Grrl Power #357 – One of the least painful ways to get shot down by Maxima
All in all, a successful interaction with a woman for him. His name is Brad apparently. I forgot, but an astute reader pointed out that his name was actually in the comic way back in the day. (embarrassing art link)
When I started this page I wasn’t quite sure what Maxima’s reaction would be to a clumsy pass. I briefly fantasized about Brad getting tazed but the editor in me quickly nixed that. Sydney… I could see doing it but Max has more practice with restraint, after all, she knows if she slaps someone’s hand away, she could literally slap their hand away. Which isn’t to say she hasn’t broken the odd metacarpal in her day. In any case she didn’t give Brad a chance to finish his sentence. He could have been planning to say “…tactical sense. The battle last night was won and lost on your leadership.” It’s probably not what he was going to say though.
For those of you unfamiliar with Joel’s reference: Monty Python’s – The Money Song
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Eyes.
That works, right?
Skin, hair, eyes, muscles, clothes…those all work along with what he was probably going to say.
You have a really nice……..Death glare??
You added an ‘a’.
You have really nice….glances of imminent destruction?
Well it can’t be tits cuz she’s got those covered. prolly ears tho unless he’s strictly comics.
Shimmer?
Ears. IMO Brad’s the type of person who’d think “Vulcan or Elf…”
At 6’1″, she seems too tall for an elf. Go for golden Vulcan. Ah, so they have greenish skin that tans gold.
I thought High Elves were all very tall?
6’1″ for Tolkien’s Noldor would be ‘barely average’.
i think the “high” could be referring to their personality rather than actual hight.
you know, like “high council” can be made out of midgets.
or even you could have a midget as a “high priest”.
1st/2nd edition D&D elves were lanky muscular rock stars, tall. Likewise Tolkien elves are tall. High elves do tend to be taller than other kinds of elves in general fantasy, but you are right – their name is derived from the fact they consider themselves to be better and more noble than other varieties of elf.
See, what you need is a good manly dwarf instead of all this elfin nonsense.
Actually incorrect. 1st & 2nd edition D&D elves are actually quite short. The illustration on in the 1st ed PHB depicts the elf as being about up to human shoulder height and the Monster Manual gives their average height at around 5 feet. Tolkein made them tall. Gary Gygax made them short. Later DnD writers brought them up in height again.
And then there are the Wendy Pini Elves.
https://elfquest.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Nightfall-Final-Quest-Special.png
The 2nd Edition core books art in particular took a lot of cues from Elfquest.
1st edition (Basic Rules) also has Elves as a class, not a race o_O
You Rang? One Dwarf, battlemug in hand ready for mayhem!
But is it a Thunder mug
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Thunder+Mug&defid=6643273
I finally know the name of those launchers in Kirby!
High in this instance means PURE, not size or personality.
Depending on the source the sizes I’ve heard are:
High Elf : 6′ 4″ or more
Wood Elf: 5′ 4″ or 6′
Dark Elf (sometimes called Drow): 5′ 6″ or 6′
Night Elves in World of Warcraft run close to 7′
Blood Elves in World of Warcraft run closer to 6′
“Tracts of land”
Considering that Brad was staring up at her head the whole time, I’m pretty sure he wasn’t going to comment on her “tracts of land.” Ears is a likely guess, but hair is a good second followed closely by skin. I’m sure Max has had plenty of experience with shallow people commenting on her feminine assets, but that preemptive shutdown comes off making her look a little extra bitchy. I mean, geez… give the guy a chance to not be an embarrassment before you go all metahuman intimidation factor on him.
Bitchy? Maybe, but it was pretty clear from the way he was behaving where he was headed and she was obviously not interested. Best to shut him down quickly and not have to endure this guy putting the moves on her.
If, by ‘bitchy’, you mean “strong, proud, and unwilling to take any of your bullshit”, then, yes, Max is extra ‘bitchy’.
No, by ‘bitchy,’ I mean “arrogant, judgmental, and sexist.” And she is extra-bitchy, but not for the reasons you imagine. But good news: she doesn’t have to take any of my bullshit because she’s a fictional character.
Could also be that she’s had a lifetime of dealing with guys objectifying her and it takes all her patience to not hospitalize them. So if what she does instead is just use her words to be brisk with them, they should be happy that she’s that reserved. I wouldnt call it ‘arrogant, judgmental, and sexist’ for her to not want to have to be hit on by some antisocial dweeb who was being a jerk to Joel mere seconds before they walked in.
