OOTS #560 - The Discussion Thread

[The Giant]

New comic is up.

[MSK]

I don't get the last panel.

[Daryk]

Amusing as always, Giant. Thank you!

[Saint Nil]

Or mabye she was bitten by a radioactive ninja.:smallbiggrin: I'm still laughing. Also, the batman and Odssy jokes were great too.

I have some of the old batman comics, and jokes like that crack me up.

Great job:smallamused:

[Green-Shirt Q]

"Greg initiative"?

Did I just see a LOST REFRENCE?!:biggrin:

[slb]

Arf so great Rich I loved the last panel with Odysseus and the Cyclop I had to laugh out loud !

And that explain the title too :D

[Saint Nil]

I don't get the last panel.

It's a joke from the Oddesy, where they land on the island full of cyclops.

[ArlEammon]

Yeah. hahaha.

[stabbybelkar]

any one here get the lost referance?

[Aurorax]

I don't get the last panel.

Its Odysseus meeting the CYCLOPS. heh.

[hanzo66]

I don't get the last panel.

From the Odyssey, Odysseus going to the island and meeting a Cyclops.

Rather than the regular Cyclops he ends up meeting Scott "Cyclops" Summers of the X-Men.

[Forum Explorer]

Great comic, I love the still not evil when she uses detect evil

[Cyr]

Nice, Cyclops, I shall become a ninja!

[Green-Shirt Q]

In anwser to your question......................


any one here get the lost referance?


"Greg initiative"?

Did I just see a LOST REFRENCE?!:biggrin:

[Lamech]

Hilarity, Elan is still a moron. Go ninja superhero chick too.

[Forealms]

Heh, I liked they Odyssey reference. And the "radioactive ninja" line. And the "Still not Evil" thing. All in all, a good comic!

*First time ever on first page!*

[Szilard]

Awesome as always.:smallbiggrin:

[Mordokai]

Great, staying up late payed of in more than one way.

Good comic, but I too didn't get the last panel. Now, it makes sense. Lost refference was good and overall, good comic. However, I hope they get around to main plot soon. Elan idiotism(personal opinion) is starting to get on my nerves.

[Morgan Wick]

Generally, I think that Order of the Stick is the best webcomic ever, but sometimes it has strips that are just painful for me to read... The Therkla/Batman panel was especially painful. And I still don't get the connection between the final panel and Odysseus, though that's mostly because I don't remember the details of that incident. I just now got the full meaning behind the title, though.

EDIT: Okay, I just now found the "Greg Initiative" thing, and even knowing it's supposed to be a Lost reference (I don't watch that show), I don't get "Station 32: The Smiley Face" at all...

[Lira]

Lots of little jokes in this strip. Very good. :smallbiggrin:

[FoE]

Oh, that was ****ing hilarious, Rich. Sorry for the cuss words, but that was ****ing hilarious. :smallbiggrin:

[Lerky]

okay, Elan's getting a bit annoying now. Like the X-Men refrence, although I saw that in a foxtrot...

[Chocowatte]

Great comic as always!

I don't know any Ninja-Clown-Pirate-Robot-Monkeys out there... but Kingdom of Loathing has a mean Ninja-Pirate-Robot-Zombie.... oh the horror!

The Ninja falling though the window made me laugh... I just finished re-reading Batman the Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller last night... Good stuff!

Sincerely, Chococowatte
(Wishing the Evil Dead the Musical was playing closer than miles apon miles away)

P.S. Anyone recognize the image on the door? OOTS black costumed Spider-man perhaps? (Would fit with the Superhero theme)

[Nomadic]

Wonderful as ever. The cyclops part at the end was comedic gold.

[SPoD]

Since are people who don't get the references, try these links:

Panel 1: The logo is that of the Dharma Initiative (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dharma_Initiative) from the TV series Lost (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_%28TV_series%29), which takes place on an island very much like this one.

Panel 4: "The Greg Initiative" is both a reference to the above, and the sitcom Dharma and Greg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dharma_and_greg). The "cowardly and superstitious" criminals line is a reference to the wording of Batman's origin story.

Panel 5: A replica of the famous panel from Batman's (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman) original origin story, where a bat flies in the window and inspires him to be Batman. The dialogue is a direct lift from the panel, with "ninja" substituted for "bat".

Panel 6: Elan also references Spider-Man's origin, substituting "ninja" for "spider".

Panel 10: Diago refers to the fact that the TV show Lost uses frequent flashbacks to earlier parts of each character's life.

Panel 11: Odysseus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odysseus), the bow-wielding hero of Homer's Odyssey (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odyssey), encounters a cyclops (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclops) shepherd on his way back to Ithaca. Here, that cyclops is instead played by superhero Cyclops (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclops_%28comics%29) (a.k.a. Scott Summers), leader of the X-men (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-Men).

Title: One of Cyclops' X-Men teammate is Colossus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colossus_%28comics%29), making the title a reference to the Colossus of Rhodes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colossus_of_Rhodes).

[rosebud]

Is that a Latern character (Lighthouse of Rhodes, ancient wonder)?

EDIT: Foo, I was thinking of Alexandria (which had the lighthouse). Okay, now that makes sense. :smallfrown:

[Dalenthas]

Oh my, that was freaking hilarious! I loved that last panel joke! The title joke too! YAY comic book humor!

[Albub]

I don't get the Rhodes thing, but a decent comic in terms of moving the plot along and making a few jokes along the way.

[Adventurer]

Many thanks to SPoD above for analysing the references, they had me quite confused there.

As for the greengirl, she's a real ninja alright. Notice how she confuses her enemies just by running in front of them without even saying anything:smallbiggrin:

Also, X-Men reference ftw!

[otakuryoga]

Yay for ninja themed superheroes....way better than a stupid bat or wolverine or some other weird animal


and nice dodge on the detect evil

[Mauve Shirt]

Heeheehee cyclops.

