Comic #5182: thin-ice

Description

Here is a detailed description of the comic with transcribed text:

Panel 1:

A presenter with glasses and a suit stands in front of a projection screen displaying a graph. He has a serious expression.
Text: "SCIENTISTS MADE A STARTLING DISCOVERY. The polar ice caps are melting. According to a recent expedition, a hideous kraken from ancient past is frozen within. It must reduce fossil usage, or it will return to enslave and consume all humanity."

Panel 2:

A woman in professional attire gestures toward the screen. The graph shows a downward trend.
Text: "EVIDENCE WAS MUSTERED. You can see on this graph that the ice between us and Bjorugak, dread lord of the Frozenlands, has gotten thinner every year since 1966."

Panel 3:

A man raises his hand in doubt, frowning.
Text: "BUT THERE WERE DOUBTERS. Look, if scientists can't agree whether it's definitely happening soon or definitely happening REALLY SOON, how can we trust them about anything?"

Panel 4:

An animated character speaks passionately.
Text: "Politics made things worse. Look, global krakening MIGHT harm some, but those of us who long ago swore fealty to his illustrious tentacles could benefit! How come the GOVERNMENT never mentions that?"

Panel 5:

A man points to a chart, looking worried.
Text: "Conditions deteriorated… and this summer, experts predict more tentacle-strikes due to the increased number of tentacles that have started striking."

Panel 6:

Another presenter looks featured, looking concerned about business implications.
Text: "Happily, it began to be a problem for business. The kraken is eating personnel, but the long-term effect is similar."

Panel 7:

A leader appears serious, speaking to a crowd.
Text: "By the time the world united against danger, the only option left was geoengineering. I believe we can avoid a biblical-style cataclysm by blotting out the sun and pouring iron upon the waters until they become as blood."

Panel 8:

Panel 9:

A headline appears at the top of a fictional news tabloid.
Text: "CELEBRITY ORIFICES A GUIDE FOR SUMMER. Monster on the loose. Horrible death imminent."

Panel 10:

Two characters stand looking sheepish in a room, contemplating.
Text: "WE PREPARED TO DIE IN SHAME. All those years you said our children’s children would resent us. Looks like that was WRONG!"

Panel 11:

A character side-eyes another character with a grin, lightening the mood.
Text: "Fortunately, it turned out we had banded together all along. Scientists say that while swimming through the ocean, the monster ingested so much plastic that it asphyxiated and died."

Panel 12:

This transcription captures the comic's text along with context and character interactions for improved accessibility.