Endtown by Aaron Neathery for August 09, 2024

Shades of The Nazgûl..

It’s just there to “brighten” their visit!?!

It’s always darkest before the Recon Drone.

Nothing to see here, move along, move along. (Wally ducking down, just in case.)

Let’s hope Irving isn’t drawn to the light…

They’re good so long as the drone stays visual….if they shift to IR….pray the steel hides their heat signatures.

It’s duck and cover with actual ducks!

Ah, so this is what I’m seeing when I wake up at 2AM in the morning!

Don’t go into the light!

Notice that there are still lights on in the wreckage. Even if the drone does not detect any mutants, that should be enough to trigger a major visit by even more drones, if not topsiders themselves. The drone can simply land high up on a structure and observe until reinforcements arrive. The drone has to be taken out in a way that doesn’t cause too much suspicion. Well, good luck with that…

I love Neathery’s artwork here. Notice the top of Cracked/Wally’s head is reflecting some light. However, plastered to the wall as he is, he shouldn’t be visible to the drone.

The presence of the beam also suggests that none of mutants were seen on the deck of the ship. (If they had been seen without the beam, why use the beam now?)

But knowing what we know of the topsiders, we should hope that no other living beings are present. Because the topsiders will come to kill them (or perhaps just order a nuclear strike) because even humans from elsewhere will “harbor the virus.” i.e. they would not be topsiders.

And yes, I do remember what Amesworth (and the Lucranian ship) said about there not being a mutagenic virus, but how widespread is that knowledge among topsiders? It likely has not changed the official topsider policy of

Dalek voice on:

Exterminate! Exterminate!

Dalek voice off:

We know this because Terrence is the one who spotted the drone and told everyone to take cover.

Now they have a time limit to escape. How fast can Topsider ground forces get there? Assuming the drone was launched right after the colony lost contact with the Eden Project colony?

They are blinded by the light. But are they revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night?

The internet and social media have completely destroyed the concept of patience. Keep up the great strip, Aaron. Love the story. I miss Holly. :O)

I like the play of light and shadow in the first two panels.

Searching…

I love Aaron’s work – time between installments is irrelevant…..each one is a visual and intellectual gem.

Before the drone, the deck was well lit. Now it seems to have gone dark. Did somebody hit a light switch? What must the drone think of that?

I like this installment. It gives me the “war of the worlds” vibes

Remember, there was an “eye” on a stalk that entered through the window ?

A window of light in the darkness!