“Striking Sparks” — Page Thirty-Five
So yes, Marissa will be running around in that outfit for a bit.
ADDENDUM: Woo! Nothing like being mentioned on Grrl Power to send our site crashing right into a wall! I just logged into the VPS to allocate some more resources so hopefully things will load a little faster now.
More below!
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Bobservations
Electric
Okay, so last week was fun. Marissa and her outfit turned out to be well-received, and of course (having seen the artwork in advance) I’d suspected as much so I’d already made a skyscraper Project Wonderful ad for it, which went live the instant the strip went up. Blatant cleavage clickbait and we should totally be ashamed of ourselves, except we’re not. Marissa is a fun character and we’re glad people seem to like her. If you’re new and clicked over because of one of those ads, welcome! We hope you’ll stick around!
Plus, the reader surveys Max had initiated a couple weeks back gave us some valuable information, such as many readers were also fans of a strip called Grrl Power. GP is also a member of the Collective of Heroes and I had been meaning to read it anyway (I’m trying to get through all the members, just to stay abreast of things) but I’d been starting with the strips that had shorter archives first. However, given the number of times GP was mentioned, I jumped over there. Started from the beginning (I’m about three-quarters through ATM) and now I’m a fan as well. So I threw an ad up there too. What I like about the PW ads is they’re a way of giving money to the strip creators while still getting a little something out of it for oneself. It’s not like you’re stealing readers, either – people will generally just read both, if they like both. And although we’ve been outbid a couple of times (I swear, Sandra and Woo must have a massive ad budget) it’s all good, because that means the artist is getting even more money.
One commenter also mentioned Out Of My Element which I also loved and it had a shorter archive, so I’ve been simultaneously reading that one, and got through it last night. Added it to my Comic Rocket list and bought an ad on that site as well. More money for them, and again, if you came from there – stick around! We’ll try to entertain!
And of course there’s always Shotgun Shuffle which I was a fan of already. Since that’s already running some cleavage humor at the moment, I figured the Marissa promos would fit right in.
(Links, etc. over in the “Targets of Opportunity” section down there to the right.)
I also read the blogs under each and every strip (which is why it takes time) and I’ve been amused to see that Max and I are not the only writer-artist team who wage internal wars of dominance. Out Of My Element is done by a husband-wife team and apparently the wife (Alli Perry, who does the drawing) gets just as upset as Max does about her darn husband’s word balloons covering the art. And yet I never hear about such troubles from Shawn Gustafson and Al Fukalek on The Specialists. Maybe the problem increases if you’re related in some way. It wouldn’t surprise me.
I think part of the problem on our end is that Max’s main job as a commercial storyboard artist means he is primarily required to lay out attractive, cinematic staging, using artsy concepts like Golden Rectangles and Three-Point-Perspective, and of course all the dialogue for storyboard scenes is pasted underneath the panels. The idea of leaving a gigantic wad of dead space above the characters just for word balloons is an anathema to him. And it doesn’t help that I often get inspired by the art and decide to put in a lot more words than were originally called for in the script.
But we’re learning. It’s all a process. Hell, I notice that even Dave Barrack, who both writes and draws Grrl Power, seems to get in fights with himself over the matter. So at least we’re in good company.
Ultimately though, it was a heady week, with lots of new traffic. If you didn’t catch it last week, Max has done wallpapers of the Steampunk Marissa pinup, and you can find them in the Wallpapers link at the top of the page.
Thanks again for reading! And please enjoy – we are!
— Bob out
ARTIST’S NOTES:
Enjoy!
-Max
I squeed anyway, art finished or not. 🙂
Squee indeed!
And those puppies are electric? no shock they set the site abuzz! Thank you i’ll be here all week 🙂
On another note, I am definitely liking the way the art has come along for the characters (please note this isn’t a criticism of previous work), like all comics I find that it takes a while to get the feel for how they will appear. Also yes GP is another great comic people should read, its not just click bait its a fun read as well.
Hi Anarchyant, I’m really glad you like the way the characters designs are evolving! You’re insights are accurate here; I’m still learning how best to handle them as we go. Such is the way of things in comics.
GP is a hoot to read. The artwork there reminds me a lot of Fred Perry’s work on Gold Digger, which happened to be one of my favorite comics as a teenager, and a major influence on my drawing style overall.
Anyway, hope everyone enjoys the updated artwork.
Never saw gold digger over here in the UK though when I was into actually getting comics I was more into Marvel mainly X men series.
I also like the heavy line outlines and definitions on your recent work, I have been re playing the DLC and extra bits on Borderlands 2 and find a lot of comparisons (that is in no way a criticism, I love the artwork on their) though that being said, I think Marissa out Moxxi’s Moxxi lol.
For those that are into Art and maybe going into Web comics I would recommend Max’s Vid clips on how he lays out his art work from a few episodes ago.
