Grrl Power #392 – One liner post mortem
Now that I’ve had time to think about it, I maybe should have arranged this sequence to end on the last page and that hot one liner, but I couldn’t help contrasting that scene with Deus being a goofball in front of his henches. I admit I’m also a fan of those rare scenes in movies where they don’t cut at the optimal moment, and you get to see what happens right after the big cool moment. I imagine a lot of the times there’s a bunch of henchmen chuckling smugly, then it winds down, followed by an awkward silence, then the boss exiting stage left, but it’s like 70 feet to get to his ready room, and the only sound is his loud ass footsteps.
I did also want to show Deus bringing the prince around, at least in that moment. The fact that Chtillia at least is watching home movies with them two rows back might have had something to do with his quick acquiescence as well.
For those of you waiting for the return of Sydney and her antics, fear not. A few pages and we’ll be back with her and the rest of the crew. I spent this week penciling Sydney’s return and she’s in fine form if I do say so myself.
This page colored by Keith, who pointed out that Deus sort of looks like David Boreanaz, which I can see, but is totally unintentional.
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The kid has more sense.
This kid is taking his father dying, learning his father was pretty much an asshole, chilling with his killer, and taking his money and power with a pretty ‘meh’ attitude.
“Yeah…my father is dead, just found out he was Hitler, and I’m now the richest kid in Africa. Whatever. It’s Thursday. I’m go watch some TV.”
I’m the opposite of him. I get excited if someone gives me a Twinkie. And a box of Twinkies? I break down in happy tears.
Do keep in mind that he is from a war torn African Country. He was probably a child soldier OR has witnessed quite a bit of violence from child soldiers and his fathers soldiers children or otherwise.
Frankly, its actually amazing that his father’s actions shock him.
Looks to me more like Deus might have gotten rid of a real jerk of a violent depot, but at the same time he’s installing himself as the power behind a well-managed puppet. A bit more civilized, but still a form of tyranny.
So which would you prefer to live under: a benevolent and honest dictator or a corrupt and out-of-control “democracy”?
It depends on what you mean by “democracy.” If by “democracy” something similar to what we have in the United States, where corporations have been declared people with all the rights granted by the Constitution, and money has been declared “speech,” who use that “speech” to rewrite the laws of the land to favor them, then I would choose “democracy.” Because it is able to be reformed from within.
If what you mean “democracy” is in actuality “The People’s Republic of Tyranny,” then I would also choose to live in that “that democracy,” because IMO a benevolent dictator is an oxymoron. At least the “People’s Republic of Tryanny” is a more obvious form of evil, as opposed to hiding behind the disguise of the “Benevolent Leader.”
Tyranny is a greek invention. It’s an absolute ruler, choosen by the people to rule for a few years. After that he had to leave the city/state forever.
Sounds more democratic then some of the modern ones.
Likewise, the word “dictator” in its original usage was not a bad thing either. A dictator is a ruler who wields absolute authority. A state ruled by a dictator is called a dictatorship. The word originated as the title of a magistrate in ancient Rome appointed by the Senate to rule the republic in times of emergency. Sounds benevolent enough to me.
benevolent? Think CALIGULA. Power corrupts. Absolute Power corrupts, absolutely… eventually. Caligula did some pretty good things at first, but within 1400 days of taking power he’d gone from “benevolent” to having himself crowned a living God and had turned the senate and the Army against him to the point he was assassinated. Caligula, it would seem was not immortal… only fodder for really a fucked up X rated movie…
That’s the trouble with giving a guy Absolute Power. Being able to do anything means they can then remove the rule saying they have to step down.
If we want to get technical: Caligula wasn’t a dictator by Roman standards. The position having been abolished together with the republic.
That being said, his rule certainly was a dictatorship by the definition we use today. Yet a dictator is not necessarily a bad or evil ruler. It very much depends on the person ending up there and how well he keeps informed about the actual state of his nation. Power certainly corrupts, but how far it will corrupt and how that corruption will express itself will vary from person to person.
Caligula was an Emperor, not a Dictator. Different selection/ascension criteria.
when they chose a Dictator, it was someone that was already powerful (they needed the backing of enough Generals to hold power), and known. emperors were inherited until a Dynasty fell.
Rome did have dictators who were benevolent are worked for the betterment of Rome.
@Lukkai & @sjmcc13:
Actually, Caligula was a Dictator, as at that point, Rome was still theoretically a Republic, and one became what we would now call the Emperor by being voted all the top jobs by the Senate, one of which was something like the Dictator for Reform of the System; which, unlike a regular Dictatorship–specifically limited in scope–basically gave him the power to dictate laws; and then extending the terms of all his offices to life (the office was supposed to be for a fixed term and with those laws then reviewed by the Censors, and being named the senior Censor.
Caligula was also elected Tribune, Consul, Pontifex Maximus, Princeps (first among equals in the Senate/first citizen), and The Father of his Country, among other offices, and possessed the Imperium, or authority for each of those offices. Lastly, he was given the title Imperator, which had become customary under his father Germanicus, and which had to do with acceding to the combined authorities he had assumed. Under later rulers, Imperator became the title of the office.
