The nice thing about webcomics is that when the creator does something you want to strangle them for, you have the button right there to send them angry letters. If you feel the need, go ahead–I may start a thread over at my blog for this, since it’s hard to have a discussion in the comments here, and I think people may want to talk about this at length. All that I ask is that you try not to spoiler–this is probably the only REAL spoiler of the whole comic, so…err…use your best judgment, guys.
But,well–if you are going to do great and terrible things, you must be prepared to pay a great and terrible price. Some characters come to you carrying their deaths with them, and I’ve known for a very long time that Ed was mortal and that it was beyond my limited powers to change. (The writer is often not nearly so in charge of the story as you might thing.) So I gave him the best end I could.
And if you still need to send me angry letters, feel free. It’s cool. I understand.
Angry? At this? Gods, how could I be? I would be angry if it were WRONG. This is sad as hell, but it’s NOT wrong.
Lots of good comments. Not enough time or energy today to respond to everyone who deserves it. Just: You go, guys; well done. And especially to Ursula. 🙂
I am in tears now… really! T_T
No hate mail… he died a warrior.
You post explaining this page is nearly as beautiful as the page itself, by the way.
“Some characters come to you carrying their deaths with them”…very well put.
EEEDDDDDDDD!
;_;
No, no hate mail. He died with a name, and he died killing a demon. (removes hat and observes moment of silence)
Poor Ed. Perhaps this will make it possible that he can be reunited with his tribe.
wow i had hoped he would be ok i shed a tear for his epic death but a sad one
It looks to me like the crowbar is in the foreground stuck into the remain of the heart, and Ed is in the background lying on his side. I’m not saying he isn’t dead, just not impaled. Of course, he might *not* be dead too, right?
He got a name. He paid back any debt he might have owed his tribe. He did the right thing, because, as he said, if there is an evil and it is still within your power to end it, you must go. If he hasn’t won the love and honor of those who once made him an outcast, at least he has EARNED it, and he died knowing that. He was a hero, and he got a chance to change the world for the better, big time. And all he had to do to accomplish these wonderful things was to face the death that comes to us all sooner or later anyway.
Bravo, Ed. Thank you, and see you on the other side.
What they said. This is a good death, and neither you nor Ed wasted it.
“We have a few old mouth-to-mouth tales, we exhume from old trunks and boxes and drawers letters without salutation or signature, in which men and women who once lived and breathed are now merely initials or nicknames out of some now incomprehensible affection which sound to us like Sanskrit or Chocktaw; we see dimly people, the people in whose living blood and seed we ourselves lay dormant and waiting, in this shadowy attenuation of time possessing now heroic proportions, performing their acts of simple passion and simple violence, impervious to time and inexplicable…”
– William Faulkner, Absalom, Absalom!
By the way, I think this is where we find out that the story is not really about Vanquishing the Ancient Evil. But if the quest is well written– as this one is– the story is never really about the quest at all, is it? It’s about the seekers, what they faced, what they gained, and what they lost.
“If you are going to do great and terrible things, you must be prepared to pay a great and terrible price.”
Indeed. (And most timely on a day here in the States that we must remember is ours solely through the virtue of those willing to pay that price.) Well done, Ursula.
*sob* oh, Ed!!!
I’. teary eyed over a comic.
From a literary and story standpoint, I am impressed with the amount of emotion in this.
From a readers standpoint…damn you Ursula.
So, is Digger going to eat his liver?
You gave this ending away to me at Further Confusion…
…and, though I’m terribly sad at Ed’s death, it was a good death.
And, luckily for Digger, Sweetgrass Voice has no liver.
It’s one of the sure things out there that we all have to go. Sometime.
We can all wish go go so well, though.
Damn you, Whedon! (Wait, wrong beloved-character-killing writer….)
Well done, Ms. Vernon. That’s twice I’ve cried over Ed now, the first (and still) over his “origin” story, of the terrible choice he had to make, and the raw simplicity of his telling of it.
A creation of pixel and mind, of story and dream
Of words and images, written and read
An illusion given substance by heart and the passion invested in it’s creation
By love and respect engendered.
Now, passed back into story, he (no longer it) leaves us behind
Heartsore. Proud
And enlarged of spirit.
I wish I could say something profound, but…. the kingfisher just looks so happy.
