Game of Death!

 

Originally published in: Critters Special #1

Published: January 1988

Story and Art by Stan Sakai

"Game of Death"

In Brief: Nilson and Hermy face the inhuman cruelty of the death penalty.

Summary:

Nilson and Hermy are still in prison.

Nilson is starting to lose hope, but Hermy comforts him by saying that if he’s going to die at least it’s with his friend.

 

The tender moment is interrupted by the jailer who brings news from King Kilbun. The King has decided the pair didn’t steal his treasure, but they did play some part in the debacle. So the king will free only one of them….which will be decided tomorrow by a fight to the death!

The jailer leaves them to a last meal of stale bread and sour wine. While Hermy eats Nilson considers his options. He could easily win but that would mean killing his friend, and refusing to fight would no doubt see them both put to death.

The next morning the two are forced into the arena and given their swords.

Nilson whispers to Hermy to try and just hit his sword. If they can give the king a good show he might release them both.

And so the dual begins. Nilson pretends to attack Hermy, before Hermy takes his turn. But Kilbun realizes their plan and orders his archer to kill them.

Nilson panics and in the confusion Hermy accidentally stabs his friend!

 

 

Nilson collapses into Hemry's hands and quietly says he's glad his friend won. The king pardons Hermy and leaves him to mourn over Nilson's body.

Hemry tearfully wishes his friend had won instead...until Nilson asks him to stop squeezing him so hard. Yes everything went according to plan. He hid the wineskin under his shirt, so that it would only look like Hermy had killed him. He couldn't risk telling Hermy in case he gave accidentally gave the scheme away.

The pair quietly leave the arena, glad to be alive, planning to leave the city and find their fortunes elsewhere.

 

Notes:

•  The story continues from Albedo #5 the story continues in (the earlier published) Critters #5
• Critters Special #1 also republished We're Not Lost...Just Misplaced, and Slipknot.
• Nilson says that he's never taken a life before. This holds true throughout the series until the very last story were he's forced to kill.
• On the last page you can see the lady adventurer who appeared in the previous story. She has a crown in her saddlebag, implying that she's actually the one who stole King Kilbun's treasure.
  

 

Review:

And so the series opening (and only) ongoing story comes to an end.  

 

Sakai set out to planning to tell a fantasy epic, but that only lasted two stories before shifting to comedic back-up stories. It's like a reverse Cerebus the Aardvark (that probably would have worked out better for everyone involved). So this story contains the only dramatic moment these characters will even have when it looks like Hermy's killed his friend.

That was a well done moment and it works even if you know there's no way Nilson is really going to die. Sakai treat the whole situation pretty seriously and the pairs friendship feels genuine to me. It makes me wonder what a world where Nilson and Hermy got to actually evolve and grow as characters would be like.

Ah well, that didn't happen.