Grrl Power #202 – Nose boop. OF DOOM!
This outcome is a little predictable, but only if you know what Anvil’s powers are, which haven’t actually been stated in the comic yet. Her ability to absorb kinetic energy combined with her grappling skills makes her incredibly well suited to fight other strong arms and bricks. As some people suggested on the prior page of comments, it would have been funny if this guy wasn’t actually a brick, but had some other powers and just happened to be a roided out bodybuilder, but Anvil needed a moment to shine I thought.
This page is a double because small action doesn’t look good, but I don’t want to “split the clause” and spread out a big paneled page into two posts if I can avoid it. I may have to a few times just because of the complexity of some of the scenes, but I’d like to avoid that as much as possible.
You guys are awesome, Grrl Power is on to the final 4! We’re up against MonsterKind, which is quite a nicely drawn comic. If we make it past them, we’ll be at the finals, I assume up against Ava’s Demon, which swept the tournament last year, though the readers over at Paranatural could rally. I definitely need to find some time to read those. Remember, you vote using the checkboxes under the brackets, not any of the links within the brackets.
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…Is Sydney missing her orbs in the last panel, or are we just going to go with them being behind her speech bubble?
I think you’re right, they’re missing. They were low enough in the previous comic to be visible in this one if they were there.
The orbs can orbit at variable heights, so even if they were lower down just before, there is no reason why they could not have spun higher.
Artistically it would be inconvenient trying to squeeze them in underneath the speech bubble, so it is perfectly reasonable to assume they are either behind the bubble or even above the top of the panel.
Yeah but even if they were obiting higher we should still see the highlights in Syd’s hair from their glow. We don’t see that here, ergo Dave forgot.
Or else they’re under the table, down near her hands, ready for action. They don’t have to orbit above her head; that is just a convenient holding pattern when in stand-by mode.
I think the orbs may be sentient as they have obviously left the area of a imminent super fight!!
Actually, Sydney can even control their orbital paths…For example, her “re-match” against Math: https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/824
Forgot to add: Even on the following page, Math demonstrates that Sydney’s orbs CAN be misdirected in orbit.
She put them back in the case earlier.
That makes NO sense. She had them out when the bad guys showed up, why would she put them back in the case now?
They were unintentionally missed from an earlier page. If you hit CTRL-F5 when viewing it, you will find they have been retroactively added in.
I doubt that they will be added here though. I certainly would not draw details that would be off the visible picture and obscured by a speech bubble. Of course it might drive the obsessive-compulsives crazy, but there are ways to keep them distracted.
*sets up a table and perches a filled glass, so that it is sitting half on, half off the table*
*whistles innocently and walks off*
I’ve drawn enough comics to tell you that it is incredibly easy to forget small details like that. Believe me, Dave is probably kicking himself over that one.
They are just hiding behind the text balloon is all. No conspiracy here. Just not enough room.
There was less room in https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/1260 and they were still visible.
Probably orbiting. Her hands rather than head. Ready to use.
So Anvil subscribes to the three stooges style of combat! Hoot!
Daedster, the orbs are still in their tube. Sydney… I mean Halo will get to unleash them soon and be told to raise her shield by Max. So who’s up next in the Hit Parade?
The orbs have been orbiting Halo (Sydney) ever since she used the molestorb to drag the three girls out of the room about, what, three posts ago? They’re just out of panel this time.
DaveB, I know I for one don’t mind extra long/double posts at all! I know that more panels means more work, but bigger scenes (at least for my meager talents) means easier work (I hope). :D
Actually, Daedster was talking about Anvil, nothing about Sydney’s orbs. You kinda missed that conversation by a little bit. *points at Random Wanderer, person and Yorp above*
Whoops, wrong person, sorry Daedster.
That’s OK. It happens. I just like how Anvil is fighting the big bad dude using cute comic style that really does resemble a three stooges skit and making him look like a complete fool.
Ah, the sweetest words in superhero fighting: “this room is already a write-off.”
No, the sweetest word(s) are “DOGPILE!!!”
ah, so you invoke the King’s Privelege (3 moves to 1)?
The way Anvil has her finger primed, it would have been funner if he was sent spinning, a reverse head-toe spin (ie, he is spinning forward, but flying backwards)
I don’t think that’s actually possible to do with a single punch
You need to watch more games with round balls. Takes a master, but you can impart all sorts of weird spin with a single impact. But, granted, people are rather inconvenient non-spherical shapes, so you make a valid point yourself. :-D
Those balls are being throw, while the hand that throws them twists to generate the rotation.
The brick is punched.
In order to get him to spin like that, he’d need to be punched slightly below his center of mass (near the balls)
You are too used to “American” when thinking of football. In the real version* , the kicking techniques the pro’s use involve putting different spin on the ball, so that it will bounce in a way the goalie might not anticipate, from it’s direction of flight. This is done with a single, off-centre, blow by the foot.
A similar technique is used to create backspin in snooker and pool. So the ball is travelling forwards, but spinning backwards. Meaning that if it impacts another ball, it can be controlled to come straight back, rather than bouncing off forwards, at an angle, like a normal shot would do.
* Where, as the title implies, the ball is primarily controlled with the foot, rather than the hand.
I was actually talking about baseball.
As a european, I also use the real definition of football.
I didn’t know it was also possible with football though. Not really a fan of it.
Don’t see the apeal of watching 22 guys run after a ball for 90 minutes
Yea, people do some weird things for sport. It is not like the exhilaration of chasing after a thrown stick!
APB was not punched by Anvil, he was literally flicked away like an unwanted booger, but the way she has her finger it’s more of a downward flick rather than the typical upward flick (hence the downward snooker reverse spin thing, it has a special name, and for some reason thinking it is ‘English’)
To get a forward spin the blow could not be on the face mind. It would have to remain on the centre of the body, to avoid sideways spin, and would have to be as low down as possible or there will not be any spin at all.
Given the strength of the attack involved and the fact that bits of him clearly got separated by the impact, you might find a lawsuit would follow. Which included the worlds “cruel and unusual”.
With the defense using the terms “self-defense” and “justified use of force.” He hit Anvil 4 times, then she hit him once. He also caused considerable property damage. He was already told he was under arrest. The use of force to effect an arrest can be justified if it brings a violent suspect under control. Wildly punching some with enough force to break (most peoples’) bones would indicate that the suspect may have a propensity for violence. Oh, we should probably add “resisting arrest” in there somewhere as well.
Yea, perfectly good arguments for the way Anvil actually acted.
But not so if you followed the implication I made. If she had instead done a groin attack, and he ended up being separated from his family jewels. In that alternate situation, her response would not be proportionate to the threat he posed to her.
So Anvil did good going for the nose boop.
So instead of issuing orders for some of the team to protect and evacuate the civilians Maxima sits back and watches the fun??
I can think of a few reasons why this might be but if so they are not being show in these panels. Given all the recent speeches and less recent speeches about collateral damage, friendly fire, etc… I was REALLY expecting to see the leader marshal some troops in that direction or a quick snap shot showing the trained team members already acting to save the civilians. If there isn’t eventually a panel or something explaining how something was being done for them all along since near the beginning of the fight then I will call shenanigans between what is being said and what is being done.
As the least trained Halo should probably be sent to help who ever is shielding or transporting the civis. Unless whatever awesome person WHO IS ALREADY HOPEFULLY DOING THAT has already gotten them mostly to safety…
The fight has only started, and this is hardly the first for either Maxi or Anvil, Maxi knew she had time to finish whatever that was she tossed into her mouth, and for Anvil to play with APB, before issuing orders/instructions to the rest of the team
Several punches thrown. Villain thrown through wall. Munchies consumed. Funny conversation held casually with Halo. Unknown number of enemies. Probably powered. Seems some time to at least START saving the very close squishies might have been freed up in there somewhere.
as was said in prior post the low power or non powered will already be aware of the need to evacuate or secure non combatants and have moved to discretely (aka without attention of villains) to do so.