[celebaelin]

From The Odyssey to X-Men and back to ancient fantasies; superb. Not the first time I've exploded with laughter at OOTS but the first time I wanted to post on it - thanks.

:smallbiggrin:

[Lunaya]

Ahahaa! I get it! XD

[Hood]

Heh. That was unexpected.

[otakuryoga]

Is that a Latern character (Lighthouse of Rhodes, ancient wonder)?

EDIT: Foo, I was thinking of Alexandria (which had the lighthouse). Okay, now that makes sense. :smallfrown:


Alexandria had the great library i thought?......


hmmmmm, when she detects eveil...she gets a reading from :elan: but no reading from Banjo....doesnt work on gods?

[loves_to_laugh]

Hilarious as ever!
Ironically enough, I was watching Lost as I read the comic....
Needless to say I got the references right away.
Fantastic work.

[ref]

The Lighthouse too. I didn't get Station 32, but the other references are pretty cool! Also, she sure is a pirate-robot-monkey. A zombie-alien too.

[Raider]

Yay I got the reference in the last panel immediately!

So Therkla is conclusively evil...redemption subplot?

[SteveMB]

Maybe Therkla should look into getting one of those restraining orders (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0228.html). :smallwink:

[Faramir]

I don't get the Rhodes thing, but a decent comic in terms of moving the plot along and making a few jokes along the way.

The Colossus of Rhodes was a famous Greek statue. Colossus was Cyclop's teammate in some versions of the X-Men.

Hilarious strip. I think my favorite was the "It's an omen. I shall become a ninja!" line with the ninja falling through the window.

[dogmac]

THUPER THERKLA dada da da da DAAAAAA!!!

Gotta love it.

Also loved the "still not evil"

[UglyPanda]

So many references...

The door they go through is a reference to Lost. (The Greg Initiative, Station 32, The Smiley Face) Nice sign.
The ninja falling through the window is a reference to Batman.
The radioactive ninja is a reference to Spider-Man.
Pirate Robot Monkey is a reference to the internet in general.
The last panel is a reference to the Cyclops in The Odyssey and Cyclops of The X-Men.

I liked the little "Still not evil" message. It's now completely clear that Elan is just being stupid and not evil.

[teratorn]

I really laughed at the last panel. Brilliant!!!!

[Vanguard]

Ahahah "Hey" man that one made me laugh harder than Nails.



(It's Cyclopes) :smallbiggrin:

[Porthos]

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA at the DHARMA Station. :smallbiggrin::smallbiggrin::smallbiggrin:

*off to read the rest of the strip*

EDIT: The Greg Initiative. *snerk*

Great strip, Rich. :smallsmile:

[Paladin29]

I love that crossover Scott Summers/Ulysses, five minutes laughing XD

[Morchaint]

lol. LOL BWAH HAHAHAHAHAHAHA (tears of laughter ) :'D LOL

Rotflmao!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[NeonRonin]

Didn't get the title until the last panel of the strip... having studied Greek mythology, that made me groan AND laugh. Nice work, Rich.

And the whole radioactive ninja bit... *second groan*

I did like the highlighting of Elan as being still not evil... guess that clears up any doubt as to whether his alignment is shifting or not.

Keep up the good work, Rich!

[Tilian]

Love that last panel.

And the Batman origin panel.

And all of the panels really.

Now I'm wondering if Therkla ducked out because she's evil or if she just thinks she might register as evil.

[Phase]

Great comic! Loved all the references!

:smallbiggrin:

[teratorn]

Now I'm wondering if Therkla ducked out because she's evil or if she just thinks she might register as evil.

Nah, she's evil and she knows it.

(Tilian's back? When did that happen?)

[tmacdevitt]

Groan!

I don't know what I liked more the Lost references just in time for the season finale, or the Greek gag.

[El_Jefe]

Oh gosh I can't stop laughing...I had never watch Lost, but the gold to me was the last panel......THAT WAS PURE GOLD!!!!!

[Blaznak]

I think this strip may have the most jokes per square inch of OOTS ever. Very funny!

I absolutely LOVE Elan's logic! That was fantastic!
Later!

[David Argall]

Poor Therkla. She seems to be screwed several ways [and not in the
way(s) she wants to be]. The party, except for Elan, is at best suspicious of her and likely won't let her do anything until they test her in ways she won't pass.
In the meantime, Qarr is telling her boss about her distinctly disloyal behavior. She is going to have some explaining to do when she gets back to his ship. And Kubota's idea of severance pay involves her throat and a sharp knife.

About her only hope is that the rules of comedy make it almost mandatory that she will be able to talk her way out of it, at least for a little while.

[FoE]

Hey, I just noted that "flashbacks" joke that Daigo made in the second-last panel. Lost references abound! :smallbiggrin:

[North]

I love the lost references:smallbiggrin:

And even more the X references. But now I wonder if marvel will hassle Rich about the Cyclops cameo. Theyre very tetchy about people using their likenesses and making moneys.

[1condor12]

ok just wondering. will the ninja will join the team now. maybe they will test her and find her evil and then elan will vouch for her being good.

or will she go back to her team and manage to talk her way out?

[dragongirl13]

I love the Lost parody... Greg Initiative, station 32: the Smiley Face. This was one of those OotS strips that just makes me crack up every time I look at it. "It's an omen! I shall become a NINJA!"

[MyrddinDerwydd]

I'm hoping that Therkla joins the group for now, the whole Elan obliviousness should make for some pretty entertaining scenes....

[Azzurus]

LOST reference FTW!!:smallbiggrin:

[Djinn_in_Tonic]

An Odyssey reference? AWESOME! :smallbiggrin:

[Trizap]

I think Therkla dodging the Detect Evil was Rich saying "sorry, not revealing THAT!" so it would keep us guessing Therkla's alignment, and the last panel heh, I knew that guy was familiar, Odyssey and an X-men reference rolled into one, genius!

[Bitzeralisis]

I bet Therkla's going to alignment-morph into a neutral, if not good, character.

