Patrik loves to knit, bake, and help his friends while dealing with his own demons... like his thirst for blood because, oh yeah--he's a vampire.
Lunar Blight
Studio CARTRIDGE, Laura Lee
Lunar Blight is a gothic horror story about an elite knight serving a moon cult who must choose between upholding his honoured duty or condemning everything he’s grown to know.
Guilded Age
T Campbell, John Waltrip, Florence Machina
Welcome to the saga of the working-class adventurer! Enjoy the complete story with new annotations daily!
The Otherknown
Lorian Merriman
Chandra is a 12-year-old accidental time traveler with a reluctant new dad, who happens to be a member of a feared galactic crime syndicate.
Girl Genius
Phil Foglio, Kaja Foglio
In a time when the Industrial Revolution has become an all-out war, Mad Science rules the World...with mixed success.
Goblins
Ellipsis
A fantasy RPG as told through the eyes of the low-level monsters.
Sunshine Boy
Moosopp
New-kid Kelly is sweet but naive. Luckily, he's got his outgoing neighbor Grey in his corner.
Demon's Mirror
Harry Bogosian
Based loosely off of "The Snow Queen", a story by Hans Christian Andersen, we see things take a different turn as the demons become central characters, and the side characters stick around. Yup, that's the only differences. Enjoy!
Tove
Severin
The end of the world is coming, and Tove doesn't want to be a hero, but SOMEONE has to look after her little brother.
Fairmeadow
Kendra P. / KP
A wayward soldier finds herself in a pacifist commune deep in the wilderness of a war-weary land. Living in isolation brings her closer to those she was sworn to kill than she could ever imagine - but also threatens to tear the place apart.
Demon Studies
Miyuli
Four students summon and study potentially dangerous demons within the walls of the mysterious Summerland University.
Between Failures
Jackie Wohlenhaus
The low stakes adventures of an assorted group of 20 somethings trapped in the declining years of American retail. They are naughty and say lots of swears.
Killjoys
Flatw00ds
When two disgraced ex-feds fall backwards into trouble with the clown mafia, getting out in one piece is gonna be no joke!
Drugs & Wires
Mary Safro, Io Black
Dan used to be a VR operator until his brain got fried by malware. Now he's stuck delivering packages in a post-Soviet hellhole all while trying to adjust to his new life and find some answers.
Real Science Adventures
Brian Clevinger
Spin off stories and other adventures from the world of Atomic Robo!
MASKLESS
kickingshoes
In a world where people can wield the magic of elemental Masks, all Ashe wants to do is help. Maskless and useless, with dreams of fire and smoke on the back of his tongue, he finds himself on a strange, dangerous path to uncovering the secrets of these incredible objects, and the source of the monsters plaguing his home.
How to be a Werewolf
Shawn Lenore
Malaya Walters was bitten by a werewolf as a child. After being raised by her human family, she faces the chance to learn what being a werewolf is really like as an adult.
Clockwork
Chikuto
Cog Kleinschmidt is a diligent, quiet worker at the Mercia Fortress, the world power's leading stronghold. His orderly life is thrown into chaos when an enemy kingdom sends a diplomat for peace talks. This diplomat needs something from Cog - whether he agrees to their terms or not!
[un]Divine
Ayme
A highschool senior thought giving up his soul for a demon was a good idea. It wasn't.
Far to the North
Allison Shaw
Kelu turns to the monsters of her remote mountain home when her family is held hostage by outsiders.
Go Get a Roomie
Clover
Experience the queer journey of an upbeat hippie and the friendships she makes along the way! A tale of self-discovery and love of many forms.
Dumbing of Age
David M Willis
Joyce has been homeschooled her entire life until now, when she's suddenly a freshman in college! Things don't go well.
Anacrine Complex
Sae Cotton
A superhuman heist involving probably too many pigeons than entirely necessary.
Cyanide & Happiness
Explosm
Satire, dark humor and surreal humor.
Atomic Robo
Brian Clevinger, Scott Wegener
The robot punches monsters and bad robots and one time he was a cowboy.
Star Trip
Gisele Weaver
Jas is a human taken from her home planet on a trip across the galaxy she will never forget.
Whomp!
Ronnie
A depressed, portly, hirsute anime fan stumbles through life in the ever-pursuit of chicken nuggets and other life-shortening indulgences.
The Lonely Vincent Bellingham
Diana Huh
Vincent is an unkind man looking to disappear, and finds himself in the care of a vampire and her two wicked children.
Sam & Fuzzy
Sam Logan
Troubled by gangster rodents, lovesick vampire stalkers, or confused ninja assassins? Don't panic! Sam and Fuzzy are here to help. (For a reasonable fee.)
Monster Pulse
Magnolia Porter Siddell
Four kids run afoul of a creepy secret organization's experiments, which turn their body parts into fighting monsters. Part sentimental coming-of-age story, part monster-training shonen manga, with just a bit of sci-fi body horror.
Spinnerette
Krazy Krow, Rocio Zucchi, Pablo Rey
When a lab accident gives Heather Brown spider powers and six arms, she does what any midwest comic geek would do: Become Ohio's #3 superhero!
2 Slices
RJ Morel
After a case of mistaken identity, will awkward Daisuke find help from excitable Mamo, or will his love life be thrown completely off track?
Come Hell or High Water
Jenny/Star, Mori
Prince Gladimir was never meant to fall for a pirate. Swearing off love for duty, the threat of war propels him back into the Captain’s world of high seas and high stakes. Their relationship could be the thing to save the kingdom of Yvoire - or destroy it.
No End
Erli, Kromi
A queer romance about people attempting to build lives in a cold, post-apocalyptic world ravaged by hordes of undead.
Wilde Life
Pascalle Lepas
Oscar decided to rent an old haunted house, and that's when things got weird...
Empowered
Adam Warren
A sexy superhero comedy (except when it isn't) about the never-ending struggles of a plucky but very unlucky young superheroine.
The Witch Door
Anni K.
Katariina Lehto discovers her neighbor is a witch called Jousia Muotka. Jousia introduces Katariina to the strange people and places beyond the witch door...
Heart of Gold
Eliot Baum, Viv Tanner
A pianist with failing eyesight seeks out a priest with a miraculous healing touch, drawing him deeper into a world of miracles and curses.
Obelisk
Ashley McCammon
In 1908 New York, a young woman struggles to put her life back together in the wake of her father's death - until she discovers a vampire in the shambles of her inheritance.
Wychwood
Varethane
When Tiara's pyrokinesis is finally noticed, she is captured by a magical research organization for study. If she cooperates, she could be helping to save humanity from a dire threat - but can she trust them?
Awaken
Koti Saavedra/Flipfloppery
Superpowers, monsters and conspiracies. Piras, the spoiled Dameschi heir, fights to recover his identity after becoming a terrorist!
Knights Errant
J.R. Doyle
Wilfrid's humble quest for revenge becomes bigger and bloodier by the day.
Nerf Now!!
Josué Pereira
A cute webcomic about fanservice, video games, and... love. Mostly video games, though.
Countdown to Countdown
Velinxi
Iris Black is a self-proclaimed inventor with the curious ability to bring his drawings to life, and yearns to find a space where he can use his powers freely.
Solstoria
Angelica Maria
After her brother goes missing, Samantha vows to become a Knight and help those around her in the Kingdom of St. Helena.
Folklore
Adam Ma, Colin Tan Wei
A superhuman horror story focused on a small band of survivors trying to navigate a war-torn world in the aftermath of the Federation’s collapse.
Hazy London
Scotty
A story about messy relationships. From friendly foes to crazy families. Nothing is black and white, just full of color. But, all colors can get a little hazy...
El Goonish Shive
Dan Shive
WARNING: This comic often ignores the Laws of Physics
Lighter Than Heir
Melissa Albino
A young Volant woman joins the military in an effort to upstage her war-hero father.
Paint the Town Red
Windy, Winter Jay Kiakas
Winona runs a werewolf shelter with partner in crime, Odile in the Gothic city of Merlot. One day they take in an injured vampire, and soon unravels many of the dark secrets of Merlot.
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Not that he’s actually their butler, but he tall, slim, and British, so they just start calling him Alfred ordering him around, and he can’t figure out how to make it stop.
Red Hood and the Outlaws starting at Rebirth has been utterly delightful. Jason Todd taking the role of a father figure humanizes him in a way that he’s never really been before.
That he’s a father figure to Bizarro is icing on the cake.
