Difference between revisions of "The Days Have Worn Away"
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The comic opens in 1979, seven years after the defeat of the TFC team in 1972. [[Merasmus]] is revealed to have been sent to the Badlands Correctional Institute, a prison with a perimeter littered with the remains of attempted escapees. Another prisoner, named Diego, is apologizing to Merasmus for running a card hustle rivaling the one of Merasmus. Diego, aware of his history as a magician, is frightened at the thought of crossing Merasmus off. Merasmus moves to deal with Diego by choking him, but [[Soldier]], [[Non-player characters#Heavy's family|Zhanna]], and [[Non-player characters#Soldier's children|their two children General Patton Doe and Georgia Washington Doe]] dig into Merasmus' cell. T-Bone, another one of Merasmus' cellmates, attempts to intervene, but Georgia snaps his neck. The family is there to free Merasmus so that he could act as their babysitter, but Merasmus is reluctant to leave his fellow prisoners behind. He only relents when Soldier notifies him that the Korean mafia is after him for unpaid debts. | The comic opens in 1979, seven years after the defeat of the TFC team in 1972. [[Merasmus]] is revealed to have been sent to the Badlands Correctional Institute, a prison with a perimeter littered with the remains of attempted escapees. Another prisoner, named Diego, is apologizing to Merasmus for running a card hustle rivaling the one of Merasmus. Diego, aware of his history as a magician, is frightened at the thought of crossing Merasmus off. Merasmus moves to deal with Diego by choking him, but [[Soldier]], [[Non-player characters#Heavy's family|Zhanna]], and [[Non-player characters#Soldier's children|their two children General Patton Doe and Georgia Washington Doe]] dig into Merasmus' cell. T-Bone, another one of Merasmus' cellmates, attempts to intervene, but Georgia snaps his neck. The family is there to free Merasmus so that he could act as their babysitter, but Merasmus is reluctant to leave his fellow prisoners behind. He only relents when Soldier notifies him that the Korean mafia is after him for unpaid debts. | ||
| − | The story then cuts back to seven years ago as Soldier recaps to Merasmus about what happened. [[Miss Pauling]] delivers a victory speech to the dying TFC Heavy, Soldier announces to [[Heavy]] his intentions to marry and start a family with Zhanna. Soldier gets down on one knee, offering a grenade while asking Heavy for his sister's hand in marriage, to which he says no. Soldier turns to Zhanna to offer her the | + | The story then cuts back to seven years ago as Soldier recaps to Merasmus about what happened after his initial arrest. As [[Miss Pauling]] delivers a victory speech to the dying TFC Heavy, Soldier announces to [[Heavy]] his intentions to marry and start a family with Zhanna. Soldier gets down on one knee, offering a grenade while asking Heavy for his sister's hand in marriage, to which he says no. Soldier turns to Zhanna to offer her the grenade instead, and she agrees. The Soldier subsequently pulls the pin out of the grenade and uses it as an engagement ring while throwing the grenade behind Zhanna. Heavy objects as Soldier does not get paid and that he lives in a cave, but they marry anyway. Soldier reveals that the cave he lives in is lined with "gold", but Heavy recognizes it as [[Australium]]. Miss Pauling snatches the piece away and prepares to take it to the [[Administrator]] in hopes of receiving a promotion, hiding news of Soldier's Australium from [[Saxton Hale]]. Hale decides to go take back [[Mann Co.]], albeit without [[Non-player characters#Maggie|Maggie]], who ditched him. He steals Miss Pauling's plane and strands the mercenaries, leaving them with no other choice but to fly a rickety aircraft. They fly to where [[Engineer]] is at, but are forced to eject from the plane before they could land it and parachute down. |
| − | After Miss Pauling expresses urgency to meet with the Administrator, Engineer leads them to a mysterious door that takes them to a cavern underneath. He remains behind, seeing it unreasonable as his grandfather and father had | + | After Miss Pauling expresses urgency to meet with the Administrator, Engineer leads them to a mysterious door that takes them to a cavern underneath. He remains behind, seeing it unreasonable as his grandfather and father had never gone past that door. Fearing possible death as they descend into the cavern, [[Scout]] confesses to Miss Pauling that he had decided to move on from pursuing romance with her, stating that he began to realize that there are more women out in the world during their flight. Miss Pauling quips that those women would be hotter than her, and they bump fists. |
