Grrl Power #408 – Oranges, Golds, and Purples
This is one of my favorite pages I’ve done in a while, just cause I’ve been negligent about slipping in pop-culture references lately. (harder to do during PT, etc) So I thought I’d dump a bunch all in one spot. Hopefully you guys will have fun trying to identify them, but a few notes. Most of these are pulled from comics, movies, etc where there is a definitive version to replicate here. Some of them are gimmies, but a few of them are from books that don’t have movie version yet. So I used either a cover painting as reference or a replica someone made that features high on google image searches, so there’s some slipperiness there. Also, the two handed khopesh at the top is a sword of my own design for a character that might eventually show up in this comic or another one, in a fantasy universe where I have infinite time to draw (or at least write) multiple comics, so don’t kill yourself trying to ID it.
There’s obviously a lot of weapons I could have included in Deus’s collection, but I mostly went for some of the most recognizable ones, with a few more obscure weapons thrown in for good measure.
Imagine if Deus told Sydney he was going to scrap them all for legendary crafting materials. I don’t know what her reaction would be to that since she’s still trying to figure out what he was implying about them being replicas, or if he was messing with her since he knew she would take the bait.
Normally I reserve the double res pages for the Patreon folks, but today’s page will obviously benefit from the extra size if you’re trying to identify the swords, so have at it. I’ll post this as soon as I wake up (Patreon doesn’t have a way to schedule posts yet.) Actually a wallpaper of that panel might be in order, so I may put that up as well if there are requests for it.
In the meantime, here is a numbered version so people don’t have to describe “the sword next to the one on the stand – not on the middle of the pedestal, but the one next to the (incorrectly identified) sword.”
Edit: There’s now a wallpaper sized version over at DeviantArt.
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Number 7 is from the movie Beastmaster if I am not mistaken.
Here’s a notion! What if Deus’s reaction to the word “replicas” had nothing to do with the swords? Maybe it just got him to thinking.
“Hey!” he thinks to himself. “There’s an idea! If I can make a good enough replica of the President, I could run the country without being seen as Trump, part two!”
or
“Hey!” he thinks to himself. “There’s an idea! If I can make a good enough replica of Maxima, I won’t need to keep pursuing the real one!”
You mean, as a replica of what Trump wants to be.
Aww, I would have loved to see Shieldbreaker or Farslayer or one of them up there.
It’d be hard to tell which one at that scale; the only visual difference would be the little glyph.
You have a rare understanding of these things.
Wow, always a surprise to run into someone else who has read those books. They were super part of my childhood but most people have never heard of them. :)
…The really mean thing to do, as far as identification purposes, would have been to put Soulblighter up there. =D
Ah, but those would HAVE to be replicas, the only surviving Sword was WoundHealer.
Complete blank on most of them (other than the bat-leth), but wondering if #23 is the Mr. Pointy, weapon of the legendary Slayer.
Well I see He-Man’s power sword, the Sword of Omens from Thundercats, Soul Edge from the Soul Caliber games, one of the swords from a Final Fantasy game, and of course a standard movie version of Excaliber (would have been more fun if it was the version from DC’s “Kal” one shot). But I will admit a bunch of them lost me. Also, that isn’t just a Bat’Leth, thats the Sword of Kahless itself, the first Bat’Leth ever forged.
PS. The sword of Kal, not sure how well the picture will show up, sorry if it doesn’t work
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-22nWgb5m4AA/T5CGWShC8DI/AAAAAAAAM40/PefxlkDuc2A/s1600/SUPER-KAL.jpg
There’s Zabimaru from Bleach, Riddick’s knives from the chronicles of Riddick, when they were GTFO Crematoria(The planet with all the sulfur canyons), And I think the sword to the immediate right of Zabimaru is Anduril.
To the left of the batleth is most likely Sting.
Then there’s Cloud’s sword from FFVII, and that’s pretty much all the swords I can recognize by sight.
Well, #3 is from an anime called Kill La Kill, #4 is from an internet anime called RWBY (made by Rooster Teeth), #20 is Links’ Master Sword, #24 is from Aliens/Predators, and my personal favorite of the collection is #22 from Skyrim called Dawnbreaker (it was very useful against zombies). That’s all the others I can tell so far :P
I’m pretty sure #9 is Excaliborg from “Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro-chan”.
I fully agree, #24 is not a mere Bat’leth, but the Sword of Kahless. I recognized it immediately, as I recently rewatched most of DS9, including that particular episode.
Sydney needs to tell Deus that his collection is incomplete without the Sword of Etheria aka the Sword of She-Ra, sister sword to the sword of Greyskull and distinct in appearance. Just to see his reaction.
