33 thoughts on “Chapter 5: Lit, page 27.”

  1. is that Numbers in the back of panel one?
    =D

    also, he sounds like the roofer dad of a friend of mine.

    1. I think it is! Yaay, Numbers. She is so adorable in a kind of sad way. Can’t help but wonder what she’s thinking. Probably something like “ohgodohgod it’s Barney John don’t stare don’t stare YOU’RE STARING NUMBERS STOPPIT”

      D’aw, Barney is pretty easy to relate to, actually. Just wanted to be Bob the Builder (or something), but noooo. Had to be a big celebrity.

    1. How do you mean that? The word butch is usually (in my experience) used for masculine women – Barney is a man, so how does the word apply to him?

      1. In my experience, “butch” can also apply to exceptionally masculine gay men, especially if they’re still unmistakably gay despite (or because of) the extreme gender presentation.

        And possibly straight guys for whom the masculine behavior is affected.

      2. I’m not sure which of the three answers I should take to heart, but you all made me grin, thanks for that (been a long day). *g*

  2. I’m loving this scene! (And Barney’s handler.)

    By the way, I’ve always felt that since Templar’s your own project, your update schedule is your own business — but the new schedule is really nice. Something about a regular few weeks of updates really keeps the energy up. “Consistently good work” is great, but it looks like “relentlessly good work” is better.

    (By the way, I’ve tried hard to see what you mean when you talk about how difficult it is to read the early stuff, and I just don’t see it. Maybe I don’t have the right background, or the right temperament, but my reaction is always instead: “Glee! Templar!”)

    1. I regularly (about once every 6 months) re-read the entire comic archive, and my reaction is much on the lines of “Glee! Templar!” as well. ;-)

  3. Being the figurehead of any one movement tends to mean that you get to do less and less what you actually liked doing in the first place. Let the poor man do what work he wants. :-P

    1. I feel like I have a lot in common with Barny Johns. With technical work like this it’s always fun to plow into details once you’re an expert. But you’ve always got responsibilities as an expert to work as a manager or a salesman as well. Just how it goes.

    2. Yeah…unfortunately for him, he’s a Bolshevik: his obligation is to the greater good of the movement and of society at large. His personal desires are irrelevant according to his own ethos. The Rec owns him, as it owns all its members, and if the Almighty Majority decides he’s more valuable as a talking head than an artisan, well, tough titty, Mr. Jones….

      From each according to their ability to each according to their need.

      I can’t figure out if the October Revolution happened in this timeline. Numbers mentioned “Soviet 17” and Bash had Pripyat-made vodka, so it seems like Soviet communism must have still gone down basically the same, at least up to a point. Maybe the Cold War never happened here, hence the American counterculture.

      Anybody got any theories? ;-)

  4. Dedicated nothin, the man’s smart. >.> With carpentry you’ve less a chance of someone dropping a lit compression tank on your head.

  5. Wow, forehead Rec Tat? Whoe ever she is, she is hardcore. None of the subcultures in Templar are half-hearted, they’re ALL IN.

  6. my father was a roofer and a carpenter amongst other things “it’s being taken care of” doesn’t wash. You give details and snap to it you are off the job.

  7. Well they 8are* but they’re also not, it’s what makes Templar so interesting, The Rec has a great big Good Intention with a scary legal team and loyal followers and a few bomb-throwing moles. They must be a NIGHTMARE to deal with.

    Anyone remember Cook Family? They’re the scary people.

    1. And we still don’t know who they actually are. Except that Reagan would love to talk (and possibly have sex) with one of them.

  8. I wondered about Barney, was he an idealist who drew talent to him, a charismatic leader, or someone who truly knew the craft of building. Turns out the answer is “D” (all of the above) Too bad he has to go toe-toe with the Doves.

  9. Its an Architects nightmare in there too, as being one I noticed the lack of support beams. Remember children its hard to run away from a collapsing build when your inside.

  10. Reclamation seems like such a beautiful idea. Habitat for Humanity is good, clean work, but I would completely be on board for Reclamation.

  11. Hey there, Spike. Met you at Phoenix Comic-Con, chatting with you was a very pleasant experience.

    One person said Communism was a great idea until it was put into the hands of people. Unfortunately, people are not intrinsically “good” as Communism says, and many of the practices of Communism are misused on a daily basis.

    On the other hand, a man like Barney is the kind of guy to give Communism a good name, one of the few with the skill and will to accomplish and a true love for humanity. Who else could push a movement like Reclamation and hang on to their soul in the process?

  12. When people insist something’s not important, that’s frequently a sign that it is. I wonder why Dinah exaggerated the damage even more after (in the following comics) we see her and the other Rec manager trying to push Barney John into slick PR. Maybe she was just hopping mad at EJ… or maybe the managers overstate repair work routinely for their own purposes.

    Rec rejects capitalist exploitation, but not necessarily the cash economy. If they even charge a nominal for-costs-incurred rent, like $100/month, with 2,000 tenants, plus mostly volunteer labor, that could add up to a sizable slush fund…

  13. My Grandma actually does pray to St Jude a lot because she thinks he always comes through. She told my sister that she had been praying to St Jude that my sister’s boyfriend would propose to her and my sister was inconsolably furious because St Jude is the patron of lost causes.

  14. Same thing happened to my Dad that happened to Barney. Started as a programmer, got really good at it, became management.

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