In a flashback to a cold winter day in the 1820s, a young Elizabeth arrives at [[Non-playable characters#Zepheniah Mann|Zepheniah Mann]]'s mansion to become his governess. Zepheniah informs her that the job will involve molding his two sons, [[Non-playable characters#Blutarch and Redmond Mann|Redmond and Blutarch]], to become titans of industry until the stronger brother kills the other and becomes worthy to inherit the Mann fortune. 27 years later, in Teufort, New Mexico, USA, a dying Zepheniah signs his will. Elizabeth reveals that she had lied to Zepheniah about the land he had purchased and vowed to have his sons fight forever without either of them emerging victorious. Elizabeth whispers one last thing to Zepheniah; he passes shortly after. His body is returned to his manor where it is buried outside his family mausoleum and in a small, unremarkable grave. | In a flashback to a cold winter day in the 1820s, a young Elizabeth arrives at [[Non-playable characters#Zepheniah Mann|Zepheniah Mann]]'s mansion to become his governess. Zepheniah informs her that the job will involve molding his two sons, [[Non-playable characters#Blutarch and Redmond Mann|Redmond and Blutarch]], to become titans of industry until the stronger brother kills the other and becomes worthy to inherit the Mann fortune. 27 years later, in Teufort, New Mexico, USA, a dying Zepheniah signs his will. Elizabeth reveals that she had lied to Zepheniah about the land he had purchased and vowed to have his sons fight forever without either of them emerging victorious. Elizabeth whispers one last thing to Zepheniah; he passes shortly after. His body is returned to his manor where it is buried outside his family mausoleum and in a small, unremarkable grave. | ||
| − | In the year that followed, Elizabeth slowly began to lose the will to live, eventually deciding to commit suicide by hanging herself. [[Non-playable characters#Gray Mann|Gray Mann]] | + | In the year that followed, Elizabeth slowly began to lose the will to live, eventually deciding to commit suicide by hanging herself. [[Non-playable characters#Gray Mann|Gray Mann]], who is aware of Elizabeth's actions and the fact that "Elizabeth" is just an alias, arrives and revives her using his own life-extending machine. When inquired about the yellow "miracle gravel" Zepheniah left behind for her, she disregards it as worthless fool's gold, until Gray informs her that it is actually a new element capable of extending the human lifespan well beyond natural expectancy (as he just demonstrated by reviving her). She sends Gray away by lying about having an empty stock of the miracle gravel when she was actually hiding an exorbitant amount, and proceeded to exhume Zepheniah's body that night. |
Back in the present, the mercenaries find a young Administrator speaking menacingly to a resurrected Zepheniah, who is strapped to a harness that had been injecting him with Australium, and the Administrator had forced him to watch the never-ending war between RED and BLU for the past century. So much time had passed to the point that the Administrator does not even remember her reasons for bringing Zepheniah back from the dead. She asks Miss Pauling if she had brought her more Australium as instructed, but Miss Pauling hides her piece away and denies. The Administator begins to age rapidly, leading her to taunt Zepheniah one last time and declare that spending the past century torturing him was worth it. Exhausting any Australium they had left, both of their bodies crumbled away to dust. Miss Pauling is the last to leave the room; she speaks with the Engineer again, who advises her to mine Soldier's cave for every deposit of Australium present and commit it to the deepest aquatic trench she could find, to which she asks if he knows any deep aquatic trenches. | Back in the present, the mercenaries find a young Administrator speaking menacingly to a resurrected Zepheniah, who is strapped to a harness that had been injecting him with Australium, and the Administrator had forced him to watch the never-ending war between RED and BLU for the past century. So much time had passed to the point that the Administrator does not even remember her reasons for bringing Zepheniah back from the dead. She asks Miss Pauling if she had brought her more Australium as instructed, but Miss Pauling hides her piece away and denies. The Administator begins to age rapidly, leading her to taunt Zepheniah one last time and declare that spending the past century torturing him was worth it. Exhausting any Australium they had left, both of their bodies crumbled away to dust. Miss Pauling is the last to leave the room; she speaks with the Engineer again, who advises her to mine Soldier's cave for every deposit of Australium present and commit it to the deepest aquatic trench she could find, to which she asks if he knows any deep aquatic trenches. | ||
