“Dementerpol” of course being an abbreviation of “Dimensional Interpolation,” also known as Escherspace. Think it’ll stick?

We’ve seen Ben in that getup before, back when he was experimenting with Westward’s Escherspace engine. It was Phobos’ way of directly interfacing with the engine’s space-time navigation data; data extrapolated, as it turned out, from the subconscious minds of the crew. And that little tidbit might give you a clue as to why dear old Doctor Faust is being monitored.

I’m looking forward to getting back into the swing of Westward after two weeks of fourteen-hour workdays that didn’t do anything good for the comic strip buffer. It doesn’t seem to have called for a delay in publication yet. But if you’d like to help ensure that Westward can continue to be published without hiccups (not to mention creative exhaustion), please consider becoming a supporter on Patreon. We’re about one third of the way to reaching our first benchmark goal, which will mean a guarantee of no more hiatuses! After that, the real prize: More Westward, more often. We can do it together! -e