The Stick Awards II: Second Edition (Best of the Thousand) [Semi #1]

[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.

The time has come to finally reach the The Best of the Thousand Tournament! Now we decide which of the strips really are the best of best of the best.

For full details about the Stick Awards, and any questions about them, 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 five listed is your favorite. Bolding the number of the comic (Like this) helps it stand out.

Voting, which only lasts five days during the Best of the Thousand Tournament will close on October 22nd, 4pm EDT. Any votes made after that will NOT count toward the totals.

The winner of this semi-final will go on to the finals which will be held after the second semi-final is done. The two strips that get the most votes during the semis that DIDN'T win, will also reach the finals. So voting is extra special important this time around, as it will determine who the 'Wild Card' entrants are.

Last time, :nale: 906 - Nothing Lasts Forever (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0906.html) culminated the plans it had set motion years earlier and finally achieved its moment of ultimate triumph: Making it to the Best of the Thousand tournament. Where it goes from here is yet to be seen.

And with that, the board is finally set. The pieces are ready to be moved. Nine hundred and ninety strips have been set aside, leaving ten in the spotlight. But no matter how hard the choosing may be, there can truly only be one. So let us judge which of the following deserves to be in our very own Final Four by voting in....

................THE STICK AWARDS II:
BEST OF THE THOUSAND TOURNAMENT
...............(Semi-Final #1)

90 - Consequences of a Failed Skill Check (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0090.html)
200 - The Confrontation (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0200.html)
298 - The Future is Forged in the Fires of Today (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0298.html)
367 - Innocent Man (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0367.html)
464 - Not for Everyone (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0464.html)

[Euclidodese]

Hey, I like water-coolers, anvils, offal and irritating Paladins dying as much as the next pokemon, but 200 gets my vote.

[Bird]

Wow, semifinals are here!

Nothing here even approaches 464 for me. The most honest & touching end possible for a highly controversial character.

[Jaxzan Proditor]

I feel that, while the others are good, only 464 is truly deserving of being the best of 1000. Also, super psyched to see that we've gotten this far!

[Emanick]

I have dreaded this day for years. :smalleek:

I think I'll listen to some other people's votes before choosing which strip to go for. It's such a difficult decision.

[Gift Jeraff]

The first half of the series was the funniest (so drama and/or action can get my vote in the second half), and there is not another strip that nails comedy down better than
#367

[ChristianSt]

Because the strip I would truly want for this first five hundreds strips isn't available to me (439) I will have to figure out something of this selection. "I GOT A 4!" and Thog's "not nale"-speech are two outstanding comedy strips, but I have the feeling that the more serious strips have much more impact (like 84, which I still think is a shame it lost so early) and such a strip deserves my vote here: 464 - Not for Everyone

(And yes, I know that 439 is not serious at all - but maybe my judgment is clouded by the overall awesomeness imposed by Belkar aka the sexy shoeless god of war)

[Emperordaniel]

#464 - Not for Everyone may not be for everyone, but it certainly is for me.

[ChillerInstinct]

Well, it's a fine crop, as to be expected from the supposed best of the best of the first half of the comic's run thus far.

And it's just as tough to pick just ONE. 90 was one of the finest moments of the first book, 200 is, to this day, one of the comic's best fight scenes, 298 set the stage for the following arc so well, 367 is one of the overall funniest in the comic's history, and 464 is quite possibly the most iconic death scenes in the comic so far, and with good reason.

So, I guess, I need to go through the process of elimination:

298 is, in my mind, easily the weakest of the bunch, which really does say a lot considering the accolade it's gunning for. Works great as a framing device and as the conclusion to an arc, but on its own, it just doesn't hold a candle to the rest.

90... eh. It's funny enough, and again it's one of the best moments from the first arc, but if I'm being entirely honest that really goes to show just how far OotS has come over the years. As much as "I ROLLED A 4!" has become one of the greatest in-jokes we've got... the strip itself just doesn't hold up nearly as well as the others.

So, that leaves three that I'm really mulling over. And, perhaps fittingly enough given the circumstances, they all stand as shining examples of entirely different facets of the comic's strengths. Awesome combat for 200, clever wordplay and humour with 367, and touching, good writing with 464. It really is the perfect trifecta, and perfect encapsulation of everything that was great about the first 500. Picking any one to win, or to discard, is gutwretchingly hard.

