Grrl Power #313 – This measures an eight on the Sydney scale
No, Sydney… just no. You don’t go barging in whatever room you like in a military facility. She’s done some bone headed things in the past. This may top the list. Well, it’s in the top ten anyway, this is Sydney we’re talking about here.
There was a tiny part of me that wanted to make the last panel Sydney just looking over her shoulder and going “Oh, hey.” but Sydney’s not quite that sedate.
Maxima’s not the most regimented commander in the armed forces, still, I assume Sydney’s in for about a million hours of night watch or whatever would happen in this situation. It may be unprecedented.
Normally to get a slot in the Who’s Who, someone has to have a speaking part on the page as well as be introduced in the comic by name. I thought it was ok to make an exception in this case. General Faulk’s aide speaks but hasn’t been named, which is ok because I haven’t thought of a name for him yet. He’s the same guy from way back on this page, though now that I look like it I realize his hair is the wrong color… and the wrong style… and his shirt is different. Ok, maybe it should be a different guy. I really should not rely on my own memory for reference.
Colors on this page provided again by Keith. This time with far less touch up on my part.
Edit: Many people have already pointed out that this would probably never happen due to layers of security in a facility like this. Yes, you’re probably right, but in my defense, this isn’t a classified meeting taking place. It’s a North American-Super-Mutual-Defense-and-Public-Relations type meeting, as evidenced by Arianna being in attendance, as well as (and I don’t expect anyone to recognize them) the press secretaries of the US and Canada. (and probably Mexico, but I ran out of room) So slightly lower security on the room. Besides Sydney’s already made it through all the other security, and there was just the one door in her way. Maybe the aide came out to greet her.
As far as using recognizable people like this, yes it can create a problem with “comic time” later on, but that’s just the nature of comics. Besides, this is supposed to be our Earth now, just with supers going public. Also this gag wouldn’t have worked well if I had just drawn some statesmanly looking guy with an arrow saying “President” pointing at him.
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DaveB: “General Faulk’s aide…He’s the same guy from way back on this page…”
I’m glad you cleared that up…I couldn’t tell that it’s the same guy, because all we saw of him there was the back of his head. I didn’t immediately connect it with the face we see here.
;)
Actually, not the same guy, unless he managed to grow his hair and dye it in less than a day
Not saying they can’t both be Faulk’s aides, just not the same aide
Obligatory “Thanks Obama” comment here.
Hello? Omegaultima? It’s your cue. (crickets chirping)
Well, it looks like he slept in this morning.
In all this President and embarrassing herself stuff I think so people have missed that we may have found Sydney’s one condition from https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/755.
It was probably a litle more detailed than just that though.
She said (when calling her parents) that she worked out a deal to keep the Comic shop and work there parttime.
GI Jose says good morning to Sydney, isn’t it after lunch at this point? Not that big a deal, but Sydney’s outburst got me thinking about how earlier she was talking to Joel like she knew she’d have to leave, but here it seems like she thinks that new comic day is something special. That it’s in the contract that she gets that day off, or gets to come in later or something.
Some branches of the Military have a “tradition” of basing your greeting on the last meal you ate. (especially at bootcamp) its morning until you have had lunch. even if you don’t get lunch until 1500.
Good Day is said by those that don’t ride a desk during office hours.
Barack me amadeus!
I’d guess you’re safe if you have Amadeus watching your Barack…
Her punishment: confined to Baracks for four days.
I must find all three of you and hurt you for that! :P
And I will help.
Various Joint Domain Cross Exchange operations occur all the time between separate foreign government organizations and you better believe they are highly classified up to the minimum of Secret or the equivalent foreign classification.
As for the comment of Arianna being in attendance, as well as US and foreign press secretaries, every one of them holds some type of clearance (or equivalent for their government; or in the case of the fictitious Arianna, would have to possess a minimum of a Secret clearance to even be part of this kind of operation) and something like this is still classified.
If for no other reason than something may come up or someone may make an off-agenda comment regarding a very classified subject.
Coloring looks really good on this one!
Can very nearly guarantee a nearly silent ‘ Ohhhh Shiiiiiiii….’ From Harem… as she sits onto the floor.
I think she’ll be way to shocked and appalled at her action for her more profane and colourful expletives to emerge. At the moment at least.
Well President Obama is a comic nerd so he would know that
First off freaking awesome. I have read it half a dozen times and I am still chuckling. The general s face is priceless. I can’t wait for stop drop and roll or a heart attack gag with a foot up in the air quivering. Or whatever may come next
My guess is that, right about now, Sydney is hoping for something like an asteroid impact to get everybody’s attention.
I’m sorry. For that to happen we would need to substitute Morgan Freeman as the president.
O.B., that would be awesome, however we need Frodo to have discovered the comet at least a year ago and then Mr. President God Freeman to have kept it under wraps for a year :)
So the comic was set in 2015 back in 2008 when we started.
No, I think it is canon that the comic is set in 2011.
