Unhappy Returns
| Unhappy Returns | |
|---|---|
| |
| Comic Strip Info | |
| Released: | December 4, 2013 |
| Number of pages: | 70 |
| “ | I don't think we've got much time.
— The Demoman
|
” |
Unhappy Returns (also known as Team Fortress Comics #2) is a comic released on December 4, 2013. It is the second part of a six-part bi-monthly comic series, picking up where Ring of Fired left off.
Contents
Synopsis
The story begins with a young Saxton Hale and his girlfriend Mags, fighting panthers in the jungle. Saxton vows never to leave her, and claims he won't take his father's position at Mann Co. However, Charles Darling shows up and forcibly takes the panthers, so that he can create his crazy idea, called a "zoo."
The story cuts to an older Mags and Saxton, standing outside a prison. It is revealed that Saxton had been arrested for burning down most of Darling's zoo. Saxton admits that he had planned to ask Darling for help in taking back Mann Co., but his grudge had gotten the best of him. Mags and Saxton leave, with Mags offering to help Saxton retake his company.
The scene changes to Scout and Spy in prison, discussing their imminent hanging. Scout practices his defense, while Spy urges him to take the public defender, as he pulls out most of his teeth. Scout whines at this, remembering the time Soldier was his defense, and an even earlier case in which his defender was, of all things, a lamp. Spy keeps calm and eats a ridiculously tiny dinner, which supposedly consists of miniature Cornish game hens. A fellow inmate tries to murder Spy as he's eating, but the assailant mysteriously winds up with a makeshift knife in their back. Scout panics, thinking they are in more trouble now, as the mayor of Teufort comes to visit them. He makes small talk and claims he will miss the mercs, offering Scout a cake with a nail file in it as a joke.
Demoman suits up in a civilian disguise along with Soldier, who is reluctant to pose as a civilian, but eventually agrees. Meanwhile, Miss Pauling explores the library and Pyro burns the library's textbooks. Soldier and Demoman set out to find the courthouse where the trial against Scout and Spy will take place. Soldier attempts to interrogate an old woman, but Demoman is much friendlier and gets the location easily, discovering that the hanging will take place soon.
Outside the courthouse, people are clamoring for the mercs' death; some even going as far as hanging mercenary dolls on a pole with ropes around their necks. The mayor delivers a guilty verdict, but promptly discovers the trial hadn't even started; while the public defender explains that the trial was missing almost every figure of the law needed to hold a fair trial. Soldier volunteers as public defender, not realizing they already have one. He demands that Scout be hanged for choosing a different lawyer, shedding his disguise; which leads the onlooking jury to demand Soldier and Demoman's hanging as well.
The execution has begun, and the ropes are about to tighten. The mayor is slightly sympathetic toward the mercs, but claims that they must pay for their lifetimes of ridiculous crimes, such as rezoning a school. These accusations are revealed to be untrue by Miss Pauling, who bursts onto the scene exclaiming that the mercs had to be innocent, because their "crimes" were actually unwittingly done by the mayor himself. She shows everyone a pamphlet she found at the library outlining mayoral duties, and it explains that mayors cannot hang criminals. The mayor realizes that the mercs hadn't even committed the crimes they were accused of, and attempts to pardon them, but the book says he cannot do that either, so Miss Pauling sets them free. The mayor leaves in order to learn what mayors do, and the townspeople follow him. The mercs are now free, and set out to find the others.
Meanwhile, Mags leads Saxton Hale to Darling's house, where it is revealed that she had worked for him all along. Darling presents Saxton with an unseen proposition.
The scene then cuts to the Dzhugdzhur Mountains in Siberia, where Heavy walks up to an old woman's residence to get a box of supplies, despite the stormy weather. She presents him with a slip of paper, stating that he had received a phone call from a distressed Miss Pauling. Heavy proceeds to walk back out into the snow, leaving the note behind.
Pages
Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6
Page 7
Page 8
Page 9
Page 10
Page 11
Page 12
Page 13
Page 14
Page 15
Page 16
Page 17
Page 18
Page 19
Page 20
Page 21
Page 22
Page 23
Page 24
Page 25
Page 26
Page 27
Page 28
Page 29
Page 30
Page 31
Page 32
Page 33
Page 34
Page 35
Page 36
Page 37
Page 38
Page 39
Page 40
Page 41
Page 42
Page 43
Page 44
Page 45
Page 46
Page 47
Page 48
Page 49
Page 50
Page 51
Page 52
Page 53
Page 54
Page 55
Page 56
Page 57
Page 58
Page 59
Page 60
Page 61
Page 62
Page 63
Page 64
Page 65
Page 66
Page 67
Page 68
Page 69
Page 70
Trivia
- The Spy appears to have false teeth implants containing f.ex. miniature plate, razor or even a roasted chicken (named Cornish Game Hen - a reference to one of his Taunts and a Bot name)
- On page 24, Scout isn't actually reading any law books: Instead he's reading "GHOST. D.A." which is a nod to the #1 Comic issue in which Demoman watches a TV show with the same name.
- Page 26 refers to a classic prison-break stereotype: A prisoner gets a pie/cake as a gift which has a file in it and then uses it to cut through the bars.
- On page 39, Soldier's pose while saying "OBJECTION!" mimics that of Phoenix Wright, referencing an internet meme.
- Page 48 refers to a Welsh singer Tom Jones, who is also referenced in the #1 Comic and who had become one of the most popular singers in the 1960's.
- This is the first time that Demoman is seen without his beanie.
External links
- Unhappy Returns on the TF2 Official Website.
See also
