DUN-DUN-DUUUUUNNNN!
And on that somewhat ominous note, we wrap this episode – just in time for the Holiday Hiatus!
Of course, like last year, there will still be a certain amount of comic-related activity even during the holidays. Max-The-Artist and his wife Julie have been creating a fun and frisky three-page “Marissa’s Christmas” special, chock-full of tease and cookies and double-entendres. And we’ll also be participating in the Collective of Heroes “Secret Santa” art exchange again. So just a little holiday fun coming up for those who want to join in!
And more below!
Bobservations
Huddle Up
The last panel shows the Strike Team instinctively huddling together as they realize that they are now being hunted. The meaning of the pose is fairly clear; humans do tend to cluster together when they are feeling insecure or threatened. From an evolutionary standpoint the instinct is sensible – grouping together has been a logical defense strategy for most of human existence. That’s because for eons the enemy was likely equipped with teeth and claws. Getting separated from the group was a guaranteed way to make yourself a target. Heck, even during the early stages of projectile weapons it still made sense, especially if you had shields that would stop arrows or spears. The Roman legion’s “turtle” formation was famously functional. And even some hundred-fifty years ago American settlers were still “circling the wagons.” Yes, huddling together was a sensible survival instinct.
Until the invention of bombs and rockets.
When I was working as a contractor doing effects for Army training, one of our primary functions was to get soldiers to unlearn a zillion years of evolutionary instinct. In modern warfare, a cluster of soldiers is a juicy target. And we, playing insurgents, could use that huddling instinct to our advantage. We’d be working within an established souk, where there was only one main route with a certain amount of cover. We knew that a squad of soldiers would be coming in to investigate our presence. They knew we were there, and they were supposed to take us out.
But because they knew we were there, they were jumpy as hell. So that gave us an edge. We’d set up a sniper with an AK some distance back into the souk, hidden inside a window at a safe distance (for him.) As the soldiers cautiously approached an area with a burned-out wreck of a car off to the side, he’d open up with his AK. And the soldiers, predictably, would all scramble for the same cover – the burned out car, where they’d instinctively huddle together.
Naturally, that was where we’d planted the IED or RPG effect. BOOM! A huge cloud of fuller’s earth and cork blasting into the air and a lot of soldiers “killed.” If we did it right, they’d all be “dead” and the OC/T (Observer Controller/Trainer) would have to “resurrect” a couple just so they could practice helping the “wounded.” Then the OC/T would give them a lecture about not bunching up and playing into the enemy’s hands. They learned, and by the end of the training we were lucky to get more than one or two, which was considered a waste of a good rocket-propelled grenade.
Of course, just to shake things up a bit, the trainers would occasionally send in some Rangers.
We’d be set up as usual, and waiting for targets. But there wouldn’t be any. We’d wait and wait, and after a while we would get nervous. Finally, there would be a movement – just a fleeting glimpse of a soldier, on a rooftop of the souk where no soldier was supposed to be. It was always too late to remember that if you actually see a Ranger, he intended that you should see him.
Our sniper, excited, would lean out the window trying to get a shot – and the invisible Ranger in the room behind him would shoot him in the head.
We’d react, standing up and yelling into our radios, startled as hell – and instinctively gathering together in our hiding area. Whereupon there would be a burst of gunfire from nowhere and we would all be “dead.” Really made you appreciate the value of a well-trained soldier.
Sure, in the last panel Max’s Ranger instincts may be chafing a bit at the others instinctively gathering around him, but he is the only trained soldier in the room. They can’t help it.
Besides, it’s the Holiday Season! Time for us all to gather together with our loved ones in a spirit of Peace and Joy and Snuggling!
Bring it in, y’all. And Merry Christmas!
— Bob out
Both FBI and sociopath thinking, “They must be stopped!”
Not so much wanting them stopped entirely as thinking “They must be made to work for ME!”
At least its usually a good idea to know who’s coming at you over the horizon. Now you just need an overlook ability, ….oh!, …wait! …Hmmm!
