Grrl Power #649 – The long way back
Whoops. That reflexive grab of the shield orb is 99% of the time going to be a good thing, but this time, not so much probably.
Now if Sydney had completed her Apex Superheroine in Training training, she’d know exactly what to do. Okay, no, Arc-SWAT doesn’t take into account exo-planetary shenanigans. At least not yet. There will probably be a bumper course developed in the near future.
I’m not really sure what that course would entail actually. Probably just advice on what to do if you get super lost, and a little booklet with major galactic landmarks, plus $100 in astro-bucks and a homing beacon supplied by Dabbler. Only she wouldn’t do that because that’d require tech that humans don’t have yet, and she’s not about to hand over a FTL communicator and a generator capable of powering it.
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At this point, I can bet Sydney can think of ONE thing happening to her:
https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/317
I bet a lot of people/aliens are getting put on that list right now.
FOOOOOOOOOOOOOK!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
This would seem to be a perfect time to quote Hudson:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsx2vdn7gpY
Yorp your being awful… quite?
Stunned silence?
I must confess, I thought the most likely outcome would be, all of them escape and this encounter is simply foreshadowing to future discoveries about the orbs origins or past.
My next prediction would have been for Sydney, Max and Dabbler to be left behind. This seemed like a good combination for the leadership and raw power from Max, the functional offerings of Sydney and her Orbs and Dabbler’s interstellar experience and considerable technical knowledge to salvage a FTL ship to get them out, repair an interstellar transmitter to signal for help from aliens she knows (or the same for extra dimensional beings) and finally to somehow create a new portal with magic and some excuse that it would be easier due to the previously created portal.
Finally I envisioned All of them getting stuck there with Dabbler able to assist with communications back to home (maybe even teleport things back and forth) and Hiro as additional leadership and power.
At NO point did I envisage Sydney stuck alone to face this horror and figure out a way home.
But I’m guessing she must make her way back in pretty good time considering she’s supposed to be a Corporal a “few months” after joining Archon.
It is a good thing. Over the last year, I have been keeping up my long-standing commenting hobby, as a way of countering depression. But have gotten onto a successful roll, where I’m able to work around-the-clock, without that crutch.
Mind you just dealing with mundane business practicalities is straight-forward and does not induce depression. So just keeping busy is enough to keep my mind off gloomy stuff. And I have plenty of awesome non-gloomy futures I can visualise, to counter the others!
Plus it is healthy for folks to have a break from me dominating comments threads!
I’ll probably be back when I need some R&R.
*wags tail busily*
Now she gets to meet the OAns. Well the Dragon Ball Z version of OAns? Warhammer 40K versions? Maybe they’re known as Orbers…
Well, we know she’ll make it back to Earth, because the entire story so far has been a gigantic flashback sequence.
Unless that thrown-together intro gets ret-conned out. ;)
Still pretty rare to kill of the primary protagonist in any story, though.
Unless your name is “George R.R. Martin”, or the character is being played by Sean Bean :P
Sean Bean used up all his plot armour back in the Napoleonic Wars.
Or the entire scene at the start is just an illusion while the aliens mindprobing her to get intelligence on earth defense.
What are the chances that Sydney will find herself on a roof top across from a Mars candy factory with Krona per https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/2430 .
I consider Hellsing very good example of series which killed primary protagonist in first episode. Some people may disagree on who’s primary protagonist, but she’s definitely one of main ones.
… Seras Victoria was turned into vampire in first episode.
Other examples would include Robocop, although he might be just almost killed.
Shakugan no Shana and Gantz comes to mind when talking about killing the main protagonist. But they still “stay alive” – Basilisk is also a canidate – It´s obvious how it ends if you look at the intro and the first fight eagle vs snake.
I completely and totally believe this will last more than a couple dozen strips at the absolute most.
Oh wait, no I don’t. Keep the strip’s central character out of the action in a place with minimal chances of survival? Pull the other leg. It has a jazz group on it.
Yaknow that soul expressed was surprisingly compact and together.
I hope her orbs contain a star chart then.
…there has been speculation that she is a starship, before now.
Hypothetically, she may be able to use the teleorb to get home, depending on its range.
LightBee still has to travel physically to its new location for Sydney to Orb there, plus, the only ‘sense’ she has while navigating, is if there is anything blocking the path
Time for Sydney to grow up and be the space ship she was destined to be. Orb powers activate.
