It's the sample for this song (NSFW)–don't know what instrument exactly, probably some large stringed instrument, but once the song jogs your memory, you'll know exactly which parts he's humming.
I dunno if this is a stretch or not, I'm just looking for some clarification from the comments section.
Is Hannah asking if he wants to talk about their future and the issue that was preventing them from remaining a couple? Has she kind of wavered from her original viewpoint and decided she might want what Marek wants?
I'm assuming this is the case because he suggested it's up to her.
This would suggest to me that there's a chance of them getting back together before the end of the story, which is HUGE!
I doubt either of them have changed their opinions on kids, but even if they have it's still probably not a good idea to get back together. They've both changed and it's been so long that maybe it's better to move on. Their relationship could never be the same as what they had before anyways. I'm not sure what the conversation's going to be about, but I assume it will end with them getting the closure they need.
Hannah has been mulling over about the kids thing- she drunkingly mentioned to Eve that IF (big IF but someone who is committed to being childfree probably wouldn't think about it) she would want to raise theirs together. Additionally on the camping trip she admired the bald eagle who had both a nest and freedom.
They also already had a closure discussion before when he visited her at her new baking space.
I think Park and Eve are meant to serve as a direct contrast to Marek and Hannah, which are both long relationships that have ultimately split. The difference is that Park and Eve were two people who could never compromise their lives but had these idealized versions of each other in their memories that they both clung to. Marek and Hannah are having this moment because they both still haven't moved on, despite the massive passage of time and no contact. Marek is reaching out and Hannah is afraid of getting hurt. I don't know if they'll get back together but I don't think they need closure.
Oh no, as someone who is committed to being child-free, I can assure you some of us still think about it. The "if" is more hypothetical though, as we work through the reasons why we have made that decision (for me it's a combination: unwilling to endure pregnancy and can't afford adoption fees, unable to afford to give hypothetical kids the life they deserve, unable to enjoy all the things I like about my life – they'd have to be sacrificed because I can't afford both them and kids – not that interested in the day-to-day of having kids. I'm not someone who is too interested in terrible elementary school band concerts etc.)
But, it would have been nice to have had hypothetical adult offspring to chill with later on. It's just not worth the grind and expense of actually raising them though.
We do think about it, however.
I've also considered it on the off chance I get pregnant. 10 years ago that would be a definite abortion. Now – I'm married, we're not well off but we do travel a lot (so we'd have to give that up), we have a spare room etc…it's possible we'd decide to just continue with the pregnancy.
Tully Monster
I was the one who wanted children. My husband didn't. For me, our marriage was more important. I love him, and neither leaving him or forcing him into fatherhood were options I was even willing to consider.
So our late twenties and all of our thirties were kind of painful for both of us…he felt guilty, and I was grieving and angry over what all our peers had that I never would. I think some of that might have been biological. But even then, leaving him was never an option.
In our forties, I looked around and realized I rather liked our life the way it is and made peace with it.
So it can be hard, but it's not necessarily a deal breaker. It really does depend on what your priorities are. Some couples with the same predicament end up going in the other direction, but in our circle that never seemed to work out so well…and the children often suffer as a result.
I wonder how much they really talked about it. It feels that maybe they both assumed that would be the ultimate incompatibility or maybe Hanna just decided not to confront it and figured she should step out of the relationship when he finished college and had to "grow up".
Marek did say that he would be there as long as she wanted… leaving it up to her in the end… It might be that he isn't so dead set on having kids but just assumed that would be part of his future and she assumed that he wants kids more than being with her.
Sometimes not talking about those issues is a bigger wedge than the issues themselves… especially in long term relationships where you know and respect each other so well and care so much about the other person.
Well hanna's main reason for not wanting kids was because she did a lot of drugs and didn't see it as an option. However she can't smoke pot anymore. If that was the one thing keeping her back then it is gone now.
It was mentioned near the end of the arc of when Hanna and Marek broke up. She found out that she couldn't get high anymore, no matter what she tried: http://www.octopuspie.com/2014-04-07/655-guess-yo…
Also, she got into running, which is hard to be a smoker and run at the same time.
bardkun
AFAIK she can still smoke but it just no longer gets her high.
Lane
There was an arc about her no longer being able to get high no matter how much she smokes. I want to say that it factored into her beginning running.
