Difference between revisions of "A Fate Worse Than Chess"

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(→‎Trivia: small details relevant to the historic context of the game.)
 
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{{Infobox comics
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{{Comic infobox
 
| preview        = AFateWorseThanChess1.jpg
 
| preview        = AFateWorseThanChess1.jpg
 
| release-date    = August 13, 2012
 
| release-date    = August 13, 2012
 
| number-of-pages = 33
 
| number-of-pages = 33
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|artist = [http://makanidotdot.tumblr.com/ makani]
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| artist         = [[Heather Campbell|Heather "makani" Campbell]]<br>[[Jim Murray]] (cover)
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|writer = Eric Wolpaw
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| writer         = [[Jay Pinkerton]] & [[Erik Wolpaw]]
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|colorist = [https://twitter.com/nickfil Nick Filardi]
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| colorist       = [[Nick Filardi]]
 
}}
 
}}
  
 
{{Quotation|'''Saxton Hale'''|Listen to my words, Bidwell. These are truth words. '''I am going to fight that @#$%ing monkey.'''}}
 
{{Quotation|'''Saxton Hale'''|Listen to my words, Bidwell. These are truth words. '''I am going to fight that @#$%ing monkey.'''}}
  
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'''A Fate Worse Than Chess''' is a [[comic]] released August 13, 2012, as part of the [[Mann vs. Machine (update)|Mann vs. Machine update]]. It is a continuation of the earlier comic, [[Blood Brothers]]. The events detail the invasion of [[Mann Co.]] by [[Gray Mann]] and his army of robots. [[Saxton Hale]] enlists the help of the Team Fortress Mercenaries to destroy the incoming robot invasion. Hale also fights a Yeti.
+
'''A Fate Worse Than Chess''' is a [[comic]] released August 13, 2012, as part of the [[Mann vs. Machine (update)|Mann vs. Machine update]]. It is a continuation of the earlier comic, [[Blood Brothers]]. The events introduce the invasion of [[Mann Co.]] by [[Gray Mann]] and his army of robots. [[Saxton Hale]] enlists the help of the Team Fortress Mercenaries to destroy the incoming robot invasion. Hale also fights a [[Non-player characters‎#Yeti|Yeti]].
  
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==Synopsis==
+
== Synopsis ==
−
''A Fate Worse Than Chess'' opens with a scene of a comic, in which two scientists are discussing how aliens can breathe Earth's oxygen. Saxton Hale interrupts the comic, announcing his "new way" to tell stories: Explosition®. The scene is shown again in the form of "explosition", this time the scientists being two women armed with swords. The first demands to know how the aliens can breathe oxygen, leading to a sword-fight above a volcanic crater. Saxton interrupts once more, once more demonstrating "explosition" in the "explository tale", ''A Fate Worse Than Chess''.
+
''A Fate Worse Than Chess'' opens with a scene of a comic, in which two scientists are discussing how aliens can breathe Earth's oxygen. Saxton Hale interrupts the comic, announcing his "new way" to tell stories: Explosition®. The scene is shown again in the form of "explosition," this time the scientists being two women armed with swords. The first demands to know how the aliens can breathe oxygen, leading to a sword-fight above a volcanic crater. Saxton interrupts once more, once more demonstrating "explosition" in the "explository tale," ''A Fate Worse Than Chess''.
  
−
The comic cuts to the Samdrup Jongkhar District in the Kingdom of Bhutan, where Saxton Hale, disguised as a primate violence specialist named "Doctor Joanbaez", has requested to see a yeti, the last of its species, while a disguised Mr. Bidwell is informed of an attack on all of Mann Co.'s facilities in the background. Bidwell insists that they leave, but Hale insists that he fight the Yeti. Bidwell decides to videotape Hale fighting the Yeti whilst also briefing the [[Classes|mercenaries]] of the oncoming fight with Gray Mann's army of robots.
+
The comic cuts to the [[w:Samdrup Jongkhar District|Samdrup Jongkhar District]] in the Kingdom of Bhutan, where Saxton Hale, disguised as a primate violence specialist named "Doctor Joanbaez," has requested to see a yeti, the last of its species, while a disguised Mr. Bidwell is informed of an attack on all of Mann Co.'s facilities in the background. Bidwell insists that they leave, but Hale insists that he fight the Yeti. Bidwell decides to videotape Hale fighting the Yeti whilst also briefing the [[Classes|mercenaries]] of the oncoming fight with Gray Mann's army of robots.
  