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A drunken Saxton Hale daydreams about a past adventure with Maggie when [[Non-playable characters#Mr. Bidwell|Mr. Bidwell]] wakes him to sign documents. Hale had taken back Mann Co. from a now-14-year-old [[Non-playable characters#Olivia Mann|Olivia Mann]], who was demoted to a desk secretary. Both of them hate their positions; Olivia disliked being part of her father's plans of world domination, so Hale promptly fires her. Overjoyed, Olivia hugs Hale and leaves the room, but Hale is reminded by Bidwell that she is in his custody. Hale also resigns from Mann Co., naming Bidwell the new CEO and [[Non-playable characters#Mr. Reddy|Mr. Reddy]] the new owner. He decides to reunite with Maggie to rejuvenate his life of adventure. | A drunken Saxton Hale daydreams about a past adventure with Maggie when [[Non-playable characters#Mr. Bidwell|Mr. Bidwell]] wakes him to sign documents. Hale had taken back Mann Co. from a now-14-year-old [[Non-playable characters#Olivia Mann|Olivia Mann]], who was demoted to a desk secretary. Both of them hate their positions; Olivia disliked being part of her father's plans of world domination, so Hale promptly fires her. Overjoyed, Olivia hugs Hale and leaves the room, but Hale is reminded by Bidwell that she is in his custody. Hale also resigns from Mann Co., naming Bidwell the new CEO and [[Non-playable characters#Mr. Reddy|Mr. Reddy]] the new owner. He decides to reunite with Maggie to rejuvenate his life of adventure. | ||
| − | Scout—now a single father of many children—has invited all the mercenaries to his home in Boston, USA for the holidays. [[Spy]] is the first to arrive, and when he | + | Scout—now a single father of many children—has invited all the mercenaries to his home in Boston, USA for the holidays. [[Spy]] is the first to arrive, and when he inquires Scout about how he can afford to raise that many kids alone, Scout reveals that he won a lawsuit against the city of Teufort for the numerous injuries he had sustained there. Spy greets one of Scout's children, Tanya, who ran up to them and introduces himself as her father's friend from work before gifting her his balaclava. The remaining mercenaries with their families and pets, alongside the [[Non-player characters#Eyelander|Eyelander]] and the ghosts of Merasmus and Tom Jones, arrive soon after. The reader is the last to arrive at the party, and Scout proclaims that they wouldn't have been able to accomplish anything without our support. |
| − | Many decades later, in the current day, an elderly Hale and Maggie take on a pack of cheetahs cornered on a cliff. The comic concludes with Hale asking Maggie, "What's the matter, Mags...You wanna live forever?". | + | Many decades later, in the current day, an elderly Hale and Maggie take on a pack of cheetahs as they are cornered on a cliff. The comic concludes with Hale asking Maggie, "What's the matter, Mags... You wanna live forever?". |
<!-- Very long transcript! Hidden until created | <!-- Very long transcript! Hidden until created | ||
| Line 42: | Line 42: | ||
== Notes == | == Notes == | ||
| + | ; Name reveals | ||
| + | Parts of two characters' names are mentioned for the first time: | ||
| + | * The [[Engineer]] addresses [[Miss Pauling]] as Flo, revealing her first name previously only known as "F. Pauling". | ||
| + | * The [[Scout]]'s last name, Willis, is seen on the letters in his mailbox. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ; Page 5 | ||
| + | * The third cover shows several strange blueprints scattered on the floor: these include a Swiss-Army flintlock {{botignore|pistol}}, a Gatling gun, a prosthetic robot hand, a wheeled "crawling baby" Gatling gun, a double-sided beam gun, and a gelatin dessert with a [[Sandvich]] inside, among other things. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ; Page 18 | ||
| + | * [[:File:TheDaysHaveWornAway017.png|"You know, Diego... they say pain is weakness leaving the body..."]] is a reference to one of [[Media:Soldier jeers07.wav|Soldier's voice commands]]. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ; Page 44 | ||