[Qwernt]

The last panel may make this my new all time favorite OOTS. Excellent! excellent!!!

[brilliantlight]

Actually I see Therkla heading for a big fall. With Elan defending her she probably figures she has a good chance with him. God help Haley when those two meet! :eek:

[DSCrankshaw]

I did like the highlighting of Elan as being still not evil... guess that clears up any doubt as to whether his alignment is shifting or not.
I think he was actually demonstrating that Banjo was not evil. I haven't seen anyone arguing that Elan was evil, but I have seen an argument that Banjo is.

[brilliantlight]

I think Therkla dodging the Detect Evil was Rich saying "sorry, not revealing THAT!" so it would keep us guessing Therkla's alignment, and the last panel heh, I knew that guy was familiar, Odyssey and an X-men reference rolled into one, genius!

More likely Rich saying "She is evil so don't argue about it!". She wouldn't have dodged the detect evil if she weren't evil.

[SteveDJ]

Wow! There's a lot in this strip that I don't get... :smalleek:

The symbol on the door, the sign on the wall in frame 4, and just who/what is that supposed to be in the final frame?

I must be getting too old for this... :smallfrown:

[Blanth]

Last panel joke made me feel violated...

... in a mutant kind of way. :-)

[Enlong]

Hey, how come Cyclops is wearing an X belt and not an S belt?

[Deepkicker]

So this is what it feels like when Oots and Lost come together? It's more magical than I could have ever imagined.
"I keep having flashbacks to earlier strips." Nice one, Giant!

[The Gremlin]

Actually I see Therkla heading for a big fall. With Elan defending her she probably figures she has a good chance with him. God help Haley when those two meet! :eek:I agree.

Except I think that Therkla's alignment is in the 'Northeast' (or NE). She's going to turn on them, especially when she learns about Haley.

[Wonton]

ROFL
The LOST reference made me happy out of my mind.
Especially how I JUST finished watching the season finale 7 minutes ago. :smallbiggrin:

[HOLEkevin]

For more Lost in your fantasy webcomics, click here (http://heroesoflesserearth.com/comic.php?d=20071016).

Funny, funny strip. I love the whiplash ninja-superhero-pirate robot monkey back and forthing! That was awesome! I just about busted out at the ninja flying in the window of stately Therkla mansion… that was wicked hi-larious with a side of awesome sauce.

[Beelzebub1111]

I am vengance
I am the night
I am BATMAN!
BATMAN!
BATMAN!

There is a song the good folks sing
(song the good folks sing)
BATMAN!
About a hero on the wing
(hero on the wing)
BATMAN!

I am gotham's darkest night
The villian's darkest fright
Turn on the signal LIGHT!
FOR BATMAN!

Batman...


*********

(Spoken)
Good work caped crusader. Once again you've saved our city from those vile miscreants

There was no problem, commissioner. For as we all no criminals are
(singing)
A superstitious cowardly lot
They plan and plot
but they always get caught.
The evil schemes all come to naught
A SUPERSTISTIOUS COWARDLY LOT!

[Count D20]

I Think if he ever needs to delay the storyline, rich should try a form of oots that works off of mutants and masterminds or something the way regular oots does d&d.

[the_tick_rules]

Colossus, of Rhodes, you get it? Man that's a complex pun. Wonder how many don't get it.

[RDS]

Panel 11: Odysseus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odysseus), the bow-wielding hero of Homer's Odyssey (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odyssey), encounters a cyclops (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclops) shepherd on his way back to Ithaca. Here, that cyclops is instead played by superhero Cyclops (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclops_%28comics%29) (a.k.a. Scott Summers), leader of the X-men (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-Men).

Title: One of Cyclops' X-Men teammate is Colossus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colossus_%28comics%29), making the title a reference to the Colossus of Rhodes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colossus_of_Rhodes).

I must read too many comics because I took the last panel as a reference to the early 90s Cyclops adventure where he washed up a shore on an island after taking some time off from the X-Men after Storm beat him for leadership. I'll admit that was my first thought and the Odysseus reference went right over my head till I starting wondering about the sheep.

[Red XIV]

More likely Rich saying "She is evil so don't argue about it!". She wouldn't have dodged the detect evil if she weren't evil.
Do all characters necessarily know what their true alignment is? Especially given that alignment can change? The MitD no doubt thinks it's of Evil alignment, for example, but is it really?

Therkla most like is still Evil right now, but I could see her shifting toward Neutral in future strips.

[Shatteredtower]

Best Batman origin joke since Bat-Hulk. Interesting reversal as well, since purple and green are colours typically associated with the Joker. (And some versions of Lex Luthor, but that's another matter.)

And that last panel sure was odd t'see. Poor Scott: almost Polyphemus, but not quite. Maybe by the time he gets to Phoenix. But never mind that: does anyone else wonder if we're witness to the debut of a Wolverine in sheep's clothing?

[Lunarhalo]

Does that make Storm, Aeolus then?

[Wadoka]

Best Batman origin joke since Bat-Hulk.

Do you mean this one? :D

http://www.drunkduck.com/Troop_37/index.php?p=404571

[Shatteredtower]

Do you mean this one? :D

http://www.drunkduck.com/Troop_37/index.php?p=404571Nah, though I enjoyed that argument. Thanks for sharing the strip.

No, the one I was thinking about was from an episode of Twisted Mego ToyFare Theatre, in which a group of Marvel super-heroes discuss their secret origins with each other. Hulk's revelation of his alter-ego always gets a few chuckles out of me, especially the facial reactions of the others at the table, revealed after he says, "You keep Bat-Hulk's secret, okay?"

[Haruspex]

Elan is still not evil, and still not getting it. Oh well, we'll see how this goes.

[EvilJames]

Wow. That was some hardcore nerdery right there. I approve.
Love the Odyessy reference/Xmen pun.:smallbiggrin:

[Arkenputtyknife]

(It's Cyclopes) :smallbiggrin:
Λαστ τιμε Ι ψηεψκεδ, ςε ςερεν'τ ςριτινγ ιν Γρεεκ. :smallamused:

[slb]

... But now I wonder if marvel will hassle Rich about the Cyclops cameo.