Plot twist: because it’s dark and they’ve been noted as having similar appearances, Becky now thinks Amazi-Girl is none other than her archnemesis Dorothy!
I’m surprised so few people have mentioned this. Becky is really upset her, y’all. She’s having her hard-won stability ripped away yet again, and for a change she isn’t hiding behind a quip and goofy fun times.
Agreed. I think if Becky goes back with AG/Amber to the dorm to try to tell Dina what’s going on, she’s going to realize her girlfriend must be with them, too.
Despite sleep-deprived Amber’s memory or hallucination of Mike asserting that the cops were so corrupt as not to be trusted, we HAVE seen the justice system respond capably. When Ross fired off a gun, the justice system did correctly say “Yeah no that’s too far” and arrest him. He is very much on bail and on thin ice.
I also agree that we’re warping reality to cartoon levels in order to not involve the cops NOW, probably so we can have a sweet kung fu showdown. It wasn’t a “comic strip” when Ross was believably arrested for firing off a rifle, the cops reacted realistically then and arrested him for endangerment, brandishing a deadly weapon, etc. (PS- he seems to have learned from that and left the rifle at home for his, well, er felony kidnapping. Or more likely it’s in a police evidence locker. Or maybe the dropped it into a portable hole, since it’s a cartoon.)
Just finished reading an article where two jurisdictions sent in ALL their toys on a vagrant Break and enter. 55 vehicles including 2 SWAT teams 2 Helicopters, a C&C Winnebago and an APC. The homeless guy had raided the fridge.
The law lobed teargas through each and every windows, smashed through three outer doors, trashed most of the rooms, flattened 150 feet of fencing and ripped out a wall.
9th district said the homeowner doesn’t get recompense since the law was doing their duty and using what force they deemed necessary at their discretion. Oh it was $150K in damages and the homeless guy was unarmed.
THAT is why any sensible person does not call the cops on top of worrying about getting shot if [insert lame cop excuse here]
Just hope the kidnappers decide to let you go or that your college friend can pull off a rescue on her own. Much better plan. Only thing any sensible person would do.
In this case, the friend is a superhero, so it kind of makes sense, but that’s outside of any kind of realism.
Killing is an option and a lot of people are betting it will happen to one of the dads but Amber shouldn’t do it. This just isn’t that kind of comic and it would be a huge tone shift for any of the characters to just kill someone. A lot of people are betting Blaine gets disappeared by the mob for wasting resources and drawing attention to them with this stunt.
Blaine’s been foreshadowing injuries enough that I’ll believe it if he punctures a lung, maybe even bleeding out, from a broken rib from any further injury.
It would be interesting if his girlfriend lady took up the mantle of vengeance for that, she seems very mentally committed to the idea that Blaine is right and the victim here.
Amber absolutely shouldn’t do it, and I don’t think AG thinks they can right now – for one thing, seeing Mike so battered was clearly traumatic, and so was stabbing Ryan, so she’s got full reason to think she can’t psychologically handle it. (AmbG’s psyche is in rough enough shape as it is.)
I think it’s possible she ends up accidentally responsible for it due to Blaine’s injuries, because Willis is an ASSHOLE, but not super-likely because even if Amber didn’t get arrested for it, it’d pretty much necessitate the AG reveal and them losing a source of sweet sweet superhero action. Mob or Yuri (or the combination thereof) seems way more likely.
Or Ross. If Blaine does Blaine things and attempts to cut off a few loose strings I could see Ross attacking him and accidentally killing him due to pre-existing conditions.
Legally what’s the status of “I intervened to defend somebody against attempted murder [legal], and used quite a lot of force but not an excessive amount given the size differentials and the fact that Blaine doesn’t like to stay down. The person who took the brunt of it then didn’t seek help for their injuries for a few days, and ultimately ended up dying as a result of them. However, they were conscious, mobile and lucid during that time, and if they had sought help immediately their wounds would not have been life-threatening”? Death by misadventure with no legal culpability? Suicide? It doesn’t seem like it should be manslaughter…
That doesn’t mean that Amber/Amazigirl wouldn’t feel guilty/responsible though :-/
I appreciate that you’re murder-happy, but the issue isn’t “Batman doesn’t kill”. It’s that Amber can’t bring herself to kill. There’s several Grand Canyons’ worth of distance between those two things.
It’s been a long time since I checked but historically speaking, the server DoA is hosted on tends to wander around, time-wise. 8 minutes late is nothing to to worry about on your end unless other sites are also showing time delay.
According to Dr. Andrea Letimendi (real psychologist who analyzes episodes of Batman: the Animated Series on the podcast the Arkham Sessions), there’s three personae in play: Batman – who’s a mask to Get Stuff Done, Bruce Wayne – who’s a mask to maintain the financial flow, and Bruce – the real person, sitting in the Batcave in costume with the cowl down. Only Alfred and the Robins know the real Bruce.
Though she didn’t kill Ryan. She says she tried, but it’s not that hard to kill someone with a knife if you want to and we’ve got no evidence that anything external stopped her.
Frankly I don’t think AG is thinking too clearly here. The dad’s may seem invincible but the reality is they’re not. Ross is already out on bail so he could very easily go back. AG should know that. Blaine may have some protection with corrupt cops on his side but Ross doesn’t. It’s not a complete idea but there’s enough there to start forming a real plan instead of believing it’s hopeless or that you have to kill someone.
She also tend to run into the faulty thinking that it’s all up to her. It really isn’t.
Given how competent the evil-dad-braintrust are, at this point I give it even odds that if ag just sits on the hand the whole night, the evil dads will just stumble on their own shoestrings and break their neck* in the stairs.
They can’t win, because their plan is bad and there don’t seem to be any steps leading to any goals of theirs.
Blaine can start killing hostages, though.
Amber/Amazigirl is definitely beyond stressed out, sleep deprived, PTSD from watching Mike hurt or even killed.
“OK Becky, just leave your girlfriend, house and job you managed to get, and live your life as a transient hobo, always on the run and looking over your shoulder, forever” is not a good or sane plan. “I kung fu’d all your guards into submission so I could tell you this plan which makes sense too”. “I HAVE A PHONE.”
Everyone putting all this on Amber’s shoulders, “she, not the cops, will save us!”, when they SHOULD be noticing just how not OK she is, puts this on their shoulders too.
Since Becky is understandably too distressed to say anything inappropriately silly, I’ll do it instead. Here goes:
I can’t ever read a line like “Leave. Get out of here” without thinking of Harry and the Hendersons. (The reference has already been made in-comic, by Ethan and Joyce, but that certainly isn’t gonna stop my brain.)
Dina died in a semi-heroic manner in “It’s Walky”, if I remember correctly, and Ruth died in “Joyce and Walky”, also in a heroic manner. Could we be working up to another “Act with integrity — no regrets” moment for some other minor character who is yet to be determined?
Asher fits the “character whose death wouldn’t be mourned by the main cast forever” criteria. Sal would be the only one who might feel conflicted, we don’t know how well Walky and Billie know him, Amber only encountered him the one time, and the rest haven’t met him.
Pretty obvious that Amber needs a place to formulate a plan & maybe get (since rest is out of the question until the crisis is over) some food. Galasso hates other villains trespassing on his turf, and has a ninja.
On a more practical level; if the local cops cannot be trusted, and the situation is dire, and may involve the mob and / or criminals who crossed state lines — call the FBI.
Both. She should call both. Not just because it often can’t hurt to have two people in your corner, but because I, personally, would enjoy seeing the two approaches and how they’d mesh.
I hope Dina saves the day before I have to hear more pessimistic yet realistic stuff. I already hear about the Coronavirus on a daily basis. The reminder of corruption just makes me want to smash a tv like Barney Stinson.
Realization: Blaine has enough to win right now. Multiple witnesses have heard Amber say she is Amazi-girl. Amazigirl assaulted the security staff of a Congressperson. In line with the objective of kidnapper felons, essentially entering into conspiracy with them.
Blaine’s stated objective- save money by not having to pay it to Indiana University. Well, if Indiana University learns the truth that Amber is a felon (which she now is) who goes around assaulting politicians and their staffs, that could very easily lead to an expulsion.
Of course, if Blaine’s actual objective is to reduce Amber to nothing, then admitting she was the capable (if felonious) Amazigirl, and of course the capable Amber, then he’ll be totally blind to how easily he could just achieve his stated objective.
