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The rats didnât really seem evil in this scene, I donât think. They were nervous when the mob surrounded them. It seems to me that the moment one got hit in the head, the gun went off by accident or reflex, and things just spiraled out of control from there. None of the rats seemed happy or bloodthirsty about this at any point.
I actually think the humanization may be happening here, as said in other comments, the rats didnât seem all that enthusiastic in killing anyone, when it all came down to the wire.
I canât believe the rats todayI can still Spike as they drug him awayHow long, how long must we live this way?How long? Till todayâŠâCause tonightWe can fight the rats tonightBroken bottles on his headBullets flying now and so many are deadWe stood there stunned as Spike did fallAnother bottle hit, and they would kill us allEndtown, bloody EndtownEndtown, bloody EndtownEndtown, bloody EndtownEndtown, bloody EndtownOh, letâs goAnd the riotâs now engagedThereâs many down but all the rest are enragedIt seemed that we could not have wonBut one guardâs fallen, and now our sideâs got a gunShooting backâŠEndtown, bloody EndtownEndtown, bloody EndtownHow long, weâre still buried by a mile?How long? Till we go on trialâŠBut tonightWe can fight the rats tonightTonightEndtown, bloody EndtownEndtown, bloody EndtownFight the fears in your heartFight back anywayWeâll fight back anywayNo matter what we payAnd the fight is just a startâŠEndtown, bloody EndtownEndtown, bloody EndtownEndtown, bloody EndtownEndtown, bloody EndtownEndtown, bloody EndtownYeah, itâs time!And thatâs trialâs of you and meAllgoodâs minions would control our destinyBut today the minions dieThey will come for us tomorrow â they will tryAnd then the battle will beginBut thereâs a victory to winHereâŠEndtown, bloody EndtownEndtown, bloody Endtown=|====/ Level HeadVote for Endtown 2.0And for Doc Rat, tooVote for Endtown ClassicThe Endtown ForumThe Endtown AuctionThe Endtown Books
I have been a great fan of the rats all along. Iâve had around 25 rats as pets and know the real animalâs sweetness and intelligence. One time one rat was "said âwho goes there?â but the other character, Al, said âI know you Samâ and the rat said âOh, how are ya doin?â to Al. I agree too that this is showing some of the ratâs vulnarbility, and in book 1, the rat swimming in the soup, reminded me of âthe amazing Maurice and his educated rodentsâ âthe light widdlersâ and the âcream swimmersâ
I see 2 rats down with almost no hope for rat 3. The ratâs Own code of ethics is the donât shoot anyone in the back.Didnât matter, one did Get shot in the back. and the capturing of it is so exquisitly drawn.
While the threat of death from monsters or topsiders loomed always; and there were probably petty crimes and small scale assaults (Wally got muggedâŠ); Endtowners probably felt safe while in town. Not any more.
As with any society where the citizens are disarmed and the government has all the weapons, abuse of power can and will occur. Civil unrest generally results in one of two outcomes: government crushes the rebellion or the people win. Sadly there will be many dead in either case. Endtowners seem to finally waking up to the abuse. Unfortunately, violence only begets violence. Their society only knew war on massive scale before the mutants went underground.
I think that some of the Docâs wind-up guns have more stopping power than the rats pea-shooters, especially if you lob one towards the target just before it self-destructs. This whole thing begs the question of what the rats function is. Protection? Obviously theyâve failed, since killing the Endtowners is a pretty poor way of protecting them. Maintaining a power hierarchy and enforcing the rule of the Council? Theyâre failing at that, too, given that the public no longer has any confidence in the impartiality of the Council. This has the potential to turn into a total furball, no pun intended.
I get the impression that Docâs wind up guns are normally only issued for foraging duty. But itâs quite likely that people have hung on to them and others have pre-War weapons. They just arenât routinely carried.
Either way, whether the Endtowners have access easy to arms or not, things are goings to go South from here very quickly.
âEndtown was a police state where the only ones armed were those in power.â
Thatâs what Rep. Ron PaulÂź said about how police in Massachusetts acted in capturing the other bombing suspect 3 weeks ago. This is the mirror opposite of happeing with the security rats in Endtown. In fact itâs starting to become somewhat like that of what Syria is now.
Oh, if only we had a police force that wasnât also the MILITARY force. Oh look, I have a small nail I need to put into this wall to hang a picture up with, but all I have is a SLEDGE HAMMER! What could possibly go wrong?
The phrase âTHIS WAS COMPLETELY AVOIDABLE!â seems to be appropriate for this weekâs comics.
How many doctors do we have in Endtown again? Because last I checked, that number was ONE.
To JusayinRead your post about Kent State. You are on that correctly. The initial idea was to fire over the heads of the protesters. A so called Warning shot. Due to the noise and as you said POOR training some fired into the crowd. If you watch the old film you can see the Lt in charge waving his arm trying to make them cease fire. They misinterpreted it as to fired and once one shoots the others follow. A riot is a loud boisterous thing. It is nearly impossible to hear commands much less think. It has an energy all its own and it is contagious. All the training in the world can not prepare one for such a thing. It has to be experienced. I point that out in our training for things like this. We march, stomp and drag, clack our batons against the riot shield, get hand signals, verbal signals but until you are facing hundreds of angry folks tossing things at you the training does little other than to give you the formation but does not cover what do you do if? That is why they use old vets like me who have experienced these things. I walk the line calming the fears I can see from the new troops. These three rats were sacrificed by the ones behind all this brouhaha. The trial would not give the ones behind this what they want what ever that is so CREATE a bigger issue using the trial as a catalyst. Now whoever is behind this can seize full control shutting down Endtown.
