Grrl Power #176 – Intergalactic baggage
Dabbler’s crack about the urologist makes me giggle every time I read it. I mean… chuckle in a very manly way. I had to rewrite the demon’s line a little – originally it was “worlds will burn to herald my arrival” which is far more dramatic but doesn’t set up Dabbler’s line very well. It’s so nice when the bad guys are accommodating like that. So yeah, Dabbler’s long adventuring career makes her a valuable asset to the team, but it does come with some baggage.
The original version of this page had a bit more of a visual analog between Max and the demon guy, but his design evolved in the last few years (that is to say, as I was drawing him this time.) Speaking of which I have original rough pencils of Maxima’s portion of the demonstration that I drew about 4 years ago posted over at DeviantArt for those interested. The most significant difference is that originally, apparently Halo wasn’t in on Maxima’s little stunt. Obviously that part had to be rewritten, cause it was dumb. Also I had to cut up the pages differently because if I had left the big boom as the first panel of one page, the prior page had this cliffhanger that totally telegraphed what was going to happen IMO. I do like the side view of the explosion sweeping over Halo’s shield there on the 4th page. I probably could have kept that.
SuperheroThey're super, thanks for asking!
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"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.
I gotta say, I didn’t see that coming.
Ba-dum-tssh!
Hmm, dabbler had her xxx collar when she was fighting this enemy ? I though the collar was given by archon to her :) (like the collars the rest of the team have)
Yeah, I noticed that too. I wonder if Dave Will correct it or if this is canon and will be explained (or not)
My guess is that Dabbler is the one who designed the collars. Based on her own
Dave has stated before that Dabbler had her collar before, and Maxima liked the look, so she incorporated it into the uniforms
She’s had that choker for a while.
maybe her choker started the whole arc collar thing
I think Dabbler is a consultant, not a recruit.
Yes
*Looks at demon’s eyes *Looks at Maxima’s eyes. Eep-level posession incoming.
Maybe yes, maybe no.
But of course, this calls for a demonic appearance.
But the poor demon will now have to deal with Sydney.
when Mr. hellspawn notices that syd is waiting he will call it off for a couple decades, but only after getting the urologists prescription filled for whatever xuri-chan gave him in this flashback.
all things considered one thing that most certainly is guaranteed to happen should the demon pay a visit Sydney will shame him by her superior use of foul language.
not her eyes
glare from glasses
No, when the demon posesses her it will Be her eyes.
Should that be “DAMN YOU TO TANTALUS!” or is Dabbler being referred to as a version of Hell?
Dabbler’s full name is Xuriel Shahara Tantalis
No, I think Dabbler’s last name is Tantalis (like tantalizing)
You are confusing Tartarus (the greek version of hell) with Tantalus (a person imprisoned in said hell, and a very appropriate last name for a Succubus.)
Tantalus wasn’t a version of hell. He was a resident of Tartarus, made to stand in a pool of water under a fruit tree. The fruit was always just out of reach and the water always receded before he could scoop up some to drink. It’s the origin of the word “tantalizing”, meaning “desirable but just out of reach”. It’s a very apt last name for an alien succubus.
Tantalus also has to do with seeing one place and finding out it really looks like something else. A tantalizing lie or image. And since Dabbler can create alluring but false images, Tantalus fits her well and any creature that produces such glamors.
First appearance of a supervillain! Well, he looks like he’s circling hell’s toilet, but that’s still significant.
Let’s hope for a full flush! :)
He doesn’t have to be a supervillain. Knowing Dabbler he’s probably an old boyfriend.
is that a rimjob rimshot?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0PIdWdw15U
An invasion of interdimensional invaders is every bit as bad as aliens from space or Nazi hell-creatures from the center of the Earth.
How about Nazi’s from the moon?
No thanks. Not what I want climbing down my chimney tonight!
The Nazis from the Moon would be weak. Earth’s gravity would be six times greater. They would be helpless. Push overs.
