Grrl Power #301 – The dumber your question, the more it’ll cost
The logical continuation from the previous page. Is it just me or is Robin’s outfit (which Joel is wearing a near-miss version of) basically the most humiliating superhero outfit ever? Sure there are intentional spoof costumes that are worse, but it’s tough to get past the green scale-mail speedos and the bare legs. Yes, all the modern variants have leggings included, that’s not what I’m talking about. Those leggings are there for a reason nowadays.
I found a webcomic I rather enjoyed, in that I read through the whole thing in two sittings despite needing to get on with the drawing, which I haven’t done recently. It’s different than Grrl Power in a few significant ways so I wasn’t sure about recommending it, but I figure the audience here is big enough that there are sure to be a few people who will appreciate it. The humor isn’t as zany and there are some more serious themes and it even has emotions besides “wacky” and “punch.” Anyway, it’s called Think Before You Think, and it’s about a girl who meets a guy with telepathy. (That doesn’t spoil anything, he’s enormously bad at hiding it. Also, you know, the title.) Obviously that premise could go a lot of routes, fortunately the comic plays it for laughs for the most part. Try not to take down the site you animals.
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.
SuperheroThey're super, thanks for asking!
Meatspace ComicSeriously these are awesome. Check 'em out!
Not UpdatingNo longer updating or only updates sporadically, but definitely worth reading.
SeriouslySeriously you guys. If you like Grrl Power the check these out.
"Mature"Mature subject matter and occasionally something explicit but usually safe. Can't guarantee the ads are safe though.
Dongs Ahoy!Full frontal and backal. Lots of skin, sex on some or all pages, explicit or otherwise.
Now that we have a shot of Joel wearing something other than that Green Lantern shirt, does anybody still think he looks like Sheldon Cooper?
It was mentioned a couple pages back, some people prefer the likeness to Stuart than Comic-shop Guy rather than Smelly Shelly :P
Regardless, I’m sure he has his own identity as a balding partner to Sydney. And no, he’d make a horrible “Robin”.
And in any event “
” is back.
what?
Dunno, it is all spaghetti to me too. Hang on, perhaps we can try faerie? I think I remember a couple of lines, from the original language, but will have to paraphrase it into English.
Mind you I haven’t a clue what it is all about. But it sounds kinda faerie friendly.
I think it’s the code at the top of the page (a.k.a., that which should not be copied and pasted in a comment because then DaveB has to remove it).
I took a few mins to translate that to something phonetic. Sounds almost arcane. Or Elderic
“Var Chuhx! Ew Z’teer! Xeada! Xeos! Z’eiber! Ver tijtyos!”
Faerie leet?
And now the elder gods will rise again…
ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn
chuckles at the elder dragon joke told in bastardized old one
I’d say he looks like a thin John Favro going to comic con.
Do you mean Jon FAVREAU?
The one time I don’t IMDB an actor just to be safe. Yea the guy from Chef.
yes, but with less anti-social look and more joke of the story
I don’t know if it’s a sustainable business model, but definitely effective marketing/sales tactics for the short term!
I wonder how much she’ll manage to sell if she actually gets back to all of those reporters with actual answers?
If nothing else, it’ll help tide the store over for those inevitable times when she has to close early to go be super and has no backup to run it in her absence.
See? I told you, reporter man! I told you she wouldn’t know the answer to your question! But did you listen? No, of course not! (Because you’re a fictional character who can’t hear my rantings.)
And those after him were willing to dump all that cash on her just on spec! I mean granted they have her on camera promising to try and if she doesn’t that in and of itself makes a tiny story I guess but sheesh… Impressive read Sydney has on them.
I wonder if Sydney is honest enough to try and get Maxima’s sizes? I guess she could make an outline of her with the light hook then measure that? Gives Dave a lot of great comedy fuel if she goes around actually trying to answer all of that.
considering how much Dabbler likes groping Max, I would have no trouble believing that she knows the answer
Just mention the context and give Max the question. She can answer it or not as she sees fit, and Sydney can honestly say that she tried to find the answer within the bounds of acceptable ethics.
Whoops, should have replied to Observer over there, sorry.
Can see it now.
Halo. Maxima what’s your sizes
Maxima. Nan of your damn buzzies
Halo. DABBLER what Maxmia sizes.
Dabbler rambles out some numbers halo say thanks leave Maxima with I am going to kill some one look haha
Heh, yea, I can well see Dabbler behaving that way. Maxima though, I think, will make it very clear that her own vital statistics are her business and not to be discussed with the media. Arianna may well argue that it is all good publicity, but I doubt Max will agree with her.