He wasn’t a King, though– being declared “Rex” (King) still was a capital offense in Rome.
… Oh, and Caligula’s name meant “Little Boots,” ’cause he used to dress up as a soldier (in a little uniform with little boots) when he visited his dad’s army encampment).
Except that all that creap about Caligula was written by his detractors after he had died
Except that all that creap about Caligula was written by his detractors after he had died
I won’t dispute either definition, but I consider appeals to antiquated definitions of terms as muddying the waters. It’s kind of like insisting that the phrase “making love” still means harmless flirting. Technically true, but most people see that phrase as something completely different.
You have some odd priorities. Being the sole person in charge is not in of itself evil, and I’d take Julius Caesar over North Korea any day of the week.
If given a choice between bad and worst, I’ll take worst,thank you very much. Far better the devil that is obvious about being a devil, than a devil that’s pretending to be an angel.
The former will just kill you. The latter is capable of such insidiousness as this:
https://theantimedia.org/china-just-launched-the-most-frightening-game-ever-and-soon-it-will-be-mandatory/
At least with brutal regimes, you know who your enemies are. Far worse are are those that seduce you into surrendering your own humanity to fit in.
Of course, if given there choice between alright and bad, I’ll choose alright. As bad as things are right now in the United States, I think the odds of recovering our democracy from the hands of the corporate oligarchy much greater than finding that most elusive of cryptids: a truly benevolent and incorruptible dictator.
The odds of American democracy undergoing reform are lower than your odds of finding that mythical “dictator who actually IS a good person. Not even joking.
That aside, dictatorships usually have as much corruption or more than the American system. Probably best to just move to some other first world nation…
Of course. The people with the power to actually change the system are the ones who benefit from the system and therefore the ones with the least incentive to change it.
> The odds of American democracy undergoing reform are lower than your odds of finding that mythical “dictator who actually IS a good person. Not even joking.
My thoughts exactly. The powers that be now are very much interested in not letting changes to that happen. I see no real likelihood for such a change. And that being the case, the ability to be reformed from within is nothing but theoretical, much like the expression “you have these rights, as long as you don’t actually execute them”.
> The powers that be now are very much interested in not letting changes to that happen.
I don’t even think that. I think those in charge and those that lobby them (and, often, those that vote for them) are so interested in getting their own piece of the pie and in staying in office that they don’t care what damage they do or whether it is permanent, so long as it continues until they are out of office.
—Never attribute to malice what can be explained by stupidity.—Hanlon’s Razor
its not the benevolent and honest dictator i worry about its his successor.
I’d mostly worry about his great grandson. In history, the immediate successor to a good king is usually pretty good too, but it breaks down after a few more generations. An immortal dictator has other problems, such as what happens if someone stages a coup?
Agreed though in some cases that breakdown happens faster than others.
Yeah, usually depending on the age of the grandchildren when the Benevolent Dictator dies (or their ‘backers’ who want the power for themselves)
Dictatorships are unstable, they depend on the sanity of a single individual, and the accompanying cult of personality that ultimately develops. Most people aren’t THAT sane, especially if the they TAKE power. However, to efficiently run a large country even a benevolent and sane Dictator must create a bureaucracy….
Not most, no. But some are and there have been some impressive examples throughout history that changed the course of nations by how well they managed themselves and their people.
A good dictatorship can be among the best forms of government – or can fail spectacularly if the individual isn’t cut out for it. It is a risk, to be sure, but I’d dare say not more so then other forms of government.
In essence, we always balance risk with reward in any form of government and what fits one country and period likely won’t fit somewhere else. I’d say the arrangement made in this instance is of the less risky variety – especially because there are two powers at play, even if one is a puppet… for now.
To answer your question, both dictatorship & democracy are equally the least of my preferences. Where a dictatorship is “rule by one person,” a Democracy is “rule by the mob” where 51% can “vote away” the Rights of other 49%. Far too often, when the 51% do such a thing, they’ve also voted away those equal Rights for themselves as well.
The USA is not even supposed to be a Democracy in the first place, it’s supposed to be a Constitutional Republic. The US Constitution is written with specific limitations on government power in order to prevent either dictatorship or democracy from happening (even though so few in the government actually obey it).
the US ISN’T a Democracy.
why i laugh my ass off when they say they’re “bringing Freedom and Democracy.” they’ve been at it over nearly 400 years and they still don’t have it right…… not to mention the fact there’s been several recorded cases in world history of the US removing democracy from other countries, like when they installed the Shah in Iran after ousting a left-leaning Democratically elected Government. Iran doesn’t hate the US for being “Infidels”. they hate them mostly because they fucked up their country BADLY in the 70s.
400? The US has been independent for a bit less than 250 years; albeit 250 years of short-term reactions and quick fixes to whatever problems the last set of quick fixes brought on.
>>…several recorded cases in world history of the US removing democracy from other countries…
Yup, picked up the ol’ Colonial Legacy from the European powers, mighty quick, so they did!
Everyone knows that Winston Churchill said something to the effect that democracy is the worst form of government except for all the others, but few people check the exact citation. It goes as follows: “Many forms of Government have been tried and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.”
