Grrl Power #73 – Operation “Let’s Get This Story Moving”
OMG we’re finally free! We’re leaving the parking lot behind us! I could have done more there and kept it entertaining I think, like Achilles breaking free of the gurney so that the ArcSWAT ‘regulars’ could show off their stuff, making Sydney think she had to finally reveal what’s in the tube to stop him only to realize the top is locked making me wonder what her plan was in the bank and yadda yadda etc. BUT, we’ve lingered here long enough so let’s move forward eh?
Some of you may have noticed that I modeled our yet unnamed general after a certain actor, in an attempt to make my male characters a bit more visually distinct. I was banking on my inability to do a decent likeness to keep that from being too obvious, but it would seem that one of the disadvantages of drawing a comic every week is that your art improves a bit, go figure. I may have to go back and revise him cause honestly it’s a little distracting.
And while I pat myself on the back for my mad art skills, it looks like Maxima was played by 4 different actresses on this page. :P Oh well.
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i hereby claim first coment
Please DELETE THIS IDIOT!!!!! We don’t need this kind of B-S here. I am sure there is 100 other people who will agree with me on this.
why,, cant a girl have some silly fun on monday morning?
Nope. don;t agree, if it was a constant thing then i would so unclench already, your not strong enough to make diamonds.
I think it is a facebook thing as annoying as it is. I have been seeing these annoying first post things on facebook for long time now and they are getting old. No offense to the poster but there really is no place for it. You can still have fun with out this kind of spam.
nope, far older than that.
https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/first
Ah I have only recently been seeing it. I still consider it spam or trolling at that site mentioned.
Spam, trolling, whatever, it is still childish and silly, in a not-funny sort of way. Wish that would go the way of the dodo
I wish the dodo was still around!
I have on a reliable source they were TASTY!
ooo very still are when cooked right
Not a very reliable “reliable source”… The reasons dodos went the way of the quagga is because they tasted foul. So, settlers brought in pigs to raise and eat, and the pigs crushed all the dodo eggs (’cause dodos made their nests on the floor, since they couldn’t fly)
Hence why (unlike the quagga) nobody has tried to bring them back via cloning
For the quagga geneticists have found that there is enough of the quagga in certain zebras that there is an idea they can be bred as close to true as possible without any out side DNA manipulation. But if techniques for reconstructing a quagga directly may be close at hand. That is map the Genome of the zebra, then identify the known an likely parts that fit a quagga then use it along with maybe a reconstructed quagga genome from preserved skins or from bone marrow of dead specimens. Only a matter of time an inclination to recreate them may be all that is keeping them.
That’s not entirely accurate.
Dodos were killed by the people who lived on the islands, primarily for sport because they weren’t, as you say, considered to be worth eating. Pigs, dogs, and rats that humans introduced to the islands also raided dodo nests and sometimes killed the adults as well.
It didn’t really matter whether dodos were considered tasty or not, either. As an island species with no defenses against introduced predators and a reproductive rate that couldn’t keep up with their losses, the dodos were pretty much doomed as soon as humans arrived.
error earth dodos where killed off thus exo zoo specimins and farm stock for food service in central galactic area are going strong.
Can not disagree with that.
i wonder if they realize the YouTube video they put as an example is gone
Just putting “I’m first comment” doesn’t count as a comment because it has shit to do with the comic. If I could flag you I would as spam. Sorry. Also your other two comments had nothing to do with the comic at all. That makes you a spammer in triplicate.
I like the use as Candace from “Phineas an Ferb” as a short cut to say ‘busted!’
Since Maxima knows where Leon works it would be suicidal for him to do anything to any one of them. And Maxima can take him for a flight with her. Put enough fear into him, as he already has, he won’t do anything. The worse thing, after threat of death, is threat of mutilation. Just imagine no eyes, hand or legs?
Either dark purple or indigo. Another color I like to use that isn’t usually used. Blue-black is another. I’d expect a special patch, an unit flag etc to go with it. But that’s just me. I like that kind of stuff and something that is in a real military unit.
Don’t beat yourself too hard DaveB in every panel Maxima looked like Maxima. I’m guessing that her, and military butch Harem’s are specially tailored versions of some of the uniforms the unit wears. The ones that don’t show the navel, I mean. The ones not in their battle armor.
Another good one. Haven’t been disappointed yet.
