Grrl Power #79 – A History of Violence
I’m not saying that Max’s daydream is actually what happened, especially with the anachronistic cop, but it wouldn’t surprise me if something like that happened.
For anyone wondering, Gwen’s eyes are supposed to be hazel, and not be quite so much “the darkness must feed” colored. But it works with her goth/lolita thing so I guess it’s ok. Apparently ArcLight has an incredibly relaxed dress code.
In case you’re not familiar with Adderall, the generic version of it simply reads “Amphetamine.” Meth lite basically.
Regular commenter Marscaleb made a top 10 video of his favorite webcomics, it’s kind of long, coming in a around 45 minutes, but actually quite well produced. I watched the whole thing and plan on checking out his recommendations. You can probably guess why I mention it here.
SuperheroThey're super, thanks for asking!
Meatspace ComicSeriously these are awesome. Check 'em out!
Not UpdatingNo longer updating or only updates sporadically, but definitely worth reading.
SeriouslySeriously you guys. If you like Grrl Power the check these out.
"Mature"Mature subject matter and occasionally something explicit but usually safe. Can't guarantee the ads are safe though.
Dongs Ahoy!Full frontal and backal. Lots of skin, sex on some or all pages, explicit or otherwise.
Alan Rickman’s second best role ever. Right after Metatron.
I always thought he was a GREAT villain in ‘Die Hard’.
Don’t forget “Hitchhikers” :)
Yeah…. But watching him flip out on that alien was pretty choice.
Is Maxima smiling behind that drink can? ;) It’s interesting that their most powerful “metahuman” has a shocked look on her face when imagining the fighting uh “skills” of a non-powered person.
Are You trying a new art style?
Good lord! I feel sorry for the mugger.
I think Sydney needs something stronger than Meth, strait Morphine maybe?
The problem is that ADHD is treated with stimulants. Morphine is not a stimulant. (Says someone who’s fallen asleep while on the stuff post-op.)
Stimulants effect people with ADHD differently than normal people. For me it gave me greater focus doing mundane tasks and dampened my creativity (not a totally bad thing when you tend to daydream). The dose is usually much smaller than what you would take for the stimulus effect. One problem is that people who want it as a stimulant have learned to fake the symptoms to get the drugs.
I can’t afford the medication, and found out that they have side effects I didn’t want to deal with anyway. So I went back to drinking Caffeine infused beverages. The Newest being the Mio energy stuff, Sweet! The Monsters are still a close fave, the best one being Khaos!
I also enjoy caffeine (not the withdrawal though) but my favored beverage is Diet Coke in 1-2 liter cups. Picked up the habit working night shifts at a stop-n-rob with fountain drinks.
The problem with caffeine like with cocaine and nicotene is that your body begins to adjust to it. Which means you need more an more to get the same effect until your body refuses to function without it an no buzz. And the withdrawals are not pleasant.
I basically used it to stay awake not “buzzed” 3am can be VERY boring especially with undiagnosed ADD. Not to mention the various “creatures of the night” you need to be aware of.
The guy that prescribes my Adderall says the problem with caffeine is that it’s “a dirty fuel.” Doesn’t stop me drinking it on top of the pills, though.
I use caffine to get me awake enough to get down to pills.
It is amazing to see how many ADD people we hae reading this comic.
The knock-out properties of mophine are what Sydney does need. However, one of the weird things of morphine is that after repeated doses it does start to act more like a stimulant. I tried to find some of the research to quote but couldn’t, back in WWII was when doctors started to realize that while morphine worked as a pain-killer in almost everyone. In certain people it acted as a stimulant on the first dose. From my own experience and that of others I’ve talked to morphine is a very odd pain-killer in that for most people it does not get rid of the pain so much as making the person not care about it. The doctor I talked to after my surgery confirmed this as a common reaction.
Smethings wrong with your webpage. I can’t see any of the comments posts.
Brilliant. Cheered me up no end! :o)
So Sydney is already a crime fighting superhero
The boss hasn’t even met Sydney yet, and even he reflexively felt sorry for the mugger.
By the way – Trying not to wake up the neighbors giggling at 6am.
Nice tattoo that zephan has…
And a nice robe, too. A mage of some sort, perhaps?
Ah, forgot to check the “Who’s who?”. Zephan Zoeng, huh?
Nice, that’s the most genuinely useful entry in it I’ve seen.
I can’t help but alliterate character names. It’s a sickness. At least I don’t think I have it as bad as a certain true believer.
No that’s natural, I do it on every school project, regardless of how it will effect grade (which is stupid).
Well the who’s who sais he’s ‘equally comfortable with magic and technology’
I didn’t even know this universe had magic
Actually… It says he’s “Equally ‘confortable’ with” them…
Did you read Dabbler’s description? Also, the existence of magic comes up in-story for the first time here.