And anybody who tries to circumvent that decision, against her will, could be finding a suitable punishment that will make an atomic wedgie look tame!
you mean a Black hole wedgie?
Yes you are right but like any wacky character well there talking about that Halo is already on the phone hahaha
Wacky yes, but have a look at the second to last panel in my favourite page in the comic. Then have a think on whether Sydney will ever do anything which she knows will piss Maxima off.
And also bear in mind how Harem ended up in the list. Blabbing about Sydney’s own private affairs (her guilty vegetarian secret). So we know that, whilst she can act eccentrically, she is not oblivious to good social conduct. To the contrary, she clearly values discretion highly!
It would not surprise me if that particular card got dropped in the shredder. With the journalist’s name being entered in a new page of the List.
So true but funny to visualize haha
That it is.
:-)
Max: what where those xuriel?
Dabs: ankle, neck, refractive index, and IQ. why was any of that a secret?
Heh.
Just give him Maxima’s height and her head circumference or something. Then laugh. I suppose it isn’t a complete set of measurements, but then no set of measurements of a real object could ever be considered complete, so meh.
With a little help from Sydney or Leon, Maxima could actually have some fun with this:
Shoe size (in men’s, not women’s)
Hat size, in inches.
Height, in parsecs
wingspan, in smoots.
Ring size, in angstroms.
And, possibly, the most humorous, her albedo.
Reporter (misunderstanding the word “albedo”): Her libido is what size? (brief pause) And, um, just how did someone manage to measure that?
Ask Dabbler .
By paying they got anything. Which is better than the ones outside. And the shop got money
So I skimmed through and didn’t see another comment on this.
In panel three, what is that red cylinder sprouting from Sydney’s left shoulder? The only thing I can think of that size should be her shirt sleeve but if that’s the case: Where is her left hand??
Its exactly the same color as her shirt so I think I’m on to something here but I’m beginning to doubt myself cause this crew would have noticed by now if she was missing an entire appendage like that. So if someone has a logical explanation for what that red cylinder is I’m willing to listen…
Panel 3 previous page , its the microphone
Thank you! That was weird.
The microphone looks lighter colored in the last update where as in this one it looks exactly the same color as her shirt. So much so I didn’t even think of the microphone. Well, that explains why this crack team of mistake catchers were so blatantly ignoring it. ^_^’
I probably should have had it in his hand in panel 1.
Oh good. For some reason I thought her tube was collapsible
In the vein of Schlock Mercenary:
“Anything is collapsible. Once.”
Sort of sounds like Jeff Dunham’s superhero dummy – Melvin.
Jeff: So Melvin, you can fly and you have X-ray vision. Those are two of the same powers of Superman!
Melvin: Yes!
Jeff: Can you stop a speeding bullet?
Melvin: …. Once?
I have heard there is an old Russian saying about picking wild mushrooms (that I can not confirm since I do not know any old Russians).
Any mushroom is edible. Some of them only once.
One would think that most of the reporters would be using their company credit cards, not cash, for this type of thing.
Those are the ones who want to be good uncles and aunts. The ones who buy it on expenses will have to hand over the merchandise to the studios. Who will probably put it in a bank vault. “Day one merchandise, autographed on camera” is quite a good provenance, to go with that.
I daresay there will be collectors who specialise in trying to obtain those very items. With the Strangers in Paradise Omnibus being their Holy Grail.
That has me wondering whether the IP holders might ultimately object to this stunt.
Most unlikely. And Grrl Power is protected under reasonable use provisions, even if they did. But DaveB has the policy that if any IP rights holders do object, he will happily substitute a rival’s product.
I meant Halo’s stunt.
Selling their product, thereby giving the IP rights holders their share of profit. Doing so legally in a shop. Whilst giving them a live TV product placement. Plus autographing it and thereby making it a highly sought after item?
Err, um…. not trying to being funny, but just what is there to object to?
“Fair Use” :) Not Reasonable Use. But thank you for saying it so I didnt have to (again)
Here, so I don’t have to re-explain it to people who ask if DaveB is going to get sued for IP stuff. here’s an example of two of the uses of the Fair Use Doctrine (I didn’t include educational merit because if you’re getting education from webcomics, I weep for the future of society.
https://fairuse.stanford.edu/overview/fair-use/what-is-fair-use/
Commentary and Criticism:
“If you are commenting upon or critiquing a copyrighted work — for instance, writing a book review — fair use principles allow you to reproduce some of the work to achieve your purposes. The underlying rationale of this rule is that the public reaps benefits from your review, which is enhanced by including some of the copyrighted material. Additional examples of commentary or criticism are provided in the examples of fair use cases.”
