Grrl Power #884 – Wham, Smash, to the Scaffolding
Today is just not going according to anyone’s plans it seems.
I’m pretty sure panel 1 is the best boot I’ve ever drawn. I know that’s a weird thing to fixate on, but between Maxima’s collection and the uniform boots, I draw a lot of them.
Fun fact. Alf is short for Alien Life Form. I assume most of you know that. I don’t know why I assume that, beyond you guys being generally pop-culture savvy. And by pop-culture, I mean a TV show from 1986. But that’s fine, pop-culture has a long tail. I’m not sure what the cutoff is. OG Star Trek and Doctor Who are still fair game, but the Frank Nelson reference from a few pages back is probably borderline. Presumably references from the court of Louie the 14th is too old to count as pop-culture… but that’s a bad example because that stuff wasn’t broadcast to the masses anyway.
I’m not sure where “pop-culture” starts actually. The original comic strips in newspapers? The first movies? Maybe the first plays? Even if those were super popular, they’d ultimately have a limited audience due to physical considerations of attendance. I think mass literacy is a requirement before you can have broadly consumed “culture” as it were. A quick googling shows that England passed the Forster’s Education Act in 1870, which, after a few tweaks, led to mandatory primary education by 1891. So, I guess pop-culture could have started to exist any time after that, at least in the English speaking world.
Then again, stuff like Beowulf has been around since 975 AD, so who can really say.
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I kinda expected the A team to show up, just didnt expect them to be terran.
Or on the wrong side!
Probably not on the same team as the Aliens, but just taking advantage of the situation. This might be interesting, as we might see another physical match for Maxima, Or it could be that her stats were pushed all into speed to break out of the stasis field that she was in that a weaker attack would cause damage.
That one isn’t Terran. From the comment he(assumption) comes with he’s from the competition. Another team out to nab Max… and to suffer a black spot on ther resume…
from his comment he sounds terrain and is taking advantage of the situation to take on Archon.
Yeah, that guy looks Human to me. A Super Human, but Human none the less. The ALF comment sounds like a Earthy kinda thing to say. I don’t see an Alien on a planet other than their home calling another species Alf unless they have watched that show and the other guy LOOKS like they’re from Melmac…
What? I’ve seen a episode or 2. Amazing what you can find online…
is it me or does that dude look like Vehemence?
did we ever check whether he had any siblings?
Bingo. It makes 100% sense as strategy. Hire a good team to warm up and provide the vehemic energy for the awesome team.
Wonder what Dabbler has worked up for the inevitable Vehemence rematch. You know she’s got at least three different items for it.
Super aphrodisiac? I guess some people would not become less aggressive simply because they’re horny, so maybe not the best weapon (?)
Actually, males tend to become more aggressive when they’re horny, simply because of male competition for mates. So, terrible counter for vehemic escalation.
Hypnosis beam. We saw that even at full power hes vulnerable to the hypno-boobs. Just weaponize that and it stalls him long enough for her to do her energy-drain spell.
I sincerely doubt this brute is another like Vehemence, or planned this. Probably just local crime muscle out to make a name for themselves.
*from his comment he sounds terrain*
From what he did to Max, I’m sure he’s soon to *be* terrain*.
He made an pop cultural reference based on ?70s American TV to the fact that he was talking to an alien, so I expect he is indeed Terran.
80’s, ALF isn’t that old (unless you are talking about that Aussie guy who is both home and away :P )
Bad news for you – the world median age is around 30 years, meaning half the world population was born after 1989. 50% of humans didn’t even exist when ALF went off the air.
Didn’t say people weren’t old (except for that Aussie), and there is such a thing a syndication and youtube and shit
Or aliens are intercepting decades old transmissions and watching them in real time now, so they think the references are current and up to date.
Terran, as in, from earth. He’s calling her an Alien Life Form using a 1986 TV reference. I don’t think he’s actually on her side, just against Archon.
Last time we debated whether/which United States laws could apply to the non-Earthers. The United States laws would definitely apply to this guy! Assault on a Federal Law-Enforcement Officer. Interference with a Federal Law-Enforcement Officer in the Performance of her Duties. etc.
And now the fun begins.
