Trigun Bookclub: pancake-breakfast: Trigun Maximum Volume 2: Chapter 5

Original Tumblr Post: Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Desperado

I should be sleeping, but I’m not known for my wisdom in that particular field, so on with Trigun Book Club!

Stream-of-consciousness thoughts for TriMax Vol. 2, Chapter 5 below.

Oh, no. They’re coming for Vash’s friends on the sand steamer.
Wait, that’s the girl from the end of the last chapter, huh? That means they can’t be far from Milly and Meryl.
Nico-oniisaaaaaaan!!!
“Did your work go well?” Heh. I’ll note he does not answer this question. Nicholas D. Wolfwood. The “D” is for “Deflection.”
Gods, his hands. This is so much more traumatic in context.
NIGHTOW, WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING HERE, LITERALLY ON THE SAME PAGE AS THAT NIGHTMARE?!?!

NM, it’s just Vash’s bad driving. ~~Or maybe he noticed WW wasn’t sleeping so good and decided to unsubtly wake him up?~~
LOL, I have SO MANY THOUGHTS about what’s going on in WW’s head here, but they’re all spoilers, so I’ll keep them to myself.

LOLOLOLOL, WW dragging unconscious Vash into the inn and demanding two rooms is just so funny to me. Like, no wonder these people are staring at him like that. They must have SO MANY QUESTIONS.
~~I assume there will only be one room. And one bed.~~ Edit: My assumption was wrong.
LOL, nothing wakes Vash up quite like the sound of someone else in need, trying to do the right thing against impossible odds.
He’s so cute when he’s semi-conscious.
WW, what the hell life have you been living? I’m so sorry, my guy. No wonder Vash is giving you such a headache.

I wish I could find a suitable picture to show just how much this building looks like the old Spanish missions dotting the landscape in certain parts of the Southwestern U.S., but it seems like 99.9999% of the pictures are of the buildings inside the walls… or of the ones that have been extensively renovated rather than having crumbly bits like so many of them do. (Also, it’s late and so I can’t be arsed to do a detailed search. Maybe this will help get my point across? IDK, I’m not writing an essay on Spanish missions right now. I already did that back in 4th grade.)

If I had a son who was recklessly hellbent on getting himself killed alongside me as I defended the town/inn/whatever, I’d tie him up and lock him away, too.
LOL, dehydrated Vash. Gods, babygirl is in baaaaad shape. He’s trying, though.
I dunno, a half-dead Vash is still probably pretty competent.
Is now a good time to point out that the word “Desperado” means “The Desperate”? (Also, apparently it’s not actually Spanish. We’re learning things today in Trigun Book Club.)
“What was that, Vashie?” *Vash barks insistently* “You think you can come up with a plan?” *Vash barks enthusiastically* “Ok, I trust you, boy!” *Vash wags his tail.*
Some quick Spanish notes on page 134 here for those who may not hear these terms so frequently: Mi Amigo = my friend (may not actually indicate a friend; can also be used to create a mock-friendly tone in a situation where intimidation is coming into play) Jefe (pronounced “heh-fay”) = slang term meaning “boss” or “leader” (can also be used sort of like “man” or “dude” in English, or in a mock-friendly tone to kinda rub in that the person being called “jefe” is not in charge of the situation) Comprende? = Do you understand?
This guy has too many teeth. And a weird way of standing. Is… is he wearing metal underwear?? What kind of weirdness do you have to go through to get this kind of anatomy? How does he close his lips??? M… maybe it’s a mask of some sort??

Holland en Flambe sounds like a dessert.
Rest in peace, vodka. I’m sure someone out there misses you.
Hahahahaha, this kid. He’s having to hold the whole weight of intimidation because Vash looks like a rag doll someone left out in the rain too long. Wait. Does Wolfwood know Vash is here?? Heheheheheheheh…. BF’s gonna be maaaaaaad….
I love Vash’s expression through this bit. He’s trying, but he does NOT have the energy for this right now.

FWOOM
Listen to your father, Rob.
Ohhhhh, shit.
Ok, I LOVE LOVE LOVE this. I love the absolute chaos of the top part taking over the whole page, with this guy’s shouting bearing down on Vash and the family from the top, claws sweeping in from the left with a motion so fast and deadly it leaves motion lines going all the way up the page… and then, cutting in at the bottom, in a panel that’s practically pure-white serenity, the soft but definite *click* of the Punisher’s machine gun opening. Beautiful.

And, of course, we turn the page into a two-page spread of Wolfwood letting ‘er rip, adding a more controlled and entirely different type of chaos to the scene.
LOL, BF’s mad. Just a little, though. Confusion has tempered his anger.
Ok, this, though. How the angle goes from him carelessly tapping Vash on the head with his gun (while practicing shit trigger discipline, I might add) to us looking up at Wolfwood from a perspective very close to what Vash’s would be if he could lift his head. How, in the second panel, Wolfwood looks like a desperate man about to pull an executioner’s trigger out of fear and confusion for the unknown before him. How, even so, he’s debating if Vash is actually the monster he’s heard of when there’s so much evidence that, despite superhuman skills that Wolfwood has witnessed multiple times firsthand, Vash seems so kind and cares so much for people he ends up in this situation even while half-dead.