3605 Gunz Ablazing
on June 24, 2026
June 24, 2026
Collective of Worlds
0016 – Give me a Chance
CAST: Cole Bland, Gen Seul, Dr.Lumen, Linda Lumen, Rolanda Lumen
LOCATION: Dr.Lumen’s lab in abandoned zeite mining facility Z13 in the Arine Belt
How has Cole not gotten killed or trafficked by now? Especially with 'friends' like Gen?
Gen is possibly a first time customer. Who needed a trusting trucker not asking noisy questions.
According to the character notes Rich gave when he introduced them (3572, I think), they're old friends and business partners. It is specifically mentioned that Gen has dragged Cole into danger on multiple occasions as part of her schemes.
Thank you, you are right. I didn't read that part.
A slight retcon, they're not OLD friends, but they've been working together for a few months now.
Cole has no survival instinct whatsoever, especially when it comes to anything cute.
Speaking of cute things, Peter seems to have disappeared.
For the moment.
No one mention that one of the Lumen girls is dressed like the 5th Doctor
Yeah I thought that too
Yeah, I noticed that as well. Probably just an amusing Easter egg, but Who knows?
Hopefully Lumen doesn't have ill intensions, because Cole is extremely gullible.
She just likes watching cricket matches.
Huh. Specifically the Doctor who's RL daughter played a female Clone 'daughter' of the 10th Doctor. I wonder if that's a relevant clue.
There is no deliberate reference to Doctor Who here. Okay, it's not like I've been subtle about this so here's the skinny:
This story has strong references to Mega Man. Personally I've never played any of the games, but my son has and he loves it. So I've seeded some references. The story doesn't follow any plot points of the Mega Man games, but the charactes and some of the references do. The obvious ones: Peter = Rock = Mega Man. Rolanda = Roll. Dr.Lumen = Dr.Light (but designed to look a bit like Dr.Wily too), Linda = Dr.Noele LaLinde (https://megaman.fandom.com/es/wiki/Noele_LaLinde). Her outfit is a skirt, a V-neck and a lab coat. I copied that, but added a collared shirt underneath because that just feels natural to me. There was no intentional connection to Doctor Who -neither the 5th Doctor nor "The Doctor's Daughter" Jenny. Though I will concede that I probably added the collared shirt because of my muscle memory from drawing the 5th Doctor a lot.
i said it before, that Dr. Lumen sure is WILEY!!
One shouldn't make such accusations LIGHTly!
I like Safana's plan.
She's can handle herself, but it's always better to have your enemies ignore you and blow the snot out of each other instead.
—–
In the previous strip, there were five glasses on the table – but androids don't eat. Do they drink? Or was this a set-up, in hopes they were not recognised for what they are?
t!
Yeah, they were hoping to keep the masquerade going. Androids CAN, but don't need to drink.
Dollars to donuts says that Fang has the map
And he will use it as a telescope to find the treasure.
He was the last one to make it across too, and given he is an 100% Luck and nothing in other stats character, yeah, he is SURE to have the map. Or a completely different BETTER map… or a pickled herring and at that moment, no idea what a map is… You never know with him.
Or a pickled herring that is both a map and a key…
If Fang does have the map, the next question is will he eat it?
Are you going to weave this storyline into the one it interrupted?
That is almost impossible, from a creative standpoint.
The locations are far apart, and the Drawing Room Mystery and Swashbuckler tones are also not very compatible. Weaving them together at this point would dilute both of them.
— Mind you, I would LOVE to read a swashbuckling whodunnit, but in that case it would work because it had been planned from the beginning, and properly integrated.
Richard has enough YAFGC story ideas for ten years, so it's likely he knew where The Woman was going before we even got Blood Hand off the ground.
Also, I can say without spoilers that we've never discussed it.
t!
Storylines have their own life and nature. They begin, live and end, not always tied up in a nice bow. Rich sets the scene and creates all the pieces, then plays host to their existence, but where it leads, I doubt even he knows. This is the sign of a true creator who creates for the love of creation.
Yeah, one of the drawbacks of YAFGC is also it's greatest attraction for me. There is no solid plan for it. I had written elements for this story "the Woman" some…. 10 years ago?
We skipped out of "Blood Hand" because we both were so busy that the posting schedule necessarily ground to a halt. t! was writing them whenever he could in decent blocks, but then I'd get stuffed up trying to draw and post them around my schedule and muses. Then I'd run out, alert t! last minute (as is my bad habit) and then have to wait for his schedule and muses to allow him to continue. So we both agreed to pause it so I could post to my own speed -which as you will remember, didn't improve things until very recently.
