Grrl Power #142 – Last chance to reconsider
I thought I should preempt up any confusion and say that Sydney isn’t singing in that first panel (my wife thought she might be.) She’s basically going “Yeah, my subconscious designed that. It’s pretty rad in here.”
I put Heatwave in an orange flight suit partially out of deference to the variety of costumes you normally see in a superhero comic, but… I don’t know, I think it makes her look a little like an electrician or something. What do you guys think? Should I make it black like Peggy’s? Actually I kind of think all of the field uniforms could use a redo. I like Maxima’s green and brown leather jacket, but it looks weird for a whole military police force to be wearing them. I’d like to put them in something much more akin to proper SWAT looking gear, but all those pouches and straps. I know it doesn’t sound like a big thing, but every little piece of detail adds to the time it takes to draw each page. No idea why Liefeld is so in love with the thing. Plus I want them to look a little superheroey. I’ll have to think about that and maybe have a page where “the new uniforms are here” or something. That’s obviously not ideal to rebrand the team right after they’re unveiled, but I know Arianna is planning for them to be in the news basically nonstop after today.
I’ll mention it again since it’s two weeks away: I’ll be doing a panel at A-kon this year, panel “Humor-Based Webcomics 1 – Humor in Story” I won’t have a table in artist’s alley or anything since I have nothing to sell yet, but if enough readers show up and there and interest, maybe we can organize a group lunch or dinner.
Edit: I updated Heatwave’s flight suit and made it black. She really looked like an electrician in that orange getup.
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.
Wow, Stephen Speilburg is on the ball. Here we are only on the eve of the press reveal and he is already announcing a live action film of Halo! I wonder who he has in mind to play Sydney?
Also have a look at one of the other small print items in that article. The box will be able to measure your heartbeat. Whilst quietly sitting in the corner of your room, pretending to be a games machine. It is actually as perceptive as Dracula himself!
That really gets the inspirational juices going. Aside from the fact that I find the sub-genre tedious, it really does lend itself to a story about an obsessive stalker who hacks into his (or her) victims X-box One and uses that to monitor the victim (using the feature intended for feed to live TV), and to judge how well the terrorising is going by using the heart rate monitor.
There is even the option for the hero or heroine of the piece to turn the books and get it to send false info. Say if the villain had been using it as a crude lie detector. Just tweak the feed so that there is no tell-tale fluctuation in heart rate when lying (for instance when saying that the police have not been contacted).
Or, more to my tastes, modifying it for the horror genre, along the lines of the film Stay Alive.
Didn’t read the whole article, but which Halo? Didn’t Sir Peter Jackson mention plans of doing the non-Sydney version a few years ago?
He might consider doing some other Halo?
*blinks*
No, surely not? It is not like he is the guy who brought us Jar-Jar-Binks. The guy has pretty sound judgement. Albeit an extreme tendency for cloying sentimentality.
Pretty sure he means THIS Halo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halo_(series)
Fairly sure that it was Luke’s Ass that brought us Bar-Bar Jinks
honestly…. yeah. i thought she was some facilities tech in the line of [sydney’s] fire….
If Sydney’s Crazy IS contagious, then some of the most powerful, and famous people just got exposed to Patient zero (just before a press conference), and the world is about to go through some very bad times
Additionally, did I miss an intro at some point? Who’s the Silver-haired girl with the Name tag Jiggawatt I see at the top of the page?
You have not missed an introduction. But she does appear in the rotation as you can spot her in the background in a few scenes. DaveB has planned out a lot of material, and we are getting a few hints of what is to come. He is, quite realistically, showing that there is a lot more to Arc than Sydney has yet to see.
I reread Grrl Power and realized how many of the girls are half naked. It’s a great comic, don’t get me wrong, but all the females are conveniently photogenic. And of course one quarter of all the jokes are sexual.
I know that you’re not going to change that anytime soon, but it’s starting to get ridiculous. Especially with the locker room comics.
Ah, but there’s plenty of similar scenes with the boys, so its equal.
The guys don’t go into battle shirtless. The girls go off wearing skimpy bras and stuff, and the comments are calling them sexy. Seriously? More like perverted.
There has been a battle? With girls wearing skimpy bras?? Geez, I knew I should not have slept! Obviously I too am going to have to do a re-read. Thanks for the heads-up.