Parody:
“A parody is a work that ridicules another, usually well-known work, by imitating it in a comic way. Judges understand that, by its nature, parody demands some taking from the original work being parodied. Unlike other forms of fair use, a fairly extensive use of the original work is permitted in a parody in order to “conjure up” the original.”
Parodies: Works of comedic ridicule.
Pair o’ Ds: Maxima’s measurements.
Maxima probably goes quite a bit beyond D. Her name is Maxima, after all. She’s probably in the G or H range. If she weren’t a superheroine she’d have constant back pain.
… they arent bigger than her head, dude.
I thought you could only be a sidekick if you had no powers
Weak powers or weird and mostly useless powers, even just being young can be enough as both batman and robin had no powers.
Aqualad.
I think there are a couple of key points, both of which relate to why one is subservient to the other. The obvious one being that if one character is significantly less powerful, or otherwise brings less to their dynamic, as a pair, then, all other things being equal, necessity requires that they have a sidekick relationship.
Even if it is a respectful one, where the sidekick is not treated like a servant, they only have a limited capability to fend for themselves. So, provided their tasks are differentiated accordingly, they can function as a useful team. One being the heavy hitter, and the other escorting hostages away, for example. Yet, at other times, the more powerful one will need to protect the sidekick, if they get in over their head.
Whereas, if they are of more comparable power, then they are a full partnership. Where each can stand against powerful super villains. They will, if their powers are different, be strong against some foes, but weak against others. So would need to cover for each other, if one is mismatched against an opponent. But, overall, they are equals.
In Archon Achilles and Mr Amorphous are in such a role. Although Heatwave will affect the dynamic, it seems that pair tend to operate well together. Presumably, as a flyer, Heatwave will often need to operate independently from them. Despite the three of them having been a vigilante group together.
The other situation though need not involve power levels at all. It simply requires that one has some kind of sway over the other. In fact the ‘sidekick’ could potentially be a lot more powerful. For instance in Mad Max, Beyond the Thunderdome, you have MasterBlaster. Where a clever, but weak, engineer, uses a strong, but dumb, partner as a sidekick.
None the less the ‘sidekick’ must have some element of vulnerability, which requires the assistance of the ‘master’. In this case, it being that the strong arm is easily tricked or otherwise taken advantage of, simply due to being incapable of fending for himself mentally. So the dominant character has to be stronger in some sense, or another. Even if that is just emotionally or in terms of being more mature.
Of course, if there is such a discrepancy in power, and the dominant one abuses their position, then they can pay the price if it is resented. They are much wiser treating their relationship as partners.
That said though, if one character is calling the shots, and the other is obeying him and always turns to the dominant one, to make their decisions, then there is de facto sidekicking going on. This could be a parent and sibling relationship, for example. Or a commander, and their personal subordinate, in a hierarchical organisation.
Had Sydney not shown otherwise, we could have come to see the Sydney as the comic sidekick to Maxima, for instance.
I think the whole sidekick-business is another ridiculous and archaic convention in comics universes, for a number of reasons which I’ll just throw out there in no particular order since I’m strapped for time but still feel strongly enough about the issue to try and chip in ok I’ma stop rambling now stupid caffeine.
1. On a super-powered battlefield there is only combat effectiveness. The spunky kid better be capable of pulling their own weight, otherewise they’re a liability and the “hero” is stupid for bringing them. And I doubt anyone who could hold their own in a super fight would self-identify as “sidekick” rather than “junior member of a hero team.” The other option would be a powerful hero punching significantly below their weight class to handhold some kid, which is not a sensible use of heroing (deal with it) resources.
2. This actually becomes worse if you factor in the sidekick’s traditional role of “hero support:” the kid not only has to hold their own in in a combat situation, they also have to supply the hero with gadgets and intel and stuff, so they actually have to be even more capable than the hero. One might object that the sidekick could be picked specifially because their powers lend themselves to hero support (Harem teleporting). In that case, if the hero actually needed them, i.e. depended on them for their survival, you wouldn’t call them a sidekick anymore. Flight crews are not the sidekicks of pilots, for example.
3. Two-person super teams are bogus. In any kind of serious super fight, versatility is key. You want a variety of powers that simultaneously play off each other and cover each other’s weaknesses. Also, if one or more get incapacitated, the rest of the team can retrieve them and cover the retreat. To make a two-person team effective in the same way, you need two OP individuals of roughly equal footing, which, again, defeats the point of being a sidekick.
4. The notion of a sidekick is based on an archaic power structure that where the social status of one individual is reduced, and their worth and identity is subsumed by someone else. Young hero X goes from “person who shoots flame” to “sidekick of Y,” ranking somewhere alongside 17th century powder monkeys. It incorporates the notion that those younger and less experienced than us are inherently inferior, instead of just younger and less experienced. Of course they need instruction and and guidance, but that doesn’t mean they’re worth less as a person.
