Grrl Power #36 – Roll for Initiative
Man Sydney has a mouth on her. After I put in the dialog, I started thinking about someone just yelling that out in a bank lobby. Granted, that shove was more than a bump, it put her on her face, but still would your first reaction be to just start spewing filth on the way down? Of course, as soon the gun goes off no one’s going to care about anything else.
Like many nerds, Sydney isn’t in total command of the whole range of social graces. If the amount of filth coming out of her mouth bothers you at all, hang in there. That will change a bit as part of her character arc – but don’t worry, her creative use of invective won’t go anywhere. If anything that part will only intensify.
So yeah… a bank robbery in a super hero comic. I’m sure it will be purely by the numbers affair. No surprises at all.
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Sydney got any Australian heritage by any chance? We’re pretty casual (and some of us are creative!) about the profanities.
Well, the adults are, anyway. Kids get a clip ’round the ear’ole.
Non-stop profanity doesn’t even make me blink. One of my favorite podcasts to listen to is SModcast, with Kevin Smith, and that guy never stops swearing. I think one of the expectations with comics is that swearing is kept to a minimum, unless it’s the darker and grittier type of comic, the Dark Horse or Vertigo lines, usually not in the Superhero genre so much. Webcomics don’t really hold to the old rules really, but my point was that I’m not stuffing the comic full of profanity just cause I can or because I can’t write anything else, it’s an element of her character that will change over time, and in some small way, have some impact on the story here and there.
There is nothing wrong with profanity, when used properly. In this case, I’d say it fits the scene perfectly. I think a large number of people when shoved like she was would cuss the person out. Not everyone of course, but a good number of people.
Aaaaaagh, so much suspense ! T^T
the guy on the right looks like he has tattoos.
…or gill slits. Where there are supers on the hero side, there are also the likelyhood of villains. However, what are the chances that a ‘powered’ villain would hit the bank while two heroes are there to do their Business?
I just find it strange that some criminal types have tattoos. I mean, those are ‘distinguishing characteristics’ and might make them easily recognizable.
If they had bothered to think that far ahead, they might also have thought to wear something more covering than sunglasses, or to put them on before approaching the bank (pistol guy wasn’t wearing them a page ago), or to rob somewhere that wouldn’t have a panic button and the cops on speed dial. Or, in a universe like this, to check the area for “supers” first. These idiots did none of that, so covering up any distinguishing tattoos probably slipped their mind as well. Crooks in general are rarely that smart.
I guess in their defense, while supers do exist, (even though according to the guy at the front of the line, some people think they don’t) they’re still rare enough that you wouldn’t really need to check at the local bank branch before knocking it over. And as was discussed very early on in the comic, there really aren’t any super heroes. There’s the odd vigilante but largely they’re all privately employed or in the military.
Oh I thought they were all going to team up.
There was that guy recently – out in LA maybe? – who had a complete diagram of a murder he’d committed tattooed on his chest.
(Yes, it was in LA…)
This comic is ever so expanding my vocabulary.
So far I’ve seen Doucheknuckle and Shitwank. (I’m not counting the Nun-Stun outside.) So yes, Inventive Invective indeed.
I just checked and “Inventive Invective” is not a trope on TVTropes. It needs to be. Someone go put it on there with a link to four pages back.
Hah hah I’m all for this. I don’t know hot to edit TVTropes though. I’m sure it’s pretty simple, but it seems a little self-aggrandizing to do it myself. Being generally modest does not mix well with being a vehement self-promoter.
If you can edit a Wiki. It looks they are based on similar layouts…. Of course I have no idea to do either.
Another reference would be to various characters in Jordan’s Wheel of Time who note the creative use of profanities by others–and sometimes try to copy them without really getting the feeling of it.
For some reason that sound like the Spock cussing scene in ST4.
I posted to their staff E-mail suggesting the topic and referring to this strip and four back.
And I bet people have tried telling you how comics have nothing to teach you and will only rot your brain, eh? Ha! They’re downright educational.
That one’s pretty good, but “son of a horse cock” is still my favorite.
I prefer one that I picked up from a fellow student: “Son of a monkey whore!” (spoilered out for those with delicate sensibilities)
I’ve been saying something similar but cleaner. Usual after some form of bodily harm, like accidentally drilling a hole in my finger. The Drill barely broke skin though.My mother heard me once and started laughing after I said “Agh, Monkey’s Buttered Biscuits!!.