But now I've got a reasonable groove, I would love to start getting scripts for "Blood Hand" going again, so I can plan how to come back to it in a good, semi-seamless YAFGC style.
Nearly 3 years since we last saw Lucas and Cadugan (July 2023)
And there was more time without seen Gren or Bob on any story.
There a lot of stories in this comic and a saga go to another without down their speed.
It's true there was a history with a mistery when this chapter begin but there are a full chapter meanwhile Lucas and Cadugan turns into stone.
Never saw thats puts any low in what is tell and less a story without a proper end
Good god. 35 months.
If you'd asked me, I'd have guessed it's been 2 years, not 3.
When we put Blood Hand on hiatus, neither of was expecting that in the next 35 months there would only be 56 strips. That's just the hand life dealt us.
I had even long forgotten that MY schedule was the reason for the hiatus!
And I've been the problem this year, too, for similar reasons. We missed each other at Christmas, and I proposed a vid call in January – not for YAFGC, but because we're friends – and Other Things have kept me so busy I haven't followed up it.
Mea Culpa, Rich. I've wanted to, but couldn't commit.
The broad strokes of Blood Hand ARE planned out, and we both want to conclude that story, for ourselves as well as the readers, but I've never brought it because I dont want The Woman put on hold for it. I have other creative outlets, and Richard needs the liberty to do YAFGC at any moment he has a free half hour.
I have always anticipated, but we have never discussed (unless it was so long ago I've forgotten) that when this story is 75% of the way through, we'll start talking Blood Hand again, and he'll have a tall stack of scripts to tackle once The Woman is over.
In the meantime, I'm enjoying The Woman.
And loving that Rich is also working on a second comic in tandem.
t!
Nah, it wasn't just your schedule, it was both of us. I've got bad ADD and it's difficult for me to transition. There is no way I can estimate when "The Woman" will be any % complete simply because my brain cannot process information that way. It's going, it will eventually stop. But if you find some time to start writing "Blood Hand" again, send them to me and I'll come up with a transition to get us back there in a way that suits the flow.
Does Fang have the map?
He probably has a sandwich he neatly wrapped in parchment… which is the map.
That's not Fang's style. He has a parchment wrapped in a sandwich.
Lufe does indeed get in the way, as much as that can be frustrating and disenheartening. However, as nothing can be done to prevent life from rolling on, I'm enjoying what I can, knowing you have a life (not being didactic or maudlin (ok maybe a bit maudlin) and creative outlets you (mostly) love keeps the hope of better times ahead going 💕
Like it's been said, stories have their own life, and I completely trust Richard to do right by The Woman, and the 10 zillion others! I'm giddy awaiting them, and it's hard to not be frustrated because I'm so eager, but I also enjoy the slower pace because I can reread and pick out more details (like the ship in the background some person mentioned (my apologies, I can't recall who and can't look it up while replying)) and any discussion ☺️
Furthermore (sounding teacher-y again *sigh*) technically the Duke Boys did complete their mission, as you jokingly stated. (Does that joke of the Duke Boys make Justyne Daisy, but with a different body part??)
Gotta admit, I do have 1 niggling ? about the Mystery, but it's not whodunnit! Lol
I DO in fact have some jotted note material for zillions of future storylines. Some of these include such things as: A recurring undead villain, a character who is living backwards chronologically, new and bizarre creatures, travels to new areas of the world…. And some of these I remember writing in my little notebook here while I was waiting for my daughter Jenny to come out of her ballet class when she was 6. She's 19 now and studying space engineerinig at University. So, as long as I enjoy drawing it, there is no reason YAFGC should EVER come to an end or run out of ideas.
….at least, not until I come to an end.
Dammit that was supposed to be a reply to t! Phones *sigh*
And it was Hogan who mentioned the sails ty, btw!
just chug down a random drink handed to you by an Android…I'm sure it's totally not lubricant.
Being, "well lubricated" normally takes more than one drink.
Must be nice *wistful* used to lubricate my knees so much i had trouble keeping up. Although I will say it is the only time I've walked a straight line… Now it just knocks me out completely…
Happy Canada Day!! Hope you're having fun 😀
Thank you! It was pretty good! Went for a walk in the sweltering sun down on the docks. Beautiful city we live in.