Grrl Power #300 – Absolute leverage leads to absolute extortion
A curiously innocuous page 300, considering that 100 was Dabbler’s introduction to Sydney and 200 was the start of the fight. Silly humans and their need to celebrate round numbers.
It would seem that the store might experience a slight uptick in sales in the foreseeable future. This is just the early bird reporters too. (ooh I forgot to draw the people looming outside.) Given the store’s previous history and sales records, it’s possible their inventory will be depleted by the weekend if not sooner.
Not a whole lot else to say about this page really. Oh, the poster on the wall behind Sydney is for the webcomic Superbitch (which actually has a book out, so it makes sense they’d have it in the store) The poster was fairly prominent in the middle panel until I added in the balloons and orbs. I’ve linked it a few times and it lives over in the “Webcomics I Like” block. When Maxima is feeling grumpy she probably goes and kicks around with the title’s main character. They’d probably get on well enough but eventually they’d piss each other off.
Here’s the link to the new comments highlighter for chrome, and the GitHub link which you can use to install on FireFox via Greasemonkey.
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Does Sydney have a Krusty the Clown style signature stamp?
One that says “$50 for autograph”?
No. She has a pen.its blue though.
probably non-repro blue. love those things
Not yet!
not even had chance to order one yet, but as a comic/geek culecher fan she probably respects the integrity of an autograph and whould do them by hand
though i see an order for sharpies in her fucher maybe one for each orb colour so she can do a colect the whole set of autograph’s gimmick
Honestly. Nice reporters. Most would just leave and stand outside the doors while filming. These folk gave the business a profit
$150 to avoid having to jostle with twenty other media types, trying to film though the doors, as customers go in and out? She could charge that hourly and they still would not bat an eyelid. One gives poor quality footage and leaves the crew open to charges of obstruction. The other gives intimate access and the chance to ask questions.
Your point is very true for mundane situations being covered by news crews, for a bit of ‘slice of life’. Halo however has just shot to being one of being one of the most famous individuals on the planet, overnight.
Just how much would news stations pay for footage of Elvis, the day after he recorded his first song?
That’s Alright Mama.
:D
Not much really the value would be when he became famous. Believe me no one thought he would get that popular when he started.
My intent was to ask how much would they pay today, for that footage. It would be worth a fortune.
• Sydney is one of ‘the few’, the supers who have signed up to become super heroes, in their role as members of ArcSWAT.
• She is the first one to be discovered by the organisation.
• Even prior to her signing up, she helped foil a bank robbery.
• Halo was pivotal in winning the first super hero battle, live on TV!
• Sydney was born a normal person, and has become a hero through finding mysterious artefacts. That is going to have aspirational appeal, to a lot of folks.
• Sydney’s language and behaviour will have attracted vast attention, in itself. Unusual behaviour in charismatic celebrities always does. See Lady Gaga as one example, and any celebrity misbehaving in a TV studio, as another.
There is no time lag needed for the TV crews to realise that Halo is going to be as famous as Elvis. They missed recording his first day. They will pay whatever it takes to record hers!
All very good points, but add in that she is probably the only one not hiding away from the public at this point, makes her an even bigger target for everyone demanding follow-up to the story. And she is also obviously an amateur at dealing with the press. So she makes a big target for questions she shouldn’t answer, like that one he asked.
Also, antagonizing a superhero with a bunch of incredibly powerful abilities is probably a not-so-good idea in any case.
That depends on the motivations of the antagonizer. Unfortunately, there are probably some individuals who would allow himself or herself to “suffer” a minor injury and then sue for damages. While Sydney might not be rich at the moment, they might try to go after her future earnings, sue Archon for employing her, or find another way to exploit the situation.
Not if she buries him deeply enough.
If only they knew then what they know now, the appreciation value alone would have been worth the wait.
That’s exactly the point. Parse what Yorp posted and understand. Had some music geek or tourist happened to be in that studio with an 8mm and filmed Elvis’ first recording by chance, hey maybe just testing a new camera, that would be worth a fortune now. Of course, at the time, not so much or anything.
Reminded of how the complete set of Monty Python episodes was literally thrown away by the studio after its initial run. The cast pulled them out of the garbage and kept them, which turned out to be a solid (not just nostalgic) investment.
Actually, to save costs, the plan was to tape over them.
yeah, they did that to A LOT of programs back then… Dr. Who being one that i enjoy that a whole metric butt ton of the early seasons were thrown away, or recorded over, but there are many other programs that suffered the same fate everywhere. back then the magnetic tape was EXPENSIVE as all get out… so they reused it, and/or the film masters were usually not thought to be worth keeping so they were either trashed after a while, or kept… but in bad storage conditions so they were ruined after 60+ years.
Oh Sydney. Finally trying to make money off of your powers aren’t you?
That’s a violation of the The Superhero Code, isn’t it?
(Eh. More of a guideline. Arianna would not approve.)
What did she sell? Looks like a boxed set.
I’m sorry, but I don’t recall anyone at Archon handing out any pamphlets or “reader’s digest” version of something like that…
;)
Not if one of her unknown orbs gives her a boost in barter skills…
The green orb is the ‘Recettear’ orb…
+1 to Word of Mouth Sales Skill
i would say that the orbs them self are more like a +5 charisma/fascination boost
Are you talking Sydney’s or Dabbler’s?
Dabbler’s got a +10 at least .
Per “orb?”
+1 for the reference what’s the near pin bonus on a signed boxset?
Near pin bonus is flat, isn’t it? Really it’s the sequential customer combo that makes the big difference anyways…
technically she is legally a military cop (in training) not a superhero though with Arianna’s plans for merchandising i would not be surprised Sydney has to give archon half of the money she charged for the autograph
Unless she negotiates for part of that half going to the comic book shop of course
contract already sinned any sydney is no lawyer. though i know arianna wants the comic shop to stay in business so it could go ether way
Yes, but the contract had an unknown condition that we STILL don’t know.
Actually, Dave commented, that she negotiated with Arianna about all this merchandising stuff in her contract. So, Sydney is not screwed.
Strangers in Paradise Complete collection
up selling arianna would be so proud
So this then. That did not take long to narrow down. Nicely done. Shame all our worrying about copyright and trademark meant that Dave felt he needed to omit the titles. Pander will be telling us off now.