He’s basically shell shocked. It’ll take awhile for the heavy information to sink in. Until then, he’s just moving on autopilot
I get the same way after I take my meds….
just wondering what you’d do if you ever found out there’s such a thing as a deep-fried Twinkie.
I would eat it.
Maybe two of them… Or three.
Bacon-wrapped deep-fried Twinkie.
Accept no substitutes.
*winces* Ow. I can feel my arteries clogging just reading that.
Forget the Twinkie, just wrap a sausage in bacon; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacon_Explosion
“That’s a big Twinkie”
“Tell him about the Twinkie.”
Here. This should keep you going for a while.
https://grillingwithrich.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/twinkies-ftr.jpg
And Dave: You may want to pass on this idea to Adrianna. She could try something similar in her marketing strategy for the team. And remember, with multiple heroes comes ‘collect them all’.
https://www.fortressofbaileytude.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Twinkie-Box-3.jpg
I wonder if putting Maxima on a box of Golden Twinkies would be considered racist. At least that might be Maxima’s last line of defense against such crass commercialization.
Could you imagine at least the OFFER being put forward of having Maxima feature in a lipstick commercial, even though she doesn’t use any? xD
Maybe she would prefer the traditional Hostess Fruit Pie ad.
https://mimg.ugo.com/201006/47481/cuts/ugo-fruitpies_480x270.jpg
But if Maxima is the only person with such a tone:P of golden skin, it can’t be considered racist, as one person does not constitute an entire race…
“Race” is an outdated concept. Race has no taxonomic significance among humans, all living humans belong to the same species: Homo sapiens, and subspecies: Homo sapiens sapiens. There just isn’t enough genetic differences between the various human populations to rate another sub-grouping.
I think a significant part my be that he realised he had two options: basically shut down emotionally for a bit and just let the crazy white man talk, or let the emotions roll and have a high chance of ending up like pops.
’cause in this sort of situation, there really is no half way.
There doesn’t need to be any “realization.” He could basically be shell-shocked, and everything is on auto-pilot. It can take days for stuff to actually sink in.
Yup, been there myself. Not in as dramatic a situation as this, but I have gone to a place of emotional numbness to avoid dealing with bad news.
Perhaps a sign of what he experienced being raised by the man Deus killed. The caption for this comic suggests the footage was doctored, but judging by the son’s reaction (or lack thereof) it seems the man was in the very least, abusive. I suspect an “evil vs evil” situation here.
i just love his facial expression in the cinema… so much…. Meh…. No shock or repulsion at what dad was doing…. Just meh… the only shock he got was when the crown fell into his lap..
Also what kind of sword is mask dude using?? Has the Hilt of a Katana, but is straight, has two edges and looks very heavy set, like a Hand and a Half or Bastard sword…
I’d say bastard sward, but it’s a bit narrow and bastard swords require a counter balancing weight (generally an acorn shaped ball) at the end of the hilt
Bastard swards: when lawns fight back.
That sir, was a verbal coup de grass.
Let’s just leaf it at that.
And are jerks about it.
Well, they do have an endless supply of blades…
hold fools! battle not, first we must gird our lawns
do you have enough blade king of heroes?
yes. just look at my yard.
Technically, that “ball at the end of the handle” is called a “pommel”…Because it’s also useful to “pommel” your opponent with a blunt object.
;)
It’s a Bastard Katana.
The blade doesn’t appear to be curved, which is one of the defining characteristics of a Katana. Also, the bastard sword is classified as a “hand-and-a-half” sword, whereas a Katana is classified as a two-handed sword.
Maybe you might want to try again to “classify” it, Dave?
:P
Depending on how long it is, it could be an Oakeshott XVIIIb.
An Oakeshott XVIII by it’s description,(thanks google) is essentially a bastard or Hand-and-a-half sword.
The key definition of a bastard sword other than the size and pommel is the use, as both slashing and thrusting sword. the term bastard sword was probably coined as the sword was neither a pure slashing or pure thrusting sword but the bastard child of both….
DaveB invented it, he can (and did) call it any damn name he wants!
If you want to get fancy with that, you could call it an ōdachi or zanbatō/zhǎn mǎ dāo, although those are all traditionally curved, and ōdachi are more decorative than actual weapons.
What I’m noticing is that he’s eating popcorn during what is a film about ongoing atrocities. This is his idea of great film watching?
believe the correct term, Dave, is a Tsurugi. it’s a Straight single-edged Longsword used by the Japanese. Kusanagi, aka “Grasscutter”, one of the Imperial Artifacts of Japan is one such sword.
Considering the collection of lawn inspired puns, I think Kusanagi is probably the most appropriate… even if it is only single sided
Okay, guess that confirms Papa Indignant was killed
Maaaaaybe. This is a comic after all. What if Papa wanted to retire, and acting like he was dying was his way out? Perhaps this time next week, he arrives in his new suburban paradise somewhere in Iowa, USA.
“…What with me murdering your Father in front of you…”
Yeah, looks to me like Daddy dearest (who reminds me of Megatron) is worm-food. I believe you Humans like to say that? Worm food? Pushing up daisys? Getting a tan in Hell? Daniel the Human added that last 1 in, I got no idea what it means…
Disassemble?
