Grrl Power #86 – OMG It’s… The hell are those?
So here they are. I know after all the buildup the reveal is going to be a letdown to some, but this is what they’ve always been. It’s interesting to finally see them though, even for me – this is basically the first time I’ve ever drawn them. Of course, revealing what they actually do should be fairly amusing, and will happen quickly over the next few pages. Then her meeting the rest of the team, then… arrg, I wish I could draw this thing faster. :P Speaking of which, it’s ridiculous it’s taken this long to get to. 86 pages and a year and a half just to get the tube open? As some of you know, I had Sydney’s powers listed in her bio on the cast page for several months, cause the reveal was always “soon.” Hopefully things will start moving a little faster now, but it’s a balance of getting in those little moments of character development, jokes and keeping the story moving.
This page, being the big reveal, is unfortunately a little short on content and jokes, but we’ll… uh, call that pacing. It would be nice to be able to say I got lots done on the next page since this one didn’t take quite as long to draw, but that didn’t happen. I did get some banners made up that I’ve been meaning to, it occurs to me I should make a page with all that stuff on it in case anyone wants to grab stuff to link back to this page with. That’s another project for the upcoming weeks.
When I drew the tube, I didn’t pay much attention its size, but now looking at the orbs, I’m not sure they would have fit in the thing. There’s 7 of them (hopefully I haven’t forgotten one, hah) and they’re about the size of a tennis or baseball. Each time I draw the tube its size is a bit different though… the version on this page seems especially skinny, but we’ll say they just barely fit.
There were quite a few good ideas bandied about in the comments (lots of really silly ones too of course) but more than one person suggested the tube was full of gaming dice. I really liked that idea. So much so I almost started trying to figure out how I could merge the idea with everything else I had planned – baseball sized dice, one of each kind, etc., but it would have changed things too much. Still, I could easily do a whole other comic around that idea.
Thanks for all the TWC votes guys. Hitting #1 and even holding it for a couple of days isn’t something I thought would ever happen. I thought I’d be at this for years before even getting into the top 100. It’s quite a feat given the sheer number of webcomics out there and the size of their audiences’s. I’m glad you find my daydreams as amusing as I do.
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I like the big round sticky fish thingy floating at the top/centre of the final panel, well it would be a big round sticky fish thingy if it’s core was red, now its more a lookalike.
So I’m guessing they all do diffrent things? do they combine into a super orb too? or maybe a gundam? :P
Seriously though, keep it up, this comic has been awesome sofar.
Dear god she’s got BALLS! If they are of the ben wa variety Maxima will have kittens.
For all we know, someone in the team might have that idea *Cough*dabbler*cough*
*Cough* Harem *cough*
You know if it did just come down to being able to hold an orb in your hand, them Dabbler and Harem would be able to use more of the powers at once. Harem could use them all simultaneously.
i wonder if Dabbler’s bionic arm would count or if it has to be organic/natural. maybe Dabbler can give Sydney six extra arms then she could use all the orbs and have a free hand to make rude gestures with
actually bionic arm not working would have some unpleasant implications- if you want to de-power Sydney for good, rip her arms out
There is also that pesky little bit where magic and technology often interfere with each other (not sure why in most series; in my series I explain it that only magnetic and electrical based technology are bothered by magic as magic is multi-dimensional in nature; distorts dimensions to cause effects; and electromagnetism is also multidimensional (scientific fact believe it or not, something to do with electrons traveling in 12 paths at the same time, and crossing dimensions being how they do that); thus a dimensional distortion, distorts electron exchanges, and thus disrupts electrical fields which in turn disrupts electrical equipment.
So you’d need either simple machines or technology that is also partially magic its self (dimension tech) to work along side magic.
What if all the imaginings of the previous page were correct? An then some! They certainly are beautiful to behold. Now for an even further flash back to where she got such things? Some of the best large views of Sydney on this page. Suitable for putting on the wall.
I suspect that if they can defy gravity they can shape shift a bit including enlarging an shrinking.
you know what with as long as I’ve been waiting for this page i’m going to make it my desktop. you now all know what my desktop looks like (centered, black background)
I’m curious what’s the reason for Max’ “What.” Is it because she has no idea what these are, or is it because she knows what the orbs are, but has never before seen a full set together?
Click my name for a link that explains the “flat what” trope. Covers it quite nicely.
I wish I could figure out how to edit TVTropes. It’s probably as well that I can’t, otherwise I’d pollute the site with relevant links back to the comic.
I wish I could too, I don’t like their entry for “Black magic girl”; because they describe them as physically weak; yet uses Lina Inverse as an example (and she’s very strong); not to mention most I’d describe as such are fighters; or Lina is a combination of a fighter girl and a black magic girl.
please stop with scary lady name drop
scary lady name drop? Luna Inverse. you have never seen her, and she scares you.
seen, sorta talked to, been treatened by, watched blow up midsize city, yah all the same I guess
Oh no, Luna Inverse is much scarier than Lina Inverse (she’s Lina’s older sister, and scares Lina). She is also the reincarnation of one of the parts of Ceiphid (like how Rezzo was a piece of Shabranigdo). Luna is a waitress, she is also a fierce fighter, taught Lina how to fight (with apparently torture level training). also Dolgier (the half wolf half troll from the first series) is still alive but he’s been…well…in the service now of Luna. I think the backstory is Lina is afraid to go home because she broadcast a naked picture or something of Luna all over town, and Luna will pretty much put Lina through Hell the next time she sees her.
Yeah, Lina is the most powerful human on their world, Lina is the second most powerful (pretty sure Naga is the third, but no one wants to admit it LoL).
The weight has a T on it – Telekinesis (the tether for the artefact and her ability to move it). The two person symbol is Telepathy – Harem is telepathic with herself. The empty circle is most likely a Force Field (Maxima has an actual shield, which means Armor most likely).
It’s a cowbell.
Im assuming they grant her random powers…or they are super marbles
Calling it – Sydney asks Maxima to touch her balls.
I am actually curious about Zeph’s reaction. Being someone familiar with magic objects.
Could be recognize them? If so would be get a surprised reaction, an amazed reaction to see something legendary in real life thought only to be a myth, or a horrified reaction as they are tied to some dark force (like the talisman’s from Jackie Chan’s Adventures were really keys/part of a demon sorcerer)?
Or could he not recognize them and be in total disbelief and end up spending a great deal of his time now researching to see if there are any records of these seven magic orbs.
Do we call those things Elements of Surprise?
Heh. Good one.
Forget “Halo”.
Her superhero name is now “Marbles”.
That last splash panel has an invisible “TA-DAAAAAAAAAAAAA!” on it.
And it needs to be on a T-Shirt.
And yay they are revealed at last. Now another year till we find out what they do (just kidding)
Not a lot I can say in addition to this lot. Loving the comic and this was a good reveal, handled well.
Bravo!
Who said they were solid? Maybe they’re solidified energy that only she can grasp because it’s sync’d with her bio-electric field? Something similar to magneto-fluid. It’s a liquid that stiffens in the presence of a magnetic field. Could be something along those lines since they’re probably something along the lines of magic. Could also allow them to shape change. Kinda like drops of water in zero-g. They’re perfectly round balls until acted upon by an outside force.
Maybe when she grabs one it forms around her hand like a gauntlet….
you said: * I wish I could draw this thing faster.*
then have maxima draw them ;) super sonic speed may come handy!
The paper would ignite and if she used a tablet, the pen would melt from sheer friction.
The wood paneling is a great background for judging clarity.
12:00, 2:00 and 3:00 marbles look solid Maybe only 1:00 and 2:00. 3:00 more resembles 6:00 and 7:00 and there’s some hints of the paneling. 12:00 looks like a tiny death star, for those times a random basketball really needs to die.
6:00, 7:00 and 9:00 marbles are transparent, though each seems to contain some glowing something. Is 9:00 cracked? It seems to contain a liquid or something like it pooled in the bottom.
10:00 definitely contains a loosely coiled string. Should we be seeing the paneling behind? Just asking. Either works at this stage.
Since I zoomed in to figure the above out, extra kudos for detail work with the thread pattern on Sydney’s jeans. I didn’t catch that before.
They’re all 85% transparent. Or 15% transparent actually. The layer is 85%. They just look variable depending on how dark they are and what’s behind them.
O_O shiny objects of unspeakable power….I wants thems >=3
I watched Jackie Chan Adventures when I was a kid, so I kind of expected this. So shiny… *w*
“one more thing!”
The anticlimax and letdown is humorous (and a joke) in itself!
After all the buildup from things as varied as everyday weird (snakes and bees) to fantastical (Pokemon and Rainbow Dash), to creepy weird (harvest begin)…
the Chiristmas baubles which defied all expectation is pretty funny in and of itself
I’m guessing some sort of elemental stones
Who says they have to stay the same size all the time? I’m assuming they’re of supernatural or alien origin.
Seriously! Can’t the tube also have special properties, that shrinks those things down and holds them in a steady state so they don’t get chipped? Besides, when Gwen scanned the tube, she thought it was “a little too empty” which to me, sounds like the tube has some kind of portal to a different dimension.
I hope my reference to an elongated tube that requires specific gesticulations to open which could shrink lots of balls doesn’t somehow get turned into a dirty joke.
… i think you already did that.
I’ll wait for pages, but I’m sure it’s not as simple as a one to one power to orb relationship. For example, the orbs can fly, Sydney is telekinetically linked to the orbs, therefore Sydney can fly with the orbs.
I thought there were eight of them originally. I can’t remember what they all did though…
Nope, only seven. The biting sarcasm is a purely natural ability.
