Mein Gott

[filkertom]

All this time, there's been a particular running gag about the JägerMonsters. We'd say it in that goofy accent, and we'd laugh.

Today, years later, it's suddenly poignant.

If you aren't reading Girl Genius, start already.

Comments

[mvt.livejournal.com]

Great just what I need another something to keep me up at 4.30.

[smallship1.livejournal.com]

And now I'm all teared up.

Gods, they're good.

[glitchphil.livejournal.com]

Holy crap.

Jaeger gave the dude his hat.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Girl Genius gets so very silly and so very serious all at once, you never know what's going to happen.

You certainly never figure you're going to tear up over a purple guy and his hat. I wonder if the circus folk understand just how monumental that moment was?

[thealien.livejournal.com]

There's a decent chance, I'd think. They're a Heterodyne show, so they would probably be more informed about this kind of thing than the average person.

(But who knows?)

[blueeyedtigress.livejournal.com]

Hey, man, it was always serious to me, even with the laughter. (And I always figured there was a lot more to those three than simply being "eediots".)

And yes, much weepy e-mail was exchanged during the night .....

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

I'll bet. This morning, thinking about it, I almost changed the subject line to "Fare thee well, all vestige of comedy".

[blueeyedtigress.livejournal.com]

Ho! Goot vun, Tom! Hyu iz hokay. @;7

[twfarlan.livejournal.com]

The Jagers are my favorite part of Girl Genius, and the three pursuing our heroine are the best of the best.

[wildcard9.livejournal.com]

Now *that* makes it serious. In a non-comical way. As silly as the JägerMonsters appear to be, they can and do take things seriously when it is necessary. And this most definately was necessary.

[msminlr.livejournal.com]

"Any ship that can carry guns
And any ship that has used them once
Is a ship of the line forever"

Martha Keller
I forget if the poem title is "Man of War" or "Jervis Bay"

Jagers

[j-e-richards.livejournal.com]

I knew these three were going to be good when the one in yellow (can't remember jager names) hugged Agatha and said "ve haff missed hyu! Please, please be real" Book 5, page 52.. This is an amazing piece of work..

Elaine

Re: Jagers

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Ohhh, that's one of my favorite frames in the whole series. I'm tearing up now, remembering it. This is part of why the Foglios are so damn good: they can be as funny as you want, but their characters -- even the silly ones -- are real.

Re: Jagers

[j-e-richards.livejournal.com]

Oh this is just like a new Lois Miles novel, now I'm going to have to go back and reread the entire series. (like that's a hardship)

Have you checked out the new web strip, The New Adventures of Queen Victoria". I linked on to it from the Kaja's live journal and am enjoying it very much..http://tnaoqv.livejournal.com

Re: Jagers

[dragonscholar.livejournal.com]

I got teared up when I realized that for the Jagers to split up was incredbily painful to them. And yet those three had to leave everything they knew.

Re: Jagers

[j-e-richards.livejournal.com]

I reread the last three books yesterday and that segment was really well written. They had to leave on a sundering suicide mission to retain the honor of their kind.

It's great to be able to read a page every two days, but one has to read the books to get the great grandeur of this epic.

Since it's so nasty cold and snowy around here this weekend, I think I'll go back and reread all the Buck Godot stuff too..

Elaine

[hughcasey.livejournal.com]

I've never found the Jagers to be silly.

They can BE silly, yes. But the characters themselves are quite serious.

And Dangerous (note the capital "D").

The fact that they can be silly lets the reader forget that, so they keep surprising you.

I am constantly in awe of the fine writing of this comic.

[tandw.livejournal.com]

Just compare Oggie on Wednesday to Maxim today...they're also waaay smarter than they let on. (OTOH, I don't know how much of that may just be how much they've learned over multiple human lifetimes.)

[siliconshaman.livejournal.com]

Hoy yes, I'm reading it already! [well, I was anyway!]
I mean, c'mon, I'm practically a distant cousin of the Heterodyne clan myself!

and I love the Jagers!

[selenesue.livejournal.com]

My hat went over my heart, and my heart to my throat when I read that last night.

OK, the positioning is weird but you get my point.

I've loved Phil's work since THE STAR TREK PRIMER back in the 1970's and adding Kaja to the mix just made everything better. Vivant!

[tomreedtoon.livejournal.com]

Funny, but I think this was the logical, appropriate end to this particular panel:

http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/cgi-bin/ggmain.cgi?date=20061215

For me, this is the moment that transformed another silly character - Agatha Hetrodyne, who has been mostly a passive bystander in her own story - into an active participant, a force of nature, a fury of the kind that Hell hath not.

It is some of the most superb, moving writing I've seen in years, in any genre of fiction. And you can't buy it in your comic book store. You can only get it on-line, where the Foglios aren't paid a dime, unless you go to their booths at conventions (when they show up) and buy their printed collections.

Tsh. And some people thought I was crazy when I said that soon, not even the best writers will be able to collect money or make a living from writing.

[darthparadox.livejournal.com]

Well, the Foglios are making decent money selling books, both at conventions and online. And the more books they sell, the easier it is for them to survive on this comic.

It's not that you can't make a living, it's just that it's working on a different model now.

[capplor.livejournal.com]

Phil stated publicly at the last WorldCon that he's made more money from his books since he put them on-line. Many other writers are discovering the same phenomenon happens to them too. I believe that this is part of the reason that Tom gives away songs.

And to the folks above who were calling that "purple" Jäger "him/he" - one of the donation giveaways definitely shows that one to be female. (Female as only Phil can draw one.)

[blueeyedtigress.livejournal.com]

Nope, wrong! "That purple guy" is Maxim. The lady to whom you are referring is Jenka. Here's a look at both of them together.

[nightmarewriter.livejournal.com]

I finally decided to read GG when you had "Tok lyk a Jaegermonster day". It 'sparked' my curiosity so I read all of the 101, and then the Advanced. Then I got my husband reading it. Now we wait for 9pm PST to see the new installments, and are talking about getting the Graphic Novels. It's not only the outstanding writing, but the incredible little details, and the gorgeous coloring.

[As for Jaegers, I think of them as having teeth only a piranha could love, in a good way. The one who only has one horn (and claims to be Phil's ancestor)? Between his pale hair and the ruff of fur at his neck, he reminds me of Wendy Pini's early depictions of Elfquest's Cutter... without the hat or horn.]

This last panel, we were both touched at the gifting of the hat. Jaegers just don't consider themselves dressed without a hat, but this was for a good cause.

[kinsfire.livejournal.com]

Yes.

For all intents and purposes, Lars is a Jaeger to Maxim, at least.

And as he described him, the epitome of a hero. Terrified, he still did what was right.

[occams_pyramid]

I don't know how it would be pronounced in a Jäger accent, but I think what Maxim is saying sums up as:
"Shai Jäger"