I can’t speak towards what comics you’ve been reading as it’s such a large genre and it is possible that the comics you’ve been exposed to have all treated sidekicks as subservient. Most of the comics that I’ve seen that don’t disparage sidekicks treat the term “sidekick” as a “hip” term for apprentice. The sidekick’s job is to learn from their mentor on how to be a hero. It has nothing to do with powers or experience but instead it has to do with what the sidekick can learn from the hero.
Several real world professions do still have apprenticeships. Generally these are in professions where art plays a roll and not everything can be taught by rote. Carpenters and Electricians are two examples.
to address your specific concerns:
1. super-powered battlefields: If the hero cares about their sidekick then the sidekick would only be deployed to a battlefield that doesn’t increase the hero’s liability. An example would be a battlefield with civilians. If the hero is the “save all civilians” type then having civilians on the battlefield is a huge liability. Deploying the sidekick to evacuate the civilians or even just provide them with protection can remove a liability from the hero.
2. sidekicks as support: sidekicks are not their as support for the hero but as part of the learning process acting as support/assistant is one of the better learning experiences.
3. Two person teams are bogus: sort of. There are several ways to explain that problem away. Usually it’s a defining characteristic of the hero. But yes, team size and skill set would play a large roll in creating fielding a team of soldiers/police officers/super heroes.
4. archaic power structure: It incorporates the notion that those younger and less experienced than us are inherently inferior, instead of just younger and less experienced. Of course they need instruction and and guidance, but that doesn’t mean they’re worth less as a person. The sidekicks aren’t worth less as a person but they are worth less as a hero. An apprentice is generally referred to by their mentor’s name simply because until the apprentice has the ability to operate independently it can be hard to identify what of the apprentice’s actions are their’s alone or were instructions by the mentor.
So, between Angel Summoner and BMX Bandit, who is the sidekick?
Aha. Trick question. Clearly it is Gymkhana Girl. BMX Bandit was rather delusional, after all, in seeing himself as an equal partner.
Obviously the senior member, of the pair, is her four legged companion. Superior strength, speed, stamina and leaping ability. Plus the wit to get her to feed him sugar lumps, on demand. Not quite sure where Angel Summoner will fit into the dynamic though. Perhaps he can provider her with invisible support?
It’s “duos” that are dynamic, not “pairs”. =OP
right pairs are just dirty. (girl in background that’s lovely angels buster)
Well you were wrong. Half of the sidekicks out there haf the same power as their mentor, just at a lower level.
Two words:”Kid Flash”
“Who are you?” “I’m the sidekick..?” “Kick him to the side.”
Not in the face, not in the face!
It’s not your face you should worry about.
but now you mention it minion kick the side kick in the face
Spoon!
Ahh, it warms the cockles of my heart, to hear the classics being quoted verbatim.
Better a kick to the side than a boot to the head?
Yah yah yah.. yah. yah yah yah…
“The most humiliating outfit” not counting most female outfits, you mean. Robin’s at least doesn’t seem like it would dig into literally everywhere and/or fall off at any moment unless it’s fixed with duct tape.
Oh Jesus, can you imagine a boob window on that costume?
I’m desperately trying not to.
…I think it depends on which robin you’re talking about. I believe most of them suffer from chronic wedges’ syndrome.
Currently one is leading the polls to become nominated as England’s national bird.
Personally I find the idea ridiculous. I mean, that outfit does look like the kind of one that stereotypical heroines will wear, but he is still clearly a guy!
Wasn’t there a fem Robin? The red head, I think she was on Teen Titans Go for an episode.
Also the battle speedo is classic attire for manly men. Just look at 300, and that movie wasn’t homoerotic at all.
The story I have heard about ancient warriors going into battle basically naked is that the weapon of choice back then was the thrusting spear (and that wasn’t homoerotic at all). An injury from that while wearing any kind of cloth padding would drive parts of the cloth deep into the wound. If you were not killed outright, it would almost certainly lead to an infection that would end up killing you later.
Which is why the speedos in 300 were leather and they wore little else. They even came pre full body waxed to remove that step from any surgery they would need.
It is also a good way to intimidate your enemy. “See I am so hard I intend to block your spear thrust with my bare flesh!” Not to mention making them feel inadequate in other regards.
Contrast that with another army, in history, which intimidated the enemy by having the front rank cut off their own heads!
Personally, given an option of which to join, I would be hanging up my clothes, at the recruiting office door, and brace myself for the chilly air.
