Grrl Power #474 – Disassembly line
I have been dissatisfied with my kind of boring panel layouts, so I decided to experiment a little. Hopefully this page isn’t confusing at all. As with the reddish skin tints, i.e. the red noses, (which you’ll notice I totally forgot to do on this page :P) I may over do it before I correct back to a happy medium (or forget to do altogether.) BTW in panel 6 it looks like the door is suddenly restored, but that’s the reverse angle of the hall. You really should be able to see the council’s table between in front of it but I kind of forgot it/ran out of time.
Maxima’s “They didn’t know we’d be here” is a weird humblebrag, because it’s not really humble at all, but to… uh, I haven’t named him yet have I? The black guy in the trench coat who kind of looks like Fireball from the Running Man (I’m honestly surprised Hollywood hasn’t tried some lame reboot of that.) Anyway, he’s The Council’s Mage seat. And to his point, even if the people who sent these things knew Arc-SWAT would be in attendance, that’s still a far cry from being able to counter their power.
Speaking of Maxima on overwatch, I have considered doing some sort of comic showing exactly why she’s not in Overwatch. (Besides me not having any relationship with Blizzard and all the obvious reasons.) Maybe I’ll do that for the next vote incentive.
BTW no politics in the comments please. I know there’s a lot of emotion right now, but nothing is getting resolved by jerking up the comment section of a webcomic. Go organize the revolution on facebook or reddit or whatever if you need to.
Be sure to check out Wearing the Cape: Team-Ups & Crossovers. Sydney’s first Crossover! I’ve made a dedicated blog post for the book, please comment there.
Double res version will be posted over at Patreon, as soon as I get up. $1 and up, but feel free to contribute as much as you like :)
Here’s the link to the new comments highlighter for chrome, and the GitHub link which you can use to install on FireFox via Greasemonkey.
SuperheroThey're super, thanks for asking!
Meatspace ComicSeriously these are awesome. Check 'em out!
Not UpdatingNo longer updating or only updates sporadically, but definitely worth reading.
SeriouslySeriously you guys. If you like Grrl Power the check these out.
"Mature"Mature subject matter and occasionally something explicit but usually safe. Can't guarantee the ads are safe though.
Dongs Ahoy!Full frontal and backal. Lots of skin, sex on some or all pages, explicit or otherwise.
When dealing with Golems, one must destroy each and every component part of them, to ensure this annoyance doesn’t happen. >.>! 30+ years roleplaying. ALWAYS make sure to leave no corpses.
Same rule applies to serial killing and assassinations
I play rogue.
And to slaying Dracula.
I watched Buffy.
Buffy is curled up asleep, at my feet, as I type this.
*gently places a blanket over her, to avoid waking her*
Truly a D’aww-inspiring moment.
I love extra corpses after a fight, but I tend to play a Necromancer, so….
Once the paper in its mouth is changed to stop by erasing one Hebrew letter it is just clay again. Still better to bake that clay to be sure. Some creatures can be killed, but they regenerate and if you don’t destroy them utterly they come back even from dust. And the very rare few who can never be fully destroyed. So you encase them in steel and sink them in the deepest trench. It is the only way to be sure…in The Strain that almost happened to the Master and did to a former Nazi turned vampire, chopped and sunk. A most horrible form of torture.
Thought the word was carved on the Golem’s forehead, but yeah.
I know where the wiping Hebrew letter thing is from… it’s on the tip of my tongue… is it “Soulless”, that Victorian Era supernatural book series? Yen Press published a manga adaptation of it.
It significantly predates that, so the work you are citing would only be referring to the older sources.
I think I have figured out the mastermind behind the attack. It is Buster from the Mythbusters series. He spent ten years getting dropped out of planes, smashed in car wrecks, set on fire, and blown up by about every method known. This is his way of getting revenge.
He he. And he did have a family!
Oh, God, the spawn of Buster and Skynet! They are unstoppable!
Æmaeth / Maeth?
Snookums, is that you?
Thanks, Major
I hope at the end we find out what’s with the Lone Helmet. Maybe its that one part that makes it possible for the rest of it to reassemble. Or maybe it was a Living Armor that had a spell placed on it so it could incorporate more items into its influence but they had to be close to one of its original parts?