At first I thought the scythe was the full form of Ragna the Blood edge’s weapon, but yeah that’s definitely the Crescent Rose. While it’s hard to say what Excalibur looks like exactly, it makes sense that it’d get a place of honor in the middle.
OMG, #4 is Crescent Rose from RWBY! I LOVE YOU FOREVER!!!!!
Hell yeah!
It’s also a gun.
What? No Highlander Katana? Lame.
Vale’s got a little BDSM vibe going with her excessively leather and studs outfit. Just sayin’.
And corset vest/cleavage combo, she’s really making sure those ladies are front and center.
More front than center, or more center than front? :P
Probably what Deus has named “the girls”.
There is a certain wave painting in the second to last panel that Deus might respond to when asked about with ‘Replica, hmm, yesss. “
Woot, getting your Skyrim on with the Dawnstar at #22
*Dawnbreaker
1) I feel like I should know this one, but I don’t…
2) Soul Edge
4) whaserface’s scythe-gun thing from RWBY
7) that thing from Krull; took me a while to get it because I don’t remember what it looks like folded up like that.
10) that sword that belonged to that redheaded dude from Bleach (I think his name was “Renji”)
13) Cloud’s sword
19) Sword of Omens
24) just a standard bat’leth (Star Trek)
Just plain guessing:
9) just some random oni’s club
11) Kusanagi
14) Sting
16) Ichigo’s sword’s final form (Bleach)
17) Excalibur
18) I’m also guessing this is Excalibur
20) …maybe the Master Sword (Legend of Zelda)
22 is defiantly Dawnbringer.
+1
24 is a bat’leth, if any characters end up fighting with it I’ll be sad that my comic idea was preempted.
Is 9 the mace of Molag Bal?
1) BloodRayne’s weapons. My best friend’s wife is a huge fan and actually has them.
3) Half of the Anti-Life Fiber Weapon, Scissor Blade! (Best said with as much HAM as you can manage)
9) Not the Mace of Molag Bal, that has a very distinctive shape/face.
14) Has the style of a weapon from Lord of the Rings, I think.
15) One of the Blades of Chaos; Kratos will want that back.
16) Not Ichigo’s bankai, it’s missing the crossguard… no idea what it is, but it looks super familiar…
17) Haven’t seen an Excalibur that looks like that, and I doubt the same weapon would be here twice.
18) Definitely Excalibur. Wish the Fate version had been used but oh well.
20) Actually I think this is the Skyward Sword, aka Fi in sword form. Legend of Zelda is correct, though.
EDIT: Bleh, #1 is totally Riddick, not BloodRayne, got my weapons mixed up. :/
16 actually has word of dave on what it is. look on page one if you want to know.
#9 is ‘Excalibolg’ from Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro-chan. It’s… a very strange show.
It’s not just a standard Bat’Leth, that is the Sword of Kahless himself, this specific weapon was seen on DS9 and looks very different from a standard Bat’Leth.
Standard
https://wac.450f.edgecastcdn.net/80450F/97x.com/files/2015/11/Klingon-Batleth.jpg
Sword of Kahless
https://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/memoryalpha/images/4/49/Sword_of_Kahless.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20080817140141&path-prefix=en
I’m sorry, did you call the SWORD OF KAHLESS ‘just a standard Bat’Leth’?
So. Many. Weapons…
I see SobeMaru(sp?), I see he-man’s sword, I see the thunder cats sword, I see the Kill La Kill sword…
For the others I would have to take a better look when I get home from work…
I am surprised it took this many posts before someone identified the sword from Kill la Kill.
Is #9 Excaliblog from Dokuro-chan?
#2 is Soul Caliber or I’m a giant gorilla
Then you are a giant Gorilla ;) That is Soul Edge
This is as far as I could get without delving into the net for help
1. Claw Dagger Saber Knife (Chronicles of Riddick)
2. Soul Edge (Soul Calibur)
3. Scissor Blade (Kill La Kill)
4. Red’s Scythe (RWBY)
5.
6.
7. Beastmaster Caber (Beastmaster)
8.
9.
10. Renji Abarai’s Zanpakut (Bleach)
11. Anduril (Lord of the Rings)
12. Sword of Destiny (Croching Tiger, Hidden Dragon)
13. Cloud’s Buster Sword (Final Fantasy)
14. Sting (Lord of the Rings)
15. Kratos Sword (God of War)
16.
17. Atlantean Sword (Conan the Barabaraian)
18. Excalibur (Excalibur)
19. Sword of Omens (Thundercats)
20. Master Sword (Zelda series)
21. Sword of Power (He-Man)
22. Dawnbreaker (Elder Scrolls: Skyrim)
23.
