Welcome to the saga of the working-class adventurer! Enjoy the complete story with new annotations daily!
Hemlock
Josceline Fenton
A witch accidentally marries a monster, and now she and her familiar has to navigate life around her monstrous husband and her even more terrifying in-laws.
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.
No End
Erli, Kromi
A queer romance about people attempting to build lives in a cold, post-apocalyptic world ravaged by hordes of undead.
Shaderunners
Alex Assan, Lin Darrow
A ragtag band of bootleggers open a speakeasy for bottled colour in the greyscale city of Ironwell.
Cyanide & Happiness
Explosm
Satire, dark humor and surreal humor.
All Known Alternatives
Karolina 'Kajotko' Jankiewicz
Akane has only one way to get back home: collect the 42 keys to parallel worlds. Eri and Ben are just trying to get through the summer before university. When a magical key turns up in an old spare set, all three are forced to change their plans and fast.
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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Could be worse. Could be doing the “Hewwo, what’s dis? OWO” thing.
That might trigger an instinctive violent reaction though, and Carla’s too smart to risk it. There’s “obnoxious” and there’s “must kill”, and she knows where the line is.
Admittedly don’t know anything about roller derby but I think it’s a safe bet they have a team name, even if it’s not official. Until we know it Purple Parrots in my head canon!
W.G. Grace broke this rule, but Parliament decreed (after a very long and heated debate) that he was just so badass that he could not be punished for it.
Can confirm that derby names are a thing. Also, you can pick any number you want. Which is why there’s a player in Cambridge who goes by “04 Fox Sake.”
I didn’t even realize it was Amazi-Girl until I checked the tags. Been a year since we last saw her two weeks from now (and a year short a day discounting flashbacks, or a year plus a month discounting blue-tinted panels), so I’d forgotten to check for the cheek blushes.
It honestly feels like they take Malaya literally to an extent they never take a character like Joyce literally. I get the same feeling about Roz. Like, Malaya or Roz or Joyce will say something that we’re obviously supposed to read as, “Okay, they’re being slightly over-the-top for comedy’s sake.” Like Malaya calling Sal an animal hater, Joyce’s “I just stumped an atheist” moment, etc. But people get so mad at Malaya.
I think Malaya’s fun! I think they’re funny and prickly, and sure, they’re a jerk, but I find their brand of jerkiness – where they mostly react to other people’s hostility, like a cactus – a lot more pleasant than, say, Mike’s or Booster’s.
I think for me, it’s that characters like Joyce have more depth and generally actually care about the people around them, even if they do dumb things in the process. Whereas Malaya comes across as just… a conceited, self-important asshole without much character depth. She’s not even funny in her assholery, generally.
I think a better point of comparison than Joyce might be Mike. Mike was also really just an asshole without a lot of character depth. Why do many people (myself included) like him and not Malaya? Is it because he was more frequently funny in his assholery? Was he actually? What makes the difference between a loveable asshole and an insufferable asshole?
I actually believe that Fuckface would be too Mary Sue if he weren’t paired with an asshole like Malaya. Having a foil as his owner gives him a source of conflict and drama, making his story more interesting.
This story IS about Fuckface, in case you hadn’t figured it out yet.
yeah, i love how subtly he’s written.
like he’s barely even there, but you can tell he is just everywhere in all these small, understated ways. His presence really underpins and justifies the entire baroque fresco of minor characters, your Beckies, your Walkies. Honestly, all the humans are almost transparent plot tools serving to evoke themes and values that highlight the infinite nuances of the narrative of Fuckface.
Malaya used to behave thinking she was better that others, because others were fake and she not. That’s the same way of thinking of Mary. It’s not weird people disliked her. But then she discovered to be a fake too and start to be in a relationship with Marcie. I think she’s a better person now.
Mary’s problem isn’t that she thinks people are fake, Mary’s problem is she’s a bigoted asshole who thinks everyone but her is a sinner going to hell. One’s the problem of an edgy, slightly hipster-y teenager who’s struggling with the closet and the other is a serious problem.
Mike had self driven purpose and acted with integrity and consideration. I respect your opinion, but I disagree that he had no redeeming qualities before his end.
Mike treated everyone else like his own personal litter boxes, and yet a depressing number of people here kept (and still keep) making excuses for him. Malaya is harmless by comparison, and dunks on Mary as a bonus.
I can’t explain why people defended Mike – other than spillover from Walkyverse fans or his own suggestion.
For a long time Malaya was a minor character only seen in opposition to more popular characters and with almost nothing in the way of positive characteristics – she liked Marcie (but was oblivious) and we could appreciate her nasty side when she dunked on Mary, but that was really it. There wasn’t much reason to like her.
In addition to thejeff’s comment re: Malaya, they were introduced in the Walkyverse as a new potential love interest to Leslie after she and Robin broke up, which almost certainly didn’t win her any fans, either. Malaya was weirdly hated there as well, in ways Mike never was. Sure, they were lower-stakes and thus more realistically dickish, but the degree of hate always seemed disproportionate. (And then we once again come back to Mike’s suggested reason why people let him off the hook.)
That said, I am hoping this arc shows Malaya had some nice character growth over the break, especially since we know they figured out some gender stuff that may have been causing some underlying issues in assuming everyone was a faker. (The mental health issues that made more sense after realizing ‘wait there IS a gendered component to my bodily dysphoria!’ are numerous and surprising.) Plenty of ways to be a low-grade jackass while not being quite as aggro.