Creepy puppets with blades in their arms brings back some old Naruto memories.
When Sydney first spotted them with her Aura Sense, Lone Helmet was doing a weird breakdancing move with their arms, some speculated that maybe they were the ‘leader’ of the squad if not actually human (maybe even controlling them), just hope it wasn’t the lone human :eek:
But maybe it was an old ally or contemporary of Icon
Puppets with blades for arms. Reminds me of the Puppet Master movies.
While I posted earlier. it just occured to me. Syd’s using her MolestOrb.
So I wonder if she actually had fought one or if it was just her standard prep moment. but max ended it all too fast.
also in the rebuilding panel.. there is a random metal knight helmet looking thing…
I dont’ remember them not having a non police style face plate..
so.. is there another one or something?
We saw Lone Helmet when they were coming down the hall
Yep! And here he is!
Oh, no. Sorry. I was thinking of a different Helmet . . .
The correct one can be seen here.
Lol.
lol
I too was a little curious about what Sydney had been doing with her light hook – to use the more G rated name she was forced to use. She could have used it to help in the fight or she could have just been using it to help lower herself down from that hidden storage room.
I think I remember Yorp being of the opinion that Maxima probably fought all of the bad guys herself at super speed ans we do see Max tossing a severed foot into a pile. Perhaps Sydney was just using her light hook to help put all the smashed and disassembled mannequin debris into a single spot before anyone realized the bad guys would reassemble?
It looks like Sydney was on clean-up duty with her Molestorb
Yea the speed Maxima was moving at was the main reason for me thinking that. But it is plausible that Halo had used the lighthook, on one of them, in the prescribed, ‘pounding them into the ground’ manner. The one thing supporting my assumption, beyond Maxima’s sheer speed, is the nonplussed look Sydney has in the aftermath.
Yet the tentacle is in evidence. And we have seen Sydney react with instinctive speed before. So she could still be coming to terms with her own actions, in addition to registering the results of Maxima’s attack. It may well be that Halo has ‘an assist’ on her scorecard.
I’m thinkin’ about Ren (the black hulk, who hates that name and it isn’t official). Why not call him Process? Because he doesn’t get bigger or more armored or anything, just his mental acuity goes significantly up with adrenaline. Can still use gags with it. I thought of Calculator too, which is idiotic, and would sound semi-evil.
What is wrong with ‘Calculator’? It means ‘one who calculates’, Flicka is like Vibrator-man: only snippy about the name because he named himself
‘Process’ is cool. Processes can be either mental or physical. So the name addresses both aspects of his powers. Whilst ‘Calculator’ works fine for the mental, it does fall short as regards his physical capabilities.
I vote for ‘Process’.
Ok, but you’re going to have to give him his due.
Deus’ process is illegal.
Can it possibly be that nobody yet has commented on that very cool Succubus expression we learned on this page? “Dire Edge,” Dabbler says, which means “Serious Business.”
I will have to find a way to work it into my everyday conversations . . . 😉
Don’t worry, it has been inserted into my lexicon too. :-D
I hope that you have your onomatopoeia on a separate layer, DaveB? So that future generations can have Grrl Power easily translated into every language.
Reassembles
Reasssembatator
Reandele
Reanamachon
I hope that our New Zealand readers, plus their friends and family, are all OK from the earthquake and tsunami(s). I hope no water gets into any hobbit holes.
Hear, Hear! And seconded!
Or indeed into any hobbits!
Tsunami’s? Haven’t heard anything about those, but felt the earthquake last night, bigger than the one that put Christchurch into a tizzy (and still on cleanup and re-build), the whole house rocked and it sounded like Godzilla had moved in down the road
incineration is probably a bad idea these things where made to kill the council and im they have nasty surprises hidden all about them i’m sure they have something in store for when a council member attempts to burn them (cause i’m sure at least 1 council member can incinerate or burn things with little to no effort)
I actually think Dabbler looks *worse* in her glamoured getup than she did in the full plate version. Like, in this circumstance, it looks like she’s not respecting her body (even for a succubus), which means… why should anyone else, if she doesn’t?