Previously it was theorized on-page (foreshadowed?) that Sydney’s orbs collectively mirrored the functions of a starship. Shields, propulsion, weapons, environmental controls, sensors, adaptable tactile manipulation (equivalent of grasping arms or tractor beams in purpose).
Looks like she might just get a chance to put that theory into field testing! Hope one of those undecipherable orbs turns out to be “Inter-Stellar Navigation”! (and its interface only activates when leaving a planet’s atmosphere, which is why she couldn’t get it to do anything before now. Seems plausible.)
Yep, definitely this. :D
Seconded
Last Panel – Correct First Response to the situation.
The hard part is what to do after that.
“Serendipitous portal, activate! … is apparently not one of my powers.”
The timing of the portal closing is looking extremely plot-ex-machina, unless it is related to the Alari triggering something by passing through it, or possibly even Sci deliberately closing it once on the other side.
It was already closing, that’s why they were rushing
Dave, could you please post the next page… TOMORROW!?
Seconded, Thirded, and fourthded by me.
Cuts to Deus laughing.
And then to him gagging as someone throat-punches him :P
Okay, well… you have my attention. Now just a comment from you in the description somewhere that you are officially retconning the intro which takes place in the future out of the comic, and this will be ACTUALLY a setting that has me feeling concerned. Because as tense as this is, we already know she lives and makes it back to Earth. With all her limbs, even. If it wasn’t for that intro which I’m pretty sure you’ve been having to deal with for a while now (implying anytime you’ve tried to create a tense situation it’s been undermined by the fact that this is a FLASHBACK), this would have me more than just interested.
And it’s okay, by the way – you absolutely can decide and say to us, even have it in a single comic meant to inform readers, that the intro is no longer canon. It was just a flashy and fun way to kick your comic off the ground, but the canon story did not begin until AFTER the intro. No one would think anything bad about that. In fact that would make this situation right here, and some of the previous fight scenes and the like, SOO much more interesting. I feel like this comic and you as the writer are being hampered by the intro.
I mean, imagine that in the opening scenes of Iron Man 1, Marvel showed us Spider-Man and Captain America teaming up to fight Thanos in the ruins of Wakanda’s advanced society. We then watched all the movies they’ve made since then and finally saw that amazing ending of Infinity War back in April. We know what happened to Spider-Man, I’m not gonna actually say it here, but we ALSO would know that there is a scene we haven’t seen yet that puts him and Captain America in the same fight against Thanos, and that wasn’t IN Infinity War, which automatically means the situation that Spider-Man is in RIGHT NOW would not be nearly as tense as it actually is.
Anyways, I’m not trying to say anything bad about your comic. I love it, I’ve been reading it weekly since page 350ish (which is when I discovered your comic). But that’s why I want to see it do well, and I personally think retconning the intro to be not canon would take this comic and move it from the “good” pile and into the “amazing” one. Think about it. =)
I doubt there are many people over the age of about 10 who have any doubt about whether or not Spider Man (etc) is going to get out of his current predicament. The same thought that reminds you about the intro should also remind you that there’s no way Sony/Disney/Marvel are going to leave Spider Man in that situation rather than continuing to produce new stories about the character.
Reminds me of one of the things I hate about the current…or rather last 20 years of comic history and fandom…and probably why their sales keep dropping. The comics keep killing characters *inconsistently on who stays dead at that* to try and drive sales, so people lose interest. But at the same time we have so many shows that have gone the (any one can die) route that we have a whole generation who think that THAT equals drama and expect it in superhero movies, comics, and shows.
So we end up with these people who complain about the heroes almost always surviving in Marvel movies, and lack of suspense there of. But for me its always been like…its a superhero movie…just like any action movie you shouldn’t expect the main hero or heroes to die; its escapism fantasy you should be rooting for them to win, defeat the bad guys, and sail off into the sunset. If your superheroes keep getting killed, getting the crap beat out of them, and spend their whole days off questioning why they are superheroes in their lonely apartments then its not escapism its depressing.
Superheroes should be fun.
I agree, it would be more interesting and less limiting if it would return to the present. No need to remove the beginning from cannon as a “few months” could have easily passed already. The comic just needs a page that flashes to present day. I’m sure however she returns to earth could be worthy of calling her “The big guns” since she’ll probably have to deal with the group that killed a planet… unless that last orb turns out to be a teleporter or “resurrection” orb that returns you home (and in one piece) when killed… or maybe a time orb that lets her rewind to get through the portal. If she has to travel all the way home in some sort of spaceship mode, she’ll probably get back to an Earth being taken over by Sciona… further giving her a chance to become worthy of being the “Big Guns”. The last orb could also allow her to merge with the orbs making new powers and amplifying the ones she already has… maybe even making her so powerful she temporarily becomes a god. :)
I wouldn’t be surprised if this set of events got her the corporal promotion (I mean, getting stranded in the line of duty in hostile territory the act of saving your commanding officers, and then getting back in one peace sounds like the kind of thing that would warrent not only a boat load of medals, but also at least a few promotions.