Noone recognized it? :(
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1034314/
Nah, we got the Lex Luthor type already.
Does Lex count as a super villain? He’s super rich I guess? If you think about it, maybe that type of villain does qualify as a super villain. They can cause more trouble than a lot of conventional super villains.
Just ignore this paragraph. I want to test the acronym tag with ARC.
People who use super-advanced technology to commit crimes count.
People who use super-advanced tech are still regular people (Sydney is not a Super herself, she is just the instrument for the Orbs)
Lex Luthor is insofar a super villain that he’s a super genious.
As Maxi said last page: you judge one by the size of their rogues, and you don’t get much bigger than Supes
Money is the best super power in the world
Ergo Batman and Ironman
So here is a funny observation:
‘I will return, and great burning will herald my arival’
While this might be a good warning that this demon is on it’s way, it does not say anything about Max BEING the demon. It could offcourse, but not likely
We all know it’s going to happen, since in situations such as this it’s standard. And Max is gonna go: “Dabbler, you want to tell us something?”
If prophecies weren’t intentionally vague they’d never be right. :)
If made properly, a prophecy is true no matter what.
And Dabbler gets a message from her Mother telling her that guy really DID need to see a Urologist.
The storm god JHVH promises a fire next time instead of flooding by water. Nice hmmm?
Any bets that Dabbler is stealth groping Hiro right now? She IS right up against his back. It would be the perfect time.
Could be why he was making that face.
I would have thought she would be fondling him myself.
Damn, that original design sure as hell is rough. Interesting to see
“Thanks for all the loot” reminds me of when I was playing D&D before we considered encumbrance and why bags of holding are such good things to have.
DM: You finally pick the lock and open the chest. In it you find 320 gold pieces, 150 silver pieces, 640 copper pieces, 25 gems worth about 200 gold pieces in total, 3 wands of unknown power, 2 stoppered bottles full of green liquid in one and a sort of milky liquid with some floating solids in the other. And there is a suit of full plate armour, sized for a dwarf.
Halfling thief (str=8): Okay, I put all the money in the money pouch; the wands and potions go to the wizard and the dwarf gets the armour.
Dwarf Paladin: I examine the armour, looking for traps etc.
DM: As you examine the armour, you notice that it is designed to fit a female dwarf.
Dwarf Paladin (male): Oh, okay. I put the armour in my pack. We can sell it when we get back to town.
And that’s why one of the wands was a gender-switcher that would later go zappy on the dwarf when examined (totally by accident, of courseXD).
I designed a set of armor that would perfectly fit one member of the party, that every so often would shift the gender of that party member (regardless of whether they were wearing it at the time). To remove the curse they had to find the chest and put the armor back in the same way it came out.
Has it been established yet what Max’s preference is for sex partners? Could totally see Dabbler shifting to male to seduce her. In some stories succubus and incubus are just two (of many) forms a lust demon can take.
Interesting, I never concidered that posibility. Makes sense now that I think of it
Maybe she’s already tried… it would go a long way toward explaining Max’s angry response to Xuriel pushing out her lust aura
Max’s stated sexual preference is heterosexual, but most of the men she has met are jerks or in her chain of command or both. So she is currently unattached.
Where was that stated?
I like the “Jump pony, jump!” line. Too bad it didn’t make it in.
On another note, I’m a little confused about something. On the cast page, there are cast members with the same rank, but different rank insignia. Stalwart, Achilles, Heatwave, and Harem are all listed as “Corporal”, but each as different rank insignia. Anvil and Peggy are both 1st Lt., but again have different insignia. Are they just originally from different branches? And if so, how does that work out in Archon? Also, Halo is a “Cadet” while Jiggawatt is a “Recruit”, what’s the difference?
chalk that up to differing concepts as the strip evolved. Dave spends so much time on the strip itself that a lot of other things (including the cast page) don’t get a lot of updating. Another inconsistency is Max’s rank – in the early comics, she was a full-bird Colonel. That got retconned to Lieutenant Colonoel after lots of board discussion about it, but fixes have been a little slow in coming
Same with the Recruit/Cadet thing – early on, Dave didn’t know the difference, and why it’s significant. Halo is a Recruit.
