davebarrack
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Grrl Power #1018 - The troll under the extol bridge
🕑 Added 2022-01-27 11:01:01 +0000 UTCThanks so much for your support! For serious!
Should that be "abject exemplification?" Honestly it works either way. Object = a tangible thing. Abject = the lowest example of. Oh, English.
The "he's a supervillain because he mercilessly crushed his opposition" joke doesn't... quite ring true for me, because mostly he's going after all the corrupt officials that try and pocket 25% of everything that flows through their office and makes creating and maintaining infrastructure or an honest police force basically impossible. Removing those sorts of people, or "mercilessly crushing" them probably isn't going to put Deus on any nation's supervillain list. If I saw that all the bankers and traders involved in the 2008 banking crisis were stripped of all their assets and publicly flogged - well, I'd be fucking shocked that there might indeed be some accountability for rich criminals in America, but I also wouldn't lose a wink of sleep at their treatment.
But in some poor-ass sub-Saharan country, while there would be a few "rich" assholes taking advantage of everyone else, a lot of the people scamming funds from the local highway project are probably doing it because they kind of have to. So while Lorlara is correct in that some of the most parasitic scum were indeed given the "just heel," there was also a broad amnesty announced, saying something along the lines of "Real money is going to start coming into the country and salaries will be increasing. That said, from this point on, if you're caught with your hand in the cookie jar, you will be in deep fucking trouble."
Yes, Sydney is supposed to mention that she's white twice in that second panel. This probably isn't the first time she's been in the extreme minority, racially, but it's on her mind. I wish I'd had more time to draw people walking around in the background, showing the city as sort of a business park/college campus feel, but I was literally working on these pages when I was sick, so my productivity suffered a bit.
Oh, and I forgot to add "Watertowers" to the Hydro Tech Tree.
Covid Update: I got covid (probably omicron) as previously mentioned. I'm vaccinated, so it was like 4 days of barely being sick, no fever or anything, just a slight tickle in my throat and light sinus congestion, then it ramped up Sunday, and by the time I was working on posting the previous page, I was starting to feel pretty crappy, but it seemed like most of it was from insomnia. Then I got a good night of sleep Sunday night, and Monday I felt basically 90% better. The symptoms have continued to attenuate, and now I feel basically like I did on the first or second day. At this rate I assume I'll be 100% by the weekend. Or maybe I'll be 5% sick for the next six weeks. The symptoms seem to be all over the place, so we'll see. But I'm definitely getting that booster the first chance I get.
Tamer: Enhancer 2 – Progress Update: It's done!
Seriously. It's done. Check it out here!
Comments
Lia
She was checking to see if anyone else thought that bringing order, health and progress to people through infrastructure was in-character with the antagonist they have come to know and love. Then it was confirmed that yes, he is indeed still just an evil asshole in the next panel. Sydney knows he's a prick, but hope springs eternal.
Fizzfaldt
"how sure are we that deus is some sort..." Is this a typo? should it say "How sure are we that Deus ISN'T some sort..." Basically if Sydney is thinking that he's "secretly" an antagonist it should be "isn't", but if the change was "he's not actually long-term" then the original seems fine. The wording messes with me!
Daikaiju
Someone needs a face punch.
Eric Loken
I really don't know how he'd get past the tribalism that is so rampant in Africa and the Middle East (and the former Yugoslavia). The only thing that has ever worked in the long term is the Strongman tactic - which involves the leader being an absolute bastard to keep everyone in line, and playing the tribes off each other. And then when the strongman is gone, the place descends into anarchy once more.
Ashley Tattersall
Evil Surf could go full professional Gurning for the glory of her master
Ian Brown
Lorlara's "gritted-teeth manic grin" is REALLY creeping me out, which I'm sure is the entire point. QUICK! Someone stick an oak log in there and see if she can mulch it!
Thed Preston
Since you've caught COVID, do NOT get a booster the first chance you get. If you take it too early, it is actually more likely to be harmful than helpful. The booster (and vaccines in general) work by triggering your immune system to fight a fake pathogen that appears real; if that system is still working on expelling a real disease, the system won't respond as strongly. Instead, wait at least a month or two after your recovery before getting a booster. If you want a military analogy -- when your base is under attack, you should skip any scheduled military drills. (The actual reasons are more complex and have to do with the details of an immune response, which have several stages (macrophages, antibody response, B-cell response, T-cell response) and while technically an early booster might help with some of the stages, overall you'll be worse off because some of them actually continue on for quite a bit after symptoms subside and the booster interferes with it. Or to stretch that military analogy, after the attacks are over and your base is focused on restocking and recuperation, resuming military drills might be helpful for some sections of your base, but they'll still interfere with others, so it's best to wait on those drills until you're fully back in business.)