Let’s hear it for our next contestant.
I figured Intergalactic Acquisitioneers would have a Heavy Lifting division.
Hmm – since he called them ‘Alf’ – Alien Life Form – AND she didn’t recognize him – I was wrong about him being part of IA – he’s the local talent!
Opps!
Pop culture is definitely older then mass literacy. Robin Hood stories were being told at least 200 years before he was referenced in writing. In fact, the reference in writing is so random, he HAS to have been popular in the culture, to be understood as a character.
Pop culture, as in popular culture, seems like a modern thing, but just means referencable stories. The greeks would have had their plays and oral traditions, and the romans, and every other civilisation. Humans love stories. We didn’t ignore them for millenia just because we couldn’t read yet.
Just like ‘pop’ music isn’t a genre in and of itself (although many think it is, and they would be idiots), Iron Maiden was on ‘Top of the Pops’ (believe they were the first ‘live’ band, after they retired the dancers)
Pretty sure Maxima is going to be almost at terminal levels of passed off after this.
I’m sure she’ll be pissed off too. Angry, incensed, boiling…
She’ll be knocked out. She was at max speed. Keep her out of the game for a few pages to show she isn’t a Mary Sue, and let the second string step up.
Note, Max and Halo are out of play at the moment. If Team Vehemic can take out Dabbler and Cora in the next page, this fight gets brutal.
On the page this weakiness is displayed.<a href: https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/comic/grrl-power-273-power-drain/ The author mentions that if she is maxed out one ability she’s still slightly tougher than a really butchy tank, so unless this guy punches with one “Vehemence team basic unit”(they keep bragging about what their powers do to tanks), that is not enough to knock her out.
Ofcourse if this guy is a super he probably does hit with at least one “Vehemence team basic unit”
CRUD! She would have been at minimum toughness… which is probably still damn tough.
She would have put all her points into speed to get through the stasis beam, which is probably why she got rocked so hard with one hit.
Kind of the exact opposite when Vehemence had her pinned with his lightning arm. Makes me wonder if having all her effort to move fast was what made the hit so dramatic? Like, the punch was strong but magnified by her sudden change in velocity when the beam died?
Oh yes!, so not only did that fist connect with all the speed and force that “Knuckles” could put into it, but also with all the speed Maxima could move at in those last fractions of a second… Maximum pain.
Even at minimum toughness, she’s still tougher than most
Probably broke her nose again, though.
And there goes another piece of the sidewalk :(
One bulky tank.
https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/comic/grrl-power-884-wham-smash-to-the-scaffolding/comment-page-1/#comments.
Which was also a basic measurement the Vehemence team used to compare their powers, so if he is a super she has a problem.
*probably(not all supers are that strong and some have powers that don’t punch hard)
Wait, did Big V get out early?
I’m not sure he’s ever getting out. Plus it’s not the worst situation to be fed weed and snacks while playing video games all day. Maybe.
I don’t smoke but I’m assuming that’s a good week.
You build up a tolerance and then a dependance.. after that it increases chances of paranoia and any family susceptible psychosis. That said as long as he is not totally baked all day every day and he is under medical supervision he should be okayish.
Unlikely, he would have the white strips.
And some Irises
Nah, this just looks like a Brute, Vehemence was a total Hulk/Juggernaut. I mean just look at what he is wearing, I get the feeling this is the kind of guy who calls himself Commando Crusher or something along those lines.
With some adamantium knuckle-dusters to boot.
I think it’s not him. Also, he’s smartened up a bit….
Also, if nothing else, Kevin has better taste in clothes.
No, at a guess, this is some C Tier clown shoe from Queens looking to take advantage of a situation, and not aware of exactly how far south this is about to go.
My guess is, somewhere down around McMurdo.
I’m betting he’s Vehemence’s cousin from Jersey, and the good guys are in trouble. Because, rule of cool. Also, reversal of fortunes, rule of interesting. The good guys straight up winning a fight is boring.
“The good guys straight up winning a fight is boring.”
only if the point of the story is the fights and not some other source of conflict.
https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/comic/gp0005-2/ ;)
What? Internally consistent self-referential humor?
It am unpossible!
Remember that Vehemence talked about “Users of Vehemic Energy” as multiples not just himself…
Most users of vehemic energy are malumi (demons), just as most users of tantric energy are succubi.
And then the super villains show up. I mean, I assume they are human. The Alf reference seems say human but some of these aliens seem to know pop culture references already
*sigh* Of course the villains would take the chance to see how utterly stupid they are as well.
What do you think the motivation is? “Lets beat them up to show how strong we are” or do you think anti alien/human supremacists?
Is….is that Vehemence?
Just another beefcake i think. They all look alike ;)
But seriously, he’s missing those lines Vehemence had which changed colour as he powered up
Also Vehemence had irises instead of glowing eyes
no,
looks like another brute/tank type though. Likely local criminals wanting to take out the super cops given the opportunity.
Seems like people have already forgotten what Vehemence looks like. Dude’s got glowing lines all over his body, while this guy doesn’t.
And last we saw of him, he was constantly stoned and asking for more doritos.
Breakouts happen, especially over the months Sydney was gone. But yeah no lines.
That’s probably going to leave a mark since Max was probably overspec’d for speed, lowering her durability rating to a degree…
“Flarp flarp flarp, we’re getting our posteriors handed to us, the golden Terran we came for is just about to escape, can this get any worse?”
*Cue random supervillains showing up, looking for a fight…*
I don’t think Max is going to be happy when she shakes that off…
It kinda looks like Vehemence but I’m pretty sure it’s not him. I mean if he broke out of prison, someone would have said something right?
Also, he would have an entry in the Who’s Who, not the obituary under “John D’oh” :P
He looks like Vehemence… As much as I liked V I kinda hope it isn’t him though, there didn’t seem to be any kind of set up for him (no word on him being released or broken out which would’ve been big news and proper foreshadowing an eventual return).
If it is not Vehemence though, where did they find a super who could be expected to be able to go toe-to-toe with Maxima?
Guess we’ll have to wait until next update to find out more about this new group that showed up.
Vehemence is part of a species of demon. There are others.
Ooops. Nope, I was wrong. Vehemence was a human vehemic user. Demons like that are called Malumi.
https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/comic/grrl-power-266-schooling-before-the-schooling/
“YES~!…Behold: For thou are basking in the awesome aura of the Maleficent APPLE!….”
(whispering to a lackey off screen, are you sure that is the correct translation? they’re all laughing at me… you KNOW what i do to people that fail ME!)
anybody else get the feeling they are severly misestimating how much that whould have taken out of max
Yes, i guess that might take Maxima out of the fight for a whole 3-5 seconds, just enough for beefknuckles to go grom gloat to gulp.
I hope not. I am really getting sick of the whole “Dues Ex Maxima” thing. It’s nice to show her being actually vulnerable and in need of teammates to have her back.
The whole, she has no weaknesses and can single-handedly solve any situation, makes for an extremely boring character. It’s one of the reason why I despise Superman.
But she had maxed out her speed, which means she would have had plenty of time to see that punch coming, and either dodge or swap all her power to defence.
need i remind you the barry allen flash doesnt dodge everything, and one of his main rogues is a guy throwing sticks at him.
She was using most of her speed to counter the stasis effect, and was focused pretty hard on FlameGirl. By the time she noticed the Brick attack, it was probably too late to counter it.
I think alf is a little relieved for someone to (forcably) tag her out and pull maxima’s aggro. sure she might still be getting detained/arrested but its not a maxima backhand followed up by waking up in some manner of prison with a sore neck and face roadrash.
The mission’s a bust.
Time to leave.
Surrendering is still an option but the Earth Cops seem to be busy at the moment.
Following that thought, they are what we call ‘motivator buyers,’ in the market for immediate transport off this rock.
Assuming Ray is willing/able to hear them out at this point.
I think that Dollar Store Vehemence just made the biggest and last mistake of his short lived super-villain career.
Hope you enjoyed that free shot, DSV.
I have to disagree. He will definitely come back in a later issue when the original Ideas run out. My expectation is
around 35 Volumes after this page. (Assuming we achieve immortality soon and the sun doesn’t die of old age before that.)
That, while funny, was pretty mean,.
I mean granted, the story progression is too slow, but mostly the stuff that we get is still quality material.
I am really sorry if I accidentally insulted someone/the comic. I have been saying for nearly two years now that this comic is by far the best I know, with only a single other even remotely approaching this quality of art and story.
But this is also my problem with this: After every page I am left with extreme anticipation for what happens after this, meaning the three/four day wait is even more nerve wrecking and is painfully stretched even longer by the fact that in this time there is no literature anymore that can provide even remotely this level of entertainment.
Dude, I’ve been following Megatokyo since day 1, you want to talk about wanting to see plot advancement? :-)
Same, also Girl Genius, Battle Angel Alita, Slayers … (several dozen others) seems that the more I read
/ watch the more there is.
On the otherhand, it also gives that extra zing see8ng just how long I can stand not savoring the ripe fruit off the vine(web).
You need to read Mark Stanley’s Freefall comic.
You will not believe how many years of achives just for the first few days of storyline…
And they’re all worth it.
You poor bastard. I quit Megatokyo ages ago. I can’t even say that the plot went nowhere, because at any given time, there didn’t seem to be a discernible plot going on. That and the art style *never* *changed*. Like, this guy had been drawing the same way for a decade or more. Granted, Sluggy Freelance is kinda like that, but at least there are discernible story arcs. Megatokyo may be great for some people, but it was a dud for me.
DSV – “Hey Max, I was just helping you get out of the statis field. Honest :D”
Max – “Grrr”
I wander how many and what kinds of supers are showing up;
at the very least this guy is a “brute” (abnormally large muscular form for a human, strength proportionate to muscle mass)
-don’t want to give him too much credit right off the bat as a Hulk (large muscle mass + enhanced strength beyond muscular proportion *like a Spider-man only with tent times the muscle mass getting that strength bonus&
or a Juggernaut *enhanced muscle mass + enhanced strength beyond muscles + additional powers like unstoppable momentum or magical barriers.
usually *Supes* like Maxima don’t get the above normal human muscles, but get an insane multiplier on strength. It is rare to get a Hulked out Supes *Doomsday*,
but that said: Archon on the field and allies.
Dabbler: Techno-Mage Succubus
Cora: Cyberpunk wet dream
Sydney: Space Ship like advanced tech with strict limitations, squishy human otherwise.
Mr. Amorpheous: Stretcher
HeatWave: Thermal Manipulator (heat focus, B or A class estimate, direct application (not seen her make fire birds or snakes or anything) only.
Achilles: Unbreakable (totally indestructible, but lacks any enhancements otherwise beyond taking advantage of not being able to be broken when hitting something),
and Maxima: An S-class supes types, with stat adjustment; probably just got at least a little hurt thanks to having to max of speed…depending on how strong that guy actually was.
After all, as we’ve discussed so many times, physics, defenses or not, without being braced in some way *surface or flying forward* you will still be sent flying with a strong hit. Can make it look worse than it is, like sending a Saiyen or Kryptonian through a mountain; you think you won because you knocked them back; but then they just stand out of the rubble with a smile or a glare.
believe it or not, sending your opponent flying off into the distance is a WASTE of the power of your hit… because the energy used to physically MOVE your victim is energy not absorbed by the victim… what you really want to do is arrange it so that the victim cannot “go with it”… and is forced to take the FULL brunt of the impact, thus you damage them MORE than if they went flying off and hit the side of a mountain or thru a building, etc…
As mentioned elsewhere, Super Damage Riders on insurance policies are practically pure profit.
The damage is usually covered by the standard policy and the likelihood of experiencing a super event approaches zero.
You might as well have meteor insurance.
You don’t have meteor insurance?
The Dinosaurs didn’t have it, either, and we all know what happened to them.
Yeah, they are running the government from their moon base
Which government you ask? All of them!
What is this “government” of which you speak?
You mean the scripted WWE-style “reality” show where each side tries to give you myriad reasons to loathe, despise and distrust them and vote for the other side instead, in order to entertain our alien overlords?
The more people who make this observation, the happier I become.
I won’t elucidate, because dragging rl politics into cool comic conversations is anathema to me. XD
Ooooo… I’m pretty sure Tony Stark and the rest of NYC would have had a few heated words / legal battles.
“Mr. Stark it clearly states in our policy that ‘acts of god’ are not covered. We are sure that Loki and Thor count as gods. Thank you for calling.’ *click*
Actually, Loki and Thor count as aliens, not gods
Why not BOTH?
Alien Gods are probably the elast taken Insurance of all.
Which is why Darkseid will visit.
Give your Life to Darkseid!
In pre magic MCU they hammered that, but as of Ragnarok they started back on the gods angle
Which to be fair Aesir gods were among the least all powerful gods… actually most gods were either local spirit beings or super humans.
why do i have a feeling that he just did the equivalent of shooting mongo from blazing saddles. lol https://youtu.be/TK7ZvZNAiKY?t=30
For pop culture reference, do you think referencing the Song Of Hildebrandt wit the big “I am your father” reveal during a battle scene is going a bit too far back? (It was ~800 AD for those of younger age.)
So, I take it max got a moment to change to Armour, otherwise that punch might of killed her if she was in 100% speed mode?
Her death would be a twist but I don’t think it’s going to happen.
Not to forget, we see her in the future, from the start of the webic
Of course, it’s not going to happen. We haven’t caught up to the starting scene yet, where Syd’s a major, and Max is there.
Syd is a Corporal, not a Major
Until now she was just really annoyed, but now she’s royally PISSED OFF.
If I was that close to a horse’s wiener…
we all get this reference, yes?
Robin Hood Men in Tights! :)
Da da! da dada dada! Daaadddadddaaa!
Shut up you bloody fools!
wait.. vehemence, again? how the hell did he scape jail?
It’s not Kevin.
One of the biggest drivers of mass literacy was the development of pulp paper, which ld to books and periodicals that almost anyone could afford, and the subsequent development of “pulp fiction” – penny dreadfuls, shilling shockers, Railway Library books, etc.
Can’t forget the printing press. A way to get a lòt of copies out quickly without having to hand copy them. Additionally; allow for non-santioned marerials to be spread, along with common (now) consumable newspapers
Max had everything in Speed, but now that that isn’t an issue anymore, she can put her boost into fighting stats and let loose….
The best description I’ve run into for pop culture is “culture created by artificial works” or in other words, if you can find the source and it is from something you can find an author for it’s pop culture, if it’s something that just happened it’s regular culture.
So, a habit that came about because of an event or circumstances , such as hot region’s frequently having loose clothing styles, it’s culture. Something like wearing a bowtie and fez at a convention would be pop culture, since what caused it was a work of fiction.
I’m not an expert, just wanted to put that out there in response to the comment about when pop culture starts. Don’t treat that’s a final definition or anything, like I said, it’s just the best definition I’ve run into. I would welcome people to give a better one if they have it.
Back to the original point, using that definition pop culture goes back as far as people remember the source for, because at some point people forget where the idea came from and use it just because people have used it long enough. I’d say 99+% of things from before 1800 most people don’t know the source of, so that’s when I’d say pop culture begins, but that’s just my view.
Also, I enjoy the comic, keep it up.
Well then that might have it go back as far as things like cave paintings, stonehenge and the invention of communications in general.
I think Wyld-One pegs the beginning of culture. Pop culture on the other hand is a moving target. I think as Dave is using the term it refers to being able to reference a shared experience with the expectation that everyone in the room knows what you are talking about. Once upon a time you could drop a reference to Enkidu or more recently the Wife of Bath and everyone would nod and chuckle. Pop culture probably dates back to the time when a tribe of early humans made fun of the tribe in the next valley over but it also constantly reinvents itself as things fade from peoples collective memory and new things take their place.
Personally I appreciate the explanation of ALF in the commentary since that went completely over my head. I don’t think I have ever watched the TV show but I am at least aware of the character.
ALF (the show) was fairly funny for the time period.
It’s STILL funny. Shows nowadays are 90% drivel.