 
The comic cuts to Miss Pauling, who shows them the tape of Hale, who informs the mercenaries that, with the death of the Mann brothers, they are now unemployed. However, with attack of the robots on Mann Co.'s headquarters, they have been re-hired to fight them. Although they are not being paid for their work, to their dismay, Pauling reveals that the robots somehow run on [[Credits|piles of money]], so once destroyed, the money that would come out belonged to the mercenaries. The comic closes with Pauling telling them that it is not just a fight for Mann Co. or Saxton Hale, but a fight for their jobs.
 
The comic cuts to Miss Pauling, who shows them the tape of Hale, who informs the mercenaries that, with the death of the Mann brothers, they are now unemployed. However, with attack of the robots on Mann Co.'s headquarters, they have been re-hired to fight them. Although they are not being paid for their work, to their dismay, Pauling reveals that the robots somehow run on [[Credits|piles of money]], so once destroyed, the money that would come out belonged to the mercenaries. The comic closes with Pauling telling them that it is not just a fight for Mann Co. or Saxton Hale, but a fight for their jobs.
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File:AFateWorseThanChess33.jpg|Page 33
 
File:AFateWorseThanChess33.jpg|Page 33
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
 +
 +
== Notes ==
 +
; Page 28
 +
* The Spy's suit was seen with lines running down it on Page 27; however, they disappear on this page.
 +
* The Heavy appeared without his gloves on Page 27; however, they reappear on this page.
 +
* The Soldier is dressed in red fatigues but is wearing the helmet of his BLU counterpart.
 +
 +
; Page 32
 +
* The Engineer has a T-Shirt on rather than his regular team-colored work shirt seen in pages 28 and 29.
 +
* What appears to be orange hair is barely visible under the Engineer's helmet, despite the fact that the Engineer was [[Loose Canon|previously shown]] to be bald.
 +
* The [[Demoman]] is putting on [[Prince Tavish's Crown]], and the [[Engineer]] is equipping the [[Gunslinger]]. Also, an [[Officer's Ushanka]], a [[Medic Mech-bag]], a [[Killer Exclusive]], and a [[Glengarry Bonnet]] are seen on the shelf above them.
  
 
== Trivia ==
 
== Trivia ==
 +
; Cover
 
* The title of the comic is a play on the phrase "a fate worse than death", meaning any misfortune that would make life ultimately worse.
 
* The title of the comic is a play on the phrase "a fate worse than death", meaning any misfortune that would make life ultimately worse.
−
* Hale's alias is a reference to Joan Baez, a folk singer best known for her relationship with Bob Dylan.
+
<!-- not really * In the comic, Mr. Bidwell seems to look very much like John Lennon. -->
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* In the comic, Mr. Bidwell seems to look very much like John Lennon.
 
−
 
 
−
=== Page 8 ===
 
−
* The reference notice, "See Team Fortress #2", is a reference to the comic and the game’s [[Team Fortress 2|name]], played on the name of a comic issue.
 
−
 
 
−
=== Page 17 ===
 
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* Bidwell's disguise is similar to the outfit worn by The Beatles, a very popular 1960s band, in their album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band".
 
  
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=== Page 27 ===
+
; Page 2
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* Pyro’s sitting pose is a deliberate reference to the "Sitting Pyro" meme from the [[True Meaning]] comic.
+
* <!-- YMMV as this being relevant Trivia, but the text on this page transported Mikado282 back to 1974, reading the Ben Bova article. -->[[w:Ben Bova|Ben Bova]] and [[w:A. E. van Vogt|A. E. van Vogt]] have speculated about fluorine-breathing life.
  
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=== Page 28 ===
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; Page 8
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* The Spy's suit was seen with lines running down it on Page 27; however, they disappear on this page.
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* The reference notice, "See Team Fortress #2", aside from a play on the game title ''Team Fortress 2'', is a reference to the murder of Blutarch and Redmond Mann by Gray Mann in the ''second'' of two preceding ''TF2'' [[Storyline#Gravel War|Gravel War Storyline]] comics, [[Loose Canon]] and [[Blood Brothers]], which were summarized in the [[Catch-Up|Catch-Up Comic]] tie-in to the [http://www.teamfortress.com/comics.php TF Comic] series.
−
* The Soldier is dressed in red fatigues but is wearing the helmet of his BLU counterpart.
 
  
−
=== Page 30 ===
+
; Page 9
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* Miss Pauling’s response to the Scout is a nod to his approach to her in the [[Meet the Director]] comic.
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* Hale's alias is an ironic reference to [[w:Joan Baez#Social and political involvement|Joan Baez]], a famous 1960s folk singer particularly known for her anti-violence activism.
  
