Sluggy Freelance

Good. God.

This arc was quite possibly one of the biggest instances of Diabolus ex Machina in webcomic history.

I'm not sure I agree. There wasn't anything really last second about the plot developments except possibly the gun-toting troops, nor were things really heading for an obvious happy ending before they happened. Not all Downer Endings are Diabolus ex Machina.

edited 24th Aug '09 1:15:02 PM by ccoa

The last issue at least definatly seemed like it.

The world Riff and Zoe went to just happened to be a Dystopia and they just happened to appear right in front a group of hostile soldiers. And this was after we were given hope that they activated the transporter in time...

edited 24th Aug '09 1:15:31 PM by SomeNewGuy

That's only for Riff, though. Zoe being quite possibly dead from burns isn't effected by that. Their fates were also heavily foreshadowed beforehand.

With Feng, he was shot in order to prove to Oasis they were serious and keep her in line via the Zalias, whom she would now know to be in mortal peril. They expected her reaction to be more sane than it was. Whether this was a reasonable expectation or not is up to the reader, I suppose, since Oasis has never been entirely stable at the best of times.

With Bun-bun, we had a temporary lull - he had her locked up, but then what? Her locked up does not a happy ending make. We also knew ahead of time about her powers, so the turn-around was not unexpected.

With Riff and Zoe, Riff acknowledged that what they had was, again, a lull. They had her pinned, but they couldn't kill her and didn't have a way to restrain her for anything but a few minutes. Until that point, they had actually been losing. The set-up of the DFA escape switch was also a big hint that they were going to need it.

I'll concede Riff, but I'm unconvinced about the others.

Sorry, but I felt it was Diabolus ex Machina too. Especially when the entire chain of events builds off several years of doing nothing but trying to make sure Torg lives the worst life possible.

Not to mention it being a DEM was lampshaded by Schlock at the end. Not even he can believe everything worked out in his favor so flawlessly.

But in order to be a DEM, things have to be headed for an obviously happy ending before the sudden twist that makes things worse. I'm not really seeing that here except in Riff's case.

That much I'll admit. Looks like I'll have to tweak the DEM entry. ^^;

Oh, it is a Diabolus ex Machina all right. Poor Zombie-Head-On-A-Stick, trapped in the house with a bored Kiki and a karaoke game. brrrr No one deserves that fate.

Well, it's been twelve years of nifty darn comics.

How many years do you suppose before tormenting Jane becomes stale?

Eh, it's already stale for me.

After reading this I'm a little less optimistic about Zoe's survival.

... Whoa there.

Well, at least it wasn't nearly as spiteful as Brian Clevinger's Take That! to Black Belt fans...

Didn't he also show a pile of Oasis' roasted bones at one point? And the giant guest arc had Ki make a comment that the Oasis wig was "crispy".

Yow, that was fast.

I still refuse to believe Zoe died though :P

Considering that we know Riff doesn't have any medical training...

And even if Zoe was on the verge of expiring... this is Riff after being shot to bits a week ago, without even a scar. I'm guessing advanced medtech, but that's just me.

We never actually saw Riff get shot, though. I'm betting that, like just about everyone in the Sluggyverse, those guys who shot at Riff are incredibly stupid and missed for one reason or another.

Or they shot him full of tranquilizers. :P

Props to Riff. First thing he says after getting turned into a pincushion is that "I think one would have been enough..."

Also: They talked about nanites. Think this is an alt universe where Crabtree didn't get killed by Aylee?

edited 1st Sep '09 12:14:30 PM by Alkthash

Or an alt universe where she actually got them working and she (or someone else) used them to take over the world.

I'm wondering: if I didn't read T Vtropes, would I be able to believe Zoe's dead? Death isn't cheap in Sluggy, but I am unable to accept that she's dead; and I really wish I could so I could appreciate the story even more than I am now.

Dammit, I laughed out loud at the comic today. I think that means I'm back for the long haul.

Curse you Abrams!

Man, that is the perfect excuse to miss work. I want that excuse.

So Riff's a science teacher in this dimension.

I'd take his class. And he wouldn't even be the craziest professor I've had, either.