Yeah and Vegeta hugged his son that one time right before he exploded to take out Majin Buu. Come to think of it, neither of them managed to do more than temporarily inconvenience the bad guy, and said villain also ended up killing the parent of a protagonist.
I’m gonna “say the quiet part out loud”, so to speak, and share my theory. Malaya’s got rockin’ curves and a sweet ass, and a lot of people are willing to forgive a lot more based purely on that.
Nah, if that were true, Malaya would be more popular than Mike, which has never been the case. Mike’s always been more popular, though Malaya’s gaining her fans lately.
Malaya needs something to contribute to the story besides indifference. Maybe the roller derby subplot will let her flex some previously unseen leadership skills.
I like them too! They’re honestly up there with Dina for me and I want to know more about them. People seem to like Carla and Becky a lot but I find them obnoxious af. Some tastes are just unpopular here *shruggie*
Eh, someone who constantly calls other people fake phoney fakers and dedicates themselves to exposing how fake someone else is is really annoying. I especially felt annoyed when they shone a light in sal’s face, that just felt relatable for some reason
I love Malaya. Have since Shortpacked. I unironically squealed when I got to her DOA debut because of her and Carla. At the time, I liked her more than I liked Sal (obviously that’s changed). She’s a grump and a snob though so I can kinda see why people don’t like her.
That or they were a patreon that was trying to sneak in a spoiler! That’s what I’d do if I was part of the early access squad. Cleverly try to sprinkle in spoilers as guesses and hunches. Gee, wouldn’t it be wild if Ethan showed up in tomorrow’s strip with his new Bully Maguire design and an obnoxious boyfriend everybody immediately hates?!
And everybody can see the middle three panels of the next strip on the Patreon, paying customer or not. They’re blurred until they’re illegible but still just clear enough that you can tell who shows up.
You can take the car out of the girl but you can’t…well I suppose you can take a girl out of a car pretty easily, actually. There’s doors, she can just let herself out. Unless the child lock’s engaged, sometimes it’s quicker to just go around and open the door if you can’t remember which switch.
You can take the car out of the girl but she can’t take herself out of the car if the child lock’s engaged!
Yay, Marcie’s back! It’s been almost two years since we last saw her! And almost one since we last saw Amazi-Girl, so I’m curious to see how she’s developed.
Also Carla’s got a star on her shoulder now! Wrong shoulder to be the Joestar birthmark, and I doubt it was an intentional reference to that on Willis’ part, but I can absolutely see Carla deliberately screwing up the reference to annoy people.
Hahaha. “has to” May or may not choose to, but Sal doesn’t have to roll at all. Like not rolling on the shabbos. That Sal chooses to tolerate Malaya is only out of her desire to hang with Marcie.
(high level roller derby nerdery starts, can’t help) Honestly the fact she’s setting jam strategy doesn’t mean that she’s the captain. It varies team to team, but many teams have a “track lead” or “qb” position that is shot caller. A lot of the time you’ll see a pack prepping for the next jam in the pit, and that is often a collaborative back and forth with all of the skaters including the jammer.
..
Also this tactic is SUPER common for power jams where one team has their jammer in the box. It’s a bait and sweep ;P
Dammit, beat me to it. I was going to go with “Ole” by Pearl Jam (which I can totally imagine being music for Carla skating circles around the other team), and then flee for dear punning life.
(Before I decided on Pearl Jam, it was going to be Marley’s “Jammin”.)
It was established after the timeskip that AG no longer fights crime, so assuming she’s still friends with Amber, this is the outlet that allows them to maintain a functional relationship
It kind of looks like AG’s wearing eye makeup or paint under her visor. I think that counts as a mask! Personally I think if Amber were here she’d be sitting in the stands not watching the game but her phone instead of actually playing.
Amber’s characterization post arc has been almost completely detached. (Probably a result of Mike’s death and Ethan turning heel and ghosting her) Also as mentioned above it’s been established that derby is AG’s outlet now.
This strip, surprisingly, fills me with hope.
I hope Sal and AG manage to vent their violent urges appropriately.
I hope Walky is there, being a good brother and friend, maybe with Lucy and/or Booster in tow.
I hope Joyce and Becky are there being predictably cheerful and goofy.
I hope we catch a glimpse of Ethan off in a corner, unable to resist showing some form of support.
I even hope Danny shows up sans ukulele.
I anticipate much based off this first strip. Here’s hoping the next strip or two doesn’t immediately go to Jacob in his dorm room reflecting on how his life isn’t going as planned.
I’ve been waiting for this storyline! ;w; Even if it means I have to put up with Malaya. I’m glad for Sal and Amber, though it seems it’s AG doing the driving?
(Also: Nice tattoo, Sal! You did say the spider was looking a tad too sparse and lonely by its own. TURN IT INTO A SLEEVE GO GO GO)
Oh wait! I stand corrected, someone HAS commented about the tattoo, glad I’m not the only one who noticed, or at the least, cared enough about it to mention it
Surprised that nobody has commented on the Sal new tattoo reveal yet.
Lowkey I’ve been wondering about that ever since the timeskip hit, since she had mentioned thinking about getting a sleeve relatively shortly beforehand, and every appearance after the skip has been long-sleeved until now
So a few years ago I wanted to learn about roller derby, but trying to read the Wikipedia page about it just left me as confused as cricket. Anyone have any suggestions on readings or videos that would work well as a quick introduction to the basics?