De Santo can’t exactly go easy on Amazigirl for beating up her guys, she’ll seem soft on crime. I mean maybe she could try the cover-up “this never happened” card. (If no one happened to cam it on their cell phones or security cams). The guards could all more or less identify a thicc brunette girl wearing a mask, although might not want to go on record admitting they got beaten by her for their security guard reps. Although it’s doubtful they could pick Amber out of a police line of thicc brunette women wearing blue masks dependably.
The guards have to admit they got beat up by a girl, that they have height and pounds on. That seems unlikely, for professional reasons.
Robin can clean this up as extremely physical penetration testing as well, which is probably less embarrassing and more in line with Amber’s actual studies. This then puts the onus on Blaine to try and explain why and how Amber is a co-conspirator.
Agreed in general. I think they’d have a hard time getting a reporter to take them seriously. But a non-corrupt cop would. If they’re sure Bloomington’s cops are all corrupt, they could try calling the next town over.
It’ll take the seriousness out of any bad consequences. Like let’s say, I dunno, Dina was killed. Is everyone just going to look at their feet and say “Gee, maybe we should have taken our chances calling for help after all?” Their cartoon responses to supposedly serious problems is going to be weird when it comes to tallying up consequences in a way that doesn’t ruin willing suspension of disbelief. It’s a difficult line to walk for this comic.
i think if becky and amazi-girl alerted the media they’d get attention due to their presence. becky’s a political icon rn and amazi-girl is an honest to godsh super hero. i do get why they don’t wanna call the cops
You’re assuming that if Blaine saw a bunch of reporters rolling up he wouldn’t say “You can’t take me down without me getting my vengeance first!” and start murdering everybody.
I find myself enjoying this arc a slightly bit more by simply not thinking about it. Like, take everything at face value, experience the emotional beats for what they are and Not Think About It.
That being said, I don’t feel a pressing need to check every day for updates or read the comments like I used to. Hope this picks up eventually.
The most likely reason a news crew would be dispatched to the hideout would be if the assignment editors at the station picked up on a hostage situation from their police radio scanners. They probably wouldn’t send a crew out for a reported kidnapping situation until it was confirmed and law enforcement was on-scene, unless it was a really slow news day. Even then it wouldn’t go to air until it was confirmed.
Besides, depending on what time this is and whether they’re in DST or not, the local stations may have already started broadcasting the national morning talk shows. They’re not exactly hard news programs.
I honestly feel “meh” about literally every AmaziGirl-focused arc – not that they’re bad, but I find the disconnect between every other arc (slice of life) and AG’s (suddenly, superhero) so jarring that it pulls me out of the whole thing. It’s like watching an Alien movie and then suddenly The Mask shows up or watching a Fox X-Men movie and then, suddenly, COLOUR!
Still, Willis seems to really enjoy coming up with/drawing AG stuff, so good on him for having fun in his work.
But the plot determines that, until now, only Amber/AG was in the position to call the cops. And she is mentally destroyed, so she’s constantly making the wrong choice. Now there’s also Becky, and we still have to see how she reacts after the first shock.
The point is that neither the masked vigilante nor the homeless would obviously think calling the cops, the media or whatever is really the right option. Maybe Ethan or Walky would think that, but they cannot do it.
i know lots of other people have said this but they *really* should alert the media. i’m fairly certain if becky who’s a big name in the news rn and amazi-girl who’s a literal superhero could get someone to come down.
Bismarck the person was a 19th. century German Chancellor. He invented pensions for retired soldiers because having old soldiers begging on the streets was bad for recruiting. He set the age at 65 because he had enough data (in the age of handwritten paper records) to know that few lived that long, and if they did, not for much longer. This kept the burden on the exchequer manageable, but the program had an enormous psychological impact. And was great PR.
“Yeah OK Amber. If I ever need helping punching out the guys who were protecting me from the thing you want to protect me from, I’ll call you right up. Get psychological help mmkay?”
i am aware though that a part of the reason why amber/amazi-girl isn’t involving anyone else cause she always believes it’s always her fault so she’s the one who has to fix it. we saw how far she went when becky was kidnapped, she could’ve died if sal weren’t there. i’m very worried for her
Remember, everyone, that this comic is titled DUMBING of Age. Becky’s had the day learning for sure that the community she grew up with will DEFINITELY side with the man who threatened a mass shooting, including Joyce, to bring her back in line. (And even though I don’t think that comes as a shock to her, the fact that Carol’s apparently up to put Joyce in the line of danger is a new low.) AG is, yeah, sleep-deprived and deeply traumatized already. She honestly shouldn’t be in this position. But she’s also a kid who thinks being a vigilante is a viable choice, and up until this point reality backed her up when needed. Like, this is a dumb move but it’s very consistent with AG and no one she’s talked to is equipped to realize how bad things have gotten. (Also, the active hallucinating is new.)
Also, calling the media would probably be a way more viable option if they had time. As the first non-flashback strip of this storyline established, the alarm was pulled at 4 AM. As far as we can tell the kids didn’t lose consciousness and it didn’t take too too long to get them there/AG back to the apartment. (The fact that it’s still dark out isn’t much of an indicator, because I am in fact the weirdo who will look up October sunrise times in Bloomington – by the point we’re at they’d be close to 8 AM.) A media blitz would take hours before it’d really get results (since it’s 4:30 AM and no one’s watching, even ignoring the time it’d take to set that up,) and go back to the ‘Blaine and Ross will absolutely start killing hostages’ problem.
Seriously folks, the world is running on superhero logic and so are our characters, and they all know they’re dealing with two dangerous, irrational creeps. Reality will resume when it’s time for Amber to be duly traumatized by what happened again.
re: Media: A news crew can be up and running in as little as 10 minutes after they get to a scene. It doesn’t even need to be a truck anymore, just a car, a videographer, a reporter, a bonded cell backpack, a camera, and a couple lights are all you need to get a live shot up now.
The bigger obstacle there is whether the station will take the call seriously. They’d more than likely wait to hear about a hostage situation on police radio, not scramble a crew (who may already be on a legitimate story) to the scene of a possible situation based off one tip from an anonymous member of the general public. For all they know, it could be a crank call.
They have hostages and have threatened to kill them if the police get involved?
Calling the cops might still be the best move, but it’s hardly nonsensical not to do so.
1) Kidnappers said they’d kill the hostages
2) There’s crooked cops in Bloomington, and they have no way of knowing how many, who they are, and which officers would be assigned to the case.
3) Sarah is wary of the police because, as much as she doesn’t want to be a hostage death, she really doesn’t wanna be a police violence statistic either.
And for real, the FUCK is the press gonna do, especially without a police presence? Report on the body bags being dragged out because AG was told not to tell anyone?
Oh no, no, I hold fast to the current postEd oceanic shipping lanes,
Becky and DINA hand-fast before Joyce and her Hearthrob™️ Get engaged. It’s just how these things work, … Magic Flute, Much Ado About Nothing, Pride and Prejudice, Princess Bride, MacBeth,…
Toedad was explicitly out on bail, no way in HELL does even the most corrupt judge give him a new bail after something like this. If they did they’d be crucified by the public and the press as well as probably being immedily suspended pending an investigation. Blaine being on probation and this being his second incident in a few weeks time means no bail either. On top of that if Mike is really alive then you just know he’s looking forward to testifying. Those two are going away for decades
Yeah there’s some some theoretical future point where they possibly get out and come after Becky again but that’s still true if she’s in hiding. Finally, Becky is connected two, she’s in the inner circle of a sitting member of Congress for fucks sales! And Robin cares and is aware enough to call in any number of federal level cops here jurisdiction be damned!
Indiana’s Constitution requires bail for any crimes less than murder. It’s not clear to me how that applies to new crimes committed while out on bail.
As far as I know, Blaine’s not on probation and has no recent prior incident. He was escorted off campus by campus security, but I don’t believe any charges were filed.
7 figure bail for the both of them is functionally the same as no bail. What does the law say about attempted murder? I know that’s probably a reach. Anyway my essential points remain, these guys are going away for a long time and I doubt Blaine”s mob buddies are going to do be willing to continue his crusade against Amber while he’s locked up.
I’m sorry but I’m still very confused by the situation and AG’s though process here. There’s so many variables she can’t possibly account for.