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=== Page 32 ===
+
; Page 17
−
* The [[Demoman]] is putting on [[Prince Tavish's Crown]], and the [[Engineer]] is equipping the [[Gunslinger]]. Also, an [[Officer's Ushanka]], a [[Medic Mech-bag]], a [[Killer Exclusive]], and a [[Glengarry Bonnet]] are seen on the shelf above them.
+
* Bidwell's disguise is similar to the outfit worn by The Beatles, a very popular 1960s band, in their album [[w:Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band|''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'']] that won Album of the Year in [[1968]].
−
* A pinup calendar similar to the [[List of posters|RED team calendar]] is seen to the right of the Scout.
 
−
* The Engineer has a T-Shirt on rather than his regular team-colored work shirt seen in pages 28 and 29.
 
−
* What appears to be orange hair is barely visible under the Engineer's helmet, despite the fact that the Engineer was [[Loose Canon|previously shown]] to be bald.
 
  
 
== See also ==
 
== See also ==
−
*[[Mann vs. Machine (update)|Mann vs. Machine]]
 
 
* [[Comics]]
 
* [[Comics]]
 +
* [[Storyline]]
 +
* [[Non-player characters]]
 +
* [[Mann vs. Machine (update)|Mann vs. Machine]]
  
 
== External links ==
 
== External links ==

Latest revision as of 02:15, 11 August 2024

A Fate Worse Than Chess
AFateWorseThanChess1.jpg
Comic Strip Info
Released: August 13, 2012
Number of pages: 33
Artist: Heather "makani" Campbell
Jim Murray (cover)
Writer: Jay Pinkerton & Erik Wolpaw
Colorist: Nick Filardi
“
Listen to my words, Bidwell. These are truth words. I am going to fight that @#$%ing monkey.
— Saxton Hale
 ”

A Fate Worse Than Chess is a comic released August 13, 2012, as part of the Mann vs. Machine update. It is a continuation of the earlier comic, Blood Brothers. The events introduce the invasion of Mann Co. by Gray Mann and his army of robots. Saxton Hale enlists the help of the Team Fortress Mercenaries to destroy the incoming robot invasion. Hale also fights a Yeti.

Synopsis

A Fate Worse Than Chess opens with a scene of a comic, in which two scientists are discussing how aliens can breathe Earth's oxygen. Saxton Hale interrupts the comic, announcing his "new way" to tell stories: Explosition®. The scene is shown again in the form of "explosition," this time the scientists being two women armed with swords. The first demands to know how the aliens can breathe oxygen, leading to a sword-fight above a volcanic crater. Saxton interrupts once more, once more demonstrating "explosition" in the "explository tale," A Fate Worse Than Chess.

The comic cuts to the Samdrup Jongkhar District in the Kingdom of Bhutan, where Saxton Hale, disguised as a primate violence specialist named "Doctor Joanbaez," has requested to see a yeti, the last of its species, while a disguised Mr. Bidwell is informed of an attack on all of Mann Co.'s facilities in the background. Bidwell insists that they leave, but Hale insists that he fight the Yeti. Bidwell decides to videotape Hale fighting the Yeti whilst also briefing the mercenaries of the oncoming fight with Gray Mann's army of robots.

The comic cuts to Miss Pauling, who shows them the tape of Hale, who informs the mercenaries that, with the death of the Mann brothers, they are now unemployed. However, with attack of the robots on Mann Co.'s headquarters, they have been re-hired to fight them. Although they are not being paid for their work, to their dismay, Pauling reveals that the robots somehow run on piles of money, so once destroyed, the money that would come out belonged to the mercenaries. The comic closes with Pauling telling them that it is not just a fight for Mann Co. or Saxton Hale, but a fight for their jobs.

Pages

  • Page 1

  • Page 2

  • Page 3

  • Page 4

  • Page 5

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  • Page 9

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  • Page 28

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  • Page 30

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  • Page 32

  • Page 33

Notes

Page 28
  • The Spy's suit was seen with lines running down it on Page 27; however, they disappear on this page.
  • The Heavy appeared without his gloves on Page 27; however, they reappear on this page.
  • The Soldier is dressed in red fatigues but is wearing the helmet of his BLU counterpart.
Page 32

Trivia

Cover
  • The title of the comic is a play on the phrase "a fate worse than death", meaning any misfortune that would make life ultimately worse.
Page 2
Page 8
  • The reference notice, "See Team Fortress #2", aside from a play on the game title Team Fortress 2, is a reference to the murder of Blutarch and Redmond Mann by Gray Mann in the second of two preceding TF2 Gravel War Storyline comics, Loose Canon and Blood Brothers, which were summarized in the Catch-Up Comic tie-in to the TF Comic series.
Page 9
  • Hale's alias is an ironic reference to Joan Baez, a famous 1960s folk singer particularly known for her anti-violence activism.
Page 17

See also

External links


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