I know that in the U.S. the Intellectual Propery and copyrights laws are stupidly enforced, but there's still a fair use (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use) principle that would provide Rich an immunity against Marvel's lawyers.

[factotum]

Do all characters necessarily know what their true alignment is?

In OotS, yes. There are too many instances where characters refer to their own or others' alignments for them NOT to know. (See Roy referring to his father as "Lawful", Xykon referring to himself as Evil, Redcloak saying that goblins are "usually Evil", Haley saying of herself that she's "Chaotic Good! Ish!", etc).

For that matter, the mere existence of Detect Evil means there is a rigidly-defined alignment structure along the Good/Evil axis, even if no other proof were offered...

[youareworthless]

You know your jokes are lame when someone has to explain ALL of them. I like that you included a wikipedia link for BATMAN, though. No one has ever heard of him. He gets no mainstream recognition.

This is the worst OotS strip EVER. Don't listen to the other people in this thread.

[Remirach]

Oh, Elan. Never change. I find his faith in Therkla's good intentions to be kind of touching and sad. I wonder what she makes of it.

Must ninjas always be evil or at least non-good aligned? I was getting the impression "she's a ninja" means "she can't possibly be good." Or was that just to deflect the "superhero" notion?

Mind, I AM now 100% satisfied THERKLA must be evil. It's her CLASS I've become a little unsure of.

[Sammich]

References were great. First comic in a while that had me amazed as I read through it.

[Renegade Paladin]

Someone needs to beat Elan with the clue bat.

[Majorman]

Can't help feeling stupid for not watching LOST. Oh, well, got all the other jokes though.

:elan:"She was bitten by a radioactive ninja." and the Cyclops reference were hilarious.

[Paragon Badger]

You know your jokes are lame when someone has to explain ALL of them. I like that you included a wikipedia link for BATMAN, though. No one has ever heard of him. He gets no mainstream recognition.

This is the worst OotS strip EVER. Don't listen to the other people in this thread.

Then again, OotS worst strip is likely better than many webcomics' best strips.

[youareworthless]

That doesn't make the worst OotS strips any better.

[youareworthless]

Just to irrefutably prove my point, consider how shabby the jokes are. If a passing joke alluding to Elan not being evil is the high point of the strip then there is something wrong. The last few panels shouldn't be something you have to think about for more than three seconds to "get" unless you're pandering to a certain niche, and although this is a RPG-centered comic, that isn't who you're pandering to with a reference to Greek mythology. Furthermore, I had no idea who the people in the last panel were supposed to be except for Cyclops because they're all indistinct stick figures. The sheep were a hint, but it still didn't click until after being explained.

Another thing, it's not like nobody has ever made an X-Men/mythology reference before.

[glowface]

About pirate-robot-monkey... I might be biased, but in Monkey Island IV's epic final duel, Guybrush, according to my memories, climbs into a giant pirate-robot-monkey to defeat the antagonist.

[Paragon Badger]

Just to irrefutably prove my point, consider how shabby the jokes are. If a passing joke alluding to Elan not being evil is the high point of the strip then there is something wrong. The last few panels shouldn't be something you have to think about for more than three seconds to "get" unless you're pandering to a certain niche, and although this is a RPG-centered comic, that isn't who you're pandering to with a reference to Greek mythology. Furthermore, I had no idea who the people in the last panel were supposed to be except for Cyclops because they're all indistinct stick figures. The sheep were a hint, but it still didn't click until after being explained.

Another thing, it's not like nobody has ever made an X-Men/mythology reference before.

Taste... is a matter of opinion.

And nothing is irrefutable except in mathematics. And even then, there are still paradoxes...

Besides, A silly pun on Cyclops and Odysseus takes more intellectual effort than half the things people pass off as comedy nowadays. I won't name names, though... Family Guy.

Point is, nobody has a monopoly on truth. That's irrefutable fact. :smallamused:

[H. Zee]

I have to say I'm really surprised at how many people apparently disliked this strip or didn't get it. It's up there among my faves, and is the first OOTS in a long while to make me roar with laughter at the final panel. I can't say I got the Lost references, but that is hardly enough to ruin a brilliant strip.

[Supermagle]

(Puts up a sign:)
Do not feed Trolls.

[Harmandil]

Ooooo.... hahahaha!

Just seeing the stick-figure version of cyclops made me laugh so much, no matter that it took some time to figure out the connection to Odiseus.

So there are two jokes in the last panel, one fast one and one that took some time to figure out - so I could laugh twice!

Then there is the reference in the name of the strip - Cyclops' team mate Colossus and the Colossus of Rhodes. Oooo... hahahaha!

[User Name]

Although this wasn't one of the best updates, I've read worse. The "still not evil" panel made me laugh.

[TheNovak]

Okay, this strip was just full of win.

The Lost jokes were awesome enough, but the Cyclops gag made me laugh out loud.

EDIT: Oh yeah, and the Batman joke! The Batman joke rocked.

[JasonDoomsblade]

Cyclops. Lol.

[Kgw]

I loved it!
(superhero reader since the 80's) :smallbiggrin:

[funkyhomosapien]

i didn't think it was very funny but with all the references i guess it is kinda

[Jabberwocky]

Well, Giant, I'm a classicist and ... well ... I just keep laughing and laughing and laughing. The last panel is hilarious :-D

[Holammer]

Since are people who don't get the references, try these links:

Panel 1: The logo is that of the Dharma Initiative (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dharma_Initiative) from the TV series Lost (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_%28TV_series%29), which takes place on an island very much like this one.


I recognized the symbol as a bagua. But I've never seen the tv-series so I was kinda shafted there ^^

[Takver]

As Haley would say: Tee-hee! Huge Lost fan here.