The belly shirts are my one concession to sexy superheroine outfits. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love drawing athletic women in impossibly skintight outfits. Let’s not kid ourselves, that’s one of the major appeals to superhero comics. (At least if you’re a post-adolescent hetero male) But I’m trying to present… you know, a slightly more realistic take on it and Maxima wouldn’t put up with it. Although I did screw up a little bit, since Harem isn’t bulletproof, her field uniform would actually have body armor in it. At least a vest or a body suit worn under the jacket. I guess there’s a “on the base and doing press junkets” uniform and a field one, in addition to the dress uniform.
That would be ‘dress uniform’ vs. fatigues. And even fatigues wouldn’t be worn with armor unless you expect to be in a combat situation. (Armor being bulky, hot, and uncomfortable, generally.)
In the base, doing office work, is likely a situation for a dress uniform. Working out or training would be fatigues (or a dedicated workout uniform), without armor unless armor was part of the training. Combat operations would be fatigues with armor. In the field interacting with civilians could be fatigues or dress, with dress being more common unless they are doing physical work.
Given the style of the base (not a combat base) and the fact that the purpose of Harem wearing the uniform is to be ready to face the public, dress uniform is what I’d expect. They may well have a special uniform for the unit, as they don’t really fall into any specific branch. (And I can see Adrianna tweaking the uniform for – shall we say – ‘enhanced public appeal’.)
A combat uniform for this group would be interesting. Given the range of powers and abilities, plus the unique situations they are likely to get in, it’d probably give any designer a headache. Maxima doesn’t need armor, Anvil doesn’t want armor, armor could be useful for Harem – as long as it doesn’t interfere with her fighting, and it’d have to be specially designed for Dabbler… Add in that they are likely to tagged as a fast-response force, so they would often deploy basically as-is on occasion… There probably would be nothing very ‘uniform’ about their combat uniforms.
Oh, and there can be several levels of dress uniforms.
Yes there is the walking out uniform, the dress uniform and maybe even a special kind for dress uniform for certain functions. Fun to design but then to render them. That could be a time consuming headache. Having books on uniforms both today and in the past could be helpful. Original Star Trek had two, the one worn on missions and the high closed collar shiny dress uniforms. Scotty wore his kilt then.
I look upon the ARCSWAT force as one that is an out growth of the military but is a special unite with unique functions and maybe just a lax form of military conduct to a point. (See Security Section 9 in the series “Ghost In The Shell” for an example.) Which means it sometimes get’s too lax as we just saw. I’m one of those who doesn’t like practical joking to begin with. If I were there I wouldn’t be liked except as a primary target for such jokes. Indeed they must be a new branch of the US military from the uniform the liaison general wears.
Speaking of uniforms, who decides the Uniform Of The Day? And when? During my time served in a Military Academy (I was a “Problem” child) it changed due to weather, events or time of year.
Thinking about armor some more…
I think they’d probably end up with something resembling what’s in ‘The Dark Knight’ movie: Lots of little pieces that strap on, and protect from blows/knives/impacts, while not actually being all that great against bullets, except for glancing shots. After all, several of the team would be able to take out multiple gunmen very quickly on their own (not to mention together). What they need are flexibility and close-in protection, not protection against standard arms.
(Which leads to my rant on the dismissal of the armor in the newest Batman movies as being something the military didn’t want to buy: Of course not! It’s inferior to what they already have for the situations a soldier gets in to! But it’s superior for the situations Batman gets in to.)
DStaal, I have to disagree with you in this particular application. We’ve been treating this as a military unit, but a military has distinct, location-based, functions which are facilitated by separate uniforms. When “behind the wire,” a military unit uses a lighter, more comfortable uniform, but when forward deployed, and exposed, protection and power projection become the deciding factors, so they gear up with arms and armor.
ArcSWAT may officially be a military unit, but they function more like a law-enforcement unit (or if that characterization makes you uncomfortable, then like a forward-deployed military unit). Since the threat is right where they live, the uniform should reflect that, with operational functionality taking priority over comfort or appearance. Police uniforms are functionally based–beat cops may wear minimal protection, appropriate to the threat (ballistic vest, boots, etc), but they always carry a side-arm and radio; SWAT and Urban Assault units wear heavier armor and carry heavier weaponry; office workers and public affairs types have (at most) ceremonial or “for-show” arms.
My only real replies are that Maxima and Harem are armed, with their best armament: Their own superpowers. Maxima’s carrying of a sidearm would be redundant, at the very least. (Harem carrying a sidearm might be useful, depending on the situation.)