Which is not to say she looks *much* worse, just that she’s overdoing it right now. Maybe she should learn artistic restraint?
Ahh, an interesting statement, as you are provoking me to dispute it, despite the fact that I am an ardent feminist. Of course I respect your opinion that her aesthetics have worsened, as everyone has their own feelings on such matters. The rest of it though, can be contested freely.
Firstly your stance is human oriented. And, secondly, it is a highly first-world centred at that! In cultures that had neither developed their own nudity taboos, nor been affected by those of the industrialised nations, you would routinely see women in hot countries wearing less than Dabbler. I certainly did, in my youth, anyhow. It was a simple matter of practicality, in a hot country. And flaunting their secondary sexual characteristics certainly did not hurt, when it came to finding a partner!
Returning to the first point though, which is also highly pertinent, as Dabbler is an alien, and is surrounded mostly by aliens and other supernatural beings. So expecting her to conform to human standards is rather arrogant. Likewise most of the audience she is playing to will be highly familiar with succubus culture, and (because she can read their minds on such matters) we know that she is doing this because it is appreciated by them.
Of course some may disapprove (there is a lot of variety in the audience) whilst others will be indifferent (species which do not reproduce sexually will not care, for example).* But those will not be the ones providing her with her next meal, so are not her priority. Those who are aroused by it are though. The quicker that she can get them interested (now or at a later date) the easier it will be to get her tantric nourishment. Avoiding starvation is a powerful social and personal drive!
So it again comes down to a matter of practicality. Human women, in colder climates, will find it more comfortable wrapping up. Plus those living in areas which have nudity taboos, will likely want to cover themselves up. Or be socially, religiously or legally pressured into it, if they do not. But those not living under such repressive regimes can respect their own bodies, rather than being ashamed of them! And, in suitably enlightened cultures, can expect others to do the same towards her.
Sadly that excludes much of Earth, due to globalisation, of nudity taboos. But Succubi are doing their best to ensure that the galaxy does not suffer the same fate!
* Even Icon with his “don’t make this weird” stance will likely be more concerned with her ‘humping the furniture’, when they should be fighting, than the fact she might be aroused by him. An inconvenience and potential risk, but not something that a non-sexual creature would otherwise be bothered by. They might be academically interested in it . But no more with it than we might wonder ‘do fish like music?’
I basically agree with most of what you said, and understand the logic behind the vast majority of it – but I disagree on parts of your third paragraph. While Dabbler is an alien, yes, she’s on Earth and trying to sort-of blend in – hence the glamours, like the rest of her species uses – so while I’m not saying she should completely conform to human standards, there is a minimum level to blend in (though given the venue, I might concede that point, given this is the ONLY instance I’m complaining about). I’m unclear on how much of what Dabbler did for her appearance was just for her style, and how much was for others appreciating it, so I won’t contest that.
What I’m trying to say is: for the current circumstance, I feel her appearance is, for the first time, wrong. Not because she’s in a skimpy getup, but because she appears to be in skimpy *armor* in a *melee* when there are other ways to appear in tasteful yet sensual armor – or just glamour away the armor entirely and appear to be in something mundane and revealing, then it removes the “chainmail bikini” trope, which I find rather sexist.
The “different society” thing and how succubi need to feed… I’m not sure completely what to make of that, given that she’s moving about in human society and trying not to be known as a succubus (outside ARCHON, mostly) and can look things up about our societies.
(The first-world perspective thing, though: she is moving about in a first-world area. Also, I did not say she’s not respecting her body – I said it *looks* like that, which is just a matter of gut feeling when looking at her. Intellectually, I know what she is and all that, just that doesn’t completely counter the gut feelings.)
Just remember: the armour is fully intact, it only appears to be gone
Forgot to add: why is it, if a woman wants to show her body, she is not respecting it? But, again, a man can show even more and not be considered doing the same? Body shaming is an evil and bullshit thing and needs to stop
It is not her appearance I’m complaining about – it is her appearance IN THIS CONTEXT. And yes, INTELLECTUALLY, I know it’s all still there – it just APPEARS to viewing like she’s senselessly putting her body at risk.
