The latest issue of the Team Fortress 2 comic, “The Naked and the Dead”, went live a few days ago, and I’m going to break down some of my favourite parts for you, and explain why this is one of my most well-enjoyed TF2 comics to date. This does, of course, mean that I’ll be posting a few spoilers, so if you haven’t read the comic already, go do it now! I know it’s a big’un, but it’s worth it, trust me.

We begin the comic somewhere incredibly interesting: a potential afterlife. This Dumbledore and Harry-esque (“None of this is real, is it?”) exchange between Pauling and The Administrator hints at one of TF2’s most interesting meta aspects: how do the mercs keep coming back to life after they die? This is a question that has boggled TF2 fans for years, with a multitude of fan theories evolving to explain the phenomenon, including clone theories, resurrection theories and Gnoggin’s various theories on death and similarity. We don’t exactly get an answer to our question, but it is at least explored and portrayed in a way that is both satisfying for the plot and open enough to leave us searching for more answers.

Then we see my favourite bird-loving doctor running around filling everyone full of blood in the real world (his lack of medical training always prompts the best one-liners, beaten only by Soldier and Zhanna’s) and we get an explanation as to how Medic managed to save everyone from the blood-sucking robots that we saw in issue #5. The day is then saved by Saxton Hale, whose adventure comic persona always elicits a laugh, and through a series of gorgeous splash pages, we see Saxton help the team to take down their metal enemies. We then get one of our subplots in the form of a naked Sniper assisting a poor wounded/de-cloaked Spy (this was for you, shippers) and once again, the panel/transition choices really help make this scene. Sniper gets long, drawn out panels for simple actions when he’s running to save Spy (adding to our sense of tension, as the reader finds themselves clicking more quickly through each panel) and short “burst” panels for his quick actions, like shooting his rifle.

The next conflict between Medic and the Classic Heavy (which turns into a Heavy v Heavy rumble) has some of the most beautiful colouring/lighting choices in any of the comics, with panels being highlighted in warm/cool colours dependant on how far along the reader is in their clicking. This, again, is a wonderful example of the team utilising the digital medium to have previous panels fade into the background, something impossible to achieve in print.

The rest of the comic brings us important reveals, mainly that Scout’s first name is Jeremy (Jerma confirmed for Scout) and that Spy is, like, 99% certain to be his Dad, but I found myself more compelled towards the overarching plotline that than the big reveals, being drawn into the team make-up more than the individual plot points. This, I think, comes from having been brought up on a healthy diet of Justice League and Avengers, where I was just waiting for that big moment where the team, despite their differences, band together to take down their mutual megalomaniac enemy. It’s the moment where Iron Man and Captain America stop bickering, where Thor returns from Asgard, where Batman realises this is what his parents would have wanted. Our Wonder Woman, Miss Pauling, steps forward and delivers the line that makes twelve-year-old me punch the air and go “Yeah, comics!” I also love this panel for the simple fact that it utilises the “spoken superhero logo” effect in the lettering/ballooning, further adding to that traditional/classic comics style.

This comic had some of my favourite moments (Medic in Hell, honey-covered Soldier and Zhanna, Heavy protecting his Doctor) but also contained some of my favourite transitions and panel layouts, showing how well the team is utilising the digital medium, but also how well they understand comics, and the potential of comics on a digital platform.

We had to wait a good while for this comic (over a year, if you’re new here) but considering the size and scale of the project being completed by a team who weren’t working solely on the comic, I’m not surprised.

I’m going to say something now that’ll piss a few people off.

If you’re one of the people who berated Jay and co. on Twitter with constant threats and then apologised when the comic “turned out good”, screw you. I’m not talking about the people who asked about delays, or even expressed their annoyance at them, I’m talking about the people who tweeted genuinely horrible, degrading things and then realised that they liked TF2 again when the comic came out, and decided the comic was up to a standard which meant that the creators had earnt an apology. Yes, delays are annoying. Yes, I understand you want good content, and you want it quickly. But sending creators tweets telling them about how awful they are and their company are really won’t motivate people to work any harder.

“The Naked and the Dead” might be my favourite TF2 comic to date, though the last one did make me curl up in a ball on the floor and weep whilst this one didn’t, so who knows? Maybe I’ll have to rank them all, when #7’s out. In 2020. Ah. Cheap shot.