Grrl Power #83 – It’s Adorifying!
This page derailed rather quickly as I wrote it – it was supposed to start off with the General introducing himself and have a joke about her middle name, but the number of gags I crammed into the page make up for it in my opinion.
It would be classier to let someone else point this out in the comments, but I’m pleased that in Sydney’s own fantasy, Wolvie is less that totally on board with the situation. I wrote it, realized it didn’t make sense, then came to my senses and realized it is of course far better that way. Also, Sydney in a dress? Never thought I’d draw that.
I also like that apparently, Sydney thinks that anyone with a number in their name is automatically royalty somehow? That’s what the crown and the Lion King ripoff says to me. What they would be king of is perhaps more of a mystery.
I’m not sure exactly what Arianna is referring to as terrifying, probably either Sydney’s plans to marry a fictional character, complete with “diagrams,” or the thought of her as a parent.
One thing I’ve definitely messed up on doing the comic so far, is that while I’ve discussed Max’s feminism on the cast page and in the comments, I haven’t actually put it in the comic yet, and this page gets a double dose of it. Even a panel of her getting mad at someone for not being able to maintain eye contact with her would have been enough of a set up but oh well, got to start somewhere with it.
I love their faces in the last panel! XD You did a great job on the expressions, as usual.
she is so adorable…And I like how you have the femenist thing going on while Max doesn’t say anything about what they are saying. i like Max’s face at the end as well as Arianna’s
Well, that was a strange experience.
That’s right Maxima. You mustn’t laugh. No mater what, you MUSTN’T laugh.
How long did it take you to draw the generals face in the first three pannels?
I can see that you took a lot of time and effort to get him just right.
I loaded up Alien 4 on DVD and used a lot of photo reference for this page. Drawing a non-comic and/or anime style face is a little out of my skillset, so I need photo reference.
It takes ko-jones to watch that movie on repeat.
I also like how you talk as if your characters are controlling their own thoughts and reactions. It’s aliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive.
for alot of writers, especially in serial formats (webcomics, forum RP’s etc etc.) the best characters sometimes DO end up evolving in ways way outside what the author planned on when they started it.
This also happens to me when I write stories only more so. I usually start with a planned outline (in my head) but the story will often go off in a totally different direction.
I know that feeling, I have pages of planned events crossed out because my characters “decided” to go off on a weird tangent that I ended up liking better.
I thought I recognized the actor you stole the mug from, lol. Also the same movie I stole my technique to make boot polish go on easier from.
You mean burning it?
Is diagram B publishable?
My guess is that it may cause viewers to lose Sanity Points.
personally fine with that i never use em anyways
I have a feeling that any dealings with Sydney require a SAN check roll (repeat as needed).
What is this ‘sanity’ you speak of? Does it go well with cabbage?
;) Diagram C probably makes viewers have extra-graphic ‘Scanners’-style head explosions.
thats why you keep a preraise in the hole. in case you encounter that kind of military sop.
OMG, the faces in the last panel. Can’t stop laughing.
Adorifying is the second word I’m going to add to my personal vocabulary from a webcomic, and since the other one is hillaristurbing, it’s a perfect fit.
Love the sweat drop as she starts to dig her own grave with Maxima.
“He just didn’t know what to do with one.” Hm. Does that explain Sydney’s being tomboy? Reminds me of the character Marla Hooch from the movie “A League of Their Own”.
It has a lot to do with it. I’m sure we’ll revisit that later.
…now I’m trying to imagine Sydney’s family.
What kind of home would produce Sydney?
Is it all… *gasp* genetic?
It is always genetic then the rest is environmental. Which means that if there are parallel worlds there will be some where you an I turn out a little or a lot differently even if we are the same inner person. Our experiences are the sum of our character.
Matt what are you using to brows with? People who do have problems usually stems from that. I use Mozilla Firefox an it works very well every time.
Love Syd’s plans and her dress matches her current outfit. Also, looks like Max lost a shoulder strap to her shirt in the 3rd panel.
its behind her hair and hand/arm
sydney and wolvie there are reminding me of a male and female night elf, especially with sydney bouncing.
While these strips just keeps getting better/funnier, it’s torture waiting for Sydney’s powers to be revealed!