Based on all I’ve seen so far, Brad is an utterly objectionable dweeb with a complete inability to listen / learn from what other people tell him (refer prev page and https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/119 ).
So for Max’s shutdown, he gets zero sympathy from me. Every minute he enjoys without ANYONE at least dropkicking him to the horizon is arguably more than he deserves.
Yep, I consider the guy deeply annoying.
Be interesting to see how he describes this encounter later. I reckon this snippet of conversation will be recounted as they talked for ages, really connected and she asked him out on a date. Extra-unfortunately, he’ll probably be recounting that to her over every means of communication he can manage…
I also consider him deeply annoying on a personal level, but love him as a comic-relief character in a story.
Hey, he can be totally truthful.
“I spoke to Maxima, to compliment her, and she said she was impressed with me.”
Provided he presently remains silent, to comply with the rest of her comment.
She’s a public figure and, after such world-shattering news as superheroes are real and here they are working for the government, she is absolutely going to get comments, compliments, and yes, even some come ons… ESPECIALLY standing around in a comic book store.
I won’t have any sympathy either for someone who makes a lame or even rude attempt at a come on, but we don’t know what Brad was going to say and neither does Max. She’s an unapproachable bitch who thinks because she’s the most powerful super around that she can talk down to whomever she wants. And what if he did say something rude? “You have really nice boobs.” Would she kick him like she did the tank during the press conference demo? Put her fist through his face? I’ve seen some comments saying that Brad should be more cautious because of her power, but if she were to abuse it that way, then I’d say she’s no hero at all. Rise above it, not bully people you don’t like because you can.
Seriously, if this is what we can expect of Max on a regular basis, I can see myself losing interest pretty quickly… unless she does give in to the dark side, murder someone who offends her, and then have Sydney and the rest go after her and have the team’s most powerful member taken down by the greenest of recruits.
As discussed in the early pages, it was already common knowledge that supers are real. The govt. thing is the only news here.
I think everyone has the right to choose their own level of socialisation. If, at her present stage in life and career, she does not want to date, then there is no reason why she should have to let anyone hit on her.
Alternatively, if she has preferences which include a physical type, and Brad does not fall in her desirable range, why should she be required to let him ‘have his shot’? It is her life, and she can choose who to let into it.
There is absolutely no question that Brad was attempting to hit on her. The only unknown is whether it would be a polite or crude attempt. But that is irrelevant if she does not want the attention. Note there is a big difference between being ‘too stuck up to let anyone talk to her’ and ‘not wanting someone chatting her up’.
As for readers pointing out the hazards of provoking someone with boundless power, that is hardly a reflection on Maxima. Such is the commentator’s opinion or warning. It is not Maxima’s.
Certainly when I make such comments, myself, it is not a prediction of her likely behaviour. To the contrary, the fact that she has extreme options, available at a whim, yet chooses to remain within the bounds of normal social behaviour, is entirely to her credit.
Cheekbones.
You missed the obvious ending of that sentence:
You have really nice carat. I guess that’s what I would say to a gold person.
“You have really nice specularity”.
I’d have gone with “style”. I mean, she really rocks the jacket and fatigues.
I’d have probably said “taste in sidearms” but then again, I’m a nerd AND a gun nut…and having survived a divorce, no fear of getting shot down or injured with the death glare. Fortune favors the bold…or is that foolish?
“Powers”?
Who says you can’t make money while working for the greater good? It’s one thing to charge the person you are saving just to save them *off-screen “Like how our people are put into poverty for going to the hospital?”* but being paid to do something noble doesn’t make it any less noble. It just makes it practical.
I help people all the time, especially with computers. I don’t expect to get paid, but when they offer I politely decline once and if they insist then I graciously accept. Doesn’t make my deed any less helpful to them. They just determined that my help was worthy of payment.
But you are not being paid to fix the computers, that’s just a bonus
Maybe Sydney doesn’t want to be a Capitalist, or maybe she was just having a joke
The Greater Good – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUpbOliTHJY
(Sorry, couldn’t help myself)
Whenever I hear the phrase “the greater good,” I usually think about this (just after the 35-second mark):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2qRDMHbXaM
“…flying technique.” Yeah, that’s what he meant to say.
You have a really nice …. habit of not smacking jerky customers into orbit.
Works for me.
Nice. Way of putting it.