This actually makes sense. The villains oh joust came for a fight, and for Maxima to start off with orders to protect and evacuate the civilians may draw their attention and fire to them. Instead, she occupied thei t front man with Anvil. Therefore, keeping their attention on her for their one – on – one battle. That also gives the more intelligent civies a chance to quietly slip away. Now, after ARC-SWAT has struck back, and the inevitable free-for-all about to begin, Maxima can redeploy her troops to protect those still around without drawing as much attention. It is a bit of grandstsnding, but maybe Maxima takes a page from Ender Wiggins’ book. She’s not just winning this fight, she’s winning all other fights as well.
Sorry… “the villains obviously came for a fight”. Stupid predictive text on smart phone. Worse than autocorrect, but not as funny.
She has shown she has time. Once the punches and banter started flowing she could have used the throat microphones to issue orders quickly and quietly to the right party who could then coordinate farther away from the action and notice (teleporter in there for heaven sakes). I mean coordinating movement of the team without giving it away to the enemy has to be at least half the reason for having those mikes? There are an unknown number of enemies probably powered outside the building.
Given the sentiments the author has expressed themselves and through their characters some attempt at orderly movement to save the civillians is VERY expected. At least as far as I’m concerned.
But its not to late. Other experienced members of the team could be moving already. OR even unpowered units running security for the event could be protecting the civilians. And this can all be explained after the fact in the comic updates to come. It just would have FELT better if got a brief mention here.
I have to agree with both Observer & Porthos9438… we all have to keep in mind that when a fight breaks out of this magnitude between supers there will be a lot of damage to be expected even when kept to a minimum hence Maxima’s statement to Halo in the last pannel “the room is already a writeoff Halo. this is a super fight. stuff is going to get broke.”
Fights usually start out small & then can quickly escalate well outa proportion. meanwhile there’s a lot going on in the background that not everyone will pay attention to cause like a school yard fight all the attention is on whomever through the 1st punch & what happens next.
Just a guess on my part but im assuming a few things here (assumptions excluding Halo of course)… 1) all of the Arc members are seasoned fighters. 2) all Arc members know each others powers & limits to some extent enough to know who can/can not do what, when & where meaning knowing/trusting each other enough to act when necessary with out any commands issued. That said im sure the civs are being evaced on 1st immediate opportunity.
Lastly before i loose my own train of thought lol… with all thats happening (or about to happen) im sure Dave has a lot he would like/love to put into this fight scene. But with time constraints, limited space & the need to keep all our attention he could make the next posting or so of panels a “meanwhile” posting… Meaning here in this posting & possibly the next we see the fights initial break out & whats going on between Maxima, Anvil & the roid freak while the coming posting shows what was going on around them at that same exact time that was not in the initial.
Just my thoughts.
I have to agree with you. Shielding the normals and other people with only human defenses should be a really high priority. Maxima hasn’t had time to train Halo to make that a reflex action and no one else apparently has area shields, so Maxima should be making sure it happens fast. And “I thought it would make them a target because the supers would want to test Halo’s shield” is not an excuse.
The civilians might be taken care of already. Note that for the past few comics, we’ve only been able to see one of the Harems (should there be an apostrophe, or is it ok to pluralize a name?). There could be four Harems bouncing around the restaurant organizing the evacuation. In the meantime, Maxima has the speed and strength required to catch bullets. Unless the supervillains use an attack that moves faster than she can (something that travels at near-c like a laser or particle beam), Maxima can stop it. And with the few exceptions, there isn’t very much that can be done to stop them with the exception of using Halo’s Forb. Sidney just became a superhero today, so we can forgive her for not having the presence of mind to go for it immediately. She probably just thinks Maxima has everything covered.
Dabbler has area shields, and she’s been off-panel for a while now. Maybe she’s handling it.
Dabbler’s shield can’t even fully cover herself though.
That’s why it isn’t a 5 star shield in he cast page. As far as strenght goes, it’s very powerfull, but it’s also very small
1) I believe this was a private party which means the only civilians are the wait staff
2) the wait staff should be, for the most part, elsewhere, unless they are actively bringing refills etc.
3) there are probably standing orders for non-powered support members to handle evac quietly, without bringing attention of the bad guys to potential hostages.
Keep in mind I can only fit so much on each page. Maxima will start being leaderly on the next page. Granted I could have had her saying something in to her throat mic instead of finishing off her onion strings.
Its fine if it isn’t on this page (though that would have sent a clear message of the importance of protection/evac duties). Its fine if somebody else took the initiative to do it besides Maxima. I assume other experienced team members or even the highly trained non-powered agents could begin the process of getting the civies doing whatever is strategically best in this situation.
Tons of possible ways to go on this. I just felt that given the importance that has been placed on this sort of thing in previous strips that some kind of suggestions that the ARC folk have been on top of it from as close to the moment the level of the threat became clear as possible was in order.
But no as I have stated in other replies it doesn’t have to be this post. Or even till after the battle if the non-powered backup is handling it but I think a mention somewhere down the line as to how that was handled in this first battle would make sense given all the foreshadowing.
Thank you for replying. Now I can settle down and settle in till the next update peacefully aware that the author is on it. :)
reading your second paragraph here made me think “Well, *someone* had to slip Harem the prophetic soda.” Which made me chuckle on the inside: running gag turned plot device/early detection system.
There’s also 2 more reasons for the unconcerned Maxima.
1. Reinforces her previously stated stance that she’s one of, if not the, most powerful supers around.
2. Shows her confidence in her team, raising their morale. Even if it is subconscious on their part.
As long as no civilians/squishier members of the team are in immediate danger it would be counter-productive to get all worked up by one guy that Anvil alone could turn into a greasy smear.
Oh, and a third reason: comedy and entertainment. This is a comic after all. :)
All very good points. A few others of others to add too: Bearing in mind that Maxima has two roles in this situation. One is as the leading ‘tank’ (the toughest super on the team, who’s job it is to shield the ‘squishies’ such as civilians and team members with no defence capability). The other is as the commanding officer. So she has to balance both roles in a time-critical situation.
Maxima is faster than a speeding bullet. So she has realistic confidence in being able to intercept most incoming attacks if it looks like they look like they are endangering civilians.
Part of her job as a cop is to de-escalate a situation, if possible. By ordering one of her officers to restrain a criminal, who is resisting arrest, and then chilling out, herself, she is doing just that. There is no signal of hostility towards the other onlookers. Who could, technically, just be innocent bystanders.
If she were to initiate unprovoked attacks on those individuals, they would have every right to defend themselves. So, just like Anvil let Mr Ugly land the first punch, Maxima is not giving them an excuse. If they start to kick off hostilities, she can act, to prevent a clear and present danger. Plus the villains will not be able to wiggle out of doing jail time. And, I think we are likely to see her taking some pro-active actions in the next issue, anyhow. Now that the fight has kicked off.
Meanwhile, as Lydialeera says, we can expect that the team are well drilled in how to use their powers best in a combat situation. With priorities being keeping civilians safe. All of which would have been practiced, without needing to fall back on Halo’s shield, because they never had that option before.
Maxima is keeping Sydney close to hand, and ensuring that she remains calm and focussed. If Maxima were to get ‘all twitchy’ it would be contagious, most especially to the raw recruit. The team should be able to function well without her. But, if Halo is calm, and feeling shared confidence from seeing Maxima being likewise, she will be able to contribute in a considered and rational way, rather than panicking. Which, given her power set, could be far more dangerous than the villains attacks!
So, whilst I too would agree that getting the shield up and other defences are a priority, this is not an unreasonable approach.
Plus, story telling wise, you expect to see the results of orders. The first one being to Anvil. Maxima could have blurted out a whole bunch of other orders too, in sequence, but that would simply be a spoiler list, to ruin what will be happening over the next several months of updates. And it would have been frustrating not to see anyone else’s responses yet. There simply being no room in this already double-sized issue.