She can’t call the cops because some of them are corrupt. But which ones? That’s a very important factor because what are the odds the beat cops that respond to the call are gonna be the corrupt ones? Even if Blaine or Ross doesn’t go to jail wouldn’t the police presence help resolve the immediate situation for now so everyone can regroup in safety?
Is Blaine really going to kill the hostages? I know he’s unhinged but something tells me he doesn’t plan on killing six people. That’s a lot to cover-up and he’s just a mob stooge. I figure he’s more planning on pinning this whole thing on Ross as a convenient patsy.
Speaking of Ross is he even going to continue cooperating if Becky doesn’t show up? Wouldn’t he go right back to jail for breaking his bail by aiding in kidnapping?
There’s a lot more factors but I’m just kind of thrown off by this scenario in general and I do understand that there’s more than a little comic book logic applied. I’m just really struggling to understand why AG would instantly be in this no win mindset and what about the three things she needed? Wasn’t that part of some plan?
I’m also failing to understand what Blaine’s endgame is here but that’s a whole other thing I guess.
Well that’s what happens when you mix together recent trauma, PTSD, oodles of other mental issues and complete lack of sleep. I mean seriously, when has AG ever thought clearly and made rational decisions? She stalked sal. She runs around at night in a mask and beats people up for drinking beer at 18
The three things were the mask, duct tape and superglue for no fingerprints. Mentioned a couple of strips ago.
As for the cops, the most likely scenario with corrupt cops isn’t that the corrupt beat cop happens to respond, but that once it’s called in the corrupt cop hears about it and informs Blaine, who can then start killing hostages. Maybe he won’t, but I’d want to be damn sure he was bluffing before I called his bluff.
I think I’m gonna bow out of trying to understand this. Cause like I don’t think Blaine is even capable of killing one of them considering just how incompetent he’s been shown. Sarah straight up said she’s more afraid of the cops killing people than her kidnappers and that was after Blaine had already threatened them. I don’t know what the threat level is vs the perceived threat level.
I’m going through the comments and I don’t get the confusion about why they can’t call the cops. If Blaine has confirmed connections, you no longer have a guarantee that cops are a counterbalancing act or making the odds worse for you. There is no rational reason to give yourself more potential enemies when you’re already quite literally outgunned.
We don’t know how many “some” is for the take, that could be a small number of POs but that could also be a small number of high ranking officers.
There’s just too many variables even for someone who has had a proper night of sleep and isn’t in the middle of an emotional stressful event to decide that’s a good risk to take.
*hugs Becky tight* So, about the heart wrenching gut punch that is Panel 4….
My earliest memory of being alive is watching my father pin my mother to the bed, him beating her with a very large stock pot and hearing her screaming for help. My older sister picked me up and I can still see the hallway of our old house receding from view as she ran for the kitchen, plopped me on the counter and sobbed while on the phone. I remember the kitchen window blinking red and blue and watching the neighbors see my father be taken away in handcuffs. I was 2 years old & to this day my mother still denies this ever happening, despite my sister confirming the details verbatim.
I lost my uncle to suicide when I was 5. My family never liked to discuss the matter other than the fact that he was dead. I only found out it was a suicide due to rumors from my sister and various cousins. (I remember asking a classmate what’s it like to die and scaring the ever loving shit out of her in my childish attempt to comprehend why he no longer wanted to live) My father was both terrifyingly & deceptively abusive (Blain & Ross in one: a pastor with “connections”) and the CONSTANT fighting that would happen. It took my sister being nearly raped by the bastard & my mother hesitating on this knowledge FOR MONTHS before she finally divorced him…and even then we were always told “Be nice to your father” & “Not to make an enemy of him” My mother to this day, still uses snitching to him as some kind of threat. Despite this, my mom met a very nice man that I would’ve had NO problem in calling him Dad…but she dragged her feet, led him on & by the time she was finally ok with herself being with him (she kept using us kids as an excuse when we’d LONG since approved of them being together) he ended up getting killed in a drive by shooting. Stray bullet straight to the head. I didn’t find out about his passing until MONTHS after the funeral. That was the summer of my Freshman year in high school.
Recently, (a year as of this March) I’ve had to cut off my family because I wanted a life of my own that was vastly different from what they expected of me (yet still very status quo by the general consensus of society) and while they seemed understandable at first, my mom got belligerent to the point of directly harassing my fiancee whom she’s known for a decade and my family either defends or ignores her actions.
I’ve watched my world get torn assunder too many times over to count. I loss SO many people and things that I wanted so badly to keep: my family, my uncle, my could’ve been stepdad, respect for my parents & relatives, I could go on. But, even through those losses, I gained so much more because I found a way through and out. Mind you, I didn’t have an Amazi-Amber or variation of the two to help give me that way out, but I had great friends whom I can still turn to to this day for help, reassurance, the occasional “checking of privilege” and love. I can only PRAY that Becky sees how stupid lucky she is to have this chance. After all, Amber told her if she needs her to find her, so it’s not like she’s lost EVERY thing. (Horrible circumstances aside) Though knowing Willis…*groan*
TL;DR, Panel 4 got to me because I know what it’s like to lose what you want but becomes completely out of your control to be able to keep it.
It seems the end of the line for Amazi-Girl. She cannot help with the origin of Amber’s problems, and now she cannot even help her friends. Goodbye, superhero world. Let’s hope this is a new beginning for Amber.
Amber… Becky is the mouthpiece for a Congresswoman. That same congresswoman is bankrolling Becky’s house, everything.
You think some mobbed up cops are going to mess with the Feds so they can help Blake? I get the feeling nobody likes Blake, and nobody’s trying to have their operation burned down so they can help Toedad abduct his daughter.
You can humiliate these people. You can control the freakin’ narrative. They abducted people! You’re going to win this.
Yeah I dont really buy that Becky is going to just leave her friends kidnapped I think she is just telling amber what she wants to hear and has her own plan
I think I’ve put a finger on why it really bothers me that they’re afraid to call the cops. Narratively speaking, anyway.
Let’s assume Mike and Blaine are right, and some cops are corrupt on a mob payroll. Let’s even assume it’s a significant enough number that one or more of those cops would end up getting deployed to the scene in the event police are called.
…..Blaine is a stooge at best, at least according to Asher. They launder money through his business. He is NOT a high-value person, but he’s using the grandson of (presumably) the mob’s leader to enact a ridiculous personal vendetta, spending a not-insignificant about of their money to do so (getting Ross out on bail, buying his body armor and whatever other supervillain supplies, hiring local goons). And the mob has no loyalty to Ross at all, he’s an extra. A distraction. A liability.
From the MOB perspective?
Helping them ice half a dozen or more college kids who have nothing to do with anything isn’t the smart play. Cutting out the loose cannon and his patsy is. The mob would be best served by their ‘agent’ or whatever in the police doing his role as a police officer and getting rid of those two assholes who are actually threatening their business and operations.
I kind of hope Asher comes clean and this is how it plays out, now.
That’s assuming the threat of the corrupt cops is that a corrupt cop will be deployed and directly interfere on the scene. The simpler problem is that if AG calls the cops, the corrupt one will let Blaine know and he’ll be in position to carry out his threats on the hostages before the police can arrive.
A lot of the problems people have with this whole arc is that it’s not at all clear what’s going on, what the actual threats and stakes are or what anyone’s plan is. Maybe that’s intentional and it’ll all make sense when read as a whole, but it doesn’t feel that way now.
That still assumes that the Mob’s best course of action/default reaction is to help Blaine. I think there’s a good case to be made that the Mob might be sick of him/see him as a liability and would prefer to either let him dig his own grave with the real cops, or interfere AGAINST him rather than tip him off and help him.
Take the fictional character quiz and post the first four you know: openpsychometrics.org/tests/charac...
What this should tell you is that I'm always down to cause chaos and good trouble
Would you like to take a survey? Do you like to eat beans? Do you like George Wendt? Would you like to eat beans with George Wendt? Would you like to watch a movie about George Wendt eating beans?
so i'm thinking, okay, i took some extra photos of this set of doors this year so i could draw some other angles, it's an important set of doors, so let's pull up my new reference photos...
....and do you see a problem, do you see an issue
Well, Lizard is here, and I've been telling myself for... years that I'd take down my Endgame shelf and put up Spider-Man:No Way Home once the final villain was out.
So.