Funny strip, but I am getting impatient. Let's see some progress made on getting the Order back together!

[Evil DM Mark3]

Not as funny for me as some others. Mostly because I only got three of the gags (the spiderman and batman origins and the final panel) but still funny. Also was that possibly a tvtropes referance? (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NinjaPirateZombieRobot) I do hope so.

[Dragor]

Haha! I howled with laughter at the last bit.

I haven't laughed out loud for an OOTS in a while. Good stuff!

[Steven the Lich]

Need I say anything... The comic was AWESOME!
I especially loved the Cyclops bit. That was truly an inventive joke that is on the top ten list of Rich's top jokes.

Keep at it Richard Burlew, keep making those outrageously funny jokes.

[Beholder1995]

Actually, I don't get the whole 'still not evil' bit. Is that just to ward off anyone who might've thought Elan was going over to the dark side, or is it foreshadowing for some great evil act on Elan's part?...

[Roderick_BR]

The return of the paladin's eye-beams :smallbiggrin:
If people were bored with the earlier strips, you can say we had an injection of Elan-flavored humor today :smallcool:

[Jimorian]

Man, the references were coming hard and fast in that one, making me pine for the good ol' days of MST3K. :smallsmile:

Best Brains motto: "The RIGHT people will get it."

[eyekwah]

Just to irrefutably prove my point, consider how shabby the jokes are. If a passing joke alluding to Elan not being evil is the high point of the strip then there is something wrong. The last few panels shouldn't be something you have to think about for more than three seconds to "get" unless you're pandering to a certain niche, and although this is a RPG-centered comic, that isn't who you're pandering to with a reference to Greek mythology. Furthermore, I had no idea who the people in the last panel were supposed to be except for Cyclops because they're all indistinct stick figures. The sheep were a hint, but it still didn't click until after being explained.

Another thing, it's not like nobody has ever made an X-Men/mythology reference before.

Well I found the references funny. If you didn't, it doesn't mean the comic should be dumbed down to humor you'd think was funny. Perhaps this isn't the type of humor in a web comic that is funny for you.

I personally enjoy indirect humor, the kind in which nobody in the strip would think was funny but the reader would think is hilarious for the reference. I suppose he could have just drawn Elan slipping and falling on a banana peel on the ground, but that would have been irrelevant to the plot and not really all that funny.. but hey, at least anybody could get that joke, right?

The worst thing that could happen to this comic is for the humor to be dumbed down. The humor is smart and actually quite sophisticated despite what people might presume from a web comic of stick figures. If you can't appreciate that, there are other web comics on the net...

[Shatteredtower]

Actually, I don't get the whole 'still not evil' bit. Is that just to ward off anyone who might've thought Elan was going over to the dark side, or is it foreshadowing for some great evil act on Elan's part?...I'd gotten the impression it meant that Lien's used this ability to scan Elan an awful lot -- probably every time he's done something that's created trouble, in fact. The source of her information sounds like it's getting tired of answering the same question over and over.

[Ravensabre]

Awesome Lost reference!!

[Eran of Arcadia]

I agree, love the Lost reference. Especially after last night.

Also (in response to a comment on the first page) in KoL it's a Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot, not the other way around. (I named mine O-Chul.) Although combining stuff like that (or clowns, or monkeys) is a fairly common trope.

[Querzis]

Eyekwah please dont feed the troll ok? That guy dont seems to even try to hide the fact that hes trolling.

Anyway, there was so many reference, I'm still laughing. I actually got them all except the Tv tropes one...I try to stay away from that place since I lost an entire day readings trope without even realizing it. I especially like the title. After I read a strip, I always go read the title again and it took me while to figure out it was Colossus (I went through nearly all the X-men.)

[AutomatedTeller]

I didn't get most of the jokes as I read it, and it was still funny.

[Selene]

(Puts up a sign:)
Do not feed Trolls.

This bears repeating. :smallsmile:

[Aeek]

I only got the batman/spiderman references but it was still fun, and I do love Elan being Elan. Its his unthinking charm that got them this far.

[Zanticor]

Did anyone find it at all revealing that we now know that Banjo isn't an evil god? For me that's quite a relieve. The ways of the mighty Banjo are truly mysterious (not murderous). It would have done the orcs a world of good if he ad chosen to stay with them but it seems he has bigger plans for his prophet.

Zanticor

[Wixit]

Well I found the references funny. If you didn't, it doesn't mean the comic should be dumbed down to humor you'd think was funny. Perhaps this isn't the type of humor in a web comic that is funny for you.

I personally enjoy indirect humor, the kind in which nobody in the strip would think was funny but the reader would think is hilarious for the reference. I suppose he could have just drawn Elan slipping and falling on a banana peel on the ground, but that would have been irrelevant to the plot and not really all that funny.. but hey, at least anybody could get that joke, right?

The worst thing that could happen to this comic is for the humor to be dumbed down. The humor is smart and actually quite sophisticated despite what people might presume from a web comic of stick figures. If you can't appreciate that, there are other web comics on the net...

That is unfair. How is the argument wether or not Therkla is a superhero funny or related to the plot? I mean Elan humour is OK and all, but it's been going on for 5 strips now.

I don't watch Lost. I liked the Odyssey reference, and would put an OK rating to batman/spiderman, but the rest was lost (no pun intended) on me. I've never seen a single thing get so many references in a single strip and, while I'm sure it's funny to most, being so close minded not to even acknowledge that maybe, just maybe, there are a few too many Lost references here isn't doing any of you any good.

[SlightlyEvil]

Generally hilarious comic. I'm still groaning from the pun in the last panel. You should be ashamed of yourself. Keep up the good work.

[Faramir]

(Puts up a sign:)
Do not feed Trolls.

Thank you. They regenerate when people feed them you know...

[Eric]

Oh, that was ****ing hilarious, Rich. Sorry for the cuss words, but that was ****ing hilarious. :smallbiggrin:

As we have found out from Terry Pratchett (Hallowed Be His Name), it's

"-ing hilarious".