I am not certain that Max would be able to pull off fold her arms OVER her breasts in that manner. As she is somewhat well endowed, those large breasts just sort of get in the way of such a gesture. I remember my sisters, once they were well past puberty, having to cross their arms under their breasts, because they looked silly and uncomfortable crossing the arms up higher.
Perhaps Max binds hers to make them smaller…y’know, using a Kevlar wrap since normal medical wrapping would probably break under the pressure.
She’s super strong and resilient. Maybe she’s pushing them in (ow?) to give the nerd next to her less reason to stare than he already has.
If you look at the picture, she’s clearly crossing her arms under her breasts, so I don’t quite get what you’re talking about…
Actually I see it as clearly quite obviously otherwise, especially in the first 5 panels. If anything, she looks rather small chested in the first 5 panels. If she had crossed her arms below her breasts, it would have looked like they were overshadowing her arms.
Got to agree with you on this one, Crier. Actually the way it’s drawn today, it looks like Brad the Dweeb has bigger boobs than Maxima. She looks quite manish.
no… HE’S just got REALLY big MOOBS!…
You can cover even large boobs pretty well with a military jacket. Especially if you want to.
Back in my army days, I had a female collegue with at least D-cup, yet you barely even noticed any severe “dent” in her uniform. Sports bras are a thing. And military uniforms are mostly far from a tight-fit anyway.
Ahh, that might explain why Maxima is still wearing her ‘motorbike jacket’, from the photoshoot. If it turns out that it is actually a military jacket, as you imply. And it sounds like you have the experience to tell the difference. :-D
*rolleyes* It’s a black jacket. It could be anything from a uniform to a fetish outfit. The world (and uniforms) doesn’t end at US borders, you know.
Wasn’t there some critter on Start Trek: Original Series that found Spock’s ears attractive? Max is probably gonna hear that quote a lot. That, and the “Live Long and Prosper” with accompanying Spock gesture.
One of my D&D characters was an elf with a mild fetish for round ears…
I played a “renegade” (In that she was part of a Mafia-style crime family) drow once, she kept a harem of dwarves because she found facial hair erotic.
I played a tinker gnome once. He made his fortune when he combined a fancy elf hat, ear warmers, wind up clockwork as a power source, and fairy wing and feather ear ticklers. (fairies shed wings often (once or twice per season less in winter)) – basically it was an elven ear vibrator of sorts. Seems that the GM was of the camp that elves ear tips were very sensitive parts (erogenous zones maximus) . Started a major fashion trend when he slipped one on some high elves who were “trancing” (their version of sleep) and they really really enjoyed the devices…of course the high elves outlawed them immediately. The Wyld elves bought them in droves. And there was a major black market to the dark elves too.
Rest of my party ran with the idea and made “TEA” houses for High elves to come in for “relaxation” and “refreshment.” Slight problem that made us have to leave region was sudden increase in half-high elves in region, because of the clockwork ear hats and the followup Clockwork bra’s and panties…no need to wait for a female elf to slowly peak over time and decide she was ready…turns out High Elven women in “Lust” are very aggressive. And Wyld Elves and Green/Forest elves were always that way…just looking for an excuse.
The one evil guy in our team wanted to ship the Wyldest girls to eastern empire into brothels his family owned…(yeah he had a slaver/brothel background he was a merchant/bard of all things)
This was out about the time the Corsican Brothers came out on Video. “Tickle your ass with a feather?” gambit was an ongoing joke at the time and I ran with that with my tinker gnome.
Though I never considered the hats a success, I would have “improved” them more but damn cleric put me under an Aegis of sorts to improve all female wear instead in a similar fashion…
My self cleaning boxers weren’t well received. Seems being clean shaven front and back didn’t appeal to most humanoids and were a bit clunky…the Empire though bought them for their Inquisitors. Never sure if for questioning sessions or personal reasons…didn’t ask.
And that, friends, is why gnomes are awesome.
And that is why Gnomes are a scourge upon the bowels of any world they infest and must be eradicated and eradiated out of existence, for the Good of the Multiverse!! :P
Tribbles are a tinker-gnomish biological experiment, that has managed to stow away with inter-dimensional travellers!
