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Concerned: The Half-Life and Death of Gordon Frohman
Gordon Frohman arriving in City 17, as Doctor Breen (center) broadcasts to the masses.
Author(s)Christopher C. Livingston
Websitehttp://www.hlcomic.com/
Current status/scheduleUpdates Tuesday and Thursday (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday before August 24 2006[1])
Launch dateMay 1, 2005
Genre(s)Video game, humor

Concerned (Full title: Concerned: The Half-Life and Death of Gordon Frohman) is a webcomic by Christopher C. Livingston, parodying the popular first-person shooter computer game Half-Life 2. The comic is constructed from game screenshots, with characters posed using Garry's Mod. Issues used to be released on a Monday/Wednesday/Friday basis, but this has changed to two new issues every week on Tuesday and Thursday, citing Livingston's job; additionally, the comic is said to be nearing its completion.[1]

Livingston has stated that the comic will not continue through Half-Life 2: Episode One, (the first of an episodic series following Half-Life 2): "I thought about it a bit, but [Episode One] doesn't really lend itself to the type of comic I'd want to do."[2]

Plot

Template:Spoilers

In Half-Life 2, the player takes on the role of Gordon Freeman. Throughout the game, the player follows the story of a dark, dystopian future in which mankind has been invaded by the Combine, a mysterious alien enemy.

File:Gordon Frohman.jpg
Frohman up close, wearing the rebel outfit worn by Resistance soldiers.

In contrast, Concerned follows the same general path through the story established by Half-Life 2, but instead follows the adventures of Gordon Frohman, a hapless, lethally clumsy oaf who arrives in City 17 a few weeks before Freeman. Frohman is incredibly naïve and, unlike the other citizens, seems to enjoy living under the rule of the totalitarian administrator, Dr. Breen and the Combine. He holds an insane reverence for the latter, even going to the point of having a plush doll of a Combine soldier and willingly going to Nova Prospekt for invasive surgery to join the Overwatch. Indeed (as happened in Ravenholm) he finds it hard to cope without their omnipresence, and goes to the lengths of building his own Citadel out of crates, a telescreen for watching Breencasts and an apparently fully functional Strider (although he never turns it on).

Frohman, accompanied by several "bugbait"-controlled Antlions, eventually reaches Nova Prospekt, only to be turned away as he did not have an appointment[3]. Frohman gives up and returns to City 17 in the following strip, content of the city's provisions, as Gordon Freeman finally arrives in the city, linking the comic's timeframe with the start of Half-Life 2.[4]

File:Gordon Frohman as Medic.jpg
Gordon Frohman dressed up as a medic in strip #165.

Frohman has been recruited into the Resistance (handled by Barney Calhoun), and fails to disrupt their operations. He unintentionally signals the start of the Resistance's uprising after accidentally killing a Metro Cop using one of his Antlions, Edward Junior. During the fighting, Frohman attempted to pose as a Metro Cop in order to avoid gunfire from the Combine only to be shot at again, this time by the Resistance. He eventually settles into the role of Resistance medic. At one point of the battle, Frohman joins Freeman's squad, albeit briefly, before Freeman abandons him, thinking he was killed by a mine. Upon realizing he was left behind, Frohman criticizes Freeman and claims that he can lead the Resistance as well as Freeman can. The subsequent argument with other Resistance fighters leads to Frohman recalling in detail his employment in the Black Mesa Research Facility during Half-Life. His stories grow increasingly unbelievable, and the rest of the fighters become annoyed and leave when he claims he had a pet Gargantua, though it transpires this was true (see trivia).

Now alone, he is soon stopped by a Combine patrol who mistake him for Freeman and proceed to question him regarding the whereabouts of Alyx Vance. As they describe her to him, he points out that she is climbing a building behind them, leading to her capture. The Combine plan to execute him anyway, but he is rescued when Norman Frohman, Gordon's assassin twin brother who has been missing for years, kills the soldiers. Together, they head to the Combine's Overwatch Nexus, but are attacked by Striders while they wait in line to help Gordon Freeman. With Norman condemning Gordon's incompetence, Gordon attempted to trick Norman with the intent of pushing him down, only to stop at the last second (claiming that he can't bring himself to do so to his own brother) and witness Norman being impaled by a Strider's leg — something that would have been prevented if he had pushed Norman over.