24. Bat’leth (Star Trek)
X.
The sword with the black blade aligned horizontally in the middle is Stormbringer, I believe.
Here’s a picture of Elric with Stormbringer:
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/46/e2/e7/46e2e7ce3baf05dc2490576692437d3f.jpg
Er, no.5 is Stormbringer. I just saw the numbered graphic now.
Hmm…
…#5 doesn’t look anything like the Stormbringer on the cover illustration for Science Fantasy 47…
…or on my DAW paperback covers…
…or in my Deities & Demigods illustrations…
That’s all I got-I don’t have any Elric illustrations post-1980.
(Actually, if it wasn’t for the clothes mostly matching the Elric description in SF47, I’d say the man with the sword on the cover was anyone BUT Elric…
9. Excalibolg (Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro-Chan)
16. (UQ Holder!)
your guess is very very similar to the one here but we have word of dave on 16. (it’s on page one)
iirc Kratos sword = Athena’s Blade(s) (only one of the pair is present)
In the background of the panel where Vale gives Sydney a shiver is a picture. It looks to me as if Deus gets some of his artwork from the same place as the King Of Siam restaurant! Who woulda thought?
Maybe some of those hot sauces really were biological weapons – at least originally . . .
Syndey and Deus really hit it off well.
Pointing straight down, third from the right:
Me: Is that Anduril? He is NOT allowed to have Anduril!
Me: …
Me: That’s too small for Anduril. Never mind. Carry on.
OK, took a look at the numbering system. 11 is the one I’m talking about.
It’s supposed to be Anduril, but it’s obviously a one-handed sword. Anduril is a hand-and-a-half, bordering on two-handed, for Aragorn. The one in the case is a hand-and-a-half– for Sydney. Definitely one-handed for Aragorn. Hence the one in the case cannot be Anduril.
I’m much happier knowing that.
the scale of all the weapons looks small- Soul Edge and the buster sword are WAY bigger than that. For reference, here’s a 1:1 scale Buster sword build (the best I’ve seen, incidentally)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNc7kHADtUw
I saw a #13 being made on the “Making Big Swords” TV show a couple years ago. That was the one he used to cut a car in half.
It’s good there are so many sword-savy readers. I recognize some of them, but wouldn’t have been able to identify them.
Very nice display of swords. Also, in a fight between Vale and Sydney -2 days ago, which one would win?
Sydney. Obviously. She would fail ineffectively and then wind up winning through her super mega ADHD confusion powers.
Flail, not fail
For a guy of questionable morals…really, really questionable morals, he was being awfully considerate in making the re-breather easier for Sydney to use.
Idk, I heard wireless and thought “This could be reversed somehow to steal data”.
He’s a businessman first and a villain second. Pretty sure he’s getting top dollar for quality merchandise, so he’s going to give top-quality merchandise.
Also, I’ve inferred that this man takes pride in everything he does, regardless of who might get incidental benefit.
Finally, do you think he hasn’t built in a well hidden flaw that he can exploit? Possibly accessible through wireless interface?
Although this does bring up questions about Sydney’s shield. It is impermeable to air, kinetic energy, probably heat, and hostile magic, but not sound or light. Can she get an upgrade that would make it impermeable to either of the latter? As noted in comic #1, she’s currently susceptible to laser fire.
Erg, ninja’d.
Sydney ‘ s shield dampens any light or noise that might be hazardous down to a non dangerous level.
Oh my god RWBY reference I’m so happy!
Fairly certain number 9 is from Bludgeoning Angel. Not sure if it had a name though.
I am pretty sure 4 and 5 are Stormbringer and Mournblade – I recognise some of the other unidentified weapons but am at a loss to name them (the Khopesh at the top is driving me a little mad)
5 is definitely Stormbringer, but I was under the impression Mournblade looked almost identical to Stormbringer.
i kind of feel like a super villain shouldn’t keep the Sword of Evil’s Bane.
Relatively sure that 16 is Snake Eye’s sword from GI JOE. feel like i should know 23 but for the life of me i can’t place it.
It may be my timezone playing tricks on me, but I cannot parse the title of this strip in terms of what the orange, gold and purple reference. Maxima?
Wow loot quality AND Maxima.
I’m sad Gut’s Dragonslayer isn’t there.
3 – kill la kill – scissor blade:D
X look like that bladed that have diana, but isnt enough curved for it
actually, i do think that sword under “X” mark in not a pop-referense at all.
First of all, it’s under mark of “X” instead of a number, secondly, it’s silouhette is greyed instead of blacked. and lastly, it looks more like a disproportionate version of “khopesh” – ancient egyptian sword. And i’ve yet to see any popular flick/book/game that uses that kind of theme for a renowed melee weapon.