Also, much of the actual function of this team appears to be PR, for superheros in general. As such, they are likely to use a ‘dress uniform’ (or some variant) as ‘standard wear’. If they are actually going into a known situation, yes, I can see them changing into something more combat-appropriate, but so far Maxima was off-base for personal reasons, and then Harem was called for cleanup/PR reasons. (And chastised for not being appropriately dressed for that.)
Mostly I was reacting to Dave’s comment that he forgot do design in armor for Harem. I don’t think she would be in armor in this situation: She’s not in combat, she’s not expecting to be in combat, but she might have to interact with the press.
Panel 8…
Candace busted.
Hilarious.
DaveB YOU will always be the hardest judge of your own art. We all ar just glad that you chose to share it with us. Thank you!
Now it is time for a pun………
Looks like there is going to be dome General trouble. And maybe some General punishment. ;)
*****Jumps into star-ship to evade the rotten tomatoes*****
There was already corporal punishment in a major way.
*Fires Orbital Relativistic Bad Pun Stick at Bismarck*
*****Takes out his Congressional bat, and Battleships it right back*****
He He He ;)
*Watches stick land on Bachmann campaign bus* Nice hit.
No real loss only the candidate was on board. :)
Can someone explain to me the meaning of the orange haired girl in the thought bubble?
yeah,, i dont get it either
phineas and ferb’s sister candice.
look up phineas and ferb. great series. lots of musical numbers and crazyness.
there a playtpus in there thats a secret agent.
main plot of the series is that shes trying to bust her brothers for all the crazyness that they create durring the summer, only for the evedence to be removed by the B plot happenings.
Therefore meaning that Harem is thinking she is “BUSTED!”, as per the catchphrase of said Disney character.
I had the song “Busted” running through my head by the that thought image appeared (from the F&F series).
Gaaa! “…by the time that thought image…”
Yeah, i’ve got the busted song running through my head as well. My son LOVES that show.
Letting my son watch that show has almost become just an excuse for ME to watch it. Sad really. Like playing with his toys on Christmas while he’s saying “Dad, can I play with my toys now? You’ve had them long enough!”
I’m right there with you. My wife and I watch that show all the time… even after our three-year old son is asleep. He got a transforming Perry the Platypus stuffed animal for Christmas this year.
The fact that this strip contained not only a P&P reference but a subtle nod to my favorite Simpsons episode ever proves that I’m reading the right comic. Bravo!
I had to go back and look for the Simpsons reference. Is it Leon’s Mr. Burns impersonation with the flashlight?
The line “So I says to Mabel, I says…” was spoken by Bart to Lisa in the mid-90s episode “El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer,” better known to most casual fans as “Guatemalan Insanity Peppers.” Homer, after spending a night on a golf course in a pepper-induced fog, staggers home and interrupts this somewhat arcane – and never fully explained – conversation between his two older children.
However, it is also found in “On the Town” from 1949. I don’t know where it originates, but it is definitely not the Simpsons.
Also, contrary to a common online theory, it does not appear to be found in the text of “The Great Gatsby”, at least a search of the complete text online does not turn up “Mabel” or “says” in that context.
So much about that show to love. Simple premise, yet they make it work EVERY episode.
Like Pinkie and the Brain…only disney.
Loved P&B, always thought Pinkey had more on the ball than he let on.
Remember, the theme song only said that ‘one is a genius, the other’s insane’, it didn’t actually specify which was which. To me, Brain seemed to exhibit classic symptoms of a number of manias, including megalomania, and occasional flare-ups of kleptomania (since he certainly wasn’t interested in PAYING for the country, or planet, or whatever he was appropriating this time…).
Pinky’s genius may have been how he stayed unnoticed or unassaulted while consistently foiling Pinky’s plans.
I felt that way as well.
Panel 5, yeah thats the face!! the general kinda looks like Jake ONeill from SG1
very nice page thumb up.
I was thinking one of the baldwins, not richard dean anderson…
I was thinking Humphrey Bogart.
Showing my age again.
Hmm going to have to google that name.
After doing a google image search of that name I can see how you can see that. It looks more like Humphrey Bogart then any one else I can think of.
Hmm. Well I thought it was obvious but he’s not a big name actor, plus I know who it’s supposed to be. Oh well, I’ll keep him as is for now then.
Dan Hedaya?
That’s soitny who popped to mind for me. Partly the slightly tilted head. Partly the slightly quirked eyebrows.
https://img.poptower.com/pic-42270/dan-hedaya.jpg?d=600
From the chin wrinkle, he was my second choice.
Ding!
Ding! I loved him in Alien 4. A flawed movie but I feel they got the atmosphere right.