2011, and the first comic was posted in 2010
https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/60
With all the hilarity, it didn’t occur to me until now that there seems to be an inconsistency. Sydney was *already* preparing to leave, and told Joel so, before Harem vorped in bringing impatient tidings from Maxima. And now she insists that she was supposed to get New Comic Day off?
Anyway, I wonder if Max really meant for Sydney to be at the meeting (probably with a “speak only when spoken to” admonition, in an attempt to at least limit the amount of Sydney being Sydney), but with all the delays, they started the meeting without her.
One thing I think was pretty slick is at the bottom of the page, how Sydney is “out of focus” compared to the background…The way it would appear anyway. This is also in contrast with how focused Sydney was in panel 1 & this being the exact moment she lost her focus.
Double entendre, indeed…
This Comic makes Monday’s better!
It works pretty well at improving Thursdays as well.
;)
I choose to believe Sydney was actually saying “rabble rabble et cetera”.
She’s already proven she has no intention of censoring herself, she’s just that much of a geek.
I’d guess Sydney was saving up her best for when she got inside the conference room. However, she got little chance to use it before it all just slipped away so suddenly…
Amusingly enough, America and Canada are the main members of the North American Military Alliance in my Bystander novel. Canada was part of that until they pissed off the rest of North America.
Harem and Halo have so much in common. Neither of them knock for example.
https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/558
I think including a real world modern politician is somewhat of a mistake. They get rather polarizing.
This comic takes place in a world that’s basicly ‘ours + superheroes’.
And inventing fake politicians would take away from the joke, as people don’t realize who it is. We’ll just have to manually ignore the people that can’t keep out their political views
Happy Ed Balls day.
I was already about to burst from laughter. Then I realized that it was probably Obama saying the thing about new comics day. And then I almost exploded from laughter.
Just realized something, Joel asked Sydney to do the banking the day before the biggest trading day for the month…
Why would you do a bank drop before such a day and then leave it for ages?? wouldn’t make more sense to bank just after new comic day??
Well.
The Prez sais ‘most important day of the week’. Not moth.
And when Joel asks Sydney to deposit the cash, he sais it’s been in the back since the weekend (https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/170)
If you recall she was supposed to drop it last Friday. He said it had been sitting in the safe all weekend.
My point was why not wait another day and drop the lot in Then
Also, when did the pres get briefed about Scoville enough to know she owns a comic book store?
I think Sydney made that fact fairly self evident at the press conference. https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/1020
And I think now would be the perfect time for her to figure out how to activate her ‘tumbleweed’ power she tried back then. https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/1011
Hey, Dave? When you turn this into a book, I’d be happy to pay for a signed edition as a gift to the President. I really enjoy the thought of him actually reading it, as I suspect he might.
That would actually be pretty cool.
I second this notion. In fact I think one of the stretch goals or one of the donation levels if you do a kickstarter to fund the printing should be for sending a signed copy of the book to the president just for shits and grins. :-)
I’m grinning already. Good idea.
I just love Obama’s wry look at the end. It just oozes amusement.
Someone needs to do a picture of Obama as the Cheshire cat with that look on his face.
As much as I’m trying to keep my own political views out of my comments, please don’t tarnish my, obviously, most favorite character of all time.
Isn’t that his normal look? o_O
Sydney, when a solder says “you can’t go there,” there’s obviously a damn good reason. On the other hand, they should have at least closed and locked the door if they didn’t just want someone walking in.
… And maybe even hang a ‘KEEP OUT’ sign on said door.
Or, you know…post an armed guard…
Love Obama’s slightly amused face there.
It is fantastic! I can see him doing this exact thing and I am having difficulty containing my laughter.
Man, Obama really needs to work on his posture.
Are you saying he’s a crooked politician?
Get it? Work on his posture. Bent over. Bent = crooked.
Wokka wokka wokka.
I didn’t see anyone mention this, but it was bugging me for a bit now until it clicked when I was talking to a friend in another time zone.
Washington D.C. is in Eastern.S.T., while both Mexico City and Ottawa is in Central.S.T.. So the Canadian and Mexican screens should be an hour behind the U.S.A..
I was surprisingly expecting something like this at some point. Just not this soon. :P Wouldn’t be Sydney if she didn’t crash at least one world leader-ish meeting.
Yeah I messed that up. I think I’ll remove the times since they don’t really add anything.
Leaders don’t always stay in one city …… an hour’s difference in time is just a short flight to winnipeg, where there is a significant Canadian air force base.
PS for the kickstarter send one to the Prime Minister too, Harper is a bit of a geek as well
PSS Honestly …limited sympathy for the higer ranks for not giving Sydney enough information to keep her waiting patiently. Their fault not hers, know your people is one of a leader’s main tasks.
Ottawa is EST, same as D.C.
It’s conceivable that Obama and some high-level staff are in Chicago, or somewhere in Texas for some reason.
Or on Air Force One :)
And thus, as Sydney heart stops, we feel nally learn what one of the two unknown balls is as she is immediately brought back to life. It may resurrect her, but it doesn’t dull the pain she feels! (Teaches her to be cautious!)