“Kansas City Bomber” is also a good point. And even if you don’t learn anything about roller derby, it’s still got a 31-year-old Racquel Welch as one of the skaters, so it’s still a win.
Well, for modern flat track roller derby, if you want to actually understand the tactics, rules, etc? I did a video that goes into WAY too much depth but will give you a good basis for it. search “how to watch roller derby as a fan” on youtube.
Oversimplified, it’s a race between two people who each have a crew of four ruffians backing them up by getting in their opponent’s way. The racers are called jammers (signified by wearing a star on their helmet cover) and the rest of their gang are called blockers. The blockers are required to stay within a certain distance of each other so that they form a pack, and points are awarded when the jammer laps the pack.
Getting into a bit more detail, each of these races is called a jam, and a game of roller derby consist of as many jams as it takes to fill up two thirty minute periods. The jam begins with the jammers behind the pack, and the first jammer to make it through the back becomes the “lead jammer,” giving them the ability to end the jam early if they want. Otherwise the jam continues for two minutes. Beside the jammer, the team also has one blocker with a striped helmet cover marking them as the pivot. The jammer can swap roles with the pivot mid-jam by passing their star helmet cover to them. The team can also reassign roles and change who is fielded during the brief gaps between jams (they can have up to fifteen members, but only five can be on the track at a time). Improper blocking (with hands, elbows, head, feet, or contact above the shoulders or below the thigh, or from behind a person), going out of bounds, or other rules violations can land you a stint in the penalty box or get you ejected from the game.
Disclaimer: I don’t actually play or watch roller derby and only know anything about it due to researching it for a side character in a book I’m writing. I’ve double-checked against Wikipedia since it’s been a couple years, but at the end of the day this is only my laypizza’s understanding of things so I could be a little off in the details.
Honestly? For a layperson that’s a WELL above average description of the sport. You should give the wftda champs a shot on YT, you’ve got enough to understand the basics
This is gonna have a ton of links, so who knows how long it’ll take to get approved, but here goes anyway. Fun Fact!
Carla’s, Sal’s and Malaya’s jersey numbers (87, 93, and 11) are references to the years that Willis first created each of them: 1987,1993, and 2011 respectively. Marcie’s number (71) is a reference to the year the Peanuts character of the same name made her debut. I’m less certain about this last one, but Amazi-Girl’s number (113) would spell out A113 if the A from her crimefighting outfit were present, so unless it’s a Transformers thing I’m not familiar with then I’m betting that’s it!
AFACIT, it’s just an excuse for athletic semi-scantily clad women to zip around bashing into each other.
OTOH, my cousin who lives in Santa Cruz, CA is a real 60’s throw-back hippy love child, and her daughter does roller derby. She (the daughter) demonstrated a hip check on me, even though I politely demurred.
Any excuse is good enough for this…. Y’know, I used to put “guy” there, but I’m not sure what the new equivalent is. Maybe it’s about time to stop being too worried about other people seeing my search history and start synchronizing my vocabulary to match my real self. It’s been like a year and a half, at least.
EMBRACE THE SEARCH HISTORY
fwiw at the moment i think of you as a burgersexual genderN/A so, you know
if you can’t live your truth (or indeed, any lie you please) on “The Net”
THEN WHERE
PS you’re very funny today, please keep making jokes
pPPS notwithstanding being tragically inaccurate about Malaya
..wait no i actually agree with your take on malaya (the part where we like her because she’s hot) (also i like her because she’s garbage) (HOT garbage)
Nope, and most of us aren’t all that scantily clad any more, though not that there’s anything wrong with that. Roller derby is one of the most technical, nuanced, and demanding activities I’ve ever been a part of.
(source: Ex-martial artist, world level derby skater)
As a non-athletic, I admit to no small amount of ignorance on the subject. To hopefully amend some of said ignorance, I have a very important question: How many rivals have you personally had “removed”? That is to say “bumped off”, “eliminated”, “violently assassinated”?
It’s weird to see Malaya so smiling and confident. It’s a sport miracle! Dunno if they are a strong team, but they are a cool team! Sal’s hair are beautiful. And I can’t understand if the fact that Amazi Girl is one of the players is a good thing or not.
I don’t know much about roller derby, but this sounds like it could be interesting. Especially with this group as a team, and apparently it’s Amazi-Girl playing with them, not Amber.
Love the move to roller derby but I still want to know if Dina ripped clothes off of Walky and Lucy. That’s what happened to Amber, so I had my hopes up.
to be honest i’m trolling a bit. i like pretty much all characters equally?? i do experience strong likes and dislikes towards fictional people, but apparently not in DOA.
to me they all feel like fundamentally decent people, some of them with somewhat extreme personalities, but they feel written sympathetically, and i think i tend to align with (what i perceive to be) the author’s tenderness towards their characters, generally.
i also tend not to strongly dislike anyone irl so surely that’s also why.
but also, Malaya is objectively awesome and you are wrong. =P
Considering she had to start in a separate beginner’s group, Amber (and maybe Sal and Carla? I know they roller skated but idk if they were into roller derby before) must have learned quick to be able to join Marcie and Malaya’s team in such a short time. I know there was a time skip but that’s still only a couple months, and that included winter break, when at least some of them went home for a bit.
I more meant that Sal and Carla might already have experience, so it’s not necessarily as notable that they progressed in this time.