My first impression was Peter Falk but I can see I was wrong, good likeness!
Forget Alien 4, that’s Monk’s dad!
BTW the actor who played Monk’s father on the TV show is in fact the same one who played the General in Alien: Resurrection, just to let people know I was trying to be funny. That is Dan Hedaya also, so the others who have guessed that are correct, as Dave threw in the *Ding* above.
To me he’ll always be Carla’s ex-husband on “Cheers” :)
Oh now you have me wondering more.
I was thinking Bruce Willis from Die Hard. That was all I could think of when I saw that image even though he is not a general. Just the face makes me think of Bruce Willis.
way too much hair for bruce
I think it looks like Dan Hedaya from the “Alien Resurrection” movie.
ok,,, i have to say it,,, there is a distinct likeness between maxima on square 4 and sidney at some point,,,,well at least when it come to the face
also i LOVE the evil mastermind look leon pull-off in square 3 :)
I see he used a flashlight to achieve the under-lighting effect :D
I honestly thought he had placed it there to cover up a more embarrassing situation after getting “shoulder boob-ed” by Harem a couple strips back. (Which would’ve been minutes ago in real-time.)
No chance of that. Looks like he tucks to the right.
“Is that a flashlight in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?” ;)
More and more to like about Leon. And of course, the flashlight was a masterful bit.
I wonder if he has a whole grundle of those phones for her…
i don’t doubt that they buy phones in bulk as at least 2 of the group have super strength(Maxima, Anvil and probably Dabbler when she wants/needs it. Sydney may get it from an artifact eventually)
i think its cause she looks younger in panel 4 then normally(maybe 5-10 years? might just be me that thinks that though)
what,, cant a girl have some silly fun on monday morning?
Silly fun it up all you want. It’s why many of us are here.
Silly fun is what this comic is all about I think. Any way just do not do the first post thing unless you also have some thing to say about the comic.
I gotta agree, the whole “First” thing is so many orders of magnitude beyond annoying that it can make me leave a webpage where someone has done it and never come back. The extremely good comic on this webpage means there is no danger of that happening here but still…
I will not leave because of it either. I do agree it is super annoying.
I get the feeling that at some point Sydney sorta forgot the whole, Stop talking part of an interview and just kept raambling on and swearing heavily.
Grade A stuff. I’m uqnusetiobnaly in your debt.
Hair-change no Jutsu in panel 4!
What on Earth does no jutsu mean?
explaination no jutsu haaa- naruto joke word description of teq to be used followed by no jutsu to mark it as ninja skill / chakra power. sometimes funny sometimes just enbaressing for the mature elements of the show.
Max was just tilting her head forward. I have seen it happen to other wemen when they want to do the ‘scowl’ thing. The only problem fro me is that they tend to look even more cute when they do that, because I am 6′ 6″tall. It is just funny.
What was Sydney going on about? Any ideas?
Also, fear the hacker! Or should that be phear?
It looked like Sydney was quoting Foghorn Leghorn, the rooster from Looney Tunes.
who took it from abbot and costello and I am unsure but they are suspected of taking it from earlier source .
Love the look of Harem’s ass. Freckels make it look so cute I just want to bite it.
I think Areana is about to get her ass chewed up a little, along with Harem.
I don’t know who I feel more sorry for… Harem, or the news lady.
Definitly the news lady. Although she did get some idea of what was in store for her, it’s like a doctor saying this may cause some mild discomfort.
right before he shoves the proctoscope in your arse while forgetting the lube.
Exactly my thought. but I couldn’t think of the name proctoscope.
well, was either that or an anal plug called the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Considering how tall Maxima is, Leon is huge, just kinda lanky lol.
Also, Maxima’s face panel four is epic. It reminds me of dabbler from your minicomic section a while back.
Maybe the floor section that Leon is on in Panel 5 is elevated. That would explain the height thing with Max.
Well he’s the tall awkard nerd who’s not cordinated enough to play basketball. Plus has a genuis level IQ, so immersed himself in computers and hacking then got caught and was made to work for some shadow agency or another untill he ended up here.
Yeah he’s 6′ 4″, but bad posture and lanky.
Loved Leon’s claiming of “his” territory. He might have carried it off too, if he hadn’t tried the ‘Who’s The Most Powerful?” on Max, of all people. Major fail there.
Obviously, that General is not to be messed with if he can get a salute from Harem without trying.
daphne is in a psudo military unit so will have had a version of BCT plus in unit training for a semblance of proper mil protical.
