# Order of the Stick - Book 5 Discussion Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 31, 2009, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323 "2009-08-31T04:09:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 60
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/1181 "2010-10-13T04:49:20Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I took me a minute to figure out I’m supposed to read the entire page from left to right. But I still feel I’m missing some of the subtleties of the panel placements. Is there a pattern I’m missing? Apart from Elan and his Dad’s story following the diagonal, not that I can see. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/1182 "2010-10-13T05:00:04Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I took me a minute to figure out I’m supposed to read the entire page from left to right. But I still feel I’m missing some of the subtleties of the panel placements. Is there a pattern I’m missing? You should read it column by column. Not row by row. Then it will make more sense. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/1183 "2010-10-13T05:56:26Z")
The fact that Haley and V, of all people, are taking risks with no possibility of reward says a lot about their growth as characters. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/1184 "2010-10-13T06:03:04Z")
Does anyone know exactly what Durkon is doing, or trying to do? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/1185 "2010-10-13T06:22:32Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > Does anyone know exactly what Durkon is doing, or trying to do? Researching a spell, I think. Looks like it was set up in [this comic.](http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0737.html) Probably something to do with finding the gate, but I’m not sure if it’s been specified yet. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/1186 "2010-10-13T06:32:17Z")
The suggestion on the OOTS forum is that he’s researching a Mass Negative Energy Protection spell, something first mentioned way back in [#672](http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0672.html). It makes sense that he’d find Malak useful for helping with that since he’s the priest of a Death God. ---
**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/1187 "2010-10-13T06:44:51Z")
That is one hell of a montage. Love the ‘time-table’ format! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/1188 "2010-10-13T07:30:58Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > > > I took me a minute to figure out I’m supposed to read the entire page from left to right. But I still feel I’m missing some of the subtleties of the panel placements. Is there a pattern I’m missing? > > You should read it column by column. Not row by row. Then it will make more sense. Like I said, I got that. What I’m wondering is if there is some pattern to the up and down placement of the panels. Durkon, for example, goes from the fourth panel to the second panel to the first panel to the fourth panel to the first panel to the second panel. Does that mean something or is it just random placement? ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/1189 "2010-10-13T11:43:59Z")
Look across the top – it gives a timetable by showing the passage of the sun throughout the day. ETA: Never mind, that part is understood. I don’t think there’s much to be read into the placement of a particular panel’s place in a column. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/1190 "2010-10-13T13:03:32Z")
Now that Y’all have shown me how to read it right, not only does it make more sense, but I see how cool Rich’s “Sun-as-timeline” really is. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/1191 "2010-10-13T13:52:20Z")
I don’t think there was any reason for the format other than Rich needed bigger panels for some items than others. It looks pretty, IOW. ---
**Author:** ![shantih](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@shantih](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shantih)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/1192 "2010-10-13T14:02:13Z")
Shoot, I read it carefully last night trying to pick up all the details so I wouldn’t read this thread and go :smack: ‘Hey! How did I miss that?!’ like I usually do and I STILL managed to miss the sun-as-timeline at the top. However, on rereading and :smack:-ing this morning, I did catch both the comedy of the interaction between Mr. Scruffy and Blackwing (which makes way more sense if you look at it in the proper order) and, more subtly, the one panel featuring Roy. He looks thoughtful while listening to the older prisoner; the one we’ve noticed resembles an older version of Haley’s father. Hmmm. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/1193 "2010-10-13T14:20:34Z")
I wonder if the title of the strip is a meta comment on the slow rate of releases lately. By my count there’s been 4 strips put out since the beginning of Sept., including this one. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/1194 "2010-10-13T14:39:04Z")
I’m trying to figure out if there is one group of slaves or more. To see how close Vs estimate was. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/1195 "2010-10-13T16:06:31Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > The skeletons in the ball pit were a nice touch. Yeah. Good thing Elan didn’t see one, or he would have gone screaming to Roy (or Haley, Durkon or V) that Xykon was there. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/1196 "2010-10-13T16:11:55Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > It’s good Elan had fun with his dad. It looks like his dad was also having fun, and not just humoring Elan. Of course, since Elan is trying to think these days, and he’s basically Good, this only means that he’s going to hurt, a lot, when he finally acknowledges that yes, his old man is irredeemably evil. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/1197 "2010-10-13T20:00:40Z")
By the way, I didn’t want to bump this thread before the new one came out, but I figured out the answer to my question in 1173 (why Haley in bed looked so naked): Usually, when we see her, she’s wearing some degree of support. In bed, though, she isn’t, and as a result, the curve of her breasts is subtly different. And I think it’s a huge testament to Rich’s skill that he was able to pull that off. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/1198 "2010-10-15T19:41:29Z")
[New One Is Up!](http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0751.html) FTR: I’m calling that Tarquin is lying through his teeth about him and Elan’s mom. ---
**Author:** ![shantih](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@shantih](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shantih)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/1199 "2010-10-15T22:06:17Z")
Eh, I’m not going with him lying – I’ll bet he’s telling the truth from his point of view, but leaving out something vitally important. What did he do or reveal about himself that was so horrifying that Elan’s sweet if given to needlessly complex planning mother threw him out and even cut herself off from one son in order to give Elan a chance to grow up without his father’s influence? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/1200 "2010-10-15T22:19:41Z")
I’m with **shantih** on this one. I’m betting that everything Tarquin said in this strip is completely true. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323.md?page=59) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323.md?page=61)