The Train in Vain and the Junkmail Messiah (comic story)
The Train in Vain and the Junkmail Messiah was the first comic in the Entirely Possible series. It was written and illustrated by Blair Bidmead and featured Theo Possible, who originated in Bidmead's 2009 Iris Wildthyme short story Party Kill Accelerator!.
Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]
After a holiday with Smiley, Theo Possible bids farewell and boards a train on the Parallel Line. Onboard he meets his friend Dave, an ancient voyager between realities who has fallen on hard times and had to sell his ship to Demeanour Demise. Despite Theo's protestations, the robotic conductor Blakey kicks Dave off the train into the Doomwitch Void for not having a ticket; Theo texts Demeanor to rescue him.
In London, Control sends Queenie Tilbury on her bicycle to pick up a package from a rich new customer at Adequate Inc. on Greek Street in Soho. It needs to be delivered to the top end of Walthamstow Market, which Queenie complains is the longest market in Europe. She nearly avoids being hit by a speeding car.
Theo sits reading a book at his vinyl records stall, Tuned Out. At the next stall over, Vi offers him a cup of tea from the caff. Just then, Queenie calls out Theo's name. The package from Adequate Inc. is wrapped like a birthday present, which confuses Theo, as it isn't his birthday. He remarks that he's paranoid and, before he signs for the package, opens it; when they look inside, Theo tells Queenie to get on her bike and ride away. Before she can, a robot pops out, screaming, "I am the way!" Theo and Queenie run away as Theo explains that it's "Killer junk mail with a messianic complex. From space."
Characters[[edit] | [edit source]]
Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]
- Dave is headed to Carthage. Theo remarks that there's a good bar by the harbor but that the Romans made it "tacky".
Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]
- The comic was serialised on the Theo Possible blog beginning on 19 July 2013, with new pages published weekly on Fridays[1] or Wednesdays through October or November, at which point it was compiled into a single file and made available for download as a digital comic.[2]
- The last page indicated that the story would continue in Queenie Tilbury's Guide to Smithereen City.
Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]
- Theo reads Reginald Tyler's The True History of Planets. (PROSE: Mad Dogs and Englishmen)
