September 30th, 2013
Page 389
Ooops, I just noticed I forgot to include Lech’s bat in the firey pentacle of death, or Deaths.
It’s been like summer here for the past week. I’d already put away all the boy’s shorts and tanks and had to dig some of that stuff back out. We’re probably going to get a really early winter storm to make up for it.
Vote incentive, something a little bacony…
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September 30th, 2013 at 12:13 am
Just a thing, Alison. You mean INVERTED pentacle of death, cause the rightside up pentagram(The one pointing up) is considered holy and a symbol of nature to Wiccans and Pagans. Just like the cross is holy to a Christian.
September 30th, 2013 at 1:24 am
I think nerd will beat it out with the club, and escape to stop evil.
September 30th, 2013 at 1:34 am
NOT Evil pentagram LoL I fell fantastic
September 30th, 2013 at 1:39 am
Sorry Urago, but that is a pentacle, of which a Pentagram (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentagram, http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/pentagram?q=pentagram) is a part of. The five pointed star is the pentagram, the five pointed star within a circle is a pentacle.
http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/pentacle?q=pentacle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentacle
Alison, love the work. Thank you.
September 30th, 2013 at 2:49 am
@urago but the pentagram is on the ground here, and there’s no way to tell which way is up :) – anyways – tension building up nicely here!
September 30th, 2013 at 6:51 am
Evil 1 looks wayyy too content with his clone getting to use the tranquilizer gun. I guess as long as he gets his special little phanny pack of evil he’s happy.
September 30th, 2013 at 7:03 am
@Urago
You can’t really tell which way is “up” for a pentagram if it’s on the ground. It all depends on where you’re standing. For instance, who’s to say that Nerd isn’t at the middle top, and Lech at the middle bottom? With no definite point of reference, any point on that circle could be the top.
Alternately, his usage may not require it to adhere to strict directional standards. “It’s the thought that counts” applies to all sorts of things.
September 30th, 2013 at 7:46 am
IWX, I understand, but I just wanted to clarify. Sorry if I sounded angry or something.
September 30th, 2013 at 7:54 am
I love Death’s face in this page. He has totally run out of fucks to give.
September 30th, 2013 at 11:50 am
Okay guys, the Pentagram no matter what position it is in (point facing up, left, right, down) is Wiccan, it’s not Satanic. The inverted Pentagram that is elongated at the point on the bottom is the Satanic one. That’s the only thing I really dislike about this comic, that Evil’s Pentagram is still — even though it’s inverted — Wiccan and it isn’t evil. It’s actually really offensive.
(Anyone see Supernatural? The guys’ Pentagram tattoos are crooked — it’s still good though, not evil).
I still personally love this comic, though.
So people, STOP SAYING IT’S WRONG/RIGHT. No matter what position, it’s wrong in this context. It’s not Evil. It’s good. Elongated inverted Pentagram would be the correct one.
September 30th, 2013 at 12:17 pm
I’ll be interested to see how many darts Tanked will be able to tank before going down.
September 30th, 2013 at 1:36 pm
So the one bear not caught in the trap is… Cracked?
Not much of a hope for rescue from outside, in that case. Of course, Evil^2 may have forgotten that when the fuel is used up, the fire goes out. Or the possibility of sprinklers in that lush grass… and the heat melting a cheap plastic pipe open to release water.
September 30th, 2013 at 7:03 pm
Thought Evil didn’t like fire? Interesting that he’s using it. :P
October 1st, 2013 at 5:18 pm
Absolutely adore Gay and Vanity :D
I think Pro-Hulk could probably charge right through those flames, but he would still be vulnerable to the tranquilizer. Alas! What shall happen???
October 2nd, 2013 at 7:27 am
Ah, the darts return. Where do they keep finding ammo for that thing? :) Strange to see Gay and Vanity, of all people, turning to one another for solace.
Ooo, good eyes, Ben… I hadn’t noticed that. Crack is still on the outside, somewhere. I would ask if he’s got the stuff to act, but I think Evil already learned the answer to that one. :)
October 2nd, 2013 at 10:06 am
@Dubael
Pentacle and pentagram may be further distinguished, but in common parlance they are identical. You cited Wikipedia’s Pentagram article. Here’s the accompanying Pentacle article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentacle
“The words pentacle and pentagram (a five-point unicursal star) are essentially synonymous, according to the Online Oxford English Dictionary (2007 revision), which traces the etymology through both French and Italian back to Latin, but notes that in Middle French the word ‘pentacle’ was used to refer to any talisman. In an extended use, many magical authors treat them as distinct. In many tarot decks and in some forms of modern witchcraft, pentacles often prominently incorporate a pentagram in their design.”
Note the “extended use” agreement with your statement.
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@Wiccan
Don’t forget, the pentagram/pentacle far pre-dates Wicca. Wicca is a 20th Century religion. Early use of the pentagram was several millenia ago. Just because a new religion uses a symbol for one purpose doesn’t mean that it didn’t have another widely-accepted purpose before that. For instance, here is an article regarding the pentagram’s good and evil connotations: http://one-evil.org/content/symbols_pentagram.html
“The pentagram originates as one of the oldest religious symbols and was associated from its very birth with both a belief in its supernatural powers and rituals of human sacrifice.
…
In one instance, there is a substantial amount of contradictory information about the significance of the shape of a pentagram. The original Sumerian, Akkadian, Jewish Black Magic and Middle Ages Black Magic practices strictly adhered to the earliest of designs with a pentagram (as shown above) being two points up, one point down, with the left and right triangles being smaller than the up or down triangles.
Today, most pentagrams sold as black magic symbols are too geometrically perfect compared to the ancient original design used throughout black magic history, while many versions promoted as “good” are more in common with the ancient original design.”
That last statement directly contradicts your assertion that the older “elongated” tip version is “the evil” one.
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@all, regarding the disagreements
Just remember that not every religious (or sacrilegious) ritual/symbol means the same thing to someone of a different religion (or even of the same religion viewed through a different interpretation). People can always adopt a symbol to their own preferences (just look at Hitler’s use of the swastika, even though he reversed it), and if they intend to use it no matter what, then it will mean what they want it to mean when they use it.
The bare truth of this whole matter is that Bear Nuts is a (highly enjoyable) comic, and doesn’t require 100% real world accuracy. Furthermore, even if it *does* use real-world references, there will always be people who insist that something is wrong. Often it’s the first meaning of something you learn that you tend to hold as the “one true meaning.” Take a look past that and you’ll see that there really is nothing to take personally about this comic. Evil is evil. If you want to believe that the symbols he uses are being used incorrectly, maybe just assume he’s doing it knowingly just to make you mad. It’s in character. Some Satanists (and I’m not saying Evil is one) are known to play up “666” just because it upsets some Christians, even though there is evidence that 666 was a mistranslation.
October 3rd, 2013 at 10:48 am
Fine, IWX. I understand.
October 5th, 2013 at 4:30 pm
And this is why they should have left Evil in the woods when he was kicked out of the zoo. They all like Evil far more than he likes them, and he continually abuses their generosity. What will it take for them to get rid of him once and for all? Does he seriously have to kill one of them?