I have played many varieties of elves, down through the years. But my favourite drow was an albino. Vox of the Hall of Cavaliers. You will never be able to guess the inspiration for her name and title! :-D
Must be fairly late in the day if Brad is the only one in the store. How do I know Brad is the only one in the store? Because Max and Sydney aren’t being mobbed by nerd fans, that’s why. And even being fairly late in the day shouldn’t stop a good nerdic shopping venture, so the store must be echoing with the lack of stock. Wonder how many bank pouches Joel has sitting in the store safe, just waiting to be run over to the bank first thing in the morning, preferably by Sydney, as she has the powers to protect herself whilst carrying huge bags of swag.
More than likely Joel will drop the bank bags off on his way home and not leave them at the store.
Remember last time Sydney made a bank run? The Bank is still on lockdown by the Environment Protection Agency as the site of a hazardous spill!!
Nah, he’ll let Sydney do it… she has to go back there to pick up her car anyway (and only an idiot would try to mug / rob a superhero).
Her car is at home, she had to take the Bubble Express to avoid the Pap-Press
I assumed that her car was at Archon now. She flew to the bank and drove it to Archon, right? There was nothing about a stopover at home.
I think Wanderer is right – the car is at the bank. She drove it there, but then she got flown to Archon HQ by Maxima and then flew home under her own power after the restaurant fight.
Yup. The car should still be at the bank, unless she gave her keys to someone to go pick it up for her.
Nope. She flew Harem to the bank to pick up her car so she could learn the directions to drive to Archon HQ.
Oh, yes. I entirely forgot about that.
No, she picked it up herself, remember? https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/1689
I do now. Heh.
I think Yngvar’s right. I recall Syd mentioning it when she was flying with Harem.
Yup.
Was sure she was about to get her car from her home before she found the Pap-Press camped outside her apartment
I would have thought that he would have commented on her hair. Given the implication that he would have made a T&A reference at all would have gone beyond the pale for a common sense no-no. The hair part would have actually been pretty legit too. I’ve known many people to try and shoot for color jobs like that and end up woefully off the mark.
Ears or hair or skin would be my guess. All three stand out prominently above the neck, which is the only direction he’s shown looking at her. I’m sure he had something dumb to say, and I’m sure Max has heard it all before… but superhuman or not, if I was him I would have paused for a moment, then finished my sentence, punctuating it with some attitude right back at her.
“You have really nice…”
“Impress me with your silence.”
“…ears. Bitch.”
Neither of you have met Brad before, have you? You didn’t even take note of his character in the last page? o_O
OR in https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/119
Yeah, but last page should still be fresh in the mind
Based on some prior experiences here, I wouldn’t count on that.
Im also someone who would be compelled to make a snide remark at being preemptively judged , but remember this is Maxima he is talking to , survival instinct alone should tell one to shut up .
Agreed. This guy may be a douchenozzle, but if he or someone else is just trying to give a compliment rather than trying to get into her pants, it’s kind of a bitchy thing to do. Then again, after her conversation with Dabbler, she comes off as a bit sexist anyway.
Of course I’m sure she gets many attempts to pick her up or to say something stupid, which would rankle anyone, but pointed out against her whole character it seems like something she’d say for other reasons.
“…gone beyond the pale for a common sense no-no.”
So who ever said that Brad has any common sense in the first place?
:P
Everyone has some to at least a small degree. Making a T&A remark to a woman is just plain stupid if you’re trying to pick her up, but doing so to a woman that can literally punt a tank is just suicidal. That would be on par with grabbing a moving power saw blade. In both cases you know it’s an incredibly painfully bad idea that will almost assuredly land you in the hospital.
There is zero evidence that he was going to make a T&A remark to her. As I pointed out, he was looking upwards at her head region the whole time. And his quite douchey behavior on the previous page and other instances were more of a “I’m the customer and I want what I want” kind of rant. No sexism there… so the pre-judgemental attitude from Max is unwarrented, and as I said at first: bitchy.
But his finger is not pointing at her head
You forget (or are deliberately ignoring) that one of the things he ‘wanted’, nay, demanded, was a super to show up just. for. him!!!
“(embarrassing art link)”
It was cute and anime. Why should that ever be embarrassing? ;)
All artists are embarrassed by their early work, some even threaten to go back and ‘update’ the look, personally it shows how far they have come and even if the original were stick-figure-y is no reason to ‘fix’ it
You can even see the difference in Order of the Stick and XKCD. Seriously, it’s nuts how different even those comics’ art is now.
I kind of miss the thicker outlines and the simpler shading, though. Possibly because I prefer the anime style over the western comic style.