Agreed the comic is heavy on sexual humour. But, as regards contextual nudity, Sydney is a girl and was in the girls changing rooms. I can’t speak for your part of the world, but everywhere I have been in changing rooms, people get naked in between one outfit and the next!
And there was a serious point to make. Sydney feels intimidated by the unnaturally perfect assets of the natural-born heroines. And those are exactly the kind of circumstances that we (male or female) would feel our most vulnerable about any perceived shortcomings.
Personally I have lived in too many countries with unhealthily heavy censorship. And have seen the improvement when it has been lifted. I am of the opinion that the more open we are about our bodies and sexuality, the better society is. Too far the other way and you end up with terribly high rates of under-age pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases and a tendency for society to cover-up sexual scandals.
Although I do appreciate that a balance is necessary.
DaveB has clearly thought carefully about the super-hero genre, for a long time before starting this comic. As with the outfit discussions this week, you can see that he is mostly trying to keep to the conventions of the genre. But applies a lot of thought to both comic-world and real-world logic, to balance the anomalies and inequalities.
Such as making the good looks a side-effect of being super-powered. A clever way to keep to the artistic style of the genre, but dealing with the issue of “why arn’t there average-looking or ugly heroes”? Artists (Dave included) like drawing pretty people. And, going by what sells and/or achieves popularity, the public like seeing beautiful people.
But, where I think you do DaveB a mis-service is to think that he inappropriately draws the heroines in unnatural poses and outfits when fighting. That is one of the issues that he is aware of and actively works to expose. Working to ensure realistically portrayed women in his art.
Which does include addressing their sexuality. Some women like dressing and behaving provocatively. Harem and Dabbler being clear examples. And, in the tradition of both super heroes and the ancient classics (think of the personality traits of any of the heroes or gods), being larger than life. Whereas, others clearly have different world-views and ways of expressing themselves.
However the GrrlPower heroines do dress appropriately for battle. Just look at Maxima’s outfit for going to the bank, rather than the formal wear above. But at other times, they like to let their hair down and have fun. If caught by surprise at such a time then, naturally enough, they will have to cope as is.
Which, to my mind, DaveB has been balanced in covering. Bearing in mind that if there is something titillating, we get to see it. No silly censorship or avoiding the issue.
You seem to have answered all my points, and I suppose I can excuse the locker room stuff.
And I’m glad he’s working on it. Though I would appreciate a slight decrease in sexual jokes.
It’s funny that Yorp says the comic is heavy on the sexual humor, because actually I reign myself in a lot when I’m writing it. There’s a lot of stuff I cut out because I want the comic to have a reasonably broad audience, but if I had more bandwidth I’d love to do separate “Grrl Power After Dark” comic or something where I could not worry at all about censoring myself. As far as how everyone acts in the comic, I wanted to have a diverse set of characters. Sydney is basically asexual. Other than lusting after pretty boys in her head, there probably won’t be a lot sexual humor revolving around her. Maxima’s professional capacity as the team leader keeps her from walking around telling dirty jokes, and despite the fact that she has a sex drive, the behavior of a lot of men puts her off most of the time. On the flip side, Harem is the sorority girl who’s looking to bag the hottest guy at the party, and Dabbler is the demon incarnate form of lust. Anvil falls somewhere in the middle.
I just didn’t want to fill my comic with sitcom females, where most of them are the forgettable boring voice of reason to the guys’ zaniness. I could list examples all day; Simpsons, Married with Children, Family Guy, Home Improvement, Everybody Loves Raymond, Frazier, Night Court – sure sometimes the wife has a funny line or side story, but it always pales in comparison to what the guys get up to. But in the real world, sometimes it’s a girl who tells the dirtiest joke at the party.
So there’s going to be sexual humor, it’s just something I like. (Obviously there will be a lot of non-sexual humor as well) Sometimes it will be focused on the guys, but the gals are the main characters. Most of what happens, tantalizing or not will happen to them. Like I said above though, it’s not going to be anything too gross or explicit, but everyone has their own line, and I can’t promise that my self censored line is near enough to yours.
How you describe Sydney’s asexuallity is pretty much the same with me: lusting (well, more ‘desiring’ than ‘lusting’ :P) after beautiful women only exists in the Head-cavity, taking it further (even as far as ‘kissing’) just doesn’t appeal to me
Thanks for replying. (I still prefer the jokes similar to the ones in the comic above, but hey, we can’t have everything.)