“Starts up the chop shop”
“Squash…dead
Disassemble…dead
DISASSEMBLE!!!,DEAAAAAD!!!!!”
What do you think about disintegration.
Disintegration usually involves creating a vacuum, even if it’s limited in size & only appears temporarily. Nature abhors a vacuum & when Nature refills that vacuum, that’s when everything sucks.
;)
No disassemble Johnny Five!
He was killed until he died from it.
At last the matter is settled and we know what’s become of Indinge!
Mind you, just because he’s dead doesn’t mean he can’t come back. How many Marvel and DC characters have died and come back somehow? Maybe some mad scientist will stick his brain in a mech or something . . .
He’s a very minor player in the long scheme. I doubt he will be back. Not important enough to rate a return.
That’s what Dave wants you to think. You know, because it’s correct.
They pretty much all come back…Except Uncle Ben.
And Captain Stacy. And Gwen Stacy. Well, Gwen briefly returned, but you know, clone and something something.
Guess haven’t heard about Spider-Gwen
That’s technically an alternate reality, but, sure, OK.
Also Gwenpool.
I only heard about Gwenpool very recently (the last couple of days) and wondered “What zaniness is this? She looks like Harley Quinn’s idiot cousin.”
First I’ve heard of her, so I looked her up. First thing and only thing for about half a minute I saw was She Hulk standing next to her. That’s an unfair comparrisson to make there. I don’t care if you’re not real Shulkie! Someday you will be mine!
Even with all of those others you mentioned & the few others that you haven’t mentioned, permanent death in comics is so rare as to be a statistical unreality.
They already have the next one queued up (or was that ‘cued’?)
https://www.newsarama.com/27708-deliberating-on-dead-no-more.html
if it’s like an addition to a sequence (like an order of production in a strategy game, or simply a place in line, virtual or otherwise), queued is correct. Cue should be used if you’re talking about something that triggers another thing, I would think, considering it’s an acting term describing an event or action on-screen that means it’s time for another specific act or event (usually like one actor saying a line, then another actor showing up).
At least, that’s how I’ve defined those words.
I’d say “queued” if there were several cues in line before it, and “cued,” if it were first in the queue. :)
Yep, it does. It took what, 3 comics before the “He’s dead, Jim*” moment, but we finally got it.
* Yes, I know this was never said on the show itself. I’d have liked to see Dr. Crusher say “He’s dead, Jean-Luc” a whole bunch of times to pay homage to the urban legend. As well as a whole bunch of “Beam me up, Mr. O’Brien.”
“The Enemy Within”, “The Changeling”, “Wolf in the Fold”, “Is There Not Truth in Beauty” – 4 eps where Bones says “He’s dead, Jim”. :P
Beam me up, Mr Scott!
If there wasn’t a TNG or DS9 episode called “Worf in Sheep’s Clothing” then that was a missed opportunity.
It seems you have come upon an original pun, sir. I was completely unable to find even the sketchiest of fanart anywhere.
Wow! And here I thought that was just another fan-made saying!
Ooo, does that mean when Bones finally ends for good, the other Other Dave can be hired to play Deus on the small screen? Or, are you going straight to the Big Screen?
Should have ended it after they lost Sweets.
This. THIS is why I read this comic DaveB.
That is amazing
Agreed.
It’s amazing how much characterization you can inject in someone in a single line
What a person says can describe their personality; what a person does describes their morality.
Chew on that bit a wisdom for a little while…
;)
Will do
“That why” should be “That’s why”, looks like. Thanks for another good page, Dave.
Unless Dave here wrote the mistake on purpose in order to convey the idea that this particular mook isn’t very articulate and therefore smart.
Or isn’t a native English speaker. Several of my Indian colleagues would probably say “That why” instead of “That is why”, but they’re all smart guys & gals
I was going to insert somewhere in this flashback that the bulk of the conversation was in a mix of Swahili and French, but I forgot. It makes as much sense that Indinge and his people would speak English as well.
The Ferengi spoke English on their first encounter with humans and no one questioned it (if it was a universal translator, they wouldn’t have had trouble with colloquialisms, nor would they be portrayed with such spit-filled voices, and Quark who actually speaks the language would sound far different than the first encounter but he sounded exactly like them … either that or Quark is speaking through a UT as well, and the UT programmers are racist against Ferengi that they never met prior to the first encounter).
So … why the hell can’t an African leader who could have actually been exposed to the language speak it? I picked out the Ferengi thing on the first viewing, but this slipped my notice until you mentioned it.
The series Stargate originally had all planets visited through the gate speak their own language and needed someone to act as a translator. Sometime around the second season the producers got tired of this and basically said “Screw it. Everyone in the universe now speaks fluent English.” The suspension of disbelief rapidly got difficult. Especially when they would do something like visit a planet (of white skinned people originally taken from Earth) that had just uncovered their gate after about 2000 years of disuse to welcome a visit from SG1. You would think at some point someone would say “Why aren’t you guys speaking Latin?”
The fact that they started out with a translator and then dropped it actually made things worse, since it drew attention to the fact that there should have been language difficulties.
In ENT:Acquisition the Ferengi have to wait for their Universal Translators to decode English. Presumably, they then sold the language pack on when Starfleet started making a name for itself.