And once she has the rank of corporal and gets a wrist strap for her phone, that intro is officially feasibly in the past, as it was just a day-in-the-life moment and could easily fit in-between any day-change.
I donno, I think if he already had the story completely laid out and plotted ala Babylon 5 style It would be even more amazing than a retcon, don’t you think?
Does it reflect badly on my character that my first reaction upoen readin’g today’s update was to burst out laughing, and cry “Yes!”? It has been a middling while since an author, let alone a webcomic, surprised me quite so handily.
“upoen readin’g”? huh – random apostrophe/vowel attack?
By the way. How can a soul make noises if it is incorporeal? No vocal cords to manipulate air with, no limbs to produce sounds like crickets do…
Hows about you encounter a body-less soul, and tell us what sounds it does or doesn’t make
Shouldn´t it be you who shows the sounds a body-less soul does? Since you seem to disagree with my scepticism.
On the other hand, I can create a soul-less body and tell you what sounds it does.
Fairly… sure we already did, you are the one making the claim they don’t make sound
No. It doesn´t work that way. The one to claim outlandishes it´s you.
Prove that it is outlandish
That’s how Science works: one loony comes up with an idea or theory, the rest of the loonies try and disprove it
Contrary to popular opinion when it tries to interact with physical space the multi-dimensional disruption causes a localized electromagnetic field distortion that emits a rather annoying humming sound along with a high pitched “scree” oddly not everyone can hear the humming part, but when it tries to be louder everyone can hear the scree sound…both can cause nausea, headaches, vibrating eyeballs, and other abnormal conditions with prolonged exposure.
Tesla coils make sounds using electricity, is an electric arc corporeal?
Isn´t it?
The humming? That’s the metal vibrating from rapidly changing magnetic fields. The zap? That’s a small Sonic boom, same as thunder.
Do we know that the souls are making physical noises, IE creating pressure waves in the atmosphere? It is possible that they are psychically projecting the moaning noises so that people think they are hearing noise. Also, I’m not sure they are completely incorporeal. They “bung” into Sydney’s shield and have enough momentum to knock Maxima and Dabbler over.
PS. Why is Dabbler wearing swim fins?
Those… are her legs, you can just make out the brown of her hooves (had to look twice to find them, even though knew they were there)
This situation reminds me of an old George Carlin line. “No one can ever know for sure what a deserted area looks like.”
Although, Sydney is getting a pretty close approximation.
Oh come on sure we do…. i get banana splits at the local DairyQuee
Depends on how many disembodied souls that you’ve heard to compare this to.
Something tells me we are going to learn what the “Unknown” orb’s power is. Zip-WHOOSH!
Could it be… Warp engine?
Panel two and three reminds me of old EQ1: “Basement Train to Zone-in! Get off the tracks or get run over!!” :D
Someone wanted to know what screaming souls sounded like?
As one of the comments says, it sounds like kitties screeming. Poor things.
We’ve all been there. A long night of gaming, a massive haul of XP and new goodies and suddenly you go a little too deep, get jumped by a level 1000— ubermonster, your ride gets nuked, everything goes o hell and suddenly all you can think about is how long its been since the last save point… grrlpowercomic.com/archives/2430
FFFUUUUUUUUUN TIME WILL BE HAD BY ALL!!!
Use the scouting ball and teleport Teleport DAMN YOU!!!!!!!!
And in the next thrilling installment:
Panel 1: UUUUUUUUUU
Panel 2: UUUUUUUUUU
Panel 3: UUUUUUUUUU
Panel 4: UUUUUUUUUU
Panel 5: “She’ll be OK.”
Panel 6: Sound Effect: ‘Wuccka Wuccka Wuccka’
Well, that can’t be good.
Funnily enough humans could have (the science is still a bit unclear) FTL communication already.
Quantum science is funny like that.
no … just no
the laws of physics no don’t allow info to travel faster then light. quantum entanglement my link two particles so that one will always be the opposite state. but these reactions are random and can not be controlled by the science we know now.
