Talk:The Days Have Worn Away

Notes or Trivia?

Should I put the jokes and references under Notes or Trivia? --Kromare (talk) 18:22, 21 December 2024 (UTC)

Notes should be purely noting stuff (usually discrepancies or incorrect things). References should be under Trivia, though references to non-TF2 media should require confirmations from someone like Heather Campbell as per the Trivia guidelines. Also, please remember to include headers when making talk page entries.
| s | GrampaSwood (talk) (contribs) 18:25, 21 December 2024 (UTC)

Page 152 - The Archangel Mайкл defeating Satan

Compared to pretty much all prior comics, this comic is rather sparse on references. Perhaps that adds to the relatively stunning effect of the art on page 152.

I am not a Catholic (but maybe a bit of a Medievalist, true) yet the Catholic iconography was immediately apparent to me. A weapon-wielding Michael overcoming Satan is the most popular Archangel iconography in the world, not only in Christianity, but in other religions, too, so I have read recently.

However, there are multiple traditional arrangements of this composition. As discussed within the last few years, an earlier arrangement was an angel with arms outstretched, a weapon in the right hand and a defensive item in the left, particularly in Slavic cultures. But that was another reference in this game.

I propose that it is simple enough that the particular pose on page 152 is influenced by the general iconic pose of Michael holding a long sword, hilt high, pointed for thrust at Satan/dragon/serpent pinned underfoot. So, the easiest consensus could be to say something minimalist like "the painting evokes the iconic Archangel Michael defeating Satan."

A simple study of Archangel Michael iconography will find the present pose to be common, many predating the Baroque Guido Reni piece. We also note that BLU clothing and armor is a tradition of Michael's iconography. A floating RED cape, cloak, or loose sash is also typical for Michael, at least from the 17th century, strengthening "the painting evokes traditional iconic art depicting Archangel Michael defeating Satan."

A blue-clothed Michael with a red cape trammeling upon Satan is common enough, drawn quite independent of Guido Reni. However, there are many renditions of Michael by other later artists clearly based on Guido Reni's work. I am not going to do a doctoral thesis on Renian Michaels. It may very well be that makini drew directly from Reni but may have in fact drawn from some other artist who drew from Reni. So, it might not be so absolutely said that "makini drew upon Guido Reni's world-famous 'The Archangel Michael defeating Satan'", but dang, it sure looks like it.

Or, one of us could try asking makini, at least she is still alive.

M I K A D O 282 ❄❄❄❄❄❄ ❄❄ ❄❄ (contact)(Help Wanted!) 04:31, 26 December 2024 (UTC)

Seems fine to me. There's at least a +2 on this as another user has added this before (but is now commented out) and said this was based on other users' observations. She should be available to contact, I'm not sure how though. I found a contact e-mail for one of the artists but it was mainly for job opportunities so I did not want to use it for something else.
| s | GrampaSwood (talk) (contribs) 13:38, 26 December 2024 (UTC)

Hidden trivia discussion

There is a bunch of Trivia hidden. Please add your votes to the count and leave a comment about the fact that you've voted:

1. The title of the comic is a reference to Chapter 11 of Great Expectations (a Charles Dickens novel), where they say "the days have worn away".  1  1
   1. The character of Miss Havisham has a similar arc to the Administrator, with both characters living in large decaying mansions while refusing to let go of past grudges. (This one goes together with the previous one)  0  1  1
2. The cover of the comic is a reference to the cover page of Batman: Year One #404.  2  0
3. Merasmus' pose on page 19 is a reference to the gigachad meme, specifically this image.  1  1

I've added my own votes to it already, I'll add/remove them if they maybe reach like 3 or 4 votes on either side.
| s | GrampaSwood (talk) (contribs) 00:21, 27 December 2024 (UTC)

The only one I'm voting in favor of is the Batman Cover. All the other comics reference famous comic covers. Mediarch ♥ Talk ♥ My Edits 00:26, 27 December 2024 (UTC)

 Dickens quote We watched Great Expectations in middle school English class, 1975. The book, I think, is more popular with the classic bookworms. The phase "the days have worn away" is one of their oft quoted lines. I can find no other work associated with the notable quote, and most certain fits the idioms of the Administrator and of Valve's Comic titles.

"The comic's title is a literary quote taken from Charles Dickens' novel Great Expectations, where the bitter recluse Miss Havisham states laconically, "...the days have worn away, have they?"

 ... Havisham has a similar arc ... I think that is pushing it. While we well know Miss Havisham's origin story, it is quite different from the suggested "oh, boooo, hoooo, hoooo, someone killed my parents" arc suggested by the "covers", which really doesn't answer anything regarding her enmity with Mann. That said, I cannot say that Valve didn't consider Miss Havisham or even Estella as models for the Administrator's character in general, or, very loosely, for the given sequence in this comic.

 gigachad meme Nope. I would have to see something more confirmational. Merasmus' pose is so commonly casual that I would have to see a point-by-point match up, at least hands in the same position. Heck, from page 16, I was thinking The Night of the Hunter.

 Batman cover Yep. It's like they've been saving this one for issue #7 to say exactly nothing. I know nothing of comic covers, but I know this one. My only hesitancy is, know nothing of comic covers, that there is another Batman issue with a cover like this.

M I K A D O 282 ❄❄❄❄❄❄ ❄❄ ❄❄ (contact)(Help Wanted!) 02:29, 27 December 2024 (UTC)