… Said training, for the most part, being quite well concealed or suppressed up until now. ;)
half agree the unit is not full mil so there are grey areas in decorum and use of mil standards (like max’s choice of corrective training), also harem knew she wasn’t in a position to just stand there and take it like mil standard would insist after what she did to max. also demonstrated by the non regs “uniform” for the unit.
Actually, I have to agree with how this went down–I’ve seen it at every level I’ve worked. While she’s a Colonel, and quite intimidating to boot, she’s still the tactical supervisor. This means the troops see her every day, so the intimidation factor goes down as communication and unit-bonding (umm… so to speak) occur. The Brigadier, however, likely only has frequent contact with Arianna and Max, both of whom are professionals. To everybody else in the unit, he’s “the Brass” and will be treated much more formally.
Well done, Dave.
I actually feel sorry for the general having to deal with all of these antics! :)
What I wonder is who he pissed off and how. To be put in charge of a bunch of super powered civilians, and then giving them some kind of rank, when most of them don’t have much self disipline to begin with just shouts ” Give it to the guy we don’t care if his career get’s burned ” So they gave the spot to somebody who’s career was already in the toilet and gave him a chance to either mess up spectacuarly, or if luck is on his side get him promoted with an extra star on his shoulder.
Both.
Don’tcha get the feeling that Arianna didn’t clear this little stunt with the General before starting the op?
“Oh Lucy…! Someone’s in trouble…!”
OR …
1) The General was the originator of the whole ARC-SWAT thing in the first place. The idea had to start with someone, and A-S’s military basis suggests that this person had experience and/or influence there.
2) The General had prior experience with supers and/or …. ‘unconventional operations’, which is the official reason he got that job (p####ing off higher-ups for one reason or another could have helped ;) ).
probly had prior xp maybe even leveling with the full bird so was choosen when he tried to save her career by suggesting spec ops unit for her and others like her / a protective custody place for “troubled supers” similar to the old go to war or go to jail concept. which is why they can’t chapter harem and she can’t quit. it allows them to “recruit” a super while looking like the action was voluntary and for the best interests on all sides. alt he may have a power thus be a natural command choice (any form he fills out is instantly triplicated maybe).
Sort of like a super powered Omega Company. That is a company in the milatary that is the dumping ground for the hard cases and unreliable soldiers who just can’t get along with regular soldiers.
Robert Asprin’s ‘Phule’s Company’ books. Not a bad series at all.
Oh my yes, I love the concept in particular, somebody sent into a situation to fail, who turns the whole thing around on his superiors and turns his unit into the best in the Legion, Love It.
Thats where I got the idea, to bad he died a few years back. He was one of my favorite authors.
It’s too early to do much speculating about the general’s motivation and reasons for being in command of this bunch of yardbirds [tho our author might thinjk that far ahead]. All we really know is that he exists and whatever his history, he is not happy right now, which fits just about any reasonable, or even unreasonable, history. I think I like the idea he was stuck with the job for having a minor power of his own, which made everybody think he might be able to understand and lead supers better. But right now, we have zero evidence.
How come when Maxima lands in the base, she goes “WHOOM!!” (Strip #71), and when she lands next to Sydney, she goes “LAND”?
She was rushing to the base, so she got there at close to the speed of sound, big air displacement. She wasn’t in as big a hurry getting back, and so landed softly.
Because WHOOM rhymes with DOOM and us little good peons make that association on an almost instinctive level when Max decided to shift her power pool from speed to “I am present”.
Sometime after Sydney starts working as a superhero, we need to see this reporter following her first official story – and getting stuck with interviewing Sydney again.
“OMG what is SHE doing here?!”
ok list of items for tshirts from comic
1 always expect ninjas
2 is murder still illegal
3 unleash the filthy kraken
4 butterfly farts from mothra
5 unconventional judo
6 you’re on the list
7 I want one of you in uniform at all times
8 my savory essence will attract the raptors
9 in case of direct sunlight – “stop drop and roll”
10 jedis in the house say whaaaat
11 “Ferret Balls:New standard unit to measure suprise”
12 “Space Lama: We welcome his expectoratory emminence”
13
It’s ferret balls…
…
*takes out scouter*
ARE OVER 9000!