As for those all screaming for the blood of the Rats. Whatever did they do to deserve this?They showed up to a fight to disperse it.Order folks to leave. Just leave no arrests no violence just leave.Folks refused surrounding the Rats blaming them for what is going on when it is the High Council not the Rats doing this.A bottle is tossed by an ignorant boob hitting one on the head and a trigger is pulled by reflex.Shots ring out. One dead one wounded. Unintentional.The crowd closes in still refusing to disperse.It come to a point US or THEM. Bottles and rocks fly.Bullets fly back. The first row dies while the second row overrun the Rats.One is seized and throw with terrible force thru a window.A rioter picks up a dropped weapon. As the remain two flee one is gunned down IN THE BACK.Who was wrong there? Is that JUSTICE?Another flees firing wildly behind him trying to get away.Personally I hope he makes it.The QUESTION demanding answers is:WHO IS BEHIND THIS??WHY?Some one is destabilizing Endtown to some dark purpose.As to Mr. Neatheryâs artwork. Powerful very powerful especially to me having seen this before. The faces of those shot to ones getting shot while running. Sometimes its like a photo in my head has been reproduced.
saw this coming a mile awayâŠisnât that attributed to a âlittle person complexâ?? The rats have guns so therefore are all powerfulâŠ.or not, as the case really is. Too much violenceâŠyou would think everyone is sick of it and wants to be peaceful. Canât wait to see how this plays out.
I donât buy into todayâs Oliver Stone turn by Nabs either, but Iâm not going to flag him because of it. Freedom of speech also means freedom to be challenged and even freedom to be wrong. Or should the Endtown threads reflect the major political parties by trying to silence people we donât agree with? If so, thereâd be no compelling reason for me to read any of these posts because theyâd be one-sided (and boring). I can get that on MSNBC or Sean Hannity.
Trying to think forward on where this could goâŠif they go the typical riot route of âstart setting random things on fire,â it could get really ugly in the enclosed underground space that is EndtownâŠ
âSure hope so, again Iâm totally on the ratâs side at this point. Quell the chaos through firepower if need be.â
That is not a solution. It would just make the situation worse.Dialog, communication, peaceful protests, show of solidarity.Violence begets Violence.It is sometimes necessary but here in this situation it just makes matters worse.
The rats are soldiers doing policemenâs jobs. Just because theyâre both armed doesnât mean they can do each otherâs job. Some, like Veteran, can. But Iâm sure even he had training between being a soldier, then becoming a police officer. The most obvious mistake was the rats having their weapons out when they arrived. If they had holstered sidearms only when they stepped out, with one person staying at the vehicle just in case, the situation most likely would have been different. But the story wouldnât be happening like it is now and this is what Aaron needs to tell his story. The feelings are part of the ride heâs taking us on, folks.
Please people the rats are a police force Not a Army. Armies are for defending against and attacking foreign powers. Have you ever seen the rats provide that function? NO.
Thereâs a failure of gun training:No finger on the trigger!This crisis wouldnât be gainingAnd the magnitude wouldnât be biggerHad the two rats struck by a bottleNot reflexively clenched their handsCausing weapons to go âopen throttleâItâs a rookie mistake here, fans=|====/ Level HeadVote for Endtown 2.0And for Doc Rat, tooVote for Endtown ClassicThe Endtown ForumThe Endtown AuctionThe Endtown Books
The phrase âappropriate use of forceâ is something we need to consider here. The Rat Patrol have shown that the only use of force they will use is guns. Need to open a locked door, guns. Need to escort someone to see the council? Guns.-In a more rational setting, youâd have COPS responding to a disturbance like a bar brawl. And if they felt it was necessary, theyâd break out equipment for crowd control, like riot shields and tear gas. Get a bottle thrown at you is just part of the job as a cop.-This though, firing into the crowd, killing and injuring civilians, then continuing to do so even after the initial accident⊠this is just one mistake after another. The sledgehammer for every nail. The chainsaw for every cut.-Was the thrown bottle appropriate? No, but you donât mow down a crowd of people with automatic gun fire because you had a bottle thrown in your direction either.-A trial about human values and who controls the minds of a community. Itâs nice to see even during the Apocalypse, people will lose all sense of whatâs truly important, in the name of Power and Control.
Bummer my first attempt didnât get through-Basically, I was saying I donât agree with either side of the coin. I think the demonstrators are in the wrong, I think the HC are in the wrong.-How the rats acted under Flaskâs control shows they arenât all evil, they just needed stronger command and order to keep them in line. Long story short, end the protests before it burns through society, and then end the HC.
âOne problem: the ratâs would never have a chance to reload like they apparently have here. So, only one clip of at most 50, assuming they are small bullets.â
You should have stop there at statement, and not let the rest of that remark become a lie,
The question is where does it go from here. If the powers that be were trying to quiet things down, they would keep all rats confined to security and either let this burn out on its own or send larger, quieter types in to defuse things.Even if Velda and company are intent on a pretext for martial law, sending the whole rat patrol in right now is only going to result in more deaths, and the mutant population is pretty small to begin with. Unless part of the reason for the current tension is an influx of new residents that is exceeding the rate of attrition due to bean hunts. Then an additional massacre to cow the rioters by force (Chinese style) might make a certain repugnant sense.
Whatâs up with the rat on the left in panel 4? Looks like heâs been hit with something, but I donât see a bottle or anything. His shirt/jacket looks like it might have three bullet holes in it. Did the duck guy get him? Or is he just looking up to shoot bottles out of he air?