Following this, Gordon returns to the Citadel, and Dr. Breen's office. From there, he attempts to aid the Combine in stripping Gordon Freeman of all weapons in a confiscation field, successfully removing all but the Gravity Gun, which he wishes not to delete; it becomes infused with Dark Energy, gaining the ability to kill Combine soldiers. When Breen inquires as to how it happened, Frohman blames it on Overwatch Elite soldier Henderson, who is promptly fired and strips himself of his uniform and leaves. Frohman wears it, and finds himself facing Dr. Judith Mossman, and Freeman arriving in a stalker pod with his gravity gun, which Frohman proceeds to reclaim from Freeman (thus depicting Frohman as the soldier who seizes Freeman's gravity gun in Half-Life 2). Believing that he could now play with the weapon, he accidentally carries it into Dr. Breen's office and is ordered to put it on a table. Disappointed, Frohman leaves the office, and decides to come back for the weapon later. Unfortunately, Gordon Frohman is unaware that the "meeting" that he considers boring is a pivotal moment in Half-Life 2; Gordon and the Vances escape and Gordon pursues Dr. Breen to his teleporter. In the light of the incident, Frohman proceeds to don his old rebel clothing, and attempts to kill Freeman with a crossbow. He spends too long trying to come up with a one liner, and Dr. Breen's teleporter explodes. As the explosion hurtles towards our hero with seconds to act he strikes a dramatic pose, waiting for something to save him. He soon finds himself falling off the citadel peak, flung off by the explosion. As he falls, he ponders on weither your life does flash before your eyes before death, but he soon finds that his only death does.

Theme

Much of the comic's dark humor is derived from its contrasts with Half-Life 2: in a depressing, dark vision of a conquered humanity's future, Gordon Freeman becomes a hero and savior; the similarly-named Gordon Frohman, on the other hand, is just an average guy, improbably cheerful to the point of stupidity, and somewhat naïve as to what is actually going on around him (for instance, Frohman fails to realise that his return-addressed letters to Doctor Breen reveal his location, and so result in that location being invaded, bombed or otherwise compromised).

The comic contains many references to events and objects in the game. In one comic, Frohman makes a clerical error that causes the Combine to order far too many explosive barrels,[5] thus suggesting an explanation for the barrels' ubiquity throughout City 17 and beyond. In another strip, he writes a letter to Dr. Breen asking why using his flashlight reduces his ability to run,[6] a reference to Half-Life 2's flashlight and sprint functions using the same power source. In another, his presence in the town of Ravenholm ends with it becoming the headcrab-infested ghost town seen in Half-Life 2 (after he wrote to Breen expressing his happiness with being there, giving away Ravenholm's location). Indeed, Frohman seems to (intentionally or accidentally) cause many of the disastrous circumstances that Gordon Freeman runs across, as he accidentally gives Breen the idea of headcrab shells while on a radio, and sets up all of the traps in Ravenholm himself in attempts to catch or kill Father Grigori. Along with that, it is revealed that, at the Black Mesa Research facility, he caused the Black Mesa Incident by accidentally delivering a wedge of cheese to the test chamber, giving the explanation that the borderworld is apparently very "lactose intolerant"[7] (this last point however has been subject to controversy since it ignores the events of Half-Life: Decay, which Livingston admitted he didn't play[8]). Other events that had resulted from Frohman's intervention and developed into the scenes seen by Gordon Freeman include:

  • Stranding two citizens in the middle of an Antlion infested territory near a beach.[9]
  • Accidentally aiding the human Resistance in obtaining large amounts of weapons for their uprising.
  • Inspiring Breen to keep the security alert going despite the fact Freeman had sealed himself in a metal container that he cannot open from the inside or control where it goes.
  • Causing the weapon confiscation field to "upgrade" Gordon Freeman's gravity gun with increase power and the ability to manipulate organic matter (namely, Combine soldiers).

