Endtown by Aaron Neathery for January 21, 2021

I was wondering if Trixie’s bomb would have explosive teeth in the Topsiders’ reality. This will be the proof in the pudding of that or not.

Will the amulet save him? Please.

Such an explosive situation.

Big Boom, what about the floating walkway they are standing on? Will it collapse?

Who would have guessed that when Kirbee gave the haint charm to Chic; that it would end up being so important to someone else? And that it would be “tough kid” Duffy? Not me, that’s for sure.

Well, the first panel at least shows that the topsider has also run from the bomb. That is, in itself, alarming and may bode ill for Duffy. He got the amulet before the bomb went off — will it protect him against the actions of what must constitute a “haint” of sorts? Trixie being not of this world.

Aaron Neathery deserves applause for his drawings of Duffy running, seen from different perspectives and especially for the body positioning in panel 3. And the depiction of the explosion in panel 4 suggests that the blast tore through the walkway. Real or illusion? Stayed tuned. Hoo boy!

Looks like the s**t has hit the fan!

Like in WoW the amulet grants Duffy a Paladin bubble.

If he made it, he’s now on the same side as crazy mouse..

Hopefully it was a cartoon bomb that just leaves Duffy looking a bit singed around the edges……did you notice there was no BOOOOM sound effect written in panel 4. This explosion made no sound.

If cartoon-KABOOM-bomb-style, everyone ends up coated in dust and none the worse for wear except for cartoon scratches that disappear in the next panel. Or as Wile E. Coyote, who ends up with scorch marks on his face which don’t deter him from trying again in his cartoony schemes. We’ll see the results of this one. I’m hoping it was a paint-bomb, another classic cartoon gag. Everybody splattered, no one injured. The twist is that this isn’t “Cardoodle Land” where the physics may be different than in this Topsider reality.

Interesting that Duffy treasures that “haint” amulet so much. To the point of putting himself in apparent serious danger to retrieve it.

only in cartoons does a big steel ball bounce like a basketball…

Cliff hanger on a bridge. What suspense!

It’s a cartoon bomb. The worst that will happen is you’ll end up covered in black soot and your hair/fur pointing away from the blast. That’s just basic toon science.

See ya on the other side, Duffy.

Is that a ZERO bomb, rather than a toon or even just a normal one?

That effect in Panel 4 looks disturbingly powdery.

Friday cliffhanger.

I’m hoping the bomb is in a different reality.

Whether the bomb and/or explosion are real, ya gotta admire the throwin’ arm on that mouse!

I guess now we get to find out how “real” the toons are compared to our heroes.

On closer examination, that bomb definitely looks more like a water bomb than an explosive. If you look at panels 2 and 3, there seems to be liquid coming from it in drops and streams.

He’s with his brother now.

Like a Bridge over troubled waters….er… vortices…. I will lay me down!

I would guess that neither bomb nor Trixie are fully synced with Wally and Co’s reality. Somehow, the presence of these guys (who are fusions of human and cardoodle main characters) near the vortex device is summoning the shades of cardoodles who are no longer present in this reality. (Holly/Trixie left on the Lucranian vessel and Skeeter/Benny has made his way to parts unknown.)

I wonder if this was the hypothesis that the topsiders wanted to test?

Oh, my, what a suspense!