To Salem Stormwing.Ever been surrounded by an angry mob that is turning on you just for being there? Ever had a bottle thrown at you? Trust me. They can seriously injure you. In my fight described the officer had to have 20 stitches to sew up the gash on his scalp. The bottle never broke. It is just a hard object flying with force. It can kill.If you came at me with bottle I would shoot you no question. I am not under any rule that says I must meet force with equal force. I can go to deadly if I can justify it. With a bottle attack I can I have seen serious injuries caused by bottles. TV makes it look simple and painless. That is sugar glass not real stuff. Then after the accidental firing instead of backing off the crowd charges. What do you expect them to do. They are going to get torn to pieces anyway with or without shooting. Their attempt now is to survive and escape using any means possible. This is just tragic. They should have never been sent into that situation. That is why I believe this is all in the plan of someone yet to be revealed.To pathfindercecThat was a program of getting the locals out of the control of the Viet Cong that ruled the areas. The villagers were caught between two big stones. US forces telling them not to cooperate with Viet Cong and Viet Cong telling them not to cooperate with US forces. We moved them. The Viet Cong just killed leaders to instill FEAR to keep them inline. The Viet Cong used the villages as cover and supply depots. The idea was if the villages were moved to a more âsecureâ zone they could better âprotectâ them and deny the Viet Cong supplies and cover.It was just the villages there were there probably for centuries. Ancestral lands so to say. They mostly did not appreciate moving. That did not help the cause either.No harm no foul. It was a legit and good question. The war became for the hearts and minds of the people. That is not war. War is to defeat the enemy and drive them out. But when the enemy is the local guerrilla forces fighting against a government THEY do not like. How do you drive those out?The justification of the entire Viet Nam War was the guerrilla forces were ânasty communistsâ and all of the far east would domino if not stopped. 58,282 as of last count died trying to stop some effect that was not proven it would happen, it was just feared it would.Of course if you are referring to My Lai that was soldiers crossing a line of morality. Once the killing began it just would not stop. When I was there I did not meet many civilians but I heard from others all were viewed as the enemy. Not to be trusted.
DADOF3Oh I can agree with you. I read book one when Al returned. They even aimed a weapon at him giving all kinds of confusing orders. He just dropped a sack of cans on him. Problem solved.But they were doing the job they were suppose to be doing. Securing Endtown at the entry points. They have to expect anything coming down those elevators. So many who have dealt with them would resent them. It is normal. I am not loved by all. There are many who resent me too. That is the mantle of authority. Some will like you. Some will not. And in time those roles can reverse depending on what is done.
Salem come on. Having a bottle thrown at you is part of the job being a cop????It is expected but not part of the job. And the response could be bad.I am chuckling about it right now.I guess I will have to put that in our job description.Working traffic crashes, writing tickets, getting bottles tossed at youâŠâŠ.hahah!I see your point we are better trained to deal with it like I did when it happened to us. Show restraint but believe me we were ready to shoot if we had to. My crowd backed off and began to cool down. The Endtown Mob just got angrier.It can swing either way and teeters on a single act.
I think this is a set-up. I think somebody picked the three dumbest rats in the security force, gave them automatic weapons, thrust them into this situation and made sure something stupid happened.-People who say the rats on the whole arenât really bad are right. They may be a little too prone to following orders.-There is just a lot going on right now. Al is on the Council and talking to the newspaper, Wally hasnât been heard from for a while, Linda hasnât taken the stand yet in the trial and now this. Iâm dying to see how it all comes together and today isnât even the cliffhanger, Fridayâs comingâŠ-Iâm finding this story quite gripping.
Just a word to anyone willing to listen: We all know that Aaron is an unparalleled master at drawing his audience into the story and making them feel a part of the events being portrayed. There seems to be a palpable level of tension being evoked by this arc, and (not unlike the events unfolding in the story) there âappearâ to be some âbattle linesâ developing in these comments. We are a broad based and very diverse group with widely differing points of view, yet we are all brought together here by Aaronâs superb talents. Sometimes it is hard to remember that itâs just a story, and often the events depicted touch us deeply because they closely resemble things we have all to vividly experienced in the real world. All that being said, I would simply suggest that It might be better to remember those things we share, rather that dwell on the ones that we will most likely never agree on. Just offering my 2 cents⊠;-)
I did the other day run across an old gem of a cartoon saga.âTumbleweedsâ by T.K. Ryan. He has his own website and a beautiful collection book available for a small fee. He even signed the book he sent to me. That goes with my two Flask portraits as a real item to treasure. I always loved his stories of the âOldâ west.
âJackbooted thugsâ does fit. It seems to me that cabin fever set in. Being cooped up underground and abused by an over zealous Gestapo-like security force finally broke the public apathy. This sudden resurgence of emotion will be very hard to stop indeed.
To those interested here is a thought.I mentioned some time back that the High Council would have to have the backing of Security to carry out dirty deeds. I suggested the whole thing would fall apart if Security sided with Endtowners.Look at what has happened. This to me appears all to be arranged for a purpose. That purpose is to make sure the Security Rats would not align with Endtowners.The High Council would use this to show that the Endtowners care nothing for the Security Rats so why take their side. Do what âweâ (High Council) tell you to after all we love you and Endtowners HATE you and will kill you if given a chance.It has been mentioned before the Security Rats may have never been human to begin with. They may have all been some grand experiment by APEX back in the day like the Secret of NIMH story. The virus made them become more human appearing but they were never human to begin with.Only our author knows that story and he has not printed that one outâŠâŠyet.
Where are the actual Endtown Police? Security has no business doing or being there.to quote an old Doonsebury strip:âPolice! Where are the hell are the police!!â
Sometimes Josh amazes me. I have posted on other sites as he has and only here does he get this way with me. Go figure.Well I am out. Cold beer time. Playoffs on the Telly.Going to get Subways and do some relaxing.See yaâll tomorrow.Lets see what he has in store for FRIDAY.Oh also gotta go reserve the new CallofDuty game due out in November. âGhostsâ is the name. Great trailer by the way check it out on Call of Duty.Com.(Sorry Josh must be 18 to view) ;-))
I have only seen the rats arrive in a vehicle. The police may have been on the way, but the rats unfortunately got there faster. Or the police were deliberately delayed. The police would have had a better chance of calming things down, as they would have known some, if not all of the people there; much like in Veteranâs story.
