Way to go, Parker
(From Mike’s Stupid Comics, by Mike Laidman)
Yes, Mike. Yes, Hard Feelings.
Of course he always seems to do this doesn’t he? Mike’s got a twinge of tragic hero in him. Most of his problems and conflict stem from his own actions or negligence.
For example, if only he was more assertive in his love life, he’d gotten Elf Girl’s name the first time around, saving everyone a world of trouble.
It was Mike who so callously discarded his old shirt. He’s the only one to blame for the shirt developing sentience and desiring nothing but ultimate revenge.
All right, to be fair, Dave is a dick. He’s pretty goddamned evil, and he’s doing nothing to dissolve the grudge between him and Mike. He brings up the “Diving Board Incident” continuously, but only for his own amusement. He still picked up Mike’s tab. So he’s not a complete dick, but he’s still a dick. And as Rob begins to explain where all the bad blood comes from, he admits there’s stuff Mike won’t tell him. Stuff that’s probably Mike’s fault, and he won’t apologize for. They used to be great friends, but Mike did something one day that completely drove him off. For good. And I tell you, that’s hard to do. And as Rob tells us, Mike threw the first punch. And after Dave had that victory, Mike retaliated with the still untold “Grad Gown Spray Paint Incident.”
Mike also has a mean streak of flipping out on a tantrum. He unleashes a bit of drunken rage on Andrea. Jesus, that’s still some mean stuff there. And even though Jethro’s pretty damned annoying, he didn’t deserve this. And then of course, Mike flips out when Kris tells him he’s working for Dave. It’s understandable why Mike would be offended, but it’s still Kris’s right to work for whomever he sees fit.
And finally, we come to the present. Mike was doing the right thing, this time, defending the Temp Girl’s honor against “Hans Blingman.” And he walked away when he knew he was beat. But see, Mike thinks nothing is wrong, and acts as if it didn’t mean anything. Obviously, it meant a hell of a lot to Blingdude, because he’s got a bruised shoulder and a bruised ego. He won’t let this go. Not for a while. Not by a long shot.
So Mike is a tragic hero. Whether through conscious act or negligence he brings a lot of his personal strife upon himself. He and his loved ones suffer for the things he does. And that’s only basing it on the stuff we’ve seen in the comic. There’s tons of back story that’s been mentioned offhandedly, but still present. What did Mike do during the “Grad Gown Incident” that could make Dave swear bloody revenge? Through Mike’s reckless behavior and efforts to do good, he makes many friends. And many enemies.
Mike’s like Spidey. He may not have the great power, but he certainly has the responsibility. And with an Osbourne like Dave plaguing his existence, he’s in for a world of shit. No doubt, Dave will find out about Hannah the Elf girl through Kris and use her to exploit Mike. And that’s making for a kickass story.
Having said all that, you should be reading this comic. Go catch up on the archives first, there’s a lot of ground to cover.
(EDIT: Woops, her name is Andrea, not Angela)
June 16th, 2005 at 3:53 am
I found out about it through you, actually. Very good stuff.
June 17th, 2005 at 10:22 am
Wow. An excellent comic. I am in your debt for introducing it to me, good sir. And for the excellent analysis.
I’m not sure I agree with you that the shirt situation is entirely Mike’s fault though. He didn’t expect for it to become sentient, nor had he any reason to, and it’s hard to expect him to treat all his belongings as though they had feelings on the off chance they might come to life and hold a grudge.
June 18th, 2005 at 12:43 am
Perhaps so, Duff. But he was aware of his sentient shirt at one point, and had and there had opportunity to make ammends.