As such, the comic is chiefly targeted towards those who have played the game, but short "notes" sections appended to many of the comics attempt to give non-players some context.

It is also apparent that Frohman may be aware of his existence in Half-Life 2[10], and also referenced the time period[11] and linearity[12] of the game.

Since Concerned follows a similar path through the Half-Life 2 universe as the game, the comic contains spoilers for those who have not yet played it.

Additional information

Origin of comic name

Concerned derives its name from one of the propaganda broadcasts by Dr. Breen in Half-Life 2 in which he is reading a letter supposedly written by a citizen:

"Let me read a letter I recently received. 'Dear Dr. Breen. Why has the Combine seen fit to suppress our reproductive cycle? Sincerely, a concerned citizen.' Thank you for writing, Concerned."

Frohman is a big fan of Dr. Breen, writing frequent letters to the administrator and calling his broadcasts "The Dr. Breen Show." In one letter in which Frohman complains "I got no angle in my dangle! You feel me?", he finishes with the part Breen reads in his announcement (but not without adding a postscript, "PS: Seriously! Frohman gots to get his freak on! PPS: I love your show! You rock! TTYL!"). Thus, "Concerned" is meant to be Frohman himself.

Combine funeral and mourning strips

During Gordon Freeman's run through Highway 17, his actions are shown from the Combine's perspective; after killing a soldier named Frank with a lawn chair launched from the gravity gun, several follow-up strips track his funeral and mourning by companions (and his two children), in a faux-serious style. Some readers took the strips seriously, not having considered the impact Freeman's constant struggle had against his enemies. (This coincidentally mirrors a statement by Breen in Half-Life 2 - "You have destroyed so much. What is it, exactly, that you have created? Can you name even one thing? I thought not.")

The author has stated that the strips were not intended to be serious. ("I will never intentionally be serious, deep, meaningful, or poignant here. Ever."[13]) Livingston assured his readers that, on the contrary, the comic was only meant to be comical, perhaps in a similar fashion to an Austin Powers scene involving the families of the homogeneous "evil henchmen" Powers has killed.

Recurring gags

Chris Livingston often makes references to earlier strips of Concerned, once noting: "Here at Concerned, we care about the environment. That's why we recycle jokes as often as possible."[14] Some of these recurring themes include:

