Comments on: Chapter 4 p. 94

By: Baxter

Baxter — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 12:09:08 +0000

True Tangent. I had to flip back a few pages and double-check. The atomic/nuclear war in question was fifty years ago (fourty from Hiawatha’s arrival – if there was no time-shifting)
So Hiawatha could not have caused the war nor would they have arrived soon enough to render aid. Famine and disease would have killed as many as the war. Rebuilding would have begun but vast areas would remain uninhabited.

I will still suggest that roving bands may search out these crash sites, if for nothing more than the precious metals.

By: Tangent

Tangent — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 13:41:50 +0000

Alternatively, Baxter, massive infrastructure losses caused by the destruction of all major cities could have resulted in a near-complete collapse of technology, leaving only a few enclaves who were not in a position to search out a crashed ship… especially when they might have just assumed it was a communications satellite or space station that tumbled out of orbit.

When you consider how hazardous near-earth orbits (and geosynch orbits for that matter) are at this point in time, with growing debris fields caused by satellite launches and the occasional collision, I kind of doubt that the satellites were targeted in the war. Even after fifty years the debris orbiting the planet would likely make coming to Earth a lethal experience for any ship that didn’t have Star Trek-style shields or heavy armor plating. But even if the satellites were not targeted… if no one on Earth is able to access them… then they’re not going to do much good in tracking downed spaceships. ^^;;

By: RG

RG — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 23:50:42 +0000

Whoa… pretty impressive comic! Yeah, I’ll be back…

By: Art_Usagi

Art_Usagi — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 21:32:45 +0000

I like how clearly differentiated the background is from the foreground. And yes, it is a refreshing contrast from outer space, nicely timed.

I just finished reading through your archives and I must compliment you on your story telling skills, as well as your mad b/w skills. Really impressive. Can’t wait for more!

By: Baxter

Baxter — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 12:28:30 +0000

Hmmm… crashed alien spacecraft on planet surface 10 years later. Could something that large could come down that hard and not attracted the attention of the natives? Hunters or a park ranger. Stranger things have happened.
Nobody talks about what really happened in Roswell. (Spoiler – It was a balloon. A war balloon! They did order three small caskets. It was the vanguard of an invading munchkin army from Oz! Baum was right! And I won’t even go into their cyclone weapons.)

Once discovered though, even figuring WWII era atomic tech, the crash site should either be under military quarantine or was before the war. I would expect roads and the ruins of research stations. A structure may have been built over the crash site at one time (since it could not be moved). The bones of the wreck should be pretty picked over for any new tech and that in itself may have sparked the war. Modern conspiracy theory figures that the government doesn’t tell us the truth about aliens/ufos is because they’d have to release artifacts/tech for study.
Once communication was possible the crew would have become either lab rats, celebrities or both.

If they did come down unnoticed and went native, they may have introduced the tech that sparked the war. A race with interstellar capability would make a fortune in technology patents on an under developed world. Look how cell phones and iPods have changed your life in the last 10 years. (My god! Steve Jobs is an alien!)

Then again in a post-war world the wreck may be a temple or shrine with the devout praying for saviors from the stars. Our heros may be asked to buy trinkets and memorabilia. “My friends saw the starship and all I got was this lousy t-shirt”

I’m really looking forward to where this goes.

By: David

David — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 00:13:23 +0000

Aieeee! Definitely not a comma splice (speaking as a former English teacher). A comma splice is when two sentences are joined by a comma instead of a conjunction or a semi-colon. There’s no way that “from here” counts as a sentence (as it lacks both a subject and a verb).

The comma clearly indicates a pause between the main clause and the prepositional phrase. If it weren’t there, the two would be run together. Admittedly, the same purpose could have been accomplished with a dash, though that might indicate a slightly longer pause in the reading flow.

By: Stripey

Stripey — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 19:37:11 +0000

Aieeee! Comma splice!

“The damage doesn’t look so severe from here.”

Also, glad to see you hopped onto TomGeeks.

By: SysKoll

SysKoll — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 12:56:19 +0000

Nice panels! I was really wondering about when we’d get to see a nature shot. Of course, after the nice and easy interior sets, it must be hard to draw vegetation.

By: Tangent

Tangent — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 11:39:07 +0000

Huh. I suppose the clearing could have been caused by fire; the hull was likely heated by re-entry. So rather than a crater, we’re seeing the results of fire. And it’s been what, ten years since the ship vanished? Assuming they’re not in a different time-flow (say, 5x normal time), it’s not been long enough for trees to really re-establish themselves outside of some short ones. (Chinese elms tend to sprout up like weeds, but other trees like to take their time.)

Of course, if the time-flow is different, then we may be looking at the catalyst for a nuclear war. I almost doubt that though for one reason: if that ship did spark off a nuclear war, someone would have targeted it with a nuke. (Unless it was still in orbit at the time and crashed because of the nuke…)

I bet the damage is worse below the dirt-line though. ^^;;

(Sorry, the science geek in me likes to contemplate these things! ^^;; )

Rob H.

By: Torjin

Torjin — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 10:27:30 +0000

no severe damage? amen to that – considering that they must have had a crash landing with a space ship which probably was not built for flight in atmosphere
even tough, by the looks, this might not be true…