Endtown by Aaron Neathery for February 27, 2013

I’m waiting for a commanding chair to swivel to face him, seating an evil mastermind and a fluffy, white cat.

Hat in hand, the Mayor cravesTo seek his audienceBut each new danger that he bravesJust makes him seem more denseThe Council seems to rule from HighThrough fear and stealth and ratPerhaps a time for change is nighAnd I know just the cat…And yet we’ve got the Human-itesand Mutant-racist groupsJackrabbit’s thugs are up for fightsHow wild are Allgood’s troops?=|====/ Level HeadVote for Endtown 2.0And for Doc Rat, tooThe Endtown ForumThe Endtown AuctionThe Endtown Books

Now, about the idea that the HC gets a chance to go home at night…

Sounds like a radio or a phonograph rather than a real person talking. Why would they want something to read if it is so dark?Blessed Be

There’s another angle you guys haven’t considered…The solitary voice the mayor’s hearing may be simply a figurehead and the rats are the ones who REALLY run things in Endtown.

Voice coming through a microphone? Single “eye” a camera lens?

Sorry. I spelled “realistically” wrong.

More like a Endtown version of HAL, or Proteus IV.

Someone went mad and ate all the other councilors.

Don’t go towards the light!! ;-)

Hav we forgotten that weasel looking broad in the control room last week? Wonder whats her role? And whos REALLY running Endtown? I mean if council members are selected randomly and are only temporary, maybe. AN really makes u think, huh?

Look at the spelling and highlighting of “HIZZONER”, wasn’t there a particular person(s) who used that term in that spelling earlier on in the strip? I will try to find it too unless someone knows who it was!

In the second panel. Looks like Wally the later years.The last panel I have a feeling that it could be Flask as that ball of light.

Seems the guy speaking in archaic caps (from 1970s computer printouts, looks like) doesn’t particularly want to be where he is…

Ignor the man behind the curtain. IGNOR THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN! Yup, maybe it’s Oz, the great and powerful.

Since the Council is secret it would figure not to expose faces or voices to be recognized outside. They may not even know who each other is. The quip about the dentist office. One usually sits alone if the doctor is a painful one suggesting doing this stint is painful and lonely. This is especially serious as coming from the other direction Walt may have been able to see the Council. This way he cannot see anyone to report. So they have a month at this. Looks like the trial is going to be soon like before they are replaced shifting the power again.I don’t have time today maybe later but I believe King was onto something. I seem to remember the name being used before also.

The person speaking is from (now multiple voices, all at once and think Pace picante commercials) “New York City!!”

Or, “I am the great and powerful OZ….Pay no attention to the rat behind the screen”

“Hizzoner”… Hmmm. Sounds a awful lot like something from an old ganster movie. ;-)

this must be where the voice of reasons steps in to save the day…. or maybe Aaron Marx will return.

Someone who was supposed to have “died” but is now in some kind of life-support? (someone mentioned Soylent jars) Tone is mechanical yet sarcastic. Other preserved characters don’t speak this way (the P.T.s, zero guns, Petey), but present a more lifelike inflection (judging by the text). This is interesting.

Please tell me that prof. Mallard didn’t put Flask’s brain in a machine?! That’s something the Topsiders would do!

I’m left, again, with the feeling that things have changed since the last time the Mayor’s been up here. “Uh guys?” suggests that he expected a group of people here, not a single entity. Adding this to the other things that have been noted (the changes in protocol, the rats’ relative silence, the lack of rat tails) and I wonder if something drastic has happened.Petey used to be that scarcastic when he was a transporter. Is this the other transporter brain? Is this Petey? (we haven’t seen him since the group’s return to Endtown) or another former PT?

I’m surprised Petey isn’t working as Mallard’s assistant. I wonder if he’s allowed to have a turn as a member of the High Council?Considering his past and his present condition, he may be over-qualified.

This reminds me of a Zeta Project story I’ve been trying to finish…

I am NOT accusing our dear friend Mr. Neathery of any copywriting! I’m just having a deja vu moment, that’s all…

Uh-oh, font change. Could this council just be a sentient computer?

