The Pretty Voice Says Ka-Boom!

If there’s one thing you can count on when traveling with a magical, rainbow-obsessed companion, it’s that life will never be boring. But as our favorite grumpy elemental, Troll (otherwise known to his celestial family as Thag), is quickly finding out, “exciting” often translates to “extremely hazardous to one’s health.”

In today’s dramatic—and incredibly smoky—panel from The Strange Metal Cave, our duo has just survived a heart-stopping rescue. After Unicorn accidentally slipped and took a disastrous tumble into the glowing core of a crashed starship, Troll had to tap into his own green telekinetic magic to pull his cheerful friend back from a gravity-defying pit. But while they are safely back on solid ground, they aren’t out of the woods yet. In fact, they are surrounded by a thick, swirling green haze, and the ship’s computerized voice is delivering some rather alarming news.

The comedy here lies entirely in the brilliant contrast of their personalities. Look at poor Troll’s face! His eyes are spinning in dizzy little spirals behind his goggles, completely overwhelmed by the sheer panic of the situation. He knows exactly what a reactor breach means, and his logical, scientific mind is screaming at him to run as fast as those hairy feet will carry them. “Seriously dude! We have to get away from this place!” he pleads, desperate to inject a bit of urgency into the situation.

And how does Unicorn react? With absolute, pure, adorable oblivion. Pointing a dainty hoof toward the ceiling, he happily translates the intercom’s polite warning: “The pretty voice thays it is going to explode!” To Unicorn, the computerized warning isn’t a terrifying death knell; it’s just a lovely, polite lady giving them a friendly heads-up. He’s just so incredibly grateful that his grumpy buddy saved him yet again—lispy “thankths” and all—that the imminent vaporization of their surroundings feels like a minor detail.

This panel perfectly captures the warm, chaotic heart of their relationship. Troll acts like he’s a reluctant guide just trying to get his exile over with, but the moment Unicorn is in danger, he doesn’t hesitate. Now, though, they have a major problem. With a self-destruct countdown ticking away in the background, they have to navigate a labyrinthine, sci-fi wreck. Will they find a way out before the “pretty voice” finishes her countdown? Or is this journey over before it even truly begins?