OllieOrOlly wrote: ↑Tue Jun 05, 2018 9:37 am
Seems Zii couldn't resist dumping on Gary's self-confidence yet again...
That line didn't strike me as malicious; it's just desperate denial. Sure, she could give Gary's ego a boost if she was more honest, but it's not like she told him he was a bad kisser or anything, and he's placid enough that she won't have hurt him bad there.
OllieOrOlly wrote: ↑Tue Jun 05, 2018 9:37 am
At least she isn't retreating into denial about her unfaithfulness, although even if it is unfortunate such a sense of *loyalty* was found within a worthless relationship with DiDi (who has been shown quite clearly to lack basic emotional understanding and simple respect), rather than with Erik or other similar relationships she has previously botched due to her capriciousness and blinding lust.
But the whole point of recent events is that Zii has
finally admitted that she has a tendency to bollix things up. It's not just that she's more committed to DiDi than to Erik; it's that she's had a big moment of self-knowledge that makes her capable of this at all. Sure, you can say it's cosmically unfair that Zii reached that understanding while in a relationship with DiDi rather than much sooner, but so it goes; better to get there now than never.
OllieOrOlly wrote: ↑Tue Jun 05, 2018 9:37 am
... Is there some other series set in the same universe that has suddenly arrived for an utterly out of nowhere crossover?
I think that this gunfight scene is mostly there to support the "too exciting" joke; heck, we may never find out what's actually going on with Bianca, we just need this one big panel for the punchline. I certainly don't see this as any kind of crossover. On the other hand, the other Ma3-universe character who seems to be engaged in secret games of death and deception is Aaina, so perhaps we'll see a cross-link there one day.
Actually, I very much suspect that this scene has come from the same part of Dave01's brain as the Aaina-cat burglar plot strand in SotR; after years of writing domesticated, essentially peaceful sex comedy while consuming whole shelves of manga, it must get real tempting to have a beautiful woman come through a door with a gun (or a savate kick). Even if it does scramble the tone a bit.
Hmm. Perhaps, by the end of this scene, Peggy will have demonstrated her usual ability to get it together when shit gets real, and decked a hostile mook with a chair or something. At which point, Bianca might even say "well, I was going to get around to trying to recruit you eventually"... Anyway, I now imagine Bianca and/or Peggy ending up like Steve in
Questionable Content or Fallon Young in
Scary-Go-Round; the ordinary-looking second-string cast member with a day job they don't talk about, but who is revealed in cutaways to have a PhD in kicking your ass and a tendency to confront wannabe world-conquerors on the edge of volcanoes.
OllieOrOlly wrote: ↑Tue Jun 05, 2018 9:37 am
Gorgeous art as ever: from the subtle blush and expressions of both Gary and Zii, to the over-the-top shock on Peggy's face.
Nice art indeed, yes, but the speed lines in panel 3 look odd. They'd usually indicate rapid motion, but Peggy and Bianca are currently stationary.
Fluffy wrote: ↑Tue Jun 05, 2018 9:55 am
Looks like Didi is about to get another sound scolding from Peggy again (pretty sure Bianca is living at one of those ritzier hotels that provide long term stay overs, and that banging they're hearing is Maura and Didi wrestling in an adjacent room).
Even if you're right about the source of the noise, that doesn't remove the fact that Bianca
carries a gun, and responds to loud noises by drawing it and taking cover in a distinctly
professional sort of way. (Canadian gun laws aside, she's not just a woman who's cautious about muggers; she's acting like a trained combatant.) That's a major tonal shift and something of a significant character reveal.
Both convey perfectly the thoughts that went through my head when I saw that final panel. Well done!
)