27-10-18 In unison

[Giz]

New strip! http://www.ma3comic.com/strips-ma3/in-unison/

[OllieOrOlly]

The new Izz, or more accurately, the true Isabelle is quite the insightful one; granted, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that a band with talented people, even if they loathe one another, can still sound exceptional. Sonya and Yuki hated each other to the point of love (or angry lust, but I digress), yet they managed to become vital to fictional Montreal's best upcoming band.

Angel and Zii hate each other in a very different way, but even so, there have been doubtless many bands that were successful and sounded great despite bandmates having serious issues with one another; it might be a bit of time bomb in this case, albeit they could have a decent run before it explodes. It seems unlikely it will be completely disarmed, so a decent run is the most likely positive possibility.

Angel's vow to delete the video and not repeat such an act appears highly disingenuous - probably intentionally so, however, it'd be nice if they were made to stick to their promise. We don't really know anything concrete about Terry, yet it doesn't appear like he deserved any of the harsh treatment Angel dealt him.

As other's have noted, Erik's arc was completed, thus it would be preferable that he serves purely as a manager, with no personal attachments.
Since this side of Zii's life is coming up roses, the remaining drama that really has to be addressed is her dysfunctional, or perhaps more accurately, hollow relationship with DiDi. I don't know if it will be like the band tour (i.e. fireworks), but diverging career paths, especially with how sexually needy DiDi is, would break them apart, finally.

[cheshire86]

Oh, I'm sure they don't hate each other any more than Buckingham and Nicks, or the McVies, and they managed to make Rumours without murdering anyone.

That we know of.

Maybe Terry should email fellow drummer Mick Fleetwood and ask for advice...

[Valkog]

So, they're basically just replacing Sonya with Angel, and it's pretty much Zii's new band hijacking Angel's tour.

[Spidrift]

Ker-chunk. The pieces slot into place as expected.

(Oh, and Zii appears to be taller than Izzy again.)

Oh, I'm sure they don't hate each other any more than Buckingham and Nicks, or the McVies, and they managed to make Rumours without murdering anyone.

That we know of.

And with slightly more sexual soap opera than Ma3, by all accounts.

Maybe Terry should email fellow drummer Mick Fleetwood and ask for advice...

Or Ringo Starr, or Eric Clapton (if he can remember the Cream days), or the Kinks rhythm section, or the Stones' back row, or the members of Oasis who aren't related to each other...

Honestly, it sometimes seems to be easier to find bands who don't have personality clashes between the primary talents than those who don't -- especially if they have two really good, original people out front. Talent usually comes with a bonus payload of ego, and if it doesn't start that way, six months of exposure to rock fan adulation would inflate the ego of a saint. You just have to hope that you get a Sergeant Pepper or at least a "Waterloo Sunset" out of the mix before the whole edifice collapses.

So, they're basically just replacing Sonya with Angel, and it's pretty much Zii's new band hijacking Angel's tour.

I suspect that (a) they'll be billed as "Angel and the Troublemakers" (which is actually rather a cool name, come to think of it), and (b) Angel will act as the songwriter (having more of a creative personality than Zii). And hey, putting the Hawks behind Dylan, or the Rumour behind Graham Parker, worked out okay...

[vampire hunter D]

So, they're basically just replacing Sonya with Angel, and it's pretty much Zii's new band hijacking Angel's tour.

Angel said second guitar. So I think he still has his own guitarist.

[worldshaking00]

As I see it: Zii as lead guitar, Angel on bass, Terry back on drums, and Isabelle as... something????

The name of the band will still need to be worked out, although I expect some sort of amalgamation of Troublemakers and something quirky with a "Z" in it. Troublemakerz?

I'm more interested in finding out what Didi is going to do for orgasms while Zii is out on tour. Is Didi going to join the tour, or find another partner to satisfy her while Zii is away? I mean, it isn't like Didi has had any say in Zii's musical career... in the same vein as how Didi did not solicit advice from Zii.

[Judanas]

I mean, it can't be worse than Oasis' relationship.

[Spidrift]

As one British newspaper headlined it after one of the Gallagher brothers' little onstage discussions, "Young Persons' Beat Combo in Tiff".

