Orkus on his throne – Chapter 7, Act 4, Strip 55

Thought you had seen the last of this guy already, didn’t you?

I know you didn’t, actually, it was just a rhetorical question…

Yeah, the dark side of the force is a mighty ally and all that…but age affects everyone, and if you have to run an end-around route to head off a group of young, fit heroes…while lugging a throne, two braziers, a decorative window frame and a hanging cage with occupant around…it would be asking a bit much if anyone expected you to arrive at your destination without showing any outside signs of the strain.

But our friend, or rather enemy, had no other choice – he’s the throne-sitting type of villain, so if there is no ready-made throne room available at some location he’s heading to, he just has to bring the appropriate furnishings himself. Expecting the heroes while just standing around just wouldn’t do, and a foldable camping chair would also be way too informal, if a lot more portable. And, yeah, he has to expect them. That’s another requirement for this type of villain – he can’t just run up to them on the move. He needs to reach their objective before them, and await them lounging in his throne. If everything is set out well, the villains throne room will actually be the heroes’ objective, which saves him a lot of effort – but if that’s not the case, the effort will simply have to be made, as per villain union requirements.

Snuka, in the meantime, displays heroic professionalism. It takes an experienced hero/protagonist to correctly anticipate when he’s about to run into something around a corner – and make the appropriate “careful now” remark to prepare the audience. No self-respecting hero would say something like that ahead of turning a corner that has nothing in particular behind it, or have you ever seen that happen in a movie? And despite the necessary anticipation, the hero then needs to act surprised, and Snuka’s got that part down pat, too. Nice work, all around.

More on Thursday.