The difference is from DaveB’s knowledge of military matters growing over time. Sydney should really be listed as Recruit as it is (still) her first day in this service. Jiggawatt has not been here much longer, apparently. In the United States, all services use the same rank insignia to represent the same level of officer, even if the names change (e.g. Naval Captain = Army/Air Force Colonel; each wears an eagle). The NCO and WO insignia are set by each service. The same here; Dave just has to standardize what he wants them to look like. And update the cast page to reflect that.
Cadet is a junior in training. A potential recruit.
Army cadets are under age and can’t be deployed. They also are only in training and have not actually signed up to the army. Think along the lines of the scouts only as a army recruitment exercise.
Recruits become soldiers. Cadets become officers.
Depends on nationality: we were called ‘cadets’ during our time at the local “Air Training Corp” (believe it to be the Commonwealth equivalent to the US ROTC, as in, it is high school kids getting a little army/air force training while still at school)
In Canada, an Officer Cadet is a officer in training. They are already a member of the military and have gone through Basic Training and are now being prepared to be an officer. An army/navy/air force cadet is a high-school student learning some military training, in the hopes that they will enlist when they finish high school
So the question of Xuriel’s cybernetic arm is finally answered: lower left
It’s been known ever since she was in Wereworld.
>.<
What’s Wereworld?
He’s on second base.
Genius.
He’s the manager.
no, that’s Clever, Genius is in the outfield…
A different comic that Dabbler also apears in. Noncannon
“There world. There castle.”
“Why are you talking like that?”
“I thought you wanted to?”
“No,i don’t!”
“Suit yourself, I’m easy…”
Froderick an Eyegore…
DaveB loaned Xuriel aka Dabbler to the webcomic Wereworld.
Elan from Order of the Stick should make a guest appearance JUST to comment on the dramatic causality
Memory or imagination?
Dabbler today: “Nah.”
Next day: “D’oh!”
Seriously. In a situation such as this, we know what’s coming, by default.
The next day is in 2020, so no worries.
I salute you, sir.
If you’ve read Wereworld, which Dave said was cannon for Dabbler’s past, you will see she was once slaved by an alien race that knows a WHOLE lot about cyber technology. That race was pretty much wiped out and Dazzler left to hunt the rest of them during the story. Of course she’s probably tinkered with the tech since then. ;)
I guess you mean this Werelord:
https://wereworld.comicgenesis.com/
And not this one:
https://wereworldseries.com/
yeah that’s the one
So in this world, succubi (at least Dabbler, who may be abnormal) actually enjoy sexy things themselves, not simply use appeal to get what they need/want.
I’m not sure how I feel about that.
Dabbler’s not a “Pure” Succubus. But in Literature they’ve ranged the gambit from truly enjoying sex, to it being how they eat, to it just being their job.
Succubi ‘eat’ sexual energy right?
Personally, I enjoy eating good food very much. I’d imagine Succubi also have certain flavors they enjoy more than others
AH, yes… the Porno Sense they were talking about earlier… she CAN tell the difference between different kinds, so I’d imagine that she could end up having a favorite “flavor” of it…
Umm, Max might not have fully thought this through: She is outside the field. And she will still withstand the explosion without any scratch. But did she include in her calculations that her clothes might not be as robust as her? Thats still a wall of flames washing over her and while the demon-in-flames-look certainly is dramatic and impressive the aftermath might be a bit more embarrassing…
seriously?
Do people not read? Or do they troll the forums.
1) Max is no idiot.