So, screw it, I'm going to be a munchkin and do my part to make sure all three make it to the finals, whether as wild-cards or as the winner of this round, and hope that I can make an easier decision when they're part of the final six.

And with that angle in mind... I've got a good feeling that 464 has this round bagged and tagged, so that leaves the other two, both of which have one vote as I type this...

...And of those two, I've got a gnawing feeling in my gut that 200 has the worst chance of making it in of the three, considering how beloved the Not-Nale joke is, so there it goes.

[Mandrake]

Yep, so many good strips (including those that did not make it this far).

For me, OotS kept getting better and better and I kept getting more and more immersed. The storyline, the art, the script (execution, in a sense), all of it. So I cast my vote for

#464

although I feel it is not a contestant for many 500+ strips.

[Dushara]

Funny, the choice among these strips is very clear to me. Though 464 is a very good strip, there are more touching strips in the latter five hundred. However, even when compared to the later strips, one of the best examples of a climactic battle is still 200.

[137beth]

Dang this is tough. It's almost like every one of these strips is near the best in their story arc!

I think I'm going to go with 464.

[ti'esar]

At last, the road to the final showdown has begun!

I don't have the slightest clue which of these I'm going to vote for yet, but I wanted to mention how pumped up I was anyway.

[DemonRoach]

#367 for sure.

[SamDerringer]

Many of those singled out are comedy gold, but I think I'm going with the conclusion's of Miko's story.

#464

[Emanick]

Upon reflection, I think I agree with Jift Geraff. 367: Innocent Man is just brilliant. It's a strong contender for the funniest OOTS strip of all time. It's so good that, as a wee youth, I read it (totally out of context) aloud to my parents and was astonished when they didn't laugh.

As an aside - yikes that was eight years ago. I was barely in high school then; now I'm a college grad. My, how the years have flown.

90, while magnificent, is (as has been said) more of an in-joke than a serious contender for Best Strip of All Time, though it probably wins Best OOTS In-Joke of All Time. 200 - ehhh, perhaps I've read it too often, but it no longer even comes across as one of the top five action strips of all time, IMO. 298 is merely excellent, not blisteringly brilliant. And 464 - I don't know, it just doesn't strike me as the OOTS-defining brilliance it ought to be in order to come away with the crown this time around.

[Tentreto]

Lets go for 464

[Killer Angel]

200 is am epic battle with great cliffhanger and Miko's "real" introduction
367 is a wonderful strip, with on of Thog's best moment
but 464 is the end of one the most controversial character (npc), and deserves the victory of this round.

[Vargtass]

464 it is, at least for me!

[Sylian]

464 wins by a large margin, with 200 taking second place.

[Laurana]

To be honest it's an incredibly disappointing set, to me.

None of these gets even remotely near my top 50 strips.

I guess I'll go with 464, which at least is meaningful. Soon is a great character, and it is a well done ending for Miko.

[serenetempest]

464 brought a fantastic end to Miko's character development, but 367 still makes me crack up when I go back and reread it, so it gets my vote.

[Mike Havran]

I like the second half more. Here, #464 has my vote.

[GuySmiley1970]

464 for me. Rest In Peace, Miko.

[thisisnotspam]

I vote for 367.

[Arvedui]

464 seems like it's going to win, which is completely understandable - it's a great one. But I'll cast my vote for 367. Along with the not-nale joke, there's just a beautiful sense of melancholy and sadness in that last panel, that it at least deserves second place here.

[Joerg]

Of these, I find 367 best. It's both extremely funny and great character development for Elan.

[Pigkappa]

464 is my favourite of these

[thatSeniorGuy]

Interesting to see which strips are up against each other.

I was going to go with Thog in 'Innocent Man', but Miko's death wins out. 464 it is.

[FLHerne]

298 ("The future is forged in the fires of today") has the best name ever, it's a great conclusion to its arc, but it's not all that good as an individual strip.

464 is perfect, but almost everyone already voted for it. :smallyuk:

So I'll go for 200: The Confrontation, because it's got the nice art, the detailed fight scene, and the start of a long-term plot. Detailed rules, without the silly jokes about them.