That's a thing I gotta do.
okay okay -- spider-man reboot idea
the lizard is still dr connors, but he's dr PHIL connors, and he wakes up every day and it's groundhog day and he's a lizard
is this anything
Alina Pete @alinapete.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
Sean Thomason @seanthomason.bsky.social ⋅ 1d
Rolling Stone @rollingstone.com ⋅ 1d
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Barb O. Saur 
⚧️
“can you help me keep my stuff”
actually,
she’s going to take her in like Robin and train her to be her sidekick-slash-adoptive-child when they hang out in the AmaziCave with their butler.
The butler is Jason.
Not that he’s actually their butler, but he tall, slim, and British, so they just start calling him Alfred ordering him around, and he can’t figure out how to make it stop.
i thought you meant jason Todd ,
and that would be awful
Red Hood and the Outlaws starting at Rebirth has been utterly delightful. Jason Todd taking the role of a father figure humanizes him in a way that he’s never really been before.
That he’s a father figure to Bizarro is icing on the cake.
I want this to happen, so badly.
Jason as Alfred is now my head canon.
Amazi-Girl definitely needs an Amazi-Mobile or something.
I suggested a racing go-kart several years back. Even painted a toy one to spec.
“Keep your stuff? I can’t even keep my secret identity to myself.”
Plot twist: because it’s dark and they’ve been noted as having similar appearances, Becky now thinks Amazi-Girl is none other than her archnemesis Dorothy!
I mean, when she first heard the name she thought it was Joyce’s nickname for Dorothy.
Poor Becky. She’s gonna end up like the No Home Boys.
I’m surprised so few people have mentioned this. Becky is really upset her, y’all. She’s having her hard-won stability ripped away yet again, and for a change she isn’t hiding behind a quip and goofy fun times.
This is heart-wrenching.
Agreed. I’m also thinking that when push comes to shove, she isn’t leaving Dina.
To keep Dina from being threatened by her dad?
Going on the run can’t be an option.
Not after having the best dinosaur-loving girlfriend ever.
Becky’s gonna leapfrog back into this when she finds out Dina was… kidnapped? Captured? Participating in social conformation?
Agreed. I think if Becky goes back with AG/Amber to the dorm to try to tell Dina what’s going on, she’s going to realize her girlfriend must be with them, too.
Again, bring in the media. All of them. Prevent the under-the-radar releases.
Repeating a crime while on probation is still frowned on.
The excuses for not involving the cops have reached comic book levels.
Almost like this was a….comic strip.
*mind blown*
Despite sleep-deprived Amber’s memory or hallucination of Mike asserting that the cops were so corrupt as not to be trusted, we HAVE seen the justice system respond capably. When Ross fired off a gun, the justice system did correctly say “Yeah no that’s too far” and arrest him. He is very much on bail and on thin ice.
I also agree that we’re warping reality to cartoon levels in order to not involve the cops NOW, probably so we can have a sweet kung fu showdown. It wasn’t a “comic strip” when Ross was believably arrested for firing off a rifle, the cops reacted realistically then and arrested him for endangerment, brandishing a deadly weapon, etc. (PS- he seems to have learned from that and left the rifle at home for his, well, er felony kidnapping. Or more likely it’s in a police evidence locker. Or maybe the dropped it into a portable hole, since it’s a cartoon.)
Just finished reading an article where two jurisdictions sent in ALL their toys on a vagrant Break and enter. 55 vehicles including 2 SWAT teams 2 Helicopters, a C&C Winnebago and an APC. The homeless guy had raided the fridge.
The law lobed teargas through each and every windows, smashed through three outer doors, trashed most of the rooms, flattened 150 feet of fencing and ripped out a wall.
9th district said the homeowner doesn’t get recompense since the law was doing their duty and using what force they deemed necessary at their discretion. Oh it was $150K in damages and the homeless guy was unarmed.
THAT is why any sensible person does not call the cops on top of worrying about getting shot if [insert lame cop excuse here]
Just hope the kidnappers decide to let you go or that your college friend can pull off a rescue on her own. Much better plan. Only thing any sensible person would do.
In this case, the friend is a superhero, so it kind of makes sense, but that’s outside of any kind of realism.
We live in a world where calling the cops is not a good idea if the people victimized are not white and wealthy. All cops are bastards, no exceptions.
Doesn’t matter at all what the situation is? No matter what, the cops are always worse. Trust the kidnappers.
Ross wasn’t in the mob so I’m not sure what that has to do with anything.
*Psst* Woobie. Click me.
Blaine and Ross are the most dangerous things anyone can face. Two moderately connected white men!
You’re not wrong.
As an actual Corrections Officer I can tell you there are a lot worse things than two moderately connected white men
Can we turn them over to comic book version of you?
No, too risky. Comic book you needs to put on a mask and start punching bodyguards to solve this.
It’s the only realistic safe way to handle this.
Two well connected white men?
I don’t know why but for some reason the comic only loaded at 6:08am for me and now I’m worried something is broken on my end.
Also Amber maybe killing is an option. Would’ve saved Bats a lotta trouble if he’d broken his one rule.
Killing is an option and a lot of people are betting it will happen to one of the dads but Amber shouldn’t do it. This just isn’t that kind of comic and it would be a huge tone shift for any of the characters to just kill someone. A lot of people are betting Blaine gets disappeared by the mob for wasting resources and drawing attention to them with this stunt.
Look at the way he holds his ribs and how he can’t even breathe without pain, and he avoided going to the hospital too. Mike might have killed him.
Mike, while still in his coma, raises one thumb to indicate his approval at getting his intended kill shot.
Blaine’s been foreshadowing injuries enough that I’ll believe it if he punctures a lung, maybe even bleeding out, from a broken rib from any further injury.
It would be interesting if his girlfriend lady took up the mantle of vengeance for that, she seems very mentally committed to the idea that Blaine is right and the victim here.
Amber absolutely shouldn’t do it, and I don’t think AG thinks they can right now – for one thing, seeing Mike so battered was clearly traumatic, and so was stabbing Ryan, so she’s got full reason to think she can’t psychologically handle it. (AmbG’s psyche is in rough enough shape as it is.)
I think it’s possible she ends up accidentally responsible for it due to Blaine’s injuries, because Willis is an ASSHOLE, but not super-likely because even if Amber didn’t get arrested for it, it’d pretty much necessitate the AG reveal and them losing a source of sweet sweet superhero action. Mob or Yuri (or the combination thereof) seems way more likely.
Or Ross. If Blaine does Blaine things and attempts to cut off a few loose strings I could see Ross attacking him and accidentally killing him due to pre-existing conditions.
I actually expect Ross to have redemption through death. Protecting his daughter from Blaine and killing both of them at the same time.
Legally what’s the status of “I intervened to defend somebody against attempted murder [legal], and used quite a lot of force but not an excessive amount given the size differentials and the fact that Blaine doesn’t like to stay down. The person who took the brunt of it then didn’t seek help for their injuries for a few days, and ultimately ended up dying as a result of them. However, they were conscious, mobile and lucid during that time, and if they had sought help immediately their wounds would not have been life-threatening”? Death by misadventure with no legal culpability? Suicide? It doesn’t seem like it should be manslaughter…
That doesn’t mean that Amber/Amazigirl wouldn’t feel guilty/responsible though :-/
Self defense.
It’s more the emotional repercussions of killing her dad that matter here.
I appreciate that you’re murder-happy, but the issue isn’t “Batman doesn’t kill”. It’s that Amber can’t bring herself to kill. There’s several Grand Canyons’ worth of distance between those two things.
I mean. Maybe it’s easy for you to kill your dad, but it isn’t for Amber.
Becky doesn’t want her dad dead either.
It’s been a long time since I checked but historically speaking, the server DoA is hosted on tends to wander around, time-wise. 8 minutes late is nothing to to worry about on your end unless other sites are also showing time delay.
Amazigirl is my favorite superhero of all time, she has such a complex struggle with herself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoSfp3KGwzw
I don’t feel one of my trademark very funny observations™ would be appropriate here.
Gasp!
Will amber now invite Becky to garbage roof?
To hang? Sure.
To bang? I don’t recall us ever getting any indication Amber was into gals, so probably not even if Dina weren’t a thing.
You shut up! My fanfics don’t care about your “canon”
What about Amber’s fanfics?
Those I stay away from. I’m not that hardcore
I am genuinely really stoked to see where it goes from here.
Now I’m worried.
Amazi-Girl said she can’t kill them.
Amber didn’t say that.
Batman has a “no killing” rule. Does Bruce Wayne?
I mean I don’t think Bruce Wayne really exists. Bruce is just what Batman goes by in public.