Finally Maxima is doing her job as a ‘tank’. She is keeping the attention of the bad guys. She has not drawn attention to the fact that there are vulnerable civilians around for a considered reason. Her team knows that already. And will be behaving accordingly. What she is doing, personally, is psyching the villains out, by being visibly unconcerned. Whilst they are fixating on her, the villains are not attacking others. As we can see.
max has also shown an insightful side in her handling of syd that suggests max anticipates power stunt suggestions if syd is thinking, add the fact jumping in to be the first to fight after telling syd to show some control will result in syd returning to a hit first think second pattern.
Sydney is still too new to the team so she has no training. So she may be kept back to help with directions from Maxima or one of the others.
Several people rushing off in various directions would precipitate the action. Currently, the majority of the intruders are remaining outside. Archon, in this case represented by Colonel Maxima, would want to minimalize the situation until additional recon has been completed. In the previous strip I made the supposition that Archon is most likely on top of this situation, and support is already present, but maintaining a subdued presence so as not to escalate the situation prematurely, allowing the backup teams time to quietly evacuate the civilians whilst the heavies prepare an informed plan to engage the heavies. Maxima utilizing Anvil’s kinetic dampening ability does remarkably well in supporting this plan, as well as ejecting the brick in a preferred trajectory so as to cause confusion to the enemy, and allow the team time to communicate, maneuver, and then execute a plan based on up-to-date intelligence. In the previous strip, the enemy had the initiative. Now, Archon has the intel and the initiative. He/she who best utilizes speed and intelligence in battle, is victorious.
If Harem can teleport with a passenger she would be the natural choice for fast evacuation of civvies.
She can only carry a light load. Similar to the widget she gave to Maxima in the ambulance. Bunch of keys size, not people size.
It is canon that she can carry from 25 to 50 lbs (depending on the number of bodies) but also she can’t carry anything live.
What I am saying, is that Archon has many, many more resources than just the heroes. With the knowledge that Max has pretty much thrown down the gauntlet with villains worldwide, Archon probably has a full perimeter (in stealth mode) of normal agents, with the orders to observe, report, but do not engage, as well as monitoring from air and afar, as well. Archon is part of the military, and thus has an incredible amount of resources to draw upon.
I think this is a very strong example of the rule of cool.
Sure you could show how the rest of Archon has sprung into action, but this is WAAAAY cooler
+1
Next page:
Nosebleeder (after he stops skidding along the parking lot): Braster, shoot the rady is green!
Blaster: Got it. [ Pulls out a rifle and sets in place on his shoulder ]
Harem: GUN! [ Points to rifle ]
Peggy: [ Shoots her pistols twice, one round each ]
Blaster’s rifle is hit, shattering it, then his wrist is hit.
Harem: Never mind.
Is Peggy a 6gunMage? ;)
Her cast page has her a super-level marksmanship, so theoretically she could hit someone like that with pistols at under a hundred yards. I read about people hunting rhino with single-shot pistols (actually more like hand-cannons) so this is something she could do given the level of ordinance we have seen or been told about on her person.
Yea. The comic goes for realism. But it is a super story. She has a 3 power ranking versus Anvil’s 5. Now is a geometric rating, so that is not quite as impressive as it might at first appear. But given how much power Anvil has with just a dink from her finger, it is still damned impressive!
The way I look at it is that Peggy will be to guns and helicopters what Mozart was to music and mathematics*. Basically if we take the best of what anybody alive today could do with a gun, she can probably do it better.
* He was a polymath, being a genius in more than one field. Although his passion was music, so he focussed on that to the extent that most people do not know about the other side to him.
Actually, music is highly mathematical. A gift for math would amplify a musical talent.
Whereas a gift for Math would be a stripper.
Actually, a bullet does damage with kinetic energy.
So in theory, Anvil should be just as imune to that as to this guy’s punches
Two continuity errors (maybe):
Possible: In panel 9, is Anvil really as tall as Hairdo? That’s what it looks like.
Probable: In the next to last panel, Halo’s hair isn’t lighted by her orbs. And yes, I know her orbs could be elsewhere, but there is no obvious reason she would have moved them. The problem with doing such a nice lighting effect is that it becomes a pain to keep doing it.
In the first panel, he looks to be on the same height as her. Perhaps in panel four where he looks like he’s taller than her, he’s actually doing a bit of a jump swing punch thing….
Anyway, there’s one more continuity error that I saw. Anvil is wearing a black corset type thing around her waist, except in panel five where it has apparently vanished when the bad guy punches her in the stomach….
She still has the corset, you can see the black under the bad guy’s fist. It looks to me like he hit her right below her breasts, just barely on the corset. Which was kinda dumb….
Actually, maybe not so dumb. That’s the general region of the solar plexis, I believe, a bundle of nerves responsible for coordinating one’s breathing. One good hit to that nerve cluster and the target’s biggest worry suddenly becomes breathing normally.
yes, but consider, a properly designed corset has very tough boning/stays, which would act as longitudinal armor, dispersing the point pressure above and below – onto the ribs above, and the ab muscles below
Corset would be so-so armor against a normal person, but I doubt it would have much of an effect against a super. Unless she has a super-corset, in which case never mind. :P
It’s still cloth, and part of simple clothing.
It would do NOTHING to protect against a hit
I fixed that. Hit CTRL+F5 to see the updated version with the corset in panel 5.
He is. There is no error. Anvil may be notable for her height, but DaveB upholds a number of fine traditions. In this case, he has stuck with one of the classics. Namely that however big the heroine is, the villain she takes down must be as big or bigger!
Is it just me or is this the first time we finally have someone who is taller than Anvil? (If only barely)
I also have to say I love Anvil’s outfit. And the dialogue between Max and Sydney. And definitely the fact that Anvil can use her powers to attack in exactly the way I’d hoped.
Basically, this is by far my favourite page and I love everything about it, except the fact that there currently isn’t another one to read after this. I’m looking forward to you trying to top this in future scenes, which now you can since things have actually started happening.
Thanks! Anvil will definitely get a few licks in as the fight progresses, and hopefully the action will only improve as I draw more of it.
she has the same powers as Sebastian Shaw she can absorb force and redirect it
Yeap. Except that she doesn’t explain how her powers work to everyone, everytime. That she’s strong and tough is public domain but that hitting her just makes her stronger is classified; not shouted out in every encounter.
Was the ‘like a baby’ comment a reference to Ranma 1/2?
If I was the restaurant owner, I’d be ecstatic about this. First, insurance is gonna cover this, or the government will just for good pr. Second, I’d rebuild the room AROUND all the damage and keep the scars and damage and make that a selling point. “Come for dinner, a d see the location of one of the first public super fights. Preserved for your viewing. And you could have a person walk customers through and give them the blow-by-blow recount with live music for dramatic background. Maybe with security camera stills on the walls. People would flock there for the experience. I’d draw the line at reenactments though.
That will certainly be Arianna’s spin on it. :)
Add some movie screens, so people can see what happened. That always makes it more engaging. Possibly create a computer game around it?
I do like how Anvil plays on the Strongarm/Brick stereotypes. By being really tall and decently muscular she looks like she should be in that category, so other big bruisers with a lack of (1 – 1 = 0) sense department will go for her. Which plays right into the Trap she is. Kinetic absorbers have always been traps for bruiser, just most don’t hide it in plain sight as well. Anvil could very easily be confused for a better stronger bruiser.
Side thought, can she absorb her own kinetic energy and store it? Even something like pounding her own fist into her hand or stomping the ground could build up quite a bit of energy.
Wait, are you calling Anvil a ‘Trap’? o_O
For bruisers.
If you thought anything else was implied, well, I’m not your thought police. It’s not my fault if you read things that aren’t there.
Was just teasing/having some funs :P
She would have to use some of her own energy to do that, and some of it would be absorbed by whatever she’s hitting or disperse as sound and heat (friction).
