On the surface, this doesn’t look like a terribly personal strip, but I put a secret part of myself into Sam here. As some of you already know, my father was killed in an armed robbery some years ago, when I was just making the transition into adulthood. I was in no way responsible for his death, so I don’t have that guilt to deal with, but I have often thought about how I might be different if he had lived… And I’m not entirely sure it would have been for the better.
Dads death was a formative experience for me. I learned a lot about myself and how to forgive and how to step up and be the person I need to be. Basically, I grew up and became my own man. Hard won lessons, for sure, but its hard to look back at that time in my life and not think of the consequences of my father’s death as largely positive. The one negative? My dad isn’t here anymore.
Is the trade-off worth it? I really don’t have an answer to that question. How can I? There’s no way to peer into an alternate reality to see what might have been.
Sam has a similar problem. He isn’t just haunted by what he did, he’s haunted by the fact that his sins saved him. The Money Man died and Sam became a better man. But does acknowledging that and being grateful for that make Sam a bad man? That’s tough stuff. That’s a hard conflict to live with.
What do you think? Can Sam ever find redemption? Should he?
I think Sam needed redemption so that Money Man’s death wouldn’t be in vain and without purpose.
That’s a fantastic point.
Sam will always have Gene to look down on.
Too true. Gene makes anyone look good.
Totally dodging your question in the comments but In answer to the strip’s title, (and nicely in line with your current blog post) I’ve kind of imagined that if the Money Man survived he would become a guy in a superpowered armoured suit. I should go back to scripting that scenario…
Iron Man, huh? I can see it.
“What do you think? Can Sam ever find redemption? Should he?”
What kind of question is that? Of course we want to see things work out for Sam. He’s been playing our sympathies for so long now. If he doesn’t find some kind of peace, then his story would feel like you’ve been playing a song, but decided to stop before the last three notes.
Just trying to be open to alternative points of view! For some, Sam’s actions could be viewed as unforgivable.
I feel like Sam should at least find peace. That’s what Tangerine has, after all, and Tangerine killed at least two “good” people unprovoked (not to mention any number of villains or henchmen whose worst crimes wouldn’t even get them life in prison). If we’re going to say Sam’s one murder was unforgivable, then Tangerine should be rotting in Hel (the prison), not turning his life around in Valhalla.
Not that I disagree with how you dealt with Tangerine- I just wanted to note the parallels.
You are right to note the parallels. The differences between Sam and Tangerine are ripe for discussion. Another thing to bear in mind: while some may disagree with his methods, Tangerine has always been on the side of the angels.
It’s actually a really good (that is to say, mean) dilemma you’ve set up here. On the one hand, I really like Sam, and I do believe that people can change, but on the other hand, there is no deed as unforgivable as killing another human being, especially if you’ve done it almost solely out of frustration. I guess Money Man COULD be seen as a casualty of war, and he did put himself in the line of fire (or fist as it is) and that is what “saves” Sam in my view. Had he just brutally murdered him in an otherwise peaceful, non-threatening context, no amount of regret could redeem him in my eyes, however when seen in the context of a battle, that’s what I would call extenuating circumstaces. Of course he should still be punished, But I’d say that by this point, decades of guilt and self-torment is punishment enough.
I think you bring up a good point: what does Sam need to do to find redemption? Some say the only path to redemption is to right the wrong. In the case of murder–in THIS case–that’s impossible. Money Man is dead. He’s not coming back. That’s one way in which what Sam did might be seen as unforgivable. So… is there enough guilt and self-punishment one could feel to move past a misdeed like that?
I’ll root for my Buddy Sam, he’s got to have a good day at some point right?
Nah. Who wants to see that?
I’m not understanding why Soviet Sam sees himself as a villain. Maybe in retrospect he might, but when younger, he was a hero of the Soviet People, and would have considered himself one of the good guys. I don’t think such a character would have aligned himself with a group of self-identified villains. I think you are selling him short. I do like the character and would like to see more of him.
I think you’re definitely right that, at the time, Sam didn’t see himself as a villain. But in retrospect? Absolutely.