*hangdog look*
Nooooo! Don’t hang the dog!
O.O
I GOT THE ROPE!
yet you dont worry about having the diamond logo and name on the box on the counter???
I don’t think companies worry about their logos appearing in appropriate places in a work of fiction. It’s free product placement. If I had a million daily readers I could probably get them to pay me for it.
By Grabthar’s Hammer you shall!
please ignore the flowing run on sentence
OMG DAVE RESPONDED DIRECTLY TO ONE OF MY POSTS OMG OMG I LOVE YOUR COMIC
Ok i have returned to my normal self please pretend that never happened
DENIED!
Request the cone of silence, next time. :)
heck, that’s probably who will be DISTRIBUTING his Soon-To-Be-Published (Tm) graphic novel, to all the comic stores…
I can feel my ears burning…
It wasn’t me! I am lawyer friendly.
*wags tail*
*hind paw pushing a box of matches out of sight*
POSTING IMPOSTOR!!!
Someone sue him, quick.
Thank you! I knew I knew what it was but the name was escaping me. I wonder where I put my copy, come to think of it…
If you find it, you can always ask DaveB if he can get Halo to sign it. ;-)
$50 charge, of course
I’m sure that, by including a generous Patreon donation, Dave would be more than willing to get Sydney to autograph it for you…
:D
darn…beaten to the punch by a matter of a few moments…
Hah, I ninjad a ninja!
Beat that, Sydney!
The ninja mask make me Anonymous.
I do not forget.
I do not forgive.
Always. Expect. Me.
I’ll give you “two shurikens up” for that.
d-(^_^)-b
Which means not only does this guy get an interview, he gets a book set that is well worth the price. He’s having a really good day.
Hell, let’s be honest. Arianna would probably be proud of her and offer to teach her to soak the hell out of them.
Depends. Do you want all your superheroes to be desperately poor so that when their niece/gramma/lover gets cancer they start seeing armored cars as universal health insurance?
Spiderman used his powers to take selfies that he sold to daily planet. Clark kent got a number of exclusives on supermans exploits. the only supers i can think of that didn’t earn a living on their powers are the ones that started out insanely rich.
The Hulk?
Also, Dr. Strange had a career-ending accident & even spent a lot of time as a sequestered monk to earn his powers. He currently earns his money with wise investments & as a medical consultant. He NEVER charges any kind of fee for use of his mystical prowess.
That’s also because there is a bit of Karma involved in magic marvel, you either dedicate yourself to being a good witch or you quickly become the bad witch
Technically speaking, Superman was not a reporter for the money. If he wanted money, he could havedone what Kristin Wells (the Third Kryptonian) did – just get some sunken treasure from the bottom of the ocean.
Heck, or get some coal, make diamonds by squeezing them, and that’s that. He does the reporter thing because it’s good cover to explain why his alter ego is always in trouble spots.
Also, other heroes who have jobs (which rely on their powers) and are not rich:
Every hero or heroine on Hero for Hire – they’re career superheroes for a paycheck
Nightwing is a police officer
Martian Manhunter is a detective
She-Hulk is a lawyer – her law firm actually hired her specifically because she’s She-Hulk and a lawyer (for representing superhuman criminals in fact).
Kate Spencer (Manhunter) is a police detective
Captain America is a soldier.
Black Widow is a spy
Arrowette has preternatural aiming ability and uses it when she enters the Olympics
Two of the Flashes are forensic scientists and wouldnt have even become the Flash if not for accidents involving their jobs.
Savage Dragon is a detective
Sidney making money? How about the reporter, who, if he is smart, will not expense that collection. That is the very first signature Halo has ever given as a superhero and the reporter can prove it since they caught it on tape. At some point that signature is going to be worth far more than $50.
No doubt…If he uses the expense account, it would now be owned by the news organization. If he pays out of his own pocket, he could charge them to display it on the news broadcasts.
;)
I’m thinking that a customer or kid asking Sydney for an autograph is gonna get it gratis. However an in-your-face, snoopy reporter with an expense account should get charged whatever the market will bear, especially if they’re taking up shop space. Shop is private property, sidewalk out side is not. Ditto for paparazzi but it’s hard to charge a telephoto lens.
Very much so. Sydney is only being mercenary here because she’s annoyed by the reporters. Now, once she’s started to get repetitive stress injury from all the signatures she’s giving out her attitude might change.
Or she can learn to sign with the lighthook :)
Well, if we now apply that to a previous suggestion of a different colour pen for each orb, that is now 14 signatures to collect.
Ariana will be pissed until she can somehow limit Syd charging only on ‘company time’ so they get a percentage of it. Then…… (fanning herself) “Collect them all….”
Heh. And it works to counter the depreciation which happens if a celebrity autographs too much. Those who do not sign often are much more collectable than comparably famous individuals, who sign a lot. Terry Wogan is both a TV and Radio celebrity (part retired now). In his heyday he was the UK’s highest paid presenter.
Yet, he swears that unsigned copies of his autobiography sell for more than ones he has autographed! Very much tongue in cheek, I should point out. But based on the fact that, despite being nationally very famous, his autograph value has been degraded, to make it very low extra value.
This exactly, I cannot imagine Maxima or Arianna being upset at this, journalists do not exactly have a good reputation for, leaving people alone, so if they want to annoy her at work, they pay for it :)
Sides, the journalists themselves are likely smart enough to throw the stuff she signs up on ebay.
I would pay extra if she signed it via light-hook (assuming I could film it for all my friends to see)
:D
“Sydney is only being mercenary here because she’s annoyed by the reporters.”
Yep, paybacks are a bitch…In this case, literally, as the reporter is learning.
:D
This’ll go over well with Arianna….
Well, she didn’t speculate wildly about the ‘containment’, so that’s a plus. But, she did not tell them to get in contact with the press department of Archon either.
And she hasn’t said that buying merchandise will get you answers, just that it won’t get you kicked out.
Arianna : Autographed limited edition? Mmm~
Arianna: (chilly) And what did you tell them?
Sydney: Nothing. Sold some boxed sets, though.
Arianna: Leon said something about ebay.