Sydney better grab that deposit before the goons see it!
I’m wondering if what’s in the tube is going to react to these clowns. Or if one of them is going to kick the tube away from Sydney. (Heh, heh, heh…)
He is obviously an upstanding citizen doing his civic duty and preparing everyone present for the arrival of the ACTUAL bankrobbers who will be here any minute. Yep.
These guys are clearly from that one music group, you know the one where use guns to provide a sick beat? Crap, I can’t remember what its called…but its obvious they mistook Sydney as one of their back up dancers…
Ha! Called it!
These guys are lucky Syd isn’t eating Thai food right now or their plans would be foiled due to watery eyes.
I wonder how they didn’t notice the yellow woman with purple hair only ten or twenty feet away from them. I bet its the sunglasses inside the building.
Well, keep in mind that this page and the next few happen in a very short time frame. It’ll read better when you don’t have to wait a week to see the next page obviously.
Light outside, darker inside. Sunglasses. Group of people completely blocking the view safe on a cap and maybe some hair of a strange colour that just as well might be dyed. Pre-hoist nervousity. Not enough time yet to scan the whole crowd in the bank.
Not so surprising they missed her actually.
Are these the dumbist guys ever to hit a band that a certain golden skinned superheroin goes to or was this part of her plan?
Almost as bright as the guys who hit the bank nearest to a major FBI office on payday.
KNEW IT!!!!! KNEW IT KNEW IT KNEW IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! dude………. this is gonna b awesome. lol
ITS THE SUNGLASSES!!!! i knew it!
they pervert the mind and cause people to be evil!
Just ask Albert Wesker.
I don’t mind the creative sentences she comes up with, but I would prefer to see $%#^ rather than swear words.
I’m kind of torn on that. I think bleeping out swear words can actually be funnier on a TV show like Southpark, cause it’s not like you can’t figure out what they’re saying anyway when they go “FK!” but when I’m reading stuff I find myself trying to decode the symbols to see if they’re trying to spell stuff. I think it’s distracting and it calls more attention to itself.
And who could figure out shitwank or sonofa babel baking dolphin blowhole molesting…… if there were bleeps everywhere.
Well, the second thing doesn’t actually have foul language in it. It might hurt your brain to think about, but compared to #%$@ Wank, I mean, there’s only a few things that could be under the symbols, and none of them really make any sense, so it would probably be fairly distracting I think.
You could try spelling it $#!+wank. :)
I’m speechless…
Profanity ? That was profanity??? LOLOLOL LOL LOL
Sorry I was in Liverpool and that not Profanity but since I got no desire to get booted for life I will not correct anyone but say My grand father was a Dock worker.
Now the bank being robbed andthat means either Halo got crap timing or great timing. But with two super heroes in the Bank it’s safe to say the Head Bank robber was born under a BLACK HOLE as a luck star!!!
I have gotten warped a bit by all of the swearing going on. I misread your grandfather’s occupation as “duck wanker”. Sorry about that.
Your use of the English language to provide such a striking insight onto the human condition amazes me. How much more perfectly could you sum up an individual who knocks people over in teller lines at a bank than “Shitwank”. It’s perfect.
It’s pretty obvious by now that the orbs Sydney gets her powers from are in that case. I bet the crooks think there is money in it and tell her to “hand it over” or something. Be pretty awesome if Sydney pulls them out and says “You want something? Have THIS!!” and blast both crooks with an energy blast.
you know I love Syd’s colorful language
Woo! Finally fixed an annoying layout error with IE users (you know who you are, and shame on you) with the home/cast/etc buttons. If anyone sees anything weird with the page, let me know so I can fix it. I never load IE unless it’s to fix something that’s broken in IE so I never see the broken stuff.
Can you set it up so the page loading in IE takes you to a download page for Google chrome? JK sometimes IE is necessary since the latest .NET stuff goes to IE 1st.
Internet Explorer – the most popular browser… for downloading a better browser.
It’s not like you could use it to download a worse browser really.
Sure you could. Find archives of older versions of Internet Explorer. Where’s that version 1.0 hiding?