If it worked how you say, she’d be constantly building a charge just by walking around, and while that probably does happen on a micro scale dues to air currents and the like, it would be a literal stiff breeze when compared to the metaphorical hurricane of force behind each of Mr. Brick Steakhouse’s punches.
It would have a very useful side-effect of allowing her to walk nearly silently though, barring on squeaky floorboards or rustling leaves.
Well, maybe that IS how it works.
I wonder what happends if you drop her off a building. She’s not invincible, so inertia will still probably hurt her eventually.
But jumping off a 2 story building would not build up enough speed for inertia to be a problem, and than only kinetic energy would cause the damage. She could probably jump down from things way higher than 2 story buildings and only charge up her powers
Wasn’t that the way Hulk used to bounce so high/far?
Inertia does not hurt you. It is hitting the ground that does. Except in her case, because she can absorb the energy of the impact. There is absolutely no difference between the Earth hitting her and Mr Ugly’s fist. Note that in physical terms it does not matter that we think of her moving towards the Earth. The energy is a property of the two bodies colliding. Which is moving is simply a matter of perspective.
But, this isn’t just being argumentative, there is a very useful aspect to this. If she safely lands after absorbing the modest impact of a two storey fall, she can later on jump over a 2 storey obstacle, by unleashing that same amount of energy.
As she predicted she may be able to develop a power stunt. Jump off a 30 story building and give her battery a big top up. Later leap up 2 stories as described. More than that might cause harm to her. But, at the peak of the jump, unleash the same amount of energy.
All she would have beneath her is air, but that does not matter, she can impart the full energy to that, and it will be thrust away from her very violently. But the important part is that she will be getting the equal and opposite reaction of enough energy to go up 2 more stories. Continue repeating until at the desired height, or the battery runs out. If she wanted to use it in a vacuum she would need to carry reaction mass with her.
Wow, I picked a bad choice on the typo list. “As she predicted…” should have been “As she practised…”
im kinda staring at the little page notes at the very bottom of the comic and im just … ” Eskimo kiss? ” what kinda martial arts move is that O.o?
An “eskimo kiss” is slang for rubbing noses as a sign of affection.
Nose to nose. Not using your finger.
Basiclt Anvil’s playing with him as if he was like 5yrs old. Go with the “Widdle baby punch” line.
So, like, I just had a thought, right? And this is kind of unusual, so I’m really sort of excited, because thoughts are…well, let’s not go there.
Anyway, I thought I’d share it with you guys.
Anvil can absorb any incoming kinetic energy, right? She absorbs it, stores it somehow, and then releases it when and ass she wishes, right? And, as far as I can tell, she can absorb ANY kinetic energy.
See, here’s the thing. Gravity? That’s kinetic energy, when you get right down to it. It is constant kinetic pressure that we live with to such an extent that we don’t even think about it. But…if Anvil were to absorb that energy, instead of letting it touch her…and she could release it as and when she wished, instead of just to attack….
She should be able to fly with that.
Last I checked, and its been AWHILE since I cared enough to check, the scientists where really unsure as to what the force of gravity really was for sure. I’ve heard THEORIES posted by STUDENTS that I really like that suggest gravity is sort of like centripetal (sp?) force involving at least two universal membranes and more mathematic dimensions than you can shake a stick at and maybe there would be some way she could use that but for story purposes it could go either way depending on what theory you take up and I doubt the author wants to make her a Goddess with the kinetic energy of an entire universe of gravity wells!
Cool idea for another story though!! :D
Actually that’s not how gravity works. The energy you’re talking about is potential energy, not kinetic. And there is no such thing as kinetic force. Kinetic energy is equal to 1/2mv^2, which in the case of big bad guys is 1/2(mass of their fist)(speed of their fist squared) but if anvil was just flying around would be 1/2(0)(0 squared) since nothing is hitting her. Her own body would have a kinetic energy, but she wouldn’t be able to use it since she takes kinetic energy relative to herself and the velocity of her body relative to herself is 0. The fastest way to charge her up would be to shoot her with dabbler’s railgun.
Well, I think whlindsa is making a reasonable point. If Anvil can absorb kinetic energy, there is no harm in trying to absorb potential energy too. Although I do not see that she would go flying up into the air, it would stop her from falling back down, if she managed to get up there by other means. So she could leap from rooftop to rooftop without fear of falling. In fact air resistance would be the only thing which would slow her down if she did jump. So she super-leaping would be a real option for her.
She could also step off a skyscraper and float down gradually (if she only partially absorbed the potential energy). But, even if she cannot affect potential energy, she already has a similar effect anyhow. Just by falling off, and absorbing the kinetic energy of impacting the ground.
Man, I can practically see the nervous ticks the physicists are getting at the suggestion of absorbing potential energy. :-D
Even if she could counter gravity in such a way, I do not see that it would be providing her a continual top up of energy though. Otherwise she would be generating free energy. Whilst super-powers may be able to do that, hers is energy absorption, not creation.
So, if it worked, I think she would be able to store the potential engergy and stop ‘falling’ towards the Earth. Possibly with some risk of exiting the atmosphere. And when she released the energy, it would propel her back towards the planet. Although if she got too far from the gravity well somehow, then she could be in serious trouble.
Notably, it would not allow her horizontal movement. But she could always carry something with her to use as reaction mass to propel away from her. She would just have to use her regular stored energy for that, and hope that her battery contains enough for whatever journey she intends. And, likewise, running out of reaction mass could inconvenience her flight plans.
So I think she would be best off with controlled super-leaps. And saving her reaction mass in case a mid-air course adjustment is required.
She couldn’t absorb the kinetic energy in the punch before it hit her. That means she can’t absorb energy not directly striking her. Gravity is of an unknown power nature. Gravity can be used to make kinetic energy although it is not kinetic energy itself.
She can power up from walking and her feet hitting the ground, jumping, falling.
Hitting herself will power herself up so long as she doesn’t try using her stored kinetic energy in the hit. Only using her basic super strength to hit herself can power her up.
Energy can’t be made or destroyed. To take energy from gravity, what do you propose you are changing? The planet mass?
Correct. But the potential energy contained within her body is already there, touching her, part of her. If she wants to she can use it by stepping off a building.
Potential energy is caused by a mass sitting at rest. It is attempting to move towards (in this case) the Earth. But is being stopped because it cannot penetrate the floor. If the floor is removed, the potential energy turns into kinetic energy as the mass falls.
So potential energy is stored kinetic energy. Which is why I feel that it is worth Anvil exploring the option. Her power is related to what I am describing. She takes kinetic engergy and stores it. Much like a rock sitting on top of a mountain. Then she gives it a little nudge on the nose and it falls off.
So she need not negate the mass of the planet. She need only remove the element which causes the Earth’s gravity to interact with her body. Which, using her power, she may be able to do.
Let us call that mysterious element ‘dark potential’. She takes the ‘dark potential’ out of her body and puts it into her super battery. Whilst her body does not have ‘dark potential’ it no longer interacts with gravity. When she restores the ‘dark potential’ to her body, gravity will be able to affect it again.
She would be doing neither, in my proposal. She is simply storing the potential energy. Which should be easier than storing kinetic energy, as it is already nice and neatly packaged up in a stored format!
Potential Energy doesn’t exist. It’s useful as a conceptual shortcut, but there is no such thing in the real world. When someone climbs to a height they are not storing up potential energy, they are expending energy to push against the force of gravity. Add up all the energy they expended and that is your “Potential Energy”.
It’s a bit like spending money. You could, if you wanted to, spend a bunch of money, but instead of counting the money as spent, call it “Potential Debt”. Potential Debt is converted into Spent Money when you check your balance.
So, in which case, where does the energy come from when a boulder rolls off the top of a mountain? We know that a moving mass has energy. It certainly is not using muscles to convert chemical energy into momentum. Likewise we know that energy is neither created nor destroyed. So it must be maintained, in some form of equilibrium.