Ending on that one liner would have been more dramatic, but I feel like this page is more in keeping with the overall mood of the comic. We’re reading a comic where the lead stopped a bank-robbery by throwing a guy around with his tongue, after all.
Plus, this was funny.
Exactly! It may have been more dramatic, but it wouldn’t necessarily have been Grrl Power.
It’s not just funny. I acually think including this page after the last one makes the whole thing way better! We really get to see Deus’ character here and how he performs business. Apart from it being funny, this page just… works!
I love how chummy Masky MacMaskerson is
No, his name is Chummy (or Chumlee, maybe even… Chum-Li, Chun-Li’s older brother)
I think that’s The Periwinkle Buttsniffer? Certainly looks bad for Deus if half his mooks were at the car park rumble…
No, people are only saying it is Buttsniffer because Vektor is there
nope, wrong mask, as well. the PBS had a “Skeletor” styled half-mask of a skull, that was more of a Halloween “scary-face” mask than an actual armor that protected his face, whereas this guy is more “The Punisher” with his full-face, smooth, armored mask that just happens to look skull-like while protecting his face…
And Vektor had a different outfit too. You don’t go rob a bank in your work clothes, complete with name-badge, do you?
The personality seems to fit, and the weapons make sense – you have a guy who can counter any attack thrown at him, you arm him to the teeth so that people do throw those attacks at him.
He is kind of channeling Deadpool here, isn’t he.
So, Chumpool?
Aye, and it is glorious!
So then, it’s still early days and it might change with more information, but this is my take on Deus so far.
He’s not evil, or good, he’s just a totally self centered egomaniac.
He’s not trying to hurt anyone, though he’ll end up hurting some, he’s not trying to help anyone, though he’ll end up helping some.
He’s just playing out his own fantasies and enjoying himself, and simply doesn’t care what impact his actions have, positive or negative, on other people. He just cares about enjoying himself, feeling powerful and stroking his own ego.
Evil or not, I suspect things will get REAL ugly if someone thwarts him…
Yeah, that can be said for Good Guys as well
… Except that there is this general expectation that Good Guys at least express concern about ‘collateral damage’ and can even be good sports about being thwarted.
Umm, most ‘Good Guys’ are extremely poor sports when thwarted, they get down-right vindictive
I’ve actually been surprised by the actions of the ‘heroes’ some of the media I’ve been watching with this sort of thing in mind. Turns out that when you look at what actually happened…
The heroes tend to do things like shoot first, betray the bag guys -before- the bad guys show actual signs of betrayal, and other such things that would absolutely convince a third party that the ‘heroes’ were a group of honorless curs that never keep their word.
It’s interesting how everyone seems to want to always fit people into two distinct categories of “Good” and “Evil” when in reality it’s not really two boxes and not black and white, it’s a sliding scale of shades of grey.
Some people will so far to one side they might as well be all good or all evil, but most people are be spread out in between.
Of course in fiction you tend to have much more of a one of the other division and less of the sliding scale, It’s one of the good things about this comic that so far it’s avoided that and the characters are more realistic.
When you say ‘fiction’, I think you mean ‘poorly-written fiction’. Because any form of media that lets itself be ruled by convenient simplicity simply lacks credibility. Few works that don’t show the moral nuances of the human experience are very good – there are exceptions, but few and far in between.
To quote somebody from one of my old groups: dude is totally wearing that special Player Character shirt that only other people with special Player Characters shirts can see.
Tbh, Deus totally strikes me as a PC as well.
I don’t know who the mask dude is, but i now want it to be revealed that he majored in theatre.
And Vale continues to be unimpressed.
Yup, was going to mention Vale’s continued un-impressedness concerning Deus (makes me begin to suspect they are closer, no, not in that way, just maybe like relatives or childhood friends)
If anime and manga have taught me anything, it’s that childhood friends end up going at it like rabbits.
Or toasting marshmallows together as the world burns :D
And then going at it like rabbits.
(I honestly don’t know to which anime/manga you are referring. Though I feel like I should. Nerd Cred: -10 to me.)
I vaguely recall Lina and Gourry doing something similar once. Not that hard given Lina’s tendency to literally burn the world around her when she fights.
But yes, I agree with the bunny-shagging probability.
Wasn’t referring to anything in particular actually
All of this… does not really make this guy less scary to me. :-/ A villain who’s a villain in the moment is someone you can anticipate. A villain who plans it all out and has a mask for every occasion? You’re in trouble and you don’t know it yet…
Panel 3 – what does “soud” mean? I couldn’t find anything when I Google’d it.
Actually, it’s ‘solid’, stupid fonts
S-O-L-I-D
The font makes it look like soud.
Its not soud.
its solid
Since everybody seems more interested in correcting you than answering your question:
Sound is noise you can hear.
In the (misread) context of “Very sound, sir.” The sentence would take on a very different meaning. In that situation it would mean that the subject was based on a firm base in fact/reality/awesome/reasonable (pick any one).
You can almost use sound and solid interchangeably when you use them in this manner. “A sound plan.” is a good plan, unlikely to fail because it was poorly thought out.
And I just realized you typed “soud”, not “sound”. Once again I wish we had an edit button.