2) Her clothes are removed from the equation of ‘intense blast and heat’
3) Halo already took the fire out of Max’s message, the gratitious use of flimsy clothing would be seen for exactly what it is.
4) there will be a shower later for those needing one.
The short answer: Max has a personal force field that protects her and anything she touches, including her clothes.
I’m starting to wonder if these people are trolls.
They’re a case for notalwayslearning.com or a sister site, that’s for sure.
As if I didn’t have enough time-wasting funny, although not generally useful sites that I’m already looking at!
I thought I explained it. Max’s feminism is detecting that the fire would destroy her clothes and some men would see her naked and objectify her. Thus her rampant feminism is protecting her clothing from the flames by sheer rage powers.
What? It makes as much sense as the Mutant X-Gene.
There is no mutant X gene in this world.
And her powers take care of her clothes, as explained already
I know. It was a joke. I get that she emits a small forcefield big enough to protect her clothing. I was teasing the people that don’t bother looking that up and then wonder why her clothing is protected. So I picked the silliest possible choice: a philosophy of gender having some power over fire.
And we explain so many things from outside comics, someone had to say that it’s still a better explanation than the mutant x-gene.
Given that the cause of superpowers in the Grrlpower universe is unknown, your wild speculation might just be plausible.
Would that make his plausibility speculative?
I call for a test by the Mythbusters!
Someone, get Keri!
Nah, its more that not everyone reads the comments on every single page and only comment when they have a question or quip to make. The comments are huge usually and certainly goes into a lot of in depth nerdom that your casual reader may wish to avoid or simply didnt know was there.
It occurs to me that, with this team, when you ask for a demo you need to specify demonstration, demolition, or (apparently) demon.
I call for a demo-out between the ARC-team and the Mythbusters!
BAHAHAHAHAHA! So… is giant demon guy going to show up next page, or not?
It’s probably forshadowing for the near future, but not that near
great near future, so a few years?
Seeing as we’ve been at this day since the comic started. Yea, probably
It’s going to crawl out of the hole Max just made. If it was based off the old AD&D rules, then the heat generated might be hot enough to create a rift to the elemental plane of either fire or paraelemental plane of magma.
Gather ’round boys and girls for holiday story time.
Twas the night before Christmas and in all people’s houses
husbands were shopping online for their spouses.
An unemployed Dave B. all sad and forlorn
sat at his PC surfing for….. stuff.
When up in the sky he saw neither bird nor a plane
But a sleigh pulled by supers, coming fast as a train!
It was driven by a young girl seemingly small and meek
But flailing wildly about and cursing a blue streak.
Whoa Goldy, whoa Pornstar, whoa Groupies, whoa Hotstuff
Whoa Brickhouse, whoa Ninja, whoa Stretchy, whoa Mullet.
Slow down this instant or we’ll crash right through the roof.
Just like at that mosque, back in Duluth.
You know I hate riding this bumpy old sleigh.
I lost my lunch over Pittsburgh, I hope they’re OK.
They set down the sleigh and they did it quite nimbly
and the girl with her sack climbed right down the chimbly.
Dave saw her head circled with four lights plus three
that looked like the ornaments he’d hung from his tree.
Dave thought “She’s a super? They’re supposed to be grand.
They have lots of muscles, and huge…tracks of land.”
She put her hand to her throat and pressed the side of her collar
and spoke to the air, trying hard not to holler.
“Hey Joel, you’ve got the list and you’ve check it twice.
So what’s the deal is this guy is he naughty or nice? “
But then with a start she noticed Dave in the hall
and lifted her had to which flew a ball.
“My cover’s been blown! There may be some trouble!”‘
Then around her formed a glow in the shape of a bubble.
A blue ball flew to her hand and up the chimney she rose.
And on the way up she stubbed one of her toes.