Sydney: I charged them for autographs. It was just like Comic Con! You know, except I was the only dealer, and no cosplaying. And I didn’t need to throw soap at anyone. So maybe like the first day at Comic Con?
Arianna: *sniff* I’m so proud!
I feel that, after he spend a fortune on a box, she’ll awnser with “Not a clue, I’m new. You’ll have to ask one of the higher ups”
I’m sure the contract she signed had some non-disclosure agreements for some of the more interesting parts of ARCHON.
They probably all have standing orders to refer any questions to Ariana’s PR dept. Ariana should have handed Sydney about 100 of her business cards.
Only 100? A box full might be a better idea.
“A case of Ari’s card appears beside Sydney, courtesy of DR.R NPS”
Yeah, Arianna’s going to rip into Sydney for that little “concentration camp” speech. Ohhh, reporters love that, especially tabloids, and PR people hate anything that goes off message. Especially references to Godwin’s Law.
I have some microscopic, ancient experience in this. I used to be a Navy Journalist – which was more on the PR side. Sydney would learn a lot from how United States Coast Guard personnel handle unexpected interviews. They always come up smelling like roses.
Now there’s a thought: how can Archon look like the Coast Guard instead of another DoD branch? The Coast Guard almost never has an image problem.
By not arresting or having to kill people?
Sadly the organisations which have the worst image problems* are mainly the ones which have to do unpopular things, in order to fulfil their purpose. The Coast Guard is all about saving lives. Sometimes they are unable to do so, or mistakes may be made. So having good PR is important, and all credit to them for maintaining their image.
But they do have it rather easy compared to organisations which have to take life, as a part of the job. Not to mention all the bleating that folks make when they are arrested. Be it fairly or not.
* Excluding those riddled with corruption, bias or other similar issues. Just comparing on an “all other things being equal” basis.
um, the coast guard does arrest people; they often deal with drug smugglers and the like… not to mention illegal immigrants.
(they picked up 14 tons of cocaine just a few months ago. TONS.)
what they don’t have is a reputation for abusing their power.
Thanks Duck.
Yorp, you called down a wall of text from an ex-Coastie.
The Coast Guard traces its roots to the Revenue cutter service and Alexander Hamilton’s letter serves as a guide as much today as it did then. The guidance that officers “will always keep in mind that their countrymen are freemen, and, as such, are impatient of everything that bears the least mark of a domineering spirit.” The letter, which I encourage you to read, continues to shape USCG interaction with the public.
We still arrest people. We tear their boats apart based on Intellegence looking for drugs that have the remote possibility of not being there. We routinely stop people going about their day on the water to make sure they will be able to keep going about their day later. People don’t complain because were polite and professional about sticking our nose into your business. Do we have a bank of good will for saving peoples lives? Yes. But we aren’t loosing it due to inethical police actions either. Morals and ethics are drilled into us the same way laws and personal defense techniques are drilled.
So how would this work for Archon? You’ve already seen it. Maxima didn’t just come down and paste people
They followed a use of force. Now they just need to keep the public from viewing them as tyrants.
Apologies for the double post. Mobile phone likes to randomly submit.
I stand corrected. I should not downplay the toughness of the job. My own wall of text reply, below, was still being composed, without yours being visible. Although I feel parts of it would be valid, none the less. And would welcome your thoughts on them. I am happy to have my ignorance dispelled.
True. And I did have mental images of such operations in mind, when I phrased my comment. But dismissed it as being unlikely to garner much public sympathy, even if an alleged drug smuggler did complain of unfair arrest.
Whilst I am sure some coast guards must have a decent arrest record, I am sure that the sheer volume of arrests that street or traffic police must make will dwarf their figures, on average. Likewise the number of times per day that a US beat cop must consider whether to draw her gun or not.
Every time they have to make such a call, there is the chance for an error, and a PR disaster. The infrequency of the coast guard having to make such calls, reduces such an issue significantly. Likewise the fact that people see arrests or shooting in the street. and visualise it as “that could have been me today”. Whereas a shipboard arrest would not draw such associations so readily. Other than amongst seafaring folk, anyhow.
Not that Alex Vincent had a bad point to make. It is a good exercise to do. In this case we can see that if any arrest or death happens, the PR can be focussed to reduce the likelihood of the public empathising with the individual. Say by pointing out that ‘this is someone who was an extraordinary menace’. Provided that is the truth, of course.
So the principle was sound, although I chose to point out the flaw of taking it too literally.
Tell that to anyone whose property has been confiscated and tries to go through the process to get it back. Had your boat stolen by drug runners who were caught in the act? Kiss your boat goodbye, you are essentially convicted without trial of being complicit in the crime and your property is forfeited to the state.
The process to regain your property could easily cost you more than the property itself, or take long enough that you are no longer young enough to enjoy using said property.
Possibly not, in it full and context there was nothing wrong with what she said. Locking up supers for being supers would like raise outcries of “concentration camps”. Àrianna is still likely to instruct her not to say things that group like the Fear Zone are gonna edit and spin.
In the full context, yes. But certain bloviating cable channels might air the whole quote – or might not – and will still twist the words to enrage viewers and boost ratings. For a wholesome discussion, of course.
LIkely they would simply cut it to make it into the answer to the reporter’s question here
I don’t think there would be a big outcry on that as she was mentioning what would have most like happened had the choices made by the government NOT been made.
Channels like the Fear Zone there would probably edit out the comment of the “decisions made” in favor of the soundbyte that promotes “fear-mongering” before they broadcast it. Then there will have to be a lot of buttals & rebuttals thrown back & forth…Eventually the truth of that station using fear-tactics will stand up once the full videoclip gets out.
“It is error alone which needs the support of government. Truth can stand by itself.”
~Thomas Jefferson
I’d also add that “sensationalistic journalism over truthful reporting” is in the same bed as government on this…
Ayup, thought Sydney’s profiteering side might come to the fore here.
I suspect that, given her kinda scary enthusaism for merchandising, Arianna has this covered in the contract that Sydney signed. Might want to go back and check that small print, Sydney. Just in case.
She’s allowed to sign anything, _ except_ a binding contact.
But Archon takes a cut on all proceeds while on duty.
