Would Ed be making the proverbial leap of faith here? Ed, you are no longer the nameless you are Ed because you have been named and that makes you something. Oh here’s the vote thingy. http://topwebcomics.com/vote/10180/default.aspx
Ursula Vernon, this is why I choose Furry comics instead of mainstream hum-drum human comics.
I think the young lady with the broken arm and Ed here are souls much braver than I am.
Last panel, minus speech bubble, as a T-shirt? Please?
Speaking of which: I know that at some point in the past, before I found Digger, there were Digger shirts. Are those totally gone, or could one possibly be acquired somewhere? 🙂
I get what you’re saying, Madam Atom, but you’ve missed the critical implications of Ed’s words.
Ed calls himself “Ed” (twice) directly after SGV asserts that he has no name.
SGV is wrong, and Ed proves him so, immediately. Ed, too, is no longer defined by the rules and assumptions that SGV relies on, and in this moment of crisis, he “stands up” and asserts that he defines himself (with a little help from his friends– and not his enemies).
I am so glad for him. But where, precisely, is he keeping that crowbar 🙂 ?
Ed keeps the crowbar in the waistband of his breechclout. The hooked end keeps it from slipping out — you can see the cat’s-paw end more or less above his knee in the last panel above.
@motub: Good and valid points (and yay Ed!), and if a similar situation occurred in our real world I’d completely agree with you; but there’s obviously a true and actual lack in Ed, or SGV–who has no previous knowledge of this new intruder–wouldn’t be able to detect it. Now if all that lack does for SGV is show it a possible way to lower Ed’s self-esteem, as it’s already tried to do, then Ed HAS won here. But in an overtly magical universe, the lack of a name may have other implications. (I wonder if the cold servants have names.)
Or it may not. Part of what I enjoy about Ursula’s work is that I AM so often wrong about where she’s going. 🙂
@both motub and perfesserbear: Yeah, the crowbar is clearly visible in the last panel, but it “reads” as a tail unless you remember that these hyenas don’t have tails–and I for one forgot that till perfesser pointed it out.
@ Madam Atom: Rather than SGV having no previous knowledge of Ed, I read the previous strip (SGV: But your smell – I KNOW that smell – ) to mean that SGV did know Ed as the little skin painter, and assumed that SGV was the demon that influenced Ed’s wife to go insane. Or perhaps SGV merely recognizes the smell of being nameless.
Oh, and Grats! to the author on an awesome tale, beautifully realized.
At a guess, Sweetgrass isn’t smelling that Ed’s former name was eaten, literally. I think that Sweetgrass had its tendrils in what happened to Ed and remembers the affair.
A nickname is good enough to jump with.
Wooo! Go Ed!
Go Ed!
Before Sweetgrass Voice bites the dust, Ed needs to say, just once, “Ed has a name.” Bonus points if he uses a possessive self-referential pronoun.
“Ed is Ed.” SMASH!
So we’ve seen a name get eaten. But is there a way to get it regurgitated? Because Ed deserves to get his back after this.
He flies? Nope. He just jumps real good. >w<
Would Ed be making the proverbial leap of faith here? Ed, you are no longer the nameless you are Ed because you have been named and that makes you something. Oh here’s the vote thingy.
http://topwebcomics.com/vote/10180/default.aspx
You go Ed!! You can do it!
I wonder how does the lack of name smells like?
That isn’t flying. That’s jumping, with style!
That… that’s crowning moment of awesome material right there.
Go Ed! You made me clap and cheer out loud!
Go! Ed Go!! Aw I can’t wait until Thursday…that’s breathtaking.
Oh, Ed! It is not good manners to jump through the evil spirit trying to sink your soul in the eternal darkness 😉
Ursula Vernon, this is why I choose Furry comics instead of mainstream hum-drum human comics.
I think the young lady with the broken arm and Ed here are souls much braver than I am.
Go Ed!!!!!!
Bwee – does this mean that we should call him Jack? (yes, I caught the reference!)
I am honored to “know” such brave souls. Thank you, Ursula, for sharing them with us.
Go Ed!
The sound of battle is “Kabong”?
Crowning moment of absolute AWESOMENESS!!!!!!!
G*d D*mn Heck YEAH!
Last panel, minus speech bubble, as a T-shirt? Please?
Speaking of which: I know that at some point in the past, before I found Digger, there were Digger shirts. Are those totally gone, or could one possibly be acquired somewhere? 🙂
@Zjonni–</b.
“I have a name, and it is HeartStopper!”
–Perfesser
Way to go, Ed!
Digger is El ka-bong?!