*looks around*
14 Massively parallel wedgie!
15 (choose one from list or make a list shirt w/ image harem injury cascade)
pickle3719
January 2, 2012 at 6:14 am | #| Reply
Super Wedgie of Death!!!!
pickle3719
January 2, 2012 at 7:50 am | Reply
Pain chain-reaction
mechwarrior
January 4, 2012 at 11:16 am | Reply
Hyper Combo Finish!
shenron
January 6, 2012 at 2:50 am | Reply
flawless victory haremality
16 multi-dimentional rube goldberg attack
17 “please make this girl stop cursing: I feel like I’m playing Diablo with thecensor button”
any others humans think should join this list?
and please do give a vote to remove if you don’t think a item would work.
1, 4, 6, 8, and 12, great stuff. Looking forward to some body walking down the street seeing the t-shirt and saying “What the fuck?”
Also Super Weggie of Death.
13 should read:
*takes off scouter (& crushes it)*
That is if we’re doing the Vageeta thing.
it wasn’t exact vegeet in that besides need to have GP charac for the shirt thinking more image of syd with toy scouter in the ferret balls intro frame.
DaveB could start a full blown Tshirt fanshop with the quotes from this comic.
PS, I’m still rocking the expect ninjas Tshirt, when are we getting the rest?
If DaveB puts ALL of those in his shop, I AM SCREWED. I will miss a car payment trying to get them all. :(
I only made the list as suggestions for tees it’s up to others on there prodution and sales but thanks for the feedback around page 90 will try edit and reminder post. seems little long for so early on in the comic didn’t note till posted.
I really do need to link my existing store permanantly, and design a few more. Maybe once I finish gutting and rebuilding the master shower in my house… which should hopefully happen this weekend but we’ll see.
Just don’t get distracted by other things while your working on the bathroom (except the webcomic) and you should be done in time. Otherwise it will end up like the contractors promise of two weeks. Like that ever happens.
18) the terror of science!
I hope somebody got a shot of Maxima’s Sydney impression in panel 4. It’s just the look I would expect from her in the situation, too.
And Suzy was saved by the Max, lucky girl. Love Max’s expression in the last panel, too. A mixture of sorrow for Suzy and amusement at the situation, methinks.
Loving it as usual, Dave!
Just noticed the tan lines on Punk Harem in panel 1 as well. Love that bit of detail.
Dont think its a tan line, maybe the after effects of the SUPER WEDGIE OF PAIN?
super-pain-wedgie wouldn’t have left the marks on the BACK/UPPER part of her butt though (it was pulled AWAY from there). The star on the left of panel 1 would suggest the remenants of that, and the pale lines would be tan-lines.
I went back to check out the tan-line and noticed even Harem can’t seem to avoid staring at Max’s chest…
OBTW, Dave – your rendering of the undershirts is spot-on. You mentioned how your craft is improving, and I think that’s a shining example of it
Thanks! I just have to keep remembering to do it now. :)
Panel 8 killed me!
What is that line that Sydney is parroting from anyways? I know I heard a similar joke on The Simpsons, but I know I’ve heard it elsewhere before.
Apparently it dates back to Vaudeville, and has been used many many times since then. Simpsons is probably one of the more recent examples.
That’s what I thought.
Now that Sydney has the tube, do you think Maxima may just grab her and hurl her into the Osprey?
Leon IS smart. He recognizes when to stop digging and at the same time how to get out from that foot in mouth situation.
And that little joke in panel 9, all that is missing is the age wrinkles :)
hehehe ‘flashlightcrotch’ hehehe…
Hmm Max looks alot like Syd in panel 4….I like! She might start using that to scare people. Think about it, what would be more terrifying then Sydney on a tear, or Maxima on a Sydney Tear!
you gave me shivers and I don’t get cold even in lunar orbit hey new unoffish power for maxs dark syd channeling + 10 to scare / intimidate.
Is it just me, or should the General be asking Maxima and Harem to join him, rather than Arianna (who isn’t even in this strip)? Um, panel seven. Other than that, this is the usual spectacularly wonderful work, as always. And yes, ‘so busted’ seems to be the appropriate comment. Candace Flynn, FTW!
Arianna obviosly didn’t check with the general before launching this little cluster@#%!, thats why. Arianna is the type of person who belives that she can spin her way out of trouble, and that it would be better to set this up and go ahead with the operation than ask for something like permission. Why the nasty old general might actualy shoot her idea down.
The general is asking Maxima to join them – but only after she collects Sydney. I strongly suspect the general has found out what Aianna did and is really not happy right now.
I’m also thinking Sydney is going to get airsick and barf all over Maxima when Max picks her up and flies her to the base, Given how the general phrased the order I don’t think he is willing to wait for Sydney to fly there in the transport.