Now THAT is a nice ambiguous approach to an antagonist.
He goes in, clearly malevolent, murders the ruler of a province and intimidates the Hell out of everybody in the room with his superior firepower. Then… He shows them how truly vile the man he just had murdered really was. So… Who was the villain here?
Really, it’s looking more and more like Deus is proving the difference between an antagonist and a villain. In a story, the antagonist sets the plot in motion. A villain can often be an antagonist, but the key difference is that the villain is used to set up what the author views as the “wrong” philosophy.
In other words, the difference between an antagonist and a villain is that the villain is always wrong. The villain will always, ALWAYS, do the wrong thing, regardless of motivation, and it will often lead to their comeuppance. The antagonist, however, may do things that many people consider wrong, but can be objectively shown to be overwhelmingly beneficial or even the right thing in the long run.
Everything you have just said reminds me 100% of Dr Horrible’s Sing-along Blog.
I can’t think of a better example of subverting antagonist is villain, and also villain is antagonist.
For anyone reading this who hasn’t seen it, by the fact that you enjoy this comic, you’ll like DHSAB. I really recommend it.
And now all the songs are in my head again…
A good comparison might be had with Blackie Duquesne of Doc E E Smith’s ‘Skylark Of Space’ books.
As I understand it (haven’t read the books, but I have a friend who is a big fan), he is DEFINITELY Not A Nice Person At All. But Blackie is not (as a rule) stupid, being quite capable of teaming up with his human nemesis against a mutual threat. Nor is he one to indulge in sadism or mass murder or petty revenge for crits and giggles – he has his own priorities and goals, and unless you are stupid enough to get in his way, then he’ll let you be.
I’d correct the first part to this:
He goes in, willing to deal but facing the reality that the monster he is trying to work with is probably not going to be a suitable partner in the long run even if a deal can be made. When he is threatened, he intimidates the Hell out of everybody in the room with his superior firepower. Then… He shows them how truly vile the man he just had murdered really was.
A mistake is only showing the son the footage. He needs to show all the guards as well, and also purge the army/palace guard/whatever of all those who obeyed those evil orders. That doesn’t mean he has to kill them all, some of them might be decent people just caught up in events beyond their control, but they should no longer be any part of the new regime.
That may be the first ‘test’ for junior: see if he will clean up his father’s… mistakes, or embrace them and continue paying them
He was only PRETENDING to want to deal. Would you be willing to do business with a complete stranger that makes a whole bunch of wildly melodramatic gesticulations, promises the moon and the stars without any kind of solid strategy or game plan, one that he’s willing to mention, at any rate, and then reacts with threats when you don’t immediately bend over and lick his shoes?
If you are, I know a lovely bridge that’s currently for sale.
As for the young prince, remember, he knows Deus could, and probably would kill him if he didn’t say “Hell Yeah.” He doesn’t have to believe the “30 hours” of footage he’s being shown, he just has to pretend he believes it.
I dunno. Something like “Well, I’m already pretty wealthy. And I like to help other people. So I think I’ll just retire and manage a foundation which helps the citizens of this nation.” might be a reasonable response. But then, Deus mentions in his flashback that the continuity of leadership was useful to his plans, and so that might not be a response with much living room in it.
“So… Who was the villain here” still Deus, I think; the caption for this comic suggests the footage he showed was doctored. There’s still some ambiguity here; as someone else in the comments pointed out, the man in the theater doesn’t appear shocked or upset by anything Deus is telling him. Perhaps an “evil vs evil” situation?
I love how Chtillia is sitting there, eating popcorn, while wearing a full face mask.
Phasing popcorn, maybe?
That’s her ‘real’ superpower. The death gaze is an ancilliary.
I guess she learned some Ninja Tricks.
No, I think this was the right thing to do. Until now, all we’ve seen of Deus has been fairly stock “Chessmaster” villain/anti-hero stuff. This one page suddenly gives us a completely new view of him — he’s able to be ACTUALLY self-deprecating, funny in a non-cool way, and has a rapport with his staff that isn’t just based on his total control.
Basically, this page turned him from a character into a human being
Particularly in panel 4, where he shows that he just might have the occasional “derp” moment slipping out.
He’s like the Anti-Maxi (no, not Bizarro-Maxi, or ‘Reverse Maxi’), he is the Villain Maxi: able to get along with his subordinates and employees in a friendly manner, but can still go Full Tyrant when needs be
We’ve seen this from him before, when he was pawing the TV exclaiming “She’s perfect!” at Maxima’s performance at the press conference.
And living it up with the dramatic lightning machine that took time to warm up. He’s always been kind of the father that embarrasses you in front of your girlfriend at the worst time just by being a goof. I’m almost expecting a wide variety of Dad Jokes in the middle of fighting people.
This needs to be a part of his character description in the Whose Who.
Pretty obvious by now Deus pegs as the “Magnificent Bastard” villain classification. What’s Indinge Jr. to do? Keeping a straight face and saying “Yes, please, kind sir” seems a good survival strategy at this point.