“The Dark Knight Returns” graphic novel .
Hrm that was supposed to be a reply to mrtt.
I thoroughly approve of Sydney’s differential pricing policy
Here’s a good pricing policy…
[in French, but should be clear enough]
… why didn’t that work!?
How about:
https://initforthegold.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/prix-du-cafe.html
+ £1
How to incarcerate supers is a good question, as is the telepathy one. The rest of them… not so much.
Though I’m guessing the answers from top down (bar those two) are “ask Major Tom,” “classified,” “yes,” “the same reason as everyone else,” “classified,” and “classified.”
Dunno. Maxima’s measurements and whether Harem dates five at the same time are great questions. ;p
Hum… Good list of questions to hand off to Arianna.
And now that the reporters have had their turn Syd & Joel can open the store and start the Q&A with the REAL customers. First up: A guy with a chin beard.
Nah, the first will be that “is Murder still legal?” numbskull.
I want the guy to be the one she was crushing on….this way she can have buns of steel without all the messy work complications. Although Mr. Amorphous is dating Heatwave.
“Does Harem date 1 guy at a time or 5?”
Knowing Harem, she’d try dating 10, or 15, and not restrict herself to “guys” either.
Also lends new kinks to the formerly innocent term ‘dating yourself’.
Personally I thought that was a knockoff version of the embarrassing kind for a robin outfit, keep in mind the original does include skin tight tights…
The original? Detective comics 38. Nope, just fish scale panties.
I was sorely disappointed when City of Heroes had no fish scale panties in it’s costume creation options.
Actually, no. The original had no tights and green, winged ankle boots. The more modern Robin costumes incorporate tights, mostly, I believe, because there was a female Robin. Can’t remember her name, though. Got out of Batman/Worlds Finest Detective long before that.
I’m thinking either Carrie Kelley or Stephanie Brown.
The “original” was a trapeze costume for the Flying Graysons with Dick’s costume having a red top. Since he was billed as Robin in the act you would think that someone would make the connection to an identical costume and name (except for the domino mask) suddenly showing up as the Batman’s sidekick, but then again this is a universe where Superman can hide in plain sight as Clark Kent just by changing clothes and putting on a pair of glasses.
I agree that Robin’s costume is ridiculous. But have you ever wondered what Batman would look like if he dressed the same?
Wonder no longer (when I told my younger brothers, they didn’t believe me until we rewound):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rOvLv7B4XI
Scooby Doo vs Batman is a rather entertaining crossover. (And this isn’t deranged fanfiction, this is official!)
What’s rediculous about it? He’s not wearing anything female comic heroes don’t wear… If it’s humiliating on a guy, it ought to be humiliating on a girl, right?
Nope.
while amusing, and TECHNICALLY true, that isn’t “really” an accurate “what if” scenario since it’s actually just a continuity error of the artists coloring in his legs as flesh-tones for those few frames instead of the grey bat-suit color he was shown to be in before and after that scene.
1: Robin had been in the cirsus, maybe the colour sceme of his costume stemmed from that, or made him feel more comfortable?
2: Robin was meant to be a distraction, to keep the enemies’ eyes off Batman, thusly making Batman seem even more mysterious and threatening in battle.
3: Go back to the live action TV show. Batman almost always called Robin ‘Chum’. Chum is bait. Think about it. No, not that far, gads you have a filthy mind.
Yes, Dick Grayson was from the trapeze family “The Flying Graysons” and his costume was derived from the costumes they wore during performances. Good catch.
Failing to make a good catch, in a circus can be fatal!
Can’t decide if that one deserves a Scooby Snak or a rolled up newspaper…
He gets that a lot.
The Tiny Toons version Hampton as Hostage, The Boy Target.
That Robin costume looks just soooo wrong.
And yet the colours work out so well, on your current avatar. Mind you they always do look good. You have a talent.
Assuming it wasn’t sarcasm, Thanks ^_^
It was most sincere, I assure you. You are welcome.
I choose to believe that Jason thought that Sydney did a good job at the store that he decided she should “swim with the fishes” and gave her his diving certificate training discount coupon. And now he is all bummed out he has no powers.
That would really suck. Like giving away what turns out to be a record jackpot winning lottery ticket.
I vote that Sydney goes on the bank run. If she stays at the comic shop, she could attract unwanted attention from rogue supers with something to prove. Better that the bank be destroyed than the comic shop. Afterall, banks are pretty villainous to begin with, heck they’ve been repeatedly caught forging documents to foreclose on properties they have no right to foreclose on.