What you don’t want to do is to underestimate them based upon their present appearance. Certainly Dr. Zephan Zoeng understands this even if he can’t immediately identify them. He will soon enough. I just hope these little guys don’t have a nasty payback due one day from Sydney. But until then more power to Sydney. (Didn’t get to read the full description of her powers in the past so it will all be new to me too.)
Gaming dice? I remember trying to do a story with my muse possessing a d20 to take down a cult obsessed with geometry that had taken over the US government utilizing a crapload of sex tapes. I only finished part one. It’s on my DA page if you want to see. https://ndlight.deviantart.com/art/Geometrist-Part-1-209405485
Perfect! Nice work Dave would not have guessed. They remind me of Mandor’s silver sphere’s, from Roger Zelazny’s Merlin Cycle.
Ioun Stones, coolness!
Darmnit, people beat me to the Ioun stones comment.
They are a little large though, being tennis ball sized. But as each one can give a different power, they could be pretty useful.
chaos emerald colored dragon balls is the funniest thing i can think of.
…
i feel so unimaginative right now.
In times of great need the 7 shall combine to wield the Power of Creation.
So together they’re a GECK (Garden of Eden Creation Kit)?
So the big reveal is pogs. Great, this really clarifies my week.
What? No, they’re clearly the fancy shiny kind of super ball.
You know, when they put sparkly stuff and designs inside the bouncy rubber things.
If anyone asks a wizard did it. An alien ghost dragon wizard. With lasers.
That would put this comic in Axe Cop and Dr. McNinja territory. ;-)
You know what they say:
“If in doubt, blame the Doctor.”
It is not the size of your tube that counts…
its where you shove it that counts
Mr. Dave B., your fears of an anticlimactic reveal are unfounded, simply because you m ade Sydney’s so cute here. :-)
Now that we see that she has Marbles of Power, the mystery of what exactly they are, what they do, and where they come from also helps. :-)
Oops. Sorry. Tennis Balls of Power.
Hmm. Reminds me of the super villain the Emerald Empress from DC’s Legion of Super-Heroes continuity. I always liked her character concept.
Try Power Orb’s.
Awww, but I liked Marbles, because then we could all wait to see if Sydney ever Loses Her Marbles! *snicker*
Cast page says she has five powers but there are seven orbs. The other two supervisors or something?
Five types of powers. Entirely possible three-four of the powers are extremely similar or can be used for the same basic tasks. Fire and lightning, for instance, are the exact same in terms of tactical use, short spread rate.
Maby they just havn’t revealed what they do yet.
Say one can bring the dead back to life, and the other brings limited imotralaty. (don’t age or get sick)
I looked in archive.org an found out what the other two powers are.
Look it up for your self if you want to find out.
Hint use grrlpowercomic as the refrence source.
I actually don’t remember what I originally had there. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they’ve changed by the time I get to their reveals.
That’s OK, it’s your comic and you can do anything you feel like with it.
They were energy absorption and thermal controle.
cast page says that she doesn’t know what the other two powers are
Since the balls are tethered to her, I think that this means Sydney is the only person in the world physically incapable of insanity, or “losing her marbles” as some would call it.
Agreed, she doesn’t suffer from insanity, she causes it.
She doesn’t suffer from insanity. She loves every minute of it.
Good one
someone told her that. Now we know why she acts the way she does, she wants to prove them wrong.
I like how everyone is speculating that the reason Gwen’s scan somehow was unable to detect the contents of the tube was because she didn’t scan for the right thing.
I think they were just hiding, because Sydney told them to hide.
Maybe the orbs are manifestations of the Seven Virtues? just the first thought that came to my head, and thus far, the only one that ive had on my own and not considered from looking through the comments. and as i typed this i also thought Seven Deadly Sins but i dont see Sydney being mentally compatible with those and and i cant see her being happy to see them awake. well, those are my two cents. hopefully someone else with only a couple ideas will consider mine for a little while.
and here i was hoping for Smurfs <.<;;; oh well
My guess is the five Chinese elements plus on for heavenly realm and one for earthly realm. In order clockwise from the one with the dent:wood water metal earth air fire heaven.
Also maybe they didn’t look like they fit in the tube because of quantum super-positioning. This would explain the scan too as they were never in any one place long enough to be picked up.
The way you draw faces is just too good. I swear some of Sydney’s faces so far have been utterly priceless, and I honestly adore how she get’s the normally golom like maxima to become more animated. I also like the posing and body language you have given each of them! Good show!
Thanks! I definitely spend a lot of time on the faces. I love stuff like the reactions shots in 30 Rock / Airplane where someone has just said something off kilter and the reverse shot is someone pinching their face or tilting their head as they try to process it. It’s subtle and quick and difficult to translate to a comic, but I think there’s a lot of comedy to be had just in expressions.