Heavy, but not over-heavy. I certainly have no complaints about it. But do appreciate that humour is subjective and the more risqué stuff can put some people off. As regards Grrl Power After Dark, I would happily subscribe to it. If we can find you a sponsor to free you up from that pesky day job!
The differences between types of comedy is something that has always interested me. For instance there is the improvisational spectrum. At one end (using UK stand-up comedians as examples, but I am sure you can think of equivalents in the Americas or the Antipodes, as may be appropriate), there is Lee Hurst. His comedy routine purely involves interacting with the audience. Starting off by asking where they come from, what they do as a job, and riffing off their replies. Meandering wherever his thoughts or the audience take him.
At the other end is Jasper Carrot. Who will hone and polish an extensive routine, practising it over and over, improving it each time, until he has perfected it, before performing it on stage or TV. Although he has no problem dealing with hecklers, and getting a laugh, his intent in such situations is to get back to the routine smoothly.
Somewhere in between (on that spectrum) is Billy Connolly. He will pre-prepare about half of his material for a tour. The remainder being improvised, some earlier in the day, based on local research he conducts about the town or area the gig is in, to personalise the performance. The rest being off-the cuff riffing or teasing hecklers or anyone or anything which catches his attention (be sure to pee in advance and turn off phones if you attend one of his gigs).
On the other hand, there is also the sexual humour spectrum. Some performers having absolutely none in their act. Others specialising in it and using it very heavily. One (who’s name I cannot recall) had a long routine about “If humans had an extra vertebrae, allowing guys to be a bit more flexible, the human race would go extinct. Because they would spend all day giving themselves blow jobs!”
His routine will then meander to other topics, and at some point mentioning his mum. When he has a new gig, she often asks him “So, are you still doing that routine about sucking your own cock? Then he waves to her in the audience. “Hi mum.” As an audience you cannot help but laugh, to relieve the extreme feeling of awkwardness.
Jasper Carrot is at the fairly clean end of the spectrum (a bit of strong language but nothing excessive, and always contextually appropriate).
Whereas Billy Connolly is also at the explicit end. Using expletives as part of everyday sentences. Which is not unusual culturally speaking. I am used to mixing with all sorts and my own language is rather chameleon-like. In appropriate company my language can be very similar to his. Using it for dramatic or comedic effect, as may be useful. But I go into a completely different mode of speaking when in mixed company.
Sexually, or just dealing with body issues, Billy Connolly likewise has no inhibitions. If a doctor sticks his finger up his bum for a prostate exam, you will hear all about it in his next routine! I find all of the comedians above hilarious. They just each have different styles.
However my late grandmother could not stand Billy Connolly. Purely because of the language he used. And would not even tolerate him being discussed. Similarly, my mum says things like “oh him!” in a very disapproving tone. But if he is on TV, she will (reluctantly) watch it, and end up laughing just as much as me. Despite her reservations.
So I am very aware of the sensitivities of others as regards sexual humour. I do not hesitate in recommending Grrl Power to anyone. Although others have compared Grrl Power to MA3, I find that unfair. It is high on the sexual humour scale but no where near that far (MA3 being at the soft porn level of the spectrum). But I feel it is high enough to warrant a caveat to folks who are of a conservative disposition. Anyone else, I do not bother with any warning.
If this is reigning yourself in I would love to see you let it go.
interestingly that changed a bit in the newer chapters… and its amazing.
Tony Daniel was asked “Why do you draw beautiful people all the time” to which he replied “Drawing ugly people is a lot harder.”
Scyther, they haven’t been in Battle yet. (Except Max and she was in something one step short of fatigues ) The rest of the time they’ve been in their base and off duty. As for their bodies the “Normal” ones have pretty much explained that for some unknown reason it seems that those with “Innate” powers (As opposed to those from artifacts like Sydney) Seem to just BE that way. So far we’ve see 3 team members that aren’t “Super” Sydney, Math (Who’s body is from intense training rather than being a “Super”), and Peggy, who while attractive, her body is also from Training not powers.
Not to forget that Math tends to show just as much skin as the ladies (except for Dabbles, but she’s an extra-dimensional alien succubus…)
Ever read “Eerie Cuties” or any of the others on that web site? Check it out then come back. DaveB is right in that area only with some more jokes and super powers instead of vampire, witch and succubus. Oh there is succubus with “Girl Power.” Never mind.
MMMMM mentioning Menagea3 might not be the best tact for Scyther’s augument.