As well as graduating (since not many people graduate in the winter), it might be that some of the others quit, or just quit playing competitions, because it’s their final term and they need to get those credits to graduate and not be distracted
I typed that then realized you probably meant they graduated from Marcie et al’s age or difficulty range.
According to Sal, back in a 2014 strip, they wouldn’t care. (I qualify that with “back in a 2014 strip” because the sliding timescale might well affect things like this.)
The governing body for Women’s Flat Track Derby has always allowed for trans players. It’s one of the reasons it’s not an Olympic Sport and why they ended their broadcast agreement with C-Span.
To clarify, since non-USAns may not be aware of it, various levels of various local governments here are currently busy passing, or trying to figure out how to enforce, laws against transwomen competing in women’s sports.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7UmUX68KtE
Popcorn is the best snack when watching roller derby.
popcorn.metal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O775dHUHxLs
Could be worse. Could be doing the “Hewwo, what’s dis? OWO” thing.
That might trigger an instinctive violent reaction though, and Carla’s too smart to risk it. There’s “obnoxious” and there’s “must kill”, and she knows where the line is.
Roller derby sports tournament arc go!
Place yer bets!
My money’s on…wait, does Roller Derby have team names? Are Sal and them just “Purple Team”?
..Can we call them the Purple Parrots, like in Legends of the Hidden Temple?
Admittedly don’t know anything about roller derby but I think it’s a safe bet they have a team name, even if it’s not official. Until we know it Purple Parrots in my head canon!
There are definitely team names in roller derby, also player names. Puns abound, as do innuendoes.
I think the players of most sports have names.
Except for Cricket. Due to an obscure act of parliament in 1593, all cricketers must share the name “Cyril” or be sent to the tower.
This is still true in countries without towers.
What countries don’t have Towers?
Fairly common form of construction as I understand it.
Munchkin land, for one.
Nearly ALL countries have towers. It’s just that some of them are Fawlty…
W.G. Grace broke this rule, but Parliament decreed (after a very long and heated debate) that he was just so badass that he could not be punished for it.
These days, they mostly pronounce it with a silent ‘Cyril’.
Can confirm that derby names are a thing. Also, you can pick any number you want. Which is why there’s a player in Cambridge who goes by “04 Fox Sake.”
Galasso’s Gals?
The “No Cat Smiles” team. Their faces show all business.
Bloomington has the Bleeding Heart Roller Derby, but they don’t wear purple (as far as I’m aware).
On that, it’s interesting that it’s Amazi-girl doing roller-derby, not Amber. (or both)
Oh tags and your mysterious implications.
Amazigirl and Roller Derby action. So looking forward to this.
I didn’t even realize it was Amazi-Girl until I checked the tags. Been a year since we last saw her two weeks from now (and a year short a day discounting flashbacks, or a year plus a month discounting blue-tinted panels), so I’d forgotten to check for the cheek blushes.
And thus begins this book’s fifth chapter, the first time we’ve gotten one since 2012.
Since the second volume, that’s pretty amazing.
I was literally just thinking about how I miss roller derby before I went to check this comic.
Right but hey the WFTDA guideline have been downloaded 1,100 times.
I believe that yesterday someone sarcastically asked for the next arc to be Malaya focused
This wish has been granted.
That’s why you don’t play around with monkey’s paws!
I mean I’m very happy with this development, so I’m glad that they did.
I never got the sheer degree to which some people hate Malaya. I unironically like them as a character.
It honestly feels like they take Malaya literally to an extent they never take a character like Joyce literally. I get the same feeling about Roz. Like, Malaya or Roz or Joyce will say something that we’re obviously supposed to read as, “Okay, they’re being slightly over-the-top for comedy’s sake.” Like Malaya calling Sal an animal hater, Joyce’s “I just stumped an atheist” moment, etc. But people get so mad at Malaya.
I think Malaya’s fun! I think they’re funny and prickly, and sure, they’re a jerk, but I find their brand of jerkiness – where they mostly react to other people’s hostility, like a cactus – a lot more pleasant than, say, Mike’s or Booster’s.
I think for me, it’s that characters like Joyce have more depth and generally actually care about the people around them, even if they do dumb things in the process. Whereas Malaya comes across as just… a conceited, self-important asshole without much character depth. She’s not even funny in her assholery, generally.
I think a better point of comparison than Joyce might be Mike. Mike was also really just an asshole without a lot of character depth. Why do many people (myself included) like him and not Malaya? Is it because he was more frequently funny in his assholery? Was he actually? What makes the difference between a loveable asshole and an insufferable asshole?
I don’t particularly like Mike or Malaya, but I have to say Malaya is better simply because she has an iguana. Reptiles are cool.
Amen u_u
I actually believe that Fuckface would be too Mary Sue if he weren’t paired with an asshole like Malaya. Having a foil as his owner gives him a source of conflict and drama, making his story more interesting.
This story IS about Fuckface, in case you hadn’t figured it out yet.
yeah, i love how subtly he’s written.
like he’s barely even there, but you can tell he is just everywhere in all these small, understated ways. His presence really underpins and justifies the entire baroque fresco of minor characters, your Beckies, your Walkies. Honestly, all the humans are almost transparent plot tools serving to evoke themes and values that highlight the infinite nuances of the narrative of Fuckface.
i could go on forever, but well.