Just as well she is out of uniform. So she is trading on her personal story, rather than her super image. Although signing it “Halo” would shift that, if she did so. She better check the small-print on her contract. Hopefully including her clause “I still get to work at my shop and sell super-merchandise, preferably in the Archon mall”.
im still betting archon gets a cut of the autograph fee
I took it more that Sydney ADDED small print to that contract.
Remember she added a condition
Indeed. It is certain that being able to promote/advance the comic store was her one condition.
She did make advertisement for the store in the middle of a press conference and Arianna was only midly annoyed.
Now guys she already called on her next battle early on, she’s going to be fighting the evil Diamond Rep, and her only real weakness is neck beards….
I would have also accepted a Mr. Burns “Excellent” Good job helping her job to stay afloat a bit longer.
Next up, Sydney …err… “negotiating” with the Diamond representative. Yet another epic battle in the making!
Who knows? Maybe Sydney might even be able to obtain (& sell) what ‘ol mister COMIX! wanted to buy in the first place…
:D
Watch out for neckbeards!
I cannot make out what Sydney just sold that rube for a $50 markup. Of course, if he puts it on Ebay he may be able to retire on the proceeds. First officially autographed item directly from an Arc SWAT agent.
“Strangers in Paradise” going by the cover image. A box set of some kind it appears. (Hope it’s age appropriate for a reporter’s niece.) The $50 was for Sydney’s autograph. Whether she’ll sign as “Sydney” or “Halo” is yet to be seen, however.
The Mighty Halo.
Migh-tay Mighty.
He he. Love the entrepreneurial attitude. And very much in tune with a lot of calls for that.
Her bartering skills could do with polishing up mind, as she is undervaluing herself. But that is just sweet. Or, looking at the final panel… Ariannadrokable?
Well, it doesn’t look like Sydney is making money off of Archon’s image or trademark (as a government agency), or any other trademark/copyright for that matter…
the thing that concerns me most is that Sydney didn’t really read through her contract with Archon & didn’t ask anything about how her co-ownership in the store mixes with Arianna’s job with marketing Archon. I’m sure that will come up at some point down the road, but I’m not sure Sydney’s going to like it much. On the plus side, it’s not like Arianna’s got Joel’s signature on anything, so that co-ownership thing might be just the right “buffer” to protect the comic store!
For Joel though, the store won’t have to close & he’s going to have to break out the order forms for an increase in stock merchandise. If they’re on paper, I foresee writer’s cramp in his future…If they’re on the computer, Carpel Tunnel Syndrome.
Yea, just so long as Sydney is careful on how she signs. “Halo” might be what the punters want, but her contract might restrict that for “when on official business or sanctioned autographing sessions”. But I doubt that Archon would be too restrictive on that kind of thing. Only allowing heroes to sign at ‘pay for’ sessions would block them from accepting impromptu requests. Which would not be a very heroic image to convey.
One plus point for Sydney is that Arianna is her lawyer now. So she would be obliged to ensure that Sydney’s contract gave her fair terms.
Or as Arianna put it:
“As your lawyer, I’m not going to encourage you to sign anything that would me to sue myself once you sign it”
https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/745
Remember, she did ADD a condition to her signing. We just don’t know what it is. (https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/755). I doubt it’s as negative as you seem to think
But speculation has been wild that it involved her shop. She also told her father (during the phone call) that she’ll keep working part time at the shop (https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/1206)
So probably some deal involving Archon merchandize being sold there? You can’t get much better with real life superhero merchandize being sold at the shop owned by the superhero.
Can you imagine buying your Halo action figure from Halo?
She actually just said “One one condition.” We don’t see her modifying the contract in any way. So her “one condition” could be just as enforceable as any other undocumented agreement. As in, not at all enforceable. And even if she did modify the contract her ability to enforce her condition will have a lot to do with her ability to describe it in legalese which can withstand a legal challenge. Which might not be one of her strong suits.
Just because we didn’t see her add the condition doesn’t mean it isn’t. We didn’t SEE her sign the contract either, but we can be sure she did. So if anything, it means that DaveB wanted to keep it a secret to us.
She had a lawyer right there to help her discribe in legal terms what she wanted.
The contract was not there to screw her over, it was just to make the whole thing official. Just like Arianna is not there to screw her over, she’s there to help the team in PR things
If she was smart, she had a condition put in wherein she could renegotiate the contract on an annual basis, thus, if the gov’t finds her to be extremely useful, she can clear out conditions that she doesn’t like and replace them with conditions that favor her.
Negotiation. Sydney will probably point out that having so many reporters blocking the aisles would prevent legitimate customers from bringing profit in. So she figured while they were there, they might as well give the store money.
Only applicable once they actually open up for business, but then…
brake out the order forms? more like find an estate agent they are so going to need a bigger shop
I have a feeling Sidney will be getting a stern talking to back at Arch.
yh there is probably a set fee that
ariannai mean archon gets a cut ofI think Arianna is going to be very proud of Sydney for pushing her own image already
“Sydney, you need to bleed them better than that. 50 dollars plus a sale is thinking to small. you also need to charge them for floorspace…”
HAPPY 300TH ISSUE DaveB! WHOOOT!
And wishing at more zeroes on the end of that, in due course. Keep up the good work.
and my there be many many more
Have a birthday cake: https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8537/8618020774_a5275373ff_o.jpg
spidey ontop of batty ontop of cappy why do i feel like i have seen that image before
Well, if they ain’t buying, they’re “obstructing normal business operations.”
…And the store isn’t even (technically) open yet!
Even though Sydney is being very much Sydney, I still think she’s hung around Arianna just a minute or two too long…
:D
Hehehe, no arguments there.
I think it was Arianna’s influence that made Sydney think to mention “expense account” to the reporter…
;)
When Joel let them in he technically opened the store early and now the store is technically open It’s just not normal business hours
Charge the distorters…er…reporters and not the kids for autographs.
i’m seeing sydney get each them to buy something, then say that shes not authorized to tell them anything before taking to the sky.
She can honestly tell the truth, she has no bloody idea yet. She’s been with Archon less than a day and a vast majority of that time has been spent in interviews, a press conference and a super battle, she still has more orientation and training to complete before she knows the answers to those questions, that said Arianna, Maxima, and/or General Faulk likely have the answers to your questions and the clearance to tell you.