Noelle
If you constantly are smoking weed, your tolerance goes up and you don't feel the same highs that you used to. She was smoking way too much to escape dealing with the painful breakup. Then it was almost like pot shut the door on her, like, "no, you need to deal with this."
I am a stoner. I wasn't really trying to throw shade at her life choices, I just phrased it badly. I know pot isn't a hard drug or something or I'd be an addict.
All of the songs and music in this chapter has been staged and performed in a lot of (visually) different and interesting ways, although they also operate on a shallower level just as a cute list of 90s songs that resonates with just this age of crowd of characters.
Something I've always liked about Octopus Pie is that references aren't tossed in as cheap gags, but are always visually performed. Sometimes only (!), like in that strip way back where Marigold and Eve are eating at a restaurant where all the waiters are puppets. For some reason I didn't even see that until like the fifth time I read that arc.
Anyway, I know a lot of comments lately are like, "OMG I love Octopus Pie because…", but the comic's ending, sooooo…
I didn't realize how much of a MUSICAL this comic is until reading it two or three times. The first time I read it, I just loved it. The second time around, I noticed lots of songs. The third time, I was like, wow, this is a musical. Like if it saw itself turning into an animated series, there would be at least a song in each episode.
I don't think this is a step towards Marek and Hannah getting together again, and honestly I don't think it should be, but if they want to remain friends and not be totally cut out of each other's lives, talking through the discomfort is essential.
Note: whether they want to or should remain friends is fully up for debate; sometimes it's best to move on from one's exes.
I do, at least, in a somewhat complicated way, because I can't really imagine what a polish accent sounds like, so I end up reading his lines straight with an understanding that an accent should be there.
I believe it's been implied that he has an accent, but I can't recall when. I could be imagining that. However he does talk about how he spent his early life in Poland, and thus missed out on a lot of the 90's references that Hannah wanted to indulge in, so it's not inconceivable that he would have come to America late enough to have at least a slight accent.
That's my rationale for imagining it this way, at least
I don't. I remember his parents had accents. Was it pointed out that he does? A lot of my bilingual friends who were born in other countries don't really have accents, even though their parents do. So I'm on the fence, but to this point I haven't.
I absolutely freaking love how their segway lines are all performed inside really tight pannels, and when they open to talk the pannel doesn't even have a frame anymore. It's beautiful.
Okay, so… I do desperately want Hanna and Marek to get back together. They can never have what the had before, but that's okay. They've both grown as people and learned a lot and changed, but they still care about eachother so, so much.
I'm still with my first boyfriend. We started dating at 15. We broke up twice. (The second time was a lot worse.) But we both had stuff to figure out, and we've both changed so much, our relationship will never be the same as it was before the big break, and it's okay. We're better off for it, as painful as the process was. Seeing Hanna's breakup recovery arc (I believe it was one of the first colored chapters?) was so fucking REAL for me, it was so painfully relatable. It legit made me cry, seeing her go through everything I went through. But even after going through all that, my boyfriend and I still ended up together, and I don't regret it one bit.
I guess I'm just saying… Somehow, getting back together with my long-term partner after a huge break ended up working out amazingly for me, and I really, really want that for Hanna.
As far as I'm concerned they both still have strong feelings for one another – so regardless of their differences (and for my emotional well-being) they definitely should get back together and enjoy the ride and maybe it will work out just beautifully.
If it falls apart on them later on it will be after the comic is finished and we will be none the worse for wear, right?
my heart! hanna has been so lost, like, identity-wise, since she and marek split. does anyone have a timeline? It must've been at least more than a year since they've seen each other. probably more? hanna has become so hardened… and she needed someone to ask her that and to hold her accountable. I feel like most of the friends she's pushed out of her life would be willing to talk about it if hanna was able to bring that guard of hers down. Not sure what the future holds for these two, but it's appropriate Marek would be the one to pull away the veil (so to speak).
On the one hand I desperately want another comic to be posted soon so I can find out what happens between these two (and Hanna and Mar), but that would mean the end of OP drawing nearer and my heart can't take it.
Also, am I the only one that looks forward to reading all of the OP comments? I find that OP readers have such smart and thoughtful commentary that sometimes I enjoy reading what they have to say as much as the comic itself!