AHHH, anyone’s who’s played Vampire the masquerade will tell you, the kindred have a thing called the masquerade which basically means mortals believe that vampires don’t exist. therefore it would come as no great surprise that the magi have something similar, since you didn’t think magic exists means it must be working
I always figgured someone or several people set up a spell about two hunderd years ago so that anybody with little or no magical ability either can’t see magical creatures and effect or forget about them as a sort of self defense for normal people and magical people and creatures both.
The saying if you ignore them they will leave you alone goes both ways.
not true we dragons harass humanity often, humanity just edits it’s perception of the event to fit the world view it wants to have.
Maybe he’s equally contortable with them? It’s fixed.
Hehe, I agree with Max’s visualisation: I can really see Sydney doing that.
An “O” collar for Gwen, or is it simply a collar with a gem? Either way, I like.
And the sigils on Zephan’s arm are a nice touch as well.
Looks like a standard goth choker to me.
The intelligence operatives wouldn’t have collars or even name tags or any thing to signify who and what they are for obvious reasons.
That being said I can’t see Gwen disappearing in any crowd any time soon.
A distinctive look can, in a way, sometimes be best for a covert operative. Maybe not so much for Gwen given her two-tone hair, but consider the advantage of being known visually to the opposition as ‘long hair, long coat, confident stride’. In under two unobserved minutes, you can change from a heavy-metal look to a homeless look and go unnoticed.
something as simple as putting your hair into a ponytail and putting on a hat can throw people off or switching a long-sleeve shirt for a coat.
Since Gwen seems to be neither a field operative nor superhuman, it’s doubtful that she’d have one of the ARC chokers.
That said, there’s nothing stopping it from being a mystic focus or somesuch.
could be both the difference in style marking the different branch while gwen uses the O of her oberon callsign as a mystic circle to boost effect
Perhaps she’s a scryer?
(For those of you who don’t understand, think Googling an event in real-time thru a medium such as a crystal ball or a pan of oils. Given some sort of point of focus[a person, place, or marked object] they can view it and the surrounding area from anywhere with a little focus. Powerful scryers can even communicate with the person/location they are viewing, acting as a sort of guide or magical switchboard. Helpful in areas where technology fails. [no cell coverage/jammed radio signals] )
What are those tatoos on the chineese looking mans arm? Are they supposed to be some sort of mystic symbols, or di he have a intresting youth?
Captain i am detecting a large amount of win in this quadrant!
Ok bad startrek pun aside this page is awesome!
altough if i had to make one comment ,, well one bad comment,, its the monster,,energy drinks are extremely bad and i mean EXTREMELY bad for your health!
Honestly, I don’t think it would have any effect on Maxima. That said, I can’t imagine why she would be drinking one… probably not for the taste.
Yeah but you don’t know what else she added to it once she popped the top.
If she was related to the Kolnar (from The City Who Fought and The City Who Won) uranium salts. Nasty bunch of villains that adapted to a heavy metal world (elements not music) who were immune to a lot of stuff but not human ingenuity. Good read based on the Ship Who Sang universe.
Thought it was The SHIP who won. Since it was about Joat and her AI ship. :P
lol (a respectful bow) You are correct absolutely correct! :) Still, a good read nonetheless.
oh, yes, a very good read. Imagining Joat cutting a statue apart and then reassembling it in the dean’s shower (With the showerhead I’m assuming in a very comical place) was quite the giggle fest. :)
That was definitely implied. I wondered (when I read it) if she was inspired by Aiken Drum of the Pliocene Exile series as he did a similar thing with a waterfall.
ack! we’ve both messed up. The one with Joat is “The Ship Avenged” by S.M. Stirling. my geekiness hath failed me!! :(
I won’t tell,,, :)
Anne Macaphry for the win. Now I must get back to my brainship.
Probably nothing. Because about anything you add to a carbonated drink would make it go FSSSHHHH!!! :P
Mentos lol. :D
That last panel…..it does not surprise me…
Also: Maxima’s expression *dies laughing*
Sydney with ADHD? Anyone think she hasn’t taken her tablets in about….forever?
I’m surprised Maxima is sitting on the Colonels desk. Unless as you say, Arclight is rather lax on its procedures as well as its dress code.
I’ll point this out in a few pages, but they’re not in the General’s office at this point. They’ve moved to a ballroom/conference room in case they need a little space.
Assuming their next move is to call Sudney in for a chat, that extra space could save lives. ;)
But we still have the basic point that one does not sit, or even lean, on your superior’s desk. And earlier we have Max saluting in a situation where that was somewhat optional. So we seem to have a consistency flaw. Minor and likely meaningless, but odd.
realistically, if your a civilian, you geneneraly DONT get too close to actual brasses offices too often in real life, generaly my experience is you meet them in a reception office or meeting room.
Um, to me it looks a bit on the long side for a proper desk. I think more likely it is a conference table that the General chose to sit at, possibly AFTER Max sat down on it.
Just read the Who’s who and see that the asian looking man does have mystical tatoos and also had a intresting youth.
Dave, Sydney and this comic are getting more and more full of win with every page you post. Keep up the awesome work mate! The “Sydney and the mugger” pic and dialogue had me cracking up!
That is great.Poor chump who tried to mug her,will we get to see what really happened to him,would it be even funnier.
since the last frame is what Max is thinking, he possibly just made the mistake of asking Sydney for directions
Maybe later, he comes back as a super-villain seeking revenge.
That is exactly what happened.
I have only one thing to say in response to the panel about said attempted mugging as pictured by Maxima’s imagination…
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!
Also, something tells me that the mugger probably wasn’t a comic geek, and has no idea what Grabthar’s hammer was… though if I was in his shoes I probably be swearing on it anyway, which would most likely make Sydney tell me to swear on something else.
Now excuse me while I try to find some advil and hold my sides from having laughed too hard.
Go out right now and rent, buy, or download Galaxy Quest. Now!
I’ve seen that movie, it has Tim Allen in it. I was saying the Mugger probably hadn’t seen it.
On Maximas thoughts, “Again unsurprised” but still loveing it.
REPEEENT
On Maxima’s thoughts, Not surprised but still loveing it. Keep up the good work.
First may i say HAHAHAHAHHAHA ok now i think max here is under cuting sed here. Come on it was max that stop sed in the bank or i take it it would have gotten really ugly. That poor mugger had no hero to SAVE HIM AHHAHAH
I honestly didn’t figure maxima for a Sci-fi comedy fan.
What can I say, she’s a complex character. Her entertainment preference will come up at some point.
Wait a second there…. That was Maxima’s thought bubble…. does this mean she’s a sci-fi nerd???
Is it already Sci-Fi nerdy to know about Grabphars hammer?
…
…
Huh. I’m a Sci-Fi nerd. Finally! ~_______~
Drek.
lol… I believe “Drek” is a term originally used in Sci Fi. Or at least it shows up a lot in the sci-fi, steampunk and fantasy I read. Used an inordinate amount in the “Shadowrun” series.
At least he’s not talking about slotting someone’s hoop. ;)
Well he’s not an Ork he has manners. Orks don’t have manner for Drek! Either chipheads slottin’ BTL chips or chromed gillettes jackin’ some poor joygirl. And “Never Trust An Elf”! :D
Elves I trust. Johnsons on the other hand….
I’ll trust a Johnson long before I make a deal with a dragon, that’s for sure….
Even Aztechnology?
More then Renraku, anyway.
“Never Trust An Elf” was a book written from Kham the Ork’s point of view. Number 6 I think. “Never Deal With A Dragon” was in the first trilogy about Sam “Twist”. I really liked the “Neko” cat burglar charater.
yeah, never could find the first book of that trilogy. One of my favorite lines was near the end of “Find your own truth”…”Wolf wins every fight but the last”
Well according to the lore 2012 is when the magic comes back. Totally betting I’m a Dog shaman if it does (fits my personality) if not probably a Dwarf. :)
Have a Very dog-eared paperback but best bet is used books e-bay and B & N have used copies for $1.
should I call you Sir Twist then? :P
Lol no I’m a lousy decker. :) Compared to Sam’s limp I’d flop like a dying fish. Just understand dogs better than humans and have often had fantasies and dreams of being a dog or wolf. As a dwarf though I’d probably be a rigger. For some reason I think ADD would allow you to run several drones without going scitz. Both guesses reflect my real life in some ways.
I always figgured I’d turn into an ork myself, or maby a troll. I sort of resemble one anyways so the change wouldn’t be too big.
I see you chummers know what I meant.
Of course Shadowrun has the best of Sci-Fi and Fantasy rolled into one. :D So you can kill Twinkly Vampires with man-pack Laser weapons or sing a song of power to burn a battle-tank with a fire elemental. Personally would pay to play a good MORPG based on the rpg that the books came from.
I really need some forearm snap-blades. Maybe I should stop by Ares and see what they have in stock today. ;)
Just had a weird visual flash through my head. Red Dawn (the movie) and the kids all shout “Wolverines!!” while turning a Russian patrol into sushi with their arm-blades. Now that’s a remake I’d go to see! :D
there’s a couple shadowrun MUDs still around but they kinda…quiet if you get my meaning.
