I’m not a big fan of characters doing stupid things for the sole reason of getting themselves and others into tight spots. I call this the “Kate Austen” principle (from LOST), and I just find that kind of writing to be a bit weak and lazy, especially when it isn’t all that hard to get characters into tight spots without having them put themselves there practically on purpose.
In this case, yes, Goshen gets himself into a situation where he has now put the whole group at risk. But in the moment of seeing his village being torched, I think it’s believable that he would have reacted the way he did. So for me, it feels like a character moment that also serves a plot need, unlike the many “Kate Austen” scenes I see (in both LOST and other shows) that seem to serve only the writer’s needs to make a situation worse.
Red guy bounced back from that really fast, he’s not even dirtied or ruffled up.
What can I say, Dhama Suul employs a bunch of serious bad-asses. That, or twin brother.
Actually, in all seriousness, I figured Goshen just took the red guy by surprise and knocked him down but didn’t really incapacitate him. With the cut-away to Keyla (panel 3), and since I imagined panel 4 to be a long beat that actually spans several seconds, I thought there would have been enough time for the red guy to get back up to be standing there at the end of that shot.
As for not being dirtied up…er…let’s say the red guy fell on his back, so his back is now covered with snow. Luckily, you can’t see it from this angle.
Someone pointed out that between the last panel of the last page and panel 4 here, the angle of his upper arms is more splayed, inferring that he’s probably using his weapon as a crutch and is bracing himself up slightly.
And I guess I should also apologize to red guy for assuming he was a guy. Your response confirms his being male, but I think I was jumping to conclusions saying that he was a guy. It could have been a woman or some other sex – for all I know, red guy’s species has 14 sexes and is only in the KV because getting that many mates together is frustrating and he needs a venue to vent. XD
Another thing is that the chief looks like he’s holding the big rifle/burner now. Also making a guess is that Hammerteeth Lizard breath is the boss from his fancy clothes.
Odd that he doesnt seem to be holding a weapon, at least one screen anyway.
But really, this is the doe seedos perfect opportunity to take a sudden advantage as the pirates have stopped firing. heavy weapons teams and leader could be popped off in the instant they have.
Mad props for the hammerhead noose w teeth. We all know sexual selection can do insane things (say, a peacock or a Dolly Parton), and that must be one of them.
It’s somewhat similar to a rake and we all know the space rake is the sexiest and most hardcore of manly tools.
LOL! Good catch too.
Damn, now I have go buy one! Wonder when the Runners will pass by, and what they charge for passengers?
when you think about it, theres about 40 pounds of that crush stuff, which is extremely flammable if memory serves me. So wouldn’t he technically be protecting them all from getting blasted to bits?
Good point.
It either makes Rake Face a fool for giving that torch the buildings command or a tactical/psychological genius if he expected Goshen to react like that.
Happy to see I’m not the only person who has noticed the “Kate” effect, though I call it “plot inconvenience”, borrowing from MST3K’s phrase “plot convenience playhouse presents..”. Even happier to see, amongst all of the other thought you put into your work, that you actively avoid it.