Like Dabbles said last page: being fully covered is just not a Succubi’s way, to her it’s just not natural or ‘normal’
I think hiding the weak spots which Icon has (due to her sporting 4 instead of the 2 arms he was designed to protect) behind distracting “visible” weak spots is actually quite clever.
Well – if the tank can make the mobs think “I’d hit that!” then the tank is a good tank. It does not matter how the tank does it, just how well the tank can take it. And… *cough* Dabbler can take it all right now.
Dabbles can take it all. night. long!! Twice with a hearty Knight (or two) :D
But yes, tricking an enemy to attack what appears to be a weak spot is a very good tactic, something that has been used (mostly) successfully for thousands of years
Finally found the clip about Dabbles doing it all night long
A normal chainmail bikini certainly is sexist. Personally I think Dabbler is being cunning here though. Things which cause an opponent* to hesitate are valuable in combat. Tasteful regular clothing will not do that. Sexy might, but a well-disciplined warrior** will just ignore that, and strike at the centre of mass, or whatever their standard training dictates. No thought required, just attack.
But a sexy outfit, which clearly has some parts armoured, will require a momentary assessment, to ensure that the armoured areas are avoided. Which requires looking at the target area, to ensure it is not armoured. Then you need to recall that every part of a succubus is literally hypnotic.
That scant bit of armour is making the enemy focus on something which can hypnotise them. If it succeeds, fight over. If it fails, there is still that momentary hesitation, fighting it off. A clever tactic indeed!
Presently though she is not though, so she need not give that any consideration. Everybody in this chamber knows the true score, so none of the human restrictions, which she utterly chaves under, need apply. Just think of how she continually teases Maxima because she is so prudish. Likewise when Arianna tried to keep Dabbler under control at the press conference, she was ignoring the device Arianna was using to try and signal her to stop.
So Dabbler outmaneuvered her by announcing that she has a ‘battle form’. Precisely so that she can be comfortable, in her own form, yet maintaining the pretence that she is a shapechanging super, rather than a demon. If Icon chooses to remain with her (no guarantee of that, as he has duties as a faction leader) Dabbler may well Decide to use the look in public too.
Dabbler is only paying lip-service to that, as I have outlined above. The only way she would not appear in her new sexy armour is if Maxima bans her from doing that in public. Which is more than likely, as Maxima has similar feelings and reservations as yourself, and will want to respect members of the public who feel that way.
Dabbler though represents the counter-argument to that, which is that it is her choice*** as to what to wear. She feels comfortable like that. Whilst it does not break any public indecency laws, it really is nobody else’s business but hers. Dabbler gets to choose whether she wears a chainmail bikiki or a burka. Nobody has the right to force that decision onto her. Be that with a gun or by telling her that she cannot.
Incidentally, I prefer her face, to her body. And if she were my girlfriend, I would prefer that she did not dress like that, in public. But, again, her choice, not mine.
* Let us assume that there is indeed a puppeteer behind the scenes.
** Currently excluding Math.
*** If we ignore the security issues completely, for the sake of examining the philosophical core of the argument.
I’ll concede on the “might distract a pupeteer” thing, though I feel it’s a long shot, given *four* of the things at once. As for only lip service and not CURRENTLY in society… okay. (Though it does seem like it could become a sloppy habit like this.)
[Though it still feels too close to the chainmail bikini, even though it could be justified in this specific case. I suppose reminding them that she *is* armored would help, but I think she should show a little less based on personal thoughts on how much distraction vs how much armored, guess where isn’t? timing]
Also, I’m not trying to FORCE anything on her, at the beginning I just said the appearance gave the impression (and I’m fairly sure succubi would find appearances important) of something which felt … basically off to me.
Social pressure is force, just a subtle one. You are exerting it on Dabbler (via Dave) and I am exerting it on you. All with the best of intentions mind, given that we are both trying to make society a bit better, by convincing each other as to the rightness of our respective visions.
Not that they diverge by much.
*assumes visionary pose*
more cute dabbler faces
I think maxima’s fist in the last panel might be a little small though, based on proportion with her head
DaveB, your paneling is already great, IMO. There is nothing boring about it.
+1