“Ok, I bought it. Now awnser my question please”
“With pleasure: Not a clue. I’ve only been with Arc for less than a day, you think they’re going to tell the new girl things like that? I’m sure Maxima knows, go ask her”
Queue all the reporters looking away uncomfortably
More likely “You’ll have to contact our PR manager, Arianna, for that information.”
Even though the reporter has a legitimate question, that would also be a legitimate answer…
:D
But hey, dude…This is the first time Sydney has seen or spoke to her business partner since before Archon did the public reveal thing yesterday. I’d think that Joel’s questions have a higher priority to sydney than yours do…
;)
Answering Joel’s questions, however, does not make them any profit, which I would think would be the determining factor a store that expects to close within the next 6 months if nothing changes.
to be fair sydney probelys knows more than that as she probebly asked on the way back to archon. probely asking what the would do with V. so my guess is the anser whould be more like
“a specaly designed prison for hosting suppers but i dont have any specifics”
syd: other than ven-chan who last I heard was dropped in a pit with a enthusiastic succubus. (face brighter red than pew pew orb)
What is that thing she’s holding?!
https://www.strangersinparadise.com/images/store/printedmerchandise/sip-omnibus-slipcase.jpg
List price $100
That is forbidden. :-(
For anybody else getting that error, here is one I found earlier. All credit goes to YuffieK for knowing about it mind. I had no idea what it was.
Hotlinking ‘protection’. Rehosted it on Imgur: https://i.imgur.com/huK0dRc.jpg
Err… cloud passing overhead? Yea, that could cover it.
Although, to be honest, the lack of their presence did change my interpretation of the first two panels (before I scrolled down, and saw the others). It made it feel like “some time later, after things have settled down”. Until reading on and the reporter was still loitering.
darn. still haven’t gotten the hang of using blockquote yet
:(
Bah! They are still out there, just finally got into a neat line, thanks to local law enforcement, so you don’t see them crowding the other local business fronts.
why do people keep bringing the mundane cops into the picture???!!! WHERE do you SEE ANY COPS?? WHY would the cops be there in the first place??? . there is ZERO logical reason for them to instantly be “there” when most of them still have to do “ordinary” cop things… and twenty people in a queue to enter a public place of business is NOT a “cop-worthy” location for them to be congregating around just itching to go postal on somebody… and nobody in-comic has mentioned SQUAT about CALLING THEM EITHER!!!
sorry… end of rant…
1. It has probably been a while since the crowd initially gathered, so there is a good chance that the shop owners are annoyed at the huge crowd, that we can fairly assume, has gathered in the parking lot of the strip mall.
2. Though we don’t see an cops outside, experience will tell us that there is a high probability of a law enforcement presence on the scene, and at some point, they will proceed to unruly the crowd and organize lines as a preventative measure.
3. I think we can safely assume that there are many more than just 20 individuals outside the shop. Americans being as we are, there are probably hundreds outside: reporters, agents, early bird nerds, lookie-loos, autograph hounds, starry-eyed teens, and just anyone who wants to get in early “on the scene”; not to mention clientele for the other shops in the strip mall who are frustrated due to the crowd preventing parking and access to the shops blocked by the crowd.
4. Although nobody has mentioned it the comic, fairly accurate assumptions can be made based on the three points above, and other readily available data regarding the American Popular Culture Scene.
5. Heck, I’m not an autograph hound at all, but I would probably show up just to see what is up, and to visually confirm the situation for myself, like I did when the 35W bridge collapsed a few years back. Of course, once I got a good look at the scene, and confirmed that the situation was wholly real, I didn’t stick around to gawp. I left, so that others could do as I had done.
Twenty is how many folks will turn up if you get a brief mention, on a local radio show, that a C list celebrity is going to be making an appearance, the following morning, in a village. Assuming that people will travel in from the environs. Any of the following can increase that, some of which by adding a zero: B list; A list; town; city; TV; multiple channels; repeats; unique circumstances.
If they have less than a couple of thousand by mid-morning I will be very surprised. And, with the boost given by the Bear’s on-air encounter, I suspect that is very conservative. Whether the police would be reactive enough to deploy crowd control units, that quickly, we could ask Dallas residents to comment on (given that it is a Dallas like city, even if not actually Dallas itself).
For a famous example of such a precedent, where a new phenomenon swept the world overnight, think on footage of Beatlemania, when the Beatles first came to America. Halo is the accessible individual, who’s location, at that shop, is known to anyone who can do an internet search,
Overnight it has turned out that there are super heroes, they are gorgeous, and one is there, in your local shopping centre. Selling super hero merchandise. Twenty? Te he.
Sell them all the inventory that hasn’t moved in forever!!!
…Somehow, I don’t think that store’s going to be able to hang onto anything for much longer, so that shouldn’t be a problem.
:)
sydney: sell sell sell
joel: we have run out of stock
sydney: i dont cear sell them the shelf’s if you have to
joel: sydeny no we need them
Sydney: Who cares! the markup with my autograph will let us buy new shelves, thirty times over!
joel: but it took us six weeks to assemble this set
Sydney: This level of markup value will let us hire a whole CREW of people to set up new shelves in no time at all.
Taking a page out of OOTS:
Sydney: We can afford to hire a crew to set up new shelves or even retire to the tropics.
Joel: Let’s do the latter.
Retire somewhere close to the Florida Keys so Sydney can do some more scuba diving, perhaps?…
:D
*sigh* Another webcomic sinking to the depths of blatant product placement!
I’m kidding by the way!
Why did my note in brackets saying that not appear in the post?
Depending on which type you use, the web page might try to process them as a command. Such tags do not get themselves shown. See the list of tags below the comments box (when typing one), for examples.
One type ignores any mismatched tags and just displays the text anyhow. The other type hides the text, as you experienced. Whereas regular curvy brackets are always just treated as text.
Square brackets: [Demo]
Angled brackets:
Regular brackets: (Demo)
The site treats some bracketed text as markup language (“tags”, formatting commands), depending on the brackets and the text inside. To see some of the options, start creating a post and look below the box you type text into. There are usually more options available than are listed, though, so sometimes you get odd reactions. For example, asterisks are often treated as formatting commands by some websites.