Izzy appears to be realistically accepting that she's not ready for band membership yet, which can be taken as another example of her rapid but moderately satisfying development of maturity for the end of the comic. And the band's other guitarist will be the nameless guy who's been in-frame a couple of times, as here (panel 4). Presumably he's competent and placid. Meanwhile, Erik gets his obsession with rock'n'roll misbehaviour pandered to yet again.

And like I said, the obvious name for the touring ensemble is "Angel and the Troublemakers". Angel is entitled to lead billing -- Erik arranged the tour on the basis of Angel's competence -- while the backing band are an augmented version of the current Troublemakers line-up. And let's face it, "Angel and the Troublemakers" is quite a good band name.

[brasca]

It may be too late to change the title, but I think Zii might be willing to work with whatever title Angel's band currently has. If she remains behind with the band she's still trying to perfect she's probably not getting booked anywhere local anytime soon, but if she and Terry put aside their differences for this one tour it could boost her profile. Perhaps the improvised band may become permanent after a 6 month tour. Stranger things have happened although with this series ending we'll probably never know. Hopefully, Zii's had enough personal growth that she won't make the same mistakes that destroyed her previous bands

[samtheman]

Now that the band merger and 6 month tour are going to happen I have some new predictions:

Zii and Didi break up.
Peggy dumps Gary and moves out.
Didi also moves out.
Gary gets two new roommates but both of them are gay men.
*Three month time skip*
Strip #1500 or thereabouts is Gary walking home from work early and walks in on his gay roommates having sex on the couch.
Comic "ends".

[Spidrift]

It may be too late to change the title, but I think Zii might be willing to work with whatever title Angel's band currently has.

“Angel and their Electric Toyz”, as I recall. Not a great name, too much ego in the payload, and probably not acceptable to Zii.

If she remains behind with the band she's still trying to perfect she's probably not getting booked anywhere local anytime soon, but if she and Terry put aside their differences for this one tour it could boost her profile. Perhaps the improvised band may become permanent after a 6 month tour. Stranger things have happened although with this series ending we'll probably never know.

As you say, there could be any number of reconfigurations happen after the comic ends. It doesn’t matter very much; there are any number of ways these people can pull viable musical careers out of the pudding mix. In effect, they’re going from being two squabbling bands to being the seeds of a local scene.

[worldshaking00]

Now that the band merger and 6 month tour are going to happen I have some new predictions:

Zii and Didi break up.

Maybe. I get the impression that a lot of eyes are going to open these last few strips.

Peggy dumps Gary and moves out.

Dear God I hope not. The whole premise for this comic is that it is difficult to get lodging in Montreal. And if 'happy places' are on the menu, it seems quite awkward to take several steps back toward loneliness for one of the main cast without offering him a bone (of sorts). Peggy just needs to get over her fears/insecurity.

Didi also moves out.

See above. Although I could see Didi leave for the road with Zii. Or not, if some sort of l'orgasme machine can be procured.

Gary gets two new roommates but both of them are gay men.
*Three month time skip*
Strip #1500 or thereabouts is Gary walking home from work early and walks in on his gay roommates having sex on the couch.
Comic "ends".

Once again, I hope not. While your prediction has symmetry, I am hoping for a happy - if cliche - ending. I appreciate a good tragedy, don't get me wrong. And it isn't like Gary hasn't grown out of the previous volumes of Ma3. But his goal is partnership with a woman he loves. Why be a Lucy and pull the football away from Charlie Brown now?

[VoxPopuli]

On another note, I keep forgetting is Angel anatomically male or female?

[cheshire86]

some predictions -

Zii and Erik reconnect on the road.
DiDi and Roxie connect, in the ring and the bedroom.
Sonya becomes a spy... but she's still not a lesbian.
Tess and Maura join Annie's stable in the WW3 and make more money than they know what to do with.
Yuki's dad finally gets a grandbaby. Matt survives the entire process reasonably intact.
Peggy remains a roomie and friend with benefits.
Kylie writes a paper about her experiences on her way to a doctorate.
Sandra knocks on the door. "I'm here about the spare room."

Gary comes home, picks up Lita, says "Well, I'm back."