Specially the last couple issues with DiDi ;)
and the 3 other ladies. being nude and having fun >w>
Thanks for turning me on to that comic!
Don’t be ridiculous. That’s the joke!
I conclude that super exaggerated body types is one of the things the whole comic is exploring. There are many places where this is mentioned; all superheroes are perfect, all superheros are intensely sexual, etc. Sydney saying “I don’t know about that…” (when Joel doesn’t know she are one), and Joel noting that he practically ran off the road when one flew over, etc, etc, etc. Sure, it could be done as an abstract discussion without any shower room scenes (and/or without depicting Sydney’s imagination). But given that topic is on the table, I don’t find it’s coming up with exaggerated frequently. Or rather, it is, but that’s sort of the point. Why would being strong/invulnerable/having-laser-vision or whatnot make you pretty to boot? It’s sort of a background effect in superhero comics in general; here it’s examined semi-explicitly.
—
“Laser cows. Just like real cows. But with lasers!” — from Gunnerkrigg Court
As far as uniforms go, if you’re wanting SWAT/Tac uniform type looks without the load bearing vests. (Except maybe for Peggy cause she’s a shooter.) you could always replace those sections with a rigid or semi-rigid armor. Like Modern Ballistic plate or Lamellar if you want a retro look. Or just go with rigid points to accentuate their styles, like give Heatwave Hotrod flames on her knee/shin guards and chest piece or something along those line.
I personally think putting power-specific logos on the outfits would give the bad guys too much of an advantage in a conflict situation. I say go with the opposite of their powers to keep them guessing.
Imagine a guy wearing a high-collard cape and a pointy hat with runes on it suddenly picking up a car and smacking you in the head with it. Or someone in a frosty blue fur-trimmed outfit with sparkly crystals on it shooting flames at you. It definitely gives the heroes the element of surprise.
That’s a good strategy but it only works once.
That’s kind of the point of surprise. Ever heard of a surprise attack? They’re not surprised AFTER you stab them. Only before.
It’s an idea that doesn’t work at all, when it’s the kind of group that calls a press conference to announce who the characters are and (part of) what they do. Bear in mind that marketing is a big part of what ARC is doing with them.
If facing a foe where such deceptions would be advantageous, they will have no problems. We know Arc has access to illusions and other disguises. So it does not harm to get the world to pigeon hole the heroes according to their looks. As their appearance can be changed when it is tactically decisive.
Just look at Amorphous and Achilles
Is it bad that I kind of want that to be Dabbler’s default public persona?
I’d rather they let her get creative with it, not tied down to a single look.
I don’t know if this has been brought up before. I’m just curious- did you base Colonol Faulk on Dan Hedaya? https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fLDr5SYVKj0/UVNe6sHvyRI/AAAAAAAAL7w/x6OjIZt-wPQ/s1600/Dan+Hedaya.jpg
It is a definite yes to both questions. Go back to when we first met the good General. In the comments.
I just read the comic all the way through from the beginning again. Still loving it!
You know I haven’t done that yet? I read a section of it last night when I should have been drawing and thinking “hey this is pretty good.”
In the introduction of Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, Tolkien states that after reading the Hobbit for the first time in ten years or so, he thought that another series of stories leading from the setting and history of “The Hobbit” needed to be written and he was just the man to do it. Thankfully, many others agreed with that idea.
Issac Asimov said something similar about Foundation after his agent asked him when he was going to write another Foundation story. Thus we now have the Foundation series.
Because of you, I didn’t sleep. I just discover and reading this. And this is pretty fun ! I’m not a native english, I don’t understand all the jokes but I really love this. Thank for drawing and writing ! :D
You’re welcome! And thanks!
Why would Stalwart be permitted to wear a civilian suit? And why would he choose not to wear a dress uniform given the option? He’s managed to look underdressed for this important function, despite his apparent preference for wearing fine clothes in all situations.
Sydney has an excuse for wearing something different, she’s an unusual size and joined the team earlier today. Stalwart looks to have been part of the team long enough for a dress uniform to be tailored for him, even with his especially large frame.
On the same note, why would Math not be required to dress in uniform? And why would Brook be dressed in such a different outfit?
