Comments on: “How Mirka Got Her Sword,” Page 41

By: Barry

Barry — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 15:16:14 +0000

Thanks, everyone. :-)

Alec, that is an extremely accurate description of how I think of the troll character.

By: alec

alec — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 11:39:29 +0000

Hee! The troll being the love-child of the Comic Book Guy and the Eternal Spider-Jew is a delightful and unexpected surprise. I have to say, on a conceptual level, that is my favorite character ever.

By: J.H.

J.H. — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 04:26:45 +0000

This has got to be THE weirdest comic I’ve read to date. And there are a LOT of weird comics out there…

By: Miriam

Miriam — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 01:15:03 +0000

Easy for YOU to forget. I was checking something like every five minutes since Wednesday!
I can see now why the witch told Mirka to go to her step-mother. Looks like Mirka should have spent Knitting Hour knitting instead of arguing!
And by the way, AMAZING comic. I can’t wait for the next installment. But don’t you think we should get an extra page, since you updated this page so late? *puppy dog eyes*

By: Daran

Daran — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 00:07:49 +0000

But I think I got caught up in the story, and forgot that she had to get the sword from the TROLL in order to kill the DRAGON. I think. Right?

I don’t think it’s been extablished that she’s going to kill a dragon, (or even that there is a dragon) merely that she dreams of killing dragons. She’s going to get a sword because a hero needs one.

Prediction time: I think the troll will turn out to be very good at knitting, and Mirka, as we know, drops stiches.

By: Yochva

Yochva — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 15:18:59 +0000

Perhaps I’m misremembering, which the more I think about it, I think I am. I thought she had to get the sword first, then kill the troll. But I think I got caught up in the story, and forgot that she had to get the sword from the TROLL in order to kill the DRAGON. I think. Right? I just have to read it all over from the beginning, I guess! Huh. That’ll teach me to go around making blithe statements…

By: Dani

Dani — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 10:36:06 +0000

Well, the witch DID tell her that Fruma would be able to tell her how to defeat the troll! Now if only she’d paid better attention….

By: Daran

Daran — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 10:00:41 +0000

Daran, one slight correction: The troll said it would kill and eat her if she (Mirka) lost, not if “it” (which I assume means, the troll) lost.

Er, yeah, I meant if Mirka loses she’ll be killed and eaten.

Yochva, why do you say the witch lied? I’m not saying you’re wrong, I’m just wondering what specifically you think the witch lied about.

The witch said that the troll had a sword (true, assuming that this is the troll, and the troll itself is telling the truth about having a sword.), that Mirka could learn what she needed to know from her step-mother (true, just not in the way Mirka and we thought), and that Mirka needed to go round a particular tree sixteen times on the way. (Status unknown.) I see no indication (yet) that the witch was lying.

Moreover, we have 1. The front cover showing Mirka standing triumphantly on a ball of wool, 2. the opening scene with her knitting, 3. the scene where Mirka questions Fruma about troll-killing, where Fruma is knitting. Barry has given us clue after clue after clue to this and still managed to surprise us. That is why this is such a win. Sheer genius.

By: Barry

Barry — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 09:23:27 +0000

Thanks, Nella!

Falstaff, as Daran says, Mirka’s not out of trouble yet!

Daran, one slight correction: The troll said it would kill and eat her if she (Mirka) lost, not if “it” (which I assume means, the troll) lost.

Yochva, why do you say the witch lied? I’m not saying you’re wrong, I’m just wondering what specifically you think the witch lied about.

By: Daran

Daran — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 09:09:34 +0000

Absolute, unmitigated win!

I think the troll (presumably, but Yochva’s reservation is noted) still has the upper hand, all four of them.

I should have known Mirka wasn’t in any real danger. That’s not how stories like this work.

It did say that it would kill and eat her if it lost.