I am officially in love with Max now
Okay Contests for all the guys and gals out there…
You find yourself in this exact situation (hopefully not including being an ass). What would you say to Her Maxi’ness?
Compliment or reply?
Does not have to be a compliment but lets say its a fresh interaction. You happen to be buying a comic and Halo walks in and starts talking to Joel so you are stuck standing next to Max.
“I know you must hear this a lot but, it’s an honour to meet you Lieutenant Colonel Leander.”
“I suppose a f*** is out of the question?” (Cue newsreader “In breaking news a large explosion has levelled buildings for two blocks around Event Horizon comic book store,”)
I think I would have looked for some common ground before even thinking of trying to hit on her. Perhaps I would say something like, “Boy, that Sydney’s a handful, isn’t she? I hope everything is going okay with her.”
Cool to meet you, I’m gonna go talk to Sydney.
Would have politely walked away and wait to be introduced, if at all
“Caught your TV demonstration. Rather terrifying. I think you made a solid point.”
“So, flying. That must be awesome.”
Pretty much end of story there, as I’m happily married. ^_^
Can i have your autograph ? …and one for my Brother , and for my niece .. and one for ebay .
“Wow. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” While cautiously offering a hand for shaking. Like a normal person, hopefully.
What’s wrong with the time tested “Hi. I’m Shachar”?
Exact situation? Down to the sentence? Then the sentence ends with either “team” or “command sense” depending on where I want the conversation to go.
exact as in: you are buying a comic, Halo and Max walk in, Halo starts talking to Joel and you are now standing next to the ever imposing (but possible not always on-purpose Max.
I’d probably remain silent until she spoke to me, or we were introduced. I’d smile and nod if she looked at me.
“How do you keep Sydney so calm?” After she’s through laughing I smile and make small talk. Humor is a great ice-breaker.
“So, Sydney’s your boss is she? What’s THAT like?””
“Thanks for your service.”
I’m kinda old fashioned “Ma’am.Thank you”
“Woof”
*roll over and indicate that tummy rubs are acceptable*
Pretty sure you are winning Yorp, some of the others are good but dogs are kinda hard to beat… assuming you are doing this as an actual dog and not a dude in a furry costume… if you are doing it as a dude in a furry costume then….. well…you are about to find out if one can be Scowl’ed to Death.
I’d have simply walked around and browsed merchandise. There’s already a much less serious-looking super working there; no reason to speak with Max if I can wait for Sydney.
You just know he was going to say something inappropriate, but innocent, just look at him, he is crushing sooo badly! :P
Maxima’s comment reminds me of that old saying, “Do not speak unless it will improve the silence.” It’s a lesson I desperately need to learn . . .
Good one.
Similarly, I always liked:
“Far better to remain silent and be THOUGHT a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt.“
Also in a similar vein:
“Never argue with a fool. Bystanders won’t be able to tell who is who.”
“Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.”
I’ve always liked “Never argue with a stupid person, because logic & facts are beyond their understanding. They’re too stupid to realize just how stupid they are.”
It is better than if she starts with, “You have the right to remain silent. Exercise that right. Anything you do say can be recorded and used as evidence in a court of law.”
Hmm. Thinking now that general apparocah could make for a very satisfying headgame.
Tell Brad, “Please take a small step to your right. OK, that’s fine. Also be sure to speak clearly so that any surveillance cams here will get a good recording…”
You have really nice –(Maxima’s comment)– manners.
Impress me with them.
The money programe featured in the Monty Python clip
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sor9GzivGbk
was a real programe, it was shown on BBC2 from 5 April 1966 – 9 November 2010
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Money_Programme
I love references to more obscure Python sketches like this one, even if I never realised that the program being satirised actually had that name. I do remember seeing this episode for the first time and thinking, as was sometimes the case with 3rd season, “Oh it’s not on this week … wait a minute!”
Sydney feels like she missed an opportunity by not singing “The Money Song?” I notice she’s not telling Joel about her time as the Queen of Salt, though.
https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/1830
Don’t be embarrassed by old art, Dave. Instead see all the progress you have made :)
Demands comics he can’t obtain and ignores reasons
Demands to meet superheroes without any offer or guarantee beyond his own inferences
Actually genuinely attempted to make a fucking pass at Max.
I wish i could say this guys level of sheer disconnection from rationality was something special, but alas i have actually met people this bad or worse in life and online.
Sadly, entitlement seems all too common.