There was one couple in Florida who one bank foreclosed on despite the total absence of a loan at all. Rather, the bank had sold them the property, and they paid in full, in cash. The bank repoed and foreclosed. They sued the bank and won, because they owed nothing after paying in full with cash. The bank refused to pay up the amount the court awarded, so the couple got the local sheriff and a team of repo men to go into the bank and start taking everything that wasn’t nailed down, and pursuant to court order, they were basically now the owners of that branch of the bank’s real estate, building, etc. They even owned the vault but not the stuff stored in it. Needless to say the bank manager cut the couple a check for the law suit’s award in a hurry.
So yeah, I vote Sydney goes. If she’s going to attract attention, better a potentially criminal bank be destroyed than the comic shop.
also Banks(at least the accounts) are federally insured. less liability should another random encounter happen. although Sydney might have met her quota for random encounters for the week given the bank incident and the battle royal at the steakhouse.
yeah, but if they get robbed and you lose everything, in trying to get it back you gotta read the fine print… that FDIC thing, yeah right. they insure the DEPOSIT value… NOT what it’s worth today… for a highly improbably example: say you deposit $1000.00 as the starter seed for your kids college fund the day she’s born, and never touch it or add to it over the years (unlikely, but go with it for arguments sake) and NOW as she’s getting ready to enter college, it’s worth 50 grand, BUT… the day she goes to get it, the bank gets robbed… Poof… the only money you will get out of that bank is 1000 dollars… Why? because THAT is what you DEPOSITED… it DOESN’T insure the INTEREST earned afterwards!!!
Im sorry but what super villain would want to destroy a comic book store?
Envisioning a scene here:
*Villain in full-plate armor walks into the store*
Villain: “Harken! Halo of the Unbroken Shield! I hereby challenge thee to a duel to a duel with The Dark Lance!. Come forth and we shall meet in glorious battle!”
Halo: “Come forth? Not attacking me now?”
Villain: “Nay! Forsooth, when my enemies did mock me I found refuge in the pages of comics! (Curse those middle-school bullies. A pox upon them all!) I would sooner cut off my arm than destroy a place of solitude for the troubled and lonely mind!”
Halo: “Cool. Maybe when I’ve beaten you we can talk about comic battles instead of real ones. Now… HAVE AT THEE KNAVE!“
Thinking about what Sydney’s doing here… It’s kinda like information brokering in which she has no obligation to actually produce the promised information, she only has to promise to try to get the information… And best of all, it has a built-in money laundering scheme.
Sydney has made no commitment nor accepted any obligation. She conducted a normal sale and provided an autographing service for a set fee. Which is a standard celebrity transaction. At no point did she say she was providing information. She was merely enforcing her right, as a shopkeeper, that if they wanted to stay, they had to buy something.
The information gathering she is doing as a favour. If she looks into it and finds that the answers are classified, private or only available through official channels, then she need merely tell them such, and the matter is closed.
‘Money laundering’ is totally irrelevant, given that all the transactions are legal made.
Yeah but accepting sales in exchange for information is self-laundering information brokering… It’s genius.
Ahh, but she has been very careful to avoid implying that. Sydney is too sharp to fall for a “questionsformoney gate” trap. And, importantly, the values of the goods and services provided clearly match (or are below) normal market averages. So no accusation that she is doing as you suggest could stick.
Although the reporters may be more interested in the answers, the exchange of money was, demonstrably and provably, for other, fairly priced, transactions.
for dealing with those question brief Arianna on what’s going on with them and conveniently lose all the ones about team branding before handing the stack off to her.after all what’s the point of having a high speed PR person if you’re not going to have them wrangle the press.
panel three, is it me or is sidney’s line wierdly worded? shouldn’t it say,” you did buy something so i’ll try and find out” or since you did buy something, i’ll try and find out”
maybe its me but it sounds wierd in a syntax sense
Yeah, it’s grammatically awkward. Just removing ‘since’ or ‘so’ from that sentence would improve it dramatically.
Man, I love Sidney’s outfit in the last panel. The glorified spandex bodysuits and swimsuits don’t look nearly as cool as a superheroine dressed in more casual wear/actual action gear.
Yes but how does she expect to wear the goggles over her glasses?
Prescription goggles. I have two pair.
I like how she’s the fully dressed one in the last panel. That made my day. ^_^
I checked out the comic link and Dave B. was right I read through the whole thing before and after work today. It was pretty good, a little more down to earth than Grrlpower but good in a different way.
Great Super Jail reference, Now who is the Warden, I vote for Halo as the Warden and ask kindly for a Warden themed Halo for next vote incentive
Unfortunately for your Warden Halo plan, the U.S. Constitution does not allow cruel and unusual punishment. The vote incentive might happen though.
