Grrl Power #1458 – Chemical romance
Well of course there’s unknown chemicals, he’s only got 5 test tubes full of “stuff that reacts a certain way when you stick a specific other chemical in it.” There’s probably a shorter name for that. But it’s unlikely that her hypno stuff is just chemicals that have obvious “turns blue when exposed to ethyl-bethyl-jethaline” reactions.
Sciona herself isn’t a chemist. An alchemist probably, but that’s magical nonsense – combining chemistry, botany, a little kind-of-sort-of metallurgy, and mana, and that all gives you very different results than chemistry alone. But she is from a space faring race, so she certainly understands elements and molecules, but she’s never taken the time to analyze the bizarre substances her body can produce.
I’m pleased with Deus’s oxymoronic statement in panel three. My first draft had him saying something far more sensible, but there’s some process in my brain that automatically runs most of the stuff I hear through the humorizer, in some sort of semi-real time movie-but-also-real-life riffing sequencer. So after I write a page and am laying out the panels and word bubbles, I replay and tweak the scene in my head and make edits. Honestly it’s a little surprising there are any serious conversations in the entirety of the comic, but I suppose I have some sort of limiter engaged, even though I’m sure it’s hanging on by its last coupler, rattling in the electrical maelstrom that passes for my consciousness.
Sexy bodymod news lady Gail has a special one-on-one interview with Tournament Quarter finalist Saraviah Nightwing! And if you subscribe to Gail’s Space Patreon, (which, due to the vagaries of Earth and Gal-Net’s DNS servers, happens to be the same as the Grrl Power Patreon, go figure) you can see that same interview in the nude! Well, eventually. The nude part of the interview, as well as the version that includes shading will be coming soon. Of course, you can view the interview in the nude now if you take your own clothes off. You know. Technically. Just put a towel on your chair first.
Double res version will be posted over at Patreon. Feel free to contribute as much as you like.
the quad swab swab squad!
What webcomic is Lady Gail from?
… This one
specifically Gail’s the pink alien commentator of the intergalactic deathmatch Tourney Max snuck into to try and win some underdog style bets of 700:1 odds or however low they scored her before that first round concluded. she first showed up on in page #1426 (January 15th ’26)
Thanks
I’m amazed at that test-tube holder! It seems to have grown an extra test tube between panels 8 & 9! Though, Deus is no slouch either, turning 4 cotton buds into 5 between panels 6 & 9.
Sure, the extra test tube COULD have been hidden behind the wooden wall, but the colours and lack of use on the last two suggests that’s wrong.
I think it always had five tubes, but one of them was hidden via angle of view in panel 8.
he was after your precious bodily fluids lol
Have you ever heard of fluoridated water, Mandrake?
“Yes, mein Fuhrer!”
“Gentlemen, stop fighting! This is the War Room!”
Why is this guy so much fun?! Your writing of Deus is top notch.
He is my favourite character by far – and a rare example of an intelligence focused super-hero who is actually effective.
Because he’s not a hero. Only antagonists are allowed to be effective agents of change.
He is fun because he is an example of the archetypal “magnificent bastard”
As the trope already makes clear, they are magnificent, and they are bastards.
So you love to see them succeed at whatever wildly improbable plan they come up with (and because they are magnificent so, of course, is their plan). But at the same time you love to see them taken down a peg or two.
So no matter what they do, they are entertaining.
And it certainly helps a lot that Deus is practially made out of “thanatos gambits”. You never know what he is up to, and it is never what you think it is. And then he had plans within plans and backups for his backup plans. So he will always surprise you with his antics.
And on top of all that he is just written really well as somebody who is smug in his knowledge that he is five steps ahead of everybody but does not take himself too seriously.
He’s also an absolute embodiment of someone who lives and operates by the Evil Overlord Rulebook.
Competent villains, who actually enjoy what they do and enjoy life in general (especially if they have a functioning sense of humor) are always interesting and fun to watch.
I can picture Deus meeting Lex Luthor, watching a day in his life, and then leaving with the criticism of “Don’t you ever have any FUN!?”
He would probably enjoy chatting with David Xanathos though.
The two of them would have a lot of notes to compare on “Even if I lose, I still win” scenarios for sure.
He would respect the hell out of Xanatos, and vice versa. They would likely be regular business partners.
What story is David Xanatos from?
Cartoon series Gargoyles.
He is also the trope namer for the “Xanathos Gambit” over on tv tropes
(usual warnings about that site being a huge time sink apply)
Deus.. bro… it’s extremely rude to invite a woman to your room, and then ignore her while you run an experiment.
I mean, YES, unknown chemicals are awesome, but there’s a half-naked lady behind you, don’t ignore her!
Yeah, she was trying to addict you to her funky love fluids, but really, what girl isn’t? You can still show her a good time!
if her “funky love fluids” are the subject of the experiment, he’s not really ignoring her, is he? Just paying attention from a different angle. He’s also the leading expert on superpowers, possibly right up there with the Nth who originally implemented them, so this research might even yield insights that benefit her longer-term.
Especially given that she’s just as curious about the results as he is. :)
Is Sciona any good in bed? Does it matter?
Deus only hooks up with the most impressive/best. Especially more than once.
You know what they say about men who brag about the size of their mass spec?
“Now there is a scientist who is addicted to his field of study” ?
I audibly wheezed out the laughter from that verbal Wolverine claw sound.
Deus doing his Weapon-X impersonation.
I think Deus’s tag is wrong.
DESU
DESU DESU DESU
I’ll take it over people calling him “Dues”.
His name is Douche though…