Quick question on that while I am on the subject. I used to be into artwork, mainly using recently Daz 3D before that generally photoshop but still miss doing it properly but really don’t like the idea of having to get all the manual equipment again. As a Tablet user, how “realistic” does it feel using one and stylus compared to doing it with a pen, pencil etc? I see a lot of webcomic talking about their tablet but before deciding to go that route would like to know what I am getting into. Thanks. Ant
I use a Cintiq specifically, but they stylus/surface feel is basically the same between the two. It’s kinda slippery, like when you draw on those dry erase boards. It’s takes a lot of getting used to- so I recommend getting started early, as in, before you are needing to make a paycheck with your art. There’s a learning curve for sure and those who are not used to it will see their art decline before it improves.
By now I’m so used to the Cintiq that when I pick up a pencil, it doesn’t feel right to me 🙂 and it takes a day or two of sketching before I get my graceful lines back.
My family were early adopters of this kind of technology- I remember experimenting with an early wacom/photoshop setup when i was in high school. But it didn’t really pan out for me at the time- seemed really cumbersome and digital art was just gaining popularity. I would use it to color my scanned artwork and that looked good, but the idea of drawing directly on it from start to finish seemed crazy. I put the tablet away and never touched it for another 3 years.
The next time i saw a tablet in use was when i was repairing and delivering computers for a living- I installed a system for an digital artist who worked at home on movies. He tested it using his tablet and Corel Painter, which i had never seen before (i had only used photoshop until that point). He was sketching digitally and it looked great- and i decided I could do it too. Practiced every night. A year later I quit my job and started freelancing.
There are a lot of pitfalls to the transition to digital- I think most of them are about computer literacy/troubleshooting in general. A tablet or Cintiq is not much more complicated than a mouse or keyboard. The problems come from software incompatibilities, outdated drivers, hardware failure, backup errors, general computer slowness. My time as repairman meant that when i encountered these common problems, I was able to solve them and keep going- and i think a lot of artists are not able to that easily and get frustrated.
The point being, the digital workflow does not simply work right out of the box- you have to have at least a couple years of dedicated practice- before you become proficient.
To get started, i recommend you get a gently used intuos 3 9×6, and spring for the “classic” stylus- it’s much thinner and easier to work with. The stylus that comes with the intuos feels like a big fat copic marker to me and it’s unwieldy. And maybe give Painter a shot- it’s a free download and 30 day trial. But Painter is buggy and it’s historically regarded as unstable and slow. But I use it every day.
For the record, i use an old 20WSX Cintiq and Classic stylus, Corel Painter 12, Photoshop CS5, and a 2008 Mac Pro running Mountain Lion.
Thanks for the info Max, do appreciate it. Don’t worry wont be using it as a pay check just for personal use as I miss being creative drawing wise. Years ago when I was in the computer games industry the company I had been working for had just started bringing in the use with stylus’s but were rather clumsy by todays standards. Will have a look around though and see what is on offer this side of the pond. I have heard numerous artists saying same as you though regarding painter.
In case you’re interested in Gold Digger. Gold Digger Library
Great Comic! Had to binge after coming from GP.
Now that I see the Gold Digger pictures, the memories come flooding back. The boys had scads of those comics all over the place when they were younger. I didn’t actually read them myself, but I glanced through them. Which only confirmed in my mind that I was a Terrible Father, permitting my children to read such provocative work. We escaped Child Services, but obviously permanent damage was done. Sigh.
Primary Weapon: Turbocharged Volkswagen Sales Event! Yay electric cars!
LOL
In a few of the latter Star Trek series, guys have fallen in love with fictional women on the holodeck. It makes them seem a little bit sad. Now I’m right there with them. Thanks a bunch, guys. This one isn’t even in an interactive 3-D environment. Max, you now have your next assignment.
It’s a real honor for me to hear this, as I would fall in love with comic book characters all the time growing up.
Did you mean the first or second law of thermodynamics? The first is conservation of energy, the second is entropy which I think would be more applicable to the impossibility of a perpetual motion engine.
I just knew this would come up. Actually, both would apply, almost equally, but the First law just a bit more, IMO, and I didn’t want to let the dialogue get too cluttered. (See blog about Max and word balloons.)
If I recall the simplified mnemonic joke for the Three Laws correctly, they are:
FIRST LAW: You can’t win.
SECOND LAW: You can’t break even.
THIRD LAW: You can’t get out of the game.
If all you were doing was creating a self-powered mechanism that ran forever, then the Second Law would be slightly more applicable. If, however (as in this case) you are attempting to extract additional power from said machine in order to propel a vehicle, then the First Law is more applicable. So your question is valid but in this case I think Marissa has chosen correctly.
