36: The Pointlessness of War
The Cheese Triangles arc (Pt.6)
Yes, today there’s a valuable lesson to be learned by the kids – and by all of you, dear readers! About war. Oh, wait. I can’t remember what it was. Well, nevermind. It’s only a comic.
Fighting for a Common Cause!
It’s funny you know, sometimes I write these pages and later on, as I illustrate them, I realise that they’re sort of topical. Sort of. This weekend in Dublin, Ireland, sees the of the centenary celebrations of the 1916 Easter Rising.
According to legend, Pearse read it outside the GPO. But it’s said now that Thomas Clarke actually read it, in front of Nelson’s Pillar.
Brave Irish men and women rose up against the British to claim their right to Irish Sovereignty, self-rule, Independence and freedom – after several centuries. The leaders were subsequently captured and executed. But it set the wheels in motion for Irish Independence – at least for the majority of the island of Ireland.
It’s a very big occasion indeed. There will be a parade down O’Connell Street, on Easter Sunday, past the General Post Office building, where the rebels took over the building. Outside was read the Proclamation of Independence: An Poblacht na hÉireann ^.
Big Job!
Phew, this episode was a lot of work! 9 panels with loads of teeny details and lots of dialogue. I barely made my Wednesday deadline. I hope you enjoyed it, and I’ll try to keep it shorter and simpler next week.
So, see you next Wednesday and…
** Stay Groovy, all you 1970s kids! **
– John White
If you enjoy today’s strip and article, please leave a ‘comment‘ so that I know? And please ‘Share’ it – in whichever way you prefer. Every bit helps, to get my comic ‘out there’ – and – encourages me to stick at it.
Thanks!
Are our heroes going to make “common cause”? Are they going to war against the 1980s?
Great fantasy sequences. Was “Taste laser, you armoured clowns” lifted from Marvel’s Star Wars comics? It sounds like it could have been. (Did you agonise about whether to spell it without the ‘U’ for an American readership? It’s the sort of thing I’ve obsessed about when blogging, but in the end I think it’s better to write in your natural language.)
It was all great, John, and I think my favourite bit, as far as the artwork goes, is that first panel with the stormtroopers. I love the idea that the English in battle would go “Bang — frightfully sorry”, which is probably just how I’d be.
Hi Darren,
It’s amazing how much you’ve picked up on and how in tune we seem to be!
Maybe war against – or maybe war to defend what they now hold dear…
I think you’re right about “armored clowns”. Pretty sure I recall Han Solo shouting that as he chases the stormtroopers down the Death Star corridors! And I did INDEED wonder if I should type ‘armored’ instead of ‘armoured’ ! I agree with your approach. Though sometimes… if it’s a fantasy sequence, and the kids fancy themselves as exciting Americans – they might say ‘armored’ and ‘color’ and ‘thru’ etc. Dammit. Now, I’m thinking I should have done that. Perhaps I should do that in another strip in which there’s LOADS of that. Once looks like a mistake, 10 times is more like comic effect.
In the Waterloo panel I actually used the not very nice word ‘Frogs’ but I saw sense. There’s a fine line between showing how things were, back then, and actually just offending readers! I also thought of having Noel say “Au revoir mes amis” – or something, but it wasn’t British enough. DO you recall Lord Peter Flint, in WARLORD comic saying “Toodle Pip, old chum” ?