05/17/2015
Yikes…looks like that’s the end of Harkin Farley. Before we get any doubters in the audience piping up, let’s confirm the fact that, yes, he’s dead as a doornail and he ain’t coming back (this comic has a pretty firm rule about not resurrecting dead characters).
I’ve always liked the “nobody’s safe” aspect in comics like Dick Tracy, and almost anyone can wind up in a grisly end in this story. After all, when’s the last time you really cared when a DC/Marvel character went kaput (and came back two months later)?
Holy crap … um …
The only thought I got right now … is how much trouble Nazz is going to be in when Harkin’s dad finds out. He might have been disappointed in his son, but two facts remain: Harkin’s dad is a COP. And all fathers will avenge their sons.
Nazz is in a deep, deep pile …
Very good assumption. What say you, folks? Will Farley be on the job or doing his usual slacking off (read the MY LLORONA storyline for more insight).
To quote a british friend of mine: “Farley is going to go spare when he hears this!”.
You ever have that one psycho ex that just never knew how to let go and turned everything into resentment?
RIP Harkin. Although with prompt medical treatment and assuming nothing utterly vital was hit he COULD survive (people are sometimes remarkably durable despite how fragile we humans are), from the look on everyones’ faces and the artist comment, I’d say we’re dealing with pretty well kaputski. And Nazz looks like she’s gearing up to either have a major emotional collapse or to become a gang boss herself (or to become a dearly trusted lieutenant to Scap, if her loyalty stays stubborn).
DOWNSIDE: Detective Farley. He done gonna be torqued right off about this, you bet’cha…….
I wish Jenn had lived to see this; she had once assumed that Harkin was safe from harm due to “plot armor”, so this would have been a pleasant surprise (that, and like most wise souls she probably hated Harkin).
You are right that Nazz’ role in SCAPULA has just stepped up a notch. Now as to what happens next…well, we shall see in due time (and it might involve more blood-letting insanity!).
I recall discussing that, actually. When we brought up the topic of Plot Armor, she noted Harkin as an example (among some others, including Flat Top). I initially was confused by that (since, y’know, Flat Top died a rather miserable death!). Her idea of plot armor wasn’t like ‘Jar Jar Binks cannot die ever because he has plot armor’. It was more akin to ‘This person will survive whatever gets thrown at them because when the trouble hits the fan they will always be off screen. The moment they are in the spotlight, they will either put up or shut up.’ And to be fair, Harkin was way outclassed here but he did try. Likewise Flat Top could have just caught a bullet, but……. well, those of you interested should look up the original story, it’s awesome and well worth the read!
The fact he’s dead is surely making her smile though. She REALLY hated Harkin.
I’m sure every one of Gould’s successors probably wanted to kick ol’ Chet for killing off Flattop. Unlike other ‘dead’ Tracy villains who were revived, like BB Eyes, Pruneface, and Mumbles (twice), there was simply no way to retcon Flattop’s demise (or maybe they will; the current Tracy team takes some pretty crazy chances).
I honestly think the reason everyone loves Flattop so much is that he DID die off. I mean, he’s one of the few characters in comics that had a nice clean arc to the story and ended cleanly. They even used his cause of death to get Tracey out of dying himself in the Angel Top/Son of the Brow book, just to hammer it all home. Later writers might dislike Chet, but I enjoy the whole thing….. much like I enjoy the ‘dead is dead’ aspect of Scapula! (See the death of Knuckle Sam for Jenn’s views on the whole thing….. she heavily influenced my views even towards favored characters)
So… I guess if Mr. Scapula goes for the long walk into the night, the comic would have to be retitled “Scapula: In Memoriam”?
Only if he gets hit by a bus or eaten by a bear or vaporized by government satellites or [insert your own manner of destruction]…
…eaten by a government bus?
He’d have to wait around about three or four hours before it showed up to kill him (typical bus schedules plus government efficiency equals a very long wait indeed).
No wonder the bus would be so hungry.
Holy shit..did not see this coming… I actually kinda liked Harkin, in his own whiney way, he turned out to be one of the few “good” characters in this story, besides Delilah. Well, she seems like a “good guy” character, unlike all the villains and so on. Well, rest in peace Harkin. I wonder how the death of the son of a policeman will come and bite Scap in the butt XD
Only the good die young…well, whether or not Harkin was ‘good’ is a matter of personal interpretation, but at least he wasn’t as bad as some other characters. Stealing a pack of gum doesn’t seem like such a big whoop when there’s a genocide going on, eh?
Wait, she missed his spleen! I think he’s going to pull through!
(gurgle, ack, thud)
…
See the thing is, I’m not a doctor and OH MY GOD WHAT IS THAT OVER THERE?!
(Woop, woop, woop, woop…)
“Are you Harkin, Queen of Scots?”
“I am.”
>BLAM BLAMTHUD< "AAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!" >THUDTHUD< "OOH! OOH!" >RATATATATATATA< "OW! OW! AAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!" >WUMP WUMP< "OOH! OOH! AAAAAAAAAAUGH!"
Judging by the looks on the faces of the rest of the goon squad, they weren’t really ready for serious bloodshed the likes of which Nazz just delivered. That raises the question of how things would have went down had Nazz gone for Delilah and had the other two hold off Harkin rather than vice versa (as seen here).
Also, the fourth panel is one of the most disturbing things I’ve seen in this comic. I especially like how the blood is implied by the black. Kudos, Casserly.
Glad you enjoyed (or were disturbed), and you make a very good assessment of the characters. Nazz did say she was planning to cut someone wide open; it’s just too bad they didn’t take her seriously!
As someone who has dealt with fringe lunatics, I can inform you that no matter how much you assume you’re ready to see someone inflict grievous bodily harm on someone, you NEVER are, and the worst I’ve seen personally was a one-shot knockout haymaker with a plank. Someone going to the screaming mad deeps like Nazz here has got to be a shock no matter what, the first time at least. PLUS they knew Harkin, that can’t help.
Well, DAMN.
don’t know what’s scarier:
The thought that this attack is 50% loyalty to Scap & Co/50% ego…
or that maybe, in her twisted, passive-aggressive, homophobic way, she really loved the guy, and this is an “if I can’t have you, NO ONE can” thing.
Interesting notions! Perhaps we’ll learn more about Nazz as the story progresses (we already know what makes her tick…EVERYTHING!). But as long as readers are getting a reaction and thinking about the characters then I feel like I’ve done a good job.
Now to ruin it all on Tuesday by revealing Harkin as an undercover alien invader!
I expect Harkin to survive somehow as he is a funny little good guy who always gets trampled on, just to rise again to get the next whooping. Judging by the looks of the goons, he might looking a bit… rearranged though. He could act as the Mummy for the next issues – just one bandaid won’t help much here, I guess.
He’s dead, but your idea is not entirely out of the question. They can always prop him up on a stick and make a silly puppet ‘mascot’ out of him!
Actually, that DOES sound like the kind of thing that would happen in this comic.
That was…. Deeply disturbing. And awesome.
Glad to share some disturbance!