No if it was Anime, Marissa would be the other way round with your face in her cleavage and you would be having a nosebleed 🙂
Love the vote incentive. The snow dusting effect is pretty damn cool (no pun intended)
Thanks Anarchyant!
Nice lecture – Shame my evolutionary instincts are primarily focused on considering Marrissa & Emils position in panel 1.
I’m wondering if Emil isn’t considering a few positions as well 😀
Okay, now I KNOW she’s trolling him………………
Question is, will he take the hint and man up?
On a totally different subject, on my Provocative Praise blog I featured 3 Minutes Max as one of 11 Action / Thriller / Crime / Espionage Webcomics. Won’t hurt to check out the other ten, I guess?
Thanks, Timothy! Always appreciated!
woohoo! Thanks Timothy!
I wonder what immediately followed this scene? It kinda reminds me of the maniacal laughter from Austin Powers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7edeOEuXdMU
Bob, quick question please. What is a Souk? (Google came up with some real weird ass answers), is it some US army term?
Also in regards to the evolutionary standpoint of humans huddling up or sticking close together in unknown or fearful situations, I can understand soldiers being trained to “split the party” as it were, but I have never for the life of me understood why in films where they up and coming victims are in the spooky run down house/Disused mine/Cave etc that the non trained flesh bags think its a good evolutionary tactic to go off in ones and twos even after they know they are being picked off one at a time. Films like that just seriously never make (and annoy the hell out of me) any sense. Though could be evolutions way of saying “The weak is meat the strong do eat.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Souq
Ace is correct. It’s an open-air market or bazaar. (Being an Arabic word, the English spelling is necessarily open to interpretation.) For training purposes, the Army built theirs from dozens – even hundreds – of shipping containers; stacked, arranged, custom-cut, welded, and decorated with exterior plaster and props. A number were even buried underground as “bunkers” and “tunnels.”
ah that explains it. I had heard it spelt Souq before but work addled brain didn’t put it together and Google searches (in the UK at least) have been weird with stuff recently. I’ll blame it on the NSA or GCHQ watching (watch if google was a guy part 2 for funny version of it)
One ‘red rock’ near that telepod and you have Chrono Trigger all over again.
.Why do I get the impression that the bottom panel is also the rear cover illustration(for the collected trade paperback/e-book edition)?
Those two should really get a (lab) room… I especially like Marissa’s reaction in panel 2 as she tries to wipe a suggestive glop of white stuff off of her glove. Honestly, could they lay it on any THICKER?
For what it’s worth, I drew the background bottom panel from scratch (from memory) and Dad laid in FX as usual. But, everyone should order the graphic novel and compare for themselves 😀
Can you imagine those two in a (lab) room together on their own? You either would end up with a Star Destroyer a la Steampunk design, or two sweaty naked peeps…….cant make up mind which is more appealing. Steampunked Star Destroyer or Marissa in just a lab coat, oh why do we have to have these conundrum’s!! why???!!?? lol
Thanks for that I had to go back & check!
“Bloody ook-covered screwdrivers don’t lie!” needs to be a T-shirt. Preferably with a view of Marissa lifting the prints. ^_^
I think we find out who got who in the Collective of Heroes Secret Santa tomorrow, don’t we?
Max knows. As the artist, he’s involved. No one tells the writer anything…
Aww, so close to a “it’s like one of my Japanese animes” reference.
Hey Bob,
Just wanted to wish you and yours a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Loved your work up ’till now and looking forward to enjoying it for a long time to come! Sidenote: Any chance the Strike Team huddle – minus text bubble – might be available as an HD wallpaper?
Thanks so much, and a great festive season to everyone else as well! Winter Solstice coming up in a couple of days, so Happy Hogswatch for those celebrating. As for the art; I’ll see what I can do. Don’t want to distract Max, but if he sends me the PSD of the page’s final art, I can strip the balloon and do the conversion myself.
Can I just say (Bit late to know exactly how you assign avatars) the Doctor Sharma one really suits my personality, Cicerone would also work (but I’m broke).