And he heard her exclaim as she rode out of sight
Son of a bagel baking dolphin blowhole molesting,
smurf asphyxiating garlic sniffing armpit stained,
blue cheese munching Klingon raping steaming pile
of badger sphincter f**king monkey poking…
Best telling of ” ‘Twas the night before Christmas”….. ever..
*sniff* That was beautiful.
That was awesome :D
You win Christmas.
I laughed so I lost! :)
Awesome.
Brought a tear to my eye.
Been awhile since I laughed that hard.
That was so awesomely funny. Great work.
Here you can say “fucking.” It is used in the strip.
Bravo, just bravo. That was wonderful.
Excellent.
Totally awesome!
Now that is who I want coming down my chimney tonight!
Well…either her or Dabbler.
That was just perfect. Merry Christmas.
I managed to hold it together while reading most of it, but I can not get through the closing list without breaking into laughter. Good work overall. But was she supposed to be checking with Joel or Leon?
I apologize for that line. I came up with the whole idea on the spur of the moment this week. I wrote and submitted the whole poem from my office and had to fit all of it into about a 15 minute break. That line had a few errors, due to having been distracted by actual work stuff. They corrected line is:
“Hey Leon, you’ve got the list and you’ve checked it twice.
So what’s the deal with this guy is he naughty or nice? “
We the publishers of Totally Random House publishing offer our apologies and wish you all a happy Saturnalia.
That was great! Thanks!
awesome!!!
This page is great for so many reasons, but mostly I love the indications of Dabbler’s past.
I also am greatly amused by how Dabbler holds a sword.
She is holding it like that because she is not using it at that time
I have to say I’m liking the daemon design. The face reminds me of the bad guys from the old Scooby Doo cartoons, with more than touch of bad-ass thrown into the mix. Now I’m looking forward to the fight, or possibly tea party, with him (her?) in the future. Though knowing Sydney…I almost feel sorry for that daemon. Almost.
Is there a difference between daemon and demon? Or is it just alternative spelling?
No difference. Like; grey vs. gray, or color vs. colour.
One is modern English “demon” and the other is Middle-English “daemon” which has its roots in the ancient Greek form of the word “dæmon”.
Noun 1. daemon – an evil supernatural beingdaemon – an evil supernatural being
daimon, demon, devil, fiend
evil spirit – a spirit tending to cause harm
incubus – a male demon believed to lie on sleeping persons and to have sexual intercourse with sleeping women
succuba, succubus – a female demon believed to have sexual intercourse with sleeping men
dibbuk, dybbuk – (Jewish folklore) a demon that enters the body of a living person and controls that body’s behavior
2. daemon – a person who is part mortal and part god
demigod
deity, divinity, god, immortal – any supernatural being worshipped as controlling some part of the world or some aspect of life or who is the personification of a force
Description
Daemons are benevolent or benign nature spirits, beings of the same nature as both mortals and gods, similar to ghosts, chthonic heroes, spirit guides, forces of nature or the gods themselves (see Plato’s Symposium). Walter Burkert suggests that unlike the Christian use of demon in a strictly malignant sense, “[a] general belief in spirits is not expressed by the term daimon until the 5th century when a doctor asserts that neurotic women and girls can be driven to suicide by imaginary apparitions, ‘evil daimones’. How far this is an expression of widespread popular superstition is not easy to judge… On the basis of Hesiod’s myth, however, what did gain currency was for great and powerful figures to be honoured after death as a daimon…” [2] Daimon is not so much a type of quasi-divine being, according to Burkert, but rather a non-personified “peculiar mode” of their activity.
In Hesiod’s Theogony, Phaëton becomes an incorporeal daimon or a divine spirit[3] but, for example, the ills released by Pandora are deadly gods, keres, not daimones.[2] From Hesiod also, the people of the Golden Age were transformed into daimones by the will of Zeus, to benevolently serve mortals as their guardian spirits; “good beings who dispense riches…[nevertheless], they remain invisible, known only by their acts”.[4] The daimon of venerated heroes, were localized by the construction of shrines, so as not to restlessly wander, and were believed to confer protection and good fortune on those offering their respects.