I want Hanna and Marek to work out. I want it with every fibre of my being. Marek loves Hanna. Hanna doesn't love herself, but maybe she's ready to try — to actually give herself a chance. I think Marek represents that — it's up to her — he wants in, he didn't ask her to have children but he expressed his desire to do so. She made up her mind that they 'couldn't' work. He saw her later on and asked her how she was doing, and she made up her mind that it was because he felt that she couldn't function without him — I think he genuinely cares. I think the entire arc is about her selfish interpretation of others to the most detrimental personal effect. She pushes people away because the thought that they find her worthY when she sees herself as worthLESS is unacceptable. But maybe, just maybe, she has a glimmer of hope that she can accept someone else as worth being worthy with.
The paneling in this comic is just fantastic. I love how much it matches the separation and anxiety of the conversation. The panels are really spaced out or mismatched to each other to showcase the distance been Hannah and Marek, and only when there is a glimmer of possible discussion/understanding do they actually come closer to each other.
50 thoughts on “#1020 – hello everyone”
Danielle
I can't get over Will adding in the baseline or whatever for Eve's drunk sing-a-long.
wykstrad
It's the sample for this song (NSFW)–don't know what instrument exactly, probably some large stringed instrument, but once the song jogs your memory, you'll know exactly which parts he's humming.
Mefspores
I know there's drama and stuff, but I FUCKING LOVE THE ILLUSTRATION
wykstrad
Bet Eve is wishing she could back that azz up out of this conversation.
YenBen
I dunno if this is a stretch or not, I'm just looking for some clarification from the comments section.
Is Hannah asking if he wants to talk about their future and the issue that was preventing them from remaining a couple? Has she kind of wavered from her original viewpoint and decided she might want what Marek wants?
I'm assuming this is the case because he suggested it's up to her.
This would suggest to me that there's a chance of them getting back together before the end of the story, which is HUGE!
neptune432
I doubt either of them have changed their opinions on kids, but even if they have it's still probably not a good idea to get back together. They've both changed and it's been so long that maybe it's better to move on. Their relationship could never be the same as what they had before anyways. I'm not sure what the conversation's going to be about, but I assume it will end with them getting the closure they need.
Mark
Hannah has been mulling over about the kids thing- she drunkingly mentioned to Eve that IF (big IF but someone who is committed to being childfree probably wouldn't think about it) she would want to raise theirs together. Additionally on the camping trip she admired the bald eagle who had both a nest and freedom.
They also already had a closure discussion before when he visited her at her new baking space.
I think Park and Eve are meant to serve as a direct contrast to Marek and Hannah, which are both long relationships that have ultimately split. The difference is that Park and Eve were two people who could never compromise their lives but had these idealized versions of each other in their memories that they both clung to. Marek and Hannah are having this moment because they both still haven't moved on, despite the massive passage of time and no contact. Marek is reaching out and Hannah is afraid of getting hurt. I don't know if they'll get back together but I don't think they need closure.
channamasala
Oh no, as someone who is committed to being child-free, I can assure you some of us still think about it. The "if" is more hypothetical though, as we work through the reasons why we have made that decision (for me it's a combination: unwilling to endure pregnancy and can't afford adoption fees, unable to afford to give hypothetical kids the life they deserve, unable to enjoy all the things I like about my life – they'd have to be sacrificed because I can't afford both them and kids – not that interested in the day-to-day of having kids. I'm not someone who is too interested in terrible elementary school band concerts etc.)
But, it would have been nice to have had hypothetical adult offspring to chill with later on. It's just not worth the grind and expense of actually raising them though.
We do think about it, however.
I've also considered it on the off chance I get pregnant. 10 years ago that would be a definite abortion. Now – I'm married, we're not well off but we do travel a lot (so we'd have to give that up), we have a spare room etc…it's possible we'd decide to just continue with the pregnancy.
Tully Monster
I was the one who wanted children. My husband didn't. For me, our marriage was more important. I love him, and neither leaving him or forcing him into fatherhood were options I was even willing to consider.
So our late twenties and all of our thirties were kind of painful for both of us…he felt guilty, and I was grieving and angry over what all our peers had that I never would. I think some of that might have been biological. But even then, leaving him was never an option.
In our forties, I looked around and realized I rather liked our life the way it is and made peace with it.