Josh if it was a mistake fine.Try editing yourself sometimes. The @ name sign means its directed back at someone who posted. I am sure you know that. So your post about âjoiningâ GoComics took on the appearance of insulting me. Expect me to respond like that you have aimed at me before. On one site you referred to me as boring putting ZZZZZZZZZ. Cute.I enjoy the banter back and forth and would never think of flagging (whatever that is) anyone. I just ignore them.
Aaron, the comments section here is two miles long. hands you a beer. Good Work!
And now for my two sense. er, cents. Yeah, cents. Blackie always struck me as keeping a VERY tight reign on the rats; sheâs been gone three months and no one else has been riding herd on them. It stands to reason theyâd want âreasons to saluteâ again. The rats are what they call âjarheadsâ; thereâs nothing in their heads except what you unscrew and put in and with no Alpha to guide them wellâŠ.you get Omega results. Also remember: for days and days news has been blaring about how the rats have acted with Maude and Co. and honestly even though theyâve had their humanizing moments on the whole theyâve acted like total pillocks. Well-/armed/ total pillocks.
You can only push so hard for so long until someone decides theyâve have enough of /this/ crap.
And seriously, Aaron, ya gots a reader for life. Dayum, is Endtown ainât entertainment I dunno what is.
Hes firing in the air BC he got his ticket punched by daffy duck, the other is laying covering fire at the bar or just panic shooting. Either or, doesnât seem to be deliberately over their heads
The rats are simply power-mad. It is probably why they mutated into what they are. As for not being enthusiastic about firing on the crowd â it was simply because they were AFRAID.Most people used to being in control and power usually wind up being exposed as cowards when the situation changes.âAinât no fun when the rabbit âs got the gunââŠ
Right now Iâm calling it five down outside, conditions unknown, possible one down inside the bar, one dead outside(Spike) definite, one dead rat(Ben) definite, airborne rat down most likely dead or wish he was. Did I miss anyone?
âSo donât lecture us please. It is quite insulting.âDADOF3 did preface his comment with âJust a word to anyone willing to listen:â. If you think itâs a lecture, then donât listen to it.
Iâm sorry you found my comments insulting. It was not intended to be a lecture, only an observation. I think Iâm correct in saying that many of us consider this a special place, a temporary haven, if you will, from the real world. When folks start injecting real world issues into their comments here (which they have every right to do) it sort of takes something away from that IMHO. I just feel that there is enough tension and conflict in the world we live in and cannot help expressing concern when those things start finding their way in here. It was never my intent to make rules or chastise anyone for the comments they made. All I was doing was offering an opinion for consideration.
stevegallacci almost 12 years ago
Oh jeez! So predictable, yet so unnessisary.
SapphireDragonStudios almost 12 years ago
The rats didnât really seem evil in this scene, I donât think. They were nervous when the mob surrounded them. It seems to me that the moment one got hit in the head, the gun went off by accident or reflex, and things just spiraled out of control from there. None of the rats seemed happy or bloodthirsty about this at any point.
SapphireDragonStudios almost 12 years ago
Though donât get me wrong, they are some trigger-happy little buggers most of the time.
DADOF3 almost 12 years ago
So when was the last time you saw someone get thrown INTO a bar.
Robert Nowall Premium Member almost 12 years ago
There comes a time when shooting up a place just doesnât workâŠ
dirtyoldlady1 almost 12 years ago
I got a QUEEZY stomach right now. No more please. You have made your point. Stop it.Blessed Be
LukaTisus almost 12 years ago
âLetâs start a riot!â Is the immediate song that popped into my head.
perceptor3 almost 12 years ago
Ah, some of those good old-fashioned human values Mr. Allgood wants to see. . .
Hroar almost 12 years ago
I wonder if this is the first time the rats have had causualties?
MacEwanMouse almost 12 years ago
I actually think the humanization may be happening here, as said in other comments, the rats didnât seem all that enthusiastic in killing anyone, when it all came down to the wire.
firedome almost 12 years ago
my first thought as I read todayâs installment was the coastersâ âRiot in Cell Block Number 9â.
RickD Premium Member almost 12 years ago
It has to get worse. There are more rats and guns where these came from.
farren almost 12 years ago
Besides, remember, itâs a comic strip, not a reality show. The feelings are real, the drawings are not.
Level_Head almost 12 years ago
I canât believe the rats todayI can still Spike as they drug him awayHow long, how long must we live this way?How long? Till todayâŠâCause tonightWe can fight the rats tonightBroken bottles on his headBullets flying now and so many are deadWe stood there stunned as Spike did fallAnother bottle hit, and they would kill us allEndtown, bloody EndtownEndtown, bloody EndtownEndtown, bloody EndtownEndtown, bloody EndtownOh, letâs goAnd the riotâs now engagedThereâs many down but all the rest are enragedIt seemed that we could not have wonBut one guardâs fallen, and now our sideâs got a gunShooting backâŠEndtown, bloody EndtownEndtown, bloody EndtownHow long, weâre still buried by a mile?How long? Till we go on trialâŠBut tonightWe can fight the rats tonightTonightEndtown, bloody EndtownEndtown, bloody EndtownFight the fears in your heartFight back anywayWeâll fight back anywayNo matter what we payAnd the fight is just a startâŠEndtown, bloody EndtownEndtown, bloody EndtownEndtown, bloody EndtownEndtown, bloody EndtownEndtown, bloody EndtownYeah, itâs time!And thatâs trialâs of you and meAllgoodâs minions would control our destinyBut today the minions dieThey will come for us tomorrow â they will tryAnd then the battle will beginBut thereâs a victory to winHereâŠEndtown, bloody EndtownEndtown, bloody Endtown=|====/ Level HeadVote for Endtown 2.0And for Doc Rat, tooVote for Endtown ClassicThe Endtown ForumThe Endtown AuctionThe Endtown Books
pam Miner almost 12 years ago
I have been a great fan of the rats all along. Iâve had around 25 rats as pets and know the real animalâs sweetness and intelligence. One time one rat was "said âwho goes there?â but the other character, Al, said âI know you Samâ and the rat said âOh, how are ya doin?â to Al. I agree too that this is showing some of the ratâs vulnarbility, and in book 1, the rat swimming in the soup, reminded me of âthe amazing Maurice and his educated rodentsâ âthe light widdlersâ and the âcream swimmersâ
pam Miner almost 12 years ago
I see 2 rats down with almost no hope for rat 3. The ratâs Own code of ethics is the donât shoot anyone in the back.Didnât matter, one did Get shot in the back. and the capturing of it is so exquisitly drawn.
