"Red Herrings" Thursday November 8th, 2007

I know there was a lot of discussion amongst NS readers on just who Caine was. guesses ranged from Amatsu Mikaboshi to Micheledes Lockhart. The truth is that he was, as always, a totally original and new character. Just how he fits into the huge grand scheme of things will of be, of course, explained at a later date. However for now we can stop calling Caine, "Caine" and call him by his real name... Robert Roy or as I prefer Rob Roy. I don't like calling him Rob either for some reason. I like Rob Roy all in one go. At one point Rob Roy was his whole first name and middle name and he had a separate last name which ranged from Collins, Macintosh, and Applewaite. In the end I decided to keep it simple and just stick with Rob Roy. And no the reference isn't to the Scottish folk hero, but rather the cocktail made with scotch and sweet vermouth. It's a tasty drink, but I prefer the Bobby Burns variant. Just to be clear, Bobby Burns is a horrible name for a ninja, but a great name for a Nascar driver.

Rob also explains a bit more of the effect of Joe's Counter Spiral. Joe did indeed take damage from Rob's attack, but the damage he dealt Rob was almost double that. Luckily for Rob, he realized just what Joe was about to do and started to count back on his attack. This and the fact that the Counter Spiral was not a perfected technique, was enough to save Rob from an unfortunate end. It's an amazing power and technically it could be the weakest and most powerful of the ninja techniques. The double edged sword of the Counter Spiral is that it is A. Only as strong as the attack being countered and B. the user has to be able to withstand the attack coming their way for that moment they unleash the Counter Spiral.

As for things going on in my real life, I am apparently going to a country ho down on Saturday. You would think I'd be going to such a thing while I was up in Syracuse, but no, I am going to one on Long Island. I was promised good eats and good times though and so I am off to the square dance. So it should be fun. I'll have to let you know how it goes next week.

Anyway... the Joe vs. Caine/Rob Roy fight is now done and next week we'll head back out to the Garden and see how things are going for Key. I don't want to spoil anything, but next week's comic is going to be a great one. I had a TON of fun writing it and drawing it. So be sure to be back here in a week and enjoy in some NS good times!

River's Top 5 Eateries (w/ bonus favorite menu item)
1. Nick Tahou's (Cheeseburger plate with FF and mac salad, no mustard)
2. Dinosaur BBQ (Pork Bar-B-San platter with mashed potatoes and salad greens)
3. Gasho of Japan (Filet Mignon and Shrimp or Scallops or Salmon)
4. Tom Wahl's (Wahlburger with fries and frosted mug of homemade root beer)
5. Country Sweet (Chicken tenders platter)