Haven’t seen a good video game version yet. But I suppose it would seriously difficult to make a MMORPG that included every possible race/character/class not to mention various disease-caused races like wedigos or the many draco-forms. But I keep hoping. One of my favorite series Garret PI would be a great game.
Nice magic tattoos he’s got there. All magicky and whatnot. Even the classic “hey these tattoos are magic” shade of blue. And is he wearing a housecoat? Definitely a wizard.
or Yakusa/Triad/etc.
Come now, with a name like Zeong, he ain’t Yakuza. Of course there’s nothing to keep him from being Triad and a Taoist wizard. . . . .
Hmm, tactical hyperactivity. Perhaps it’s just as well that Sydney’s tube powers don’t include the Strength or Speed logos!
yet…
Other that the cute goth chick (I’d like one for an assista…. okay, girlfriend. Let’s just be honest), my favorite part of this is the fact that Maxima apparently daydreamed in such detail as to give the mugger pink bowtie panties under his jeans.
I approve of this.
maybe she like a man in touch with his female side
Am I wrong in thinking that mugger is pissing blood in the last frame?? Or is that just a peek-a-boo of a heart tattoo?
He’s got heart boxers, but if severe groinal trauma is funnier to you, go with it.
Dude, well-deserved groinal trauma is ALWAYS funny.
except when it’s yours.
In which case, it is never well-deserved. ;)
And now there’s Snot On My Keyboard!
Thanks Dave. I needed that.
There are few things I like better than Boston Crabs and Irish Police Stereotypes. Kudos. Potato!
I thought it was a Sharpshooter at first actually…
Love the Galaxy Quest joke!
“Never give up! Never surrender!”
Huh.. Girl… Knows magic… Named Gwen…
Her last name wouldn’t happen to be ‘Tennison’, would it?
naw, but still. Love the page! Love the comic so far! Love the humor.
Also: Gwen actually kind of reminds me of Abby from NCIS.Is that bad?
No idea who Gwen Tennison was so I googled her, and was immediately able to find pictures of her in bondage, which is always a plus. Never seen NCIS, even though I’m told I’d like it. I’ll have to eventually stick it in my Netflix queue.
Once you see Abby you’ll fall in love with her.
I did and I could (possibly) keep up with her (mentally).
Maxima is a Geek !!!
How else could she make up a phrase as “Grapthars Hammer” in her own imagination !!!!
Not necessarily a Geek.
Presumably, Max saw ‘Galaxy Quest’ and liked it enough to remember at least one quote. Which suggests that there is hope for her, but does not automaticly qualify her into geekdom by itself.
Conversely, she might NOT have seen GQ, just heard that particular quote someplace.
You know what would have been neat if that tablet looked like a Toshiba thrive. :)
Any way I love the last panel.
Good god, I don’t think legs are supposed to bend back like that in us poor, not so flexible males that could hurt ourselves just by trying to squat. Also, what’s up with the change from the modern architecture to 1850? I do like the wood panelling however. Oh, and back to the comic, great that we have a running plot again to ponder……for a week. (Grumble…..frakking once a frakking week)
…
My brain is empty now.
Good giggle to start off the week, thanks, hon. Don’t worry about Gwen’s eyes, they’re fine — that’s just what green hazel eyes are like. Love Maxima’s expression in the last panel. . .kinda like her smirk behind the soda can, too. Zephan’s “Good lord!” shocked look is also quite well done. Facial expressions are getting better in your work, and they’re making your comic shine.
I just have this to add: consider carefully that Sydney spent a whole night in jail.
Now consider the mental state of whoever was in there with her by the time morning rolled around. Cruel & unusual punishment? Those poor, unfortunate souls …
;)
“And..interestingly enough, the next day the police got confessions for 342 unsolved crimes…” :)
i doubt that,, for you see they DONT put girls in same jail as guys,,, so most likely who ever was with her was some slightly violent wife,, shop lifter or prostitute
but i can see one domeneering lez trying to force sid to play ball:),,,
and see her ending curled in a ball in some corner of the cell,,shaking and moaning and mumbling about a foureyed demon, and calling her mother
still a funny thought. I could see a detective using Syd as an interrogation tool after the mugger talked to the other guys in lock-up
“You know that little blond chippie we brought in just after you? If you don’t tell me the truth about (insert crime here). I’ll throw you in with HER!”
There are two ways to spend a “night” in jail. One is a general lockup where they put non-violent and minor offenders together mostly waiting for release or bail. The second is a very small cell with minimal accommodations (basically toilet/sink, bed and mattress. At least that’s my experience.
Haha HAHA… finally
That night in jail for self defense makes the scene when Joel said “You didn’t hurt the bank robber” or something along those lines.
“Oh the humanity,” seriously, for a police report that answers as many questions as it asks.