as chosen by our fellow Playgrounders.

This week we are covering the comic strips 881 through 890.

For full details about the Stick Awards, please check out the main thread here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=283609).

To read more about the original Stick Awards, created by Nazzo, the 102nd, please read his thread here. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34791)

To vote in this thread, simply state which comic of the ten listed is your favorite. Bolding the number of the comic (Like this) helps it stand out.

Voting for this week will close on July 1st, 4pm EDT. Any votes made after that will NOT count toward the totals.

Last time, :durkon: 877 The Bright Side (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0877.html) came to its final resting place, or so it thought. Unbeknownst to it, it would soon rise again and to hunger for the blood found in the Best of the Hundred tournament.

...

...

Best not to overly dwell on such possibilities, I think. Instead, let us celebrate happier news. That being that the next set of strips represents a milestone of sorts. Namely that this little competition of comparing strip vs strip has now caught up to the part of the comic that was live when the second incarnation of the Stick Awards launched a little over two years ago (Comic #888, for those curious).

So why not celebrate this occasion by taking part in what we do best here. Namely voting for one of the following to win....

.THE STICK AWARDS II: 0881 - 0890

881 Temporary Weakness (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0881.html)
882 It's a Boy! (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0882.html)
883 Fiend Swap (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0883.html)
884 Credits and Deductions (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0884.html)
885 Silence is Golden (Or At Least Electrum) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0885.html)
886 Victory Comes From Within (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0886.html)
887 Happy Ending (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0887.html)
888 Dream Wedding (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0888.html)
889 Get Real (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0889.html)
890 Dream Free (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0890.html)

[Haley14859]

I really like strip #881. It shows that Belkar is needed and helpful in his own way and it also annoys Roy into continuing. So I vote strip 881.

[Mordae]

881. That Belkar, as stone cold as he is sexy.

[Euclidodese]

It's close between 886 and 881, there's so much awesome in both... Admittedly the 886-awesome was imaginary-awesome, but awesome nonetheless. But as they say in that film about immortal Scottish warriors (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highlander_(film)) in which Sean Connery inexplicably plays a Spanish guy: 'There can be only one.'

So I'm picking 881.

[Gift Jeraff]

#889 with special mentions to #s 881, 883, and 887.

[Jaxzan Proditor]

The illusion strips are all pretty awesome strips, despite what others may call them. However, #881 remains my favorite of this lot.

[D.One]

The spiral illusion from #887 and the breaking of the illusion from #889 are great, but the emotions in #881 - Temporary Weakness top them all.

[Emperordaniel]

#890 Dream Free.


You may take our strips, but you'll never take...

OUR FREEDOM!!!

[littlebum2002]

881

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g68/Cats_Are_Aliens/Banners/Belkar_zps51162e92.png Hurting people is the only thing I'm good at.

[Domino Quartz]

889, for an awesome moment from Elan.

[Emanick]

I thought #889 was going to run away with it and #881 was going to be the underdog. Looks like I had things backward.

Anyway, this is tough, because cumulatively, I think the illusion sequence is stronger than 881. But it's weaker in individual segments. So I'm going for 881: Temporary Weakness.

[thatSeniorGuy]

Dang, I really want to go for 887's fantastic panel layout, but 889 beats it out.

[Elenna]

Wow, so many great strips in this book. I'm picking 889 over 881 for the sole reason that I like Elan better than Belkar. Which has nothing much to do with the actual quality of the strips, but I really couldn't decide between them.

Also, a shout out to 884. I love V's logic in there, but unfortunately it just can't compete with the other two.

[Timy]

889 and blah blah blah blah for post length

[declinator]

I'm torn between 881 and 889. But in the end I'll have to go with Elan's shining moment in 889 over Belkar's. So that's that.

[kivzirrum]

There are two absolutely perfect strips in this run, as far as I'm concerned, and those are 881 and 889. Possibly the finest two strips this comic has ever done, at least as far as character development goes. I'm really at a loss to decide. Roy's emotional turmoil is heartbreaking, and Belkar's final line in 881 cuts me real deep. I feel so much for both of them. And Elan's self-realization in 889 is a moment of such growing up... I really don't know which one to choose :smalleek:

Since I can't pick between my favorite character's lowest point or my other favorite character's highest, I guess Belkar has to be the tiebreaker. In a way, his speech in 881 is probably the most heroic thing he's ever done. It feels wrong to not say both are my favorite, because they are, but for the sake of "there can be only one," I'll have to cast a vote for 881.