I do not feel that it is appropriate to describe that situation as a linguistic convenience. The energy is there, capable of being used. It is how hydro-electric dams generate power! Taking the potential energy in water stored at a higher altitude and converting it into electrical energy.
Right! See, that was my thinking: if the energy is expended to move us up then there must be something we are expending that energy to overcome. People do not stay on the surface because they feel like it, they stay there because something pulls them down. Linguistically, we refer to that as a force. Physicists do too, except that they’re not as precise as English majors, so they call the impact energy of an object force as well. This is nothing more than a linguistic shortcut, which anybody who has been punched and fallen down understands at a very immediate level. A force is constant, and represents a stable and/or ongoing exertion of energy (the force of gravity, the strong force that holds atoms together, etc). This means that, while there is no kinetic force, there is a kinetic energy, which is decreased when water moves through a power turbine. This means that the water slows down, which is why dams aren’t destroyed by letting water out. This is what makes the question of what gravity is so important: gravity, together with the other four forces of the universe, appears to create energy from NOTHING. We have absolutely no idea where the energy gravity exerts is coming from.
So.
Gravity expends energy to pull us down. This means that everything that goes up, must eventually come down (if not here, than somewhere else). Except that, with Anvil, there really might not be that need. So the question really boils down to this: does she absorb energy on impact, or on application? In other words, when she stops that fist, is she just stopping its motion, and generating her own energy from the absorbed power, in which case, the guy should get rocked backwards on the punch (remember, he’s still apply super strength, even if there is no impact) and absorbing any energy it might pass on to her, or is she actually directly taking out the kinetic energy behind the punch?
If it is the second, which the bio seems to imply, then yes, she should be able to release it anywhere she pleases. And if that’s the case, then flight (not just flotation) becomes possible, because, all other things being equal, she can release the energy behind her to create a jet engine effect (remember, all energy has an effect. If this is the case, than she probably DOES absorb energy constantly, and releases some to off-set her other releases (like hurling that guy out of the restaurant).
If it is the first, however, then she just sort of reflects energy, instead of absorbing it. While this would mean that she can’t fly, it would also mean that she should be able to able to essentially amplify the force of, say, Max’s punches, by simply reflecting Max’s energy, and then concentrating it into a smaller area. In short, she should be able to take one of Max’s full-strength power blasts (because that appears to be mostly kinetic energy), and focus it from something that can be used to punch a fist-sized hole in a mountain, to something that could put a pin-sized hole through the Moon.
Since I’m already here… :)
Honestly I find pretty odd all that about absorbing KINETIC energy. That seems to restric her in a way that is hard to state. Like several people had pointed out it raise a lot of collateral questions.
While waiting the “real” answer from DaveB, I am taking it like she can absorve the kinetic energy PASSING TO HER from the impacts. IE the force coming from a “kinetic impact” that normally would deform her tissues and move her, she is able to absorve and store it, keeping her mechanically unchanged.
There is not additional effect over the impact object, the fists in the present case, just over herself.
How she can use that stored energy is a little more uncertain. I could taking it as she is able to reconvert it into an impact over de contact point with any other object (kind of a delayed elastic collision), like here, if not because it seems she can use it to lift weights. Thus I will wait and see.
Yup, that’s my theory on how it works to
I tried double-checking myself and discovered that Potential Energy does exist, sort of. I only vaguely understand the details of it all, and don’t begin to understand the math. When you pull back the string on a bow, Potential Energy is stored in the bow.
It appears to be one of those things like how some types of physics say that Centrifugal Force does not exist, and others say it does. I think it depends on how you define your frame of reference.
To answer your question about the rock on a mountain, the energy was expended way back when the mountain was formed, when the mass was shoved upwards against the force of gravity.
Sadly, my understanding of physics isn’t good enough to let me hold up my side of this discussion. I probably shouldn’t have said anything in the first place.
Just in case (see my reply to Yorp) the bow “potential energy” do not actually exist. There is nothing “potential”, the archer chemical energy is converted into kinetic energy to pull the string, and then into mechanic deformation against the molecular bonds energy (which is always acting) and heat along the bow material constantly.
When the string is released the molecular bonds energy reshape the bow moving the structure and generating kinetic energy which is passed to the arrow.
TheARCMage: You were right early. All that comes from an early ingenuous look at nature.
Yorp: the energy to roll down comes from the gravity pull at the moment. An object that it is raised up do not have any “stored” energy. Gravity is ALWAYS pulling, and that energy is constantly used. For example the object is constantly pressed against the ground converting gravity energy in mechanic energy, heat and so. When there is not obstacle gravity energy (force) change the position of the object becoming kinetic energy at the moment.
In all cases the gravity energy is constantly used at the moment, not “stored”.
When an energy is being converted into other (gravity into mechanic deformation for example) has the potential of be converted into another (gravity into kinetic). From there is where the term “potential” comes. But that is true always, for any energy in any situation, gravity is only the most common and obvious one.
The italics at the end were intendend only to the word “potential” :(
See my reply to RobK below, for the arguments as relates to Anvil. Describing potential energy the way you do here needs to be clarified on a couple of points. One being that potential energy is a description for forces which are in balance, and therefore maintaining an equilibrium.
Whilst the rock is on the top of the mountain the forces are counteracting one another. What dissipation of energies there is, such as into heat, is minuscule in comparison to the amount being contained in overall check.
The rock could sit on the top of the mountain for hundreds of years, and you would never boil an egg. If purely using the heat dissipated, as a side-effect of the interaction between gravity, gradually flattening the boulder against the Earth. Not unless you had some method of capturing and storing that heat far beyond what we could do today, it is just released too slowly and in almost unnoticeable amounts.
This is an important distinction because the way you described it (which was probably not your intent) was that the energy is constantly being used. It is not. It is constantly being opposed. Whilst it continues to be so, the system remains in a static state where the majority of the energy is doing nothing other than counteracting it’s opposing force(s). Linguistically that is what we call storing energy. But it is not just a verbal convenience, it is of practical use in describing forces in equilibrium in a variety of states. Be it the rock, a coiled spring or even chemical energy. See the long list in the wikipedia page for potential energy.
If something acts to disrupt the equilibrium. Such as someone giving the boulder a push, then the forces cease to be in equilibrium, in your way of describing it. Or get converted from potential energy into kinetic energy, in my way. Both are correct way to view it, so the one you choose to use depends on your relative point of view, not an absolute truth.
I will just said that “potential”, “stored” and a couple more terms we are using here do are the linguistic conventions but do not are the correct descriptions. They leads to several inexact mental formulations often found.
Sadly this topic has becoming too long even to read, I already said my part and I do not have the disposition to reformulate it right now. Sorry, I must be getting old.
Anyway we are going to keep using them and it is right, a normal person in a normal life will not need to care.
See you.
No, that’s not how it works.
That rock rolling down, is rolling down because gravity is pulling on it.
To be more precise, both the rock and the earth have gravity. And both objects are pulling on eachother.
Because the mass of the rock is neglectable compared to the earth though, we do not count the gravity of the rock. But it does exist.
What is actually happening is that the rock and the earth are orbitting around a common center. Now because of the neglectable mass again, that common center is basicly just the earth’s center, or maybe a planck lenght in the direction of the rock.
The rock always falls towards this center, but the ground is keeping it up. Pushing up with exactly the same amount of energy as the rock is pushing down.
If the rock is on a slope, than the rock will start to roll, or fall, down, further towards this center. The earth’s gravity will accelerate it (at 10m/s^2), and this acceleration is what causes the increase in kinetic energy.
Potential energy is just a way of saying how much energy it can gain
It works both ways, depending on how you view it. Similarly to how mathematicians can make up stuff, like imaginary numbers, and use them in equations. So long as the end result is of practical use in the real world, it does not matter which way of visualising it is the correct one. The wikipedia page for potential energy approaches it from the same angle I did. But, I can see the math in it supports your way of viewing it too, so I am fine with that.