| + | * While the page's artwork is mostly identical to [[:File:TheNakedandtheDead256.png|page 256]] of ''The Naked and the Dead'', the line Miss Pauling delivers is actually seen on [[:File:TheNakedandtheDead252.png|page 252]] while she is kneeling. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ; Page 82 | ||
| + | * The statue showcases the [[Non-player characters#Other teams|other mercenary teams]] of [[Mann Co.]], with Team Ajax, Team B, Team Citadel, Team D, and Team Echelon. The bottom of the statue has a ripped-off plaque, likely for Team Fortress. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ; Page 95 | ||
| + | * Scout is referring to [[:File:Acolddayinhell55.jpg|his hallucination of Miss Pauling]] in ''A Cold Day in Hell''. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ; Page 110 | ||
| + | * Several books can be seen in the foreground: | ||
| + | ** ''The Big Book of Knowing When Rodin Was Born'' - [[w:Auguste Rodin|Auguste Rodin]] was the sculptor of ''[[w:The Thinker|The Thinker]]''and was born nearly 2 decades after the time this panel takes place in. | ||
| + | ** ''Bronze vs. Alabaster: Knowing the Difference'' - ''The Thinker'' is made of bronze; [[w:Alabaster|alabaster]] is a mineral and a soft rock used for carvings and as a source of plaster powder. | ||
| + | ** ''So You've Just Purchased Rodin's Father's The Thinker'' - This implies in the ''Team Fortress'' universe, Auguste Rodin's father made a version of ''The Thinker'' before Auguste himself. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ; Page 119 | ||
| + | * A few names can be seen amongst the gravestones: Algernon Mann, Ezekiel Mann, Jedidiah Mann, Augustus Mann, Horatio Mann, as well as a "W. Mann" with the second initial cut off. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ; Page 131 | ||
| + | * In-game screenshots of [[List of maps|maps]] can be found on the monitors (from left to right): [[Viaduct]], [[Steel]] (point B), [[Egypt]], [[Badlands]], [[Upward]], and [[Foundry]] (middle point). | ||
| + | |||
| + | ; Page 135 | ||
| + | * The building blocks are in the shape of [[2Fort]]. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ; Page 206 | ||
| + | * Like page 131, the monitors show in-game screenshots of maps (from left to right): Upward, Foundry, Badlands, Steel, Upward, Viaduct, Badlands (twice), Egypt (top), Steel (bottom), Foundry (top), Badlands (bottom), Egypt, Badlands, and Viaduct. | ||
| + | |||
; Page 292 | ; Page 292 | ||
* Heavy mentions that 12,000 won is 17 US Dollars. However, in 1979, 12 thousand South Korean won was actually 19.76 USD. | * Heavy mentions that 12,000 won is 17 US Dollars. However, in 1979, 12 thousand South Korean won was actually 19.76 USD. | ||
| − | + | ||
== Trivia == | == Trivia == | ||
| − | ; | + | ; Page 35 |
| − | * The | + | * Soldier's kids are named after two famous figures from United States history: [[w:George S. Patton|George S. Patton]], a famous general in the United States army and [[w:George Washington|George Washington]], the founding father and first president of the United States. |
| + | |||
| + | ; Page 330 | ||
| + | * The last scene of Hale and Maggie fighting cheetahs has been the ending since the [[Ring of Fired|first comic issue]]. The last line spoke is a reference to a [[:File:Saxton fire full.jpg|Saxton Hale postcard]].<ref name="email">[https://ia803405.us.archive.org/23/items/freemann/jay%20pinkerton%20email.png E-mail] from [[Jay Pinkerton]]</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | * The fourth wall break at the end of the comic was inspired by writer [[Erik Wolpaw]] watching the finale of ''[[w:Batman: The Brave and the Bold|Batman: The Brave and the Bold]]'' with his son.<ref name="email"/> | ||
| + | <!--; Cover | ||
| + | * The comic's title is a reference to a quote in Chapter 11 of [[w:Great Expectations|''Great Expectations'']], the penultimate novel of Charles Dickens. In it, the character Miss Havisham states: ''"So!" she said, without being startled or surprised; "'''the days have worn away''', have they?"'' | ||
| + | ** The character of [[w:Miss Havisham|Miss Havisham]] shares similar character arcs to [[The Administrator]], with both characters living alone within a large decaying mansion, while being at the mercy of time and refusing to let go of past grudges. | ||
| + | * The cover pages for the comic are based on the [[w:File:Batman_vol._1-404_(January_1987).jpg|cover page]] of the DC Comics comic book [[w:Batman: Year One|''Batman: Year One'']] #404, with two unknown people (presumably the Administrator's parents) standing in for Bruce Wayne's parents. | ||