PS wondering if they're going to meet lolth worshippers or just a lot of big spiders (and if the latter, will Elan bring out the "Big Juicy Fly" costumes that have to be worn on this Holy Day...).

[Faramir]

How is the argument wether or not Therkla is a superhero funny or related to the plot?

Well, that's the point. Lots of people did find it funny (including me). Not everyone will get every joke. I don't watch Lost so I didn't understand those until it was explained to me. But they were very funny to those who got the references and if the giant restricted himself to jokes that everyone in the world would understand without explanation then the strip would be a lot less enjoyable.

[Eric]

I bet Therkla's going to alignment-morph into a neutral, if not good, character.

Pffff. MAG-IC:

Ring of non-detection
Ring with "Reverse Know Alignment" spell power.

[Eric]

I agree.

Except I think that Therkla's alignment is in the 'Northeast' (or NE). She's going to turn on them, especially when she learns about Haley.

Isn't that "Not Evil"??? :-)

(PS: these things that hide or change alignment are one reason why you shouldn't hack people just because your Detect Evil power detected Evil. Another reason why Miko wasn't a paladin, she was a munchkin.

[Eric]

Just to irrefutably prove my point, consider how shabby the jokes are...

I refute your point.

Successfully.

[Eric]

That is unfair. How is the argument wether or not Therkla is a superhero funny or related to the plot? I mean Elan humour is OK and all, but it's been going on for 5 strips now.

I don't watch Lost. I liked the Odyssey reference, and would put an OK rating to batman/spiderman, but the rest was lost (no pun intended) on me. I've never seen a single thing get so many references in a single strip and, while I'm sure it's funny to most, being so close minded not to even acknowledge that maybe, just maybe, there are a few too many Lost references here isn't doing any of you any good.

Well, ALL of OOTS would be impenetrable and NOT funny if you couldn't understand English.

An extreme example of how you won't get a joke and that doesn't make it Not a joke, it just makes it not funny for you.

You aren't the world, you aren't the people....

[Shannon]

Thanks for the laugh this morning. I almost spewed coffee all over my office when I saw the last panel, good job!!

[Sir_Leorik]

Awesome comic Giant! Between the "Greg Initiative" (as in "Dharma & ...), and the (X-men's) Cyclops meets Oddyseus, this was a great strip!

[pendell]

TBH, the only joke I got was the Batmans' origin reference.

I have to wonder if Rich is becoming a little too obscure for his audience. I got that joke because I saw the original panel in an encyclopedia of comics back in the 1970s. It's funny to people of my age and older, but I'm not sure if anyone else would get it.

So .. we've had our second encounter with Therkla.



I predict it will end in tears.

Therkla is confirmed evil and is a professional assassin. This means she does not balk at murder to accomplish her means, and that certainly means she'll try to kill Haley once she realizes what's going on.

Sooner or later, Therkla is going to reveal herself to Elan, and Elan is going to have to make a choice. He will, of course, choose Haley ... in the end.

Does anyone else see a potential Fatal Attraction here? Elan has a fling with Therkla, Therkla becomes the Ex from Hell when Haley shows up?



Respectfully,

Brian P.

[Prince_Rohan]

http://home.comcast.net/~teambonk/gininjasgitp.jpg

[Talyn]

Elan might be clueless, but he is 100% devoted to Haley. There is no way he'd ever have a "fling" with anyone.

In regards to our friend the troll: while I concur that the user was probably just trying to provoke people (and the board's reasoned and well-written response probably denied him any of the fun he thought he might have), we should be careful about labeling any kind of criticism, even harsh criticism, "trolling." Yes, we're all fans of the comics or we wouldn't be here, but that doesn't mean we should automatically jump in and assume anyone who really doesn't like a strip is a troll.

Oh, and I don't watch Lost either, so I obviously missed some of the jokes, but I got enough of them for this strip to be pretty darn funny.

[Mc. Lovin']

Nice Lost references!

"Keep getting flashbacks" :smallbiggrin:

[Blink Dawg]

So awesome.

[silvadel]

My thoughts on this move into speculation probably need a spoiler tag.



Actually, what would be interesting would be if the paladin manages to get a detect evil off on therkla and to her surprise it comes back as NOT EVIL.

It is kind of obvious that she is embarrassed and ashamed of her alignment and her recent actions could be enough to tip her over the line into neutral.

[los olvidados]

Wow, who would have thought it would take a stick figure comic to finally make Cyclops cool?

:smalltongue:

[Daibhid C]

Not as funny for me as some others. Mostly because I only got three of the gags (the spiderman and batman origins and the final panel) but still funny. Also was that possibly a tvtropes referance? (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NinjaPirateZombieRobot) I do hope so.

Oh, so do I, I can't believe I missed that.

And speaking of missing things, unlike youareworthless, I love jokes that take me a minute and I need to think about. I don't watch Lost, but I'm well aware I'm in a minority there, and if the Lost fans think those jokes worked, I'll take their word for it:smallsmile:. The superhero refs were right in my own area of geekery and more than made up for it.

(And honestly, would the strip have been hugely improved for us non-Lost-viewers if the walls and door of the tunnel had been blank?)

[shakes019]

Loved it. I got all the references, including the Colossus one. Although the Colossus one took a while to get there.

Great strip.

[John Campbell]

Simultaneous Odyssey and X-Men reference for the win!

Also a lovely illustration of why the alignment mechanic, and particularly free at-will alignment detection, is the enemy of role-playing.

[Timberboar]

I just wish Lien's detect evil had caused Banjo to glow red.

[Panther]

This is easily one of my favorite strips in OotS. How can you go wrong with the Odyssey and the X-Men? Any chance we could get the very last panel made into a framable print? *hint, hint* :smallbiggrin:

[sealemon]

Nice use of the Lost/Batman/Spider-man/Oddysey reference. Great pacing as always. It's very impressive that 560 strips in and the quality is just as good as on strip #1.