And, the formulae on that linked page involve complex elements which the writers neither explained nor hyperlinked and I have no way of knowing those, without taking the time to get higher mathematics qualifications than I have. Or spending more time researching it, than I care to. So it is a lot easier to run with your basic description. The two forces involved being the gravity of the Earth acting on her, and a balancing force opposing that.
Anvil has shown that she can separate the ‘equal and opposite’ part of the equation. The nose boop did nothing to her, but sent the brawler flying. So she need merely negate the half of the force which is constantly being exerted on forcing her body down. It is interacting with her body, so matches the ‘touch only’ range. Clearly it is gravity, rather than kinetic, but the earlier parts of this thread have already put up a case for the possibility of a link.
So I still feel happy in advising Anvil to explore whether she can absorb gravitational force (or potential energy if that helps her visualise and control her power better), as well as kinetic force. The worst that will happen is that she will look silly, if she tries flapping her arms to help. Even if she steps off a building in testing, she can probably absorb the kinetic impact on landing. So the testing could be perfectly safely conducted. The best will be that she finds out she can indeed utilise anti-gravity and will unlock a host of extra capabilities.
Actually, what I just realized:
We don’t know if Anvil actually DOES neutralize the opposite force, or if she just resists it.
If you think about it, she boops the Brick up and left (if we look at them sideways). So the oposite force would push Anvil down and right.
It’s impossible to brace against a force pushing you up, but you can brace against a force pushing you down.
So if Anvil had put 1 leg behind her, and braced for the force pushing her back, it might be very possible that she simply resisted the opposite force
Potential energy exists in as far as a car battery exists.
Energy being transfered out out extracts energy from the battery at a molecular level.
All matter has gravity. It exists in the very nature of matter. To absorb this gravity, you extract from matter. This as you say is not you suggestion.
Physics can be described as swings and roundabouts. Give and take.
To use or store gravity to convert as you suggest, there must be a reaction.
This reaction will likely be of a kinetic nature applied to anvil.
I am still working on if she will be pulled down into the ground a few meters or fired up.
Gravity and kinetic energy have to connection so this is purely conceptual.
The flying suggestion is not plausible, that would be negating gravity.
Typo
Have no connection.
Under that look, which is right by the way, a candy has potential energy. Everything has.
Anything in wathever state has the potential to became into another with energy involved.
By example just take atomic fision. Potential energy like no one.
Anvil, see the truth. The spoon is nothing more than potential energy.
Then see the greater truth. There is no spoon.
Gravity nothing the spin of the earth the movement of air every-time she takes a step. She is like a Piezoelectric crystal building a charge every-time she gets hit. Energy absorbers if played right are death to anyone there are against.
Well I doubt she can stop a laser attack.
Lasers are made of photons. Photons have no mass, and thus no kinetic energy (that’s why they can move at the speed of light)
+1
Don’t click if you do not want a possible spoiler.
Omigal may be Sydney’s way of showing Anvil the greater possibilities of her true power.
Light has mass. Proven by it bending its course when passing a black hole.
This is the main way we find black holes.
Light does not have mass. You have a slight mis-understanding, stemming from the assumption that it is gravity which causes the light to divert. It is not. The gravity is distorting space-time and as such, when the light travels through that region it’s path is deflected.
Mind you, this is just taking the word of experts who have dumbed down the math enough such that analogies and simple language can try to convey the concepts. We do take a lot on faith, if we lack the appropriate degrees in physics, mathematics or astronomy.
No, photons do NOT have mass.
If they had, they could not reach the speed of light.
It is physicly impossible for anything with mass to reach the speed of light, because as you go faster, your object becomes heavier. Something with mass traveling at the speed of light would have infinite mass. And thus it’d cost infinite energy to accelerate it to the speed of light.
Only things that have no mass can move at the speed of light.
About gravity effecting light: Yes it can do that.
Light travels along a straight path through spacetime. Gravity bends spacetime, and thus the straight line relative to light, is no longer a straight line relative to the observer.
Effect explained a little here https://www.spaceanswers.com/deep-space/4186/if-photons-of-light-have-no-mass-how-can-space-be-bent-by-gravity/
I would argue that the teeny tiny bits of kinetic energy absorbed from footfalls, walking friction, armswings, sunlight, etc probably go into reducing her structural stress, thus increasing her ability to apply superstrength without shattering her bones and tearing her tendons & ligaments.
I concur. She should have an arthritis free old age, no risk of repetitive strain injury or tennis elbow. Plus get a constant trickle-charge to her kinetic battery, any time she is moving around.
Well, it’s still arguable that Anvil could use the properties of gravity in an indirect way to gain kinetic force…Jump up & let gravity bring her back down to create the impact when she lands. Again, that’s probably not going to charge her up very much, especially compared to letting Mr. Brickface hit her first.
She can (depending on how good her ‘kinetic battery’ is absorb a fall of any height. But she only has a human body. So if she tried to unleash the full force of a deadly fall and convert it into a push to allow her to leap up (going up as much as the fall was down, up to the limits of terminal velocity), then she is subjecting her own body to that force, which would kill her.
So she needs to limit each output of energy to no more than she can safely jump down. But she can cheat, and top up the jump with a further push against the air. Us normal humans cannot impart enough energy to air to propel ourselves. Our muscles are insufficient to the task. But birds can. As can jets. Anvil would be able to do her own version. Provided she remained in an atmosphere (including underwater).
I don’t know about gravity, but Heat most definitely is Kinetic Energy. And everything has Heat in it. For any of you who read Whateley Academy, there’s a character called Slab in there who’s a Kinetic Energy absorber- and when he has his power going full blast, he’s surrounded by an aura of cold, as he absorbs the heat energy of the air and materials around him.
In other words, Anvil should not only stop fists when they hit her, but stop them COLD- as in, frozen and shattering upon her flesh.
I think I got as far as Slab being introduced in a fight (finals?) but then I got tired of my favorite authors dropping like flies. Jades and Sara’s authors departures were particularly painful…
Your name sounds very familiar though. And the heat thing sounds like a fun idea if whatever allows her powers to work is versatile enough. Would make her a great one to work tightly with Heatwave. Just attack in the same place as Heatwave and recycle her attacks for her own. Nice.
I was one of the more prolific posters on the forums, and one of the fanfiction authors. Something screwy’s going on with site access for the Cabal, and I haven’t been back in a while because of that.
There’s still a ton of great stories after where you read to, though, if it’s where I think it is.
So not named as a male version of Kenya, then :-)
They were all good stories. Lots of fun. But unfinished stories are painful to me and the more involved I am the more painful it is. The first and second wave main cabal set up a big foreshadowing of a “future decision choke point” in probability or something and then started dropping like flies. Their characters very rarely able to be continued in any real sense. And I understand that happens and I support them doing what is best for them but I am not going to be able to stick around for what amounts to an ever increasing itch I can’t scratch.
But I will always remember Whateley fondly.
Absorbing the kinetic energy in heat would mean abosrbing ALL kinetic energy in individual atoms though.
As in, cooling the air around her to absolute zero.
I doubt that’d be part of the plan
Not necessarily, if you adhere to the “absorb the hit’s energy” theory she will absorb the same amount of kinetic energy that the hitting molecules would give her anyway. She will not cool (stop) them more than normal.
If Anvil’s ability to absorb kinetic energy has some kind of “minimum threshold,” which seems likely, then certain kinds of very low-level kinetic energy wouldn’t be absorbed. For example, what about sound energy? If Anvil absorbs the kinetic energy of sound vibrations in the air, then merely standing near her would render other people effectively deaf. However, if Anvil has such a minimum threshold level, sound energy that’s been weaponized (ie: sonic pistol, for example) would still reduce/eliminate collateral effects of the weapon & still charge her up.
If that’s the case, than she’d be pritty vulnerable to a sword
Swords move slowly, so have low kinetic energy. But they still do lots of damage
The slow blade penetrates the shield.
Funny you should say that. It struck me that Mr Ugly might have a similar shield defence himself. Hence his confidence in being able to go toe-to-toe with Maxima. And his careless habit, of looking away from his opponent, if talking, during a fight. Normally that would not cause him a problem.
Except Anvil accidentally bypassed it completely!
Or he is just as dumb as a post and used to being the strongest, toughest person in the room/zip code. Like Maxima said just before tossing her ‘daisy cutter.’
https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/1123
Ah, the fearsome nose boop a devastating attack. Only a true master of the form could pull off such a feat.
This’d be a good link for Anvil’s Cast excerpt…
Everyone loves laughing at the tank.
Watching Maxima throw food in her mouth for the win.
After the unfortunate consequences, Anvil has only used the Wet Willie attack once.
There was also the time when she tried playing volleyball and she spiked the ball over the net. They still haven’t dug it out of the floor yet.
They never found enough of the guy she noogied to bury – it was an empty casket funeral
…Looking at the vote incentive, by my count, she’s lifting 16000 pounds? …so what does that mean for someone with major super strength? Like what kind of numbers. By the way, lifting 16000 pounds is a terrifying idea. I hope she has Max spotting for her, since I’m not sure that anyone else in the team would be able to lift the damn thing off if it fell on Anvil somehow.
Yes, 16000 pounds (8 short tons) this is canon now, and it is not her maximum (near though).
“what does that mean for someone with major super strength ”
Well, Max lifted an ambulance of around 6 short tons (12000 pounds) one handed and effortless. Also she threw a tank like three hundred feet away, sadly it is not clear how much dismantled it was so we do not know for sure its weight.
Anvil is doing Deadlift (lift it up to the knees) so there is very little risk of it falling on her. Anyway she can absorve kinetic energy, the hit will no hurt her (like the Big Guy punchs), just will give her more power, then she would lift it back even easier.
[1 short ton = 907 kg]
WTF is a short ton?
Is that something to do with the imperial system?
:) It is just a weight (or mass) unit.
Actually the imperial system ton is called “long ton” :)
Take a look on this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_ton
and this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ton
Wel…
IF that thing fell ontop of her, it’d probably have the same result as the big guy in the main comic punching her.
Make her stronger.
So I doubt that’d be a problem
Funnier if on the flight he goes skipping stone style off the heads of the mob of villains that are still outside.
Servants of the Imperium has now concluded, so you can put an N next to it in the links section!
It’s too bad he burned out on it before it finished, still it’s a good read.
Has anyone said that Anvil is a “brick house” yet?
She’s mighty migh-tay!
Is she letting it all hang out?
You mean bulldozer.
She takes out brick houses.
Weather Report: Chance of low flying villains, brick and mortar showers and localized destruction of buildings. Remember to carry your steel umbrellas and above all, DUCK!
hibiki (with umbrella open and is that an antarctic penguin clinging to his hip): excuse me can someone tell me the way to the tendo dojo?
Just a minor thing, but does anyone else notice that the whole time they have been in the restaurant, none of them have been wearing an earpiece, but suddenly, Sydney and Maxima are in the last panels? Also, where would those connect? Just pointing that out.
To prevent the confusion of “apparently talking to thin air like a crazy person” the transparent thin coil from the throat band to the earpiece lights up with a pleasing blue white light when active. This is the standard mode and can be turned off for covert ops. Thank you, this has been your audio manual entry for the Arc throat communication system.
+1
Aka they are designed to be discrete. We know they wear them, because we have seen them being fitted. But if we insisted that they be drawn on every member of Archon, in every scene, along with every other small detail that would be necessary, if that level of detail were demanded, we would get one update every two weeks, rather than two updates each week.
I am quite happy to go with ‘they are discreet enough to be invisible most of the time’. And Archon do have access to enough technomagic that they could do it literally, so ‘they can turn invisible’ would be perfectly reasonable too.
The earpiece is very tiny, it could be anywhere their clothes, probably rolled at the back of their necks.
It connect this way: https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/1029
They connect to the back of the chokers, which are throat mics.
I dare say the minute Mr Brick turned up, one of the first reactions of the ARC personnel would be to get back on comms. Since they are all still wearing their chokers it’s reasonable to assume they left the earpieces dangling down their necks. Somewhere it was shown how the earpieces connected into the back of the chokers.
Props for it occurring to Sydney though. It just proves (if more proof were needed) that she’s pretty smart when not distracted by shiny things.
They could even have pulled the earpiece out of their pocket and pluged it into the choker.
Asuming offcourse they didn’t need to spend 20 minutes untangling it
Very good point actually. They were off-duty so, of course, they would have taken the ear-pieces out. And it is a minor detail that need not be shown, given that they would have taken them out at some point earlier in the evening.
Mind you I did just have a mental flash of Maxima doing that, including Sydney’s, so fast that nobody saw her even move. It would explain the smug look.
Maxima: *flips curly fry up into the air*
*zips off to Archon, records a high speed message, for the relay system to play back slowly*
*types up a briefing for Colonel Faulk, swapping it for the cup of coffee he had in his hand*
*zooms back to chair in restaurant, to smugly bite the snack, as it falls into her mouth*
*runs round putting everybody’s mike’s back in, and hits playback, so they all get their orders relayed discreetly*
Maxima uses her zero-range telekinesis, to stop the air in contact with her skin from moving away from her. But then puts it back into it’s place as she passes, so that there is no sonic boom or even a rustling of displaced air.
Much as I approve of the look that Anvil is pulling off, I feel that I must point out that her body proportions, mostly from the torso up (flowing dresses are pretty good at disguising the legs) have been seriously underplayed in this strip as compared to previous renderings of Anvil’s physique. Is this demonstrating that Anvil has some ability to alter her size and mass? This would definitely seem appropriate with her other demonstrated abilities.
Or maybe she is just wearing a minimizer bra? It would make finding shirts that fit a heck of a lot easier!
Hmmm. Not sure that minimizer bras effect very muscular arms, shoulders, neck, and torso, but, I am not a woman, and so have not had the experience of wearing such.
Also to be please taking into the considerations of the improvements that have been done to Mr DaveB‘s style of art drawing in the 10 years since Anvil’s first appearance*
*style of speach deliberately intended to make grammar snobs’ brains to implode
Love the Sidney training clarification/tactical discussion. You placed so it gives a small break from the action but doesn’t interrupt it and and it’s realistic that Sydney would ask and Maxima would answer at that time.
Maybe it’s just me, but Anvil in her dress looks a bit too slender in comparison to when we’ve seen her in a t-shirt and such.
Everyone looks more slender in boots – a woman that size could wear 6-7 inch heels easily. And it’s a bit hard to judge scale next to Mr. Nosebleed, esp. given the foreground…
‘Dat said, she looks lovely, and the clothing is perfect for her.
Interesting tactics. Assuming Anvil can ‘aim’ the big guy’s flight path (seems reasonable) having him hit the roof where the bad people are standing is a very nice way to open the festivities. This disrupts their formation (such as it is) and provides a wonderful bit of distraction and intimidation.
For a couple of seconds at least all the people on the roof are either flying through the air or in a bit of mental shock. ARCSwat now has the initiative and the momentum of the fight has shifted. By the time the Goonsquad (my vote for villain group name) recovers all the ARC members have picked their partners and started the dance.
Side note – It looks like Big Guy hit the ceiling just under the one who mouthed off. Pretty sure that guy in uncontrolled flight is him. This lends credence to Anvil having good aim with her power.