It’s a pretty stereotypical scenario: Unscrupulous thug warlords his way to the top, then sends his offspring to western schools. On the few visits back home they get daddy goes on his best behavior and the offspring puts on the willful blindness. With great luck by the time daddy buys the farm Junior actually has a country where the first thing to happen isn’t a coup d’etat. Or daddy spits in the soup of his benevolent western patron and the son gets groomed for the position of figurehead instead.
It’s the historical origin of a great many nations to emerge out of old european (mainly british) colonialism, some of which today are pretty damn successful.
Comic or not, deliberate or not, those last few pages read like a good sarcastic condensation of traditional western realpolitik. Nicely done, DaveB. :)
Wow…
I really like the part that you actually used an actual THEATRE as setting for the last three panels to symbolize Deus’ use of theatricality in his methods.
Indinge was actually a wannabe movie director, and the footage they’re watching is from his attempt to get Paul Blart Mall Cop 3 off the ground.
That movie alone justifies what Deus (and Lia) did to him!!
My niece whined over and over again that she wanted to watch Paul Blart Mall Cop 2 because she liked one of the actresses. I told her every time it sucked, the first one sucked and so would this. Finally, it shows on On Demand so I put it on. Fifteen minutes later, I asked her really and she begged me to turn it off. Man, even when the pre-pre-teens can’t stand the movie you know it fails.
Wait… is his bodyguard eating popcorn while watching footage from mass executions?
Yes, yes they are. I have a small suspicion there may be something slightly off about the person who kills people with a look…..
And while wearing a mask that covers the entire head, much less the face! Eating through osmosis, maybe?
Ninja Tricks are not exclusive to ninjas ->https://drmcninja.com/archives/comic/9p32/
But the McNinja clan are ninjas…So they know that ninja trick.
Careful, Dave, or you’ll turn into Dan Brown with your not-so-subtle plug for who you want to play your characters in the eventual movie. :)
In a way, I think Vehemence and Deus are a little bit too similar. Both have this over the top by the numbers supervillain routine combined with extreme genre savviness.
Yeah, they are both villains, but not evil
Vehemence seems prett damned evil. Violence for the sake of violence, because he likes and feeds on it
Deus comes off as evil as well, just the kind of evil that’s genre savvy enough to ensure his victims are more evil than he is.
Deus hasnt seemed particularly evil actually. His actions not only have a purpose, theyre arguably a GOOD purpose even if the side effect is him making billions
Making millions for himself? That there alone brands him as being Evil!!
“Being successful” isn’t actually evil, you know. Nor is being a good businessman.
If he realizes his plans a third world hellhole will become a middle-class urban community where people can count on an education, medical care, and actual wages rather than their current situation of planning towards dying before the age of 30 and having to spawn as many kids as possible because three out of four will die before hitting their teens.
But because he’ll make billions doing it he’s a Bad Guy(TM)?
If he’s a “bad guy” it would be because at the end of the day he conforms to the Pratchett morality scale: He treats people as things.
Slice it any way you like he ordered a murder with the cool panache of someone ordering a second slice of pie. And we, being human, have a hard time not admiring him for it.
>>Vehemence seems prett damned evil. Violence for the sake of violence, because he likes and feeds on it
Naw, he’s just really, really hungry.
If you had the ability to back up being a SuperVillain, why wouldn’t you ham it up a little?
After all, the difference between a Villain and a Supervillain is…
PRESENTATION!
*cue Welcome to the Jungle and the laser-light show*
Well. The explanation saved time and pointless “Kill the guy who killed my father”. And Deus even offered him the same deal.
Still self-serving himself for future goals, but at least the country will benefit.
Some might find the princes reaction puzzling, but let’s look at it realistically. There is no pension plan for tyrants.
You either:
– end dead by angry mob/rebels during a revolution
– end dead by the next tyrant/foreign party
– end dead in prison during being prosecuted for crimes against humanity
Yes, you can have a good run for many decades, but the endgame sucks.
There’s always the tried and true 4th option: escape your former country and live the rest of your life in wealth and luxury from the millions you’ve made while dictatoring. Tbh, this is as likely or more so then the other options you’ve outlined.
Oh, and the 5th: eventually transition to a successor that has your best interests at heart while being more acceptable for the public at large. More likely then not by giving over power to a long-time supporter or your own children that aren’t marred by the same bad reputation you’ve garnered over the years.
And if he didn’t argue with how the country will be set up now, the son could have been set up with that option if he chose to go that route.
Chtillia? Sounds like Cthulhu’s sister.
Looks somewhat like a korean straight sword design called a geom or geup.. (pronounced Goo)
this is probably just me, but when we transitioned from the audience chamber to the movie theater, at first i thought Deus decided to watch some kind of Bond movie or similar villainy-heavy movie. still, it’s not entirely clear they are watching security footage of the dead King being an evil tyrant, so i am still going to assume at some point Deus stopped the incriminating security footage and they watched a few classic Bond movies.
Deus would TOTALLY point a laser at a guy strapped to a table.
But he would NOT have the laser aimed between the guy’s legs and slowly moving upward by some automated mechanism while he leaves.
Yes he would. The laser would just be harmless and he would come back in five minutes later laughing about the look on the guy’s face when it hit his crotch, then show him the footage.