Yes, he is an entitled twerp, but on the other hand, if you don’t ask, you don’t get. Also, who’s to say Max isn’t into the nerdy type? Brad certainly wouldn’t know…
there are limits to what qualifies as reasonable attempts. from what we’ve seen Brad’s primary occupation in the comic shop is attempting to warp reality to his own wants.
“Actually genuinely attempted to make a fucking pass at Max.”
You don’t know that. There are any number of ways that his sentence could have ended that wouldn’t have been “making a fucking pass” at her. He may have been genuinely impressed at meeting a real live superhero and was just nervously trying to make even a little small talk so he could tell friends that he talked to her… or maybe he was going to compliment her first as a lead in to a request for an autograph.
But Max’s face in the panel right before he starts to talk says it all. It says, “I think I know exactly what you’re going to say and I want you to shut up because I could crush you with ease, you pathetic little man.”
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: bitchy.
I agree it is bitchy to shut someone down. But her comment was far from an unpleasant way of doing it, which I feel moderates categorising it that harshly.
Further, you are reading Maxima’s expression, and judging her on it, yet you are ignoring Brad’s body language and expression. So are using double standards. He was very clearly ‘making a move’. I say this as a fellow nerd, so have great confidence in my assessment of the situation.
But, even giving him benefit of the (minute) doubt, he has just heard her saying that they are just checking in. Maxima is not there to do a meet and greet, or public relations exercise. Yet, despite that, you propose that it is ok for him to approach her for an autograph?
When I used to go to GenCon UK, there was an unwritten ettiquette which was followed. You did not bug the celebrities when they were off-duty. I have been in the same hotel as Gary Gyxax, and nobody bothered him when he was in the lobby or bar. Yet you could guarantee that everybody recognised him. If he chose to join folks, that was a different matter. But until he did, everyone gave him his space.
Likewise for any of the other celebrities. Including the comely female ones. If they wanted private time to chill, after hours of autograph signing and panel appearances, they got it. Without having to confine themselves to their room or tell hormonal guys to ‘bug off’!
But if you happened to be sharing an elevator with say, Felicia Day. Would it be considered beyond the bounds of propriety to compliment her on her body of work, rather than her body?
Probably not. But when and where does still come into play. If it is in the main convention area, during ‘office hours’ no problems. If you are talking 2 am, in the elevator going up to private room floors, I would give the girl a break.
Doubtless she gets enough stalkerish behaviour, without me adding to it. Just because she is famous, and I recognise her, does not make it ok to bother her when she is tired and heading to bed.
There are exceptions, of course. If she looked sad or was carrying a heavy load, I would offer to assist. And, if she wanted it, I would do what I can. Being a talkative sort, I would not do that in silence, and am comfortable striking up conversations with anyone. But I would not abuse the situation by making a pass. If I offer to help a lady, it is not a pretext to get in her knickers.
In my experience “Bitch” is all too often code for “Refusing to be a doormat”. So far as I can see what Max is doing is simply making it very clear that she’s not interested and while she may be less than polite she’s probably had to deal with far too many idiots who won’t take a hint unless it’s applied with a (metaphorical) sledgehammer.
I rather like Maxima’s comment. As shutdowns go, it’s pretty darned good: doesn’t insult the guy personally, is mildly witty, makes the point without being threatening, etc.
Thanks for that comment , you make some good points and seeing her that way makes her come across a lot less bitchy than i had read her at first .
I know a lot of people who would have torn into him in real life (and – had he actually finished the sentence with something lewd – he would have deserved it…but we don’t actually know where he was going with it). I’m happy to see things having gone this way – it’s a more classy and avoids the ‘I am a superpowered god, fear me’ thing (any intimidation here came from her height and her stare, which…being no-nonsense military, I’m not holding against her).
Seems Max takes the idea of ‘Civilian’ seriously. It’s also possible that given her past as presented, she has met this sort of fellow before and has some tolerance. ^_^
DaveB,
You might want to google “women with arms crossed” image search, as has already been commented upon your work on Maxima is a little off given the size of her, ah, tracts of land. :) Otherwise great work of course!
There’s probably a porn page somewhere on the internet that only features that particular fetish.
that sentence can describe anything up to and including stuff like shemale midget gangbangs and threesomes with bisexual clowns.
I feel it’s kind of bad that I’ve seen examples of both of these kinds of porn in the dead tree format long before internet access was available to the public…
Actually I felt kid of bad about it even back then. Sometimes pranks doesn’t workout exactly as you planed, and the fallout can be toxic…
Toxic clowns, a lesser-known, but significant mortality statistic in the five to eight year old demographic.
