Blood Money

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This page is about the comic Blood Money. For the Jungle Inferno Campaign Gift Shop currency Blood Money, see Jungle Inferno ConTracker.
Blood Money
Bloodmoney01.jpg
Comic Strip Info
Released: October 29, 2014
Number of pages: 12
Artist: Heather "makani" Campbell
Jim Murray (cover)
Writer: Jay Pinkerton & Erik Wolpaw
Colorist: Maren "rennerei" Marmulla

Blood Money is a comic that was released on October 29, 2014 along with Scream Fortress 2014. It tells of Merasmus's struggle to create an evil circus for the Evil Circus God "Bonzo".

Synopsis

At the beginning of the comic, Merasmus is seen beholding a statue of the evil circus god "Bonzo", claiming that carnivals were invented by the Ancient Sumerians for evil purposes. Merasmus claims that he carved Bonzo from a "wooden meteorite of an unknown origin". The comic then cuts to outside where a evil circus repairman named Steve, accompanied by Merasmus, is trying to figure out why the statue does not work. Steve gives the classic "on/off" and "is it plugged in" questions. Steve then comments on the smell, which Merasmus dramatically claims to be the scent of "a thousand burning souls". Clearly doubtful, Steve asks if it is scented candles, and Merasmus even more dramatically (and more specifically) exclaims that it is the "sandalwood of a thousand burning scented candles" (thus the scent of a thousand burning (sandal) soles). Steve begins to wonder if there is a "corpse problem"; that is, maybe, the evil circus doesn't have enough corpses. Merasmus realizes that he forgot to build the carnival over an ancient burial site. Steve says fixing it would be expensive, and Merasmus explains that he does not have the money to fix it, having gone "twelve thousand deep to the Japanese Mafia" and then spending it all on an extremely large "Strongman (test your strength)" machine. However, Merasmus finds a loophole; the burial ground does not need to pre-exist, neither does it have to be a burial beneath the carnival (or ancient, for that matter). In order to find a "buncha' idiots" to solve his "corpse problem", Merasmus goes to RED team's Halloween party where he is greeted by his old roommate, Soldier. Waving a raccoon bite-riddled hand, Soldier invites Merasmus inside, claiming they were just talking about killing him. The comic leaves off with text reading "Get ready for Scream Fortress VI".

Pages

Trivia

Cover
  • All of the mercenaries in the crystal ball are on the RED team, except for the BLU Spy behind the Scout, referencing speculation of Scout's parentage.
  • The term blood money refers to money obtained at the cost of another's life or money paid to a victim's money by the killers.
Page 8
  • The Japanese Mafia mentioned in this comic most likely alludes to the Yakuza, the members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan.
Page 9
  • Merasmus's right pinky finger is visibly missing and bandaged on this and most other pages. This is a reference to Yubitsume, a Japanese ritual, almost exclusively performed by the Yakuza, where one would cut his/her own finger to be punished, to show apology, or to pay off debt.
    • In the October 29, 2014 Patch corresponding to the release of this comic, a bandage was added to the right pinky of the Merasmus game model.
Page 12

See also

External links