On this site, you can get them displayed by replacing:
< with <
> with >
like so: <Demo> .
+1
< +2 >
< +2 >
< so it DOES need the semicolon >
Ah! Thanks to all who replied. You learn something new every day. :)
And for every new thing I learn, I’ll end up forgetting ten other things in the process. o.O
Well, according to what I’ve seen in the comic so far, Sydney’s had the orbs for about two (or was it three) months, since she got back from her vacation in Florida. She didn’t really know it then, but she won the lottery jackpot & now it’s time to start cashing in the ticket!
But that smile…It’s even scarier than the one she uses when being vindictive…
Lock you valuables in the safe! Bury your wallet in the back yard! Cut up your credit cards! Sydney’s on the prowl!
just need to remember from Sydney’s p.o.v its bouth hers and joels finances she is securing here
I’m so expecting dave to celebrate comic #314 in some elaborate way including a cake that isn’t actually a cake… but it’s not an untruth either…
Or maybe just a drawing of a cake…That’s not exactly a cake, but it’s not a lie either.
Or even better: Dave 7 his wife bake up a real cake with an “issue #300 celebration” message of some kind written in the frosting, then post an actual photo of it. You know, “pics or it didn’t happen.” Then it would be an actual TRUTH cake!
〈〉 〈〉 〈〉 〈〉 〈〉 〈〉 〈〉∥ ∥ ∥ ∥ ∥ ∥ ∥
/⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒ヽ
（__/^!/^｀!_/^!_/^!_/^^!_/!_）!_）
|=====================|
|=====================|
☆＾＾~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~＾＾☆
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
I’m fairly certain that this cake will be a train wreck despite the code tags…
I guess better a crazy leaning tower of cake than no cake at all?
Test: (probably another wreck)
/¯¯¯\
| |
| |
| |
\___/
It worked! Game on…
The cake was fine until it slid off of the tray.
It worked out recognisable enough. A very nice thought.
*licks lips*
∗ ∗ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊
∗ ∗ ∗ ⇑ ⇑ ⇑ ⇑
________________
#### #### #### # | |
# # # # # # |∧∧∧∧∧∧∧∧∧∧∧∧∧∧|
#### # # # # # |~~~~~~∗∗~~~~~~|
# # # # # |∨∨∨∨∨∨∨∨∨∨∨∨∨∨|
#### #### #### # | |
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Dammit!
Some characters are still bigger than others. But you get the idea…
Yeah, I think the issue is party spacing, as in the space given to spaces, tabs, etc. And party font related.
The fact that edits aren’t allowed is also to blame.
PARTLY font related.
Which also makes my “lack of edit functionality” argument all the stronger.
Another problem to factor in, is that the website strips out extra spaces. Or that is the impression I get, anyhow. Test, with appropriate number of leading spaces:
1
2
3
4
Look out! It’s an allicaker! Or is it a Betty Crockerdile?
Thanks how’d you know it was my birthday?
Happy Birthday. Even from the other side of the 4th wall!
Shouldn’t it be a pie? Saturday is Pi day, and this year at around half past nine am it will be
3-14-15-9:26
Pie day? Sweet! Gives me an excuse to bring one to gaming night, then. :) Thanks!
I couldn’t wait, mine just went in the petchka (oven).
But, I shall be joining pi lovers in another one on Saturday. Buffy and I shall be eating ours at 9:30 am God’s Master Time (GMT).
https://www.philnel.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/pi7.jpg
Please let that be a jpeg of an ascii cake.
Nope, pie. Only the content is blocked.
Here you go. https://vector-magz.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/happy-birthday-text-art4.jpg
(after viewing the various online archives I forgot how many ASCII art images were crude attempts at naked women. But then, most old-school ASCII art was created by people who had probably never seen a naked woman.)
You mean women come in naked forms too?
Sometimes they fake it, even when fully clothed!
just realised if they are record her convo with Joel she just shot down the anti super news without trying if they play that
And only 284 comics (and one in-comic day later) later Sydney solves her original challenge, finding additional revenue for the shop. She is a turn small business super hero.
With just a little more conferencing with Arianna, Sydney could include a second hero-name: The Marketeer!
…I wonder if that’s going to show up as a character in her gaming group?…
Sidney, Arianna, and Dabbler: The Three Marketeers!
Sidney: “Why the heck does Dabbler count?”
Arianna: “Remember the ballroom when Dabbler came in? And the press conference? Those were impressive displays of marketing.”
Sidney: “It’s not marketing if you give it away!”
Arianna: “It’s not my type of marketing, but if you think I can’t make money off of it, you don’t know me well enough.”
+1
Never heard of “free samples”? How about “The first hit is free”?
Dabbler does not have to resort to giving out free samples, to get her junkies hooked. Her boobs are addictive just looking at them!
when dabbler gets involved she is the one getting ‘charged’
But sadly not literally hypnotic.
At the next ARC mission briefing:
Arianna: “As you know, we have been assigned some embedded reporters for the next few missions to try to clean up our ‘menace’ image. Are you ready to roll out? Where’s Dabbler?”
Max: “I think she is still in her room.”
(Arianna walks down the hall and opens Dabbler’s door)
Arianna: “Are you ready? We leave in….. I said for this mission we were to have ’embedded’ reporters, not ‘in bed’ reporters.”
Dabbler: “Can’t we have it both ways?”
Nicely done. My mind went to an alternative version, replacing the final line, with the following:
Dabbler: Sorry, my English is not good yet.
Suzi News: (Blushes and ducks under the covers)
Dabbler: (leaning back, letting the cover slide off her boobs) Still, now that you are here, why not try it both ways?
Oh, he’s definitely imbedded!
Nice Three Marketeers, sketch, Unmaker. Plus I love your choice of name. Most apt for this comic. Have you considered an avatar image, selected from this page?
I think Sidney is missing her neck… thingie… “choker” I guess in a few pannels…
yep looks like 1, 3 and 4
And they say on that day the comic store earned enough money to keep them in the black till 2036!
“The day half the city graced my store was the most important day of their lives. For me it was… Black Wednesday.”