Malaya used to behave thinking she was better that others, because others were fake and she not. That’s the same way of thinking of Mary. It’s not weird people disliked her. But then she discovered to be a fake too and start to be in a relationship with Marcie. I think she’s a better person now.
Mary’s problem isn’t that she thinks people are fake, Mary’s problem is she’s a bigoted asshole who thinks everyone but her is a sinner going to hell. One’s the problem of an edgy, slightly hipster-y teenager who’s struggling with the closet and the other is a serious problem.
And Mary could even be able to find very dangerouse grup of supporter.
Yeeeeep. Everyone was very worried her church was going to harass the hell out of Carla during their dorm fight.
Malaya is Mike with no redeeming qualities and Mike didn’t have any until right at the end.
Mike had self driven purpose and acted with integrity and consideration. I respect your opinion, but I disagree that he had no redeeming qualities before his end.
Mike treated everyone else like his own personal litter boxes, and yet a depressing number of people here kept (and still keep) making excuses for him. Malaya is harmless by comparison, and dunks on Mary as a bonus.
I can’t explain why people defended Mike – other than spillover from Walkyverse fans or his own suggestion.
For a long time Malaya was a minor character only seen in opposition to more popular characters and with almost nothing in the way of positive characteristics – she liked Marcie (but was oblivious) and we could appreciate her nasty side when she dunked on Mary, but that was really it. There wasn’t much reason to like her.
In addition to thejeff’s comment re: Malaya, they were introduced in the Walkyverse as a new potential love interest to Leslie after she and Robin broke up, which almost certainly didn’t win her any fans, either. Malaya was weirdly hated there as well, in ways Mike never was. Sure, they were lower-stakes and thus more realistically dickish, but the degree of hate always seemed disproportionate. (And then we once again come back to Mike’s suggested reason why people let him off the hook.)
That said, I am hoping this arc shows Malaya had some nice character growth over the break, especially since we know they figured out some gender stuff that may have been causing some underlying issues in assuming everyone was a faker. (The mental health issues that made more sense after realizing ‘wait there IS a gendered component to my bodily dysphoria!’ are numerous and surprising.) Plenty of ways to be a low-grade jackass while not being quite as aggro.
Yeah and Vegeta hugged his son that one time right before he exploded to take out Majin Buu. Come to think of it, neither of them managed to do more than temporarily inconvenience the bad guy, and said villain also ended up killing the parent of a protagonist.
I’m gonna “say the quiet part out loud”, so to speak, and share my theory. Malaya’s got rockin’ curves and a sweet ass, and a lot of people are willing to forgive a lot more based purely on that.
Nah, if that were true, Malaya would be more popular than Mike, which has never been the case. Mike’s always been more popular, though Malaya’s gaining her fans lately.
Malaya isn’t a fave or anything, but they’re interesting and it’s been a while.
Malaya is nothing but long sullen silences followed by mean comments followed by more sullen silence.
Malaya is nothing but death… and crime… and the rage of a beast.
I got that reference and it made me laugh.
I like them as a character in a comic strip. I might not feel the same if I had to be around them or room with them like Sal.
Malaya needs something to contribute to the story besides indifference. Maybe the roller derby subplot will let her flex some previously unseen leadership skills.
I like them too! They’re honestly up there with Dina for me and I want to know more about them. People seem to like Carla and Becky a lot but I find them obnoxious af. Some tastes are just unpopular here *shruggie*
Eh, someone who constantly calls other people fake phoney fakers and dedicates themselves to exposing how fake someone else is is really annoying. I especially felt annoyed when they shone a light in sal’s face, that just felt relatable for some reason
I love Malaya. Have since Shortpacked. I unironically squealed when I got to her DOA debut because of her and Carla. At the time, I liked her more than I liked Sal (obviously that’s changed). She’s a grump and a snob though so I can kinda see why people don’t like her.
That or they were a patreon that was trying to sneak in a spoiler! That’s what I’d do if I was part of the early access squad. Cleverly try to sprinkle in spoilers as guesses and hunches. Gee, wouldn’t it be wild if Ethan showed up in tomorrow’s strip with his new Bully Maguire design and an obnoxious boyfriend everybody immediately hates?!
I mean Willis has been posting teasers for this Derby arc for a while.
Even last night.
And everybody can see the middle three panels of the next strip on the Patreon, paying customer or not. They’re blurred until they’re illegible but still just clear enough that you can tell who shows up.
…debating whether I want to know the identity of this mystery character or not. I have a decent guess, though.
I’m not a Patron. I don’t respect spoilers. I’m just an idiot.
It doesn’t matter, Willis bans for spoilers if he catches you. We’re sworn to secrecy on patreon.
It was me and I am absolutely SICK
I mean I’m not complaining. This seems like it’ll be a good arc.
Thag! I heard you got thagomized! I’m glad that rumors of your demise were exaggerated!!
Normally I’m against more Malaya, but since this is a roller derby arc I might be ok with this.
I can hardly wait for them to show off their sheer moxy!!!
Totally down for some roller derby and Carla antics
You know, it’s times like this I forget she was a talking car.
You can take the car out of the girl but you can’t…well I suppose you can take a girl out of a car pretty easily, actually. There’s doors, she can just let herself out. Unless the child lock’s engaged, sometimes it’s quicker to just go around and open the door if you can’t remember which switch.
You can take the car out of the girl but she can’t take herself out of the car if the child lock’s engaged!
