Chapter 2 – Page 014
Scene change!
For those unfamiliar with the Territorial Support Group (the TSG to its mates – of which it has predictably few), they usually only make the news when they induce heart attacks in kettled street vendors or cavalry charge austerity protesters – or, the one time they’ve faced actual bone fide rioters, they turn tail and flee. I realise this stance will upset any family members of TSG officers reading this comic and feeling unfairly maligned, but I hope they don’t mind me expressing my editorial opinion that they’re really not good at their jobs.
Anyhoo, I had fun coming up with motifs for the “Carnivale Zone” in the last panel – somewhat helped by me being to Venice just recently. Egg robots rowing gondoliers sounds like a very Robotnik-y thing to do.
Wording splats painfully on the ground. A massive commotion erupts around him.
SOLOMON (off-panel): Guv!
TSG (off-panel): Man down!
Panel 2:
Wording tries to get up, but is crowded out by boots charging around him.
TSG (off-panel): Code Blue!
TSG (off-panel): Defence Protocol!
WORDING:Wait! No! I’m fine! It’s nothing! It’s-!
Panel 3:
Too late. The riot police have smelt blood and charged off while Wording is still struggling on the ground.
TSG (off-panel): Suppress and Apprehend!
TSG (off-panel): Submit to Authority, Crown Subject!
Panel 4:
Wording rises a little, enough to stare back the way he was tossed with mounting horror.
TSG (off-panel): Resistance Intensifying!
TSG (off-panel): Suppression Failing!
TSG (off-panel): Retreat Impossible!
Panel 5:
Closeup of Wording’s terrified eye as something awful happens in front of him.
TSG (off-panel): AAAAAH!
TSG (off-panel): AAAAAAAAH!
TSG (off-panel): AAAAAAAAAAAAH!
Panel 6:
Scene change! Blaze the Cat bounces off screen as “TIME OVER” descends and a rotating barrel remains resolutely immoveable.
SI (off-panel): NYAAAAAAAAAAAGH!