RickD Premium Member almost 12 years ago
While the threat of death from monsters or topsiders loomed always; and there were probably petty crimes and small scale assaults (Wally got muggedâŠ); Endtowners probably felt safe while in town. Not any more.
pam Miner almost 12 years ago
Plus besides Spike, there is an innocent bunny down and no doubt more in the cruelty of war.
gamiath almost 12 years ago
As with any society where the citizens are disarmed and the government has all the weapons, abuse of power can and will occur. Civil unrest generally results in one of two outcomes: government crushes the rebellion or the people win. Sadly there will be many dead in either case. Endtowners seem to finally waking up to the abuse. Unfortunately, violence only begets violence. Their society only knew war on massive scale before the mutants went underground.
witchspell63 almost 12 years ago
Wow, Daffy Duck with an automatic weapon and blood in his eye. Very not good
Francis362003 almost 12 years ago
Kill thoughâs rats. Kill them all.
Ponyhome almost 12 years ago
I think that some of the Docâs wind-up guns have more stopping power than the rats pea-shooters, especially if you lob one towards the target just before it self-destructs. This whole thing begs the question of what the rats function is. Protection? Obviously theyâve failed, since killing the Endtowners is a pretty poor way of protecting them. Maintaining a power hierarchy and enforcing the rule of the Council? Theyâre failing at that, too, given that the public no longer has any confidence in the impartiality of the Council. This has the potential to turn into a total furball, no pun intended.
3hourtour Premium Member almost 12 years ago
..Wabbit seasonâŠ
Airolga almost 12 years ago
Wow! If possible, this just became more intense!
andrew_c almost 12 years ago
I get the impression that Docâs wind up guns are normally only issued for foraging duty. But itâs quite likely that people have hung on to them and others have pre-War weapons. They just arenât routinely carried.
Either way, whether the Endtowners have access easy to arms or not, things are goings to go South from here very quickly.
Lyons Group, Inc. almost 12 years ago
âEndtown was a police state where the only ones armed were those in power.â
Thatâs what Rep. Ron PaulÂź said about how police in Massachusetts acted in capturing the other bombing suspect 3 weeks ago. This is the mirror opposite of happeing with the security rats in Endtown. In fact itâs starting to become somewhat like that of what Syria is now.
salenstormwing almost 12 years ago
Oh, if only we had a police force that wasnât also the MILITARY force. Oh look, I have a small nail I need to put into this wall to hang a picture up with, but all I have is a SLEDGE HAMMER! What could possibly go wrong?
The phrase âTHIS WAS COMPLETELY AVOIDABLE!â seems to be appropriate for this weekâs comics.
How many doctors do we have in Endtown again? Because last I checked, that number was ONE.
Jenner Premium Member almost 12 years ago
Will security rat reinforcements arrive? Things could get worse.
Lyons Group, Inc. almost 12 years ago
Well Nab, you hit a few nerves today. Perhaps you should leave this post and think about what you just said!
Vet Premium Member almost 12 years ago
To JusayinRead your post about Kent State. You are on that correctly. The initial idea was to fire over the heads of the protesters. A so called Warning shot. Due to the noise and as you said POOR training some fired into the crowd. If you watch the old film you can see the Lt in charge waving his arm trying to make them cease fire. They misinterpreted it as to fired and once one shoots the others follow. A riot is a loud boisterous thing. It is nearly impossible to hear commands much less think. It has an energy all its own and it is contagious. All the training in the world can not prepare one for such a thing. It has to be experienced. I point that out in our training for things like this. We march, stomp and drag, clack our batons against the riot shield, get hand signals, verbal signals but until you are facing hundreds of angry folks tossing things at you the training does little other than to give you the formation but does not cover what do you do if? That is why they use old vets like me who have experienced these things. I walk the line calming the fears I can see from the new troops. These three rats were sacrificed by the ones behind all this brouhaha. The trial would not give the ones behind this what they want what ever that is so CREATE a bigger issue using the trial as a catalyst. Now whoever is behind this can seize full control shutting down Endtown.
Vet Premium Member almost 12 years ago
As for those all screaming for the blood of the Rats. Whatever did they do to deserve this?They showed up to a fight to disperse it.Order folks to leave. Just leave no arrests no violence just leave.Folks refused surrounding the Rats blaming them for what is going on when it is the High Council not the Rats doing this.A bottle is tossed by an ignorant boob hitting one on the head and a trigger is pulled by reflex.Shots ring out. One dead one wounded. Unintentional.The crowd closes in still refusing to disperse.It come to a point US or THEM. Bottles and rocks fly.Bullets fly back. The first row dies while the second row overrun the Rats.One is seized and throw with terrible force thru a window.A rioter picks up a dropped weapon. As the remain two flee one is gunned down IN THE BACK.Who was wrong there? Is that JUSTICE?Another flees firing wildly behind him trying to get away.Personally I hope he makes it.The QUESTION demanding answers is:WHO IS BEHIND THIS??WHY?Some one is destabilizing Endtown to some dark purpose.As to Mr. Neatheryâs artwork. Powerful very powerful especially to me having seen this before. The faces of those shot to ones getting shot while running. Sometimes its like a photo in my head has been reproduced.