  • Shooting vortigaunts - In Half-Life, vortigaunts are a common alien enemy of the main character. However, in Half-Life 2, the vortigaunts are now allies. Gordon Freeman ends up working with the vortigaunts, while Gordon Frohman has a hard time accepting this, and his first impulse upon seeing a vortigaunt is to shoot it.[15] [14] [16] However, it is impossible in Half-Life 2 for the main character to kill friendly units, and Concerned mirrors this.
  • Ordering 100,000 _______s - As mentioned in the "Theme" section, Frohman tends to work at keyboards where he claims "the zero key sticks," resulting in him ordering large number of items abundant in Half-Life 2, including explosive barrels[5] (which resulted in barrels appearing in following strips, before the idea was no longer in use), supply crates,[14] sawblades,[17] and scanners.[18] However, during Frohman's time in Black Mesa, he is revealed to have done the opposite for long-jump modules on HEV suits, by ordering only one instead of 100 of them.[19]
  • Counter-Strike - Counter-Strike (CS) is the most popular mod of the Half-Life series, spawning its own community. While events in the CS universe is intended to happen on a completely separate plotline from Half-Life, Gordon Frohman has been teleported to a CS server from Doctor Kleiner's lab[20], and launched from a headcrab shell launcher in Lost Coast into another CS map, inadvertently, and lethally, crushing a hostage NPC[21]. Livingston says that he's not much of a CS person, and ends up making jokes on the lesser points of the game. For example, exaggerating the fact that most people in the game talk rudely in a sort of internet slang.
  • The G-Man - Throughout Concerned, Frohman has stumbled across the G-Man in a manner similar to which Gordon Freeman does in Half-Life 2; however, while the G-Man that Gordon Freeman knows is elusive and cryptic, Frohman has been able to converse or interact with him a few times; shattering his attempts at elusivity and "G-Peeps." The G-Man has appeared at least once (obviously or otherwise) in every past chapter of the comic, except the prologue strip:
    • Chapter 0 = Nowhere
    • Chapter 1 = Pages 9, 10, 11 & 12
    • Chapter 2 = Page 31
    • Chapter 3 = Page 55
    • Chapter 4 = Pages 69 & 70
    • Chapter 5 = Page 74 (on a security monitor)
    • Chapter 6 = Page 87
    • Chapter 7 = Page 103, 104, 105
    • Chapter 8 = Page 126 (behind pole), 131, 140
    • Chapter 9 = Page 145 (behind third panel window)
    • Chapter 10 = Page 168
    • Chapter 11 = Page 177 & 182 (behind third panel window)
    • Chapter 12 = Page 192 (third panel on a ledge)
    In Concerned-ish, a set of guest strips released during one of Livingston's hiatus, it is indicated that there are numerous G-Men (who talk and act like normal humans, and perceive the G-Man accompanying Frohman as abnormal).[22]
  • "Frohman"-"Freeman" confusion - Gordon Frohman's name is an obvious play of Gordon Freeman, the main character of the Half-Life series. It's also the subject of confusion by several minor characters, who mistake him for Freeman,[23] [24] and vice-versa.[25] A later strip goes further to depict Frohman being mistaken by Combine soldiers to be Freeman, by simply donning the same glasses the latter wears.[26] At one point, Frohman even mistakes his own brother's name, Norman Frohman, for Norman Freeman. Despite these similarities, the personalities of both Frohman and Freeman are very different and distinguishable.
  • Levitating objects - As an observation that when objects are picked up with the "use" key in Half-Life 2, they are held in front of the player without any visible means of support. Frohman is depicted with this odd ability while holding certain objects,[27] [28] [29] and is apparently aware of this.[27] Livingston has stated in the strip's notes that he is determined to make more use of this gag.[28]
  • Medkits - The comic pokes fun at the way medical kits (medkits) are used in Half-Life 2 and first-person shooters in general. Medkits are found in abrupt places, are capable of removing Frohman's bloodstains and instantly disappear after use,[30] and later they are seen as a replacement for all medicine and doctors in general[31] and are activated by touch.[32] A medkit has even been revealed to help Frohman recover from fully developed mutations of a headcrab infestation.[33]