I don’t think it was a coincidence that I was listening to ‘I will follow you into the dark’ by AJ Rafeal before I saw this …
I wasn’t looking forward to today’s comic, because I didn’t want to have to see Ed in any hurt condition, to see how serious his injuries must have been from such a fall. This however I did not expect.Bravo to Ursula though, for being able to capture so much emotion with so little effect. Farewell Ed, you were a good friend and moral guidance for me:'(
*sobs*
Hoka Hey!
A Warrior has fought their Last Battle.
The fight was long. Much was lost, little was gained, and many suffered.
They have fought their Last Battle and earned Victory for us all.
Hoka Hey!
The Enemy is broken!
The Nameless has been Named!
The World will see another Dawn!
Hoka Hey!
Let all in Heaven know, a Warrior comes!
Hoka Hey!
Hold Fast, There Is More!
Nuuuuuuuuuuuuu! ;___;
I mean, it was a good death, a noble one, and I do understand the whole thing about characters showing up carrying their deaths, but-but– *cries* DDD=
Who will Digger get her warrior tea from now?
Both Hafoc & Madam Atom said it better than I could have about Ed. To Ed’s soul, I would have said: “May your heart-scarab not stink before the Scales of Ma’at.” (Ask in Email if you’re curious, folks – or if you’re on Twitter. I’m “ketira” there too.)
To Digger, I would have said: “I grieve with thee.”
And will Digger have to deal with the guilt of a plan that killed Ed?
IonOtter Murr! Splash! Nice to see another otter in here!
Is that from Gordy Dickson’s Hoka series?
It is strange, isn’t it? For regular readers, Ed’s been a part of our lives for years now. I started reading a few months before Ed’s origin story, and now his story has been told.
Rest in Peace, Ed. You deserve it.
I wish it could have been otherwise, but since it had to be so, I’m glad he died fighting, and with a name.
Goodbye, Ed. I am richer for having known you.
I don’t really cry at stories– I just don’t normally do that sort of thing.
I had a tear for Ed, though.
May he rest in peace. What a great soul he was/is.
I don’t think the kingfisher looks happy, just… serene.
Hate mail? No. I mean, think about it – a story that gets readers THIS involved is a great one. Ed has a name, and his tribe WILL hear about this.
Angry letters? Not a chance. I’m certain that most knew that this would happen, and though we all had hoped otherwise, we were all resigned to whatever fate might have in store for Ed. And it was a good end; Ed died a hero, as a warrior should, and I love him all the more for it. I’ll just be happy knowing that he’ll live on as a hyena legend one day. :}
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LIKED THAT HYENA!!!!!! HE WAS LIKE GOLOM!!!!! BUT LESS KILLER BETRAYER AND STUFF LIKE THAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!srsly now, i dont think anyone will actually get enraged with you for killing him, you are basicly the “god” of this comic, you create, if its important for the plot we shall suffer ed loss with silent respect, and no rage, if you killed him with absoulotly no poenta, no reason, and no hollywood in it, then we would have been mad, i like what you written about the story writing itself without the control of its creator, like the holy terry pratchet in “witches abroad” stories happen, they need a happy ending, but they dont care for who its happy, im am not saying i liked ed dying, and now a war song of ankh morpork in respect for the soldiers
;
“All the little angels rise up, rise up,
All the little angels rise up high.
How do they rise up, rise up, rise up?
How do they rise up, rise up high?
They rise /heads/ up, /heads/ up, /heads/ up,
They rise /heads/ up, heads up high.
All the little angels rise up, rise up,
All the little angels rise up high.
How do they rise up, rise up, rise up?
How do they rise up, rise up high?
They rise /knees/ up, /knees/ up, /knees/ up,
They rise /knees/ up, knees up high.
All the little angels rise up, rise up,
All the little angels rise up high.”
it usually ends with arse up but this line is bellow respect for ed, he have found the answer to life, or to be exact the answer to life found him. whenther he shall go to a next world or reincarnation or preincarnation of any kind he shall survive in our memory
It takes one to save one. Unfortunately, sometimes it takes one away.
In the end, his life was his art, all the way out to his skin.
Ed. We love you. I feared it might go that way, and I’m sorry. But the world really needs an Ed, sometimes. Thanks.
