Stationary Target

Page 179

Stationary Target
Cartoon Brian

Stationary Target

Original Release Date: October 12, 2010

Stu's question in panel one is almost like breaking the fourth wall, but without interrupting the flow of the story. It's poking fun at the fact that I've had Bob's Samus Squad show up twice now without the ninja noticing anything, which smacks of a plot device that's just there to advance the story, rather than something that could actually happen.

Mike's punchline and the guards' obliviousness to his presence call attention to another problem the comic sometimes has: Mike sort of gets left out of the combat situation. It makes sense: he has minimal combat skills and hangs out with a ninja, who has nigh-immeasurable combat skills. The Samus Squad is going to tackle the most dangerous targets first, then finish off Mike when it's time to mop up afterwards. Still, not being targeted by my murderous adversaries in a situation like this would hurt my feelings, too, despite the fact that my life would be on the line.