According to Dr. Andrea Letimendi (real psychologist who analyzes episodes of Batman: the Animated Series on the podcast the Arkham Sessions), there’s three personae in play: Batman – who’s a mask to Get Stuff Done, Bruce Wayne – who’s a mask to maintain the financial flow, and Bruce – the real person, sitting in the Batcave in costume with the cowl down. Only Alfred and the Robins know the real Bruce.
I agree, and was going to say as much if someone else didn’t.
the butts don’t lie
Yeah. It’s Alfred that doesn’t.
Amazi-Girl doesn’t have a history of stabbing people. And remember how Amber feels about herself? How she thinks she’s a monster?
She’s trying to rationalize that and use it as an excuse to kill someone.
Also, I’m not saying she WANTS to kill someone, I’m saying she thinks she’s CAPABLE of killing someone.
I mean, if Danny hadn’t hold her back, I think there would have been a risk of her already having killed Blaine.
Though she didn’t kill Ryan. She says she tried, but it’s not that hard to kill someone with a knife if you want to and we’ve got no evidence that anything external stopped her.
That’s pretty good evidence right there that amber is not as bad as she think she is.
HEAR THAT, AMBER????
Nope. Not listening.
Oh crap
Very perceptive, Foxhack.
I’ve struggled with my own “I am a monster” issues for years. So this sounds very familiar to me.
AmaziGirl: “I can’t kill them.”
Amber: “Good thing I’m not you.”
I sense… suicide watch being needed.
For Amber, for Amazi-Girl, or for
EpsteinBlaine?Yes. Plus one for Becky.
Brian? Or Jeffery? Brian might still be alive if there’d been a suicide watch on him.
Frankly I don’t think AG is thinking too clearly here. The dad’s may seem invincible but the reality is they’re not. Ross is already out on bail so he could very easily go back. AG should know that. Blaine may have some protection with corrupt cops on his side but Ross doesn’t. It’s not a complete idea but there’s enough there to start forming a real plan instead of believing it’s hopeless or that you have to kill someone.
She also tend to run into the faulty thinking that it’s all up to her. It really isn’t.
Given how competent the evil-dad-braintrust are, at this point I give it even odds that if ag just sits on the hand the whole night, the evil dads will just stumble on their own shoestrings and break their neck* in the stairs.
*) Or whatever neck-substitute ToeDad might break
They can’t win, because their plan is bad and there don’t seem to be any steps leading to any goals of theirs.
Blaine can start killing hostages, though.
Amber/Amazigirl is definitely beyond stressed out, sleep deprived, PTSD from watching Mike hurt or even killed.
“OK Becky, just leave your girlfriend, house and job you managed to get, and live your life as a transient hobo, always on the run and looking over your shoulder, forever” is not a good or sane plan. “I kung fu’d all your guards into submission so I could tell you this plan which makes sense too”. “I HAVE A PHONE.”
Everyone putting all this on Amber’s shoulders, “she, not the cops, will save us!”, when they SHOULD be noticing just how not OK she is, puts this on their shoulders too.
Since Becky is understandably too distressed to say anything inappropriately silly, I’ll do it instead. Here goes:
I can’t ever read a line like “Leave. Get out of here” without thinking of Harry and the Hendersons. (The reference has already been made in-comic, by Ethan and Joyce, but that certainly isn’t gonna stop my brain.)
… This is gonna sound weird. But I want Robin to save the day.
Dina died in a semi-heroic manner in “It’s Walky”, if I remember correctly, and Ruth died in “Joyce and Walky”, also in a heroic manner. Could we be working up to another “Act with integrity — no regrets” moment for some other minor character who is yet to be determined?
Like, say, Mike
Asher fits the “character whose death wouldn’t be mourned by the main cast forever” criteria. Sal would be the only one who might feel conflicted, we don’t know how well Walky and Billie know him, Amber only encountered him the one time, and the rest haven’t met him.
Daisy would do it for a chest-window in AG’s suit.
Pretty obvious that Amber needs a place to formulate a plan & maybe get (since rest is out of the question until the crisis is over) some food. Galasso hates other villains trespassing on his turf, and has a ninja.
On a more practical level; if the local cops cannot be trusted, and the situation is dire, and may involve the mob and / or criminals who crossed state lines — call the FBI.
I want Sarah to save the day with real “Logic and Sensibility” .
goddamn
Or call the police, the media or use what pull Robin has but sure yeah running away is always an option
Aw, they both need to be hug each other…even if it’s one time.
Correction: need to hug each other.
Wait, she’s supposed to disappear like, long term? That’s… really difficult. She doesn’t have the resources.
Don’t sell yourself short Amber. You almost killed Ryan. When you surrender to the dark side you can accomplish a great many things.
Ryan was very much not her dad
Becky should call her current mother figure. That could either be Leslie or Robin but I’m rather curious as to their ideas on what to do.
Both. She should call both. Not just because it often can’t hurt to have two people in your corner, but because I, personally, would enjoy seeing the two approaches and how they’d mesh.
This is a horrible plan, Amber, and you should feel horrible for implementing it.
becky needs to use her position to solve this: she invites her dad on Live tv, and Ambers dad. They wanted a reunion.
I hope Dina saves the day before I have to hear more pessimistic yet realistic stuff. I already hear about the Coronavirus on a daily basis. The reminder of corruption just makes me want to smash a tv like Barney Stinson.
Realization: Blaine has enough to win right now. Multiple witnesses have heard Amber say she is Amazi-girl. Amazigirl assaulted the security staff of a Congressperson. In line with the objective of kidnapper felons, essentially entering into conspiracy with them.
Blaine’s stated objective- save money by not having to pay it to Indiana University. Well, if Indiana University learns the truth that Amber is a felon (which she now is) who goes around assaulting politicians and their staffs, that could very easily lead to an expulsion.
Of course, if Blaine’s actual objective is to reduce Amber to nothing, then admitting she was the capable (if felonious) Amazigirl, and of course the capable Amber, then he’ll be totally blind to how easily he could just achieve his stated objective.
De Santo can’t exactly go easy on Amazigirl for beating up her guys, she’ll seem soft on crime. I mean maybe she could try the cover-up “this never happened” card. (If no one happened to cam it on their cell phones or security cams). The guards could all more or less identify a thicc brunette girl wearing a mask, although might not want to go on record admitting they got beaten by her for their security guard reps. Although it’s doubtful they could pick Amber out of a police line of thicc brunette women wearing blue masks dependably.
Wouldn’t Amber’s cooperation count as coercion? She was kidnapped and threatened to follow through with Toedad and the Blaine’s orders.
If she was really fully on board with their cause, wouldn’t she be on her way back to the hideout with Becky in tow?
I’m not a law expert but yes.
Blaine’s current plan requires murdering the kids and probably Ross.
Blaine might turn on Ross if he proves to be more of a liability than an asset. Right now, he’s still a patsy.
The guards have to admit they got beat up by a girl, that they have height and pounds on. That seems unlikely, for professional reasons.
Robin can clean this up as extremely physical penetration testing as well, which is probably less embarrassing and more in line with Amber’s actual studies. This then puts the onus on Blaine to try and explain why and how Amber is a co-conspirator.
…Oh wait, was this supposed to be an emotional moment?
Sorry, I didn’t quite get that feeling. Still working my way through the fact that this entire plot would be over if someone just… Called the news.
Agreed in general. I think they’d have a hard time getting a reporter to take them seriously. But a non-corrupt cop would. If they’re sure Bloomington’s cops are all corrupt, they could try calling the next town over.
It’ll take the seriousness out of any bad consequences. Like let’s say, I dunno, Dina was killed. Is everyone just going to look at their feet and say “Gee, maybe we should have taken our chances calling for help after all?” Their cartoon responses to supposedly serious problems is going to be weird when it comes to tallying up consequences in a way that doesn’t ruin willing suspension of disbelief. It’s a difficult line to walk for this comic.
i think if becky and amazi-girl alerted the media they’d get attention due to their presence. becky’s a political icon rn and amazi-girl is an honest to godsh super hero. i do get why they don’t wanna call the cops
Would probably be better than LETTING PEOPLE DIE.
And calling the media wouldn’t get the hostages shot? Maybe I’m just tired but I fail to see how the media would be at all useful.
You’re assuming that if Blaine saw a bunch of reporters rolling up he wouldn’t say “You can’t take me down without me getting my vengeance first!” and start murdering everybody.