Geez…“hizzoner” is just Brooklynese for “His Honor”…just a disrespectful way to pronounce a formal title…

I’m guessing someone executed an effective coup over the Endtown City Council.

I am back from Austin. Ammo/Supply run. (ready to take on the rats. 14,000 rounds 5.56 and 13,000 rounds 357Sig pistol and some white out and memo pads).A song kept running through my head while thinking about the panels.“Welcome my son, Welcome to the Machine.”“Where have you been, its all right we know where you’ve been.” FISHING. Thanks to Pink FloydI don’t think its a machine however.To keep the council secret they would use voice augmentation equipment. That way no one in Endtown would know who was on the council since its all so danged secret. If you were before the council and ran into one member outside in Endtown you would recognize the voice and realize they were on the council. The members may not know who each member is. That way (supposedly) no alliances could be constructed prior to serving after being picked to the council. So it is either luck of the draw some Allgood supporters are there. Or a Manipulation of the choosing process. (Picked the members by corrupting the system. However that system works.)Remember its suppose to be all in secret, the members, and the choosing process. All sworn to secrecy. Looks like we may have a leak, Houston.

mr_shermanRead your story from yesterday. Loved it and can say that would be a true rendition. Still laughing now.At surfstuffSorry just not all that into the image. I was raised all east coast. Got here as fast as I could. (Didn’t dress like THEY do as I did not want to upset the indigenous ones)Awww We have our Cowboy hats for work and the shoes are just practical for working. Now for serious stuff I have the full rig. Felt hat, highly polished cowboy boots, long sleeves, shiny silver button, high gloss duty rig, and tie. We do present a very awesome sight that way.(Ever where that much stuff in 115 degree West Texas summer? With full soft body armor under all that? We had a saying. We never sweat. Much.) ;-))

I just got done reviewing volumes one and two. In volume one, the rats have tails. In volume two, the tails are gone. I haven’t gone back to check when Wally first came to Endtown if the rats have tails or not. Another thing I noticed was a significant physical change in the rats between the volumes. In volume one the rats look very much like rats in their physical shapes. Some of them are even without any clothing. Volume two has the rats looking like they do now. The tails were basically gone from the beginning of the story and we readers didn’t pay much attention it until after the story about Flask.

Here is something to chew on tonight.Allgood stated to Roxie he has sympathizers to the cause on the council.Walter said the council is super secret, no one knows the members.Facto:How did Allgood KNOW he has sympathizers on the council?Two ways I can think of. One, however the list was picked Allgood got a copy.Two, Allgood influenced, altered. or arranged the choosing process to have his sympathizers picked.How could Allgood do this?Who escorts, guards, carries out the orders of the council?SECURITY.Either way Allgood’s primary control is who is doing the job of Security Chief. That is the inside person who could do these things. The one person we have not met yet.

I don’t like the look of this. Looks like someone staged a coup, and the mayor wasn’t in on it.When he gets to see whoever IS in charge it may be Allgood, but I hope not.

Remember our author does toss out clues as to identities.Two words emphasized.HIZZONER and DENTISTS WAITING ROOMThese are clues to our speakers identityALLEE???? (Drinks so the speech slur, and teeth)Hmmmmmmmm.

Have fun with that everyone.

Sometimes I try to reply and it doesn’t work. But I had remembered the brain Petey brought back. Does Doc Rat have anyone who says hizzoner?

I can’t remember anyone who is a dentist.

I just about jumped out of my skin. I have a virus detecter and 3 or 4 times it said “ping of death” and I was only around long enough to put into quarentine. see the 1st 2 numbers of “sender” Has anyone heard of malware called “ping of death?”

I didn’t get to read yesterdays comments until this night, The talk of rats tails compelled me to look up in the books the progress of the tails. I personally would hope their tails are just tucked away, knowing how important tails are to rats.

They don’t have many whiskers either. Light and white rats have very poor vision. One of mine rocks side to side to try to determine where things are. this looks a bit funny. he even keeps his little mouth open a bit (the better to smell you later. THe other big difference is that they seem to be bigger. Now maybe over half the size of a small mutant like Wally. factoid; healthy rat teeth are yellow!

I keep hearing that computer who used to work with Dave.