# Order of the Stick book 7 discussion thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** comic-strips\ **Created:** [February 3, 2020, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438 "2020-02-03T17:48:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2020, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/41 "2020-02-10T20:12:08Z")
I thought it might be the MITD, following **Alessan’s** guess that it was tied to Zeus in some way. But we see Zeus in two strips during the prequels. I thought of the Hellish Telephone scene involving Lee and Tiamat, but Tiamat shows up in a few strips too. LOL, maybe it’s the Slaad from the Deva’s childbirth scene? I agree with your logic on it being some deity or the equivalent. EDIT: would one of the Vector Legion we didn’t see much of, make sense? I don’t see it, but then I don’t see how a deity popping into the story now would make sense either. What’s Durkon up to? ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2020, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/42 "2020-02-10T21:13:16Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > My own best guess on this is Eugene’s old rival Suzy Finkelstein. I don’t think she’s appeared at all. She was just mentioned by Roy, I think. > [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > Besides Goblin Dan, of course. Goblin Dan has appeared in two strips: [326](http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0326.html) and [705](http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0705.html). > [@](#): > > Aarindarius was in more than one strip, right? Yes. [634](http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0634.html) and in _Origin of PCs_ How about Haley’s Aunt Ivy? Or Haley’s mom? Pretty sure both have appeared in only one strip each. Too bad cousin Jiminy has appeared in two strips; he’d be a lot more fun, I think. Oh, I know, Jiminy’s cat. ---
**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:** [February 10, 2020, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/43 "2020-02-10T21:37:55Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > I don’t think she’s appeared at all. She was just mentioned by Roy, I think. She appeared in one of the prequels, SOD I think, in a single panel flashback duelling Eugene at school while the Warthog watches. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2020, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/44 "2020-02-10T21:43:07Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > I don’t think she’s appeared at all. She was just mentioned by Roy, I think. > > Goblin Dan has appeared in two strips: [326](http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0326.html) and [705](http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0705.html). > > Yes. [634](http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0634.html) and in _Origin of PCs_… Damn it! On the Dan cite. I really thought he was a one strip joke. Origin counts? Does Start of Darkness, or Snips, Snails…? Or the Kickstarter stories? I see what you mean with the Aunt Ivy crack. After a while, it gets silly. I mean, we might as well nominate Banjthulu… I’m so glad we have OOTS to discuss again. ---
**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:** [February 10, 2020, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/45 "2020-02-10T22:08:10Z")
Just so people know, you can look the stats up. > **[Character Index](https://oots.fandom.com/wiki/Character_Index)** > > Bold Names are real people Dragon Magazine strips are indexed by their original publication rather than their reprinting in Snips, Snails, and Dragon Tales. Spoiler Alert and How the Paladin Got His Scar strips are indexed by their publication in the... This page shows how many times every character has appeared in. You can just scroll down until you get to the single appearances. The most commonly appearing characters: Roy - 752 appearances (including appearances in bonus material) Haley - 681 Elan - 680 Belkar - 614 Durkon - 571 (Durkon the Vampire is counted separately and appeared 88 times) Vaarsuvius - 526 Mr Scruffy - 224 Redcloak - 202 Blackwing - 180 Xykon - 180 Hinjo - 153 O-Chul - 142 Nale - 141 Monster in the Darkness - 111 Tarquin - 110 Sabine - 104 Miko - 101 ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2020, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/46 "2020-02-10T22:15:43Z")
There are a lot of one strip characters. Maybe it will be GI Joe. Or Popcorn. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2020, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/47 "2020-02-10T22:19:55Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > [Character Index | Order of the Stick Wiki | Fandom](https://oots.fandom.com/wiki/Character_Index) > This page shows how many times every character has appeared in. You can just scroll down until you get to the single appearances. I like how Spartacus, Spartacus and Spartacus each get their own entry. ---
**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:** [February 10, 2020, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/48 "2020-02-10T22:24:18Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > I like how Spartacus, Spartacus and Spartacus each get their own entry. Misspelled each time, too. ---
**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:** [February 10, 2020, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/49 "2020-02-10T22:24:29Z")
Note that, if that list is based on the “Number of Character Appearances” thread (it probably is; I can’t imagine anyone else independently tracking such things), then speech bubbles by the characters also count as “appearances”, which might or might not be what Rich means. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to refer directly to the Number of Character Appearances thread, as the GiantITP message boards have been down for a couple of weeks. ---