Unlike Black Friday, though, it doesn’t look like any of the reporters are going to mace any of their colleagues or trample them to death. I’ll let everyone decide for himself or herself whether that’s a good thing or not.
@DaveB: you accidentally linked to page #4 instead of #100 in your comments.
I noticed that as well
Once Sydney realizes her name can sell products she will add a few new personalized items to her inventory. Coming soon: Sydney Scoville Super Sauce!*
* Customer must sign waiver, asbestos gloves sold separately. Warning: This product may be banned from sale or importation in some countries under international WMD restrictions.
Lots of sauce producers will get around paying Sydney by leaving out the Sydney part
Good point. Archon will need to keep on the lookout for counterfeit merchandise. I can see a toy company coming out with their own superhero action figure set of Megama, Tinkerer, Steadfast, Electrica, Hot Stuff, Morpho Man, Multi Girl, Ninja Guy, Sniper Sue, and Orb-noxious (this last name was suggested by the press).
And all the studios can come out with their own film versions with the disclaimer ‘based on a true story’.
I think the label would read better as:
Sydney Sauce
Super Scoville Rating
It starts with Unmaker & garnishes it with a few extra drops of pure cap. She actually wanted to do that earlier: https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/697
i imagine the conversation between Arianna and Sydney going something like:
Arianna: “Did you really up-sell merchandise and get paid for an autograph to monetize reporters following you around?”
Sydney: “yep, those (insert Sydney level expletive) are gonna have to pay for legally stalking me!”
Arianna: “you are learning young padawan”
i could see it going more like
A:”you only charged the reporter $50 for the autograph?”
H:”needed to make some profit without scaring them all away without paying”
A:”we’re going to need to add some classes on marketing and economics to your training”
+1 for initial comment,
+2 for reply.
but then she’d be saying “NNNOOOOO!!!!! I don’t wanna be in charge of Marketing!!… that’s JOEL’S job!”
I don’t think it’s a matter of her not wanting to be in charge of marketing, but whether she would be very good at it if she was.
Personally, I found her shockingly good at it!
And just how many sales did her presentation lead to? =OP
We saw just saw one now, and Monday will probably show the tip of the iceberg. I think her first day’s marketing went pretty well. Free advert spots on just about every TV news station in the world!
Emphasis on the “shocking” part, no doubt…
Wait a moment guys I think Arianna has a super power also, she is “THE MARKETEER” super sales power activate!!
As a member of DOD, she must attend her media relations class and/or refer them to the designated media officer per policy. She cannot speak to the media with out the class, otherwise reasponce should always be no comment.
Well that is how the USArmy does it anyway.
Remember “I dont know how to military” She hasnt even been a part of archon for 24 hours yet. They havent had the chance to teach her ANYTHING official really. Some brief battle tips from maxima, but thats about it. At this point im just hoping she doesnt say something wrong where the cameras are that gets her in trouble.
What, like cursing up a blue streak or talking smack about the baddies she’s gonna mangle.
Couldn’t see that happening.
Nope nope nope.
Halo’s choker seems to be missing in the first panel. Otherwise, good to see Sydney’s unrestrained capitalism.
I’m kinda surprised that Arianna hasn’t already sent someone over to the shop. She must be keeping an eye on what the press is up to.
Your link to page 100 links to page 4 just so you know
If I was Sydney I would probably handle the reporters like this.
“Ok guys? Off the record, you need to keep in mind that I joined Archon less than 24 hours ago. I have literally no idea what their procedures and plans are. Heck, my orientation was shortened so we could all attend that press conference. I learned just as much at the press conference as you did, thats how little I know currently. I am sure that will change for myself over the coming days when my training starts up, but until then, asking me questions about archon will be answered with, “I dunno.” If you want the information, you need to talk to arianna. She is the one who has the answers or at least knows how to get them for you.”
Obviously you are not Sydney. That is far too calm and logical. And you didn’t even swear once.
Heck, a statement that long requires EVERY single word to be a cuss word. :p
That’s very sensible of you – but Sydney doesn’t do sensible.
If you were Sydney, you would be far too excitable and geeky to be that reasonable. Go eat some Cry Like A Man powder and get your head into the right space so you can understand the Way of Halo.
Nah. I can see the following.
“I’ll answer your questions if you buy this 200 dollar thing.”
“Deal. Ok so how is Archon going to deal with X Y and Z, and what is their policy on [thing]?”
“I have no idea.”
“But you said you’d answer my questions.”
“And I have. Truthfully even. Badgers. That is all.”
Also, Sydney never agreed to answer any questions. Buying stuff only allows them the right to hang around.
Something that I’m sure she’ll get around to mentioning, but only after they sell as much as their merchandise as they can.
I smell an attorney at work here. Sydney is crafty and would come up with this idea which is why she ran the ad the day before. Arianna would have vetted it to make sure it was legit and given pointers on how the maximize profits don’t kid yourself she has business law under her belt as well as criminal it isn’t uncommon for an attorney. Remember https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/676
Joel is correct as well it is really progressive for our country but more than likely they are looking at it from a purely defensive and business point of view which is fine.
Economic Spirit Bomb is a powerful attack in marketing, widely considered to be the strongest attack in the business world, but depends on the number of stores and other business supporting its use. It is most effective after an influx of capitol and attention. After one Black Friday a small eastern European country disappeared after a fortune 500 company used this attack.
on a totally unrelated note. if harem could not pas threw halo’s shield could jumper tellaport threw halo’s shield. As per the books not the movie. that in involves a portal moving across the body and the portal is more or less a worm hole shaped like the person and his cargo. it is limited to where ha been or can see.
what a bout dragon ball z tellaportation?
I think based on Harem’s powers and laser’s not hitting Halo that the shield is not clear but opaque with a projection on either side of the opposite side. stopping Harem from seeing inside and lasers from hitting. … no that is negated by the ambulance seen at the bank. hua?
I don’t think we know enough about the effect to say for with any degree of certainty. My best guess is that things which try to pass through the shield for the teleportation (say by beaming the data from outside to inside) will fail. Whereas those which fold space (like a wormhole) may well be able to bypass the effect.