But then she would find herself back at her apartment. It is where Sydney designated as her ‘spawn’.
https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/1640
Her reactions would be:
1) Hey, I’m alive!
2) Damn, I still don’t know how to get to Archon by myself from here.
Best proof this is set in 2011? Obama’s hair. It’s still dark and hasn’t yet become, as the joke goes, “white enough it can talk back to police”.
Oo, good catch!
Being as she’s not militarily trained yet; she would not be aware of that. I don’t think she’ll blow this time; definitely to much of a What The F****!!!!!Oh My God!!!!!!
Is that Obama? I voted to have him impeached.
Sidney is STILL my favorite character. Hot blooded in all the right places… that may have sounded weird
Considering the first important event that happened to her after she woke up this morning, I’d have to agree with you. Hot blooded, indeed…
I’m relatively sure that never came up for a vote. You might be thinking of Clinton.
Plus impeachment is voted on by Congress (first the House votes on whether to start proceedings, then the Senate votes on whether the President is or is not impeached), not the general population.
Actually, not quite correct. In the US, the House of Representatives votes whether or not to Impeach. If they do, then the Senate votes whether or not to convict. So it’s easiest to think of them as separate but related things: an indictment and a trial. The House indicts (impeachment) and the Senate convicts.
Two U.S. presidents have been successfully impeached: Andrew Ohnson and Bill Clinton. But neither was convicted by the Senate.
That’s exactly what I said. Except the part about Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton (which are both also accurate). Nixon was never impeached because he resigned instead before the House could impeach him.
Not entirely. You said the House votes whether or not to start proceedings, then the Senate votes on whether or not the President is impeached. The Senate votes on whether or not the President is convicted. If it reaches the Senate, the president has already been impeached.
Impeachment and conviction really are different things. A successful impeachment does not remove a president (as seen by Clinton and Johnson). Only a successful conviction AFTER a successful impeachment gets them out.
Or to put it another way the house can (successfully) impeach all they want, but it is meaningless without the Senate conviction (in terms of removing the president from power).
Interestingly, both Clinton and Johnson avoided conviction by one vote (on at least one of their charges).
Pretty sure people understood the gist of what I was saying without getting very anal about it. Impeachment, then conviction OF the impeachment. They are not two separate things – they’re directly related with each other, like a Grand Jury Trial then the actual trial if the Grand Jury votes to set a trial.
House does the Grand Jury equivalent, then the Senate does the actual trial.
I imagine Dabbler is going to be disappointed. She’s been here way longer than Sydney and never caused quite this Maxima this much of a headache just from walking into the room.
I’m curious with Maxima knowing the contract, why did she even bother to have Sydney show up the next day? Could have easily waited a day.
It could be that New Comic day is protected once she completes training. Someone commented earlier that the one thing Sydney asked for was probably this. But if she didn’t read carefully, it may not have been a universal but had exceptions. It would not surprise me at all if completing training is one of the exceptions.
Devil’s Advotace:
If that clause does exist, Ariana would be remiss in her word about not screwing over someone she would represent.
If it doesn’t exist and Maxima would attempt to use that logic then Sydney could argue against in defense of the spirit of the law.
My money is that Maxima doesn’t know how important “New Comic Day” is and working a half-day was good enough.
It is possible that the president requested to see Sydney to thank her personally. Judging by the general’s reaction, he advised against it because of just this situation. If that was the case, then Maxima would have come out (had Sydney sat down), give a short briefing of what to expect before stepping into the conference room.
This is probably exactly the case. It’s already been stated that supers are rare, so Sydney’s the newest member of a group that has probably less than five hundred in the whole world, and of those less than fifty are directly associated with the national leaders shown.
It’s like Arianna said; Sydney’s a member of a highly select group of people who are, or will be, world famous. That’s exactly the kind of people the POTUS would meet and greet personally. This is a rocky introduction to her newfound heights of fame.
So how many potatoes is Syd going to be peeling..
Not sure I’d trust Sydney with food preparation. Or sharp implements.
Did obama just back up sydney about new comic book day
When “comic time” must be preserved, Martin Sheen is always the President!
Pfft to Martin Sheen.
Morgan Freeman. That guy can play President AND play God.
…that’s a fire paddlin’.
Talkin’ about paddlin the Prez?
Ohhhhh that’s definitely a paddlin’.
I just cannot look at this page without laughing!
I just noticed the GI Jose remark. Now you have to name him Joseph. It will allow another humiliating Sydney moment “My name’s Joseph, Jose for short. Not Jose. Why would
That moment when POTUS backs you up on a petty argument. I feel like this should reign in Sydney’s insanity. For like a week, at least. The sheer pantshitting terror of this scenario would have anyone keeping as low a profile as possible for awhile. I also have my doubts that Maxima is going to take this one in stride, I sense this is going to be one of those “Do pushups until doomsday” situations.