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When Kiley did this, exactly this same thing, there was a bed conveniently placed behind Gary.

Gary -- who, regardless of how they draw him, is a wimpy nerd -- couldn't take it and fell backwards on the soft bed. Loss of virginity ensued.

Of course, Kiley is a college student and a very smart girl. She knew what she was doing. It's a sure bet that, when she jumped, she was aware of the bed behind Gary.

Maura on the other hand is... um... how could I put this... she's not quite as smart as Kiley. That's why she didn't realize that her jumping attack, rather than an act of tenderness, was more like a wrestler's finishing move.

(An amusing thought: if Maura ever becomes a famous pro wrestler, I can see her using this technique as her signature finisher. She will probably call it the "Gary Killer.")

It's funny, in the last panel of the previous page, the way he was leaning back with her jumping onto him, my first thought was actually "in real life, that would end with a trip to the doctor". Didn't think it'd actually happen, though!

Varanus wrote:I thought Gary did have a pretty nice, toned musculature? He seems more than just thin. Or does Maura just have high standards for muscles thanks to her profession?

Probably largely the latter. I'm increasingly getting the impression that Maura's "type" is usually the grunting macho meatheads.

But Gary has generally been presented as attractively lean and not carrying much visible flab, rather than actually muscular. Most of the positive comments on his looks have been when he was nicely dressed, rather than when he was stripped - though the women who've got his shirt off in the past haven't usually complained, and DiDi (who was admittedly clawing-the-walls frustrated at the time) was quite smitten when she walked in on him topless one time.

Ha, as I was saying last strip, seeming buildup to sharp right turn. Bit of a shame though since I thought the last strip was quite sweet, but naturally it had to switch over to hijinks.

The logical action would of course be to call for help from someone in the house, but since logic in Ma3 isn't exactly a given I could see Maura calling Tess in a panic or trying to smuggle Gary out of the house to the hospital. Thought if she does go for help and if Didi is around I wonder if she might be more likely to ask her for help than Peggy, especially since she doesn't know Peggy's profession.

As far as Peggy somehow getting involved in the more intimate aspects of Gary and Maura's evening (if anything of it remains at this point), I still think it seems unlikely. The idiot ball had hit her (and everyone else) at the movies, but even with that I can't see her intruding on their date to that extent.

Also another thought, if Maura let's slip that she thinks Gary might not be into women while he's unconscious, I wonder if Peggy might be the one to assure Maura that Gary is into women, but without fully divulging the rather personal details of their relationship.

Spidrift wrote: Probably largely the latter. I'm increasingly getting the impression that Maura's "type" is usually the grunting macho meatheads.

I wouldn't go that far, considering she's into Damian, but she probably prefers guys that are physically active.

A thought.

Maura's underwear appears to have been added after she was drawn. Could that mean we may have a naked version of Maura in the book version of the strip?

Cortez wrote:I wouldn't go that far, considering she's into Damian, but she probably prefers guys that are physically active.

Good point. But I assume that what we see of Damien is largely muscle.

so, how many traumatic brain injuries is this for gary now?

Feh, he's had worse.

Question for the admins: My husband put this comic on hold for a few months now and wants to go back and read it. Are the archives ever going to be fixed or is he out of luck?

I think it has been brought up that Gary, as a whole package, is actually handsome. Dillon & Zii love his rear end, Amber & Didi did not seem to have issue at all with his Star Power, and when he isn't slouching he is presentable. When he dresses up, he can look great. His geek/nerd nature (not necessarily his having to wear glasses, but needing them doesn't help his image) and his not being toned/buff sometimes bring him down; but usually, it is his foot-in-mouth disease and his lack of experience that tend to make others disinterested in him. Well, that and the fact that there are apparently no unattached females in Montreal interested in Transformers and video games. They do exist, right???

Part of me was hoping that Maura would show a deeper level of interest in geek culture, what with her originally stating how much she loved superhero movies. Maybe she forgot about them once she grew up, but her love for them might be rekindled once Gary reintroduced her to them. Or maybe she watched Sailor Moon (or another bishoujo anime) as a young girl. Then we could see the two of them really get into one another as a couple, sharing interests. At least, before she KO'd the poor guy.

Still holding out hopes that one of the ladies in Ma3 will be a closet-geek too... although Peggy's cosplaying & Yuki's anime hobby are about as close to Gary's hobbies as we have gotten yet.

@worldshaking00

Well just as a random idea, if Gary has a concussion they could have Maura do the old classic help keep him awake plot (I'm given to understand this is not actually necessary, but it still exists in pop culture) which could consist of watching cartoons / anime, and possibly revealing a more geeky side to her. I mean she seems pretty in to the whole wrestling scene which is already in itself kind of geeky.

Maybe. It's hard to say how much of Maura (& Tess's) interest in wrestling is tied to Damien. And while I agree wrestling is full of cliches and soap opera-level drama, it is at its heart a more physical occupation/pastime... something most geek culture is devoid of. I am not ruling out she might have to get more 'in touch' with her childhood, or sit through a marathon of Transformers out of sympathy/apology to Gary for giving his that goose egg... only to find out she loves it and wants more.

worldshaking00 wrote:I think it has been brought up that Gary, as a whole package, is actually handsome. Dillon & Zii love his rear end, Amber & Didi did not seem to have issue at all with his Star Power, and when he isn't slouching he is presentable.

The slouching is actually a significant issue with him. Never underestimate the importance of good posture.

Well, that and the fact that there are apparently no unattached females in Montreal interested in Transformers and video games. They do exist, right???

Marie exists to prove that female video games geeks are real in this universe. But SotR is about geek culture, a lot of the time, whereas Ma3 is more about a geek interacting with a wider world, and leans more on the joke that most geeks are socially maladjusted male adolescents (whatever their age). Still, Jung gets some female customers, though they tend to be there for the orientalism. Ramona is classic geek girl, but she's spoken for. Yuki imports bucket-loads of Japanese manga geekery into the comic. And Ruby has actually transformed into a really hardcore, pre-1990-model geek; her focus and attention to detail make Gary look like a shallow fashion-geek poseur. But then, Ruby started out as an actual nerd, like most geeks before geekdom became a fashion statement (which is why a '70s vintage nerd like me has to like her).

Part of me was hoping that Maura would show a deeper level of interest in geek culture, what with her originally stating how much she loved superhero movies.

Oh, come on - have you seen the audience figures for Avengers or Wonder Woman? The great achievement of superhero movies these last fifteen years is breaking far out of the geek ghetto. Modern CGI, well choreographed fight scenes, attractive casts, Gen-X nostalgia, and scripts that balance drama with humour, make movies that you can sell to almost anyone. Liking superhero movies just proves that she isn't a total cineaste snob, not that she's any sort of geek.

As for the wrestling - isn't that "redneck theatre" that's been adopted by geeks?

Spidrift wrote:

worldshaking00 wrote:I think it has been brought up that Gary, as a whole package, is actually handsome. Dillon & Zii love his rear end, Amber & Didi did not seem to have issue at all with his Star Power, and when he isn't slouching he is presentable.

The slouching is actually a significant issue with him. Never underestimate the importance of good posture.

Indeed, posture can be truly transformative... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIaF0QKtY0c

Christopher Reeve's dual contrasting performance is still pretty darn incredible even after all these years.