Side note – If Maxima has ‘touch TK’ then she likely could shield one package (read: Sydney in this case) from air drag maybe even up to supersonic levels… as long as she doesn’t drop either Syd or the bag.
I would let her ride in the Ospry.
given her superbarf history, which was only about a half hour ago, I’d let the rest of the troops have the “honor” of experiencing it for themselves.
Heh. I wonder if Maxima can selectively deshield parts of her cargo in mid-flight? If Sydney gets airsick, this could open possibilities for a megaScoville barf-bombing run in the future – assuming such thing wouldn’t be banned under chemical-weapons treaties.
We don’t know for sure yet that she can actually shield what she is carrying when she flies, it just seems like a logical extrapolation of her already demonstrated powers.
It is however worth noting that her clothes can withstand supersonic airflow so there *is* some evidence she can do this. Doubtless will come up one way or the other further down the line even if she doesn’t fly Sydney to the base herself.
who says they do, maybe she is just really fast at putting new clothes on
Arianna isn’t in this strip, but if you recall the last comic, she was standing right next to maxima, so she’s just not pictured here, but probably in the same room still
Yeah that’s just bad layout on my part. Every character I add to a page increases the amount of time it takes to draw, but I should have widened out on of the panels to show that she was still standing right there.
You don’t have to get everything perfect all the time, just concentrate on getting a good story out there. I know how it is to try to get every little thing just right, and not have the time. So just set up a schedule in your head for what has to be done when, and this is the most important part MAKE TIME FOR MISTAKES TO HAPPEN!! They always do happen so know that they will happen on ocasion,and if by some lucky chance everything go’s on schedule you can either improve on what you have already done, or just relax.
Leon knows his place rather well, like how he reacted like that.
Yeah, I’m going to second the Dan Hedaya guess.
Guys, am I the only one wondering what the hell is that thing over Leon’s crotch? A torch?
Torch,flashlight, either way, that’s what it is…although it does seem to be…levitating?
cue the “is that a flashlight or am I just glad to see you” joke
But why is it between his legs??
Dave?
To cast the dramatic upwards shadow of course.
Ooooooh! Didn’t notice that! Why I was looking at his crotch and not his face is the real question now!
As was said in the comments last week regarding the guy doing the TV crawl being really good at typing one handed, we DON’T want to know why.
Maybe you could have dimmed the room lighting more for effect? It was hard to tell at first what it was.
Was Leon’s pose and expression a Despicable Me homage?
Damn that’s one good eye for detail you got there. There are plenty of comics out there who would not even bother to give an explanation to the creepy shade on the face.
Me likey
It’s simply being held up out of contact with the chair by the friction/pressure exerted by his thighs. Just like holding two fingers to hold a can of soda up off the surface of a table or desk.
you blink *PING* im back (not even cameras shutter speed can pickup)
Whatever you do DON’T BLINK!!
Indeed that’s how the weeping angles get ya.
to qoute a friend of mine that would fit right in in this comic “”oooh weepin angels at odd angles hehe” draws gunsword and performs bankia “get ready for some cute heavenly tears””
Who can think of some of the unconventional attacks and power stunts that Super-Sydney (aka Halo) can pull off? I’m thinking she’s practiced (badly) her own ninja moves with the contents of said “tube” (and has tried to use hot food to squash any mental input of theirs or make them suffer- if possible? That or Sydney is a real endorphin addict…)
Google “Kancho” and think on how silly that move is to target in public and what a surprise it could be. It was even used in Naruto to great effect and humor. Sydney’s Super Kancho has an ominous ring to it. Add in a power stunt to reinforce the attack and the effects could be…Well DaveB would have to figure that out and draw it. She’s sure to have a dozen or more variations of same attack(surprise/stealth attack that it should be) so she can adapt it and use it to best effect in the right fight when it comes down to it.
I’m Sure Dabbler once finding out the “source” of the meme/attack of the Kancho would embrace it as would Harem…Who better to use this “attack” than a teleporter (and count the days until she can use it to pay back Maxima (ie when her power pool is at other extremes leaving her vulnerable to said attack…maybe coming out of the showers?)
As for the “Cute” butts of Harem- she seems to still be a young teen and willing to use her “looks” and “assets” in the line of duty –mainly to distract. (five moon shining “attack” no jutsu– and yes I think Sydney and Dabbler would convince Harem that this is a great attack/distraction idea.)