She’s not that big, Dabbles on the other… chest… ;)
and that’s not even counting her original form in the other comic she was in, where she was even MORE endowed.
Double endowed, and had a tail :D
I have it on good authority that up to a certain size, women can cross their arms over top of their breasts. They actually act as a bit of an arm rest in that case. I suspect it’s not too comfortable to do for a long time, but if someone wanted to minimize their endowment briefly, this is viable. It would definitely beat hefting them upwards to cross your arms underneath them if you were trying to under emphasize them.
Specially if they are wearing a leather jacket (they don’t tend to move very well)
Plus they now have a new part time employee to assist. And they’re actually smart enough to NOT believe all their tomorrows will be the same as today.
Heh. Some of us don’t need the link to the Money Song. We can already sing it for ourselves. *grin*
Also, from my observation (at least, having grown up among 80s and early 90s geeks), compared to a lot of the geeks and nerds I’ve known… Brad’s doing an admirable job of NOT deluding himself into thinking he’s a lot cooler and suave than he really is. (While still having the confidence to give social interaction with someone so apparently clearly out of his league a shot. Even if his “opener” sounds like a chat-up line, it may be all he really knows to start a conversation with her. And, for all she knows, he’s nervous about talking with her and is trying to open the conversation by saying that she has “really nice… taste in clothes. From an overall look it works for a superhero, and tactically the storage space for gear compared to some skin tight unitard is a smart choice.”
Seriously… I’ve had a LOT of friends, or just observed fellow geeks in action, and have seen them try to pull off “cool and smooth” and just come off looking either completely creepy, amazingly awkward, or outstandingly oblivious. (Fortunately I was one of those rare breed of 80s/90s geek who never deluded himself with illusions of amazing social aptitude and simply knew he was an awkward teen/younger man.)
I am, however, impressed that he’s actually nervous and not going all “geek boy” on her.
That might work for a normal gerd, but we are talking about Frosted Douche here, did not notice how he was acting right up until Sydney and the Golden Elf of Doom came through the door? o_O
I might have to borrow Max’s shutdown line at some point. I’m not as intimidating, but it might still work. Plus if a guy gets the reference then he automatically gains awesomeness points for reading this webcomic.
Ditto. I’m a shy introvert at work… maybe, just maybe I can say that line one day.
Will we get to see Sydney at the media prep course and Ariana offering these words: “By the way about those reporters who ambushed you outside your home and business,I threatened to file a restraining order prohibiting them to come within a million miles of said residence and business!”
I doubt she would for the business. They bought things in exchange for standing in the store. It was the rule she slapped on them after all.
Different media, the ones in the store were already there
Place of business is fair game (depending on the security level), but places of residence (or your child(ren)s school) should be off limits, punishable by severe fly-swat to the genitals!!
Incorrect. Genitals abuse as punishment is never acceptable.
Stalking your children is okay though? Your children who are just normal kids wanting to go to school and have nothing to do with what ever it is that has you being stalked 24 hours a day with telescopic cameras? o_O
And empty threat. It would never be granted. A restraining order is often not granted even when there is evidence of physical abuse or stalking, expecting that members of the press simply doing their jobs would be so restrained is well outside the realities of how restraining orders are issued and work.
They already outlined what their strategy is going to be in dealing with the press chasing Sydney around. Basically, it boils down to saying that they better behave or they won’t get exclusives or be invited to any more press conferences.
https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/1731
Getting Sydney to behave though is going to be an issue.
Plus the store is a business (not a private facility), and thus open to the general public. No judge is going to issue a blanket restraining order to an entire profession to block proximity to a business. I kind of doubt that’s even legally allowed…
Doesn’t have to be enforceable, just the threat should work, plus, every business has the right to not serve anyone they deem to be offensive
The last panel would make quite a good bookmark. Or a door hanger. :)
“I like your lack of belts.”
“…Restraints” he was probably going to say while eying up her Cuffs. 2 microseconds later he ends up in restraints….well a full body cast is restraining isn’t it? :)
ok,,i think i missed something.
when did max put on a legholster for her gun?
Nicely spotted! At least as far back as that whole “clinging tenaciously”episode, she doesn’t seem to be wearing it. In the aftermath of the bank robbery, she had it in a shoulder holster, but she was wearing a leg holster at the firing range.