| + | * The three cover pages reference the Administrator's goals, and how she is unable to remember why she began her revenge against [[Zepheniah Mann]] in the first place. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ; Page 19 | ||
| + | * Merasmus' pose is a reference to an image of the model [[wiktionary:File:Ernest Khalimov.png|Ernest Khalimov]]. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ; Page 152 | ||
| + | * The painting in the Administrator's bedroom is based on the 1635 painting [https://www.wikiart.org/en/guido-reni/the-archangel-michael-defeating-satan-1635 ''The Archangel Michael defeating Satan''] by Guido Reni, albeit with the Administrator and Zepheniah Mann as stand-ins. | ||
--> | --> | ||
| + | |||
== See also == | == See also == | ||
* [[Comics]] | * [[Comics]] | ||
| Line 56: | Line 111: | ||
== External links == | == External links == | ||
* [https://www.teamfortress.com/tf07_thedayshavewornaway/ ''The Days Have Worn Away''] on the [[TF2 Official Website]]. | * [https://www.teamfortress.com/tf07_thedayshavewornaway/ ''The Days Have Worn Away''] on the [[TF2 Official Website]]. | ||
| + | |||
| + | == {{common string|References}} == | ||
| + | <references/> | ||
{{Comics nav}} | {{Comics nav}} | ||
| − | |||
[[Category:Comics]] | [[Category:Comics]] | ||
Latest revision as of 20:39, 22 December 2024
 | “You are so small! Is funny to me!” This article is a stub. As such, it is not complete. You can help Team Fortress Wiki by expanding it. Notes: Transcript, synopsis, any possible notes/trivia |
 | “Let's go, let's go, let's go!” This article documents a recent addition. It may contain speculation, broken links or errors. You can help improve it by editing this page to include new information. |
| The Days Have Worn Away | |
|---|---|
| |
| Comic Strip Info | |
| Released: | December 20th, 2024 |
| Number of pages: | 330 |
| Artists: | Heather "makani" Campbell Bernardo Brice Brea Foster Tiana Oreglia |
| Writers: | Jay Pinkerton Erik Wolpaw |
| Colorists: | Maren "rennerei" Marmulla Ira Crosby |
The Days Have Worn Away (also known as Team Fortress Comics #7) is a comic released on December 20th, 2024. It is the final issue of a seven-part comic series, picking up where The Naked and the Dead left off.
Synopsis
The comic opens in 1979, seven years after the defeat of the TFC team in 1972. Merasmus is revealed to have been sent to the Badlands Correctional Institute, a prison with a perimeter littered with the remains of attempted escapees. Another prisoner, named Diego, is apologizing to Merasmus for running a card hustle rivaling the one of Merasmus. Diego, aware of his history as a magician, is frightened at the thought of crossing Merasmus off. Merasmus moves to deal with Diego by choking him, but Soldier, Zhanna, and their two children General Patton Doe and Georgia Washington Doe dig into Merasmus' cell. T-Bone, another one of Merasmus' cellmates, attempts to intervene, but Georgia snaps his neck. The family is there to free Merasmus so that he could act as their babysitter, but Merasmus is reluctant to leave his fellow prisoners behind. He only relents when Soldier notifies him that the Korean mafia is after him for unpaid debts.
The story then cuts back to seven years ago as Soldier recaps to Merasmus about what happened after his initial arrest. As Miss Pauling delivers a victory speech to the dying TFC Heavy, Soldier announces to Heavy his intentions to marry and start a family with Zhanna. Soldier gets down on one knee, offering a grenade while asking Heavy for his sister's hand in marriage, to which he says no. Soldier turns to Zhanna to offer her the grenade instead, and she agrees. The Soldier subsequently pulls the pin out of the grenade and uses it as an engagement ring while throwing the grenade behind Zhanna. Heavy objects as Soldier does not get paid and that he lives in a cave, but they marry anyway. Soldier reveals that the cave he lives in is lined with "gold", but Heavy recognizes it as Australium. Miss Pauling snatches the piece away and prepares to take it to the Administrator in hopes of receiving a promotion, hiding news of Soldier's Australium from Saxton Hale. Hale decides to go take back Mann Co., albeit without Maggie, who ditched him. He steals Miss Pauling's plane and strands the mercenaries, leaving them with no other choice but to fly a rickety aircraft. They fly to where Engineer is at, but are forced to eject from the plane before they could land it and parachute down.