Break the rules around Warden Halo, and the punishment is to have diner with her.
Am I going to have to break out the duelling pistols here, and defend the lady’s honour? The ‘cruel and unusual punishment’ is a fair comment, for anyone to be exposed to an extreme personality, for years on end, with no chance of escape.
But to suggest that having dinner with Halo is a punishment, in itself, is beyond the pale!
It’s not her. It’s her food that is the punishment .
……………………………………………………………………………..WHOOSH!
Now that is more than fair. That take had flown way over my head.
My apologies, for fearing that you might be maligning the lady.
And you might also expect Sydney the Warden to have to start carrying around a larger book for The List…
Nope, just her shovel.
Congratulations, Dave. You have managed to capture the aesthetic of Thin Guy Thighs. I have seen more than a few in my day, and those are indeed the very gams that come from gamer geeks and network nerds. Except it does look like he does a reasonable amount of walking for exercise, so not completely noodly. I also like the touch of shin/calf hair looking like unshaved stubble from doomdom, because if he was being a superhero sans leggings, you’d at least think he’d shave the legs to make them look nicer, but nooo… So, well done on that little touch, too!
Adriana would love this (no sarcasm). If handled right it becomes a back door to the media to slip them “insider” information.
Ok, speaking to the “very good” question that guy had….. I predict ankle monitors! Yes, strong supers could break them – but the regular ones are designed to come off with bolt cutters (aka jaws-of-life) in emergencies anyway. All but maximum security jails work on the honor system anyway. With super powers its just a bit more obvious that the fences are for show. (And to clearly show when you step outside them)
With that system you’d only need to build custom jail cells for supers that habitually jump bail/break jail.
In panel 3, “since” or “so” should be removed. Using both looks weird.
Seriously, how much money did she make just now? It’s at least a thousand or so.
At least, and just from the press pack. Possibly more if a number were trying to get on her good side, rather than just go for the minimum they can get away with. And some may be seeing the re-sale value too. They are in the industry and know that Sydney is undervaluing her autograph, for instance.
To fill up the cash register though, it is probably well over that. And it does not look like they have even let in the regular customers yet!
Let us hope that they get more than just $1,000 though. It would take a lot more than that to turn around a failing business. That would probably just serve to pay off some of the more critical bills and/or offset the interest on their business loans.
Darn it, there’s no Like button for your comment. It’s an astute observation.
So, is anyone else seeing a block of commented out, obfuscated javascript above the comic?
You’re not alone. It pops up every couple of days or so, until DaveB becomes aware of it and smashes it with his CodeHammer.
So he doesn’t have to search, I believe it’s line 289 in the source code.
I totally commented on the code stuff on a really old page… I feel stupid
It won’t have done any harm. I spotted it easily enough myself. And DaveB will see it wherever you post it.
Of all the dumb questions listed there, the “how many people does Harem date at a time” one is the only one that interests me. Or in other words: Is her name justified? =P
(The supervillain jail and the “telepathy/breach of privacy something something something hidden by other cards” questions seem reasonable, so I don’t count them)
Meh. Whilst she is giving away Archon secrets, she is about as interesting to me as cold, wet, cardboard. For that side of things, anyhow.
If Harem goes any farther to the dark side she may be one of those that will need to be sent to super jail. About a year ago there was a thread about ways to contain a teleporter. In a world without power dampers it can get complicated. And then there is the question of whether only one of her can be charged with a crime if she has a group brain. If they find a way to put only one copy in jail and she is still mentally linked to all the others, is that copy still considered incarcerated?
The teleporter thing does require a wall of text, on it’s own, to explore fully, so I think I will save re-visiting my views on that until we next see some porting. As for your other points though.
We can progress to this from existing situations. Take twin sisters (two will serve as easily as five for this argument). If one committed the crime, without the knowledge of the other, then only the one gets charged.
If collusion is involved then both may be charged, depending on the degree of conspiracy, and whether it happened before, during or after the event. Each of which has different charges that can be laid. Likewise if both happen to be physically present at the commissioning of the crime. Living in the age of remote communication though, we know that collusion can occur even when one is not present.
All of this applies equally to telepathic twins just as much as it would to twins communicating with cell phones. However, telepathic twins who can also teleport to each other’s presence, can be deemed to always be in one another’s presence. For purposes of saying “you were present at the commissioning of this crime, aware that it was about to take place, and chose not to act to prevent it”.
Of course there are counter-arguments that can be made to try and defend a twin who is trying to ‘distance’ herself from the act (legally speaking), such as claiming that she was coerced, or afraid to intervene. Albeit that such would have to be proved in a court of law, with difficulty.