Characterizations of the daemon as a dangerous, if not evil, lesser spirit were developed by Plato and his pupil Xenocrates,[2][dubious – discuss] and later absorbed in Christian patristic writings along with Neo-Platonic elements.
Dose Dabler have the hot for Max?
Dabbler is a multi-sexual horn-dog.
Short: she beds everything that’s not out of her reach when she wants to.
And she probably doesn’t even wait for beds.
If she and Captain Jack Harkness teamed up nothing would be sexually safe. Nothing.
oh god, the humanity. harkness and dabbler …. : P
Perhaps they could hitch a ride on S.S. Myra. :)
talantus = fail
Gamesman = WIN
(takes bow) Thank you. Thank you very much. I owe it all to my perverted mind.
harsh, you gotta admit tough those two together would probably give birth to a pretty big (D)ar(H)kness.
damn. I think that idea just blew my mind. They would make more trouble than the average bear…
crap, now I’m imagining that skin-changer from the hobbit in the mix… that’s not going to go away is it?
No. And don’t you dare infect the rest of the boards with that… image.
[Covers eyes and ears]La, la, la, la…. what image? La, la, la, la….
If Captain Jack and Dabbler met each other they’d blow up the universe by their neverending making-out. And by the nature of both, it probably would mean neverending.
even still I can’t help but feeling that even for a succubus she has a strange attraction specifically toward Max
Supernatural creatures in fiction are often attracted to power. I think Max would qualify.
maybe but I can’t help but shaking this feeling that it’s something more
I thought it seemed more the teasing good friends with a minor focus on the whole feminist act asexual horn-dog exaggerate sexuality spin
So, just how long is this line? And when will it’s members begin making themselves apparent to ArcSwat?
Looks to me like Max isn’t the only one with ghosts that will likley be haunting them all in the near future. Dabbler, and perhaps someone else o the team?
I just realized that Dabbler has a tendency to hide behind people in an emergency. She did it in 102 too.
Its a common tease behavior I imagine. Hide behind someone else thus getting them involved then turn up the flirt or sob story and have them take over as you make a break for it. Yay diversion tactics.
So the whole “Mighty Burning” gag left Diet Coke all over my screen. Thanks for that. :P
I’ve always thought a fun idea for a villain would be someone who couldn’t help but constantly stumble into double entendres. It’s probably been done before, but having a demon lord who does it would make it amazing.
For future reference, it is recommended to not be consuming food nor beverages when you attempt to read GrrlPowerComic. Less cleaning of monitors and keyboards is required that way.
And really not even opening this site, nor reading the comments, while in class or at work. Believe me.
So, “bottom lefty” is the cyborg arm?
I think that’s just what it looks like, I think its a sleeve with some kinda of enchant/enhancement, or just as a covering, the arms on her right side aren’t wearing matching circlets so it stands to reason.
It has been established that one of her arms is cybernetic
Unless this flashback was set before she lost her arm
I smell foreshadowing!
A MIGHTY BURNING!!!!!! LOL bottom lefty that’s spinnerette’s sctick!!!
Prevent Mighty Burnings, always use a condom.
lol more like spermicide
Spermicide kills, well, sperm. It is less effective on the bacteria and fungi that cause the burning sensation. Unless you are interacting orally with Halo, right after lunch, then it is something else altogether.
At least you giggled and didn’t titter. >:D That woulda been FAR worse. :) And I LOVE Dab’s outfit.
Okay I like to be surprised. And I am. This would make a great start of a movie, then a flash back leading to it then on with the story!!! Demonic entity to us, rival or just enemy to Dabbler.
I can hear a booming voice coming from the baddie. A little Ted Cassidy in it along with a hollow resonant roar with it.