Harem does have a range limitation on her teleport,* which implies that it does require crossing regular space. As such her powers fall in the former category, in my opinion. I am not familiar with either of the specific ones you are querying. But, if the ‘portal’ needs to move through the force field to operate, I think it is unlikely it will work.
However, if the portal is literally like a wormhole and simply connects two points of space, as if they were adjacent, then I think it may be able to.
Checking out the Dragon Ball Z Wiki it sounds like most of the time their teleport is of a similar nature to Harem’s. But just with a lot longer (interplanetary) range. Especially as it has a speed of light limit. Very strongly implying that it is crossing regular space to work. And the Forb seems to inhibit that.
But, it does indicate that the power can also be used to go to other dimensions, or even via a pocket dimension. Using that it may well be able to bypass the shield. Pop into an adjacent dimension. Move beyond the perimeter of the shield, and then return, but on the inside of the shield. Assuming that such movement changes the point that you cross over correspondingly.
* I am aware that she can exceed that, by being very familiar with her destination, but it still gives us a hint as to the nature of her power. The overcoming of the limit may not be unlimited in scope, it may simply extend the range significantly. Which would still make the argument valid.
i would say that the fold-space method would fail as well, if only because we know that she’s NOT the Kwisatz Haderach,
and because the Skill-Tree shows that there are many more powers she still has not gotten access to, some of which i would say are ones that allow for different settings of WHAT to shield against… one being external warp fields entering the spherical boundary… but until she learns HOW to set it up, it defaults to “BLOCK EVERYTHING” mode as we’ve seen previously (FRESH air)
as of all we’ve seen so far, the shield is quite clear, how could you think otherwise? as for it stopping the lasers cold… that, to me anyway, is exactly what Dave was saying about it letting “NON-Harmful” things thru, but stopping the harmful ones… it let a little portion of the wavelengths involved (of the laser) thru the shield, but it stopped the REST of it from entering just like the polarization on my photogrey glasses do, the more of the wavelength it is needing to block, the darker it gets, BUT it still passes SOME of it… we just don’t have the tech to do it invisibly like the shield does… YET…
we’re not quite at the level of tech to make transparent aluminum like Star Trek does, but believe it or not it IS a REAL thing!!! so this means that we could one day make a shield like this as well, we just can’t do it YET.
There are real substances with properties similar to transparent aluminium, as described in the movie. But do not mix that up with their space ship force fields. Which is what Sydney’s shield is closer to. Bear in mind that hers is projected from an orb, as opposed to Halo having to always walk around in a giant hamster ball.
The transparent aluminium, in Star Trek, was just used in situations where we would use toughened glass today. Aquariums (as per the movie) being an ideal example. Although it is very tough, having gemstone-like strength, that probably would not have withstood a Maxima-type blast.
Especially if you consider the film or series battle scenes. It does not go, “shields down, but transparent aluminium still at 90% protection”. It is useful for stopping the atmosphere leaking out, whilst you are having your drinks in Ten Forward, even when there are no shields. Likewise, you have no worries about micro-meteorites.
It would make good bullet-proof armour though. And you could apply light reactive type technologies to that, I am sure. So it could make good super armour, supporting your general argument, even if is only a loose analogy for Halo’s shield.
I wonder if what she’s doing breeches her contract she signed with Adrianna.
How could it?
She’s still working at the shop, she told her parents that (https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/1206)
So unless she’s somehow not allowed to give her signature (which I doubt, she’s supposed to be superfamous aswell), she’s only doing things related to her personal life. Nothing to do with Archon
Nooooo, Sydney! Don’t go evil!
Well, no MORE evil than you were.
What’s wrong with evil?
BuahahahHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
The final three panels are facial representations of the priesthood of Mammon.
Panel 6: The Postulant
Panel 7: The Novitiate
Panel 8: The Priestess
Issue 114, Panel 8 The High Priestess
Nothing… if you’re a superVILLAIN. But Sydney signed up to be a HERO. They’re supposed to AVOID evil. Or punch it in the face.
I agree with the sentiments wholeheartedly!
Although I think we are safe. She is a small business owner, who yesterday could see the possibility of both her and Joel loosing their dream. Being able to turn that around, and simultaneously make the pesky press pay through the nose? I think the expression is wholeheartedly justified.
And DaveB has confirmed, in reply to a comment above, that her attitude is caused by the paparazzi and is (probably) only temporary. Sydney is merely channelling Arianan, but has not been fully possessed by her.
As far as the “concentration camp comment” is concerned – the analogy she was drawing was rounding up people just for being supers – as opposed to locking up criminals who happen to be supers. A nasty journalist would still probably spin it to suggest that locking up super-powered criminals was akin to concentration camps, but I don’t get the impression that such will happen in this instance.
Back when it was stiull active, Law and the Multiverse did a post about finding property. https://lawandthemultiverse.com/2011/02/16/lost-and-found/ . Summary: If the orbs are considered a treasure trove or a historical item, there probably *are* legal problems with Sydney getting the orbs.
(Does Sydney read Law and the Multiverse? You’d think she would.)
Since it was found at sea there aren’t really ownership issues about the land rights and perfectly spherical orbs could be considered valuable items so I don’t think in this case there would really be an issue.
Sydney’s comment that they were found “somewhere off the Florida Keys” may well be to do with her ownership claim. If she admitted to finding them within the Keys (ie inside the 3 mile territorial limit), then U.S. Laws come into play. And she may be concerned about the implications of that very article.*
But if she keeps the actual location vague, she can check out the maritime laws by having a privileged conversation with Arianna on the subject, before declaring where she located them. If international maritime laws, as regards marine salvage, flotsam, jetsam and the like (as may be applicable, some are not) prove to be more favourable, she can declare that she found them in international waters
Of course, as she is bonded with them, to the extent that Maxima cannot separate them from her, I do not think she has any real problems regarding ownership. And Maxima, and Archon, have clearly indicated that they will not act against her in this regard. And doubtless would support her claim (whilst she remains on the payroll, anyhow).
* Not one like it, that actual one – it is probably the one she looked up, albeit disguised in general browsing that we all do in this kind of community)
I’m fairly certain the orbs “adopted” Sydney. They will not allow her to be alone without them.
Another good superhero comic at https://magellanverse.com/
I’m letting that one build up a bit.