Something tells me, at this point, Echo is trying to scare Mustard off in the same way McBell scared her away. After all, she asked if she could be forgiven, implying, well… Mustard would be alive to forgive.
Plus we haven’t seen Binky’s watch for a while; it could be going off for all we know!
I think I figure out a bit of what’s going on here….maybe. McBell felt like a cornered animal who would do anything to win, maybe that’s part of how her improv routine works.
It seems Echo did copy that inherently whether she wanted to or not. I think Echo realized in that moment McBell would kill her if the fight continued which is why she ran.
But I think Echo also realized that if she copied McBell’s instincts she could kill too if she’s cornered. Like she is right now.
That’s why she’s been saying this whole time she’s the villain and this will end sadly. That’s why she’s so certain her and McBell’s rematch will be a fight to the death. That’s why she’s wants Morgan to forgive either of them if that happens. She knew Morgan would track her down because of course she would. They would fight and if Morgan didn’t back off she would kill her probably unintentionally.
Oh! She’s mimicking McBell’s meta shtick as part of applying her Cornered Rat routine. but as abstract narrative musing rather than Touching Panel Borders.
I don’t like critiquing artists. Especially since I’m definitely not the arbiter of artistic quality. But those slasher smiles looked silly instead of scary to me. Unless that’s the point. I don’t know.
Anyways it seemed i guessed right. Mcbell was worried she was gonna kill the mime. I wonder if the means that in the end mcbell proves herself wrong by sparing the mime.
Ps joe (the writer and artist behind this comic) is still a better artist then I’ll ever be. I can only draw stick figures. He can actually draw really really well.
Most of this comic works on both a comedic level and a serious one. It’s a tricky balance to strike, so it’s no surprise if some panels lean too far one way or the other.
Wait but so if Morgan is a villain, and Maggie is too… does that mean that Morgan can’t be killed by Maggie because that would make her a hero?
Only slightly joking but I’m on the fence of actual death and much more big maiming, or mime treatment
I love a lot of the art on here. the slasher smile(s) and the simplfied way Mcbell’s hand is drawn holding the phone is really fun. My current (probably out there) theory is Maggie and McBell were held and trained in some secret deep project clandestine clowning/anti clowning facility as like, some kind of sleeper agent or something. That’s why we have that gap around ‘how Maggie is alive’, that’s why Mcbells’ memory sucks especially on why she wanted to join clown college and why their paths are truly interlinked – rather than hero v villain. I know there’s not enough evidence at something so big but I don’t think it’s quite soooo outlandish for the comic
Please, Morgan is closer to an anti-hero. If she dies, it’ll be because she’s a mentor character, not because she’s a villain.
As for Maggie, she’s a sympathetic villain, but sometimes sympathetic villains have higher deaths rates, because writers don’t know what to do with them after the inevitable redemption
Hmm, I can understand why she think Mustard was a villain given the flashbacks to their childhood. Yet hasn’t Mustard redeemed herself due to her work in the clown corps ? Yes, I know it’s complicated, but hasn’t she been redeemed in a way ?
I think this was kind of a test. Not an intentional one but for Mustard to even be in this position means she kind of relapsed into some mean girl attitude and actions. That probably proves enough to Echo that she hasn’t changed even if we readers know she has.
Um. Guess she’s missed the past 20-30 years of comic books.
… also good work on the creepy faces. Other replies are going “they’re funny, not scary”… but I have seen that same, vacant look shown in their eyes before. In real life.
You do not want to see anyone with that look in their eyes. Ever.
I really like this alternative, darker perspective on McBell’s routine. It’s not “improv”, it’s not some wonderful secret weapon… it is pure animal panic. McBell’s power is that she is a human being pushed too far. That’s horrible, and for the sake of this story, great.
I also wanted to say that this reminds me of the Desert King from the webcomic Scoob & Shag- a sort of hellish ultra instinct that an otherwise unskilled person can attain when pushed too far, at the cost of any restraint.
That’s a very interesting near-identical pair of slasher smiles
Indeed. Almost as though the mime learned to imitate it.
Okay, I am finally ready to believe that Maggie is going to kill Morgan.
Insert profanity here.
Oh hello Cerberus Syndrome, it’s about time you showed up
Please use something other than TVTropes to inform your literary analysis.