[kivzirrum]

It's close between 886 and 881, there's so much awesome in both... Admittedly the 886-awesome was imaginary-awesome, but awesome nonetheless. But as they say in that film about immortal Scottish warriors (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highlander_(film)) in which Sean Connery inexplicably plays a Spanish guy: 'There can be only one.'

So I'm picking 881.

Oh crap, I didn't even realize someone else already made a Highlander reference. Well now I just feel silly.

[Mike Havran]

:nale: Durkon? You vampirized Durkon?? That's hilarious!!
#882

[Killer Angel]

881 is really really good... but 889 is slightly better. Sorry, Belkar.

[Xihirli]

Temporary Weakness.

[Domino Quartz]

Temporary Weakness.

You should quote and bold the number in your post so it's clearer which strip you're voting for.

[Bird]

Still none for 887, huh? It's a competitive batch, but for me, unconventional panel layout makes for the most memorable page.

[Sylian]

881. Character development for Belkar and an awesome and very touching strip in general. Great follow up for 880.

[ChristianSt]

I like 881 and 890, but I can't resist 887 - Happy Ending. Luckily it wasn't an actual ending but an illusion, so instead of the last strip we have a visually fantastic strip without a single word.

[GuySmiley1970]

Tough choice, but 881 for me.

P.S. Voting closes on June 31??

[Domino Quartz]

P.S. Voting closes on June 31??

Er..yes. June has only 30 days.

[Porthos]

Tough choice, but 881 for me.

P.S. Voting closes on June 31??


Er..yes. June has only 30 days.

My mistake, I was in a mad rush and blindly plugged in Prior Date + 7 without stopping to think.

Apologies and fixed. :smallsmile:

[Killer Angel]

Still none for 887, huh? It's a competitive batch, but for me, unconventional panel layout makes for the most memorable page.

887 is really good, yeah.
BTW, it's interesting to see that, in the "dream", they didn't kill Redcloack...

[LadyEowyn]

881 is a strong strip, but 889 is even better, with a big step forward in character development and maturity for Elan.

[martianmister]

887 Happy Ending

886 and 887 are the best of the bunch.

[Nateyob]

I was gonna say that 887 was the best for the awesome layout, but after reading these again, I have to say that 889 was the best. Elan is my favorite character, and seeing him realize the truth about his family is heartbreaking. Although Belkar is amazing in 881.

[nogall]

excellent character development (881) or great storytelling & innovative design (887)?

881, if only for Belkar's (hurtful and truthful) punchline!

[Porthos]

Damn. The strips in the 800-900 batch might just be some of the best, most consistent, work of the strip. Sure, there are higher peaks in previous sets. But here, it's damn difficult to choose just one. I count no less than five strips that are deserving of my vote and one of them (886) has been completely shut out here. I find that somewhat shocking, actually. But like most, I think my vote is going to come down between 881 and 889, with 886 being a bronze winner for me, personally.

In the end, while Elan's self-realization is a landmark moment for him and his relationships with both Roy and Tarquin, I have to go for 881. It's just that powerful.

Mind, the "Song of FREEDOM" was a great gag, and I'm glad it got a vote. But not enough for me to actually give it a second one, I'm afraid.

And with that....

VOTING IS NOW CLOSED!

:belkar: 881 Temporary Weakness (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0881.html) is the winner this week. It now moves on to the Best of the Hundred tournament.

Full Results are as follows

........THE STICK AWARDS II: 0881 - 0890



Comic Number
Votes Received
Vote Percentage





881

13

48.15





882

1

3.70





883

0

0.00





884

0

0.00





885

0

0.00





886

0

0.00





887

3

11.11





888

0

0.00





889

9

33.33





890

1

3.70




Please join us for the next round of voting for Strips #891 - #900 which can be found here. :smallsmile: