Grrl Power #226 – Hexectomy
I realized a problem with this page after I had nearly finished coloring it. It results from me having knowledge the characters don’t. Maxima prefers to keep the combat non-lethal… but if Hex didn’t have that shield, which Max didn’t know about but I did, at a minimum Hex would have suffered burns and possibly some exploded organs. Maybe Max thought Hex would Zig Zag more, which she might well have done if she didn’t have a shield, but even if we say panel two is heavily foreshortened, that Pwee Bomb went off pretty close to her.
<– Check out the Patreon campaign for the comic, where if I get enough support I might decide to check out whether or not the Surface Pro 3 is any good as a mobile art platform. Well, Patreon support plus cashing in all my ad monies so far. The prevailing wisdom seems to be that it has potential, but there are a number of critical patches it needs before it’s viable, like right handed artists like myself can accidentally brush the home button while drawing causing the art program to close. I really don’t see how it’s possible they missed that when testing the device, unless they just never had an artist test it, or they only had one guy in all of Microsoft test it and he was a lefty. There doesn’t seem to be any other devices on the horizon that have any potential as a mobile art tablet. iPads are no good cause they’re not pressure sensitive. Even if you get one of those Wacom styluses that fake pressure sensitivity, the iPad doesn’t run any of the programs I use to make the comic. There are some others that seemed to have potential like the ThinkPad Yoga, but Lenovo makes it so difficult to get straight answers about the optional stylus that I have little confidence they’d even support it post launch with patches, unlike the SP3. The Wacom ones are probably the best from a pure art standpoint but they start at over $2000 which is just gross. If anyone knows of a good mobile art solution, feel free to share it, and I don’t mean a screen you can draw on that you have to attach to a laptop, I mean a self contained tablet with pressure sensitivity that will run Windows 8.1 (or at least Win7) and Manga Studio/Paint Tool SAI.
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Actually we all want to know whose idea it was.
+1
Personally I am thinking it was the guy that was poking Dabblers sword when it was embedded in the tree, as shown here :https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/1358
That tree the sword is stuck into looks like the right type… I wonder if the “mammary trap” turned him into a squirrel?
:-D Love it.
Lol, budget Halo, meet budget flashbang
More like Budget Fuel-Air Explosive. It might have just been mostly light and concussive, rather than heat, so Hex doesn’t get turned into a briquette. We don’t know everything concerning Maxima’s particle blasts.
Final two frames, is that the sound of another incoming flash bang?
No, that is her ears ringing from the blast.
Well.. it looks like Super Hiro really managed to find himself a tough fight here, someone i guess would be at least in the higher end of a 7 by the looks of it.
But am i the only one who thinks his arms look a little odd..?
They always do.
The cut on his arm suggests Hiro has been in at least one other fight.
I wonder how many other fights just ended abruptly in the parking lot?
Hiro’s list of injuries: nose bleed, black eye, slashed arm, seem to indicate that he actually did get picked on by somebody his own size, maybe the guy with the big plate of armour on his chest. Mind you, protecting your chest is great; leaving your head unprotected and yourself vulnerable to concussion, not so much.
I’d say it looks like he’s fought several people, three of whom caught him off-guard or something or were half-decent and inflicted a single injury on him.
It might not be one 7 but three 3’s or something.
I think Discount Halo would have been better than Budget Halo, though both work
Agreed
Discount Halo vs Budget Halo : One is the full Halo for a cheaper price, the other is cheaper because it lacks all the DLC, only comes with the first level and you cannot save…
I’d disagree. discount implies you get the same thing for a cheaper price, whereas budget implies you get something cheaper, but also laking features and/or performance.
and so far hex has showed of her powers seem to all be weaker versions of halos
so budget halo works
As such, it makes the better taunt.
Maxima: Tanker XP bonus award
SQUIRREL!
If the last panel gets out, “Budget Halo’s” friends are going to have a fun time sending her squirrel images, giving her squirrel dolls, putting up squirrel posters, etc. Nothing like friends to turn a minor embarrassing incident into a full-blown twitch-inducing phobia.
Hex is not afraid of attacking Maxime, is stupid enough to take her attack head on with a flimsy shield, and now freaks out over a squirrel ?
And she still is the brightest of the villains because she decided to leave it at that ?
Have they all been mind-mojoed before coming there, sniff the wrong stuff, or got their powers in exchange for brains in the first place ?
Are you sure you want to drink that? It might have some contaminant that makes you vulnerable to suggestion, like :Go down to the steakhouse and attack an organized bunch of,” well Hex said.
You’ve never been attacked by a squirrel have you? They may be small, but they’re cagey. They get into places you didn’t know you had. They bite and claw viciously. They DO NOT STOP. This is most important now. THEY CARRY NUMEROUS DANGEROUS AND DEADLY PARASITES, PESTS, AND DISEASES.
Lyme Disease Ticks.
Rabies.
Numerous species of fleas. (Some of which burrow under the skin.)
Several different forms of PLAGUE.
Heartworm parasite (which burrow into your heart.)
The list goes on.
Oh, and and they take all of that UP TO ELEVEN if you get anywhere near their nest. If a squirrel makes its nest in your attic, it will CHEW THROUGH STEEL PLATE to get back in.
You got me when you talked parasites.
I am going to have nightmares now.
Don’t forget the damage that one squirrel did to a Mississippi revival. They never will.
Is this an actual event I didn’t hear about or a reference to the Ray Stevens song?
The song. *Grumbles about having to explain the reference.*
~Oh when the squirrel went berserk..~ Sorry, don’t remember the ‘exact’ wording of the next line, but I caught the reference.
This is why you treat the little buggers as tree rats cutes and fluffy tails but bloody tree rats none the less. The joke about them going for a guys nuts aren’t jokes the can and will run up pant legs into shirts and make a merry mess of you if you piss one off. no where near as bad as a murder of crows tree rats at least forget you invaded their space crows never forget.
Oh my, yes. The largest scar I have on my body is from a squirrel, and I regularly work with numerous sharp pointy objects on a daily basis.
They’re vicious. Even Doctor Doom and Thanatos tremble before their might.
I got the impression Hex was freaking out not because it’s a squirrel, but more from the fact that it slammed into her, which she wasn’t expecting (even though she’d already seen it in the previous panel).
Of course, extended claws impacting on BARE SKIN wouldn’t help calm her down either…
Ok, somebody called “Badgers”, but nobody guessed “Squirrel”!
Always. Expect. Moose and Squirrel.
Rocky was a flying squirrel, a different smaller species of squirrel than the big grey squirrel shown here. Hmm, I guess this mean Hex is not a Squirrel Girl™.
Always thought Crowley called them “Moose” and “Not-Moose”
Crowley. Try typing in “wickedest man alive” in a google search.. Unless the writer(s) of Supernatural was a member of the Satanic Church, glorifying that name is the act of a fool.
You think Crowley is being glorified on Supernatural? o_O
I have never seen it. But any role in a story, good or bad, is publicity and can be considered glorification as a result.
I have known people, first hand, who were being tempted into Satanism, due to his works. So, even though his Wiki page has been sanitised, to tone down his role, his influence on the Satanic Church is clearly deep and long-lasting.
Casting him in the role of the king of hell? Yea, not going to help.
Ah, but nobody expects…….
THE SQUIRREL INQUISITION!!!
Except the CAT NINJAS
Yeah, my answer to any squirrel problems is my cat. She even kindly drags the corpses onto the sidewalk so they don’t rot and attract scavengers. Then I just put on some gloves, and put it in a trash bag with a spray of bleach. Keeps my garden more or less intact. And as a bonus, she’s gosh darn adorable!
Max showed incredible levels of control over her blast powers at the demo. The flash-bang was just right and Max probably pumped it at the instant it went off and Hex’s shield went up to ensure a knock down with the tree and shield remains breaking her fall.
Agreed. She sent a full sized “pwee” at the tank she threw that was controlled enough to dig down at a distant target site (IE guided and controlled) and then burst it for the finally. In Champions terms that is built as a touch ranged EB linked with lots of stretching bought indirect + variable sfx on the energy blast. Maybe a linked flash as well. At any point she could have waived it off to the side or even clipped a Buster Buddy TM itself without the explode part…
Explody dammit …I typed EXPLODY !
Curse you autocorrect!?
66.7% pwee. She was still using 2 of her four bits to fly.
I thnk she has 6 bits, 4 to make shield and 2 to keep her in the air
You are correct sir. I meant 2 of her SIX to fly. My 66.7% was accurate though.
Math, it’s the simple errors that get you.
Math isn’t Simple though, singleminded regarding the Ladies maybe, but not simple :P
I would need to use scientific notation to calculate the number of points needed to build Maxima in a Champions game.
If I was still running games, Maxima would be on the Index. Along with Superman, Batman Iron Man and a bunch of others. Wolverine is there because every new player tried to make a clone of him.
“… Batman Iron Man …” ?
Interesting loss of a comma there. ;)
Been done, I think.
Pretty much the same archetype, so easy enough to do. Each is just a variant in the amount of tech vs muscle and skill vs gadgets. Both have the prerequisite of multi-millionaire (/billionaire, if you factor in inflation since conception).
Maniac Manor did Iron Bat Aqua Lantern Barbarian once. Very funny scene
Batman Beyond.
Your typical Champions character was 250 point base. Maxima is a 500 point base character. She’s supposed to be the ARCverse equivalent of Superman after all. She’s the most powerful superhero known.
She wouldn’t be that hard to write up. She’s got around half her points invested in her stats, flight, and armor. The rest goes into a variable power pool she can use to boost any of her stats or make zappy GoldPlasma™ attacks.
Since 6th edition, the standard is 400 points which includes 75 points in complications (what they now call “disadvantages”). So yeah, there’s been some changes.
What you wrote makes sense . . . until you consider [a] we haven’t seen Maxima have any real disadvantages (gold skin doesn’t count) and [b] we *still* haven’t seen her at full power.
I haven’t played Champions for many years and so things may have changed, but gold skin would be a disadvantage. Just a minor one for perhaps 5 points, but still a disadvantage as gold skin tends to spoil things like putting on a captured uniform and sneaking into the enemy base. Even the sleepiest of guards isn’t likely to miss that.
Dabbler might also qualify for the disadvantage due to her four arms and purple skin even though she has what appears to be zero END cost illusion which conceals her alien nature. That costs points to do and so taking the disadvantage is a fair thing as well.
And it looks like some things have come full circle across the versions, because the term was “disadvantages” back in the day, and CanuckAmock says that it’s back to that from “complications.”
None of Arc-SWAT would be particularly difficult to represent in Champions. Dabbler would probably be the least efficient, since she has so many different power sources that wouldn’t be able to fit conveniently into just one of the power frameworks which provide more bang for the buck for your build points. She’d need an Elemental framework to represent her alien species, a Multipower or Variable Power Pool for her magic, and the same for her tech gadgets. And then she’d have to pay for all of her her permanent items which don’t fit neatly into her frameworks, such as her cybernetic arm and eye, her sword, and any other permanent items. Those could be purchased using the Focus limitation to reduce their cost, but it’s still pretty inefficient to make a character using so many different frameworks and systems.
Achilles would probably be the most expensive even though it would be a fairly simple build. He’d need huge amounts of double hardened armor and huge piles of flash defense for all his senses just to attempt to represent his invulnerability. And then No need to eat or sleep, No need to breath, and probably Immortal, assuming he actually has those abilities. But being invulnerable isn’t terribly useful if your enemies can just kill you with poison gas or drown you… And that’s just about it, since he doesn’t appear to have any powers other than an abnormally high strength for a human which is represented by the fact that his bones and muscles don’t feel the strain, of anything. He’ll never get a hernia trying to lift a 400lb rock, for example.
If I was writing up Dabbler in 4th Edition Champions, she’s have just one variable power pool, called “Too Many Powers To List”. That would cover all her Tech, Magic, Psi, and Inherent powers. It would be the most expensive version of the Variable Power Pool, given that she doesn’t seem to have any limitations on what she can do. Dabbler is high base point characters. She’s up there with Maxima.
She doesn’t have all that much other than her power pool. She’s got Extra Limbs, her Succubus Glamour, her Beholder Spell, her Lust Aura, her Porno Sense, her Super Hearing, and some special vision modes. We have not seen her use it, but she’s supposed to have Super Martial Arts skill.
Everything else could be part of her pool. Over time she might purchase things she’s often used her pool to do as separate powers. The sword might or might not be part of the pool now.
I think I would write up Achilles using one of those really -odd- methods that sometimes popped up in Champions. My initial thought would be to do his invulnerability as Phasing, with the limitation that he cannot pass through solid objects. He’s subtly out of phase with the normal universe, in such a way that nothing can really reach him to do him harm.
It has been years since I owned a copy of the rule book. There might be other sneaky ways to make someone invulnerable.
From the first pages, where Sydney is gaming with her friends, I was pre-programmed to think of the characters in Mayfair’s DC Heroes terms. In those terms, Maxima is probably the same point-build as Superman, 4000-5000 pts. Not a patch on Batman though. Seriously, if you own a copy or download it from the web, reverse engineer Batman’s stats. Un-effing real.
The rest of the team is probable similar to the rest of the Justice League, 1300-2500 pts.
Maxima’s point value should be significantly below Super Man’s. He is maxed out in all attributes and powers all the time. He only need reduce his power, if he wants to pull his punch.
He could, for instance, use his super-strength, to carry a container ship, flying at full speed, dodging incoming missiles using his super reflexes/speed, blocking those that are unavoidable and cutting a hole through any obstacle in the way, using his laser vision, big enough for the ship to fit. All simultaneously.
We do not know how many areas Maxima could have at full power, at any one time, but let us assume that she can do a couple. So she could pick up the ship and try to fly with it, at high speed, but then would be wide open to all attacks. She would have to either slow down to a crawl, or drop the tanker, in order to free up capacity from her power pool.
So, although we have not seen such a challenge yet, she is significantly weaker than Super Man. And does not have his x-ray vision either, for that matter. Which is a very good thing, because he is so overpowered, it is boring.
Once the villains of this world figure out Maxima’s inherent limitations, they will be able to engineer circumstances to force her to overstretch her capabilities and make herself vulnerable. Or back off. Either of which would serve their purposes.
It doesn’t look like that shield is covering Hex completely.
So it should atleast burn of her shoes, and by the looks of it, also the top of her head
It was mostly light and noise with a little bit of a kick.
All in all a rather nice multi-use attack.
Essentially a flash-bang on steroids.
most of what happened there was Budget halo losing focus and/or having to use all 6 orbs to block.
Actually, it appears that the shield uses 4 of the BBs, not all 6. She’s still using 2 of them to fly.
Even on the ground, using 6 might not necessarily make the shield any stronger. It would just allow it to either be hexagonal, or curved. Assuming that a blinkey needs to be at each corner.
With 4 of them, she could theoretically make a Tetrahedron (pyramid shaped) shield that surrounded her completely. She probably just hasn’t thought of that, and needs some power stunt practice.
though that may not necessarily make it better, as it would then need to cover more area, which might make it even thinner/weaker even if the coverage is better
But you could angle the tetrahedron so that an “edge” faced the explosion, which would mitigate a large percentage of the blast, which is why V-bottom hulls on armored vehicles are better than flat bottoms.
Plus, a closed forcefield has the advantage that it would have protected her ears better…and it has other applications, like enclosing enough air that she could go underwater, through poisonous gasses, or out an airlock, and still have two BBs free for propulsion.
Yea, I think it would be a very good application. It does depend on the strength though. Hex made quite a small shield there. We know that she must have seen the TV footage from the press conference, firstly because her companion made direct reference to it. Secondly because she recognised Halo’s name above. So she had a good idea of what that finger foretold.
Therefore it is reasonable to assume that she would make as good a defence as she could. Even if she was only practised at making a flat one, with four corners, clearly a very big one would be far better for the purpose, if it retained its strength. She did not do that, so it is possible that either the blinkies cannot stretch that far from her, or that she knows the overall strength drops as the field gets bigger.
The fact that the shield cracked with that attack does imply that durability is an issue. Of course another alternative does exist, in that there simply may not have been time to position them further apart in order to make the shield.
All of which is the pre-amble to say that in order to fully enclose herself in the three-dimensional shield described, the total surface area would have to be very much larger, than that of the square shield. So if the strength is influenced by that, then it could drop off a lot.
But that is not necessarily the case. If it is just down to, say, power transmission from her, then it could just be the distance from her body that causes a drop-off in effective power. In which case, that structure would remain pretty effective, as each individual blinkie would not need to be too much further from her, in the centre to pull off the trick.
So it may not be feasible if intending to defend against a powerful attack. But even a weaker shield would be good against less dangerous ones from unpredictable angles. Plus the gas and water suggestions (albeit not at particular depth if strength is a problem). But if it is, then it is a very good adaptation.
In particular it would keep three blinkes free for fast and manoeuvrable flight. Or could sacrifice that capability somewhat, and drop to two, in order to have one blinkie freed up for firing. If she can pull that off then she actually will exceed Halos capacity, slightly, in being a flying, shielded blaster.
Doh! I forgot your summary indicated there would only be two free, rather than three. Somehow the image of the panels being triangular shaped was making me think three. But, of course, there would be the fourth, on the opposite side, to complete the structure, and form the other triangles. So scratch that last paragraph.
The minimum number of Buster Buddies required for complete coverage is 4 (three sided pyramid).
But maybe you could put 1 in the middle to reinforce the shield, or make layers, or something else I haven’t thought of.
A very good point. Plus it could give the shield a pyramid-like shape. A big one would be a variant of the structure that Elfguy suggested, so could potentially enclose Hex, and still leave one blinke free for blasting. With the caveats provided in previous comments about that. But being potentially slightly stronger, due to the additional blinkie involved. And I imagine that a four-sided pyramid is structurally a stronger shape than a three-sided one.
But, even using it directly like you imply, in a shield of similar size to the one she did create, she could give the leading facing a pointed edge. Which we know from history is a very good technique. Most advanced shields had some kind of boss in the centre, to serve to deflect blows from the weakest part of it.
It also meant that the force would be diverted to apply more at an angle, so even when it did carry on to hit the rest of the shield, it would be encouraged to reflect off at an angle which would be less dangerous to the defender.
I think a shallow pyramid shape would serve equally well in that role. And, depending on how the mechanic of the shield work, might allow a somewhat larger shield to be formed, without sacrificing strength. Thanks to the extra power of the fifth blinkie, and the reduced spacing between the various corners (assuming that distance to the nearest is more important, than distance to the furthest).
Actually, the “all triangles” tetrahedron configuration (4 faces) is structurally stronger than a 5-faced “Giza pyramid” configuration, since a triangle is an inherently stronger structure than a square (which the fifth face would be) As others have suggested, it could resist an explosion better if it was rotated so that one of the edges faced the explosion, which would help part the force of the explosion and channel it away, while the square shield she used simply took the blast straight on.
Shouldn’t it be ‘My eyes’ instead of ‘Mine eyes’ in pannel 4?
Based on the hat I’m guessing that’s not a native English speaker.
Budget Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Hah hah.
Hey Dave, is it “Budget Arnold Schwarzenegger” or recycled KopyKraut?
https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/48
Proof that there are some foreign supers in the mixed bag of nuts
With a Russian Hat and a German(esque) accent he is EURO MAN. Marvel at his techno beats and patchwork fashion that somehow works. Tremble in fear before his snobbery and gym star physique.
Side note, someone should ask the villain in the foreground where Battlecat is.
At least, when he finally come down, and lands on some distant beach, he will have a towel reserving his spot.
Dam busters ok!, how about this one
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKHc-U2FNHk
Yea, I loved that one. Especially the gag, right at the end, where the pilot ends up shuffling away from his co-pilot.
Zee goggles! Zey do NUSSSSINNNK!
Up and at them.
Actually, he was just starting to sing “Battle Hymn of the Republic”.
Isn’t “watch out for the flash” a bit counter productive, if you want to have working eyes afterwards?
No. Pedants must be punished! Seeing spots for a week is a suitable deterrent.
It’s “watch out” not “look at”, only a nonce would actually look when they have been warned there is going to be a big flasher streaking past
And if you’re dealing with a DC speedster, watching out for the Flash is just plain good sense!
Hmm, Flash-bang for the sound of him running past you at supersonic velocities?
Flash bang, thank you ma’am.
Well
all things considered Maxima didn’t throw a big punch, I mean maybe she’s thinking, “she know what I can do from TV, so she has to have some sort of protection.” I mean, who in their right mind would attack maxima after that TV stuff without any protection?
That said, of course super doesn’t mean super smart.
I have to assume she was starting weak and planning to work up as necessary. So the attack has to be at least, on percentages, “non-lethal” to a mostly normal person. With a super-healer near to hand, anyway.
Case in point, it’s a little too late for Hex and all 6 of her Buster Buddies to realize this was a stupid idea and opt out. Jail-Time City awaits, sister! No take-backsies. But hey, at least there’s a good chance the prison will keep her safe from the big, scary squirrels…
Budget halo, hahaha
If the name sticks this is going to be the worst indignity she suffers
Hex got to announce herself just before she went down. Hopefully someone heard her before they covered their ears.
I hate to admit it, but I had been going with the idea that the name ‘Hex’ had something to do with an ability to cast curses or bad luck on people. A light bulb (energy efficient LED of course) just went on and I realized that the term is referring to the fact that she has SIX of the energy pods following her around. The next thing you are going to tell me is that Hiro sounds like something other than a Japanese name.
P.S. One note for the Bronze Brawler going up against Hiro. For the amount of weight you are carrying around you could get a carbon fiber/Kevlar full body armor and helmet to protect against things like those nasty head injuries. (I know dropping the bronze plate messes up your chosen name, but you could rename yourself the Kevlar Kommando)
I think crawling out of a tree looking like she just got mauled by that squirrel is going to be worse.
That squirrel crawling out of the tree after appropriating Hex’s powers / foci would be the wrorst of all.
Or the best. Halo could have a familiar.
As an added indignity to Hex (see rest of this thread), it would probably be the worst
What’s that ‘eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee’ at the last pannel?
Sirens?
That’s the ringing in Hex’s ears from the flashbang.
Too early I think. Probably the Buster Buddies TM winding down as Hex considers her options; run or surrender. Both of which are best done without a lightshiw.
A severe case of tinnitus?
The sound started in panels 1 and 2. So either the flash-bang has a really extended bang, or it is just the ringing in Hex’s ears.
I’d say it’s the ringing in Hex’s ears as there’s no sound effect in evidence in panels 4-6.
The ‘eee’ in panels 1 and 2 is from Max firing the Pwee bomb. In 7 and 8 I’d say it’s either emergency services arriving or Max firing another shot at someone.
Naa, the “eeee” goes through Hex’s ears. I do not think that is co-incidental.
Interesting Hex is asking the same $64 question we are.
it’s someone high up in the military, starting trouble just so the heroes can deal with it, thereby justifying their budget for next year
He he. With the addition of a shield, not to mention Maxima’s declaration, I have to concede that folks who were saying Hex is a cut-down Halo had it spot on.
Mind you, the funniest thing is that Hex is more alarmed at the squirrel, then being blasted by Maxima!
Those things can bite through any regular shield.
That’s n’ordinary squirrel.
That’s the most foul cruel and bad tempered rodent y’ever laid eyes on
Yup. You are absolutely right. They keep to a strict convention. Much like the good old days of villains wearing black hats and the hero having the white hat.
That is a foul grey squirrel! Menace to society and participant in genocide. Rise up, lovely red squirrels, fight back, do no walk towards the light, turn back from extinction! Bite those horrid greys heads off!
Actually where I live it’s grey squirrels muscling in on local (smaller) brown squirrels, so it totall fits.
Actually, which species is prevalent is based on the mix of trees. In Canada, grey and black squirrels tend to live in deciduous forests and red squirrels live in conifer forests. It is because of what they eat from those trees. Red squirrels are also active predators; in areas with a large red squirrel population, more baby rabbits are eaten by red squirrels than snakes, foxes, hawks, etc. combined. So to have a grey squirrel in what looks like a pine tree does not look quite correct. Mind you, I am not familiar enough with the Texas squirrels, but I would be thinking a grey squirrel would be hanging out in a maple, poplar or oak, not a pine or spruce.
Where I live in California, we have a lot of redwood trees. They aren’t conifers, but they resemble them quite strongly, and the squirrels who live in them are gray squirrels.
So I’m going to say that’s a redwood. ^_^
Poor redwoods. Each is an unique ecosystem. Supporting thousands of other organisms. Some of which are unique in their own right. With no other examples in the word. And we have chopped down most of them, and the other megaflora, for timber.
Next time you are near one, please give it a hug, from me. But don’t tell anyone else. We would not want to get reputations as tree-huggers.
Actually, no, we haven’t…I live in Sonoma County, AKA “The Redwood Empire” and there are more Redwoods now than there have ever been…because lumber companies PLANT more than they cut down, and don’t want the really old ones anymore, so the remaining “old Growth” redwoods are doing just fine, thanks. (Lie-o-pedia claims 95% are gone, but they don’t bother to tell you that the original extent of Redwood growth, and additional acreage planted by lumber companies, are still redwood forests, and there is plenty of “new Growth” redwoods to meet the lumber requirements of the whole world for years to come..
Redwoods are ridiculously resillient as well.. you can’t get RID of the things, even if you wanted to. You could clearcut Redwoods from an area, and they can regrow from the stumps.
You know who really hugs the redwoods? Lumberjacks…just like cows, they aren’t going to ever go extinct, because humans like building things out of wood.
If you really want to be kind to trees, water them. And you know exactly how.
David, you and Uhl know far too much about squirrels. Is there an infestation where you both live or what?
*suspiciously examines David Nuttall‘s grey-looking hair*
Psst. Ragingagnostic, can you make out if he has a fluffy grey tail?
I don’t see a tail. I am just inquisitive about the world around me, including those black little rodents that come up to you to see if you will give them food when you sit down in the park and those little red guys at my parents’ place that pick up the stuff under the bird feeder. When I get curious, I get studying. I tend to get answers that way.
So how come no one has brought up the commercial with the “4 out of 5 Dentists recommend …” the one with the squirrel attack. I’m pretty sure Hex has seen that one, and is picturing the effect of squirrel teeth right now…
I don’t know that one. But there is a public service announcement, that warns about the dangerous infestation, their thieving ways and their diabolical intelligence.
Well then allow me to show you the terrible wrath of the dentist killer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcxPCjivnXI
It’s got a vicious streak a mile wide. It’s a killer!
And none of the supervillains thought to pack the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch.
Excerpt from later action report:
Blue-Spike: Finger-Flipped to Nirvana by Anvil
Bald cristal-claw / Second blood moron: Was shown a bit of Maxim’s golden side, went straight DFTC ,
Shadow Homerun guy: Bowled into dream-land by Halo
Spunk hair tooth pick beam guy: Skull knuggled and tooth cut by Math
Lee Press On Claws: Was shown his own blood and potential mortality by Halo
Concretia: Kept down by Peggy ( due to a number of holey cracked heads )
Lightning gal and teeth gritting hulk: Got themselves cooked nicely by Heatwave
Heavenly Sword: Ice cube e-shock knock-out by Dabbler.
Silent Shadow / Mach the Knife: Doped out by Harem.
Hex: Clawed up by fear crazed seriously angry squirrel. In need of psychotherapy because of it.
Jabberwokky: Still entangled with Math. Bets still are accepted.
Hey, squirrels are no joke. Squirrel Girl beat Doctor Doom (among others) with squirrels. XD
Since they both seem to be on the humorous end of the spectrum, I have to ask, who would win in a fight, Squirrel Girl or Deadpool?
Squirrel Girl, this very scenario already happened
Deadpool would probably try and make out with her
Deadpool is still terrified of her.
Deadpool is tough, but Squirrel Girl is UNSTOPPABLE. She’s beaten gods.
in Marvel’s power stats there are only two beings
who are maxed out in all categories.
The living Tribunal – marvels equivalent to the voice of God
and squirrel girl.
Ya gots ta watch out for those pesky squirrel finishing moves.
If she is smart, she will surrender now, and petition to join.
That squirrel is from ArcOrn
If they start a super pet auxiliary, I’m gonna go home.
He he.
Going to volenteer if they do Yorp.
Who do you think is their first candidate?
I don’t think so he hangs out with to many shady characters
So does Harem
One of my close neighbours is a mafia cappo. A girl who has her eyes on me is the daughter, or niece, of a godfather. One guy, I would happily trust my life to, has done time for manslaughter. One of my friends (I suppose more accurate to say my friend’s brother) used to be, and may still be, a pot dealer.
So a few. I have sharply defined morals, but I would be very lonely, if I failed to accept others for themselves, warts and all. But you are very right to imply that I avoid some folks. I do not want to end up married to the mob, for example. Likewise regarding another couple of potheads/dealers.* But mainly because they are loose cannons, who lack common-sense, and I want nothing to do with them.
* Pot does not bother me one way or the other. Quite literally, especially if talking physiologically. I have tried it, and know it to have been the decent stuff, cause… contacts. But it never did anything for me. Even with expert advice on how to make the most of it.
I guess if I had experimented more, I might have found a variety that did something, but never felt the urge. And don’t like messing with my brain too much. I have need of it.
different people may have widely different reactions to a lot of drugs.
some people are addicted with even minor exposure,
others… Back in the 19th century they were looking
for a non-addictive substitute for morphine.
A French group came up with heroin and tested it on some volunteers
and it worked just fine as a pain killer without side effects.
Only after they published did they discover that all their small group of test subjects
belonged to a portion of the population who were immune to the addictive affects.
Ooh, and another of my friends is from a family of bullion smugglers and bullion robbers. Not to mention being very proud to be descended from a privateer myself. Likewise a very close friend is proud of her pirate ancestor.
And us Cornish are smugglers, through and through. And have been known to rebel and march on London!*
:-D
* Do not under-estimate the power of that song. I have been in the presence of thousands of Cornishmen, singing that, at my uncle’s funeral. And there was not a dry eye in the crowd. A popular man, but a moving anthem too. One that he was superb at singing himself.
So do they steal chicken of beef cubes? *Gets stuff thrown at him.* I was kidding!
I know what you mean though. I’m proud to have a lot of links to some of the bigger names of the wild west including the Hatfields and the entire James-Younger gang. When you come from cattle thieves you can’t really judge others.
I just noticed in panel six, it’s a flying squirrel. Sort of.
If Squirrel Girl shows up they are all screwed.! LOL!
I kind of think panel 5 from the last page would make a better Who’s who picture for ‘budget Halo’ here. She doesn’t seem to be very enthusiastic about being a bad guy, maybe she’ll wind up joining ARC by the end of this? And wind up being ridiculed about her new nickname for all eternity.
Yeah, said that last page: either panel 5 or 9 (with panel 6 as a close runner-up ;))
I bet Full Price Halo is jealous of at least one feature of Budget Halo……
Poor Sydney and Peggy, part of the “A” team……
Hey! There’s nothing wrong with being on the A team!
*fistshake*
A team for the win.
I’ve always preferred A’s and B’s over C’s and D’s especially in college.
Never said there was anything wrong with the A team… missus was A team(Until Bubs) ..
Poor Sydney doesn’t like being on the A team thou …..https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/876
Slight distinction. She is being made to feel inadequate, due to the competition. I think it is a flaw of our society to equate that to being that it is her body which is at fault. Hopefully she will not fall to the pressure, to the parts of society, which like to promote bigger busts as better.
If she has difficulty with that, I would hate her to fall victim to a surgeon’s knife. She would be far better seeking counselling, to help her recognise the beauty of her current figure. It is her low-self esteem which is the problem, not her boobs. She will have no problem finding guys, who love her just the way she is!
I find boob enlargements to be a weird cultural thing.
Which is propagated by peer pressure and entrenched social ideas, that push people into the dangers of altering their body. And can be counter-productive, in alienating those members of society who do not pander to having their tastes dictated by the fashion magazines.
Her snazzy glasses?
That was my thought too. “Man, Budget Halo puts Halo to shame! They should call her Chesty Halo” Does that make me a sexist?
You’re not the only one who likes her ASSets.
New product suggestion. For the fan market, rather than mass-consumption. So print-on-demand, rather than mass-produced. T-Shirts, etc, with a suitably spectacular image of Maxima and her Bigga Badda Boom, perhaps a variant on panel 1 here. With the caption:
And for the reverse an image of somebody hospitalised, with multiple broken limbs in traction.
Perhaps just the “Grrl Power” logo on that side. No other text required.
Panel 4 from that one.
Bought !
I’d wear it.
Wear it? You lived it :D
Gimme!
I would figure that attack was less explosion, and more flashbang and shockwave so even without the shield, she’d probably only get the wind knocked out of her… maybe some brusing. Course, fictional characters are as a rule extra tough.
I do wonder what the fallout of this fight will, be. Whether they would recruit any of the attackers. That would not happen in real life, but Archon is very different from standard police and military. Besides, I get the feeling that many may be involved in this attack simply because they think “supers have to fight each other” therefore not considering the fact that they are actually attacking cops.
The bad guys are going to be charged with some serious crimes. Even the ones who might intend to reform or quit the powers biz will end up serving time in Federal prison. Just because the grenade you threw was a dud, doesn’t mean you can dodge attempted, premeditated murder charges.
Yeah, I figured that, but I find it funny when comparing it to many other fictional supers. A super who attacks another super may have no malicious intent other than to see who is strongest, and depending on how much collateral damage was caused, may get off scott free.
It also makes me wonder how open Maxima and the others would be to someone who simply showed up and challenged them to a fight, would they accept? If the fight was legit, and done in a safe place with no collateral, would the challenger still be arrested?
Sometimes in comics and tv, the law does not get involved with fights between supers sim-ply because supers are considered to be fair game.
These are just some of the things I think of. I find this comic interesting because it actually portrays supers as part of law enforcement, in public, rather than the top secret team.
I wonder. We know Maxima and Dabbler fought to a standstill. But the why has never been mentioned. It could be just that, “beat me and I’ll join your Cub Scout pack.”
This is a military unit. Seems to me it would be kind of like having a current Green Beret or SAS take part in a “friendly” streetfight. All sorts of trouble if they get found out. I suspect.
Alternatively, “informal training sessions” in a sutably safe and properly supervised location might be one way to go.
There is always going to be some form of dueling between powered characters just to see who is tougher. And somebody to hold the bets. And eventually some rules. Then Hong Kong movies dramatizing the whole thing. And Bollywood adding dance numbers. Finally Hollywood blockbusters flopping like dead fish.
If you have not seen it, be sure to watch Enthiran. It deserves consideration for any comprehensive list of top science fiction movies. Yet, at some point, the plot has to be contrived such that the leading guy (a <b>robot) gets to go on the traditional Bollywood dance with the leading lady.
On top of which, it gives every appearance, of that one scene, having been filmed in South America. Imagine the cost of flying the leading actors to another continent, hiring a dedicated film crew, just for the task, and transporting them all on to some remote mountain top.
Complete with hiring a huge dance troop, and all the logistics of feeding and looking after them, in the middle of nowhere. Just for a very out-of-place song and dance scene! Bringing in a distinctly abstract spectacle, into an otherwise hard core sci-fi movie.
I know it is a cultural thing. But… disconcerting.
he also played a cameo as the robot Chitti, in the recent movie Ra.One
at the time it didn’t make sense to me how he even came to be in the movie as it was a total non-sequitor, deus ex, and made it look like bad writing, but since you pointed this movie out (which looks to be decent and i’ll get later) NOW it makes sense as to where he came from during that cameo…
Technically, maybe from the side of the law-keepers.
But do not underestimate the power of money-grabbers.
If two supers were to fight and do damage to property and/or person(s),
they WILL get sued out of their colored underpants faster
than the Flash can run from paying alimony.
Some of these characters don’t seem to be attempting murder at all so much as flexing their muscles. That Mach guy, for instance, had short knives that he was tossing around like confetti but he was merely wounding people. Heavenly Sword seemed to be following ancient rules of chivalry, waiting impatiently for two Halo and Dabbler to stop chatting instead of attacking while they were distracted. That doesn’t look like the behavior of determined murderers to me.
I’m not ruling out some kind of mind control.
That would allow using some of the characters in a non-combat role. Hex might turn out to be something peaceful, when not mind-controlled. Say a nurse? Probably not a vet.
I think a lot of that will depend on the power level of the individual guy. Remember the conversation about Sidney? To paraphrase “Wow, she is MASSIVELY unsuitable for being a police officer, but she’s almighty, so welcome to the team.”.
If there’s anyone on the other side who presents as vaguely sane, has a power that they need, and seems like they’d mesh with Archon (strong female types, ideally), and is willing to work for Archon I could totally see an offer of conditional pardon being extended.
Thought experiment, if Harem wasn’t a member of Archon, and was in the attacking team, would they offer her a gig? Obviously, if she was remotely willing to join up. Teleportation is an absolute game changer, and the opportunity to get it would be worth way more than having one more felon in whatever system they are going to set up to house super criminals.
I think there is a distinction to be made between ‘likely to abuse the authority of a badge, to get to the front of a queue.’ Versus ‘likes to kill police officers in their spare time.’
Very poorly paraphrased. More like this:
“It’s not that we like the idea of giving this spaz a badge and a gun. She already has the gun. While the idea of giving her police authority is scary, her record is clean and her intentions seem good. Best case letting her join we get a valuable super with an interesting power set. Worst case we are in a position to watch her and the training should make her less of a danger to the public.”
Keep in mind that when they interviewed Sydney, supers were still very rare. It’s not like Archon had a long list of supers applying for jobs.
Hex’s Who’s Who picture is good. Her “Imma stop firin’ ma Lazer now an’ RUN!” moment.
Maybe the ‘pweee-bomb’ is the Maxi version of a flashbang
She probably should have gambled on that fifth or sixth shield point… in hindsight anyway.
That would leave one or none to fly with.
Which would have gotten her away from the blast area pretty quickly.
Presumably she knows both her top speed and how fast she accelerates, and subconsciously compared them to the speed of sound as the estimated speed of propagation of the blast wave of an explosion, and knew she would be better off with the shield than trying to make a getaway.
hex has a point in the second to last panel. that many high ego people working together with no apparent plan to domething as silly as attack arcswat right after that show? i smell a mind controller somewhere in the mix.
Hex’s remark is the first actual clue that if there is a mastermind he is well concealed. Who invited her or suggested they throw a blanket party for the newbies?
“I don’t even know what I’m doing here in the first place.” If we take that sort of literally, it hints at a mind controller running the show. Dangerous. Archon does not have any powerful mentalist that we’ve seen.
Dabbler would be their first line of defence. Maxima being the single weakest link. Take control of her, and everyone else is in deep trouble. Halo probably gets +10 on saving throws versus mental domination, due to the unpredictable nature of her mind.
I would go for Harem 1st, cause if you can grab 1 you got em all.
Then I would grab Achilles, Mr. I am INDESTRUCTABLE would play havoc with the rest of the team.
Harem would be perfect to infiltrate and spy. To do maximum damage, Max is the best target. Everyone gets to see just how powerful her energy blast is. I think half a major city incinerated is what would happen.
I agree.
Step 1 – Control Maxima
Step 2 – Create Enormous Crater
Step 3 – Victory!
I doubt it’d be a very powerfull mind control.
Probably more in the line of very compelling suggestions. So maybe someone who’s able to plant the seeds of an idea in your head, and than that idea grows until you’re attacking a team of super cops.
And than you suddenly start wondering where the hell that really stupid idea came from
Why is she here? Because an evil being from an alternate universe paid the creator of this universe to put her in direct conflict with some very dangerous individuals.
Kind of makes you wonder if our universe was started when two beings were sitting around and one of them said “I’ll bet you ten bucks I can make someone eat an apple.”
Twenty if you do it with a talking snake
The past couple of decades I kept wondering what ‘God’ was smoking when he/she/it made the universe.
Seriously, just look at the platypus.
Just look for the burning bush to find out.
OH GOD. IT’S ALL MY FAULT. *mind blown*
*GladOS voice* You monster.
Halo lite tried to shoot Max in the head… actually scratch that: she DID shoot maxima in the head several times.
That’s deadly force right there – ergo, deadly force in reply from Max is warranted. Whether or not Max thought she would survive is beside the point, legally she was covered (even is Maxima is bullet proof, other team members aren’t).
Stone body… perfectly sharp claws… there’s deadly force up and down this fight. (Deadly to normal humans, anyway.) So they certainly would be able to use deadly force in return with little issue. Heck, even if they killed some bad guys who hadn’t personally used deadly force, or even attacked at all, they could probably get away with it legally (especially if any member of ARC died, as anyone along with a murderer during a crime is equally guilty of murder in the US). But they knew that going in and were still trying to keep it non-lethal. Max shoots at Hex as she’s trying to flee. Certainly she could probably justify her actions in court, but for many reasons I think non-lethal is the intent here.
Mostly I am proud of the links between the British legal system and the American one. I do not like the strong political control and influence over the legal system. The two should be totally separate. Plus I dislike the insidious propagation of litigious culture. I do not mind it in America, but it is very un-British.
But one of the most disturbing concepts is that it is ok to shoot at a feeing suspect. Not a problem in the case of the above comic, assuming that it was intended as an incapacitating attack, rather than a deadly one. But the frequently shown scene, of a cop shooting somebody in the back, disturbs me.
I hope that is just a Hollywood thing.
Shooting to incapacitate is a Hollywood thing. Handguns in the real world aren’t all that accurate, and police are trained to shoot at the target’s center of mass.
Oh yea, I was very much keeping the distinction in mind. Guns are killing weapons and nothing else.* But super-heroes have ways and means of pulling their punch. As described for other commentators, talking about this scene.
* Other than the lovely concept of anti-material guns, provided kept to their primary purpose.
To be clear, I am answering about cops shooting fleeing criminals in the back. No, that is not just a Hollywood thing.
The police are expected to use the minimum necessary force to capture and subdue criminals. They can and should shoot a fleeing suspect in the back if there is no other way to stop them. The “no other way” part is where human judgment comes into the equation. Is it reasonable to believe that the fleeing criminal will be caught by the police at a later time, but before the criminal has harmed anyone else? If so, that counts as there being another way.
If the police officer has reason to believe the criminal attempting to flee represents an immediate danger to others if allowed to escape, shooting them down is the right thing to do.
Perhaps the British see things differently?
I think they do. In a matter of degree, rather than contradicting your statement at all. If there was clear reason to believe that the individual was intending to attack random passers by. Or was simply running for cover, in order to be able to shoot from a more protected vantage point, then I would agree.
But my premise was clearly talking about a suspect intending to flee, with no other baggage implied. In Britain we would not assume that a random criminal was armed, for instance. Whereas you are clearly making that assumption. And, the difference is not a casual one, yours is more likely to be so. Hence the difference that I perceive in attitudes.
When I did a google and YouTube search, to see if I could find any of the scenes I remember, from various movies, I instead got page after page of results to do with real life accusations or incidents. Notably every single one was an American result. I say this not to have a pop at America, but just to use as corroboration that I have never heard of such an accusation made for a British policeman.
The nearest memories I have relating from that stem from the Troubles, in Northern Ireland. When it was discovered that a ‘shoot to kill’ or ‘shoot on sight’ policy might be in effect. This caused massive controversy. Even at a time when we are talking about almost certainly armed terrorists.
The consensus of public and legal opinion (although heavily debated) was that it is inappropriate for cops to circumvent the process of assessing how dangerous the individual is known to be at the present time. The fact that they might or even probably will go on to commit a crime, later, is insufficient cause to allow a policeman to become judge, jury and executioner.
If the terrorist is not attempting to attack, they must be apprehended using conventional means.* And if that runs the risk of them evading justice, then so be it. Taking a shot at that fleeing back would result in a murder charge being levied at the policeman, in the UK. No matter how high the suspect was on the wanted list.
* Of course, if the individual is believed to be a suicide bomber (not an issue in that conflict mind), then clearly they meet the definition of being armed and an immediate threat. There were instances of individuals being shot who were believed to be in the act of arming a bomb, mind, which I would have no issue with shooting, whatsoever. Nor did the courts, once the circumstances were firmly established. If my recollection is correct.
That is a long post to say essentially “The British see things pretty much exactly the way the Americans do.”
This would never be suggested as acceptable in a UK court. A ‘suspect’ could be an innocent person. They could be unarmed. Unless they pose a ‘clear and present danger’, killing them is not acceptable. Even if that means that the individual will succeed in feeing the scene.
Succinct enough?
Utter bollox. They do not do it in the UK because they know the cops will never stop hunting them, until they have been caught. Cop shootings are so rare that hundreds, or even thousands, of police can, and do, get deployed in resolving such incidents, if necessary.
Plus the criminals have no need to risk being locked up for the rest of their lives. If they are armed and the cop is not, they can simply flee the scene. If they hang around the armed response units will deal with them.
There have been seven UK police killed by shooting in the last twenty years . That is less than one every two years, in the course of protecting 63 million people.
The corresponding USA entry fails to list even a fraction of the police by name. There are just far too many. Plus it notably fails to break down the numbers to show the cause of death. So we can only infer the number by shooting. But I think it is reasonable to assume that it will account for a high proportion of the total. Even on the UK list that was true.
2012: 127
2011: 72 (excluding accidental deaths)
2010 “was one of the deadliest years on record for US law enforcement in nearly two decades”
So, even with a partial list, we can see that the total will run to many hundreds, over the two decades. We can estimate, say, 50 killed by shooting, per annum? To protect a population of 317 million.
Guns do not come with force fields. Gunmen are glass cannons, who can and do, get killed as a result. Cops or otherwise.
This reply was meant to be in response to TheARCmage‘s post below.
I did not mean to imply that fewer police officers have died in the line of duty in the US than in the UK. I was simply pointing out an ironic difference.
You say that the reason people do not shoot at the police in the UK is that they are not afraid of them.
I say that the reason people do not shoot at the police in the US is that they are afraid of them.
Having a gun provides no inherent protection. Having a gun and a reputation for being willing to use it does. The most important protection the police have is the impression the public has that if you shoot at a cop, you will be lucky if you live to be arrested.
So you prefer rule by fear, intimidation and the threat of death. That does indeed show a fundamental difference. We are in agreement.
Incidentally, this does have good karmic rewards. Even armed criminals, in the UK, are far less likely to attempt to attack a police officer, with the weapon. They know that their lives are not at risk, provided they make no attempt to use it.
Of course instances of police shooting an unarmed man, but claiming he was reaching for a gun, has in the UK, just as much in the US, lead to both court action and/or rioting, depending on how the incident was handled.
I wouldn’t call it karma so much, but armed criminals in the US are far less likely to attempt to attack a police officer with a weapon because they know if they do their lives are very much at risk.
Somehow my reply went to the wrong spot, See the post further above starting “Utter bollox…”
The degree of force a police officer can use is based on a couple of things. The crime the suspect is assumed to have committed, and the perceived danger to the cop and any civilians in the area.
For example, as a teen some friends and I snuck into a neighborhood pool at night and went swimming. When the cops came we all did a runner. One of the cops called out “Stop or I’ll shoot!” My girlfriend stopped at that point and I had to drag her along to get her running again. There was no chance that any cop was going to shoot someone, much less a kid, in the back for the misdemeanor crime of trespassing. And as it turned out we all got away with nothing but a good story to tell about it. :)
Yeah, shooting at a fleeing suspect is a hollywood thing. Lethal force is kinda a complicated thing. Yes, if you pull a gun out on a cop and open fire, he will blast you into next week. But if you pull out a gun and fire at a police officer then drop it and surrender he cannot. And the moment a police officer pulls his firearm out in the line of duty for whatever reason, he will have mountains of paperwork and inquiries ahead of him.
The reality is never like hollywood makes it out to be.
…if you pull out a gun and fire at a police officer then drop it and surrender he cannot.
Technically he cannot, but it could go either way. Although it’s almost guaranteed that the officer will fire anyway, if the shooter is black. Then he and any other officers will lie as much in their reports as they have to to cover each others’ asses. The “Blue Wall of silence” is, sadly, a very real thing.
About 5 years ago I watched a police chase on tv. At the end of it (about an hour and a half), after the driver crashed, the cops pulled out the passenger, there were 3-4 of them holding him and another one comes running up and punches this guy right in the face. This cop had what appeared to be either a kuboten or a collapsed baton in his hand at the time. The coverage cut right then and they went back to the reporters in the studio. Two hours later on the news they cut just before the cop got to this guy, and the next thing they did was show the guys mug shot, and say the injuries on his face were caused by the accident.
I quit watching the news after seeing how they will just lie to us.
I’m not saying that there isn’t corrupt cops. There certainly are, and a lot in my town supposedly. So I am not disregarding either of your experiences. I just have not personally had an experience with police corruption, police stupidity, but not corruption so my experiences haven’t been colored by it.
Of course there are corrupt cops. You give a person any power over another person and many times corruption follows. It’s human nature. There’s corrupt politicians, lawyers, doctors. Corrupt everything. But there are also not corrupt everything. You give a man power and you see his character underneath the skin.
Well, I haven’t seen any stand up and say enough of this corruption. If you just accept it and allow it, you are a part of it. Just not doing it, but tolerating it, is the same as being corrupt.
Maybe it’s just the shows/films we watch, but I can’t think of any instances of “shot in the back by cop” off hand. Probably because it would stop all those great foot chases.
I can think of an “assassinated by corrections officer,” but that was very plot-centric.
I could see shooting a fleeing suspect if they were still armed, because they might take a hostage or hurt someone while fleeing.
Just a little more battle-damage on Hex’ strap, and there would be a major costume malfunction :D
No damage, everything just shifted while she was bouncing through the tree.
My error. A quick zoom shows the tear on her right strap. And one very shocked squirrel.
DaveB no worries on Maxima knowing about the shield. After all she has had a bird’s eye view of the battle thus far that we did not. She could have seen Hex reconfigure for defense, just not on camera. Besides Max is a “tries not to kill” limitation, not the “does not give bloody noses or concussions” type. :) If the villain is an adult and pokes the mobile nuclear reactor they should expect a reaction.
I just want to see Sydney’s reaction to the “Budget Halo” moniker:
“Oh Yeah! %^^&&* this squirrel bait!” (followed by a demonstration of the Hentai-tie-em-up with the Lighthook) ***seriously? that autocorrected to Lightfoot? ***
Max would have regretted killing or seriously injuring Hex because that was not her intent. But it would not be a major trauma. Max would simply remember in the future to assume no shield for the first shot and have a heavier follow up readied. An automatic one-two punch.
I agree, Dave, don’t fret about a bit of meta-level thinking when you’re the author. Honestly I wouldn’t have thought anything of it until you mentioned it.
Hell, remember what max says in panel 2 of https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/323 ? If I were Maxima, I’d assume that any super willing to assault the strongest group around must have some way of preventing 1-hit KOs, and therefore make sure to adjust my attacks upwards in strength enough to disable, eject, or otherwise incapacitate my enemies in combat.
Furthermore, I would posit that Maxima’s use of a strong attack like this could also have been done in an attempt to reveal more of Hex’s (Budget Halo’s) powers and see what all she was capable of so there weren’t any surprises. This could potentially also cause a previously hidden villain to reveal themselves in an attempt to protect Hex from harm, thus giving more info to Maxima and company. It also might allow Maxima to make some reasonable assumptions about the other villains’ capabilities, since certain types of power are less likely to have duplicates in any given group (super strength is common, but shielding seems rather uncommon, and multiple powers also seem to be rather uncommon). Thus, Max’s slightly over-the-top explosion actually has given ARCHON quite a bit of info, since they now know that Hex has 2.5 – 3 powers: lasers, thrusters (possibly derived from said lasers), and a shield. In addition, Hex has been demonstrated to have good reflexes (by shielding herself from Maxima in a short span of time), an analytic mind (as seen by her observing the fight before jumping in in an attempt to take advantage of a distracted Max), and some common sense (by flying away from the Finger of Death™). Heck, it’s possible that Maxima might consider recruiting Hex to the team (once her jail time has been served, of course), since she does seem to be quite capable.
That being said, Maxima might have been horribly mistaken if she had been assuming that Hex dodging would save her, as the actual blast wave caused by the explosion would have been sizable AND strong, probably enough to kill her, or at least place her in intensive care with several ruptured internal organs. I base this on the fact that Hex is both thrown away from the explosion and that tree in panel six (which looked to be far away) is bowing under the pressure. If the Mythbusters are correct, blast waves are more dangerous than shrapnel and fire from a given explosion. Actually, if you want to check out more on blast waves and/or want to watch some Mythbusters, the “Knock Your Socks Off” and “Dive to Survive” are both fun to watch and relevant to to topic of explosives. So, my guess is that Hex probably saved her own life with that shield, since it would protect her internal organs from the blast wave.
Whoops, that wound up longer than I intended. Sorry for the wall of text.
Think nothing of it. It is all interesting stuff. And nothing compared to when I get carried away.
… by the men in the white coats?
Bah, let them try. I’ll just hop onto my invisible dragon, and fly off!
Actually, waves will diffract around the edge of a barrier. Hex’s shield wouldn’t have completely protected her unless it does’t have an edge. Which, given that it is some sort of energy/magic thing, is completely possible.
Well, evidently the bad guys network better than they coordinate their combat. Kudos to Maxima for drawing out some of the more impulsive villains. After this haul they should push the last couple of fence-sitters away from crime. Everyone they run across after this will be a dedicated hood, and should be treated accordingly.
Takes a lot of time to build even a semi-competent team. Can’t just herd a bunch of people together and expect them to mesh in a full-on fight the same day. Not even the same week, if being realistic.
Militaries tackle this problem by standardizing the training and equippage of their people and units as much as possible. So personnel can be replaced, transferred, etc. fairly easily but, even then, there are limits.
I actually like her, she’s sticking around, right?
In the sense of future appearances, yes. For the present case, I think she’s going to try to sneak out there before she gets really hurt.
And she will so go and see a doctor, if not several, for the squirrel-thing alone.
If you don’t wanna be compared to a budget version of Halo stop being a budget version of Halo.
Somebody call the Burn Unit.
Not that I’m biased (cause I totally am), however if Hex and Sydney ever got into a argument about who was the “budget” version I’m expecting the answer from Hex would be something along the lines of “You just found those! They’re macguffins! I MADE THESE. I spent seven years of my life LOCKED IN A LAB TO MAKE THESE.”
Followed by much muttering of “it’s just not fair” and “at least I know what they all do.”
Very much a theme of the Uplift universe. A galaxy with innumerable lifeforms. Who have passed down knowlege from one civilisation, to the next. And uplift species to sentience, as a hobby, to pass on that knowledge.
Except one race, that appears to have evolved to sentience through luck and chance, via evolution, decides to go it alone. Granted technology is nice. But knowing it from the inside out.. way better. In the long run.
That was a rather good series of books, but with a rather unpleasant and somewhat bizarre ending. (You have to admit that was kinda’ gross.)
No idea, I have never read one book in the series. It is on my to buy list though. So, maybe one day.
“Atleast I know what they all do”
Now that’s a good one. You (she) really should be using that in the main argument, not just for sulking
Sounds like an Epic Level taunt (better make sure Anvil and Maxi are around to restrain Sydney, and far enough away that the remote-controlled Orballs can’t hit you)
Just a disclaimer- despite the fact that Hex has my face, I know absolutely nothing about her. So I’m just making stuff up.
You know just as much as we do :P
I don’t know how far DaveB is going to take Hex or how much of your work he’s going to use, but please spoiler-tag unrevieled backstory
Oh! I’m sorry Killianti, I was honestly just making stuff up. I have no idea what Hex can actually do or what her backstory is- I basically just told Dave “Here’s my face, do what you will with it! I’d love her to have blue hair like me though.” I’m just spitballing. Didn’t realize it could come across as anything different. :/
So is does Hex just have your face, or is the rest of the body accurate too or are you looking at her and thinking, “I haven’t had a waist like that since I was a teenager and a chest like that since, well never.”?
LOL. Yeah, tha’ts pretty much exactly what I was thinking David. There would have to be some corsetry involved in order to properly cosplay this. Also some upper body weightlifting. Check out those shoulders!
You can set your mind at ease, from my perspective anyhow, as the thought never occurred to me, that it might be a spoiler. I just like running with such suggestions from any reader.
On that theme, one real advantage that a tinkerer Hex would have over Halo* is that she can make more of her blinkies. Assuming that the power source can handle it (perhaps she is the power source herself, and the blinkies are rather like Spider Man’s webslingers and are simply an adjunct to innate super powers).
The next time we see Hex, she might have a very big, brightly glowing, cloud of blinkies. Assuming that she can come up with the resources and facilities to make them. But, heck, that is why tinkerer super villains get into the crime gig in the first place. To finance their new toys!
* Ignoring the possibility that she could create unlimited new powers. That is the one serious disadvantage, in story balance terms, with any character capable of making inventions so powerful that they equate to super-powers. So for this hypothetical I am assuming a more realistic degree of invention.
It is very rare to find somebody who creates multiple, unrelated inventions, which are actually useful and/or marketable. I phrase that carefully, because there are many who will create lots and lots of things. But not that many that turn out to have mass-appeal, or whatever else is necessary, to turn an item from a prototype into something in daily use.
Especially when talking about the life-changing type things, of the same order of magnitude as super powers. Did the guy who invent the Spitfire go on to make radar, cruise missiles and space ships? Or did he just make variants on the same theme? The thing that he is familiar with, and made his breakthrough on.
I think the same would be true of somebody who stumbled across some technique for emulating a super power. Just because they did it once, there is no reason to assume they could do it again. Refine and improve what they have? Sure. Make something totally different? That is another matter.
There are very rare exceptions of course. Tesla and Dabbler being examples. Edison might spring to mind too, but he rather cheated in having teams of inventors working for him, but having it all released under his name. So although he was quite prolific, in his own right, the appearance would be a lot more than the actuality.
Unless she can make them powerful enough to blast through Halo’s forcefield (something which would be difficult to do, as we have seen), the best she can hope for in a stand-up fight is a standoff.
Hex, if she is aggravated enough by the ‘Budget Halo’ moniker, may well consider Halo to be her arch-nemesis, and upgrade her capabilities, to be sufficient to overcome her defences, or Maxima’s for that matter. Which would require upgrading her attack to a full five point strength. Similarly for Hex’s shield versus their offence.*
Each of would not automatically be an exact match. In fact it is unlikely to be, given the huge variability, in that range. And we do have the clear precedent that both Super Hiro and Stalwart have four star strength. But Stalwart is known to be the stronger of the two, within that range.
Of course, this would only happen if it were convenient to the plot. But I see no reason why it could not, if that was desired.
* Only needing three star, if only going up against Halo, at her present strength. Hex would still need to avoid Maxima. But I do not see that being an issue for her, given the above comic.
Don’t forget we don’t know if Halo’s shield is laser-attenuating.
https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/55
Hex beams might penetrate them
Also possible that the Buster Buddies(TM) are self-powered, and the limit on how many Hex has is her control over them. However, your theory about limited power also leads to the same result: Each time she shows up, she’s slightly stronger, until we see her with a swarm of BBs.
I’m not so sure Hex would want to go that route. “Yeah, but what I do know is still enough to kick your sorry backside.”
Well Budget Halo does kind off spaz out like her lol, i guess the only thing she has on Sydney is a few inches, and I’m not only talking about height…huhuhuhu. Could she be Halo’s nemesis? I’d love an insult fight between them, I’m sure BH can defend herself :P
There is no one alive who could handle a full up Sydney verbal assault….
Oh, don’t get me wrong , Sydney would win in the end, but im sure BH would be able to throw a few good ones and last a few rounds
I really wanted to see a Halo vs. Hex matchup. Maybe sometime in the future?
It would be really short. Literally a Smack Down and out.
Not necessarily. Assuming Hex made hers, she can improve them (budget allowing). Or even, just make more. Maybe next time, she’ll be called “Swarm.” Can you imagine 100 of those things?
Which reminds me of a game show in the 2000’s: 1 vs. 100. it had as a catch phrase question, “Do you want the money or the mob?” Halo vs. Swarm would be 7 (but only using 4 for security reasons) vs. 100.
Heh, I see that I was not the only one thinking on those lines. Regarding names though, that does cause a bit of a problem. She is, presumably, Hex, because she has six blinkies. Perhaps she chose the name because there was some kind of inherent limit as to why she could only have six?
Maybe the extra-dimensional creature she has inadvertently captured, and enslaved, to form her device, only has six blinkie organs?
Hey squirrels are SERIOUS Business in comics and superhero settings.
There’s Aquerna from Whateley Academy, Grace from EGS and, of course, Squirrel Girl from Marvel Universe. Don’t knock the squirrels.
They are serious business in real life too. Don’t ever underestimate an enemy that DOES NOT FEAR DEATH.
I’ve myself seen a squirrel vs. a Yorp.
Guess who lost.
Hey, burying nuts is one thing. I just prefer mine attached!
Then you shall be buried with them
I hope so. You cannot gain entry to Valhalla, with missing body parts.
You could just say that, since she called Hex “Budget Halo,” she assumed that Budget Halo would have some knockoffs of Halo’s skills.
Assumptions are Always a bad idea and will get you in trouble.
Agreed. Max probably read ‘Budget Halo’ from her HUD (because Leon’s subtle like that) and thought, “‘Budget Halo’, eh? Lets see if she’s got a budget shield orb…”
SQUIRREL!
WHERE? WHERE’S THE SQUIRREL?
I JUST MET YOU AND I LOVE YOU
So, where Halo has 7 orbs, 5 powers, and can use 2 at a time, Hex has 6 “orbs”, 3 powers, with the marginal advantage that each orb can be used for moving, blasting, or shielding.
And the shield is already cracked after one blast. I’m feeling rather underwhelmed by Hex. Is the “Buster Buddy ™” literal, in the sense that she bought or made them, and she could have more?
Hex’s powers are the classic triad. Offense, Defense and Movement.
In Champions terms, she has a basic beginners problem. All three powers feed from one source. Multipower with Focus. Cheap but ulitmately limiting. If Hex is flying, she can only have 2/3 of her total at most for attack or defense. In a serious fight she could stay grounded and go half and half. But with no quick escape or manuvering available. And so on.
Maxima has a mature power set that is similar. but she has a fixed level of power in the basics plus a pool of reserve energy to distribute. Plus extras. Lots of extras.
Hey, you gets what you pays for. Uncle Sam could afford the best.
I don’t think its that Hex is weak, but rather that Halo is strong. Halo is an incredibly powerful character, I don’t expect Hex to approach her power any more than I’d expect Mr. Amorphous to.
What’s somewhat scarier is she has the potential to be so much more powerful under the proper guidance. How many probable mentors does she have? I count at least 3 or 4 (Max, Dabbler, Math, and possibly Gwen) She has 47/147 points of her visible skill tree points lit (the 7 point cluster in the in the center is filled by 2). And she doesn’t even know how to use two of her orbs. And despite not technically a super and having no real training in fighting, she has knock supers and an experienced martial artist on their asses in nonpowered (but not always technically unarmed) combat and shown an almost inhuman level of endurance. Even if she doesn’t ever gain more power learning the martial arts will allow her to use what skills she already has more effectively. I’d say potential wise she might even be capable of reaching penultimate. Whether she actually does may be another story.
If you’re wondering about the Surface Pro 3 as an art platform, here’s something that Mike over at Penny Arcade posted last week about it. You may find it interesting. https://www.penny-arcade.com/news/post/2014/06/16/surface-pro-3-update
Somebody has deep rooted fear of our Squirrelly Masters…that makes them happy.
Well, if we assume that Maxima’s “Pwee Bomb” was set to go off either on contact or at a certain distance (like a decent anti-aircraft munition would), then if Hex didn’t have a shield she wouldn’t have stopped and would have been further away from the blast when it went off. Either way, from Maxima’s perspective, Hex likely survives.