Amidst the guesses on the forums wondering how Mario was supposed to get his physicality back from a mere epiphany, I was surprised no one remembered the Yoshis! But I wanted to still stress that Mario isn’t physically capable of much, which is why he’s achin’ at the end of this strip.

A few of you guessed Bowser Jr. early on due to the hint provided in part 4 (check his hair), and since this is the internet, if one guy posts it, everyone knows! Oh well, hopefully it was still a surprise to some of you out there, and I also hope that his childhood trauma didn’t seem like too much of a stretch. But hey, like in Up, it shows that even the elderly can still outwit the baddies.

Forgive the lateness of this strip. A certain friend of mine (let’s call her…”Sawaluigi”) has stopped in and delayed production a bit. There’s also a ton of family stuff going on for the next few days, so regrettably, getting the eighth and FINAL chapter of this saga out by Christmas may be an impossibility. But I’ll try, darn it, and if nothing else, it’ll be out by the end of this year. Then we’ll finally see Bowser Sr. and the finale.

If I don’t see you before then, have a merry Christmas!~

-By Matthew

UPDATE: Well guys, as much as I would’ve liked to finish this in time, it looks like I’m delivering nothin’ but a lump of coal! For the next several days, I’ll be on a holiday family trip; my goal is to have the final part up by late next Thursday or so, making for the final update of the year. Until then, enjoy your holidays and check yourself if you happen to be visited by any spooks.