[Mordae]

367, because I'm reading about the Order of the Stick, not some B-list paladin antagonist. 464 was good for what it was, but 367 is about the point in the story where Elan becomes more character than caricature, and I find myself invested in his success.

I also highly suspect that both the wildcards will come from the other half, but that's just a suspicion at this point.

[nogall]

Great selection, representing a wide array of the Giant's abilities and why the OOTS is so great.
Still, it's a shame I can't vote for 449 and its Ghosts-martyrs.

I'm gonna go with 90, even though I'm pretty sure it won't win. But I think it best represents the goofy and very funny early strip that made so much people fall in love with the strip. Also, no such great comic should bow out with not a single vote to its name...

[Nazzo, the 102nd]

My little baby is all grown up! I'm so proud! :smallbiggrin:

Thank you, Porthos, for taking so good care of it. Who knew that little idea I had would someday reach the Best of the Thousand! Beautiful.

As for my vote... I would say it's a tough call between 298 and 367. Both have laughs, plot advancement and character development. But 367 wins it because Thog.

I'm happy to take part on the Awards, one last time, before it enters hibernation. Thank you all. :smallwink:

[LadyEowyn]

Voting for 367. It's hilarious, and it and 464 are easily the best of the bunch. I disagree with 464 on religious and philosophical grounds, so 367 it is.

[Rakoa]

Innocent Man.

I love watching Nale panic and squirm.

[antipodeF]

No contest. 464.

[davidbofinger]

#367 please. None of the others strike me as finals material.

[declinator]

I'm happy to see both 367 and 464 ahead (didn't count though, impressions could be misleading). I think the final winner will be picked from the lower half of the BoT line-up, and I think I do prefer the philosophical implications of Miko's end, so I'll vote for 464 without too many thoughts at the moment.

[Rowan Mikaio]

I think other people have summed up my reactions and reasons fairly well, so I'll just leave it at the fact that it's no contest and 464 is the best of the bunch.

[Jasdoif]

Sad that 301 didn't make it this far....464 for me.

[137beth]

I find it a mildly amusing coincidence that the Stick Awards and the Ultimate Linear Guild Tournament will be ending at roughly the same time. I didn't plan it that way--I couldn't, since the total number of matches and Phases in the ULGT wasn't fixed (pairings are determined by the outcomes of previous pairings).
Then again, there always seems to be some voting process going on in the OOTS forum. Before the ULGT, there was the Best OOTS Book tournament, the Favorite Relationships Tournament, Oppyu's giant tournament of characters, the favorite OOTS member tournament, and the favorite goblin from strip one, panel one tournament. So, maybe the fact that two voting events are ending within a couple weeks of each other isn't that strange.

[Porthos]

I find it a mildly amusing coincidence that the Stick Awards and the Ultimate Linear Guild Tournament will be ending at roughly the same time. I didn't plan it that way--I couldn't, since the total number of matches and Phases in the ULGT wasn't fixed (pairings are determined by the outcomes of previous pairings).

And here I thought you had a byzantine and complex masterplan benefiting the Linear Guild itself to cause it to turn out this way. :smallwink:

[DaggerPen]

464: Not For Everyone

[Mordae]

I find it a mildly amusing coincidence that the Stick Awards and the Ultimate Linear Guild Tournament will be ending at roughly the same time. I didn't plan it that way--I couldn't, since the total number of matches and Phases in the ULGT wasn't fixed (pairings are determined by the outcomes of previous pairings).
Then again, there always seems to be some voting process going on in the OOTS forum. Before the ULGT, there was the Best OOTS Book tournament, the Favorite Relationships Tournament, Oppyu's giant tournament of characters, the favorite OOTS member tournament, and the favorite goblin from strip one, panel one tournament. So, maybe the fact that two voting events are ending within a couple weeks of each other isn't that strange.

Gents, this simply means that we need to have a new thread:

The Ultimate Decide on the Next Voting Contest Tournament!