I find myself enjoying this arc a slightly bit more by simply not thinking about it. Like, take everything at face value, experience the emotional beats for what they are and Not Think About It.
That being said, I don’t feel a pressing need to check every day for updates or read the comments like I used to. Hope this picks up eventually.
The most likely reason a news crew would be dispatched to the hideout would be if the assignment editors at the station picked up on a hostage situation from their police radio scanners. They probably wouldn’t send a crew out for a reported kidnapping situation until it was confirmed and law enforcement was on-scene, unless it was a really slow news day. Even then it wouldn’t go to air until it was confirmed.
Besides, depending on what time this is and whether they’re in DST or not, the local stations may have already started broadcasting the national morning talk shows. They’re not exactly hard news programs.
Well, unless the local Congresscritter hypes it up for them.
I honestly feel “meh” about literally every AmaziGirl-focused arc – not that they’re bad, but I find the disconnect between every other arc (slice of life) and AG’s (suddenly, superhero) so jarring that it pulls me out of the whole thing. It’s like watching an Alien movie and then suddenly The Mask shows up or watching a Fox X-Men movie and then, suddenly, COLOUR!
Still, Willis seems to really enjoy coming up with/drawing AG stuff, so good on him for having fun in his work.
I’m also meh about Amazi-Girl arcs, but usually more because of the reality bending/rule of stupid parts really.
Same!
But the plot determines that, until now, only Amber/AG was in the position to call the cops. And she is mentally destroyed, so she’s constantly making the wrong choice. Now there’s also Becky, and we still have to see how she reacts after the first shock.
The point is that neither the masked vigilante nor the homeless would obviously think calling the cops, the media or whatever is really the right option. Maybe Ethan or Walky would think that, but they cannot do it.
i know lots of other people have said this but they *really* should alert the media. i’m fairly certain if becky who’s a big name in the news rn and amazi-girl who’s a literal superhero could get someone to come down.
they could also call some other adult who’s very helpful and smart and is named leslie
YES. I get a strong “we need an adult” vibe.
RIGHT? I’m hoping that Dorothy is hatching up a plan though, she’s easily the most responsible of the group.
BismarckDorothy had a plan.BismarckDorothy always had a plan.If I recall my ancient history, the Bismarck’s plan was Sunk!
That was The Bismarck.
Bismarck the person was a 19th. century German Chancellor. He invented pensions for retired soldiers because having old soldiers begging on the streets was bad for recruiting. He set the age at 65 because he had enough data (in the age of handwritten paper records) to know that few lived that long, and if they did, not for much longer. This kept the burden on the exchequer manageable, but the program had an enormous psychological impact. And was great PR.
“Yeah OK Amber. If I ever need helping punching out the guys who were protecting me from the thing you want to protect me from, I’ll call you right up. Get psychological help mmkay?”
i am aware though that a part of the reason why amber/amazi-girl isn’t involving anyone else cause she always believes it’s always her fault so she’s the one who has to fix it. we saw how far she went when becky was kidnapped, she could’ve died if sal weren’t there. i’m very worried for her
Remember, everyone, that this comic is titled DUMBING of Age. Becky’s had the day learning for sure that the community she grew up with will DEFINITELY side with the man who threatened a mass shooting, including Joyce, to bring her back in line. (And even though I don’t think that comes as a shock to her, the fact that Carol’s apparently up to put Joyce in the line of danger is a new low.) AG is, yeah, sleep-deprived and deeply traumatized already. She honestly shouldn’t be in this position. But she’s also a kid who thinks being a vigilante is a viable choice, and up until this point reality backed her up when needed. Like, this is a dumb move but it’s very consistent with AG and no one she’s talked to is equipped to realize how bad things have gotten. (Also, the active hallucinating is new.)
Also, calling the media would probably be a way more viable option if they had time. As the first non-flashback strip of this storyline established, the alarm was pulled at 4 AM. As far as we can tell the kids didn’t lose consciousness and it didn’t take too too long to get them there/AG back to the apartment. (The fact that it’s still dark out isn’t much of an indicator, because I am in fact the weirdo who will look up October sunrise times in Bloomington – by the point we’re at they’d be close to 8 AM.) A media blitz would take hours before it’d really get results (since it’s 4:30 AM and no one’s watching, even ignoring the time it’d take to set that up,) and go back to the ‘Blaine and Ross will absolutely start killing hostages’ problem.
Seriously folks, the world is running on superhero logic and so are our characters, and they all know they’re dealing with two dangerous, irrational creeps. Reality will resume when it’s time for Amber to be duly traumatized by what happened again.
Thank you.
re: Media: A news crew can be up and running in as little as 10 minutes after they get to a scene. It doesn’t even need to be a truck anymore, just a car, a videographer, a reporter, a bonded cell backpack, a camera, and a couple lights are all you need to get a live shot up now.
The bigger obstacle there is whether the station will take the call seriously. They’d more than likely wait to hear about a hostage situation on police radio, not scramble a crew (who may already be on a legitimate story) to the scene of a possible situation based off one tip from an anonymous member of the general public. For all they know, it could be a crank call.
Becky is so getting kidnapped again.
Nah, she has to save Joyce first. It’s her turn.
i dont see how this is dragged out for another month in a half …… this is already at the point of disbelief
i think the guy who pulled the fire escape is going to confess to sal at some point once he figures out whats really going on …….
But that will happen around 2022 at the current pace.
Soi what’s Becky‘s nonsensical reason for calling neither the authorities nor the press?
Well Becky had the right idea last strip and she hasn’t said she wouldn’t still call the cops, maybe she’ll back herself and do it?
I mean maybe she’d get lucky and reach the cop that dealt with her father before
Ah yes, Becky has all the reasons to trust the autorities.
They have hostages and have threatened to kill them if the police get involved?
Calling the cops might still be the best move, but it’s hardly nonsensical not to do so.
Hostages and fear.
Cops:
1) Kidnappers said they’d kill the hostages
2) There’s crooked cops in Bloomington, and they have no way of knowing how many, who they are, and which officers would be assigned to the case.
3) Sarah is wary of the police because, as much as she doesn’t want to be a hostage death, she really doesn’t wanna be a police violence statistic either.
And for real, the FUCK is the press gonna do, especially without a police presence? Report on the body bags being dragged out because AG was told not to tell anyone?
aw damnit
Fuck you, Amber/Amazi-Girl.
And I’m reminded of Becky losing her mother. I want to believe she won’t lose the life she’s made in IU, including Dina.
Oh no, no, I hold fast to the current postEd oceanic shipping lanes,
Becky and DINA hand-fast before Joyce and her Hearthrob™️ Get engaged. It’s just how these things work, … Magic Flute, Much Ado About Nothing, Pride and Prejudice, Princess Bride, MacBeth,…
What. You can’t tell a person to run away and become homeless, much less become homeless -again-. That is wildly uncool.
This might push Becky over the edge. SHE might kill the dads.
Also wow, there sure are few positive good adults/parents here.
The DoA fandom is part of the reason why I stopped reading for a while, yeah.
Toedad was explicitly out on bail, no way in HELL does even the most corrupt judge give him a new bail after something like this. If they did they’d be crucified by the public and the press as well as probably being immedily suspended pending an investigation. Blaine being on probation and this being his second incident in a few weeks time means no bail either. On top of that if Mike is really alive then you just know he’s looking forward to testifying. Those two are going away for decades
Yeah there’s some some theoretical future point where they possibly get out and come after Becky again but that’s still true if she’s in hiding. Finally, Becky is connected two, she’s in the inner circle of a sitting member of Congress for fucks sales! And Robin cares and is aware enough to call in any number of federal level cops here jurisdiction be damned!
Indiana’s Constitution requires bail for any crimes less than murder. It’s not clear to me how that applies to new crimes committed while out on bail.
As far as I know, Blaine’s not on probation and has no recent prior incident. He was escorted off campus by campus security, but I don’t believe any charges were filed.
7 figure bail for the both of them is functionally the same as no bail. What does the law say about attempted murder? I know that’s probably a reach. Anyway my essential points remain, these guys are going away for a long time and I doubt Blaine”s mob buddies are going to do be willing to continue his crusade against Amber while he’s locked up.
I’m not a lawyer, but I think Indiana law requires bail to be set for anything and everything short of murder.
It might not put a cap on what that bail is set TO, however. Toedad’s last bail was high enough that a dozen-ish people couldn’t scrape it together.
