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Eric: Of course, the girls would need to be careful -- they don't want to get infected by midichlorians.
(From Shortpacked! Click on the thumbnail for full sized shifts in philosophy!)
I should mention, first and foremost, that this particular Shortpacked is technically a spoiler. At the same time, it's not exactly egregious and... well, I suppose there are people in other countries who A) care about Star Wars and B) haven't had a chance to see it yet who might not want to read this strip. Somewhat. Barely.
Or, you know, not.
For the rest of us... today's Shortpacked.
Well, yesterday's. Look, I'm going away for a week, tomorrow. I've been busy.
I'd like to go into depth on the Jedi philosophy, on the core of Hubris that led to the Fall of the Jedi Order, on the nature of denial and of ossification, and on the ways that Qui Gon Jinn represented, thematically, a break from all that in his methodology which led step by step to the next three movies and the redemption of the Jedi in the Expanded Universe. I would. And I'd like to show how David Willis has highlighted this succinctly. I even accept that if I did so, I'd never, ever get laid again. Somehow, this thesis would cling to me like lack of hygiene and even geek grrls would pause upon seeing me, say "well, no. Not him," and move on.
But that's not why I'm not writing that thesis. And that thesis is not why I'm snarking this particular strip.
I'm not writing that thesis because it's not relevant to what makes this Shortpacked good.
And I'm snarking this strip because it is bar none the funniest fucking comic strip on Star Wars I think I've ever seen.
David Willis gets a biscuit. A tasty, tasty biscuit.
Posted by Eric Burns-White at May 24, 2005 11:42 AM
Comments
Comment from: Wednesday posted at May 24, 2005 11:59 AM
Somehow, this thesis would cling to me like lack of hygiene and even geek grrls would pause upon seeing me, say "well, no. Not him," and move on.
SUPPORT EUTHANASIA FOR GEEK GIRLS WHO HAVE BEEN AROUND THIS GUY WHO WROTE A POST THAT ONE TIME
Comment from: Misha Grin posted at May 24, 2005 12:08 PM
I was *SO* expecting this to be a "Jedi Clap" comic when I first saw this 'snark...
Comment from: BZArcher posted at May 24, 2005 1:12 PM
Oh, go ahead and write it. Because now we're all curious about exactly what you have to say.
Comment from: Meagen Image posted at May 24, 2005 3:54 PM
I've only seen the first three movies and episode I, but the last frame comepletely cracks me up.
Comment from: Sonictail~ posted at May 24, 2005 4:00 PM
i'm just happy that due to no roomies, we get color shortpacked. but it's good to see a gag that doesn't focus on hands ;)
Comment from: ItsWalky posted at May 24, 2005 5:07 PM
Is it like the biscuits at Bob Evans or Red Lobster? The ones at Bob Evans are really awesome, but the Red Lobster "Cheddar Bay" biscuits are like full of cheese or something, which is really weird.
Comment from: BZArcher posted at May 24, 2005 6:03 PM
ItsWalky:
Go to Carfagna's at 161 and Karl Rd. Find the cookie aisle, and grab a box of Walker's Shortbread.
Comment from: Kate Sith posted at May 24, 2005 7:04 PM
...Padme looks like Margaret in that strip.
That's kinda scary.
Comment from: Paul Gadzikowski posted at May 24, 2005 7:06 PM
I should mention, first and foremost, that this particular Shortpacked is technically a spoiler.
I dunno why you say that. There's nothing in the first four panels you didn't know from the other five before you saw III. ...Unless you mean the [i]last[/i] panel is a spoiler for the next Special Edition release of V...
Comment from: thok posted at May 24, 2005 8:13 PM
Panel 2/3 would probably be the closest thing to a spoiler; we don't know exactly why Anakin becomes Vader until after seeing episode III.
Also, people can be stupid. There are people who went into episode III not knowing that Anakin becomes Vader. (Only slightly more excusable are the people who didn't realize Palpatine is Sidious).
Eric, I want to see your thesis,since I want to see you discuss the importance of Han Solo in the redemption of the Jedi, and to show us the required pictures of Mara Jade. Because, well, she's Mara Jade.
The other thing I find interesting is that Willis has apprently decided to use his departure from Keenspot to make his comic "more mature".
Comment from: ItsWalky posted at May 24, 2005 8:34 PM
Nah, coarse language is not new to Shortpacked!.
Comment from: Kail Panille posted at May 25, 2005 12:22 AM
Because we don't have the full thesis for your Grand Unification Theory of Jedi, Eric, I can't comment on it, but you've reminded me a little of Howard Tayler's issues with the Jedi code.
Here's what I'm curious about. Do we know if the Jedi preached their emotional detachment to the masses? I ask because if it was just taught to padawans, then I don't really have a problem with it.