This is a major press event, I would think that they would all be required to dress in their best uniforms, presenting a unified front for their first collective appearance. They duty gear can be anything, and likely would be heavily customized for each of their special talents and needs, but for an event like this they would not need them, and if the government wants to present them as a legitimate military unit, dressing them so they look the part would be very high on the list. Think of the Marines, the look presented to the general public via adverts is the full dress uniform, you do get to see combat fatigues or service uniforms sometimes, but that’s not the image they try to project, even if it is what you would see them in if you encountered them on a mission.
Long story short: For a big public unveiling they should all be in matching dress uniforms, regardless of what they might wear when on duty.
What do you mean “Stalwart looks underdressed”? How id wearing a suit being ‘underdressed’?
Math is not required a uniform because he is not part of the military, he is a civilian. Brook is wearing the exact same uniform as Pegs and Sydney, just different colour (and we don’t know whether she is the only one with that colour, or if that colour scheme is for a different division/unit than what Peg belongs to)
ARCHON is made of different divisions/units (aka Air Force, Army, Navy, Marines)
Compared to the dress uniforms Hiro, Amorphous, and Maxima are wearing, Stalwart’s suit is less dressy.
I would not necessarily expect Peggy or any of the auxiliary staff to be a major part of the press event, since the focus will be superpowered unit, and thus would not expect them to be dressed up or even appear.
Brook’s suit being a recolor of Peggy’s flight suit doesn’t fix the fact that it is not a dress uniform.
Why would the supers on the team be deliberately split between different branches of the military? If anything, I would say they don’t belong in any existing branch, but would constitute an independent special unit.
Again, Hiro, Amorphous and Maxi are ex-military, that’s why they are wearing dress uniforms, obviously Stalwart is not ex-military, and like Math, did not sign up when he joined Arcon
Brook is also what would be termed a ‘civilian contractor’, and we don’t know if she is the only one wearing that colour uniform or if she is part of a team (for all we know so far, it could be Peg who is the odd one out)
Thought the focus was on the entire organisation, not just announcing to the world that Supers exist
Different branches of the military was just an example, Arcon is made up/consists of more than one ‘division’ (unfortunately can only recall the names of Arc-SWAT and Arc-Dark {or whatever branch X belongs to}) Not all the Supers are created equal, so would be placed in different areas of expertise
Actually, according to the bios, those people you listed are still active in the United States Air Force. Hiro might be a member of the United States Navy on detached duty, meaning a member of the military temporarily working for another command than the one he/she is normally in, but, on paper, still reporting to his original commander. Usually the person reports directly to the new command and they keep the original commanding officer informed with what he/she needs/gets to know. It is intended for short-term personnel transfers, with less paperwork than a full transfer and return but sometimes ends up being quite long detachment.
I guess I need to go fix something in the bios because no one is ex-military, and no one is in the USAF. All of ARC-SWAT is active duty Archon personnel, which is an active branch of the US Military. Math and Dabbler are both civilian “consultants” To be honest Stalwart should be wearing his uniform. :P
ARC-Light, while part of Archon, does not have the same military trappings. They’re much more like… the FBI meets the BPRD from Hellboy. And they won’t have a presence at the press conference.
What meant by ‘ex-military’ was that they had been/are in one of the Armed Services at some point before joining Archon, as opposed to a someone who just had super-powers being recruited, like Sydney (please, tell us that she and Math won’t be the only civilians to be/have been recruited by Archon, certainly after the Media Blitz)
Thought there were more than just Arc-SWAT and Arc-Light (and obviously you wouldn’t be announcing the covert survailance division at the unveiling press conferance)
There were a lot of jokes about the K9 unit being called ARC-Bark and stuff like that, which are gold, but obviously not actually branches of the team.
Okay, now you have to introduce a member of ARC-Bark and the ribbing (getting and giving) between their handler and other rmembers of Archon :D
Hopefully they won’t be just the traditional german shepard/rotweiler
Woof!
Oh, how hilarious that could be… I’m already imagining a super-pug or -bichon frise…
No, the members of Arc-Bark are lycanthropes! See Paradigm Shift for the possibilities if you are willing to become a little corrupt and not care who you hurt or who you supposedly answer to. The “Federal Agents” are the bad guys there.
Was thinking of something like that vampire puppy-thing from Blade3 (the one with Dracula and Triple H), or maybe a Blue Heeler or Border Collie (think Lassie)
According to the bios, Heatwave is a corporal, not a civilian. Math and Dabbler are civilians.