Darwinskeeper almost 12 years ago
I wonder if NAB has ever met Keith Night, he could easily be the inspiration for âThe Knight Lifeââs Conspiracy Guy.
cindyorch almost 12 years ago
saw this coming a mile awayâŠisnât that attributed to a âlittle person complexâ?? The rats have guns so therefore are all powerfulâŠ.or not, as the case really is. Too much violenceâŠyou would think everyone is sick of it and wants to be peaceful. Canât wait to see how this plays out.
Guilty Bystander almost 12 years ago
I donât buy into todayâs Oliver Stone turn by Nabs either, but Iâm not going to flag him because of it. Freedom of speech also means freedom to be challenged and even freedom to be wrong. Or should the Endtown threads reflect the major political parties by trying to silence people we donât agree with? If so, thereâd be no compelling reason for me to read any of these posts because theyâd be one-sided (and boring). I can get that on MSNBC or Sean Hannity.
enigmaticfox almost 12 years ago
Trying to think forward on where this could goâŠif they go the typical riot route of âstart setting random things on fire,â it could get really ugly in the enclosed underground space that is EndtownâŠ
Lyons Group, Inc. almost 12 years ago
âAlcohol was involved.â
It always is.
Lyons Group, Inc. almost 12 years ago
Theyâre going to call for reinforcements. And when they arrive, itâs going to get ugly. Real Ugly!
Vet Premium Member almost 12 years ago
âSure hope so, again Iâm totally on the ratâs side at this point. Quell the chaos through firepower if need be.â
That is not a solution. It would just make the situation worse.Dialog, communication, peaceful protests, show of solidarity.Violence begets Violence.It is sometimes necessary but here in this situation it just makes matters worse.
yangeldf almost 12 years ago
heh, Iâm sure that rat didnât enjoy breaking THAT window.
mr_sherman Premium Member almost 12 years ago
The rats are soldiers doing policemenâs jobs. Just because theyâre both armed doesnât mean they can do each otherâs job. Some, like Veteran, can. But Iâm sure even he had training between being a soldier, then becoming a police officer. The most obvious mistake was the rats having their weapons out when they arrived. If they had holstered sidearms only when they stepped out, with one person staying at the vehicle just in case, the situation most likely would have been different. But the story wouldnât be happening like it is now and this is what Aaron needs to tell his story. The feelings are part of the ride heâs taking us on, folks.
BeniHanna6 Premium Member almost 12 years ago
Please people the rats are a police force Not a Army. Armies are for defending against and attacking foreign powers. Have you ever seen the rats provide that function? NO.
Level_Head almost 12 years ago
Thereâs a failure of gun training:No finger on the trigger!This crisis wouldnât be gainingAnd the magnitude wouldnât be biggerHad the two rats struck by a bottleNot reflexively clenched their handsCausing weapons to go âopen throttleâItâs a rookie mistake here, fans=|====/ Level HeadVote for Endtown 2.0And for Doc Rat, tooVote for Endtown ClassicThe Endtown ForumThe Endtown AuctionThe Endtown Books
salenstormwing almost 12 years ago
The phrase âappropriate use of forceâ is something we need to consider here. The Rat Patrol have shown that the only use of force they will use is guns. Need to open a locked door, guns. Need to escort someone to see the council? Guns.-In a more rational setting, youâd have COPS responding to a disturbance like a bar brawl. And if they felt it was necessary, theyâd break out equipment for crowd control, like riot shields and tear gas. Get a bottle thrown at you is just part of the job as a cop.-This though, firing into the crowd, killing and injuring civilians, then continuing to do so even after the initial accident⊠this is just one mistake after another. The sledgehammer for every nail. The chainsaw for every cut.-Was the thrown bottle appropriate? No, but you donât mow down a crowd of people with automatic gun fire because you had a bottle thrown in your direction either.-A trial about human values and who controls the minds of a community. Itâs nice to see even during the Apocalypse, people will lose all sense of whatâs truly important, in the name of Power and Control.
MacEwanMouse almost 12 years ago
Bummer my first attempt didnât get through-Basically, I was saying I donât agree with either side of the coin. I think the demonstrators are in the wrong, I think the HC are in the wrong.-How the rats acted under Flaskâs control shows they arenât all evil, they just needed stronger command and order to keep them in line. Long story short, end the protests before it burns through society, and then end the HC.
Lyons Group, Inc. almost 12 years ago
Nabuquduriuzhur said:
âOne problem: the ratâs would never have a chance to reload like they apparently have here. So, only one clip of at most 50, assuming they are small bullets.â
You should have stop there at statement, and not let the rest of that remark become a lie,
pathfinder almost 12 years ago
anybody remember the Vietnamese village that was destroyed by U.S. forces in order to âsaveâ it?
pathfinder almost 12 years ago
That is NOT a swipe at U.S. troops .. just sayinâ
Darwinskeeper almost 12 years ago
The question is where does it go from here. If the powers that be were trying to quiet things down, they would keep all rats confined to security and either let this burn out on its own or send larger, quieter types in to defuse things.Even if Velda and company are intent on a pretext for martial law, sending the whole rat patrol in right now is only going to result in more deaths, and the mutant population is pretty small to begin with. Unless part of the reason for the current tension is an influx of new residents that is exceeding the rate of attrition due to bean hunts. Then an additional massacre to cow the rioters by force (Chinese style) might make a certain repugnant sense.
