Yes, dear readers, this is another Fallout reference. There is an ability (perk) in the games known as Mysterious Stranger. If you have this perk, there's a chance a mysterious stranger will suddenly appear during combat, kill an enemy for you, and then vanish. It's amusing, if difficult to reconcile story-wise.

I wasn't thinking of Fallout when I wrote the words "mysterious stranger" for a recent comic's script (panel five), but it did occur to me later on during the comic's production. I'm not the only one who thought of it, either. Someone on Twitter asked me if it was an intentional reference. It wasn't, but it has given me an excuse to draw Elliot in a trench coat and fedora, so huzzah.

In the actual image for the Mysterious Stranger perk, the stranger is holding a cigarette and a gun. Elliot doesn't smoke or use firearms, so I gave him a hamburger and had him make a fist instead. I must admit that the hamburger sort of looks like a hot dog, which would also be acceptable, but it is very much worth noting that Elliot prefers hamburgers. I'm not sure why this is worth noting, but I know a notable note when I see one.

On a personal note, I prefer not having some random guy show up and defeat my enemies for me, so I've never taken the Mysterious Stranger perk. I've seen videos of it, and I've concluded that I would find it more annoying than helpful. That isn't to say it's a bad perk; it's just not my cup of tea regardless of how fun the concept might be.