Yes, but did they get those ranks prior to joining Archon, or after? Harem is only 19, so good chance she was giving the rank of Corporal when she joined Archon (same with Sydney with the ‘rank’ of Cadet)
Harem’s only ever been with Archon… and now thinking about the timing I think she should probably really be a private. Although she can continually study for whatever tests she needs to take to advance in rank, I’m sure there’s a minimum time period that you have to be a private so you get an equal turn at all the crap work.
based on school or bringing in friends or other events one can join the military as an E-4 specialist is the normal title at that rank but is also the grade for corpral so Daphne’s rank is reasonable. cadet is a way to say trainee but is not a formal rank or meant to be long term.
Cadet is for officers-to-be only right? I was planning on labeling Sydney as a recruit for the time being.
Yes.
Recruit is a person who has formally joined the military before completing basic training. After basic training, you are a private or, if selected for officer school, officer cadet. An officer cadet upon graduation becomes a lieutenant. I still think if Sydney is going to be working in her comic shop, she will have be designated as a reserve member.
Unless her deal was to the contrary. Unique capabilities gave her an unparalleled bargaining position. But, if she was after something else in the negotiations, she could be classed as a sleeping partner, without it affecting her day job. And if she wants to help out, peak times, off-duty it is not like moonlighting is unheard of. And I suspect that Arc would rather formalise the situation rather than risk a scandal. She is going to be rather high-profile.
Math is a civilian, probably also with Stalwart. Only the enlisted personnel and officers wear uniforms. I think Heatwave is wearing a Nomex fireproof coverall. Normally this type of outfit is to keep fire from getting to the person wearing it, but in her case, the fire is going the other way. Her fireproof custom uniform is not in just yet.
Elegantly put.
May be Nomex (whatever that is) but the design and cut is identical to that worn by Sydney (even down to the yellow cuff, thought that was her still wearing her yellow undershirt thing, but can’t be if Heatwave has it as well)
Well spotted detail. I certainly thought that it was the yellow part of her civilian top that she was wearing underneath. But, presumably not, if Heatwave’s is like that too. Unless it is just a co-incidence and she too has a t-shirt underneath. But, now that you have pointed it out, that does not seem likely with a military uniform. However relaxed the code is.
As for why Sydney’s uniform look good and the janitor’s outfit doesn’t, well black makes all the difference. That is why my wardrobe consists mostly of a dozen different shades of black. It is stylish.
Though I think the red tone to Heatwave’s outfit (or a similar alternative) is a very necessary health and safety warning. Rather like the yellow and black chevrons (and/or audible warnings) on vehicles which may need to regularly reverse in areas where there are pedestrians.
Or the markings near to dangerous exhausts, such as the back of any rocket firing weapon. Anyone in close proximity to her needs to know to get clear fast if some action kicks off. Or their tail feathers will get scorched!
All she (and anyone else with a similar warning uniform) needs is a Jean-Paul Gaultier Fifth Element outfit style make-over.
Nomex is a fireproof insulated fabric that is used in situations where fire safety is a priority, such as racing, stunts, firefighters, oil workers, etc. Orange is a popular colour because it is easier to see through moderately thick smoke.
Since facial reactions are part of the humor for me, I was looking at Ariana and Max repeatedly. The conversation with looks was just priceless to me each time I look at the final frame.
Max: And I just had to go and say it.
Ariana: I thought you’d know better by now. Never say Whats the worst that could happen!
I just found this comic a few days ago, but the fact that I’ve burned from #1 to #142 in about 2 hours total should tell you something. :)
Awesome work; I can’t wait for more!
Welcome to the community.
Once you have recovered from your marathon, you may want to have a second read through. You will find that DaveB has a lot of subtlety in his art and writing, plus more than a few hidden cookies, which will be missed on first reading. Even doing that, there are loads that I only found out through comments.
Was just about to say that :D
But will add: it usually takes 3 or 4 good reads to fully appreciate all the spicy Sydneyness :P
*back at the comic store*
one hell of a bank run..
He’s probably used to her vanishing all day, he’s probably just wondering what wild story she will come up with this time :)
Naa, does not seem likely to me. Her attention will flitter about all over the place, sure, but she will be there. She is a partner in the business, after all. And they have already had a conversation about how it is failing. If part of the cause for that was because she was derelict in her duties, it would surely have come up.
I think this should be a serious question; what IS the worst that can happen?
Whatever you can think of, then cube the result.
Infinity cubed is trouble.