I can totally see this happening. Then they have a nice chat about why Deus isn’t a problem and how they can both benefit from the situation, while still implying that the wrong choice will get him killed.
Down at the bottom of the page, in the first panel set in the movie theater, does anyone know why Deus has his hand up like that? I thought he was talking on the phone at first while Junior was watching the movie. Maybe he’s just making sure that not a hair is out of place . . .
I think it is a slightly embarrassed gesture. Like, “Yeah… sorry I made a bit of an ass of myself.” His hand is a little high for that – I usually think of someone rubbing the side of their neck – but it’s my best guess.
Maybe. The dialogue suggests you might be right.
Or perhaps that arm was going up because he was thinking of throwing a comradely arm around Junior’s shoulders to make a “I’m not so bad really. Let’s do business!” sort of pitch. It could quickly have turned into a choke hold if the prince had refused to play along.
On the other hand, maybe he was doing that thing where you pretend to stretch and then slip an arm around your date. The arm was then lowered when he remembered that he wasn’t sitting next to Vale.
Naw. On second thought, I think you’re right, AlB.
I think he’s just leaning on his hand.
So the question is, is he treating maxima as a potential partner that he has to Woo, and is the superbrawl, his version of secret admirer flowers. After all, the perfect man needs the perfect date.
I doubt a rage filled engine of destruction with a berserk button of chauvenists would be a perfect date for a rich dude that dresses his female employees like that for their uniform.
That’s basically telling the man who has made a career out of getting whatever he wants that something is out of his reach. That’s the sort of thing that gets half pony half monkey monsters made and fuels dangerous levels of obsession
This reminds me of the episode of Firefly where Captain Mal asks a captured goon to take their payment and an apology back to the crime boss when he didn’t finish a job. When said goon instead starts threatening Mal he kicks him into a running starship engine and makes the same offer to the next goon in line, who happily accepts.
I have to say I would be very suprised if the son legitimately had no idea the father was comitting atrocities in his own country. I’m wondering if he’s just playing along with whatever Deus says so he will become rich and not get “abdicated” himself.
Har excellent points.
“Hmmm, yes. So …. I can either die or I can be a rich playboy. Let me think on this.”
In a way, I’m reminded of a ‘Happy Days’ episode. Richie is getting flack from a couple of bullies, and is faced with a choice – let himself be publicly humiliated or get beaten up.
Or, as he puts it, “… I can lose my dignity, or I can lose my teeth.”
To which his friend Potsie responds, “Lose your dignity. (PAUSE) You can chew your food without that.”
Just wanted to say that I’m loving Deus’ line in panel 4 . Very Handsome Jack-esque.
Damn, now I’m reading his lines in Jack’s voice.
so hes evil but he’s doing good with it…i’m conficted
Cross between a villain and an antihero whatever that’s called.
Uses less than heroic means to benefit self and sometimes the world at large (but only sometimes).
Anti-Villain. Does evil to do good.
Still a bastard. Want him gone. Or in jail. Feeling mostly monosyllabic.
…Mostly monosyllabic is not conductive for good monologues…
…Except, perhaps, for Hodor…
1) Keith Knows what he’s talking about.
2) You should Write to David, maybe do a Grrl Power live action short/Pilot/thingy.
3) ?????
4) $$$PROFIT$$$
I have always had issues with people wearing masks with teeny little eye holes. Sure they look cool, but to me the loss of peripheral (and most other) vision far outweighs the potential benefits. And then there is the whole ‘sunglasses at night’ coolness thing, but that is another issue.
Though as far as we know that thing just might be full-screen on the inside. It’s not as if we were actually seeing his eyes after all.
And do you know how we can tell his outfit is from a decade or so ago? POUCHES!
Dude in the first panel looks like Reaper from Overwatch.
TIME TO REAP! youtube.com/watch?v=O3o7WHJU4p0
Also, Deus is a sick, sick man.
Interesting. I’m of the opposite opinion – he’s quite literally the most sane man in the room.
Chitilla sitting in the back, is he eating popcorn? Be like “Movie was bad, but i had popcorn, so ok.”
So does the popcorn phase through?
Yes.
Poor Sydney… she’s probably feeling underappreciated… Dabs, and maybe a few of the Harems too for that matter… ‘specially the goth Harems… They seem to make the most of their appearances in the strip.
And that, people, is how you xanatos gambit a nearly bloodless coup, kill a king, and still pass yourself off as the good guy:)…. justifiably even. Awesome DaveB
Well noted. Oh, and garner support from the webcomic readers, thereby increasing the importance of your role in the story. (I’m not putting it past Deus at this point to have some level of 4th wall awareness. :P )
Yup if this ever gets made into a tv series. Gotta get Angel in on this.
I wonder how real that movie sequence was. Though off hand I’d guess mostly. Though it’d be odd the son didn’t realize it if it was completely real.
I do like this semi evil, possible antagonist.
oh and I still wana know how he got those scars.
David Boreanaz would be quite compatible with Deus, yes. He’s pretty good at shifting from menacing to funny and back again without missing a beat, much like Deus is here. Plus they do have similar builds, minus the scar.
Having read this page…it kind of rounds Deus out more by showing his sense of humor. Makes him feel similar to the rest of the cast too.