Trivia

  • Frohman hints that he may be Jewish (replying "I'm really more of a synagogue kind of guy" when he is directed to a church on a nearby clifftop)[34]. He may, however, simply be grasping for an excuse not to climb the cliff, or he may have an aversion to churches due to his time in Ravenholm, where Father Grigori frequently and enigmatically told him to "head for the church" without actually telling him its location. This eventually sent Frohman into a vengeful fury[35].
Frohman meeting one of the various Barneys at Black Mesa in strip #176.
  • Frohman reminiscences working as a clerk at the Black Mesa Research Facility for a few weeks. Despite having taken place years before Half-Life 2, the younger Frohman looked exactly the same as he does during Half-Life 2. He was also dressed in the same blue uniform worn by many citizens in Half-Life 2, believing that he is a "trendsetter" and that everyone would be wearing it in the future.[36] After unintentionally triggering the Black Mesa Incident, he is seen to have reestablished a love relationship between a HECU soldier and a female Black Ops assassin, and had a pet Gargantua named "Herschel." Despite the outrageous nature of Frohman's exploits, it is evidenced to have happened, with a picture in Frohman's present possession depicting him, the soldier, the assassin and the Gargantua.[8]
  • Gordon Frohman is known to have two relatives. He had a grandfather, named Morgan Frohman (presumably a spoof of Morgan Freeman's name), who participated and died in World War II, all while wearing a "zoot suit" and speaking in "period slang"[37]. The flashback from World War II was made using Day of Defeat: Source content. Gordon is also revealed to have a long lost twin brother, Norman Frohman, who is "a soldier [,] special ops [,] deadly with a weapon [and] deadlier unarmed."[38] He is killed after a Strider impales him.
  • As revealed by conversations with his twin brother, Norman, Gordon (and, presumably, Norman) was born on November 20[39], and is 39 years old[40].
  • The names of all chapters of the comic (except the prologue) are puns of those seen in Half-Life 2, and at times relay the theme of the chapters in the comic:
    • Pointless Insertion - Chapter 1: Point Insertion
    • A Read Letter Day - Chapter 2: "A Red Letter Day"
    • Route Banal - Chapter 3: Route Kanal
    • Water Haphazard - Chapter 4: Water Hazard
    • Black Mesa Guest - Chapter 5: Black Mesa East
    • We Still Go To Ravenholm - Chapter 6: "We Don't Go To Ravenholm..."
    • Bike Lane 17 - Chapter 7: Highway 17
    • Sand Trip - Chapter 8: Sandtraps
    • No Prospekts - Chapter 9: Nova Prospekt
    • Chapter 9a: Entanglement was never a chapter in the comic, as Frohman was never allowed to venture further into Nova Prospekt and access the Combine depot, as Freeman would. The author stated that he had drawn out some comics for it called "Befuddlement," and may put them up as a "lost chapter" when the series is completed.
    • Anticitizen 101 - Chapter 10: Anticitizen One
    • Follow, Frohman - Chapter 11: "Follow Freeman!"
    • Tower Malefactor - Chapter 12: "Our Benefactors".
    • Dork Energy - Chapter 13: "Dark Energy"
  • Frohman hints of being a vegetarian. In comic #100, a Combine sniper dies of natural causes - cholesterol, from which Frohman cites his reason to avoid eating meat.[41] This is not referenced elsewhere in the comic.
  • In one of the comics, Frohman mistakes the borderworld sample for Bournes Pasteurised Organic Cheshire Cheese,[7] which is a reference to a section devoted to BPOCC in the Concerned Internet forum.[42]
  • Frohman proves to be tolerant to damage up to the point of near invulnerability, taking fatal injuries yet managing to survive and recover. Serious incidents Frohman sustains include:
    • Having a pipe stuck through his mid length.[43]
    • Taking an axe to the head.[43]
    • Having his leg bent fowards.[43]
    • Submerging his feet in ankle-deep toxic substances.[44]
    • Catching fire.[44]
    • Getting caught in various explosions (hunter-chopper mines,[45] grenades[41] and exploding barrels[46]).
    • Receiving multiple gunshots (from Combine forces,[47] [48] resistance fighters,[47] and various others).
    • Thrown onto solid objects at high speed.[49]
    • Turning into a zombie by a headcrab but managing to retain his free will[50] (it is later revealed that Frohman's suggestively small brain starved the headcrab to death, allowing him to retrieve a medical kit and completely recover).[33]

Template:Endspoiler

Appearances on media

Concerned has been the subject of articles or sidebars in the following publications:

  • Computer Gaming World - January 2006 issue, page 52, in "Public Access" section. Article titled "Funny Freeman", which includes two Concerned comics made exclusively for the magazine. Comics #1-60 included on issue's coverdisc.
  • Half-Life 2: Episode One - An Easter egg sees two rebels converse with several humorous lines, including a possible reference to Concerned:

    "I don't miss Dr. Breen, but I do miss his show. Remember when they had the jugglers on?"

    However, the comic's author disputes this assertion:

    "A lot of people writing in about this are of the opinion that this is a reference, by Valve, to my comic. Well... I don't really think so myself. It's a bit of a stretch, and while I know certain people at Valve are aware of my comic, I just can't imagine them going out of their way to reference it in the game. (Plus, I've never had jugglers in the comic.) It's a nice thought, though! And thanks for writing to me about it, I didn't hear it the first time I played."[51]

  • PC Gamer US - May 2006 issue, page 58, article titled "Concerned".
  • PC Gamer UK - March 2006 issue, page 109, "Extra-Life" section. Article titled "Concerned". Comics #1-100 included on issue's coverdisc. Same article printed in the May 2006 issue of American PC Gamer , on page 58.
  • PC Zone - January 2006 issue, sidebar, titled "A Little Concerned".