PLEASE let this be the point where she finds out her last orb let’s her “recall home” or something D:
oh i hope that Sciona’s soul is stuck because she bounced of her bubble.
and is now gonna be the hovering along with sydney, being her Navi to her being Link.
“Hey! Listen!”
“Oh shut up…”
You evil, evil evil person.
Already mentioned it :P
I think this is the point where she should RETURN FIRE before they try their next volley and possibly penetrate her shield.
Thing’s a slow-moving orbital cannon. First she needs to get out of it’s way, THEN fire. Specifically at the cannon part, disarming it. Then fly up to it’s bridge and start giving the people up there a stern talking to before opening fire if they continue to antagonize.
Wasn’t it the tentacle-monster that fired the big boom in the end? The ship’s own shot was less impressive (unless it’s powering the tentacle-monster or something).
Oh wait, just reread the last few pages. There are two tentacle monsters. The dark multi-eye one that fired the big WHA-BOOM was ‘dropped’ down the white(ish) beam from the ship. The first tentacle monster with the single big blue eye just scanned them and summoned the ship.
Man, having a random lineart/sketch panel teaser of the next page would be an amazing vote incentive right now ;)
Panel 7 on the left certainly gives off an end game boss look,
Yeah, but is Sydney the end game boss for the alien’s or are they the end game bosses for her?
I wonder if the shield was only stressed to the limit because it was embiggened. In one-person size, the shield’s surface area is an order of magnitude or more smaller, so it may take an order of magnitude or more bigger explosion to stress it again. The baddies may not have anything that big.
It also seems doubtful anything as mundane as an explosion (even nuclear) would have any effect on the orbs themselves. So I wonder if the preemptive attack was an attempt to vaporize the current owner rather than destroy the orbs, so the baddies could take possession.
At the very least with less surface area it’ll get hit by less energy.
True for any position in the field of fire except possibly for ground zero. Let’s hope she keeps moving!
What is a “bumper course”?
Crash course. High intensity learning in a short period of time. Think of it as cramming.
Seems like an appropriate amount of fucks to give in this situation.
I guess we’re about to find out how good of a starship these orbs can emulate.
Next page: Sydney dies because that one scream has just consumed all the oxygen in her bubble.
Making predictions now. This is when we find out the yellow orb has a REALLY LONG range and teleport. Or the unknown orb is some sort of interstellar navigator.
Invulnerable are you? Let’s leave you stranded on the planet with the one thing so far that has proven able to heat through your invulnerability. Now let’s see how many souls found hosts to reside in for the time being (Lol if they all end up in Achilles because he’s safest).
Looks like in panel 7 its charging for another attack.
Well their are a few options one is to see if you can hotwire one of those Space ships from that blood mages place…or steal that alien death ship. Which would be halarious if she managed to do it surprisingly simple because the probably equivelent of Thanos is probably on the world. and he’s not going to be happy if his ride got stolen. Either that or maybe someone who’s an enemy of the resedent succubus will strike a deal with her to put her on earth to be introduced to the succubus since she has no idea that guy probably wants to rip the succubuss’s head off.
The worst part… Aliens from another dimension will never get her references…
Sydney is officially lost in space.. Why I picture her returning at her own funeral?
It’s a good time to find out the last orb makes food or her spaceship ideal is going to have some problems. Next 100 pages consist of “Sydney Lost in Space” trying to fly back home and learning to swear in alien.
She will need far more than just food. Navigation, some way to either stay awake, focused and sane for the journey or else some form of life preserving autopilot that allows the orbs to operate while she is asleep, some form of FTL and/or else a potent anti-agapic, suspended animation, etc.
There’s also the question as to whether or not her orbs will eventually need a recharge..
Well if she has Food, Air, Propulsion, Shield, Communication and Lazars she is doing ok. We know she can tape the shield ball to her hand because we also know she has tape in the same pocket she has stickers. We don’t know how fast she can go inside an atmosphere but outside one she should be able to go pretty dam fast, and unlike Star Trek you don’t need constant acceleration for constant speed. She also only needs to make it to the nearest habitual planet, ship or space station. She can send a copy of herself into the ship and teleport inside it. Apparently interstellar travel agencies are a thing.
Engage Brain….
…Brain engaged!
You know, having multiple orbs that need to be held in your hands would be far less of a problem if you have loads of tentacles. I suspect others have said this in the comments of previous pages, but I wonder if these guys are the owners/manufacturers of the orbs.