I have been quite bad about remembering to draw it on her since the firing range.
that’s….probably about as tactful as either have ever been in this comic so far.
I don’t know if it’s been said, but we need a close-up of Max’s face in panel 5. OMG. I’ve never put myself in the position of making a lady make that face, but seeing your awesome interpretation Dave I now know what to be on the look out for. If I ever get out and about, haha.
Max’s thought process:
Panel 1: This looks like a good spot to watch.
Panel 2: Hrm? Uh oh.
Panel 3: Maybe if I ignore him, he’ll go away.
Panel 4: WHAT.
Panel 5: Oh, HELL no.
*heh* that makes it so much funnier.
It says volumes that Sydney considers someone as less social adept than herself. And is right.
I’m hearing Maximas sentence with deep death metal voice
As for the money clip. All excesses of wealth start the song “Money” by Pink Floyd playing in my head.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0kcet4aPpQ
Nah, the Million Dollar Man’s theme (old school wrestler, for those brought up with WWE)
This one
For a “money” song I prefer this classic; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8P80A8vy9I
I tend to go to this one: https://youtu.be/YcXMhwF4EtQ
For my generation, ABBA had the ‘go-to’ track.
Wow, Agnetha Fältskog has changed, since I last saw her. Good version of the song mind.
Found one more; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBHZFYpQ6nc
Okay! I just flashed on Joel’s and Sydney’s exchange being done in the Joe Friday/Bill Gannon (of “Dragnet” fame) fast-paced monotones.
I think it safe to say there is one fan shipping Brad and Maxima. Brad.
Their couple name would be “Braxima”.
(Do you think he would even consider letting his name appear second?)
Well he might enjoy being calling MaxiBra:P
Maximad is fairly accurate.
“Braxima,” … XD
I can see deviant art filling up with the fan art to one.
Brad may be looking at her face but at this point shes probably so sick of any pickup lines that it wouldn’t matter what he complemented.
Though she’d probably be surprised if it wasn’t her looks.
Three-hundred and forty (or so) pages, and roughly twenty-four hours later, Brad has put on some weight.
Maxima: Queen of the Speed Reject
I would not say he has put on weight. Not if you look at the second-to-last panel, where he appears. His physique is pretty much the same there, as above, when you take into account the changed art style, since then.
Granted, he looks rather more trim in the third panel there, but clearly he must have just been sucking his gut at that moment. Perhaps seeing the scar, and unconsciously reacting, in fear of the same thing happening to him? Before realising that it was from an appendectomy.
Likewise on the previous page, to the one linked above, his gut is clearly visible, in profile, and matches well to today’s comic.
Ah, touche! Brad’s gut is clearly on profile in page twelve. Guess I should have looked at that one before commenting. Eh?
And to add to the number stats, Brad’s last appearance was roughly five years ago, (4 3/4 years,) and about a month before you barked into existence, on page sixteen. ;)
I am going to assume he was going to say ‘Legs’, cos to be fair her legs are simply fantastic.
Unlikely, as his eyes never strayed below her head.
Given his known failings, that shows really remarkable self-control and survival instincts!
Mind you, pig-headed, objectionable and unpleasant as he may come across, re-reading the scene, I would be careless to continue to write him off as stupid. He is a bit more complex than that. Given he was able to deduce that it was an appendix scar, rather than an assault wound. Likewise he was able to identify that Sydney was talking in the third person, and use it to counter her well enough that she was lost for words and had to resort to sticking her tongue out!
Plus he is clearly computer-literate, as he was quite happy with the prospect of ordering it online himself. So he is fairly well educated, but presumably with personality issues, which make him blank out things he does not want to consider. Like the possibility that something he desires is unobtainable.
Legs seems rather unlikely as I don’t think there’s been any pictures or videos of Maxima in anything but military issue pants.
Unless there’s been someone who’s been digging into her history and has found old pictures of her. I think it has been mentioned that while still in school she was on the field and track team. Even if that was before her powers manifested there’s bound to be someone who took photos of her. Photos that now suddenly will have become very valuable.
OK. So by now it’s very possible that there’s been some old pictures of Max that’s been shown on TV and in the tabloids. And if not there’s always Rule 34…
BTW congrats on your majorly increased drawing ability. It is nice to see how far this comic has come.
Annnd.. the good thing of to repeat comments :P
Don’t be sad Kfox, we know ;)
*group hug*
Y’all did well.