So it can be hard, but it's not necessarily a deal breaker. It really does depend on what your priorities are. Some couples with the same predicament end up going in the other direction, but in our circle that never seemed to work out so well…and the children often suffer as a result.
rei
I wonder how much they really talked about it. It feels that maybe they both assumed that would be the ultimate incompatibility or maybe Hanna just decided not to confront it and figured she should step out of the relationship when he finished college and had to "grow up".
Marek did say that he would be there as long as she wanted… leaving it up to her in the end… It might be that he isn't so dead set on having kids but just assumed that would be part of his future and she assumed that he wants kids more than being with her.
Sometimes not talking about those issues is a bigger wedge than the issues themselves… especially in long term relationships where you know and respect each other so well and care so much about the other person.
laura
Well hanna's main reason for not wanting kids was because she did a lot of drugs and didn't see it as an option. However she can't smoke pot anymore. If that was the one thing keeping her back then it is gone now.
JessAN
She can't smoke pot anymore? Why??
Sammy
It was mentioned near the end of the arc of when Hanna and Marek broke up. She found out that she couldn't get high anymore, no matter what she tried: http://www.octopuspie.com/2014-04-07/655-guess-yo…
Also, she got into running, which is hard to be a smoker and run at the same time.
bardkun
AFAIK she can still smoke but it just no longer gets her high.
Lane
There was an arc about her no longer being able to get high no matter how much she smokes. I want to say that it factored into her beginning running.
Noelle
If you constantly are smoking weed, your tolerance goes up and you don't feel the same highs that you used to. She was smoking way too much to escape dealing with the painful breakup. Then it was almost like pot shut the door on her, like, "no, you need to deal with this."
channamasala
I thought she could smoke pot but it just wasn't working for her anymore (which is as good a reason as any to give it up)
Noelle
I don't think pot qualifies as a "lot of drugs". I think it just qualifies as "being a stoner".
Laura
I am a stoner. I wasn't really trying to throw shade at her life choices, I just phrased it badly. I know pot isn't a hard drug or something or I'd be an addict.
Geoff
The cover art for that book is incredible. Eve has never looked better.
Gaby
Random thought: remember when we never saw Marek's eyes? Huh.
Arianod
Tag yourself, I'm Will.
Copycat
Everyone on the bus, we're about to go on a feels trip.
peakpointmatrix
*open new tab*
*search grandpa simpson 180 gif*
*copy image*
*return to OP tab*
*paste*
William
All of the songs and music in this chapter has been staged and performed in a lot of (visually) different and interesting ways, although they also operate on a shallower level just as a cute list of 90s songs that resonates with just this age of crowd of characters.
Something I've always liked about Octopus Pie is that references aren't tossed in as cheap gags, but are always visually performed. Sometimes only (!), like in that strip way back where Marigold and Eve are eating at a restaurant where all the waiters are puppets. For some reason I didn't even see that until like the fifth time I read that arc.
Anyway, I know a lot of comments lately are like, "OMG I love Octopus Pie because…", but the comic's ending, sooooo…
Noelle
I didn't realize how much of a MUSICAL this comic is until reading it two or three times. The first time I read it, I just loved it. The second time around, I noticed lots of songs. The third time, I was like, wow, this is a musical. Like if it saw itself turning into an animated series, there would be at least a song in each episode.
A bit Baz Luhrmann-y? :D:D
Qudoba Mexican Eats
Eve, just killing it.
cwbuecheler
I don't think this is a step towards Marek and Hannah getting together again, and honestly I don't think it should be, but if they want to remain friends and not be totally cut out of each other's lives, talking through the discomfort is essential.
Note: whether they want to or should remain friends is fully up for debate; sometimes it's best to move on from one's exes.
cwbuecheler
Also I wish I could remember that Hanna doesn't have an H at the end of it.
… particularly when it's even written in the comic under which I'm commenting.
Vabolo
I thoroughly enjoy the idea that Will is going to casually collab on Eve's random singing in their everyday life from now on.
Marvin Choi
Hold on tight, I feel turbulent closure in coming!
Eric
Very real, very touching. Trying to grow up in real time…
Joe
When you imagine Marek speaking, does he have an accent?
Not Joe
I do, at least, in a somewhat complicated way, because I can't really imagine what a polish accent sounds like, so I end up reading his lines straight with an understanding that an accent should be there.