After Miss Pauling expresses urgency to meet with the Administrator, Engineer leads them to a mysterious door that takes them to a cavern underneath. He remains behind, seeing it unreasonable as his grandfather and father had never gone past that door. Fearing possible death as they descend into the cavern, Scout confesses to Miss Pauling that he had decided to move on from pursuing romance with her, stating that he began to realize that there are more women out in the world during their flight. Miss Pauling quips that those women would be hotter than her, and they bump fists.
In a flashback to a cold winter day in the 1820s, a young Elizabeth arrives at Zepheniah Mann's mansion to become his governess. Zepheniah informs her that the job will involve molding his two sons, Redmond and Blutarch, to become titans of industry until the stronger brother kills the other and becomes worthy to inherit the Mann fortune. 27 years later, in Teufort, New Mexico, USA, a dying Zepheniah signs his will. Elizabeth reveals that she had lied to Zepheniah about the land he had purchased and vowed to have his sons fight forever without either of them emerging victorious. Elizabeth whispers one last thing to Zepheniah; he passes shortly after. His body is returned to his manor where it is buried outside his family mausoleum and in a small, unremarkable grave.
In the year that followed, Elizabeth slowly began to lose the will to live, eventually deciding to commit suicide by hanging herself. Gray Mann, who is aware of Elizabeth's actions and the fact that "Elizabeth" is just an alias, arrives and revives her using his own life-extending machine. When inquired about the yellow "miracle gravel" Zepheniah left behind for her, she disregards it as worthless fool's gold, until Gray informs her that it is actually a new element capable of extending the human lifespan well beyond natural expectancy (as he just demonstrated by reviving her). She sends Gray away by lying about having an empty stock of the miracle gravel when she was actually hiding an exorbitant amount, and proceeded to exhume Zepheniah's body that night.
Back in the present, the mercenaries find a young Administrator speaking menacingly to a resurrected Zepheniah, who is strapped to a harness that had been injecting him with Australium, and the Administrator had forced him to watch the never-ending war between RED and BLU for the past century. So much time had passed to the point that the Administrator does not even remember her reasons for bringing Zepheniah back from the dead. She asks Miss Pauling if she had brought her more Australium as instructed, but Miss Pauling hides her piece away and denies. The Administator begins to age rapidly, leading her to taunt Zepheniah one last time and declare that spending the past century torturing him was worth it. Exhausting any Australium they had left, both of their bodies crumbled away to dust. Miss Pauling is the last to leave the room; she speaks with the Engineer again, who advises her to mine Soldier's cave for every deposit of Australium present and commit it to the deepest aquatic trench she could find, to which she asks if he knows any deep aquatic trenches.
The story jumps back to seven years after, in Gwangju, South Korea. A tied-up Soldier had been recapping the events as Merasmus was being tortured by the Korean mafia, which ultimately resulted in his death. Merasmus' ghost remains in the room, but only Soldier can see him, and the Korean mafia begin torturing Soldier. Heavy and Sniper barge into the room and confront the mafia, but learn that Merasmus' debt totaled to only 12,000 won, equivalent to 17 U.S. dollars. Heavy pays the mafia with a $20 bill, which frees Soldier. Merasmus also escapes by haunting a brick which Soldier then carries out in his pants. They then head back to Merasmus' burnt-down house to collect a brick and allow Tom Jones to linger in the living world together with Merasmus in Soldier's pants.
A drunken Saxton Hale daydreams about a past adventure with Maggie when Mr. Bidwell wakes him to sign documents. Hale had taken back Mann Co. from a now-14-year-old Olivia Mann, who was demoted to a desk secretary. Both of them hate their positions; Olivia disliked being part of her father's plans of world domination, so Hale promptly fires her. Overjoyed, Olivia hugs Hale and leaves the room, but Hale is reminded by Bidwell that she is in his custody. Hale also resigns from Mann Co., naming Bidwell the new CEO and Mr. Reddy the new owner. He decides to reunite with Maggie to rejuvenate his life of adventure.