Burning in the urethra. That hurts. Infection on the bladder. In this fellow’s case I’d say icy hot would do on a frozen burning needle should work. Handled by Dr. Dabbler of course. Maybe an exploding enemy to top it off.
For Dabbler: ex-boy/girlfriend?
Why, why did you do it. You drew boob-plate
If Boob-Plate armor didn’t exist when Dabbler went to get armor, she would have invented it herself.
Actually, Dabbler probably DID invent and build her boob-plate armor.
Excerpt from the notes of Left-Handed Lars, retired longship crewman.
“She was wearing this ridiculous, flimsy looking armor that showed off her cleavage and left her midriff bare. Fool that I was, I figured her for an easy mark. Had I been doing more thinking and less drinking, I would have realized that armor like that is only worn by two sorts of people, the totally barking mad and the ones who can afford really good enchanted armor.”
She’s not going to wear something that’s not form flattering. At least I didn’t put a keyhole in it.
Alias from The Azure Bonds (or was it “Curse of The Azure Bonds”? one is a book, the other a game based on the book) set in The Dalelands of The Forgotten Realms wears a mail armour top that leaves her cleavage open, but… it is magical mail and the opening is just as ‘protected’ as everything else
The novel was titled “Azure Bonds”, and the “armor” Alias wears doesn’t just leave the cleavage open, it leaves her entire front exposed much like a one-piece swimsuit. One of the fun little bits from the book is that it turns out that there is a reason beyond just looks for why that armor was so designed.
Rumors concerning the book’s cover artist wanting to see the girl who modeled for him so dressed are just that. Rumors.
Also an in-fiction justification for the gap in Alias’ armor coverage is that she was intended to be a sacrifice to some malevolent entity, and that sort of armor does provide spectacular access to the sternum, diaphragm, and possibly intestines, though what she’s wearing over the chain-mail obscures the issue.
Yes, that’s what I was hinting about. I didn’t want to spoil the book for anyone.
Pretty sure the only thing she wears over the chain is a cloak, otherwise, why keep wearing the stab-me-in-the-spleen-chain?
Alias
She did not have that armour initially, but given it later by one of her ‘creators’ (the one she was ‘modeled’ on) “split open at the middle, baring the flesh between her breasts and offering any sword an easy target” yet enchanting it to protect her better than solid steel would have done.
If ever going to get a tattoo, that would be one of 2 (with a personal image in the ’empty’ spot), the other has always been going to be a skeletal rat on the eyelid
Calling it now, the “mighty burning” is Syd cooking for Mexican Night.
No, the Mighty Burning is somebody making a dish that’s too spicy for Sydney!
Now let’s not be unrealistic
You’re right. ;)
We all know that Sydney is going to repel Cthulhu, Hastur, and Yog’Sototh by challenging all of them to a spicy food eating competition.
And winning.
Sydney: So, I have tried out this Szechuan recipe, but made some adjustments to give it a little extra flavor. I mean, you could hardly taste any heat at all. So here you go guys. Enjoy! [ Serves the food on plates around the table. ]
[ Following panels ]
[ Ariana takes a big bite of the meal. Max smirks at Ariana’s reaction. ] (or vice versa)
Achilles: Hmm, this tastes good. But something weird is happening in my mouth and nose. [ He has never before actually felt his taste buds and olfactory cells burning off and regenerating, over and over again. ]
Anvil: Arrrrg! Milk, now!
Heatwave: [ Her fireproof nerve cells are not used to being triggered for heat, so chemically triggering them is entirely new for her. ] What is this feeling? Is this what heat feels like? Oh, $#!+. Give me some water!
[ Preppy Harem takes a bite and immediately starts having breathing difficulties. All other bodies start screaming. ]
Math: Holy …! Calm down; calm down; relax. There is no pain; it is only an illusion. Breathe; relax; pain is an illusion; it does not happen; I am; I am greater than pain; I am greater than the sum of my experiences. I am; I am going to clobber Sydney! [ Steels himself and takes another bite; ]
Sydney: Hmm, could do with a little more heat.