References

  1. ^ a b "Comic Update Schedule Change". Concerned, "The Extras" section. Retrieved August 30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ Concerned #183. URL accessed on August 16, 2006.
  3. ^ Concerned #145. URL accessed on June 4, 2006.
  4. ^ Concerned #147. URL accessed on August 31, 2006.
  5. ^ a b Concerned #021. URL accessed on June 4, 2006.
  6. ^ Concerned #020. URL accessed on July 25, 2006.
  7. ^ a b Concerned #178. URL accessed on August 4, 2006.
  8. ^ a b Concerned #179. URL accessed on August 8, 2006.
  9. ^ Concerned #144 URL accessed on September 13, 2006.
  10. ^ Concerned #007. URL accessed on June 16, 2006.
  11. ^ Concerned #014. URL accessed on June 11, 2006.
  12. ^ Concerned #084. URL accessed on June 11, 2006.
  13. ^ Concerned #152. URL accessed on June 11, 2006.
  14. ^ a b c Concerned #073. URL accessed on June 24, 2006.
  15. ^ Concerned #054. URL accessed on September 13, 2006.
  16. ^ Concerned #137. URL accessed on September 13, 2006.
  17. ^ Concerned #088. URL accessed on June 24, 2006.
  18. ^ Concerned #148. URL accessed on June 24, 2006.
  19. ^ Concerned #177. URL accessed on August 3, 2006.
  20. ^ Concerned #040. URL accessed on June 4, 2006.
  21. ^ Concerned #110. URL accessed on June 4, 2006.
  22. ^ Concerned #103. URL accessed on July 16, 2006
  23. ^ Concerned #004. URL accessed on July 16, 2006.
  24. ^ Concerned #005. URL accessed on July 16, 2006.
  25. ^ Concerned #150. URL accessed on July 16, 2006.
  26. ^ Concerned #180. URL accessed on August 9, 2006.
  27. ^ a b Concerned #007. URL accessed on July 25, 2006.
  28. ^ a b Concerned #034. URL accessed on July 25, 2006.
  29. ^ Concerned #023. URL accessed on July 25, 2006.
  30. ^ Concerned #049. URL accessed on July 30, 2006.
  31. ^ Concerned #166. URL accessed on July 30, 2006.
  32. ^ Concerned #168. URL accessed on July 30, 2006.
  33. ^ a b Concerned #095 URL accessed on September 13, 2006.
  34. ^ Concerned #108. URL accessed on June 7, 2006.
  35. ^ Concerned #087. URL accessed on June 4, 2006.
  36. ^ Concerned #175. URL accessed on June 7, 2006.
  37. ^ Concerned #158. URL accessed on June 7, 2006.
  38. ^ Concerned #181. URL accessed on August 12, 2006.
  39. ^ Concerned #182. URL accessed on August 29, 2006.
  40. ^ Concerned #186. URL accessed on August 29, 2006.
  41. ^ a b Concerned #100. URL accessed on August 4, 2006.
  42. ^ Concerned Forum Index -> Bournes Pasteurised Organic Cheshire Cheese. URL accessed on September 13, 2006.
  43. ^ a b c Concerned #058. URL accessed on October 3, 2006.
  44. ^ a b Concerned #057. URL accessed on October 3, 2006.
  45. ^ Concerned #068. URL accessed on October 3, 2006.
  46. ^ Concerned #066. URL accessed on October 3, 2006.
  47. ^ a b Concerned #164. URL accessed on October 3, 2006.
  48. ^ Concerned #045. URL accessed on October 3, 2006.
  49. ^ Concerned #069. URL accessed on October 3, 2006.
  50. ^ Concerned #091. URL accessed on October 3, 2006.
  51. ^ Concerned #162. URL accessed on June 16, 2006.
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