The original Genocide Man short story was critiqued by sci-fi author Stephen Gould, and when I said I wanted to turn it into a novel I told him about this scene. He said it sounded sinister. I told him that was part of the point. 🙂 But it’s clear now that Girii only wants to help Jacob. She’s just not very subtle in her mechanizations.
↓ Transcript
Jacob: You didn't have to ask. You're not worried if people know your secret. The empathy. It's two-way, isn't it?
Girii: Yes.
Jacob: Can I even fight it, Girii? Can I pull this trigger right now?
Girii: You probably could, but I really don't want you to.
Jacob: Damn. Your people are natural con artists. And you tried to convince me that you were harmless.
Girii: That was my father's idea. He thought he could lure a Genocide Man and get amnesty for our people. Then we wouldn't have to live in fear. But in order to keep our secret, they planned to push you into suicide. I didn't know that part of the plan. It wasn't right. I mean, you spared us all, and that's your thanks? So I followed to make sure you, you know, didn't.
Jacob: Hmn. They didn't have to push hard. I've been thinking about killing myself ever since Peter did. The Genocide Project saved the world. We did good things. But despite our global dominion and all the mass murder, we somehow lost our way.
Girii: Imagine that.
Girii: Yes.
Jacob: Can I even fight it, Girii? Can I pull this trigger right now?
Girii: You probably could, but I really don't want you to.
Jacob: Damn. Your people are natural con artists. And you tried to convince me that you were harmless.
Girii: That was my father's idea. He thought he could lure a Genocide Man and get amnesty for our people. Then we wouldn't have to live in fear. But in order to keep our secret, they planned to push you into suicide. I didn't know that part of the plan. It wasn't right. I mean, you spared us all, and that's your thanks? So I followed to make sure you, you know, didn't.
Jacob: Hmn. They didn't have to push hard. I've been thinking about killing myself ever since Peter did. The Genocide Project saved the world. We did good things. But despite our global dominion and all the mass murder, we somehow lost our way.
Girii: Imagine that.
i just found this comic and read it for an hour from the beginning to now. I must say that of all the sci-fi comics i have read, this one ranks in my top 3. A excellent read! Are you thinking about turning this into a novel? Keep up the excellent work.
I clicked on the “No matter who you kill, there you are”-ad on Flaky Pastry. And I regret nothing. This comic is great. I guess I’ll have to read those other comics as well. 🙂
Jacob is so damn cool. It’s hard not to like him, despite, you know, the skulls of children and the whole killing with impunity thing 😛
I just found this comic, Jacob reminds me far too much of my older brother as a senior citizen. O.O
It seems as if you’ve succeeded in a way not everyone can: making people admire a character whose life oozes revulsion, who in the wrong hands would fill the reader with loathing and spoil any enjoyment of the story. It’s a gift, and probably something very necessary to spice up the world of fiction.
Thanks, guys.
Defending the indefensible is kind of my thing, so I hope I’m getting good at making characters likable.
I had plans to turn the Genocide Man short story into a novel. But after I outlined it, and with the success of my last comic, I thought GM would work best as a graphic novel. Characters who are hard to like, bleak humor, and furries — I did warn you the furries were coming on page 1 and again in the Disclaimers — are all better done in comic form than in prose.
This is an interesting dark universe you’ve created.
The only question I can ask, is, looking at your timeline: Why the heck is Joey still on the payroll? Even if those weren’t all really accidents, you’d think politics would require sacrificing him after letting him take the blame for that many disasters.
Well, the only question that doesn’t feel like an answer will naturally flow from the story.