Try searching for “Internet Exploiter”
I avoid both, like the plague.
Word of the day: “Shitwank”. I now know I am in love. =)
IE users? Who the blood hell F&cking son of a Ret#$D use C#$KSucking blooming bloody norm IE D%CKL#CKING AZZ WIPE Internet SH@T ACED EXPLORER ???? !!!!!
Sydney Corrupting My Indecent I mean Innermost,Couch cough I mean Innocent Soul !
LoL “roll for initiative” XD
Ya I just noticed the title of this page, very funny. I guess the shove was during the surprise round.
Suprise round or not, I’ll wager the CR of this encounter is way too high for those two gentlemen…
Why Sydney, what big teeth you have
I’m still hoping for a surprise.
I think it’s a setup to get Sydney to reveal her powers.
Oops!
Well Maxima appears to be standing in line. So as long as Halos no to STUPID she can just let this go and be fine. Yep she so revealed. Well at least comic shop will have good press wonder what her freinds will say? LOL [spoiler]Ya know I think she got a 1 on that initiative roll.
im confused as to why there are so many posts about some barley mild profanity im in montreal so i hear swearing (that i can recognize) in 4 different languages french english aribic and italian
includeing once that used 3 of the four languages in one sentence
I haven’t really gotten any complaints about the language, I just mentioned that because with a comic with as few pages out there as this one has right now, it’s a little hard to gauge its flavor. Someone might think that the whole comic will be chocked full of foul language for just for the sake of swearing, but it’s really just Sydney and her particular talent for profanity. It’s just that she’s the only major character that’s been introduced yet. The tone will shift slightly with each new character introduced. Once Dabbler and Harem enter in to the picture, there will be a lot more sexy time humor for instance.
I’d love to know Arabic and Italian swearing, cause I’m pretty sure Sydney would know it as well. I’d love to make her a real Renaissance curser.
Sexy time humor!!! There was a little of that already,”Free boobs for all!”
Before my wreck I could swear in fluent Arabic, and also say hello, goodbye, and ask where the nearest bathroom was. Now I’m lucky if I can get a coherent sentence out in English.
Hey if most of the characters in this comic are in the military I can attest from personal experience that we swear very very frequently. Heck I didn’t really use profanity at all before I joined up.
those are obviously badguys, due to their lack of visible eyebrows. :D
My god, you’re right! And no wonder Sydney’s one of the good guys, with eyebrows like those!
(I do actually like her eyebrows)
Uh oh.
That’s definitely a ‘shit!’ expression if ever I’ve seen one. Good one too.
Anyone ever tell you that
Sydney has very expressive teeth?
Because she totally does…
That’s almost a haiku, E; may actually be one.
I believe a haiku is 5 / 7 / 5, so it’d be
Did I ever tell you
Sydney has expressive teeth
It’s because she does.
‘K, thanks. Awesome stuff so far! :)
Just noticed that you have full size images in the rss feed and I am loading all the images in the feed when I open it in sage. Since I have the full comic already it does not bring me to the site and I am using a lot more bandwidth then needed for RSS.
I read most comics via RSS, and I appreciate it when they have the whole thing in the RSS feed. I know everyone is going to have their preferences though. I don’t think it’s possible to offer 2 different RSS feeds on the same page, each configured differently, off the same page. I mean, using wordpress. I know some of the tech blogs out there can do RSS feeds of each meta-tag and stuff like that. I’ll look in to it though.
Does her “Gorf!” remark have anything to do with her favorite video game?
Or am I reaching?
Wow, the art work has improved some!
Thanks! I think so as well. It is making bits of my buffer useless though as i’m having to redraw stuff as I catch up to it but there are worse problems to have.
is sydney british? just wondering because wank/er is a particulary intersting british swear.
Well, like any good nerd she’s watched her share of British comedy. I myself have seen basically all the classic stuff, from MPFS and Are You Being Served up to My Hero and Father Ted. I’ve also watched all the modern panel shows, from QI on. Mock the Week is one of my favorite shows actually. Some of that is bound to leak through.
Sydney’s foul tongue, like her palate, is international.
Say goodbye to the moneybag, for we will never see it again.
I would love to see Sydney in this situation again a year later. About 3 seconds, and robbery over.