[DrivinAllNight]

I go tthe jokes except for the whole Lost thingy, never did care much for it, not sure why, but o'well. At least know I don't have to wonder what the extra stuff in this strip was for since it is all lost on me :) and will probably not show up anywhere else :) It was a great strip though, only wish therkla had been able to stay with them, now she'll have to sweettalk her Kubota or else learn to live with the Orcs :(

[maxon]

It was a great strip though, only wish therkla had been able to stay with them, now she'll have to sweettalk her Kubota or else learn to live with the Orcs :(

"therkla smartest, prettiest orc chief grukgruk ever know."

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0555.html

[Thrythlind]

Personally, I think that if one of the paladins gets a Detect Evil off on the ninja, it might just read: "she doesn't even know what she is, how can I tell"

[Rollin]

Giant,

Now that you've introduced references to the show into an RPG-based webcomic, it has to be said:

You just gamed the Lost.:smallbiggrin:

[Thrythlind]

Oh, Elan. Never change. I find his faith in Therkla's good intentions to be kind of touching and sad. I wonder what she makes of it.

Must ninjas always be evil or at least non-good aligned? I was getting the impression "she's a ninja" means "she can't possibly be good." Or was that just to deflect the "superhero" notion?

Mind, I AM now 100% satisfied THERKLA must be evil. It's her CLASS I've become a little unsure of.

Depends on the rules. The 2nd edition Ninja Handbook (one of those red faux-leather books) had rules and suggestions for Ninja clans of every alignment.

The Ninja prestige class in the Monk and Fighter book required a Lawful alignment.

The Ninja prestige class in the Oriental adventures book required a non-good alignment.

The Ninja base class in Complete Adventurer I believe required Lawful again.

[Lostboy]

Too many wild references. I'm not a comic book nerd, "Lost" watcher, or reader of Greek epics. So this one was pretty much a loss for me.

[David Argall]

Actually, I don't get the whole 'still not evil' bit. Is that just to ward off anyone who might've thought Elan was going over to the dark side, or is it foreshadowing for some great evil act on Elan's part?...

Elan has been scaned for evil at least once before, and likely a number of times. So the presumptive reading is that it is simply a reference to these past times.

Still, we do have a fair amount of foreshadowing in this strip. So maybe Nale and Elan are going to temporarily change alignments in a couple hundred strips.

[teratorn]

Too many wild references. I'm not a comic book nerd, "Lost" watcher, or reader of Greek epics. So this one was pretty much a loss for me.
Hey, us Greek epic geeks need our laughs too. But don't worry, these tend to be relatively few. I thought I saw one in the bandit camp arc, "arrow time" (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0152.html) when the arrows hide the Sun. At the time very few people grasped it, though later, in "war makes boys of us all" (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0425.html) people made the connection to the "300" movie, when it was in fact something much older.

The last panel in #560 really made my day (I used to read the X-man comic books too).

Now, if the Giant would make a Gilgamesh reference...

[Holy_Knight]

Loved the comic book references! The Odyssey joke was a nice touch, too. I've really enjoyed all the strips lately, in fact.


Elan has been scaned for evil at least once before, and likely a number of times. So the presumptive reading is that it is simply a reference to these past times.

Still, we do have a fair amount of foreshadowing in this strip. So maybe Nale and Elan are going to temporarily change alignments in a couple hundred strips.

I think you're right about the first part, but not the second. My interpretation was just that Lien was scanning where she thought Therkla was, but since Therkla had moved, the scan caught Elan instead--who, like you said, hasn't changed since he was scanned before.

[brilliantlight]

I agree.

Except I think that Therkla's alignment is in the 'Northeast' (or NE). She's going to turn on them, especially when she learns about Haley.

Emotional fall not fall from grace. She is clearly some sort of evil.

[TheNovak]

I'm concerned by the amount of people who posted saying they don't watch Lost. I mean...it's Lost.

Granted, at this point you'd have to watch 60+ episodes (some of which are two hours long), read a few Wikipedia articles, and have some lengthy discussions with friends about where you think the plot is headed just to catch up...but hey, the season just ended! You've got all summer to do just that.

And then you can come back, read this strip, and get the two jokes you missed. It'll be totally worth it!

[Old_Man]

This was a great comic.

But shouldn't at least one of Odysseus' companions be wearing a red chiton or did Cyclops already eat the redshirts on the away team?

EDIT:
BTW- the only thing more awesome than a ninja-pirate-robot-monkey is a Nazi-laser-shark-bear.

[PaladinFreak]

Good references. Good humor. Good comic!:smallsmile:

[youareworthless]

Anyone who calls me a troll is just admitting that they KNOW I am right, and they are afraid of the truth.

[Kurald Galain]

Wow, I only just now realized what the comic title was referring to :smallbiggrin:

[Coffee]

I don't normally gush; but this one was so full of win it feels like my head is going to explode with candy :biggrin:

Bravo, Giant.

[Murphoid]

Technically Cyclops is a mutant, not a superhero, Right?

[KIDS]

Nice Batman and Spiderman references - "bitten by a radioactive ninja" = LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!! Supreme! :smallsmile:

[LurkerBeneath]

Fellow non-Lost-watcher here. When I saw the bagua design, I read it as 0/1 7/24/365. I guess that's coincidental, though.

[brionl]

Technically Cyclops is a mutant, not a superhero, Right?

Mutant is a subclass of the Superhero/Supervillain set. You got your mutant superheroes like Cyclops & all the X-men. Your gadgeteers such as Iron Man or Hank Pym. Super Science/Radiation Accident, The Flash or Spiderman.
Martial Artists like Karate Kid. Marital Artists like Chuck Taine.

One of my characters in City of Villains was Ninjabot 2.0. Mastermind w/Ninja & Trick Arrows.

[malgg]

Since are people who don't get the references, try these links:



OK, I admit that I didn't get the references, but still laughed at the last panel. But having the references explained made the whole thing just that much more hillarious. :smallbiggrin:

Who says that if you have to have it explained that it lost it's humor?

