Robin, no!
on November 23, 2021 at 1:01 amChapter: Same Planet, Different Dementia
Location: Rosenthal Industries
“Robin, No!” could easily be the title of Shortpacked!, really.
Amber would be quickest at removing Robin’s duct tape wrapping because she’s the only non-abductee present. Remember, we recently learned abductees were programmed to be unable to remove it. (Was this written before or after that sequence? Was I reverse-shadowing again? I don’t remember.)
Loading ...
I have a theory that the DOA verse actually resulted from a universe where the drama tag was never pulled.
Eventually the reach of the tag got so strong that it caused the universe to be reset back to the nexus point of college.
On the contrary, the drama tag came pre-pulled in the Dumbingverse.
(Looks around the Dumbingverse)
Seems like it’s got plenty of drama to me!
Or it’s literally the universe where there never was a drama tag in the first place.
OH
I thought Amber was just like
…
*not finishing that thought*
Experienced with bondage?
I mean, given what we’ve seen of her and Mike, that isn’t outside the realm of possibility.
I assumed it was because she’s dealt with Robin’s shenanigans enough that she was used to having to unwrap her for some reason or another.
She’s just that good at un-packaging new toys.
That’s where my mind went.
That fear of never seeing Leslie again on Robin’s face in Panel 1 is palpable. It’s the most genuinely upset she’s ever been, and the effect is kinda unsettling in the best possible way.
As are the looks on Joe’s face in the last two panels, where it becomes painfully obvious to him what Robin’s determination to save Leslie means.
And he can’t blame her, because he went in knowing this relationship was in no small part the two of them trying to fill the void their previous partners left, and that if the situations were reversed, he’d go in after Rachel. But she is (so he thinks) gone forever, and so it’s still gotta hurt knowing that no, Robin will always hold him second to Leslie. Everyone else gets a happy ending, but he’ll never have anyone who he loves and who loves him in return as much as Rachel.
I don’t usually think of Walkyverse Joe as quite as pathos-laden as Dumbingverse Joe, in part because of tonal differences and author evolution and in part because I came in during Shortpacked where he really only appeared a handful of times, but this really is a heartbreaking strip for him even as I’m deeply invested in Robin/Leslie, and know this storyline doesn’t end for him here.
(Also a heartbreaking wrinkle: UC is through that portal, too. UC, who’s his KID. If Robin goes in there and they can’t figure out a way out, Joe’s lost his longtime friend and current girlfriend after already losing the love of his life, AND his robot car child. Seriously, this scenario just gets worse and worse for Joe the more you think about it.)
Yeah, couldn’t’ve said it better
I always thought Joe’s relationship with Ultracar was one of the hidden gems of late-era Shortpacked. He really ties to be the kind and supportive father to his troubled and wayward child needs. Have you noticed that UC never once referred to Joe as anything other than “Dad”?
Joyce being in this story just to say “Wow, that’s a lot of energy.” is really funny to me.
It’s like she’s contractually obligated to get a line.
Especially since she has seen the portal before so she shouldn’t be that surprised at all.
… was the ‘looks expensive’ line from Mike actually a reference to the cost of the new visual software mentioned to be the source of the portal special effect?
That, or “So how many mothers did you fuck to collect enough nickels to build this thing?”
Huh, and here I figured Amber would be fastest because she works retail, of course she’s had tons of practice unwrapping pallets to stock the shelves.
Experiencing this in 2021 is one of the weirdest reading experiences I’ve had, and I’ve had some weird ones.
In 2012-2013, I was going through my own case of thwarted romantic expectations and general (situational) depression. I was a reliable commenter on just about anything Leslie and Robin, and eventually poured a lot of those thoughts about their arc into a Shortpacked story of my own (thanks again to David for printing that one). Emotionally investing in their struggle was a welcome relief from my own problems, and I had enough history with It’s Walky that I was happy to see some of its lore again.
I didn’t really get the Roomies connection, though, and I never figured out quite why Joyce was there, except that she was in Denver so why not. After Head Alien showed up, I thought perhaps she’d do something to ruin his plans one final time, but that didn’t happen.
It feels like there’s some meta-statement about Joyce’s presence lurking in the margins about how life eventually goes on without you: even if you have some time in the spotlight, some of what you confront while you’re there will eventually go on to be confronted by others. That’s a somewhat generous reading, but I try to be a generous reader. Another reading is that there really isn’t a lot left for Joyce… or even Amber or Mike… to do because their story arcs have already pretty well been resolved, so this is like the sequel that brings back a beloved character but never quite figures out a story for them to inhabit. But that’s not too much of a problem overall, because they’re basically set dressing for this Joe-Robin-Leslie-Rachel-Pamela-Head Alien arc.
Another reading is that Joyce was always more gregarious than Walky. her big community of friends-almost-family of Semme ended when it all came crashing down so she clinged to Becky in the meantime. In the end, as much as she likes Becky, they don’t have that much in common. The opening of this Shortpacked store near her home meant a place where several of the people she used to love (and a couple new faces she’s quickly became close to) congregate.
I expect she spends almost every second she’s not with Walky at this store.
It is distinctly possible Joyce is only here because I was doing the Roomies! silhouette callback and remembered one of its original components was literally in town.
I completely forgot about the abductees being unable to remove duct tape thing again.