I also think the general is gonna make reference to the non-military standard issue underwear that was recently on display and warn her about wearing proper sized/fitted pants and a belt in the future so that such a “painful” slip of decorum wouldn’t be as likely to occur.
the no-jutsu (Ninjutsu) is from the anime series/manga Naruto and is sometimes used in other “ninja” type manga/anime. Kinda of the “Way of” / “Method of” / “Ninja Way/Secret Method” etc and like I said before, there is even a no-jutsu for the Kancho. Think ninja kai empowered Kancho striking a very vulnerable point of anatomy/nerves.
Assuming Sydney has actually HAD any martial training. Other than what she might have picked up from books and/or movies and/or role-playing games, I suspect not much at all. If any.
Of course, we can be looking at a ‘World’s Worst Swordsman’ effect here. It is almost impossible for the World’s Best Swordsman to predict what such a being might do – and unpredictable is something Sydney does very well.
It was awesome meeting you last night at the Drink and Draw!!!
Thanks! You too. I’d come out more often but I’m usually drawing this thing Sunday nights. :P
Friends shouldn’t let friends drink and draw! :D
Remember, buzzed drawing is drunk drawing. ;)
I approve of Brigadier General Dan Hedaya, and I did recognize him. And I think Max looks like herself in this strip.
Purple suited general? Check.
Dan Hedya (Nick Tortelli on Cheers).
I really liked this update, except one small detail. the salute is all wrong Maxima should have touched her fingertips to the point on her glasses where the rim meets the arm, and Harem’s fingers should be at the edge of her eyebrow.
In Max’s case that’d put her fingertips in line with the point of her nose.
Heh heh my lack of military chops showing through. I probably should have googled that but you know, it gets the idea across. I’ll need to find a diagram showing all the proper angles as measured with a protractor and a slide rule.
since i’m guessing Arc-Swat is army based, picking up the basic military handbook would help with things like posture, saluting, the general background and small detail stuff. You could probably grab one from a local recruitment office, or off the net, but going in you could get some of the sergeants there to do some of the stuff to get a proper look at it.
If the US military is anything like Australia’s military, there are differances between how the different branches salute (palm out versus palm down, index fingertip on the browline versus index fingertip next to the browline, arm and hand straight versus slight bend at wrist, etc.).
Also noting that ARC-SWAT would be a comparitively informal unit compared to many, and that Max adnd Harem were saluting in kind of a hurry.
But what happened to the money?!?
If you’re referring to the comic shop’s deposit bag, it is inside a crime scene under investigation and isn’t going anywhere until the Crime Scene cops clear it. Then it will become a properly counted and ticketed deposit (’cause you know Joel isn’t going to screw that up), and will be processed like the other interrupted business of the day in due course.
Purple uniform doesn’t look bad on the general because he doesn’t also have purple hair and/or skin and isn’t depicted standing next to several other characters with purple hair and/or skin who are also wearing purple uniforms.
Or rather, purple is a good color but I’m hoping the general doesn’t mean you’re still planning on changing everyone’s uniforms to it because even the best colors can be over-used until the stop looking good to the audience.
I thought that’s exactly the point of an uniform?
I think shikome is commenting on my predilection for the color purple to begin with. I actually didn’t make their dress uniforms purple cause I like purple, rather I just wanted them to look distinct, and blue, white, brown/tan and green are already taken, leaving red, orange, yellow, all of which would look weird, so I was kind of left with purple and black. Black wouldn’t have been bad but it’s a little overused.
I thought it was deep air force blue myself. Like in the show Star Gate or something.
Well, green isn’t taken anymore (the Army class-A has been replaced with a black jacket over white shirt and blue pants w/service stripe), but nothing says the basic colors are all you could’ve used. Garnet is a decent red, Ebon Brown is a possibility, as are a variety of strong Greys. The purple works just fine, though.
B-But I want to hear what she said to Mabel! :(
And I could really dig a t-shirt that was just a close up of Sydney saying “Blarg!”
I’m a bit suprised at the impression Sydney’s left on Maxima. The fact that Max has yet to take her hat back would indicate that. She also doesn’t seem perturbed by the fact that she’s had to make the trips to the bank several times on Sydney’s account, and in fact looks almost pleased to be dealing with her again.
Considering some of the people Max has to routinely deal with (Arianna, Harem, etc.), Sydney is probably a welcome change.
…. And she probably cannot WAIT for Arianna to be in direct line of fire of Sydney’s Crazy.
it was said psyops revenge for setting up this stunt and that would be a doooooosy. no wonder max is happy to take halo to the base, in adition to ending the A-S embaressment syds behavior on TV is bringing.