A free mind evaluation
Apologies for the somewhat blue nature of Brian’s complaint in panel 1. But no one should be ashamed of “screaming piles”. UPDATE: there was an issue with duplicate comments this morning, I’ve removed the duplicates and will “monitor the situation” ie pray it doesn’t happen again. — COLOURS BY SAMMY BORRAS
The funniest thing about Brian’s line in panel 1 is that he seems positively cheerful about it.
Never underestimate the simple joy of haemorrhoid relief.
Bob Warren. Presumably related to Maggie Warren. This is probably connected to that letter Maggie didn’t want to read sober.
(Apologies if this ends up posting more than once- having some trouble getting it to post) Bob Warren. Presumably related to Maggie Warren. This is probably connected to that letter Maggie didn’t want to read sober.
First time I’ve seen what an amazing comical duo they are! Tom and Brian are the new Fox and Cat!!!
I pity the fool who tries a mind evaluation on Brian. Bet they would run from the tent screaming & holding their head.
It’ll happen to all of us in the end.
Oh dear, they’re Scie-not-ologists.
The only thing more EVIL than Satanists!
I’m guessing Trident is less Anton LeVay and Aleister Crowley, more L. Ron Hubbard, although Hubbard knew Crowley via their mutual friend, occultist/rocket scientist Jack Parsons.
How hiiiiiiigh
Does your rocket flyyyy…
“Sea Org” indeed.
Scary-go-tology.
I like it.
Oh dear, they’re Scie-not-ologists.
Oh dear, my comment posted multiple times.
Bob Warren. Presumably related to Maggie Warren. This is probably connected to that letter Maggie didn’t want to read sober.
It’ll happen to all of us in the end.
Bob Warren? Maggie’s dad perhaps?
The plot thickens…
I see we were all having the same posting problems. (I’m tempted to post this two or three times, just to keep the pattern going, but I won’t.)
Brian’s a super-confident were-man with P.I.L.E.S!
(Um, I might have just discovered that the old Bobbins site on Keenspot is still up.)
((Which reminds me… I’m not trying to nag, I’m just wondering… are the Scary-Go-Round archives going to come back?))
We all scream for arse cream!
Well struck!
Good job curing me of my craving for ice cream with a single comment!
Brian has the best conversation starters.
They’re never coming back, John. The PDFs on Gumroad are their final resting place.
On John C’s suggestion about this old Bobbins site from Before My Time (which, as a reader of 15 years, feels like it’s quite saying something) I had a good look through what is still up there this afternoon – and wanted to ask John A, after thinking about the timescales involved, did you feel resentful when The Office became a big thing? I never thought of it before but I suppose it ploughs somewhat the same furrow as Bobbins was at the time, and even got its sticky fingers on your character names!
No, I enjoyed it at the time. I don’t really get jealous of things in that way. I certainly didn’t invent office comedy!
The Keenspot days weren’t even before my time, but it’s been so long since I read early Bobbins that those archives might as well be a whole new webcomic.
Some of it I’d forgotten but just needed my memory refreshed, like, I’d forgotten that Holly hooked up with Bernie from Waiting For Bob, and the Waiting For Bob crossover was what brought me to Tackleford to begin with, back in the days when all, like, six webcomics in existence kind of operated in a shared cinematic universe and you could at any moment find User Friendly in your Sluggy Freelance or Goats in your Bobbins.
But then there’s stuff that I have zero recollection of ever having seen before, like Elliot’s PILES program, which, by synchronicity, I ran across just before the update here: http://bobbins.keenspot.com/d/19990205.html
I think Brian prefers curvy whites
I think he has a soft spot for streaks of sexy whitewash.
ah, it’s the Morninglight.
This comment section is positively mind-blowing.
Dooood, man! I was, like… ya know… caught in endless loops, maaaaan! Like…, TOTALLY!
He was just TAKIN the flat white and BAM…! Such slapstick!
Well, here I was expecting Trident was the return of the Deep Old Ones that regularly plague Tredregyn, but now find out that it’s even worse than that.
I still wouldn’t count it out…
It looks like a combination of scientology with worship of the Deep Old Ones. Very cool!
I thought there were a lot of comments for this early in the morning. Having read them, I understand.
I think Warlock Brian is the last person who should have his mind evaluated. The clipboard would melt, the tent would catch fire, and his pile cream would ooze.
Things I learned from this strip:
-A ‘flat white’ is like a latte, but with less milk. (For someone who doesn’t drink coffee, this is an entirely useless, but curious, bit of academic knowledge.)
-Maggie has family – and they have a history with the CoS.
-Trident is ‘evaluating minds’ – for eventual consumption by Flovorr??
I had not looked it up yet, so I learned from your comment what a ‘flat white’ is.
I also learned from this page a new term for hemorrhoids. Poor Brian – orgies must be less fun with that condition.
I too had no idea what a ‘flat white’ was. Screaming piles, however, I understood for some reason.
Just think about how much less fun they are for the rest of the Church of Satan, too.
I had to look it up as well (apparently, the milk is also more bubbly, resulting in a smoother taste).
I’d go for a flat white, even if it means a brain scan. Sounds scrumptuous.
The Screaming Piles (which I saw at Knebworth in ’91) I’ll pass on.
Honestly, I’d been hoped Trident might be like… a Poseidon cult…
You don’t know what the Deeper Mysteries of Trident are, yet. Mere initiates, who have not yet proven their devotion (by donating lots of money) are not aware.
Is Brian talking about the stall or his piles in panel 2
I liked the duplicate comments
You can say THAT again!
A lot of people seem to be assuming that Trident is connected to the sea monsters/mermen, and, considering that most people’s strongest association with the trident as a symbol these days seems to be with sea divinities such as Neptune, this does seem likely. There are other possibilities, though. The Devil’s pitchfork is sometimes pictured or described as a trident, for example, so they could be a splinter group of or rival organization to the Church of Satan. For that matter, perhaps the trident simply represents some sort of threefold ideology- three ideals the group promotes, with the trident representing the union of the three. I suppose we’ll find out soon enough.
The main reason I suspect Flovorr/merpeople are invlolved is that, near the end of Author Unknown, John A left this comment: https://steeple.church/comic/the-obvious-question/#comment-8645
Followed by a particularly insightful question by a perceptive reader. 😉
I didn’t think my comment was that insightful…
I’m finkin’ Trident is based somehow on the Tibkins Codex.
The thing about Chekhov’s Guns is that you don’t just grab them and start blazing away the moment they appear. They’ve got to, y’know, ripen. Like guns do.
Apparently a flat white is like a latte but not, for other Americans like me here who were confused – on the “coffee and steamed milk” axis.
“Screaming Piles.” Perfectly good band name just sitting there.
(Actually, “just sitting there” is how you develop screa—
Screaming Piles, now opening for The Meat Sweats
I do not like Tom at all, but I like his character design and character art very much. Such good design! 🙂
genuinely burst out laughing at the dialogue in panel 1. it’s only Monday and this has already made my week