Powers like Anvil’s are fun to contemplate, especially depending on the level of control she has over them. She absorbs kinetic energy – how about down to the molecular level? Be fun to see who wants to punch her if their hand is at absolute zero when they pull it back. Is it a contact power or can she have a little bit of range? Remove the momentum from her enemy’s brain blood flow to cause a stroke. The possibilities …
One of the other ones I want to wonder about is pyrokinesis–that is, creating fire at a distance. Yeah, sure, it looks pretty limited, especially compared to the godlike powers a really good telekinetic supposedly has, but when you think about it: pyrokinesis is about the manipulation of raw energy. So, in other words, you can do anything with energy fields and motion that a telekinetic can do, as long as you can work out the math. Up to and including FTL travel.
*erects sign*
“STOP
You have now reached the speed of light!”
You can never reach the speed of light. You can reach 99% of light and never make that last % to reach it. Special Relativity won’t allow it. It will allow time travel though.
AS FAR AS WE KNOW
that is
How does light do it then?
Ie, we can if we convert ourselves into energy. Let go of the physical. Become one with the the stuff of stars…. Hang on no sex. Nope. Forget that. Bad idea. 99% is fine.
Current physics say that photons have energy but no mass. If it has mass (regardless of amount), our current understanding is that the required energy to go light speed is infinite.
Light has mass. It is effected by gravity such as black holes.
Current understanding is that photons (light) are strictly massless – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photon#Experimental_checks_on_photon_mass
Yet there is so much that you still do not understand
Gravity bends space time.
Light travels in a straight line through spacetime, but because space time is bend, for an observer, it apears as if light is going in a bend.
Gravity does NOT only effect things with mass, gravity effects EVERYTHING that moves through spacetime.
Light has NO MASS
Light has no mass. Therefore any energy put into accelerating it (if I understand it correctly), will accelrate it to infinite speed.
But the speed of light is a hard limit. Thus it will only accelerate to the speed of light.
Everything with mass becomes heavier the faster it travels. Something with mass that were to move at the speed of light would have infinite mass. Thus it’d take infinite energy to accelerate it to the speed of light.
Sorry to rain on your picnic, but strictly speaking “pyrokinesis” is a telekinetic ability to produce heat by exciting the molecules of an object (i.e. moving matter), not manipulating energy in the way you suggest (although quantum physics & relativity could make that distinction irrelevant at some level).
I’m pritty sure her’s is a contact power.
My theory is that she does not exactly absorb the kinetic energy from the attack, but rather absorbs it as it is being transfered into her.
So normally a punch would transfer kinetic energy into [whatever is getting punched], and generate heat, and deform the target.
However Anvil can absorb the energy direct, skipping the deformation, and thus avoiding damage, while at the same time charging up [whatever it is that stores the energy].
Sorry, I’m about to get Uber nerdy here. I am trying to quantify the energy give and take of Kenya’s powers. We have seen that she can bleed off kinetic energy from objects that strike her.
1) Is it inherent or on demand? If someone throws a rock at the back of her head, does it cause damage if she is not prepared to intercept it? Does it work with high speed objects like bullets?
2) If she falls from a height, does she absorb the force of the impact without injury?
2a) Can she catch a falling teammate and prevent injury?
3) If someone throws her at a wall does she
– hit it with normal momentum with powers turned off
– hit it softly with powers set to absorb energy
– hit it extra hard with powers set to expend energy
( if she can use this through held objects, imagine how far she could hit a baseball)
4) if someone grabs her hand and pulls, does she resist the imparting of momentum?
5) If she is hit by a car, does it stop without damage, or crumple around her, or her choice of the two?
The thing which gives you the best clue as to the nature of her power is the fact that ugly went flying, but Anvil did not. There was no equal and opposite reaction visible. Unless she is just messing with the universal laws (which super powers are allowed to do), then she is releasing the energy in such a way that the ‘opposite’ part does not have to take place at the same time.
Will she still have the other half (the ‘and opposite’) of the reaction stored up to use at a later date, in the direction that the blows were being landed?
But she does not have to do the same when storing it. Neither of them felt the full impact of the blows initially. So her power is very versatile.
It’s not just kinetic energy that’s being absorbed and released. It’s also momentum, both linear and angular.
Imagine our offender striking a similarly heavy piece of clay, while it rests on a hoverpad. The clay will absorb kinetic energy from the strike by deforming, but it will also acquire momentum due to the strike. At the end of the collision, it will be moving in the direction of the strike. If the strike was off-center (e.g., to the left), it will also be rotating.
Anvil takes several strikes, but not one of them moves her. The strike to her head should give her considerable angular (rotational) momentum about her center of mass. It does not. Momentum is not being conserved.
In Kevin O’Donnell, Jr.’s McGill Feighan series, the title character is an interstellar-range “flinger”, or teleporter. To compensate for differences in relative velocities, a Flinger has access to a pocket dimension which serves as a source/sink of momentum. Even short-range teleports on a planetary surface need such a mechanism, otherwise you arrive with significant velocity relative to the arrival point.
This is effectively the same mechanism, without the teleport.
Actually, if there is no transfer of kinetic energy, than there is also no transfer of momentum.
Momentum is transfered by ‘pushing’ against the target. Pushing against something is expending kinetic energy.
Thus by absorbing the kinetic energy of the punch, the fist would essentially just dead stop when hitting her.
No doubt HE feels the sudden change in inertia in his fist.
Hmm. This does throw a monkey wrench in my theory on how her powers work (explained a few posts up)
TBH, the pacing between this and the previous strip seems a bit off. It’s almost as if there’s a strip missi g between Max adressing Anvil and the hairdo guy hitting her.
Hey is it just me or does Anvil seem less jacked? And nice power, the name fits nicely, and while her power is pretty useful it has its work arounds too.
Great start to the fight, I especially love the exchange between Halo and Max in the last two panels.
Saw that coming. Well, not the Nose Boop of Doom, I was actually thinking it’d be the classic Finger Flick of Death, but otherwise, this page is about what I expected.
Also, does that one shadow have floaty orbs like Sidney, or are they suppose to be energy wing things?
We have our first casualty… The room is a write off.
That poor defenseless building.
What this shows, is the proper method to a brick absorbing strong punches. :) You don’t have a guy punching brick or stone or what-not. That still causes a lot of vibrational damage. You flex and tense just the right way, and it IS like punching sand, or a punching bag. Distribute the force more, and still be in a position..to do something so adorably cute I wanted to give Anvil the biggest hug imaginable. Nose boop indeed. *squee!*
Dare I say that this is the second best nose boop labeled as such in webcomic history?
Whats the best?
Ellen’s magical nose boop in El Goonish Shive.
What bothers me about this page is not that Maxima is gleefully coughing up a strand of spagetti (jk!), or that Mr Nosebleed has an 8-pack (supers are allowed to have weird anatomy).
It is that he specifically states he’s going to knock her block off and then the next panel is a shot of his fist impacting her … abdomen.
No, wait, that was actually a bit of misdirection. Well, good for him; I hadn’t supposed him capable of that much tactical thinking…
Actually he’s hitting her Plexus Solaris, which is just below the sternum (center bone of the ribcage. No idea how versed you are in anatomy :P )
It’s a big collection of nerves, and getting hit there will atleast knock the air out of you, and might even knock you out
If we observe his thumbs in the strikes, we see he fired a L-R-L punching pattern. I’m assuming that makes him left handed, since the classic brawler 3-hit combo is to open with a light primary-hand strike (usually a chest/shoulder/face shot), followed by a hard off-hand (also usually a body blow to encourage the chin to move forward), and THEN land the hard primary on your intended target (usually a jaw-shot for an attempted knockout). It also means he wasn’t thinking through his attack (probably because he’s riled up and swinging wildly)
Maxima looks like she’s enjoying this a *little* too much. If her smile were any more twisted I think a “mua ha haa” might actually escape her mouth. :D
In fact, Maxima seems to be sharing the same expression as susie derkins, on my avatar, in that first panel.
Maybe Suzi actually is Maxima… Didn’t her powers show up around the same time she hit puberty?
Just want to say love the outfit choice for Anvil.