However the principles are no different for the telepathic versus the cell phone twins. Albeit that a coerced twin cannot throw away her means of communication, and hide. So her case is a lot stronger, if it can be proven. Even more so for the teleporting variety!
So, up until this point, it is possible for one to be charged, but not the other. Or alternatively, both might be charged, but one may be found to be not guilty.
However, in Harem’s case, her different bodes are not controlled by different minds. They are only controlled by the one mind. None of them have independent will from the others. Ergo if one is guilty all are. As she says herself “there is only one of me”.
The fact that she has multiple bodies is no more relevant, to this side of things, than saying a human has more than one hand. We do not find that a pick-pocket will just have his ‘guilty’ hand charged, but not the ‘innocent’ one, which was not involved.*
Clearly therefore all bodies would have to be incarcerated too. If even one of her bodies is left free then she has not been isolated from the rest of society. She would be able to continue to commit crimes and to enjoy the lifestyle of a free person.
* And don’t try the ‘chopping off of hands’ argument. Even under societies which conduct such practices, they do not attempt to determine which hand is the guilty one. It is the person they are punishing, not the limb.**
** Excluding the Evil Dead defence of course. If you have a possessing entity controlling a hand, then that is a separate consciousness and is accountable for it’s own misdeeds.
DaveB, you should really consider adding much more variation to the handwriting of the various journalists there. Right now the typography of the cards are the same, including paper stock and etc. Just some thoughts.
Looking at the style of the questions, I took it as having been Sydney herself who wrote them. Certainly, if I wanted to be sure to be able to read a comment, myself, later, I would prefer it to be in my own hand. And it also stops them trying to cram too many, or complex, questions onto the one card.
Compare those letters to these. https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/456
If she uses cursive as a standby, then that’s def. a distinction. Although, the D is the same.
Ahh, thanks for linking that. I had pondered about looking for her writing, in the List, but felt too lazy to hunt for it.* So just let it stand as a comment on my impressions.
* If I ever get into updating the Grrl Power Wiki, I will be sure to include the List in any index of character appearances, for such purposes.
I’m late getting here, but that last panel made me fall out of my chair laughing. Thanks Dave for another great visual.
Oh dear! You really aught to take more care in your potential condition. But it is always nice to bring new life into the world to the sounds of laughter.
Yorp, if you weren’t so lovable, well-informed and charming you’d be a real pain in the tuckus. And I know from painful tuckuses.
*wags tail, and curls up into a ball, with a warm feeling*
Hay DavidB if you’re looking for T-shirt ideas for dabbler or harem try this website
https://www.badideatshirts.com/AllProducts.aspx?p=1
Heh, I doubt Dave needs any inspiration on those lines. Whilst the comic is set in the real world, it does require him to draw upon pre-existing cultural references, for certain things, such as culturally iconic super heroes. And, likewise, it allows him to make subtle, or overt, homages to other material.
But, when it comes to witty gags, he is more than capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with other writers.
That said though, there were several in there which had me laughing out loud. And I can well see myself repeating one, in future.
I kinda want the one that says “If you think I’m a bitch, you should meet my daughter!” in no small part because my daughter would be highly amused to see me wearing it.
The journalist who asked about Harem’s dating habits clearly doesn’t know her, because it’s obvious to us readers that she doesn’t date any men at all! ;)
Man, I’ve been really craving my grrlpower fix this week. I don’t know what it is, but this has to be the fourth time I’ve clicked over here today even though I know damn well it hasn’t updated. I’ve even been going on random binges through the archives! Dave, whatever dark magic you’re using to suck in readers, can you dial it down a notch for me?
+1
And we have dropped to #3.
We are out of second by 7 is points.
Anywhere in the top three is not to be sniffed at. But every vote helps!
Does anyone know the symbol partly shown on Sydney’s t-shirt in the vote picture? It almost looks like a Green Lantern ring recharger, but in yellow and with what might be a Nova Corps logo on the front?
I am not familiar with it, but I would guess that it is the character who is associated with the yellow and blue colour scheme she is wearing. From what I can make out of it, it appears to be a helmet, which would match the description we were given, of him, by those in the know. The name eludes me though.
That would be Dr. Fate, the manifestation of a magical spirit of justice or something. He possessed/shared space with a human host by means of a golden, featureless helmet and his symbol of power was the Egyptian ankh. Color scheme is, indeed, blue and yellow (gold)
Yes, that would be Dr. Fate. He is indeed a consciousness that manifests himself in the form of a helmet & possesses the mind of whoever dons the helmet (male or female, doesn’t matter), granting the magical powers & knowledge. Not a “magical spirit of justice” precisely, but an actual Lord of Order.