Poor Becky, she so unfortunate. I feel so sorry for her.
And then it turns out Robin’s been there the whole time.
I’m sorry but I’m still very confused by the situation and AG’s though process here. There’s so many variables she can’t possibly account for.
She can’t call the cops because some of them are corrupt. But which ones? That’s a very important factor because what are the odds the beat cops that respond to the call are gonna be the corrupt ones? Even if Blaine or Ross doesn’t go to jail wouldn’t the police presence help resolve the immediate situation for now so everyone can regroup in safety?
Is Blaine really going to kill the hostages? I know he’s unhinged but something tells me he doesn’t plan on killing six people. That’s a lot to cover-up and he’s just a mob stooge. I figure he’s more planning on pinning this whole thing on Ross as a convenient patsy.
Speaking of Ross is he even going to continue cooperating if Becky doesn’t show up? Wouldn’t he go right back to jail for breaking his bail by aiding in kidnapping?
There’s a lot more factors but I’m just kind of thrown off by this scenario in general and I do understand that there’s more than a little comic book logic applied. I’m just really struggling to understand why AG would instantly be in this no win mindset and what about the three things she needed? Wasn’t that part of some plan?
I’m also failing to understand what Blaine’s endgame is here but that’s a whole other thing I guess.
Well that’s what happens when you mix together recent trauma, PTSD, oodles of other mental issues and complete lack of sleep. I mean seriously, when has AG ever thought clearly and made rational decisions? She stalked sal. She runs around at night in a mask and beats people up for drinking beer at 18
The three things were the mask, duct tape and superglue for no fingerprints. Mentioned a couple of strips ago.
As for the cops, the most likely scenario with corrupt cops isn’t that the corrupt beat cop happens to respond, but that once it’s called in the corrupt cop hears about it and informs Blaine, who can then start killing hostages. Maybe he won’t, but I’d want to be damn sure he was bluffing before I called his bluff.
I think I’m gonna bow out of trying to understand this. Cause like I don’t think Blaine is even capable of killing one of them considering just how incompetent he’s been shown. Sarah straight up said she’s more afraid of the cops killing people than her kidnappers and that was after Blaine had already threatened them. I don’t know what the threat level is vs the perceived threat level.
I’m going through the comments and I don’t get the confusion about why they can’t call the cops. If Blaine has confirmed connections, you no longer have a guarantee that cops are a counterbalancing act or making the odds worse for you. There is no rational reason to give yourself more potential enemies when you’re already quite literally outgunned.
We don’t know how many “some” is for the take, that could be a small number of POs but that could also be a small number of high ranking officers.
There’s just too many variables even for someone who has had a proper night of sleep and isn’t in the middle of an emotional stressful event to decide that’s a good risk to take.
No. Only cop. Cop solve everything. Cop strongest there is.
I hope Becky goes to stay with Jocelyne!
too close, she needs to go farther
*hugs Becky tight* So, about the heart wrenching gut punch that is Panel 4….
My earliest memory of being alive is watching my father pin my mother to the bed, him beating her with a very large stock pot and hearing her screaming for help. My older sister picked me up and I can still see the hallway of our old house receding from view as she ran for the kitchen, plopped me on the counter and sobbed while on the phone. I remember the kitchen window blinking red and blue and watching the neighbors see my father be taken away in handcuffs. I was 2 years old & to this day my mother still denies this ever happening, despite my sister confirming the details verbatim.
I lost my uncle to suicide when I was 5. My family never liked to discuss the matter other than the fact that he was dead. I only found out it was a suicide due to rumors from my sister and various cousins. (I remember asking a classmate what’s it like to die and scaring the ever loving shit out of her in my childish attempt to comprehend why he no longer wanted to live) My father was both terrifyingly & deceptively abusive (Blain & Ross in one: a pastor with “connections”) and the CONSTANT fighting that would happen. It took my sister being nearly raped by the bastard & my mother hesitating on this knowledge FOR MONTHS before she finally divorced him…and even then we were always told “Be nice to your father” & “Not to make an enemy of him” My mother to this day, still uses snitching to him as some kind of threat. Despite this, my mom met a very nice man that I would’ve had NO problem in calling him Dad…but she dragged her feet, led him on & by the time she was finally ok with herself being with him (she kept using us kids as an excuse when we’d LONG since approved of them being together) he ended up getting killed in a drive by shooting. Stray bullet straight to the head. I didn’t find out about his passing until MONTHS after the funeral. That was the summer of my Freshman year in high school.
Recently, (a year as of this March) I’ve had to cut off my family because I wanted a life of my own that was vastly different from what they expected of me (yet still very status quo by the general consensus of society) and while they seemed understandable at first, my mom got belligerent to the point of directly harassing my fiancee whom she’s known for a decade and my family either defends or ignores her actions.
I’ve watched my world get torn assunder too many times over to count. I loss SO many people and things that I wanted so badly to keep: my family, my uncle, my could’ve been stepdad, respect for my parents & relatives, I could go on. But, even through those losses, I gained so much more because I found a way through and out. Mind you, I didn’t have an Amazi-Amber or variation of the two to help give me that way out, but I had great friends whom I can still turn to to this day for help, reassurance, the occasional “checking of privilege” and love. I can only PRAY that Becky sees how stupid lucky she is to have this chance. After all, Amber told her if she needs her to find her, so it’s not like she’s lost EVERY thing. (Horrible circumstances aside) Though knowing Willis…*groan*
TL;DR, Panel 4 got to me because I know what it’s like to lose what you want but becomes completely out of your control to be able to keep it.
Wow.
Internet support.
It seems the end of the line for Amazi-Girl. She cannot help with the origin of Amber’s problems, and now she cannot even help her friends. Goodbye, superhero world. Let’s hope this is a new beginning for Amber.
Amber… Becky is the mouthpiece for a Congresswoman. That same congresswoman is bankrolling Becky’s house, everything.
You think some mobbed up cops are going to mess with the Feds so they can help Blake? I get the feeling nobody likes Blake, and nobody’s trying to have their operation burned down so they can help Toedad abduct his daughter.
You can humiliate these people. You can control the freakin’ narrative. They abducted people! You’re going to win this.
Yeah… I think this could be where Robin shines.
Yeah I dont really buy that Becky is going to just leave her friends kidnapped I think she is just telling amber what she wants to hear and has her own plan
I think I’ve put a finger on why it really bothers me that they’re afraid to call the cops. Narratively speaking, anyway.
Let’s assume Mike and Blaine are right, and some cops are corrupt on a mob payroll. Let’s even assume it’s a significant enough number that one or more of those cops would end up getting deployed to the scene in the event police are called.
…..Blaine is a stooge at best, at least according to Asher. They launder money through his business. He is NOT a high-value person, but he’s using the grandson of (presumably) the mob’s leader to enact a ridiculous personal vendetta, spending a not-insignificant about of their money to do so (getting Ross out on bail, buying his body armor and whatever other supervillain supplies, hiring local goons). And the mob has no loyalty to Ross at all, he’s an extra. A distraction. A liability.
From the MOB perspective?
Helping them ice half a dozen or more college kids who have nothing to do with anything isn’t the smart play. Cutting out the loose cannon and his patsy is. The mob would be best served by their ‘agent’ or whatever in the police doing his role as a police officer and getting rid of those two assholes who are actually threatening their business and operations.
I kind of hope Asher comes clean and this is how it plays out, now.
That’s assuming the threat of the corrupt cops is that a corrupt cop will be deployed and directly interfere on the scene. The simpler problem is that if AG calls the cops, the corrupt one will let Blaine know and he’ll be in position to carry out his threats on the hostages before the police can arrive.
A lot of the problems people have with this whole arc is that it’s not at all clear what’s going on, what the actual threats and stakes are or what anyone’s plan is. Maybe that’s intentional and it’ll all make sense when read as a whole, but it doesn’t feel that way now.
That still assumes that the Mob’s best course of action/default reaction is to help Blaine. I think there’s a good case to be made that the Mob might be sick of him/see him as a liability and would prefer to either let him dig his own grave with the real cops, or interfere AGAINST him rather than tip him off and help him.
ACAB
If this is exit stage right for Becky from this comic permanently, I shall be quite cross.
I’ve never warmed to Becky, I find her completely insufferable so if she wasn’t around I’d be more than ok with it
Having said all that if this was the reason she left I’d be as cross as you about it