I'm taking the following as known:
1. The Dark Side is addictive and corrupting.
2. The Dark Side is what get you when you call upon the Force in anger or fear.
So, it seems like emotional detachment would be a good thing to instill in people who will eventually be able to kill with their minds. It seems like the problem here is just what Yoda said when they brought Ani in in the first place: he started the training too late. I mean, it's obvious that that part of his training never took.
Comment from: Brian posted at May 25, 2005 2:29 AM
I laughed at this strip, but I can't say it's "bar none" the funniest for me personally -- I laughed like crazy at the Yirmumah "Empire" strip featuring Luke. I also have fond memories of Frank Cho's Liberty Meadows offering up lovingly detailed renditions of Luke and Vader at the climactic scene of "Empire" (Luke: "Some father you are. No birthday presents. No phone calls." Vader: "Don't sass me, boy! I brought you into this world, I'll take you out!")
Still, yeah, this installment of Shortpacked is way, way up there, and it's a reminder that I really need to start reading it more regularly.
Anyway: I had a lot of ideas about how "Sith" would unfold, and I was disappointed in several of them. Right up at the top was Yoda's offhanded "Hey, remember Qui-Gon? He's immortal now. Turns out, we can do that." I was hoping for Yoda to make a profound realization that an ancient philosophy with prophecies and otherworldly powers had been reduced to an academy, a council, some lightsaber techniques and midichlorian measurements. I thought Yoda needed some kind of epiphany -- and I mean, a "Boy, did we lose sight of what was important!" epiphany -- to explain how he could become the guy who said "Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter" in Episode V. Up until we started seeing Force ghosts, Jedi *were* just crude matter, dependent on microscopic organisms to be their go-between for their Force powers.
And I don't think the Jedi preached their code to the masses, based solely on Padme and Anakin's conversation in Episode II. She said that Jedi couldn't love. Anakin disagreed, saying that Jedi couldn't have attachments or be possessive, but they were encouraged to be compassionate, "which I would define as unconditional love." So if a planetary ruler/liberator on her way to becoming an easily misled lovesick housewife hasn't been told the code, then I'd imagine that the masses wouldn't be hearing it, either.
I'll stop here for the same reasons Eric did -- I mean, I wear no "Star Wars" items, I don't really talk about "Star Wars" at work, I have no "Star Wars" knickknacks on my desk, yet people at work kept asking me if I was going to that Star Wars Celebration in Indiana ("No") and how many times I've seen the movie (once). I just have that aura of a "Star Wars" megafan, and I'm afraid further essays from me on this subject will make that aura visible from space.
Brian
Comment from: Brandon E. posted at May 25, 2005 2:35 AM
The problem is that you can't really teach emotional detachment, just emotional repression. Repression causes all sorts of odd psychological problems. Their teachings encourage breaking and going to the dark side.
What should be taught (and what I think is encouraged in the original trilogy) is how to deal with the emotions, not how to hide them.
I'm not sure if this is the same problem that Howard Taylor had with these teachings.
I don't think it was ever implied that the Jedi Council taught the same things to those outside the order. I get the impression that the entire Jedi Order, philosphy and all, is very self contained. There is little or not preaching of Jedi values outside of the order. I could be wrong though.
Comment from: Eric Burns posted at May 25, 2005 2:57 AM
Posted for T Campbell, who's having technical issues tonight.
What impresses me most about this one is that it is really sympathetic to Anakin, which is not the position of the too-cool-for-school, I-can-tell-you-twenty-seven-ways-that-Ep-3-sucks fan base. Willis avoided the easy targets (you know, like "NOOOOOOOOOOO") and came up with something that's not only hilarious and outrageous, but sorta thoughtful.
Comment from: Ray Radlein posted at May 25, 2005 3:03 AM
Go to Carfagna's at 161 and Karl Rd. Find the cookie aisle, and grab a box of Walker's Shortbread.
After that, proceed to the nearest bus stop. You will be approached by a man in a dark blue overcoat. He will ask you for the time. Ask him if he think's it's going to rain. When he says, "not for all the dogs in China will the skies open up," offer him a tasty, tasty biscuit. He will pass a note to you while taking the biscuit. When he leaves, read the note. Once you have read the note, throw it away. Its meaning will deconstruct in five sonnets.
Good luck, Jim. Remember: As always, if you, or any members of Irresistable Force are caught or captured or interdicted or stopped or arrested, the Stationary will Object to your motions.
Comment from: Brandon E. posted at May 25, 2005 3:29 AM
"Once you have read the note, throw it away. Its meaning will deconstruct in five sonnets."
clever...
Comment from: djcoffman posted at May 25, 2005 5:54 PM
after doing like 5 weeks of Star Wars themed stuff, I am CRAPPED TIRED of Star Wars....But i had fun.
I like this one! Good work.
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