Aconite almost 12 years ago
Revolution! Extermination!
finder10030 almost 12 years ago
Whatâs up with the rat on the left in panel 4? Looks like heâs been hit with something, but I donât see a bottle or anything. His shirt/jacket looks like it might have three bullet holes in it. Did the duck guy get him? Or is he just looking up to shoot bottles out of he air?
Dragoncat almost 12 years ago
Gee⊠I wonder what Allgood will say about thisâŠas he looks for another place to hide.
Vet Premium Member almost 12 years ago
To Salem Stormwing.Ever been surrounded by an angry mob that is turning on you just for being there? Ever had a bottle thrown at you? Trust me. They can seriously injure you. In my fight described the officer had to have 20 stitches to sew up the gash on his scalp. The bottle never broke. It is just a hard object flying with force. It can kill.If you came at me with bottle I would shoot you no question. I am not under any rule that says I must meet force with equal force. I can go to deadly if I can justify it. With a bottle attack I can I have seen serious injuries caused by bottles. TV makes it look simple and painless. That is sugar glass not real stuff. Then after the accidental firing instead of backing off the crowd charges. What do you expect them to do. They are going to get torn to pieces anyway with or without shooting. Their attempt now is to survive and escape using any means possible. This is just tragic. They should have never been sent into that situation. That is why I believe this is all in the plan of someone yet to be revealed.To pathfindercecThat was a program of getting the locals out of the control of the Viet Cong that ruled the areas. The villagers were caught between two big stones. US forces telling them not to cooperate with Viet Cong and Viet Cong telling them not to cooperate with US forces. We moved them. The Viet Cong just killed leaders to instill FEAR to keep them inline. The Viet Cong used the villages as cover and supply depots. The idea was if the villages were moved to a more âsecureâ zone they could better âprotectâ them and deny the Viet Cong supplies and cover.It was just the villages there were there probably for centuries. Ancestral lands so to say. They mostly did not appreciate moving. That did not help the cause either.No harm no foul. It was a legit and good question. The war became for the hearts and minds of the people. That is not war. War is to defeat the enemy and drive them out. But when the enemy is the local guerrilla forces fighting against a government THEY do not like. How do you drive those out?The justification of the entire Viet Nam War was the guerrilla forces were ânasty communistsâ and all of the far east would domino if not stopped. 58,282 as of last count died trying to stop some effect that was not proven it would happen, it was just feared it would.Of course if you are referring to My Lai that was soldiers crossing a line of morality. Once the killing began it just would not stop. When I was there I did not meet many civilians but I heard from others all were viewed as the enemy. Not to be trusted.
Vet Premium Member almost 12 years ago
DADOF3Oh I can agree with you. I read book one when Al returned. They even aimed a weapon at him giving all kinds of confusing orders. He just dropped a sack of cans on him. Problem solved.But they were doing the job they were suppose to be doing. Securing Endtown at the entry points. They have to expect anything coming down those elevators. So many who have dealt with them would resent them. It is normal. I am not loved by all. There are many who resent me too. That is the mantle of authority. Some will like you. Some will not. And in time those roles can reverse depending on what is done.
Vet Premium Member almost 12 years ago
Salem come on. Having a bottle thrown at you is part of the job being a cop????It is expected but not part of the job. And the response could be bad.I am chuckling about it right now.I guess I will have to put that in our job description.Working traffic crashes, writing tickets, getting bottles tossed at youâŠâŠ.hahah!I see your point we are better trained to deal with it like I did when it happened to us. Show restraint but believe me we were ready to shoot if we had to. My crowd backed off and began to cool down. The Endtown Mob just got angrier.It can swing either way and teeters on a single act.
mr_sherman Premium Member almost 12 years ago
Avery comic this week would have been a good one for Friday. I wonder whatâs coming for tomorrow?
lordrunningclam almost 12 years ago
I think this is a set-up. I think somebody picked the three dumbest rats in the security force, gave them automatic weapons, thrust them into this situation and made sure something stupid happened.-People who say the rats on the whole arenât really bad are right. They may be a little too prone to following orders.-There is just a lot going on right now. Al is on the Council and talking to the newspaper, Wally hasnât been heard from for a while, Linda hasnât taken the stand yet in the trial and now this. Iâm dying to see how it all comes together and today isnât even the cliffhanger, Fridayâs comingâŠ-Iâm finding this story quite gripping.
DADOF3 almost 12 years ago
Just a word to anyone willing to listen: We all know that Aaron is an unparalleled master at drawing his audience into the story and making them feel a part of the events being portrayed. There seems to be a palpable level of tension being evoked by this arc, and (not unlike the events unfolding in the story) there âappearâ to be some âbattle linesâ developing in these comments. We are a broad based and very diverse group with widely differing points of view, yet we are all brought together here by Aaronâs superb talents. Sometimes it is hard to remember that itâs just a story, and often the events depicted touch us deeply because they closely resemble things we have all to vividly experienced in the real world. All that being said, I would simply suggest that It might be better to remember those things we share, rather that dwell on the ones that we will most likely never agree on. Just offering my 2 cents⊠;-)
Tyrnn almost 12 years ago
No.
Vet Premium Member almost 12 years ago
mr_shermanAVERY??? Hooked on Tex Avery are we now!!!!(LOL)
Vet Premium Member almost 12 years ago
I did the other day run across an old gem of a cartoon saga.âTumbleweedsâ by T.K. Ryan. He has his own website and a beautiful collection book available for a small fee. He even signed the book he sent to me. That goes with my two Flask portraits as a real item to treasure. I always loved his stories of the âOldâ west.
gamiath almost 12 years ago
âJackbooted thugsâ does fit. It seems to me that cabin fever set in. Being cooped up underground and abused by an over zealous Gestapo-like security force finally broke the public apathy. This sudden resurgence of emotion will be very hard to stop indeed.