Yay, Marcie’s back! It’s been almost two years since we last saw her! And almost one since we last saw Amazi-Girl, so I’m curious to see how she’s developed.
Also Carla’s got a star on her shoulder now! Wrong shoulder to be the Joestar birthmark, and I doubt it was an intentional reference to that on Willis’ part, but I can absolutely see Carla deliberately screwing up the reference to annoy people.
“I remember now… Someone else has a birthmark just like that on the side of their neck. Know anyone like that?
Good eyes! I had to zoom in and enhance about 5 times to make that out.
Willis said it’s just a sticker, back when the roller derby character models were dropping on Twitter.
Tattoos are just… nature’s stickers.
Ouch-y stickers that don’t come off.
It’s interesting that Malaya is apparently the team captain. Mostly because that means Sal has to listen to her!
Hahaha. “has to” May or may not choose to, but Sal doesn’t have to roll at all. Like not rolling on the shabbos. That Sal chooses to tolerate Malaya is only out of her desire to hang with Marcie.
(high level roller derby nerdery starts, can’t help) Honestly the fact she’s setting jam strategy doesn’t mean that she’s the captain. It varies team to team, but many teams have a “track lead” or “qb” position that is shot caller. A lot of the time you’ll see a pack prepping for the next jam in the pit, and that is often a collaborative back and forth with all of the skaters including the jammer.
..
Also this tactic is SUPER common for power jams where one team has their jammer in the box. It’s a bait and sweep ;P
*plays “Gogetem” from Little Big Planet 2 on Voxola PR-76*
Better you than me…I was thinking Rob Zombie.
Who’s that?
….kids these days
Dammit, beat me to it. I was going to go with “Ole” by Pearl Jam (which I can totally imagine being music for Carla skating circles around the other team), and then flee for dear punning life.
(Before I decided on Pearl Jam, it was going to be Marley’s “Jammin”.)
…. woops, posted in the wrong place.
Super interesting that he tags amazi-girl instead of amber. Can’t wait to see how that’s developed
It was established after the timeskip that AG no longer fights crime, so assuming she’s still friends with Amber, this is the outlet that allows them to maintain a functional relationship
It kind of looks like AG’s wearing eye makeup or paint under her visor. I think that counts as a mask! Personally I think if Amber were here she’d be sitting in the stands not watching the game but her phone instead of actually playing.
Amber was tagged when they were practicing before, so why wouldn’t she be willing to play now?
Amber’s characterization post arc has been almost completely detached. (Probably a result of Mike’s death and Ethan turning heel and ghosting her) Also as mentioned above it’s been established that derby is AG’s outlet now.
https://www.dumbingofage.com/2020/comic/book-11/01-this-bright-millennium/odd/
I’m not saying Ambs would freeze up if she was put on the spot but derby doesn’t seem like her thing. Her phone is her thing.
I meant to say “timeskip” not “arc” but I think it still makes sense.
It is interesting that it was Amber who first got involved with roller derby, but AG now. Not sure what to make of that.
If there’s no blush (the two red spots) on her face, it’s AG.
Kinda suspecting we’ll get an alternative name for her soon, since she’s not a vigilante anymore.
Not sure if I agree, but if so then I think “Maisie” would be a good choice.
A girl can still be a fighter even if she does not fight crime.
A girl can still be amazing even if she does not fight crime. FTFY.
Seconded on the suggestion, assuming we’re giving her a “regular” name.
yaaaaaaaaaaaaay roller-derby! and amazi-girl!
I mean, how could you forget, Sal?
When I commented about Malaya yesterday I WASN’T SERIOUS WILLIS. Damn!
I IMMEDIATLY thought of your comment
I have never been more irritated to be right in my entire life. This is horrible
Points and laughs.
Oh no, your hubris!
Yas! Carla time! So excited for roller derby!
That tattoo tho 0.0
I was drinking water and legit almost did a spit-take in happiness at seeing Amazi-Girl
Finally, we get to see the results of what I’d assumed to be months of roller derby practice for Amber and Sal.
The bad Sean Connery accent made me spit-take.
Today I realized a bad Sean Connery accent is indistinguishable from talking with your mouth guard in. That’s entertaining
I mean I bet that’s a regional thing because I tend to just sound even more southern.
That said dang if talking with a mouthguard in isn’t a real learned skill
That’s what I thought it was, never considered otherwise until I read this comment. Huh.
This strip, surprisingly, fills me with hope.
I hope Sal and AG manage to vent their violent urges appropriately.
I hope Walky is there, being a good brother and friend, maybe with Lucy and/or Booster in tow.
I hope Joyce and Becky are there being predictably cheerful and goofy.
I hope we catch a glimpse of Ethan off in a corner, unable to resist showing some form of support.
I even hope Danny shows up sans ukulele.
I anticipate much based off this first strip. Here’s hoping the next strip or two doesn’t immediately go to Jacob in his dorm room reflecting on how his life isn’t going as planned.
I’ve been waiting for this storyline! ;w; Even if it means I have to put up with Malaya. I’m glad for Sal and Amber, though it seems it’s AG doing the driving?
(Also: Nice tattoo, Sal! You did say the spider was looking a tad too sparse and lonely by its own. TURN IT INTO A SLEEVE GO GO GO)
Oh wait! I stand corrected, someone HAS commented about the tattoo, glad I’m not the only one who noticed, or at the least, cared enough about it to mention it
Surprised that nobody has commented on the Sal new tattoo reveal yet.