*sigh* Well, I didn’t want him to die, I wanted him to meet his daughter and re-unite with his tribe in honor. But I do understand about the necessity of killing off characters. Authors who refuse to do the necessary things get wishy washy Elsie Dinsmore results.
Therefore, having killed off Ed, I beg you, Ursula, don’t pull a Gandalf. The only thing worse than losing a favorite character is to mourn his loss and then watch as he gets namby-pamby resurrected/cloned/reappeared under mysterious circumstances.
Let Digger return his liver to the tribe. Let them heap posthumous honors upon him. Let his epitaph read: “Here lies Ed. First-who-lived, lucky, cursed, husband, father, skin painter, artist, philosopher, pure in heart. Hyena, human, friend. Lived with flaws. Died a hero. Saved the world. Revere his memory.”
No, I did not know that this would happen.
I suspect that Digger did not either, it was her plan after all.
If it was not for the writer’s note, I could have kept in denial for another few days,
Just because someone has fallen and is now still does not have to mean that they are dead,
just badly injured or head injured.
A noble brave soul. He will be missed.
At least he died for something worth dying for, and with a name, and not for some random, idiotic reason (cause I’ve seen that done, and that DID make me mad). No hate mail for you, but Ed will be very missed.
It’s so very, very rarely that a comic book brings tears to my eyes. This page certainly did. 🙁
*cries* Poor Ed… But now, he will be remembered by ALL of his tribe, as the bravest of them all.
This does solve the problem of where Ed will go after all this. I hope Digger has a way to take his body back to his tribe, i would like his daughter to know that her father was a hero.
Hmmmm….now that we know that freeing the heart did not irrevocably ‘kill’ He Who, and the kingfisher has appeared to lead digger to Ed’s body, I wonder if the god may not just collect Ed to himself as his first Avatar/hero/sacrafice/Saint? The god is now free of the Demon, and it woudl make sense in a sort of parallel-lives sort of way…
I don’t know if I published my first comment, but it didn’t show up. I looked at this last thing before going to bed, about 12 hours ago. It was late, I was tired, and I had let myself believe it wouldn’t happen, despite knowing that the kingfisher meant it had. I was in such denial that seeing Ed’s body crumpled there startled sobs out of me. I’m crying AGAIN typing this. I’ve killed characters off before; it hurts the writer at least as much (probably more, but I don’t want to get too presumptuous) as it does the audience, so of course I’m not mad at you.
That really is the thing about a regular webcomic that makes it more like a TV show: You spend years getting to know the characters, and when they hurt, you hurt. I do have to say, I’ve cried at movies, cried at books, even cried at some TV shows, but I don’t think I cried as hard as I did this morning for Ed. As others have said, that speaks volumes for your writing: These anthropomorphic animals are genuine people to us. But, though I mourn Ed’s passing, and I don’t think I’m going to be able to go through the archives again for awhile, I appreciate that you made his end as easy as you could. I do regret that Digger didn’t get a chance to say goodbye, or thank you, but life and death work like that, and that tableau is much more fitting than an implausibly long death speech.
*holds coffee cup up in salute to Ed* We will never forget you, Ed.
Well, if we can not always predict you, then it seems equally true you can not predict us. I count one response out of 138 that were present last I checked the count that MIGHT have counted as hating you for this. A very risky mission, one my own heroes would have counted a challenge, despite being much better equipped for it in most ways (size changing warriors-born).
Is he dead dead or does he get any last words I wonder.
I wonder if the kingfisher is Ed and not He Is. Or something similar.
I was actually more sad when he told his story about his life many chapters ago- his death doesn’t really phase me after that awful feeling.
Dying ‘right’ is what happens when the price of living instead is too high to pay. Will miss Ed enormously, and I’m glad he knew he owned his name before he died.
If these people tell this story
to their children as they sleep,
maybe someday, they’ll see a hero
is just a man
who knows he’s free.
Here Lies Ed, Who Was Uneaten In The End.
He Died A Better Death Than Many Heroes Live.
ZOMG. 0_0 EDDDDDDDDDDDD!
Nah. No hate mail. I agree with The doodler. He died with a name. And he died well, doing something he agreed to do to help Digger. Digger will be telling his story for as long as she can, so Ed will never really die. R.I.P Ed. Rest, buddy. Make as much dye in rest as possible.