I laughed at this for almost a full five minutes! Now my family thinks I lost my mind. Thanks!!
I know that water, milk and beer have their fans for dealing with culinary heat, but take a look at how Scoville originally was establishing his scale (see https://chemistry.about.com/od/foodcookingchemistry/a/Scoville-Scale.htm ), dilutes the tested pepper with sugar-water until the heat is barely perceptible.
Dissolved sugar (not corn syrup, which is a different sugar) will bind with and displace capsaicin from the taste buds. I discovered this accidentally a number of years ago with a mix of kool-aid that my friend labeled Curry-Killer since a drink of it killed the burn of some curry he’d had within seconds.
Curry-Killer Kool-Aid: Enough drink mix for 6 quarts (3 packets), enough sugar for 5 quarts, mix with four quarts of water.
THIS. NEEDS. TO. BE. SIDE-COMIC!
Not just a side-comic, this needs to made official
At least 2 pages of the comic, maybe 3.
And it would be SO worth it.
I think it should be a bonus story when you buy a physical book (which MUST happen!).
ex-boyfriend didn’t like being dumped?
I can see that actually.
this will forever change readers view of Maxima, even if its not true, anytime she does anything it’ll always put this frame in their mind
Nah, I’m pritty sure that the burning might herald someone’s arival, it does not mean that Max has anything to do with that demon
Unless the demon can try a different tack and possesses Maxima.
What i find fascinating is that everyone discusses the physical laws when it comes to the superpowers displayed here (a futile exercise, since superpowers are meant to break them in the first place). but nobody flinches when a succubus is displayed as a badass.
I´m willing to make adjustments for Xuriels Half-Non-Succubus half, but a Succubus is nothing but an infernal hooker. They even use desception and illusion to feed. It´s what “real” Demons would refer to as a Non-Com.
I´m sure not all Combat-Demons are ugly, so why does it always have to be a Succubus?
That´s “not realistic”.
Dunno, never having personally met a demon, I have no idea what they might look like. As far as I am concerned DaveB has full artistic license on image, personality and character for any non-humans. Dabbler, in particular, being a three-way hybrid can be pretty much whatever he fancies. Assuming genetic compatibility or some other technomagic alternative.
As for why Succubi? Why not? They are a titillating aspect of mythology that fits in very well with the comic theme. Bare in mind that we do not know if Succubi/demons in the Grrlpower universe are of classical demonic background or if they are one or more races of aliens. They could be either or both. And Human mythology might be drawn from past encounters with them or it might be a galactic co-incidence.
Have you not watched Lost Girl? The main character is a succubus who fights on the side of the light fey (most of the time), but is not sworn to them, and who kicks butt most episodes.
Nobody flinches at -any- depiction of a succubus because they are creatures of myth and legend. The only person who can say what is “realistic” about a fantasy creature appearing in a fantasy story is the author.
Trying to discuss what is “realistic” when it comes to mythical creatures in fantasy stories is like trying to explain to people why those things in the “Twilight” movies are not “real” vampires.
Or, playing Devil’s advocate, a Succubus. In the event that there is some basis to the myths and legends, that is. Hey, why don’t we ask Dabbler?
Nobody has noticed that Past-Dabbler is missing her tail?
Dave addressed that in comments some time back. She doesn’t have one, and took tons of grief about it from the other succubi. Eventually, she created a cybernetic one, with… added features…
I was there Jee. =P
I just figured she did that as a “teenager”
Fair enough – mea culpa
I’m actually more surprised only one person mentioned Max’s clothes not burning away this time
Maybe everyone else finally learnt how to read the comments
So you mean she was just trying to get a little tail when she created it?
*giant hammer falls from the sky and lands on Deof’s house*
Then Dabbler would be the first one to actually succeed?