Scout—now a single father of many children—has invited all the mercenaries to his home in Boston, USA for the holidays. Spy is the first to arrive, and when he inquires Scout about how he can afford to raise that many kids alone, Scout reveals that he won a lawsuit against the city of Teufort for the numerous injuries he had sustained there. Spy greets one of Scout's children, Tanya, who ran up to them and introduces himself as her father's friend from work before gifting her his balaclava. The remaining mercenaries with their families and pets, alongside the Eyelander and the ghosts of Merasmus and Tom Jones, arrive soon after. The reader is the last to arrive at the party, and Scout proclaims that they wouldn't have been able to accomplish anything without our support.
Many decades later, in the current day, an elderly Hale and Maggie take on a pack of cheetahs as they are cornered on a cliff. The comic concludes with Hale asking Maggie, "What's the matter, Mags... You wanna live forever?".
Pages
All pages of the "The Days Have Worn Away" comic.
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Notes
- Name reveals
Parts of two characters' names are mentioned for the first time:
- The Engineer addresses Miss Pauling as Flo, revealing her first name previously only known as "F. Pauling".
- The Scout's last name, Willis, is seen on the letters in his mailbox.
- Page 5
- The third cover shows several strange blueprints scattered on the floor: these include a Swiss-Army flintlock pistol, a Gatling gun, a prosthetic robot hand, a wheeled "crawling baby" Gatling gun, a double-sided beam gun, and a gelatin dessert with a Sandvich inside, among other things.
- Page 18
- "You know, Diego... they say pain is weakness leaving the body..." is a reference to one of Soldier's voice commands.
- Page 44
- While the page's artwork is mostly identical to page 256 of The Naked and the Dead, the line Miss Pauling delivers is actually seen on page 252 while she is kneeling.
- Page 82
- The statue showcases the other mercenary teams of Mann Co., with Team Ajax, Team B, Team Citadel, Team D, and Team Echelon. The bottom of the statue has a ripped-off plaque, likely for Team Fortress.
- Page 95
- Scout is referring to his hallucination of Miss Pauling in A Cold Day in Hell.
- Page 110
- Several books can be seen in the foreground:
- The Big Book of Knowing When Rodin Was Born - Auguste Rodin was the sculptor of The Thinkerand was born nearly 2 decades after the time this panel takes place in.
- Bronze vs. Alabaster: Knowing the Difference - The Thinker is made of bronze; alabaster is a mineral and a soft rock used for carvings and as a source of plaster powder.
- So You've Just Purchased Rodin's Father's The Thinker - This implies in the Team Fortress universe, Auguste Rodin's father made a version of The Thinker before Auguste himself.
- Page 119
- A few names can be seen amongst the gravestones: Algernon Mann, Ezekiel Mann, Jedidiah Mann, Augustus Mann, Horatio Mann, as well as a "W. Mann" with the second initial cut off.
- Page 131
- In-game screenshots of maps can be found on the monitors (from left to right): Viaduct, Steel (point B), Egypt, Badlands, Upward, and Foundry (middle point).
- Page 135
- The building blocks are in the shape of 2Fort.
- Page 206
- Like page 131, the monitors show in-game screenshots of maps (from left to right): Upward, Foundry, Badlands, Steel, Upward, Viaduct, Badlands (twice), Egypt (top), Steel (bottom), Foundry (top), Badlands (bottom), Egypt, Badlands, and Viaduct.
- Page 292
- Heavy mentions that 12,000 won is 17 US Dollars. However, in 1979, 12 thousand South Korean won was actually 19.76 USD.
Trivia
- Page 35
- Soldier's kids are named after two famous figures from United States history: George S. Patton, a famous general in the United States army and George Washington, the founding father and first president of the United States.
- Page 330
- The last scene of Hale and Maggie fighting cheetahs has been the ending since the first comic issue. The last line spoke is a reference to a Saxton Hale postcard.[1]
- The fourth wall break at the end of the comic was inspired by writer Erik Wolpaw watching the finale of Batman: The Brave and the Bold with his son.[1]
See also
External links
References
- ↑ a b E-mail from Jay Pinkerton