Well as DaveB said under the comic:
“Also, the two handed khopesh at the top is a sword of my own design for a character that might eventually show up in this comic or another one, in a fantasy universe where I have infinite time to draw (or at least write) multiple comics, so don’t kill yourself trying to ID it.”
No Minecraft diamond sword? tsk tsk tsk…
Lack of The Soul Reaver makes me sad……..
Since this isn’t stickied, repost of the compiled list (mostly not by me):
1: Ulaks – Riddick – Chronicles of Riddick
2: Soul Edge – Nightmare – Soul Calibur
3: Red Scissor Blade – Ryuko – Kill La Kill
4: Crescent Rose Sniper Scythe – Ruby – RWBY
5: Stormbringer – Elric – Elric Saga (Penguin edition)
6: Mournblade – various – Elric Saga (Dow edition)
7: Glaive – Beastmaster – Beastmaster
8: Triple Sword – Talon – The Sword and the Sorcerer
9: Excalibolg – Dokuro – Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro-chan
10: Zabimaru – Renji – Bleach
11: Anduril – Aragorn – Lord of the Rings
12: Green Destiny – various – Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
13: Buster Sword – Cloud – Final Fantasy VII
14: Sting – Bilbo & Frodo – Lord of the Rings
15: Blade of Chaos – Kratos – God of War
16: High Frequency Blade – Raiden – Metal Gear Solid
17: Atlantean Sword – Conan – Conan the Barbarian
18: Excalibur – Arthur – Sword in the Stone
19: Sword of Omens – Lion-o – Thundercats
20: Master Sword – Link – Legend of Zelda
21: Sword of Greyskull – He-Man – He-Man
22: Dawnbreaker – Prince Meridia – Elder Scrolls Skyrim
23: Kandarian Dagger – various – Evil Dead
24: Klingon Bat’leth – various – Star Trek TNG
Oops, that’s “DAW Edition”. FWIW, I think I was the first to recognize that 5 & 6 are from the cover art for different editions of the series.
p.s. Siva, you’re right that Sting is the odd man out. But it is indeed Sting.
Deus’ weapon choices are (among) the best available in each universe. This makes sense with Deus’ personality. Sting is a lesser blade for lesser warriors, clearly outclassed not just by Anduril, but pretty much any other named weapon in the books. It doesn’t belong on that wall.
#24. The Sword of Kahless, not your typical Bat’Leth.
I have no idea why, but I think that Sydney and Max would make a perfect couple. Neither really cares for sex and they both get along quite well, sharing interests and general tom boyishness. Finally Max is too serious and Sydney needs someone calm to hold back her crazy. They seem like such a perfect match…
They’re moirails. Platonic soulmates a la homestuck. If you haven’t read it I recommend it. It has added all kinds of depth to my shipping
The more I think about it the more I think, seeing Max and Sydney lounging on a sofa watching a movie, Sydney yawning and slumping with max just idly proping her up in a shoulder hug. Maybe a chaste kiss on the cheek? Nah. I just think out of everyone in the comic in terms of dating that seems to be one of the best matches I have seen.
Disappointment is hoping for a weapon that… isn’t on the display.
Actually… hang on….
Okay. No question, that is a lot of weaps from a lot of sources.
Now: how many storylines have more than one weapon (believed to be) on display?
If it’s only LoTR, then 14 ain’t Sting. It’s OUAT’s Dark One dagger. :)
Were my writing skills at the level I want them, then there would be fanfiction. Including a family whose pet’s collar would feature that Dark One dagger as a tag.
I can just imagine him sitting his entire engineering department down and making them watch the RWBY trailer for #4 and just like.
“Make me that. And make it FUNCTIONAL”
I sincerely hope that if #23 is not Mr. Pointy from Buffy, it better well be an ancient SITH lightsaber handel for if you made that entire image with no Star Wars swords I would have to simply say……..
For SHAME dear Dave…. For shame on thee!!!! To have star trek yet no star wars pains my heart! so quick add one in! ;-p
I wouldn’t have minded seeing that dagger that looks like a giant thumbtack, from that silly movie where that guy has a demon that takes over his body when he’s turned on.
I think he was humming about them being replicas because he wants the real ones.
#6 is Stormbringer (or possibly Mourneblade) from Michael Moorcock’s Eternal champion saga. I dunno if having a sentient sword that eats GODS hanging on the wall is such a great idea… I mean, it’s the sword that ended a MULTIVERSE at the end of the Eternal Champion books (read the Chronicles of Castle Brass trilogy for the details) so Id on’t really think it’s wise to leave it where anyone could get at it, and I mean ANYONE AT ALL