Lowkey I’ve been wondering about that ever since the timeskip hit, since she had mentioned thinking about getting a sleeve relatively shortly beforehand, and every appearance after the skip has been long-sleeved until now
So a few years ago I wanted to learn about roller derby, but trying to read the Wikipedia page about it just left me as confused as cricket. Anyone have any suggestions on readings or videos that would work well as a quick introduction to the basics?
This is gonna sound terrible, but an adequate *start* would be to watch “Whip It”.
“Kansas City Bomber” is also a good point. And even if you don’t learn anything about roller derby, it’s still got a 31-year-old Racquel Welch as one of the skaters, so it’s still a win.
100% agreed
Well, for modern flat track roller derby, if you want to actually understand the tactics, rules, etc? I did a video that goes into WAY too much depth but will give you a good basis for it. search “how to watch roller derby as a fan” on youtube.
Oversimplified, it’s a race between two people who each have a crew of four ruffians backing them up by getting in their opponent’s way. The racers are called jammers (signified by wearing a star on their helmet cover) and the rest of their gang are called blockers. The blockers are required to stay within a certain distance of each other so that they form a pack, and points are awarded when the jammer laps the pack.
Getting into a bit more detail, each of these races is called a jam, and a game of roller derby consist of as many jams as it takes to fill up two thirty minute periods. The jam begins with the jammers behind the pack, and the first jammer to make it through the back becomes the “lead jammer,” giving them the ability to end the jam early if they want. Otherwise the jam continues for two minutes. Beside the jammer, the team also has one blocker with a striped helmet cover marking them as the pivot. The jammer can swap roles with the pivot mid-jam by passing their star helmet cover to them. The team can also reassign roles and change who is fielded during the brief gaps between jams (they can have up to fifteen members, but only five can be on the track at a time). Improper blocking (with hands, elbows, head, feet, or contact above the shoulders or below the thigh, or from behind a person), going out of bounds, or other rules violations can land you a stint in the penalty box or get you ejected from the game.
Disclaimer: I don’t actually play or watch roller derby and only know anything about it due to researching it for a side character in a book I’m writing. I’ve double-checked against Wikipedia since it’s been a couple years, but at the end of the day this is only my laypizza’s understanding of things so I could be a little off in the details.
Honestly? For a layperson that’s a WELL above average description of the sport. You should give the wftda champs a shot on YT, you’ve got enough to understand the basics
This is gonna have a ton of links, so who knows how long it’ll take to get approved, but here goes anyway. Fun Fact!
Carla’s, Sal’s and Malaya’s jersey numbers (87, 93, and 11) are references to the years that Willis first created each of them: 1987, 1993, and 2011 respectively. Marcie’s number (71) is a reference to the year the Peanuts character of the same name made her debut. I’m less certain about this last one, but Amazi-Girl’s number (113) would spell out A113 if the A from her crimefighting outfit were present, so unless it’s a Transformers thing I’m not familiar with then I’m betting that’s it!
AFACIT, it’s just an excuse for athletic semi-scantily clad women to zip around bashing into each other.
OTOH, my cousin who lives in Santa Cruz, CA is a real 60’s throw-back hippy love child, and her daughter does roller derby. She (the daughter) demonstrated a hip check on me, even though I politely demurred.
I hate that I live in a timeline where there needs to be an excuse for THAT.
Any excuse is good enough for this…. Y’know, I used to put “guy” there, but I’m not sure what the new equivalent is. Maybe it’s about time to stop being too worried about other people seeing my search history and start synchronizing my vocabulary to match my real self. It’s been like a year and a half, at least.
EMBRACE THE SEARCH HISTORY
fwiw at the moment i think of you as a burgersexual genderN/A so, you know
if you can’t live your truth (or indeed, any lie you please) on “The Net”
THEN WHERE
PS you’re very funny today, please keep making jokes
pPPS notwithstanding being tragically inaccurate about Malaya
..wait no i actually agree with your take on malaya (the part where we like her because she’s hot) (also i like her because she’s garbage) (HOT garbage)
ok
No, I must, respectfully, diagree…. an excuse for athletic semi-scantily clad women to zip around bashing into each other….
That would be the Extreme Football League, aka Legends Football League, aka Lingerie Football League….
Nope, and most of us aren’t all that scantily clad any more, though not that there’s anything wrong with that. Roller derby is one of the most technical, nuanced, and demanding activities I’ve ever been a part of.
(source: Ex-martial artist, world level derby skater)
As a non-athletic, I admit to no small amount of ignorance on the subject. To hopefully amend some of said ignorance, I have a very important question: How many rivals have you personally had “removed”? That is to say “bumped off”, “eliminated”, “violently assassinated”?
Considering I play for the Texicutioners…
(less jokingly? we really really try not to hurt each other, though it does happen)
The chapter title seems to be a reference to Bad Romance or She’s Always a Woman. I’m betting on the latter.
An earlier title for the chapter was “I want your revenge”
Yeah, I’ve figured out the title is wrong, too. I wonder if the Willis’s strip buffer is ending, and now he have to return to work here…
there’s a little box on the left side of the page that says “Buffer watch”.
that’s where Willis is currently at.
soooo
This webpage is a maze ahaha.
I never would know about this box if you’d tell me.
Whoops, then I lose that bet. Interesting what the song could entail for this storyline.