Actually her powers are listed on her card in the cast section: flight, energy blast of some sort, a shield of some sort, teleportning, and telekinesis. Now what they’re *based* off of and why she’s called Halo, that’s completely different.
didn’t he “retract” her powers from the cast page until they are revealed officially in comic?
We interpited the symbols.
Indeed, it may take some effort but the symbols do tell the various powers (the picture) and their relative strength (the stars) although the detailed description has been removed until they are revealed in the comic. I believe the term he used was “redacted” which refers to how a military document that has become classified is altered for viewing by persons without full clearance. The result is a copy of the original document wherein all the unclassified portions are unaltered while the classified portions have been covered by censor bars rendering them unreadable.
have to agree with Helland, we’re waiting for some kind of development for about a month now, and while the updates never fail to entertain, I’m getting twitchy
… and the number of counting shall be three.
Months or strips?
4 shalt thou not count neither count thou 2 accepting that thou then proceed to 3 FIVE IS JUST RIGHT OUT
Bless this thy holy hand grenade!
Oh no, on the third strip release it will actually be the fifth strip, followed by a comical reinactment of the sussposed third strip, making strip four which will be five releasrs from now we may actually know whats in the tube/powers.
Also Holy Grail FTW!
I do hail unto you by the power invested in me because I feel like it many internets good sir. Now go forth and spend them, may I suggest on that bail money you’ll need at the end of the movie?
YEARS!!!
Honestly, I knew it was wolverine, but I kept thinking Hawkman cause of those headwings being brown, instead of black/blue. I don’t know why.
I think Maxima and Arianna are starting to figure out that Sydney might not be the best thing for their sanity.
No she is the best thing for there sanity. Laughing will keep there sanity in such a job.
I guess I started reading X-men when Wolvs was sporting the brown/yellow combo. I guess he’s switched back or something, most google searches for him show the yellow/blue stripes, but I’ve always thought of him in the yellow/brown outfit.
Well Wolverine’s current outfit is yellow and blue, but its not the same as his 90’s outfit. The stripes are different, no shoulderpads, he’s gotten rid of the blue trunks, and the outfit is like leather instead of spandex or something (it has this thick seam to it).
Wolverine only had that look for a short time during the 80s and very early 90s. He’s pretty much kept some variation of his original yellow & blue uniform ever since, with the one major exception being the new X-Factor, where he had a black uniform to fit with the team’s theme of a black-ops/wet works squad.
The X-Men comics around 2000 or so had all the X-men in black leather. Was at the same point they introduced Feline-Beast. “Tony the tiger on barbituates” as Hank called himself.
So, we are to assume that Wolverine is Sydney’s “type” then? This answers so much! :D
well after what we have seen of her so far,, i aggre that its a good choice for her to go for a guy who can regenerate,,, you never know how a marital dispute could turn with her :)
Add in Sydney’s taste in food and Logan is a good choice (since he could handle the heat, in more ways than one), although I don’t think Logan exists as anything but a character in a comic.
Well he is pretty hot specially with out a shirt on.
It’s even better when you remember that it could be Hugh Jackman under that mask.
Yep that would be cool. Maybe that is who Sydney is thinking of too. ;)
i just love maxima’s face in panel 3 and sidney’s in panel 7,,, those are some great look for both of them and warrant beeing added to the top banner rotation i would say!
Just noticed this, but last page there was no laptop on the table, also, it was red, not blue.
Whoops I forgot to color the table. That’s the window behind them you’re seeing.
good eye, I didn’t notice the table. I just assumed it was a pda that was now offscreen in his left hand
I’ve loved your comic since the day I started reading it. And sure, I kinda agree with others here that I wish it updated more often and progressed a little faster, but it’s been good enough that I’ve not let my readership fall to the wayside unlike several other once a week webcomics. With that aside, I have to say that you’ve reached a milestone with me: you actually made me laugh out loud with this one.
Let me explain. It’s not that I haven’t found other pages funny, or that I haven’t laughed at them. But after years and years of being the geek at school that everyone picked on (and this was decades before geeks were cool), it was a survival tactic not to draw attention to myself when reading. So even today when reading I tend to laugh internally, to not make a sound. It takes something really special to make me laugh out loud. Good job!
Thanks that means a lot! I made myself laugh a few times while drawing the page which I take to be a sign that others will get a kick out of it. That or I need to catch up on sleep.
Question if I may, from a first time poster but long-time reader and fan. How come Max is missing the left shoulder-strap of her top on the third panel? I mean I have nothing against her showing off a bit more of her shoulder, but the strap is just so prominent in the sixth panel, that it being missing in the third is a bit distracting.
But do keep up the good work, it’s a lovely comic!
It’s behind her hair. I guess I should add it poking out just a little since you’re not the only one who noticed that.
*tackles Rilia* Heyo newbie! *Sydney Snoogles!!!*
Dam! adamas at it AGAIN!!
Quick, get the STRAPS! ;)
@DaveB. I love this page, Can I put it in my desk-top background rotation?
Sure you can do whatever you like with it. I mean, short of using it to pitch an animated series for which you take all credit… stuff like that.
But you wouldn’t mind a animated series in your name?
Maby in another two years when you have another hundred or so pages drawn.
I love how the people in her fantasy are also weired out by what’s happening
Very funny page – looks like nobody knows who’s leading the conversation anymore :oP
Sydney is REALLY a walking joke-maker, the interactions between her and the rest of the team promise to be much fun :)
I really like how you portray Max’s faces, from serious to lethal through completely amused. And her musculature too – bulky yet feminine. Excellent job!
And about her feminism, I would say that risking a direct punch from a Superman-class pissed off woman would turn most of “normal people” into feminists in a matter of seconds ^_^;;
I’m not sure exactly what Arianna is referring to as terrifying, probably either Sydney’s plans to marry a fictional character, complete with “diagrams,” or the thought of her as a parent
The very fact she DREW diagrams is what’s terrifying! Also, would it being a real person be better, Arianna?
At this point, it is insanely difficult to take the brass seriously.
Another ADD trait on parade. It’s not so much thinking outside the box as “Wow. Look at that box over there. Weird.”
Although I’m not a woman, I also have an unusual suffix. My mom thought it was demeaning to have her kid known as “junior”, so she went the way of royalty and fucking awesome Star Trek movies and put in a roman numeral after my name even though I’m only the second generation of the name.
I just bring this up since it would be pretty awesome for Sydney to “upgrade” her own name to royalty status. Or Star Trek: Wrath of Khan status.
You are not alone. I, too, have a “II” at the end of my name.
Interesting choice – traditionally, the “Jr” suffix is used if the child is named after the parent, and the “II” suffix is used if the child is named after an earlier progenitor or the named-after parent is deceased…
Slow and steady wins the race and anticipation is half the fun. Well…in this comic maybe more then half. Nothing wrong with that, since every page is great fun and todays last panel is golden.
About Maxima’s feminism; there is no real need to show Maxima blow up on a feminism rant. The reactions of her co-workers get the message across just fine. It could be one of those cases where a reputation of ‘brutality’, prevents the actual need for it.
Keep up the great work Dave.
Here’s a tangential question for you, Dave.
Sydney’s codename is going to be “Halo”. That’s at least the 3rd super in this strip to have a name starting with “H”, after Harem and Heatwave. That also means she’ll have yet another “H” neckband. How are you going to make that one different enough that you’ll be able to tell the characters apart on sight?
Blonde with glasses, redhead, 5 different faces only one with glasses and that one is white haired. I don’t think it’ll be hard. As far as I can tell they aren’t in the “lets all wear balaclavas so we can’t tell who’s who” camp
Once upon a time, there was a man who owned two horses. They were almost identical in conformation, and he wanted a reliable, definite, way to tell which was which. But the ears were the same length, the tails were the same length, the manes were the same length with the same taper. Had the same weight, left the same hoofprints etc,etc. But eventually he noticed that one was about a tenth-hand taller. “Aha!” sez he, “the black one is a bit taller than the white one!”.
‘Rings! Rings! Wherever they may be
I am the Lord of the Rings,’ said he
‘And I’ll find them all, wherever they may be
And I’ll bind them all in the dark,’ said he
— Kevin Ahearn via Jaimie Vandenbergh
Actually I’ve noticed that there’s sort of an “H” motif to the sliding pad (is that what it’s called?) of the strap of the tube. I don’t know if that’s going to be where her identifying letter will end up but knowing how unconformist she is I could see her going with that.
That’s a standard marking for a Heli-pad. ;)
Well the colors of the chokers will help. Heatwave’s is red/yellow, Harem’s is blue/gold. The more absurd thing is the fact that they actually designed different looking logos for them, almost as if they knew they’d have to get creative due to the preponderance of H’s on the team.
It could be worse, he could have a bad habit of giving characters (R-names) like I do.
Rhuen, Rhoan, Rhulan, Rhuniva, Rish, Riska, Ruin, Ro-Ko-Naka, Rhina, Rhoko, and Ryo-Yoshino all come to mind off the top my head rather quickly (thank the gods I don’t use them all in the same stories).
To be fair, feminism is a broad term. It includes everything from rad fems (transfolk symbolically rapes women, porn is evil, all men are evil) to the sex positives (transhumanists, against slut shaming, pro sex workers rights, porn is natural, against the excuse “she was asking for it), to various other first, second, and third wave feminist movements.
I am a feminist and I find Maxima’s “feminism” silly
I agree wholeheartedly feminism is like liberalism in that respect, it means different things to different people. I’ve never understood why some folks seem to LOOK for reasons to disrespect others.
Yeah it is a broad term… get it? but basically Maxima’s feminism linchpin is any sort of societal differentiation between men and women. Glass ceilings, lower pay for the same job – even stuff like “women surrender their family name when they get married” cause it ties back to dowries and the idea that women were basically property in the olden days. And while she recognized that there are physical differences between men and women, she’s incensed at the idea of gender separate sports like tennis or golf, things that don’t require all mass and strength like American football. “Why the hell aren’t there any women playing professional baseball?” stuff like that.
She’s definitely the sort of woman that if her life hadn’t changed course when she got powers, she would have tried out as a quarterback for the high school football team, then sued the school when they told her she couldn’t because she’s a girl. Although that’s not entirely accurate since a great deal of her current stance on the matter is a result of her powers and her perception of how she’s treated now.
As a son and brother to women who worked a “man’s job” I personally find much of feminism basic intelligence. My mom was the fix-it person in the house (my dad was useless). I’ve known women who worked harder and longer than men and ones who could kick any normal man’s ass.
Not much on type, specially sense class starts soon, but the only problem I have with any movement for equality(be it sex, race, etc) is they insist on laws that say they get special consideration, which in itself is inequality, instead they should want laws that says everyone gets said consideration.
Well the problem is that no one will give you rights or equality out of the kindness of there hearts. Laws that seem unfair to you exist to redress a larger issue. Our very nation came into being largely for these same reasons. When I took a test to get a job in a Navy shipyard I was competing with Vets who had as much as a 15 point advantage. I may have grumbled a little but I understood the reason for it.
I suspect Max would also be incensed at the PC responses that some organizations make (i.e. lower the standards so women can compete better). After being told she only has to do 20% as many pushups, or run 60% as fast, as a man in the same age range as her for the military… does she take offense at the implication that women have to have the bar lowered for them?
I wrestled in high school, way back when they first decided that women should be able to compete against men. It was controversial then, but now seems like just a matter of course (and I can confirm that, especially at the lower weight-classes, the women make a good showing for themselves).
She recognizes that there are physical differences between men and women, she knows in some situations that gender segregation is unavoidable, arm wrestling, benchpress, whatever, but on Archon, women have the same requirements as men. Benchpress 110% of your body weight, run 5 miles in a certain time, stuff like that. She knows a woman won’t be a good fullback, but she thinks they should be allowed to at least try out as a QB or something.
She might be able to be a fullback but she’s an exception; she could probably replace a whole team.
Feminism is just being in favor of women being afforded the same level of rights and privileges in society that men are (and yes, even today, they’re not). The “men are evil” version of feminism is really a straw-man created by an extremely misogynistic group of people who are opposed to the idea of women having equality with men. There might be one or two who are actually like that, but they’re very much the exception rather than the rule.
unfortunately I’ve run into some of such extreme stripe, so I can attest that they DO exist. Though I admit it was funny to see my GF at the time knock her out because she was basically saying she shouldn’t be with a male for any reason except if she might want a kid.
I was talking with some female co-workers once who complained that men didn’t understand that housework and childcare were “real” work. But when I said if my wife made much better money than me I’d stay home and be a house-husband they called me lazy. BTW this was the 80s.
Actually though they are very much a minority, rad fems do exist. Being a transwoman I have had to deal with their nonsensical claims to the effect that my transition is raping the identity of women because I am stealing their body. For the most part they are very opposed to the sex positives, which is how I identify as.
The rad fems are a very messed up group of feminists, and very much in the minority, but unfortunately they exist.
Whoever the poor schlub is that Sydney sets her eyes on when she decides it’s time to get a man. God help ’em. LOL
I think it’s cool you cast Dean Stockwell as the general. Both in appearance (nicely drawn btw) and in behavior he’s very good at portraying. Really nice.
To comment on Sydney’s powers and name, I would guess that the case contains several balls of power that orbit her like small planets with variable orbits. :)
Actually that’s Dan Hedaya, not Stockwell, but there are similarities in appearance so its an easy mistake to make.
Ummm… why is Wolverine shirtless or is that fan service? Or maybe request from significant other? Last wedding I went to the groom had far more cloth on his chest than that. There is a reason some people call tux’s monkey suits.
Still request edit function for us clumsy and inept typists. Please!
Might I humbly suggest composing your comment in a word processor then copy-pasting it in?
This comment made me giggle. I pictured some lady getting married to a monkey.
Mrs. Williams? lol That is one hairy comedian! :D
and has no problem making fun of that fact about himself.
One of the reasons I chose him. He’s one of my favorites. I still have a couple of his albums (you know those vinyl things that look like giant cds)
Have all but “Weapons of self-distruction” on my MP3 myself
“One of these days” I’m going to transfer all my vinyl to mp3s,
The quote is mine as I say it all the time but follow-through is spotty.
BTW found the one you’re missing $11 new at Amazon and Walmart.
Mine didn’t have it :(
Walmart has an online store where you can order it delivered to you local Walmart. I don’t think you have to prepay. I always had it delivered to my house so not sure.
Sydney’s dream man is Wolverine dressed like a chip & dale’s dancer. That would be the missing shirt part…and the bow tie LoL.
Call it fan service if you will, but it’s Sydney’s imagination, not a real wedding obviously. If you can suggest a reliable WordPress plugin that allows editing for say 3 minutes after you post, I’ll look into adding it.
balloon-juice.com has one that allows for five-minute editing. I have no idea what the plug-in in question is called.
Not so much fan-service as in-comic artist-service. That imagined image is the basis for her drawing in the next panel.
That is a Sydney fantasy, not “real life”. Also, some weddings eschew tradition. I would have expected Sydney to go for a trekkie ceremony, except that would covered his chest. Why do that in a perfctly god fantasy? :)
I am confused about the boing boing, what does it represent?
Hour of nap/sleep over here.
I think that’s just Sydney bouncing with excitement.
I imagined Sydney wearing a pantsuit for a wedding… or cosplaying.
Only half the comic is showing up the bottom half of it is a grey block I tried multiple Internet connections
let’s hear it for General Dan Hedaya
Haha, yes! I was gonna post almost exactly that. :D
Yes! I’ve been expecting since last week for the General’s wife to show and say “Hi, Gang at Cheers!”
Logan is a good choice here, because he’s only got one name of his own.
(I wouldn’t be surprised if that actually entered into Sydney’s logic: “I could marry Spider-Man! No, no, ‘Peter Scoville’… it doesn’t alliterate. Maybe… ‘Scott Scoville’? No, Cyclops is a dick. ‘Charles Scoville’? No, they probably wouldn’t go for being ‘Professor S and the Uncanny S-Men’. Besides, he’s only hot when Picard is playing him. Oh! Wolverine! I could give him the last name he’s always wanted! … Unless ‘Logan’ is his last name. Then he’d be… what, just ‘Scoville’? Maybe ‘Scoville-Logan’… like he’s some kind of yuppie… or aristocracy! Our kid would be ‘Sydney Scoville III, of the Scoville-Logans’. Awesome! … This drawing needs more chest hair…”)
Sorry John to be the one to break this to you; a rather unfortunate thing has occured in Marvel comics. Anticipating the X-men origins Wolverine movie, the comic books decided to give him a full origin story (which the movie then based parts of its self on).