The best defence against that is infinity to the power of infinity.
Not sure if playing along or tossing the phone. Score a phone for Sydney (with various numbers of potential mayhem already on it) if the second.
I honestly could not tell that was supposed to be heatwave before reading your comments below the comic. I thought she was an electrician, maybe a mechanic.
Do people just not even look at the necks anymore?
Like Maxima’s? I am surprised that nobody has commented on her being out of uniform.
Although regulations might specify that chokers need not be worn if in dress uniform (they probably look cluttered if a tie is being worn).
When in dress uniforms, they should have those name tags on/above their right breast pocket
Yeah, I saw, after my initial assumption. My thought was ‘Harem’ which made some degree of sense but still felt off.
Having just had another look over the page, I must second the opinion about the quality of art for the expressions. My favourites being Maxima in panel 2 *, Sydney in panels 3 and 4 plus the general in the second to last panel.
* In fact probably my all-time favourite of hers, at least until I do my next re-read of the archive and see if any other one beats it in direct comparison.
Yeah, Maxi looks so proud of Sydney, at least in panel 2, but in the last panel… :D
I think Halo’s weirdness is contagious.
Who’s to say the rest of the team were that stable to begin with? Have you met Harem? And Dabbles? And pretty much everyone else in that building?
Harem? I know some girls like her.
Dabbler? I can think of a couple people (some not even female) who act almost like her [magic does not exsist, so ignore that fact].
Still
Halo is weirder than anyone I have ever met, and she is the least stable of the bunch.
And yes, I know that is like comparing the stability of Uut 113 to a group of R87, but still.
(Oh, props to who gets the nuclear elements joke)
So… Brilliant…
XD I’ll see you at A-Kon! I just found your panel on the program and I’ll make sure I’m there this friday afternoon.
Lol @ Meph Halo’s weirdness is not as contagious Half-life
A quick thought on the ‘uniform rebranding’ thing – it actually makes sense since ARC is brand new. It takes time to get a team together, design something, line up textile manufacture, get congressional appropriations to pay for it, etc. They would have got hand-me-downs from other branches/organizations until they had their own stuff available.
Good point.
I assumed that the reasons uniforms vary is to indicate which service they came from originally and that they were just putting Sydney into the first uniform that would fit her.
Um not that a new standardized ARCSWAT uniform would not be a good idea. I just assumed that people were basically keeping their existing uniforms but modifying them with ARC tags.
That would also explain why some people are in civies and others in uniforms, I assume if true that Sydney has been put in uniform as she is actually a focus of the press conference and it looks better?
ARC is a new arm of the military, so they have their own uniforms. But, one of the quirks is that they are allowing members transferred from other services to retain their former uniforms, if they choose. This is wholly in keeping with quirky military traditions worldwide.
I do not think that particular option is available in other services. But there are tons of similar sorts of things. Such as certain regiments being allowed to wear a cap of a different colour to the standard issue. Or having an unusual badge that does not conform to the normal placement or other regulations.
And I do not think that official complaints are likely to be coming from the elder services, as they are likely to be keen to show that they have contributed experienced personnel to the new elite super unit. Unless there is some embarrassing incident they would rather distance themselves from…
Oh, that’s Heatwave? I thought she was a janitor.
Darn, I can’t edit comments. Yeah, I thought Sydney was harassing a gullible janitor.
Yup, that was a fairly common take for many folks.
…….This comic keeps making me laugh waaay too hard….and get waaaay too many evil ideas….my friends may or may not thank you….
!rotinom ruoy edisni deppart am I ,em pleH
I see Heatwave’s flightsuit is black now. Was that changed before or after “Cooldown” was posted?
After, but in the same week.
All X’s dailog sound like Cobra Commander in my head.
I laughed so hard during these last few comics.
“The call is coming from…INSIDE THE PHONE!” I’m laughing as quietly because it’s 4 am, but I’m still laughing really hard. That was excellent.
Back a year later, doing the silent laugh again. This is good shit.
Back nearly two years later, still funny.
X doesn’t get a place on the who’s who? also, more X please.
Sometimes the Who’s Who just gets too big, on a page, and sadly someone has to be omitted. There are nine other entries on this page, and X was the one who lucked out.
I agree that X is interesting. It would be nice to see more of her.
Just acknowledging that I’m a fan of Dan Hedaya. Sadly eclipsed by Rhea Pearlman and Paul Rudd.