I appreciate how the added ‘h’s in Carla’s last bubble made what she said so, so much more annoying.
Why’s she talking like that? Is she wearing a mouthguard? Is that why her mouth is blue?
That was my read on it.
Her mouth is blue because she’s charging a Megaflare.
Is that a Pokemon?
So Carla’s the jammer. That…. makes sense on so many levels.
I suppose that there’s no point saying to Malaya: “Ease up, it’s only a game!”
Thinking Tactically and co-ordinating your team are an important part of a lot of games
I’ve gamed with some groups where those words were blasphemy.
…. or gloating, they could also count as gloating.
Games are more fun when you win, go Malaya
I mean, no you generally wouldn’t say that to a sports team captain
What? A chapter 5? I was not expecting that. It’s been what, nine years since the last chapter 5?
It’s weird to see Malaya so smiling and confident. It’s a sport miracle! Dunno if they are a strong team, but they are a cool team! Sal’s hair are beautiful. And I can’t understand if the fact that Amazi Girl is one of the players is a good thing or not.
I miss going to watch roller derbies with my friend.
I don’t know much about roller derby, but this sounds like it could be interesting. Especially with this group as a team, and apparently it’s Amazi-Girl playing with them, not Amber.
It isn’t going to happen, but I’d love for Joyce and a bunch of the other girls acting as unofficial cheerleaders under Jennifer’s direction.
I really like Malaya in a team leader position.
I mean, it helps that it’s not for a team I’m part of, but still.
Seriously.
Scantily-clad athletic girls? Sign me up for this arc, and I’ll take ten.
You and Thea over a GWS. Of course, Thea hit the jackpot with that arc.
Is Amazi-Girl using a mask under her visor? And the most important of all questions: she will use her Christian Bale’s rasp voice, too?
That big drip on her cheek suggests it’s makeup or paint.
So Sal, Carla and Amber/AG are allowed to play with the big girls now.
hell yeah
I dunno, Sal’s kind of thin to be a blocker… AG is thicc, so she’ll protecc, but Sal? I dunno…
Sal is tol, she’ll do it oll.
omg the internet
Isn’t she like 5’6/5’4?
carla’s tol. marcie’s smol. sal is cool… which also ends in “ol” so it’s an eye rhyme i guess
eye rhymes are misdemeanors.
I mean I know plenty of skinny blockers at all levels of play. ;P
Love the move to roller derby but I still want to know if Dina ripped clothes off of Walky and Lucy. That’s what happened to Amber, so I had my hopes up.
Amber: Sometimes I disassociate and fi-
AG: Hnngh. Play roller derby.
Richard: Those… are definitely some words.
Sal: Honestly, it’s mostly the same thing.
Now this seems promising
Indeed! I was just wondering what everyone’s favorite roller derby team has been up to.
Man, I continue to not really like Malaya but also respect how she’s the only one who calls out how unbearable people in this strip can be.
But Sal’s doing the calling out, here.
panel 3? that was Sal. please carry on having your own (incorrect) feelings about Malaya
Malaya has spent the vast majority of her screentime bugging the shit out of Sal for her perceived shittiness.
Do you also like Mike?
you talking to me?
to be honest i’m trolling a bit. i like pretty much all characters equally?? i do experience strong likes and dislikes towards fictional people, but apparently not in DOA.
to me they all feel like fundamentally decent people, some of them with somewhat extreme personalities, but they feel written sympathetically, and i think i tend to align with (what i perceive to be) the author’s tenderness towards their characters, generally.
i also tend not to strongly dislike anyone irl so surely that’s also why.
but also, Malaya is objectively awesome and you are wrong. =P
Why does it feel like a Joan Jett song is about to start?
i’m so pumped for this. more carla, more malaya, hell yes
Was hoping we would get to see Skinny Mini Miller, but she is probably in the Seniors tour by now.
Fact: Roller derby is awesome.
Considering she had to start in a separate beginner’s group, Amber (and maybe Sal and Carla? I know they roller skated but idk if they were into roller derby before) must have learned quick to be able to join Marcie and Malaya’s team in such a short time. I know there was a time skip but that’s still only a couple months, and that included winter break, when at least some of them went home for a bit.
Amber, Sal and Carla joined together. Maybe some of the other girls graduated?
I more meant that Sal and Carla might already have experience, so it’s not necessarily as notable that they progressed in this time.
As well as graduating (since not many people graduate in the winter), it might be that some of the others quit, or just quit playing competitions, because it’s their final term and they need to get those credits to graduate and not be distracted
I typed that then realized you probably meant they graduated from Marcie et al’s age or difficulty range.
Does Dumbiverse Indiana have any rules against transwomen competing in women’s sports? This could get dicey.
According to Sal, back in a 2014 strip, they wouldn’t care. (I qualify that with “back in a 2014 strip” because the sliding timescale might well affect things like this.)
Not asking about the skaters, but about goverments, and/or whatever group makes the rules for the local roller derby.
The governing body for Women’s Flat Track Derby has always allowed for trans players. It’s one of the reasons it’s not an Olympic Sport and why they ended their broadcast agreement with C-Span.
To clarify, since non-USAns may not be aware of it, various levels of various local governments here are currently busy passing, or trying to figure out how to enforce, laws against transwomen competing in women’s sports.
the wftda has it’s own bylaws surrounding this. denying trans women can lose you your certification and bar you from official bouts
Willissssssss you’re gonna make me miss derby again