The issue with that is Clown Corps was never episodic in nature, and even from the beginning there were hints at these darker notes.
Also the trope you’re likely referencing is CerEBus Syndrome, not CerBErus.
Something tells me, at this point, Echo is trying to scare Mustard off in the same way McBell scared her away. After all, she asked if she could be forgiven, implying, well… Mustard would be alive to forgive.
Plus we haven’t seen Binky’s watch for a while; it could be going off for all we know!
I think I figure out a bit of what’s going on here….maybe. McBell felt like a cornered animal who would do anything to win, maybe that’s part of how her improv routine works.
It seems Echo did copy that inherently whether she wanted to or not. I think Echo realized in that moment McBell would kill her if the fight continued which is why she ran.
But I think Echo also realized that if she copied McBell’s instincts she could kill too if she’s cornered. Like she is right now.
That’s why she’s been saying this whole time she’s the villain and this will end sadly. That’s why she’s so certain her and McBell’s rematch will be a fight to the death. That’s why she’s wants Morgan to forgive either of them if that happens. She knew Morgan would track her down because of course she would. They would fight and if Morgan didn’t back off she would kill her probably unintentionally.
Or maybe I’m way off base. I don’t know.
Oh! She’s mimicking McBell’s meta shtick as part of applying her Cornered Rat routine. but as abstract narrative musing rather than Touching Panel Borders.
I don’t like critiquing artists. Especially since I’m definitely not the arbiter of artistic quality. But those slasher smiles looked silly instead of scary to me. Unless that’s the point. I don’t know.
Anyways it seemed i guessed right. Mcbell was worried she was gonna kill the mime. I wonder if the means that in the end mcbell proves herself wrong by sparing the mime.
Ps joe (the writer and artist behind this comic) is still a better artist then I’ll ever be. I can only draw stick figures. He can actually draw really really well.
I mean… they are clowns… like their slasher smiles are gonna look a little muppety
So your saying that’s on purpose. Perhaps. That might actually make sense.
Most of this comic works on both a comedic level and a serious one. It’s a tricky balance to strike, so it’s no surprise if some panels lean too far one way or the other.
Wait but so if Morgan is a villain, and Maggie is too… does that mean that Morgan can’t be killed by Maggie because that would make her a hero?
Only slightly joking but I’m on the fence of actual death and much more big maiming, or mime treatment
I love a lot of the art on here. the slasher smile(s) and the simplfied way Mcbell’s hand is drawn holding the phone is really fun. My current (probably out there) theory is Maggie and McBell were held and trained in some secret deep project clandestine clowning/anti clowning facility as like, some kind of sleeper agent or something. That’s why we have that gap around ‘how Maggie is alive’, that’s why Mcbells’ memory sucks especially on why she wanted to join clown college and why their paths are truly interlinked – rather than hero v villain. I know there’s not enough evidence at something so big but I don’t think it’s quite soooo outlandish for the comic
Please, Morgan is closer to an anti-hero. If she dies, it’ll be because she’s a mentor character, not because she’s a villain.
As for Maggie, she’s a sympathetic villain, but sometimes sympathetic villains have higher deaths rates, because writers don’t know what to do with them after the inevitable redemption
Hmm, I can understand why she think Mustard was a villain given the flashbacks to their childhood. Yet hasn’t Mustard redeemed herself due to her work in the clown corps ? Yes, I know it’s complicated, but hasn’t she been redeemed in a way ?
I think this was kind of a test. Not an intentional one but for Mustard to even be in this position means she kind of relapsed into some mean girl attitude and actions. That probably proves enough to Echo that she hasn’t changed even if we readers know she has.
“Heroes fight villains.”
Um. Guess she’s missed the past 20-30 years of comic books.
… also good work on the creepy faces. Other replies are going “they’re funny, not scary”… but I have seen that same, vacant look shown in their eyes before. In real life.
You do not want to see anyone with that look in their eyes. Ever.
No alt text today
I really like this alternative, darker perspective on McBell’s routine. It’s not “improv”, it’s not some wonderful secret weapon… it is pure animal panic. McBell’s power is that she is a human being pushed too far. That’s horrible, and for the sake of this story, great.
I also wanted to say that this reminds me of the Desert King from the webcomic Scoob & Shag- a sort of hellish ultra instinct that an otherwise unskilled person can attain when pushed too far, at the cost of any restraint.