Wolverine’s name of “Logan” was taken from his biological father as a codename. The comic writers have changed Wolverine’s “true name” too….*fearful drum roll*….James Howlett…yes Wolverine’s name is “Jimmy”. and his last name is yet another horrible pun name like Otto Octavious. Clearly ignoring the Wolverine part and focusing on Wolf (Howl)-et,,,my god that’s painful.
makes sense, I might be wrong but i think a member of Sgt. Fury’s howling commandos had the last name of Howlett… I just checked that was in The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes cartoon.
Logan was known to have worked with Cap America during the war on occasion. But with Logan pushing 180 yr old….
That cartoon was loosely based on a Captain America/Howling Commandos/Wolverine team-up back in the days when Wolverine was aging in both directions. As he got older, his birth day kept moving further and further into the past.
Yeah, I’ve been playing in a Marvel RPG (the old TSR system) lately, and reading up on the net on some of the stuff Marvel’s done with their universe since I stopped reading dead-tree comics, and… uh… well, I’ve basically decided that nothing they’ve done since, oh, 2000 at the latest, actually happened. Because a) it’s stupid, b) it contradicts much better earlier canon, c) it’s stupid, d) it makes no sense even by comic-book logic, and e) did I mention it’s stupid?
The cosmic stuff took a serious step up (like a sci-fi war Annihilation) and kept pretty good. Some problems (like mass killings) but good none the less. Shame the current writers (now that the cosmic stuff is on hiatus) are screwing up what the cosmic titles accomplished (like havin Ronin revive the Surpremor (which he had killed in the cosmic titles) and become a villain again; when he had become a hero-king and member of “The Annihilators”.
Logan was the name of the gardener in the origin story.
As far as I can remember of ANY movie/tv series/whatever I have seen or ever heard of, there was only one that found absolutely perfect: Patrick Picard er Steward as Professor X.
(It’s a damn pity that his German voice in synchronization was so apart from his own voice.)
At the core of Feminism is that women want, no demand to be on the same level socially an legally as men. Which is why men like myself can be a Feminist. All the others are iterations of the idea or in some cases mutations of it.
I’m a geek, not a very good one but still one none-the-less. I don’t do dress up or “cosplay” as it is called now. But at least the bullies stayed away from me. I think because I was “odd” which I have since found out frightens nearly everyone including bullies!
I see all these scenes we are getting once a week as happening in a kind of rapid fire neutral voiced way. Funny by cadence than some silliness of action. Quick cuts between them zip zip zip. For some it will work better if they read it once after another more quickly an the pace will then be seen. Another excellent page DaveB.
Sydney, Carol, Sue, Sam(antha), Tracy an others are used by both genders. Sydney certainly somehow fits her. I can’t imagine her parents or home life. I wonder if dad took her fishing an hunting? Pants make more sense to wear than a dress or skirt anyway.
I have to say congrats on another great strip; once again I find myself laughing.
Also been meaning to ask, is Syndey a “glass cannon” your character page lists her power as “ultra” and Anvil’s lower at “mega”. So I was wandering if Sydney would be all offense and no defense (glass cannon) or if she has to do this (power up) type deal *normal most of the time, but then “transforms” to powered up status*,
The cast page and past Author’s comments tell that Sydney’s powers come from some kind of artifact (of currently unknown appearance). That means – to me, at least – that she has a normal/default state and an empowered state when the artifacts are active. I don’t think she can access her powers while ‘The Widget’ is in the tube.
actualy she never has powers she is effectively a contractor who employes “ancient items of power” to perform feats of ?heroism? well that do the power stuff for her spoiler [while making a halo appear over her]
Nice save, General. I see you’re on track with feminism. *thumbs up*
Wolverine and Sydney… Yeah, that totally makes sense as her fantasy. But wouldn’t that sort of be like marrying the reverse gender of yourself?
We’ve seen the glee in her eyes as she tears it up with criminals (and sometimes inanimate objects), and how she strikes the fear of God into nuns. So I feel justified in thinking of Sydney as the embodiment of barely contained, ferocious fury in a tiny package. By definition, THAT is a wolverine…
But, I shudder to think of what their offspring would be like. I just get this image of people instinctively reacting to them like how baby Broly reacted to baby Goku… [joke]