It’s a bird! No, it’s a plane! It’s ED!
Aren’t names everything to demons? Can they even eat something if it has no name?
He-is was cast out and his name eaten. Ed was cast out and his name eaten. Ed was redeemed by Digger.
Ed may VERY well know how to redeem He-is – if Ed has a second chance, so does he.
But this is Ursula we’re talking about; we know where we expect it to go, but where will it actually go?..
Oh Ed…
GO ED!!!
Go, Ed!!! YEAH!!!
(I’m otherwise speechless 🙂 )
*cheering squad for Ed*
also, #28 on the list as of this posting. *ratcheting noises*
Oh, my God. Oh, *Ed*!!!!!!
So far beyond cheering. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Winterbeast – yes. And it’s a courage I need, and I am reassured and challenged, both, by their example. (Ursula, thank you.)
It’s interesting the SGV knows the smell of Ed’s name, or lack of it. Who did eat that name, by the way?
Jack? Well, he jumps in a flash…
I think SGV’s last comment pushed Ed over the edge.
Yes Ed, jump! 😀
Oh! OH!
Possible spoiler if I’m anywhere near right–though with my track record, I wouldn’t worry much. 🙂
SGV: You have no name, pathetic being!
Ed: Ed’s name is Ed!
SGV: You think you can just choose a name? No hyena gave you that one.
Digger: Well, I wasn’t a hyena THEN, but we fixed that. Hey! Hey you! Your name is Ed!
SGV: …
SGV: …
SGV: …
SGV: … damn wombats.
Actually, I think Digger would name SGV “Tim”.
I think Digger is more likely to call SGV “Pain in the Neck.”
“Your name? *Your* name???
“… Your name is Stupid.”
No, sorry, I wasn’t clear.
SGV might not be seeing Ed’s name as a real name because it was given to him by a non-hyena.
I don’t know if some ritual would be necessary, but if not, then if Digger were to name Ed again now, it would be a proper hyena-granted name.
What exactly that would mean for this encounter I don’t know, but SGV seems to think it’s important …
I get what you’re saying, Madam Atom, but you’ve missed the critical implications of Ed’s words.
Ed calls himself “Ed” (twice) directly after SGV asserts that he has no name.
SGV is wrong, and Ed proves him so, immediately. Ed, too, is no longer defined by the rules and assumptions that SGV relies on, and in this moment of crisis, he “stands up” and asserts that he defines himself (with a little help from his friends– and not his enemies).
I am so glad for him. But where, precisely, is he keeping that crowbar 🙂 ?
motub–
Ed keeps the crowbar in the waistband of his breechclout. The hooked end keeps it from slipping out — you can see the cat’s-paw end more or less above his knee in the last panel above.
–Perfesser
@motub: Good and valid points (and yay Ed!), and if a similar situation occurred in our real world I’d completely agree with you; but there’s obviously a true and actual lack in Ed, or SGV–who has no previous knowledge of this new intruder–wouldn’t be able to detect it. Now if all that lack does for SGV is show it a possible way to lower Ed’s self-esteem, as it’s already tried to do, then Ed HAS won here. But in an overtly magical universe, the lack of a name may have other implications. (I wonder if the cold servants have names.)
Or it may not. Part of what I enjoy about Ursula’s work is that I AM so often wrong about where she’s going. 🙂
@both motub and perfesserbear: Yeah, the crowbar is clearly visible in the last panel, but it “reads” as a tail unless you remember that these hyenas don’t have tails–and I for one forgot that till perfesser pointed it out.
@ Madam Atom: Rather than SGV having no previous knowledge of Ed, I read the previous strip (SGV: But your smell – I KNOW that smell – ) to mean that SGV did know Ed as the little skin painter, and assumed that SGV was the demon that influenced Ed’s wife to go insane. Or perhaps SGV merely recognizes the smell of being nameless.
Oh, and Grats! to the author on an awesome tale, beautifully realized.
Wasn’t Digger adopted by Boneclaw Mother a while ago?
If so that’d make Digger an honorary hyena and she did give Ed his current name…
Just something to ponder till thursday.
go go Ed!
At a guess, Sweetgrass isn’t smelling that Ed’s former name was eaten, literally. I think that Sweetgrass had its tendrils in what happened to Ed and remembers the affair.
Well, ’bout time he screwed his courage to the sticking point and did what he’s gone to do.
Here’s the wind-up –
AND THE PITCH!!! 7@=E
BTW: Didn’t know you could get that good a KA-BONNG! out of a pickaxe…. just as good as a guitar! 7@=Q