**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:** [February 11, 2020, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/50 "2020-02-11T00:51:36Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > How about Haley’s Aunt Ivy? . > [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > I see what you mean with the Aunt Ivy crack. After a while, it gets silly. Not an entirely silly idea. She’s likely a high level rogue anyway. And I’ve got reasons for thinking she’ll return as a major character. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2020, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/51 "2020-02-11T01:25:24Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > Damn it! On the Dan cite. I really thought he was a one strip joke. Sure looked like a last panel joke, but a goblin caterer was needed … > [@](#): > > Origin counts? Does Start of Darkness, or Snips, Snails…? Or the Kickstarter stories? He did say “prequels” and that’s a prequel. SoD is one too, but Snips is not except maybe the Julio Scoundrel story. > [@](#): > > I see what you mean with the Aunt Ivy crack. After a while, it gets silly. I mean, we might as well nominate Banjthulu… I think I’ll go with Jiminy’s cat if we ever get to vote on it. Of course, it could also be Death, who I’m fairly sure is also a one-strip character. ---
**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:** [February 11, 2020, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/52 "2020-02-11T08:38:39Z")
> [@Calavera](#): > > Green is Julia’s colour. Any Julia-centric magical effects will be green. Her changed speech balloon though makes me suspicious she’s an outsider of some sort now. Could it be some form of Astral Projection? ---
**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:** [February 11, 2020, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/53 "2020-02-11T09:56:24Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Note that, if that list is based on the “Number of Character Appearances” thread (it probably is; I can’t imagine anyone else independently tracking such things), then speech bubbles by the characters also count as “appearances”, which might or might not be what Rich means. > > Unfortunately, it’s not possible to refer directly to the Number of Character Appearances thread, as the GiantITP message boards have been down for a couple of weeks. This is correct. Barry White is an example of a character who is listed as appearing in [the strip](http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0532.html) even though it was just a playing of one of his records. ---
**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:** [February 11, 2020, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/54 "2020-02-11T09:59:50Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Snips is not except maybe the Julio Scoundrel story. I believe Burlew has said that the OOTS strips that appeared in The Dragon are not canon (although Belkar once referenced something from them in the main strip). Otherwise, I might have picked Psteve as my guess for one strip character who will appear in this arc. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2020, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/55 "2020-02-11T10:12:46Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Just so people know, you can look the stats up. > > [Character Index | Order of the Stick Wiki | Fandom](https://oots.fandom.com/wiki/Character_Index) > > This page shows how many times every character has appeared in. You can just scroll down until you get to the single appearances. > > The most commonly appearing characters: > > Roy - 752 appearances (including appearances in bonus material) > Haley - 681 > Elan - 680 > Belkar - 614 > Durkon - 571 (Durkon the Vampire is counted separately and appeared 88 times) > Vaarsuvius - 526 > Mr Scruffy - 224 > Redcloak - 202 > Blackwing - 180 > Xykon - 180 > Hinjo - 153 > O-Chul - 142 > Nale - 141 > Monster in the Darkness - 111 > Tarquin - 110 > Sabine - 104 > Miko - 101 Dammit - now I miss Wrecan again. > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I believe Burlew has said that the OOTS strips that appeared in The Dragon are not canon (although Belkar once referenced something from them in the main strip). > > Otherwise, I might have picked Psteve as my guess for one strip character who will appear in this arc. Psteve is pdead though. And was a one-joke wonder. On Julia - I did wonder if she was dead, although I assumed that this was more likely to just be some form of magic comms. However, just once I’d like to see Roy push back against his family’s abuse. I know it’s out of character (and comic style) but right now I could really use him saying “Fuck you, Julia - you got yourself kidnapped; I just stopped the gods from destroying the entire universe. So just say your slacker bullshit and piss off.” ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2020, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/56 "2020-02-11T10:20:23Z")
Just reading through the “one-strip character” list. It includes most of the Northern Pantheon so my best guess is that it’s one of them. Of course, Rich Burlew himself is a one-strip character (as is, separately, his thumb) so that’d be a real curveball. ---
**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:** [February 11, 2020, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/57 "2020-02-11T10:46:43Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Of course, Rich Burlew himself is a one-strip character (as is, separately, his thumb) so that’d be a real curveball. Separately? They are both listed as appearing in #864. As far as I can see, they are both the same character. It should be one entry. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2020, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/58 "2020-02-11T15:58:39Z")
My two copper pieces is that it will be someone who was in the background of an Important Group. Like we’re being introduced to a god or a ruler or the leader of a guild, and the focus is on one character, and then Mr./Ms. One-Strip Wonder is one of the people shown standing there. As for the current strip: Julia might be a brat, but at least she’s better company than Eugene. ---
**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:** [February 11, 2020, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/59 "2020-02-11T17:50:50Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Psteve is pdead though. Not a deal breaker. Three of the seven current members of the group have been dead at some point. As far as formerly dead members are concerned, the Order of the Stick is right up there with the Justice League of America. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2020, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/60 "2020-02-11T18:21:43Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Not a deal breaker. Three of the seven current members of the group have been dead at some point. As far as formerly dead members are concerned, the Order of the Stick is right up there with the Justice League of America. Roy and Durkon have been dead. To my knowledge Belkar, V, Hayley and Elan haven’t been. Unless you count Belkar being dead in phantasm space, which I don’t. What am I missing? And where do you get seven? If you count “pets” it’s nine. If you don’t, it’s six. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438.md?page=4)