[Tedankhamen]

Is this a system change to Mazes and Minotaurs?? :smallyuk:VERY hilarious episode!

[Tedankhamen]

You know your jokes are lame when someone has to explain ALL of them. I like that you included a wikipedia link for BATMAN, though. No one has ever heard of him. He gets no mainstream recognition.

This is the worst OotS strip EVER. Don't listen to the other people in this thread.

So, jokes that are so simple any idiot gets them are better? Why not read Garfield instead? I thought the charm of OOTS was precisely its out-of-the-way references to pop and sub cultures and the games/movies/comics they know. Criticizing because you didn't get the references or some people needed explanations seems petty, and is a reflection of the tastes and knowledge of the indivdual, not the quality of the comic.

[see]

It's even got a games geek reference joke that only got semi-mentioned above (via the TVTropes link) — the game Monkey, Ninja, Pirate, Robot, by the incomparable Chad Underkoffler (http://www.pen-paper.net/rpgdb.php?op=showcreator&creatorid=1559).

[ref]

Depends on the rules. The 2nd edition Ninja Handbook (one of those red faux-leather books) had rules and suggestions for Ninja clans of every alignment.

The Ninja prestige class in the Monk and Fighter book required a Lawful alignment.

The Ninja prestige class in the Oriental adventures book required a non-good alignment.

The Ninja base class in Complete Adventurer I believe required Lawful again.

Hmm... Or one could be a ninja without taking levels in any ninja class, you know...

Btw... is that... is that Kuno Kodachi???

[David Argall]

Anyone who calls me a troll is just admitting that they KNOW I am right, and they are afraid of the truth.
Such might be charged against those who only call you a troll and say therefore to ignore you. That is the ad hominem fallacy. However a number of your critics have more substantial arguments.

[Evik]

omg i love this one...i was lmao the whole time lol
cyclops on a greek island too funny :D

[CockroachTeaParty]

HA! It took me a moment to get the Cyclops joke, but I appreciate it nonetheless!

[DrivinAllNight]

"therkla smartest, prettiest orc chief grukgruk ever know."

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0555.html

true, but they also know after that panel that she is a half human too. And they didn't seem to keen on that whole thing, and then there is the fact that she hasn't lived like an Orc for most, if not all, of her life. So she may be accepted, but i doubt she would want to stay there. She has tasted to much of a seemingly more fulfilling life.

[Wixit]

Well, ALL of OOTS would be impenetrable and NOT funny if you couldn't understand English.

An extreme example of how you won't get a joke and that doesn't make it Not a joke, it just makes it not funny for you.

You aren't the world, you aren't the people....

Did I say I was? As Argall pointed out, this is ad hominem. You have no argument, because you could also say that if all the jokes would be about programming or written in a code, most of the people wouldn't get it. So what? How is that related to my argument? I ask again: how often have you seen more than half the comic taken by references to a single source?

To Faramir:

I never said the jokes weren't funny. I explicitly avoided labeling them and simply stated that they're lost on me. You've butchered my post, but I'll explain that sentence. The person I was quoting in that post claimed that having Elan slip on a banana peel would perhaps be dumb-funny, but wouldn't be related to the plot. I responded by saying that having a ninja-superhero discussion is Elan-dumb-funny and equally unrelated to the plot.

To explain one more time: I would not label this strip as "worst ever" or even "bad". Put words I never spoke in my mouth and you lose any credibility.

[maxon]

true, but they also know after that panel that she is a half human too. And they didn't seem to keen on that whole thing, and then there is the fact that she hasn't lived like an Orc for most, if not all, of her life. So she may be accepted, but i doubt she would want to stay there. She has tasted to much of a seemingly more fulfilling life.

Gah - you have no romance in your soul. She could become his snuggly green cutie pie. :smallyuk:

[The 1HP Wonder]

I always enjoy obscure references, even when I don't get them, so props to the Giant. Oddly enough, I got the comic title as soon as I saw the last panel, but didn't get the joke in that panel until reading this thread.
Anyway, I loved the Batman origin joke. Particularly the expression on what can be seen of the ninja's face. Not to mention the sight of a half-orc in a smoking jacket.

- 1HP

[Shatteredtower]

That last panel has me wondering if the Giant included the bow one of the adventurers is carrying to indicate that he's Odysseus, since a significant scene in his tale involves the stringing of said bow. It would be a nice touch if it was, despite the fact that he didn't bring said bow with him on his journeys. Identifiers that help sell a joke don't have to be accurate, after all.

[LordSintax]

I don't get the last panel.

reference to the odyssey. the guys getting out of the boat, at one point in the story, come up against a (drum roll, please...) CYCLOPS!

brilliant. i loled. and I don't actually do so often.
beautiful gag, giant.

[Eric]

Did I say I was? As Argall pointed out, this is ad hominem.

Unfortunately for us, to argue against you would require you TO HAVE AN ARGUABLE POSITION.

"Oh it was too difficult" or "I didn't get the jokes" well how the heck else are we supposed to answer that? You're stupid? Try finding a humour transplant?

There wasn't a position taken, you just dissed the scene because you didn't like it.

Well, tough.

Now flip off.

EDIT: Oh, and what WAS an adhominem there anyway? Sheesh your skin must be transparent. And poked with holes YOU put there. I pointed out that just because you didn't get it doesn't make it not funny. HOW IS THAT AN ATTACK ON YOU???? Because I pointed out you WEREN'T the entirety of the human nation???

You're trying to get out of being "the wrong one" by making yourself out to be the victim and must necessarily have a villain to victimise you. Well, don't pick me 'cos I'll point out how that wasn't victimisation and show you what the difference is.

[Selene]

I'm concerned by the amount of people who posted saying they don't watch Lost. I mean...it's Lost.

At the risk of disturbing you further... I don't watch Lost. :smalltongue: