Grrl Power #941 – Distract a Detla
Detla is going to get the impression that Archon is some sort of co-ed college comedy romp. That or she’s going to start punching dudes. It’s also possible that everyone in Arc-SWAT has decided to cock block Achilles today because that’s the thing they drew out of the Hat of Stuff to Do if Supervillains Don’t Attack.
Dabbler’s appearance isn’t permanently changing, in case you were worried about that. She just decided to wear something a little more tan today. (Possibly a little too tan. Any caucasian person that tan is going to look like an old catcher’s mitt by the time they’re 34.) Changing her glamor is a little harder than just laying on the couch changing channels, but… it’s not a whole lot harder either. It’s an innate ability controlled by a spell – a spell she’s had a lot of practice with, and maintaining it takes less mana than her mana regeneration rate.
It’s really hard drawing people looking down. That’s what Max is supposed to be doing in panel 2, looking down at Math’s manties, but it looks like she’s sighing. I guess it works either way, really. The problem is that women (especially sexy cartoon women) have full lashes, so if their eyes are only 1/4 of the way open, then lashes cover everything and it looks like their eyes are closed.
The new vote incentive is not quite ready yet. Well, it is, but I wanted to do an extra variant and maybe a little comic page, so it’ll be up with Thursday’s comic if not sooner.
Double res version will be posted over at Patreon. Feel free to contribute as much as you like!
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.
On what Detla is reacting to,
aside from the direct options of reacting to the skill tree
some misdirection options just occurred to me. What if she’s not reacting to the skill tree at all but something behind them like if Trent just walked out the door, or she is seeing X via some Yuatja special vision setting in her mask. Or she isn’t seeing the skill tree directly but her scanner is seeing Sydney as something different than the other humanoid mammals standing around…and it only just reacting as the vision modes change around.
I like the first two options the most. The ‘walking out of the door’ is a nice fun misdirect twist. Whereas we have gone a long long time without X making an appearance. Yet we know she keeps tabs on Sydney, so it would be logical for her to be here (unless she is trapped on a devastated planet, with no way back).
I thought X was a he and assigned to watch Dabbler?
they are, on both accounts.
x’s character page straight up says that their gender hasn’t been revealed yet.
Which fact is absolutely intriguing to me.
I’m actually kinda thinking it would be better to never actually make that reveal.
that’s if X is a single person. would so work if X is multiple people.
I can see that, a Arc-Dark using a generic cover-all costume for its agents.
X is an integer.
Sometimes.
Or the sound of “ch”.
Or a sort of soft ‘z’.
Actually, X is a variable. It could be defined as a real number instead of an integer.
X’s gender isnt actually revealed at all. Nor is X’s race, ethnicity, or sexual preference. They got horny when Dabbler walked in using her beholder aura, but everyone did, regardless of sexual orientation (except Maxima, who just got annoyed).
The only thing that’s even partially hinted at with X is that they’re probably not a super, because their bodytype doesnt look like an idealized man or idealized woman from what we’ve seen. It could be hidden though by the clothes.
But in general everything about X is intentionally generic.
Body type looked to me like a standard trenchcoat hero.
What I mean is that, from what we know so far about supers, the men have an ‘idealized male, musclebound form and females have an idealized female, pretty much hourglass figure. Even the case with people like Anvil, who is extraordinarily large and muscular. As Sydney stated, she does not “have to wory about anyone mistaking [her] for a man.”
https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/comic/grrl-power-340-shared-insecurities/
The only possible exceptions I’ve seen to this has been Mathias and Vance. Mathias might NOT be a super though – they’re just not sure, because his abilities are to the point where figuring out whether he’s human or super is a guess at this point. And Vance, we have no idea if he’s a super or not – because he’s referred to himself as a ‘hive of sentient spiders in a human suit.’ This might be just a lie. He might be a non-super member of ARCHON (like Peggy or Sydney). Or he might be a super and I’m wrong about my guess.
But so far, every other suit we’ve seen has fit this whole ‘super men are muscular and bulkier than normal men’ and ‘super women are hourglass shaped with low bodyfat.’ I have to say bodyfat because I’m pretty sure in raw weight some of them weigh more the average person since muscle is heavier than fat.
If X is a super, it would make it more likely that X is female, unless I’m wrong about Math and Vance not being supers. If X is not a super, they could be either male or female, or maybe a metamorph who can shift for all I know. It’s left intentionally vague with X.
My assumption is that X is a team, where all members are referred to as “X”. I mean, there’s gotta be more than one, right?
Who knows? Maybe other members of the team are called by different letters of the alphabet…And if there are more than 26 members of that particular team, they could even use different alphabets for designation.
Then again, you may be right…”X” might be the designation for any team member that’s assigned specifically to Dabbler at the time.
Using different alphabets can easily get complicated, when they have letters of identical appearance which may or may not represent the same sounds. It’s all very well distinguishing verbally between (Latin) ‘Exe’, (Greek) ‘Chi’, and Cyrillic ‘Kha’, but they’re all written as X!
Was thinking that as well: too obvious it being Sydney’s balls in full display glory
Then again, it could be a double obvious bluff: DaveB wants us to think that that is too obvious so we look for something else, only for the obvious option being the actual option (kinda like that scene in “Princess Bride”… no, not that one, the other one)
And down the rabbit hole we go! how many levels? 2 levels so far do i hear 4? and get that carpenter level out of here, pander might come by.
Wha? :)
your love of puns is well known.
this post may contain sarcasm. adjust detectors accordingly.
*shakes fist!*
Maybe she’s seeing what Krona sees when the skill tree is open.
Heh opportunity to play with the new one’s brain. Sydney could make a copy and say ‘it’s Archon’s secret weapon, more of Me.’
Nope. Sydney can’t use the orbs right now.
1. If she grabs an orb, she has to upgrade that orb. Also needs to do that before she can get her hand back.
2. If she does an upgrade in Detla’s presence, that’s an even bigger security breach.
Seriously Max?
the bikinis of most supers in that place covers less skin of whatmath is wearing right now…
The difference is that the type most of them wear is designed to not be too revealing when wet (Dabbler being the most obvious exception). Whereas underwear is not designed and manufactured with that in mind…
All things being equal… picture a Powergirl style speedo featuring a ballsack window.
My eyes!
Why must you curse me with this imagery?!
this is the internet. and no, brain bleach isn’t a thing, yet.
But it’s enough for people to want Brain Bleach™ to exist, isn’t it? Although for some things, it takes more than Brain Bleach; It also takes Intra-Cranial Sandpaper™ too…
The easiest way to achieve this is to find your nearest Illithid, then all your worries just washes away….
*I take no responsibility for any form of enslavement or brain eating on the Illithid’s part
Oh my, you know that this will now, soon be a thing.
Yup, aint I a stinker?
Somehow, I really don’t think it would be much longer before some Tik-Toc wags to issue a new challenge; How much bleach can you drink before you wipe out unwanted memories.
Not that anyone with any level of brains & common sense would would even take up such a challenge…
Yummy. Thanks for the image :D
lol
Bless you for that image. Giant manballs in the frontview window!
Somehow, that reminds me of a fairly old movie, named “So Fine.”
Except that the “window’ would be on the other side of the pants…
I’m pretty sure you could find that on ShadBase
a bikini bottom and a pantie bottom are designed differently
even if you had ones that were the same colour and size the difference in design would make panties more revealing
now do the same mental math for maths’s junk that he’s currently giving everyone present a rough outline of…
Bikini bottoms and panties can and often are designed the same way. Both can be just as revealing.
Thr only big thing that differ between them is the material used.
…With the main difference in materials being how much they reveal/emphasize when they get wet…
I mean, that’s the whole idea of the “defined difference” it makes in society, yea?
Even if its hard to tell if Max is looking down or not, I think the long suffering “I don’t get paid enough for this shit” look is also entirely in character for her and appropriate for the situation.
The sigh, in that scenario, is precisely because she *is* paid enough for that kind of shit.
Can confirm.
I used top have lots of “I can’t believe I signed up for this” moments, when I was in uniform.
SO MANY stories.
Dad, Granddad, older sister, too many friends to count, ALL Had stories about ‘I can’t BELIEVE I volunteered for this!’
That look on Maxima’s face is just right!
It is said that the word “Navy” is an acronym for “Never Again Volunteer Yourself” because, anywhere in the military in general, there is no lack of people in higher ranks that are more than willing to volunteer you for something…
Some of that being, in the military, asked to go fetch a left-handed screwdriver, or , the Navy specifically, a spool of gig line…
She might be paid a lot.
But there are moments of clarity when the realization that no amount of money is large enough, but its too late to back out.
This is why the military have “volunteer recruits” sign a Contract of Employment to lock them into compliance to legal terms & conditions…
>Detla is going to get the impression that Archon is some sort of co-ed college comedy romp.
DaveB, I hate to tell you this… was it not your INTENTION to create the superhero equivalent of a co-ed college comedy romp? ‘Cause… that’s kinda what you got.
Not that most of us are complaining ;)
Oh no! Not in the slightest!
Most of us have long ago recognized that Grrl Power was originally intended, even as DaveB mentioned it, a work of fiction that not only subverts many tropes of the super-hero genre but also plays around with the tropes for humorous results.
And other types of ‘verts’ have flocked to it ever since ;)
In other words, Detla is perceptive enough to perceive the obvious.
Something you definitely should not touch, Padawan.
and after he says this- she immediately attempts to touch it.
God. I can’t decide which version of Dabbler is hotter… because HOLY FUCK her human disguise is fucking amazing. That bronzed skin and entire look… holy God!
…I’m going to just say both and imagine the fun in wonderful ways.
I’m not usually hot for the ganguro look, but….
Mama like. X’D
Yeah, Dave has drawn her pretty attractively. It is humorous that Sydney equates that with sexiness. Most of the time ganguro reminds me of Witchiepoo. (RIP Billie Hayes).
Attractiveness is subjective. I, personally, only like Dabbler’s unglamoured form.
I like Detla, can we keep her?
you have to feed her, clean up after her, and not ogle her.
But don’t feed her after midnight and never get her wet …
…
Uh oh, Houston may have a problem!
not ogling is a dealbreaker.
….and now I want to have her roped into ridiculously over-the-top Harajuku Loli fashion/culture.
And not the scary-loligoth stuff. I mean cotton candy & ruffles, chunky MJ’s & parasols, pastel pinks & blues, petties & pinnies…
And to watch her utterly destroy bad guys. Like, specifically Yakuza goons, with an epic sword fight, with Halo, Dabbles, Harem, and Gwen watching with dango & weird Japanese sodas.
I mean, Dabbles has said she wanted to go, and I’m certain Halo would too, and at least one of Harem clearly is down for the Harajuku scene, and-and Gwen is tots a Loligoth. I can see them making a day of it, dragging Detla along for “cultural immersion training,” or w/e, and….boom.
Cue epicness. ^_^
That much cuteness may cause diabetes or worse. are you ready for the responsibility?
I have long since already suffered the of my conscience.
Besides, who doesn’t want to see Dabbles using Harajuku Loli-couture to make hundreds of salarymen have coma-inducing explosive nosebleeds?
I know this is rhetorical, but….
Give me a good old fashioned horror story over this accursed thing anyday. XD
TBH, Math is probably the only Archon member Detla can learn from (if he can concentrate long enough on not staring at her).
I’m sure that one of at least two things could happen in that case; A) Maxima notices the ogling and assigns him some “remedial homework” of googling on the interwebs… or B) Detla notices the ogling and takes offense at his BLATANT version (versus Achilles: “Heh, She’s a hot looking babe, let’s get her into a bikini and the pool… but that’s it”, style of semi-acceptable ogling) and she takes matters into her OWN hands… and possibly even teaches Math a lesson in manners that he won’t soon forget… and THAT is what gets Max to go to bat for her when the “aren’t you under arrest?” thing gets heard about by the upper echelon’s of authority and they want to institute rather draconian penalties on Detla (and maybe even Achilles).
…I can see Max _considering_ wanting to recruit someone who could rival Math…but then, we already have Jabbers. So, unless Detla turns into the armed-combat expert/instructor – which is feasible, I think, as we don’t have one of those yet, that I know of – I’m not sure how this plays out.
There’s also Jabberwocky. She’s another martial artist who happens to be a super. She does have the advantage of swapping her powers around a bit with her fighting style, something that Math can’t do. At best he just sort of holds back less, which is different from her gaining super speed or toughness.
Math definitely has the most to teach her in regards to martial arts, but she could still get *some* benefit from sparring with foes with unusual abilities. Also, she lost because she didn’t learn about her foes’ powers and underestimated them. She cut off Cora’s holo-hand and was fed a surprise sucker-punch. She let Achilles get her in a grapple despite her speed and technological superiority. Humility, caution, and preparation are lessons that she needs to learn.
The downside is math is clearly no teacher. He might have the knowledge and skills to be worth teaching but clearly he isnt exactly a good miyagi. As is evidenced by his attempt to teach Sydney. Granted the skill gap there is all but insurmountable. But its not like he’s been heading up training the others to his skill level. He’s there to enjoy the view and be the human who can dance with the supers.
What’s she mean that it’s Sydney’s design?
because thats the succubus glamor she got from scanning sydney if you remember
https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/comic/gp0100/
https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/comic/grrl-power-101-what-else-would-you-do-with-two-invisible-arms/
then in
https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/comic/grrl-power-109/
eeny on peggy, should skip you on maxima, and already did you on sydney.
Thanks! I never quite caught until you pointed that out that the glamour in that scene was referencing Sydney (for some reason I always went in the opposite direction with it, which didn’t quite make sense.)
Dave’s commentary from page 100 – https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/comic/gp0100/ – As we see [Dabbler] entering on this page, she’s deploying a simple “I’m the sexiest thing you can imagine” spell.
On page 109 we find that it was focused on Sydney.
DaveB – March 6, 2017, 12:58 pm
This is pretty Sydney specific. It’s just her idea of pin-up superheroine physique, with a little fantasy face markings thrown in.
Dabbler’s having a bit of a glamour failure in panel 8. Somewhere around 19 inches, her waistline went from “idealized” to “creepy” and she started to look like a Barbie repaint.
You mean, like Math’s waist in panel butt-floss (panel five, for those who lost count ;) )
It’s probably just an art error, but I can definitely see how Sydney’s response could’ve thrown Dabbler off. On top of how she recently had to go back to Ray Cosmos, of all people… I don’t know. Feels weird to project on a character who is my exact opposite in so many ways.
So Dabbler is actively flirting with Halo. Not surprised, but noted
Surprising would be Dabbler NOT flirting with Halo or anybody else.
It’s just part of the succubus culture, sort of like saying hello.
No doubt HR has talked with her many times, but to her it’s like an adult in a Charlie Brown cartoon, going wa-wa.
I’d pay to see a ‘Peanuts’ variant of the crew. X’D
Succubi saying hello…. great, now you’ve got me writing lines for them.
“Oh, you’re only asking how I feel because you’re afraid to come over here and feel me.”
“I feel fantastic. But don’t just take my word for it.”
“How am I? I’m wonderful, glad you asked. You should really try me sometime.”
“Mmmm…. Y’know, you could find out how I am…. ”
“Shaking… hands. Just hands. . Human customs take some time to get used to.”
In many cases of succubi greeting there is no dialogue at all.
These are hilarious, thank you.
“Well… How I’m doing, of course, depends on who I’m doing. Every one is different.”
A: How do you feel?
Dabbler: Silky, a little moist. Firm but yielding. Sooo yielding.
Best response.
What Bharda said. That’s better than mine.
What? No, yours were great. Maybe I’m just being dumb, but I genuinely can’t follow Dal’s at all.
Once Detla learns that Nth tech is on Earth They’re going to have to find a way to keep her on the planet. Maybe offer her a job?
there is no reason to tell her that…not even sure Sydney or Cora have even shared that information with anyone on the team yet (not been established they have or not at least); and besides most the current functions can be passed off as magic orbs or what not. Its only some aspects that give away they are higher than most tech, the Aetherium Causeway was the only clue Cora had that they may be Nth tech.
if they are just floating there and the basic functions seen one could assume 2nd tier tech or 3rd tier (ascended) tech which is still the find of thing people would fight wars over granted.
Dabbler and Cora both figured it out cuz they’re pretty smart even for members of advanced civilizations (i realize Cora is human but she’s still got access to tech way above Earth level); Dabbler is either a borderline genius or an outright genius; if Detla didn’t think to do research on the backwater planet she was going to, it’s possible she’s not smart enough to either know about or deduce the existence of Nth tech, plus ofc she’s a prisoner so they have no reason to explain it to her other than what the average Earthling already knows which is that it’s Halo’s superpower
We just witnessed a mssive security breach. Bets on MANY security guys going totally ape in the very near future?
Cora was worried about the orbs being seen and being recognized as Nth tech. Detla is a MERCENARY. Not a member of Cora’s crew or trusted by Dabbler. If she is not VERY careful, this won’t end well for her. Dabbler may or may not be able to play with her memories like she played with the barber guy’s memories (from the restaurant fight). If not? Her life may very well be forfeit and I BET she just realized that.
Earth has supers, true. Will it matter of EVERYONE ELSE in the galaxy decides to come and try and take Sydney’s orbs?
Explain where and what the security breach is please
That claim is presumably based on the assumption that everything about Sydney’s orbs is secret, specifically a government secret.
She has agreed to keep some aspects secret, but it’s HER stuff, and there is no formal security clearance involved. Thus, there is no true security to breach, even if Detla were to see the skill tree… which I don’t believe she has, due to the mask. If she had seen the skill tree, then we have learned what her mask is not (in any way enhanced).
yeah I’m also not getting how this is a security breach.
Most of what the Orbs do was stated in a press conference, only a few aspects are considered secret such as the veil piercer or that she doesn’t know what everything they can do is. Assumed the Aetherium Causeway would be added to the list (despite her doing it in a public location: right outside her comic shop).
it is an assumption to even say Detla recognizes what she is looking at as a skill tree and not just a really fancy decorative hologram display (like those seen at fracture station), and honestly skill trees are kind of a new concept on Earth, in gamer communities mainly, to the point I’ve had to explain the concept to older individuals trying to get into some games. So suffice it to say, not exactly a universal concept.
So yeah, its preferable not to let others get a big eyeful of the skill tree…although reporters have likely stated they could see it, just the skill tree its self didn’t show up on camera…the fact the orbs suddenly spun around real fast and then spaced themselves out in the air however likely was seen on camera just not the little lines and skill point nodes.
The skill tree has already been revealed, to a gaggle of gossipy reporters, so any ‘security breach’ has long been broached
Me: Hm, why does Math’s face seem a bit odd, especially in the first panel.
Also me: Aw, Dave B, why no front image of Math? Equal opportunity fanservice and all that.
Seems to me the shading is a bit extreme. Someone else says his eyebrows are missing.
Eyebrows could help a little, maybe, yeah.
Bikini briefs. Huh.
When I was a kid, guys had exactly two options for underwear: Y-fronts and shorts (Jockeys and Boxers – and I didn’t know anyone who wore Boxers. Or admitted to it, anyway. It was considered rather dodgy…)
Then, when I was sixteen (1972), bikini briefs for guys came on the market. I think they’d finally worked out how to make stretch fabric. I bought some, loved them, and haven’t worn anything else since then.
I wear Speedos at the beach, too. This may horrify the natives, but I don’t care.
I don’t know why she even questioned Sydney’s choice in beautifying holographic headwear accessory
Maybe I’m being a little nitpicky here, but has anybody noticed that Dabbler’s left arm has not once left her hip in the past 3-pages?
We know she’s got at least two arms hidden by the Glamour. Want to bet on whether either of her real left arms is actually on her hip?
At casual count, it looks like Math’s showing at least eleven different scars. “Martial Arts Expert” apparently means not getting killed or defeated, but also definitely NOT dodging bullets or swipes from a katana or any of a wide variety of edged weapons. Does he have super-healing powers so an artist can draw them in anywhere without needing continuity from episode to episode?
Math’s powers are primarily skill based as opposed to being an inherent superpower. He might have some enhanced healing due to being in really good physical condition or having special meditative techniques but otherwise he would heal like a regular human being. Unless one of the orbs is revealed to be a first aid kit Sydney is in the same boat. it says a lot for Math that he is playing in the superhero sandbox and only has a dozen scars.
Oh, NOW you see it! smh
While Detla may be reacting to the orbs or something else behind Sydney, this should at least draw Maxima’s attention to the available skill point that Sydney came down here to seek consultation about in the first place.
Delta has already sworn not to break any more local laws. So it is only necessary to point out to her that spreading information on classified items is contrary to that law. This should work well until Delta has a long talk with Julian Assange.
…methinks Detla probably already already has a firm grasp of the ethics of things. Many warrior cultures are actually pretty damn good philosophers, too. Questions like “when is it acceptable to use our tremendous capacity for violence,” tend to lead to debates over what “the good” is.
The only thing classified about Sydney’s balls, is the TruSight ball (and possibly the fact not even Sydney knows what her Brown ball does)
Where are Math’s eyebrows? He looks weird without them.
Yeesss, the lack of eyebrows is what makes his face look weird…
apparently he was trying to earn a guest spot on mythbusters.
It looks like Sydney is holding her flight orb when she points at Dabbler.
Shouldn’t that lock her hand into that choice?
That’s the point she earned, not one of the orbs.
Technically, Dabbles is still stripey, just not ‘all that other stuff’
She really needs to learn how to make the orbs invisible. If the original owners visited a highly trafficked part of the universe/galaxy, and they still a complete mystery, then I feel like it is absolutely a function of the orbs that they can render themselves invisible. Probably a yellow orb function if not an innate quality of all of them.
Detla taking a good hard look at Math’s underwear. XD
Which may even be a result of Math taking a good, hard look at Detla…
Also, didn’t Math used to have eyebrows? Just noticed they seem to be gone. Or did they get singed off at some point and I forgot?
They use be the same shade of bleached-blonde as a his hair (you have to look real close at his Who’s Who pic to make them out), maybe DaveB decided simply not to other anymore for something that was barely visible when they were there
DaveB’s under-the-comic blog: “and maintaining it takes less mana than her mana regeneration rate.”
hey, if DaveB wants to use that kind of mechanic to explain how magic works in the Grrl Power universe, then he’s not the only one.
I’m sure that some games use mana & it’s game mechanic in similar ways…For example, GURPS RPG does too. Magic “spells” cost mana to cast them & mana to maintain them: The higher the caster’s skill-level the lower amount of mana it costs to cast it & the lower it costs to maintain it…A sufficiently high skill level simply reduces the Maintanence Cost to zero & even higher levels of skill may even reduce to Cost To Cast to zero.
Why does Dabbler tell Sydney that “this was your design”?
That’s already been asked and answered in the comments above, but in short, this particular glamour, which Dabbler was using when she first introduced herself to Sydney, was based on Sydney’s mental image of “sexy”, which Dabbler read using a spell or her succubus powers.
Max’s response in panel four is not a justification, nor does it rebut Math’s very valid point.