The Fire Piper
I am looking forward to the day when Halo gets into her own and becomes a full fledged superhero and not just a trainee... and gets her own costume :)
James
Given his "world domination" plans, his bringing demons (esp. Thothogoth, given what we've seen of him) into this, how readily he just let Sciona go after Wyrmil/Cooter, and his partially covering for Sciona after ARC-SWAT came after her... I'd say his actions and ultimate goals certainly ain't heroic.
Doug Northcote
Lorlara has way too many god damned teeth. Like Too MANY TEEF! That said, love it. And the skill tree with achievement unlocks in it had me snickering, 5 minutes out of bed while the water warmed up for the shower. Awesome.
Erin Palette
Panel 5: Aquifer, not aquafer.
Tim
I knew she couldn't hold it in! XD
Mantarok1205
Have you been taking your vitamins? Most people have a deficiency of vitamin D, especially during the winter...
JasonAW3
Deus... The Anti-Batman?
Dave Barrack
Thanks! The last few pages have been a bit of a struggle, but I'm going to blame that on covid. :)
Churchill (formerly TeaBear)
So dang lucky with that Covid thing... I was fully vaxxed and I've been fighting with it since January 2nd. It's stubbornly clinging on. Not really any worse than any other flu-type bug I've had, but it is tenacious.
I have followed this webcomic for quite a while and I must give some serious kudos on the improvement in the art. All the facial expressions on this page are totally spot on. I have really enjoyed watching you develop as an artist and storyteller.
Melody Haren Anderson
I think that would get him put on supervillain lists internationally... not by the general public, but by those in power... because they might be next. Like, I'm not sure about him, but him being complex isn't bad, and I think his point a while ago about where they'll come into conflict is he's a figure that brings change, and Maxima is a force of the status quo. Even if you know, she knows it keeps things she hates. Also I hope you fully recover soon. For the record, I heard someone who got it and didn't lose their taste till AFTER they felt fine, so just a warning.
Thisguy
Well, Deus’s current goal is to carve a path to the ocean so the country is no longer landlocked, and he doesn’t have to rely on travelling through other people’s territories and airspaces for trade. Too many tariffs and other corrupt governments to deal with. Simply put, his path is planned to avoid any countries with UN treaties. And once he hits the ocean, he’s unlikely to conquer much more, and will focus more on his long term plans. Whatever those may be. Deus isn’t stupid, he doesn’t want to get into a fight with the UN. Unless he’s already figured out a way to win of course,
Miyaa
Lorlara really is the most evil of evil Walmart greeters. And I can’t emphasize the evil part enough.
Brad Kirkwood
hmmmm, I'm left wondering just how many countries Deus can conquer before he hits someone who's a signatory of a defense treaty and the UN or a major country is actually forced to go to war with him
Brad Kirkwood
they can probably be back there in like fifteen minutes if they try, ignoring the possibility that Dabbler can just Teleport there
Ray
You said white twice. /blazingsaddles
Lilbobchicago
They were object examples it is a thing, just worded a little strange
Marc Vun Kannon
So with Max and Dabbler in Africa what's to stop the demons from opening another portal in America while they're gone? I can't help but feel this series is entering a major crisis point.
Marc Vun Kannon
Her ferocious grin is memorable.
Simon Magid
This also caught me off guard, but as I recall it we didn't get an actual date for his initial takeover. I think that what threw me was that the overlapping characters from the main story still looked about the same age. Then again this is a superhero story so there is a basis for characters appearing ageless.
Narall
Why do I check every update before I go to sleep when I know Lorlara will be on page giving me a new nightmare face?
akrasia
Apologies for the ignorant question, but I can't figure out what "object exemplification" is. The word "object" doesn't work as an adjective for me. I thought Dave might have meant "abject", which works grammatically, but doesn't make much sense. What does that phrase actually mean here?
Graeme Thorburn
Didn't think Deus'd been in Galtyn for that long. Seems like less than a year (comic time).
Thomas Dorner
IHMO being infected already counts as booster. Your immune system got the real thing, so it doesn't need the fake one for quite some time. Get well!
Michael Obert
Why do I always hear Lorlara's voice as the loud, judgment guy from Venture Brothers '20 years to Midnight' episode? "IGNORE ME!"