I believe it's been implied that he has an accent, but I can't recall when. I could be imagining that. However he does talk about how he spent his early life in Poland, and thus missed out on a lot of the 90's references that Hannah wanted to indulge in, so it's not inconceivable that he would have come to America late enough to have at least a slight accent.
That's my rationale for imagining it this way, at least
Noelle
I don't. I remember his parents had accents. Was it pointed out that he does? A lot of my bilingual friends who were born in other countries don't really have accents, even though their parents do. So I'm on the fence, but to this point I haven't.
NemoProprius
Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn!!
macc_08
I absolutely freaking love how their segway lines are all performed inside really tight pannels, and when they open to talk the pannel doesn't even have a frame anymore. It's beautiful.
Kate
Okay, so… I do desperately want Hanna and Marek to get back together. They can never have what the had before, but that's okay. They've both grown as people and learned a lot and changed, but they still care about eachother so, so much.
I'm still with my first boyfriend. We started dating at 15. We broke up twice. (The second time was a lot worse.) But we both had stuff to figure out, and we've both changed so much, our relationship will never be the same as it was before the big break, and it's okay. We're better off for it, as painful as the process was. Seeing Hanna's breakup recovery arc (I believe it was one of the first colored chapters?) was so fucking REAL for me, it was so painfully relatable. It legit made me cry, seeing her go through everything I went through. But even after going through all that, my boyfriend and I still ended up together, and I don't regret it one bit.
I guess I'm just saying… Somehow, getting back together with my long-term partner after a huge break ended up working out amazingly for me, and I really, really want that for Hanna.
David
Eve killed me and then Will's face killed me again.
Lane
Marek looks so tired until everyone comes out. That's the first time he smiles.
CasualObserver
As far as I'm concerned they both still have strong feelings for one another – so regardless of their differences (and for my emotional well-being) they definitely should get back together and enjoy the ride and maybe it will work out just beautifully.
If it falls apart on them later on it will be after the comic is finished and we will be none the worse for wear, right?
Viva Hanna and Marek!!!!
jon
Needle pinned on the awkward-ometer.
Lily
my heart! hanna has been so lost, like, identity-wise, since she and marek split. does anyone have a timeline? It must've been at least more than a year since they've seen each other. probably more? hanna has become so hardened… and she needed someone to ask her that and to hold her accountable. I feel like most of the friends she's pushed out of her life would be willing to talk about it if hanna was able to bring that guard of hers down. Not sure what the future holds for these two, but it's appropriate Marek would be the one to pull away the veil (so to speak).
Anna
Ahhhhh my heart!
On the one hand I desperately want another comic to be posted soon so I can find out what happens between these two (and Hanna and Mar), but that would mean the end of OP drawing nearer and my heart can't take it.
Anna Tannas
Also, am I the only one that looks forward to reading all of the OP comments? I find that OP readers have such smart and thoughtful commentary that sometimes I enjoy reading what they have to say as much as the comic itself!
Busty_Laroo
Omfg Eve and Will you two kill me so hard.
This scene has just been… so heart wrenching. What will happen aaaauuugh
Freya
I want Hanna and Marek to work out. I want it with every fibre of my being. Marek loves Hanna. Hanna doesn't love herself, but maybe she's ready to try — to actually give herself a chance. I think Marek represents that — it's up to her — he wants in, he didn't ask her to have children but he expressed his desire to do so. She made up her mind that they 'couldn't' work. He saw her later on and asked her how she was doing, and she made up her mind that it was because he felt that she couldn't function without him — I think he genuinely cares. I think the entire arc is about her selfish interpretation of others to the most detrimental personal effect. She pushes people away because the thought that they find her worthY when she sees herself as worthLESS is unacceptable. But maybe, just maybe, she has a glimmer of hope that she can accept someone else as worth being worthy with.
maybe?
Sarah
Eve's strut is straight outta the video of that sweet girl who crashed her dad's important Skype interview ?
Chad
The paneling in this comic is just fantastic. I love how much it matches the separation and anxiety of the conversation. The panels are really spaced out or mismatched to each other to showcase the distance been Hannah and Marek, and only when there is a glimmer of possible discussion/understanding do they actually come closer to each other.
Great work as always!
lurkermclurkerson
fuuuuuuck i love this page.