Thinking that Doc Frost better give Maxima a checkup soon. She seems to be coming down with a bad case of Worf syndrome…
I hope muscle-head there enjoys his one free punch, an enraged Maxi could just turn him into a flaming smear on the pavement without even bothering to get up properly out of that rubble. A simple point of the her finger is all it would take…
What a great setup to start a dive into the depths of cultural science…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popular_culture
As far as pop culture, Charles Dickens read to sold out auditoriums and people would stand up and applaud when he read the first lines in a book from a popular character as though they had just walked into the room. His readings were popular in the late 1860’s. So maybe pop culture starts with the combination of mass printing and mass transit in the firm of rail travel?
I wonder if Hiro and the gang were called back when combat was initiated. In any case interrupting Max’s arrest of the alien kidnappers will earn these jokers a serious beating.
Was Hiro ever even there to be ‘called back’?
Fairly sure we have seen everyone who was sent to act as Inter-planetary Border Patrol
So… another human threat? Since he is referring to the alien as an ALF?
Maybe he is just a fan of the show. All the better to mislead the locals with FUD.
Maybe superhuman. ;-)
Possible. Could be human, but gene-mod / battle thrall – something Sciona mentioned when on Alari. Another syndicate posse is likely.
Sciona would probably be staying low and regrouping. Deus / Vale / Lorana group- a bit too soon I think.
I notice the new guy has brass (equivalent) knuckles, will they last the fight?
Did they last the punch (next page, he checks his hand only to find them cracked… with Maxi’s face imprinted in them :P )
Dave, I think you used the wrong Who’s Who for Maxima. I mean, she’s still golden and a woman (and mysterious) but that was for her pre-page-63 appearances. ^_^
seconded
@DaveB!!!!!
OMG! Maxima got punched back into the last decade!
Not sure if it’s intentional, but the stasis gun’s power indicator shows that it’s not done to Terran aesthetics. Yes, it’s displaying in English for our (the readers) benefit instead of in GalWest Standard or something, but the charge indicator is draining from red to green (although it’s still moving from right to left).
I think you might mean Western Terran aesthetics. Eastern Terran aesthetics would have movement from right to left indicating an increase, although a lot of Eastern Terrans have adopted Western Terran aesthetics to facilitate economic relations with Western Terrans.
Also up and down do not always indicate analogous functions in all Terran aesthetics.
If you look at the current and the previous page you will discover that the arrow was right and on red at sixty percent and left and on green at 2%, so while you’re right it doesn’t explain the color difference.
Didn’t make any comment about that. Was just clarifying that there are other Terran aesthetics besides Western.
Yuffiek did say it went from red to green and you corrected him.
I got that reference ~Captain America~
But jokes aside, I am showing my age here…I don’t think there is a single episode of ALF I didn’t see. To a kid-Kilravok, Gordon Shamway was hilerious.
Shumway, not Shamway (that’s the bootleg Amway products :P )
Didya also catch ALF the Animated Series, ALF Tales & Project ALF?
I bet she’d eat cats, btw. And she’d do it in front of the onwers and not have any remorse either.
Forgot to mention the animated series :(
Remembered straight after sending :(
Watched the animated series and the movie, not the others, though
Aww butt …
HOW RUDE!
Jumping the queue…Is there anything these thugs wont do?
*nods*
‘Culture’ doesn’t have to be restricted to ‘literature’, let alone mass produced literature
As long as it was ‘popular’ enough to be referenced, then it was ‘pop culture’. It didn’t have be widely known, just like a lot of modern ‘pop culture’ isn’t completely well known, at least, not the original source that is being referenced
Most people might know what is being talked about it, even if they don’t know where it originated from
Take, for example, the following exchanges:
“i have an army!”
“We have a Hulk.”
“i am a GOD!”
*crash smash groan moan*
“Puny god!”
Satire is a good example to measure against pop culture. A satirical reference typically involves some aspect of pop culture. Just as a satirical reference can itself become a part of pop culture. Think of all those internet memes.
Satire has existed since at least antiquity, therefore pop culture has also existed since at least antiquity.
Ah, yes. Dirty Pair … “That’s ‘Lovely Angels‘ Damn it!!” – Yuri
Why on Earth would you want a group of super-powered soldiers to be warmed up?
So that they would be able to fight their enemies better. Otherwise they might pull a muscle, for instance. Or still be wearing their night clothes. Which could be a bit embarrassing, if having to fend off an invasion.
It’s trash talk, not meant to be taken literally.