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Eric: Of course, I doubt this is the only time Arthur's died in the series. It's just one of those things.
(From Arthur, King of Time and Space. Click on the thumbnail for full sized (and legible) seminal moment in Arthurian mythology.)
As the name implies, Arthur, King of Time and Space bounces hither and yon through the cosmos, showing the many and varied reincarnations and alternate universal counterparts of Arthur, Merlin, Mordred, Guinevere, Lancelot and all the rest. It bounces from fairly straightforward (if pun-laden) Arthurian high romance all the way to... well, M*A*S*H.
And yet, Gadzikowski still manages to depict some of the seminal moments of legend and yore, which brings us over to today's musings, which brings us to one of the most serious -- one of the most tragic -- interpretations of the death of Arthur currently extant. Gadzikowski elected to go with one of the emptiest versions of that story... a version that makes one cry with the sheer avoidability of the battle on Salisbury Plain. One most famous, in these post-literate days, for being the interpretation "Arthur" quotes in the episode of Babylon 5 titled "A Late Delivery from Avalon."
The stage is set. Go forth, clicking on the thumbnail, and read the actual episode that it is based upon. Go and do this thing. I'll wait here for you to get back. It's no problem at all.
Back? You read it? All the way to the bottom?
Good.
Paul Gadzikowski must die! There are puns, and then there are motherfucking puns. I'm thinking railgun fire from orbit here! Damn you, Gadzikowski!!!!!!
It's been a long, long while, but Paul Gadzikowski gets a biscuit. A tasty, tasty biscuit.
Posted by Eric Burns at August 23, 2006 12:00 AM
Comments
Comment from: Arujei ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.websnark.com/nav-commenters.gif)
posted at August 23, 2006 2:51 AM
When I first read this strip I was laughing for 10 minutes straight. Not that Arthur *dying* isn't depressing, but that pun just hit me like a ton of bricks. I think someone should notify Andy Weir about this. The entire Pun Police force is needed for retribution!
Comment from: Ununnilium posted at August 23, 2006 3:08 AM
Incredible win. Manages to be timeless *and* topical. Awesome.
Comment from: BruceJD posted at August 23, 2006 4:14 AM
Railguns? Too impersonal. No, what this calls for is the Narn Bat Squad.
Comment from: Matt Buchwald posted at August 23, 2006 8:13 AM
Broadsided me with great stealth. Awesome.
Comment from: Nentuaby posted at August 23, 2006 8:59 AM
...
......
..........
I suggest you wrap the biscuit in ferrous foil, and FIRE it from said orbiting railgun.
Seriously, just... Ow. I mean really, OW.
Comment from: Paul Gadzikowski posted at August 23, 2006 9:22 AM
I feel obliged to point out for clarity, to those who aren't regular readers, that strips in red borders are set in the future of my characters, whose adventures are scheduled to be chronicled for another twenty-two years. Also that, as the 'snark notes, my characters shift between several "story arcs" or "time zones", rather like Irregular Webcomic but with the same characters appearing in all arcs; and there have been red-bordered strips that show some story arcs have happier endings than the fairy-tale, "baseline" arc (whose purpose is to retell the legends without innovation, and in which this strip is set).
But, yeah. Take that, Weir. Take that, Morgan-Mar.
Comment from: Paul Gadzikowski posted at August 23, 2006 9:31 AM
Oh, and don't let me forget to say, thanks for reading.
Comment from: Ford Dent posted at August 23, 2006 9:49 AM
I bow down to the master. I could not have pulled something so good off if I tried.
Comment from: miyaa posted at August 23, 2006 1:43 PM
Wonders how stale the biscuits are. Wonders if biscuits will be given more frequently.
Comment from: HydrogenGuy posted at August 23, 2006 2:15 PM
The biscuits are tasty, hence, not stale. They're like super biscuits.
They'd do a lot of damage fired from an orbital rail gun.
Comment from: larksilver posted at August 23, 2006 2:39 PM
This update certainly put Paul on the short list of Pun King candidates, aye - especially in the middle of an otherwise somber scene.
Comment from: Egak posted at August 23, 2006 9:35 PM
larksilver: In my book, he's BEEN on that list.
Comment from: Egak posted at August 23, 2006 9:35 PM
larksilver: In my book, he's BEEN on that list.
Comment from: MelSkunk posted at August 23, 2006 11:26 PM
Damn you, Bruce, you beat me to this one...
Ah well, none the less:
**fwheet!**
tramptramptrampTrampTrampTrampTRAMPTRAMPTRAMP
WHAM!WHAM!WHAM!WHAM!WHAM!
Comment from: Chris: Wannabe Academic posted at August 24, 2006 1:01 PM
Bravo, Mr. Gadzikowski. I am going to print this out and show it to Dr. Alan Lupack, who maintains the Camelot project that you so wonderfully link to.
Comment from: David Morgan-Mar posted at August 25, 2006 7:37 PM
Paul Gadzikowski:
But, yeah. Take that, Weir. Take that, Morgan-Mar.
Bah, snakes on a plain is passe. Wait for the snakes on an infinite featureless plane of Death. ;-)
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