[Pyrous]

464 - Not for Everyone

Besides Soon's speech about redemption*, I think the line "Have you been less hasty [...]" is very powerful. Had Miko been less hasty, the plot would have ended so much more time ago that I wouldn't even known OotS existed in the first place. Had she been less hasty in executing Shojo, she wouldn't have fallen. Had she been less hasty in jumping to conclusions, she wouldn't have, well, been Miko.:smallfrown:
Also, the first thing that she asks Soon is whether she did the right thing and Soon is there to thank her. She still feels she is special, and that's part of the reason of her falling: being a Paladin has nothing to do about you, it's about others.

*EDIT: Which with I agree almost completely: substitute society, or better yet, the ones you wronged, for Twelve Gods and I'm good with it.

[ti'esar]

I suppose I'll vote for 367, pretty much entirely because Elan is a more central character than Miko and it marks the beginning of his character development.

[Gilphon]

So it's gotta be either 367 or 464. My first instinct was 464, but after thinking it over, 367 is a much better representative of the comic's first half- voting 464 would really just be stacking the deck in favour of the second half.

[littlebum2002]

Lots of good ones, but I'll go with 367.

Still, I have the feeling the Semi #2 will dominate this final.

[Emanick]

Sad that 301 didn't make it this far....464 for me.

Bah, you're just biased in favor of non-humanoids. :smallsigh:

[Gift Jeraff]

Bah, you're just biased in favor of non-humanoids. :smallsigh:

Friggin' food monsters.

[Mordae]

The Best of the Thousand has a much bigger draw and an impressive number of votes. For lesser rounds, the 15 votes amassed by 367 would be sufficient to win. Now, it's dwarfed by the 21 votes held by 464. Add in the handful of votes for the dark horse candidates, and there are 40-ish total votes cast.

I would, however, like to revise my previous hypothesis that both the wild cards will come from the bottom half of the draw. It seems highly unlikely that there will be 3 of the 4 with 16+ votes.

[Killer Angel]

My little baby is all grown up! I'm so proud! :smallbiggrin:

Thank you, Porthos, for taking so good care of it. Who knew that little idea I had would someday reach the Best of the Thousand! Beautiful.


Nazzo!!!!!
You're certainly a welcomed guest in this thread! :smallbiggrin:

[The gF]

I gotta go with 464 for the musing on the nature of redemption, both in and out of DnD context, as well as the emotionally powerful speech that humanizes Soon and marks an emotional send-off for a character who represented a major driving force in the plot-- better than she deserved, I'm sure many people thought. The page, like redemption, is a rare and special thing.

It also sets up for one of the best uses of dramatic irony in all of webcomicdom, when Tsukiko decides Miko wouldn't be a very powerful undead anyway.

[Pyrous]

It also sets up for one of the best uses of dramatic irony in all of webcomicdom, when Tsukiko decides Miko wouldn't be a very powerful undead anyway.

Mostly because she would be two undeads, probably. Sorry, I couldn't resist...

[Porthos]

My little baby is all grown up! I'm so proud! :smallbiggrin:

Thank you, Porthos, for taking so good care of it. Who knew that little idea I had would someday reach the Best of the Thousand! Beautiful.

As for my vote... I would say it's a tough call between 298 and 367. Both have laughs, plot advancement and character development. But 367 wins it because Thog.

I'm happy to take part on the Awards, one last time, before it enters hibernation. Thank you all. :smallwink:

So glad to see you here at the end of all things of the Awards. :smallsmile:

Couldn't have done any of this without you. I truly thank you for starting all of this and allowing me to continue on in your stead.

---

Enough mushy stuff, on to my vote!

Poor 298. I always new it was going to be a weak link (the voting during the 200s was... interesting), but it's sad to see it get obliterated like this. But not sad enuf for me to vote for it. :smallwink:

Tiny bit surprised that 90 received one lone vote, but I suppose it's the mood of the board right now. Well that and it simply can't compete with some of the others.

In the end, 464 is simply too powerful. I don't entirely agree with the point that Soon made there (and, indeed, I think it might be overbought into by the forum at times), but that really does show how well it was written, I suppose.

And with that.....

VOTING IS NOW CLOSED!

:miko: 464 - Not for Everyone (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0464.html) is the winner of this semi-final! It now moves on to the finals for the Best of the Thousand tournament!