Lyons Group, Inc. almost 12 years ago
Itâs so easy, a preschooler can do it.
Vet Premium Member almost 12 years ago
To those interested here is a thought.I mentioned some time back that the High Council would have to have the backing of Security to carry out dirty deeds. I suggested the whole thing would fall apart if Security sided with Endtowners.Look at what has happened. This to me appears all to be arranged for a purpose. That purpose is to make sure the Security Rats would not align with Endtowners.The High Council would use this to show that the Endtowners care nothing for the Security Rats so why take their side. Do what âweâ (High Council) tell you to after all we love you and Endtowners HATE you and will kill you if given a chance.It has been mentioned before the Security Rats may have never been human to begin with. They may have all been some grand experiment by APEX back in the day like the Secret of NIMH story. The virus made them become more human appearing but they were never human to begin with.Only our author knows that story and he has not printed that one outâŠâŠyet.
witchspell63 almost 12 years ago
Where are the actual Endtown Police? Security has no business doing or being there.to quote an old Doonsebury strip:âPolice! Where are the hell are the police!!â
Vet Premium Member almost 12 years ago
Sometimes Josh amazes me. I have posted on other sites as he has and only here does he get this way with me. Go figure.Well I am out. Cold beer time. Playoffs on the Telly.Going to get Subways and do some relaxing.See yaâll tomorrow.Lets see what he has in store for FRIDAY.Oh also gotta go reserve the new CallofDuty game due out in November. âGhostsâ is the name. Great trailer by the way check it out on Call of Duty.Com.(Sorry Josh must be 18 to view) ;-))
gamiath almost 12 years ago
I have only seen the rats arrive in a vehicle. The police may have been on the way, but the rats unfortunately got there faster. Or the police were deliberately delayed. The police would have had a better chance of calming things down, as they would have known some, if not all of the people there; much like in Veteranâs story.
witchspell63 almost 12 years ago
Hey Dâkeeper, you think Nab and Dora Dingle should hookup. They seem to be a match made inâŠ..somewhereâŠ.
Dragoncat almost 12 years ago
I have the nasty feeling this is not quite the âFumigationâ that Doc Chase had in mindâŠ
Vet Premium Member almost 12 years ago
Josh if it was a mistake fine.Try editing yourself sometimes. The @ name sign means its directed back at someone who posted. I am sure you know that. So your post about âjoiningâ GoComics took on the appearance of insulting me. Expect me to respond like that you have aimed at me before. On one site you referred to me as boring putting ZZZZZZZZZ. Cute.I enjoy the banter back and forth and would never think of flagging (whatever that is) anyone. I just ignore them.
Drmercurious almost 12 years ago
Aaron, the comments section here is two miles long. hands you a beer. Good Work!
And now for my two sense. er, cents. Yeah, cents. Blackie always struck me as keeping a VERY tight reign on the rats; sheâs been gone three months and no one else has been riding herd on them. It stands to reason theyâd want âreasons to saluteâ again. The rats are what they call âjarheadsâ; thereâs nothing in their heads except what you unscrew and put in and with no Alpha to guide them wellâŠ.you get Omega results. Also remember: for days and days news has been blaring about how the rats have acted with Maude and Co. and honestly even though theyâve had their humanizing moments on the whole theyâve acted like total pillocks. Well-/armed/ total pillocks.
You can only push so hard for so long until someone decides theyâve have enough of /this/ crap.
And seriously, Aaron, ya gots a reader for life. Dayum, is Endtown ainât entertainment I dunno what is.
Flask. Was. Right.
Vet Premium Member almost 12 years ago
Hey witchspell63I got claims on Dora, I think she likes me. She finds me creepy!!!!! :-())))
witchspell63 almost 12 years ago
Hes firing in the air BC he got his ticket punched by daffy duck, the other is laying covering fire at the bar or just panic shooting. Either or, doesnât seem to be deliberately over their heads
Doggard almost 12 years ago
Oh when did I see this coming the âFritz the Catâ reference to the Race Riots of the 1960s
craigwestlake almost 12 years ago
The rats are simply power-mad. It is probably why they mutated into what they are. As for not being enthusiastic about firing on the crowd â it was simply because they were AFRAID.Most people used to being in control and power usually wind up being exposed as cowards when the situation changes.âAinât no fun when the rabbit âs got the gunââŠ
witchspell63 almost 12 years ago
Right now Iâm calling it five down outside, conditions unknown, possible one down inside the bar, one dead outside(Spike) definite, one dead rat(Ben) definite, airborne rat down most likely dead or wish he was. Did I miss anyone?
Ida No almost 12 years ago
âSo donât lecture us please. It is quite insulting.âDADOF3 did preface his comment with âJust a word to anyone willing to listen:â. If you think itâs a lecture, then donât listen to it.
pam Miner almost 12 years ago
that remark was un-called for, and not approved of here!
pam Miner almost 12 years ago
He didnât insult me, and donât think he insulted anyone. We all just gotta give peas a chance.
DADOF3 almost 12 years ago
Iâm sorry you found my comments insulting. It was not intended to be a lecture, only an observation. I think Iâm correct in saying that many of us consider this a special place, a temporary haven, if you will, from the real world. When folks start injecting real world issues into their comments here (which they have every right to do) it sort of takes something away from that IMHO. I just feel that there is enough tension and conflict in the world we live in and cannot help expressing concern when those things start finding their way in here. It was never my intent to make rules or chastise anyone for the comments they made. All I was doing was offering an opinion for consideration.