:elan: 367 - Innocent Man (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0367.html) is currently holding down Wild Card spot #1 with 15 votes and :miko: 200 - The Confrontation (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0200.html) is holding down Wild Card spot #2 with 4 votes.

Full Results are as follows:

.............THE STICK AWARDS II:
..BEST OF THE THOUSAND TOURNAMENT
......... (Semi-Final #1)



Comic Number
Votes Received
Vote Percentage





90

1

2.33





200

4

9.30





298

0

0.00





367

15

34.88





464

23

53.49




Please join us as we continue the Best of the Thousand tournament, in this thread here. :smallsmile:

[Bird]

Poor 298. I always new it was going to be a weak link (the voting during the 200s was... interesting)
Oh, don't be coy, Porthos. You've got feelings to share. Out with them, then! :smallwink:

[Jaxzan Proditor]

Wow, the best of #1000 has gotten a massive turn out! Even Nazzo returned just in time.

[Porthos]

Oh, don't be coy, Porthos. You've got feelings to share. Out with them, then! :smallwink:

The Belkar fans really didn't turn out as expected, for one. :smallwink:

This is also right around the time I realized that having just one strip out of every ten move on in voting could be.... problematic for some strips. :smalltongue:

This will be addressed if and when we ever get to SA III (which won't be for a good while). :smallsmile:

[Laurana]

The Belkar fans really didn't turn out as expected, for one. :smallwink:

This is also right around the time I realized that having just one strip out of every ten move on in voting could be.... problematic for some strips. :smalltongue:

This will be addressed if and when we ever get to SA III (which won't be for a good while). :smallsmile:

Noooo.

<chants> Do it again! Do it again! Do it again!!!

I'm voting for S.A. III right after this ends. OK, maybe we can have a blank week in-between.

Besides, I do agree with what Soon says to Miko. I only disagree that redemption is not for everyone: it is, it's just that not everyone can reach it. Indeed, as he says, if you don't recognize your mistakes and wrong-doing, how can you obtain redemption?

[Emanick]

Noooo.

<chants> Do it again! Do it again! Do it again!!!

I'm voting for S.A. III right after this ends. OK, maybe we can have a blank week in-between.

Besides, I do agree with what Soon says to Miko. I only disagree that redemption is not for everyone: it is, it's just that not everyone can reach it. Indeed, as he says, if you don't recognize your mistakes and wrong-doing, how can you obtain redemption?

I don't think Soon is saying that there are some people who the cosmic forces of the universe will not allow to the chance to be redeemed, no matter how hard they tried, at least not per se. My understanding is that he's suggesting that, in practice, not everyone is capable of doing the incredibly hard work of redeeming themselves, and not everyone lives long enough to be granted the opportunity of redemption. Similarly, some might simply have sinned too much and too often to realistically have a shot at redeeming themselves before it is too late. Belkar might be a case in point there - if he were to live to a ripe old age, I'd bet on his redemption, but given the way things are today, I wouldn't.

[Porthos]

Noooo.

<chants> Do it again! Do it again! Do it again!!!

I'm voting for S.A. III right after this ends. OK, maybe we can have a blank week in-between.

"Those awards were our only hope."

"No. There is another."

He said enigmatically. :smallsmile:

[littlebum2002]

Noooo.

<chants> Do it again! Do it again! Do it again!!!

I'm voting for S.A. III right after this ends. OK, maybe we can have a blank week in-between.

Besides, I do agree with what Soon says to Miko. I only disagree that redemption is not for everyone: it is, it's just that not everyone can reach it. Indeed, as he says, if you don't recognize your mistakes and wrong-doing, how can you obtain redemption?

Don't worry, I've got you covered. I have an idea for a totally second rate voting tournament similar to this one except not nearly as well done :smallbiggrin:

[Laurana]

Don't worry, I've got you covered. I have an idea for a totally second rate voting tournament similar to this one except not nearly as well done :smallbiggrin:

I love the sound of that :smallredface: :smallcool:

[Porthos]

I love the sound of that :smallredface: :smallcool:

I'm not going to steal littlebum2002's thunder by even giving a hint away, but I'm just gonna say right now that it's gonna be awesome! :smallcool: http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a35/BuckGodot/Icons/thumbsup_zps4d77a316.gif~original