Plus when it comes to the idea behind perpetual motion you end up with the sort of scenario as on the episode “Brain Storm” in Star Gate Atlantis. An entire room of egg heads (and I can say that as ive been happily classed as one before lol) arguing back and forth about a subject with everyone having their own input. Also from a quip and lets not clutter up the word balloons speech I would have to agree with the quick answer of the first law. Plus gives Max room for later in case he wants some one on one tuition with Marissa 😀
Here’s one of the migrants from Grrl Power: thank you for an entertaining archive binge today.
You are very welcome!
I guess the only thing I have to say about the outfit is…how? How do her boobs just not fly out and declare their nipple-y conquest of that outfit? I like me some fine lady curves as much as the next dude, but I gotta wonder…
Science!
Double sided sticky-tape, normally. It depends on how long you’re wearing it for and ..
Uhm. Yeah, science. 🙂
Double sided sticky tape is not even needed here: Them boobies tend to obey the law of gravity and only defy it once the pressure generated by their enclosing (here: bra (not visible, only assumed) and outer clothing) is greater than the gravitational forces, plus some other conditions. After examining the depicted outer clothing very closely, I’d say that the visible parts don’t seem to generate extraordinary pressure – maybe a small bit but not more than the estimated the gravitational forces. Also, the outer clothing covers well over 50% of the delightful roundings, and mainly the lower parts thereof, thereby taking gravitational forces into account and making use of them, thus giving good reason for said roundings to stay within the limits given by said clothing.
Yeah, science, indeed. 🙂 Costume maker know some, too. 😀
I wonder the same thing every time I visit the Renaissance Faire… somehow, science.
I wonder the same every convention or steampunk themed faire ive gone too. Though looking at the outfit, they use or it appears to use leather with reinforcement edges that go around the breast area and over the back and the leather up the side. Now as she is a well proportioned lass, she likely has a custom fitted bra as well which is supportive. If you factor in the whole thing, her breasts are contained comfortable and supported so shouldn’t wrestle free. or umm…….science ?:P
I am also surprised there hasn’t been an “alternative version” on Deviantart yet lol
In the case of corsets and push up bras, the meat of the matter (*cough*) is behind pushed in and held in place as you mentioned.
I can’t say I’d do a Matt Smith giraffe dance in my corset, but things at rest tend to stay at rest even if hopping. 🙂
Thanks, didn’t think it was too bad an explanation considering it came from guy lol Though as I do have female friends who are into wearing similar attire one learns a lot and so called “celebs” who have nip slips certainly could learn a lot about how to stuff em in and keep em in 🙂
Initially Shadowydreamer I thought hmm you might be able to do that dance, as its not an awful lot of bouncing but then I re watched the episode and with the side to side motion combined with the natural assets wanting to escape due to the gravitational force and the corset acting as Dark energy to restrain it, the physics will either break the space time continuum……or your corset exploding. May have to leave that one in the Schrödinger’s cat pile of a thought experiment 😀
Here from Grrl Power… and loving it! Read it all in one go 😛
Amazing art and fantastic story, keep it up 🙂
Thanks so much, AeronStorm! These comments have meant a lot to us!
Ditto! How did you find it in terms of “readability?” I tried to kind of draw it like a movie… that was the intent when we started out, at least!
Too many word balloons, right? Thought so!
Nope, pretty much spot on balance with the word balloons. Even when it’s the “Sciencey Stuff” it is covered with the basics and just enough info rather than having to go into war and peace and do like some comics and films do which is explain in depth for the sake of the reader. Not sure what something means? Google it ! 🙂 Generally I find web comics fall into 3 categories. Quality (meaning its awesome to look at and the story keeps you wanting more but updates about once every 3 months if you are lucky), quantity (meaning can be a bit rough around the edges sometimes but churns out faster than a tabloid newspaper) or balanced which is best of both worlds. Now your one, Grrl power, Evil Inc and a fair few thankfully fall into the balanced zone. Right enough waffling, sorry had a lot of coffee before work lol
^What Anarchyant said a pretty accurate description of how I look at web comics as well.
As for the word balloons, I have invested enough interest in the story that Im ok with reading a bit more text. Then again, I read lots of books in my spare time so Im sorta used to it 😛
Anyways, you’re doing a fantastic job with the comic and ‘readability’ is pretty great so keep em coming 🙂
Came from Grrl Power and read it in one shot too ^^’ Great comic! 🙂
Very glad you like it!!
So, was this your first time having too much site traffic? If so, congrats! :3
Certainly was my first time!
Also from Grrl Power, Read through the Archive from yesterday to today, enjoying it immensely. Absolutely love Bob’servations especially the squirrels and explosions. (I’ve never had run in’s with squirrels myself but my girlfriend has a few stories about Evil Ninja Squirrels on her old walking route to the store). Since Marissa is still working on the armor or we haven’t gotten to the latest reveal I wanted to mention that she seems to be the type who would have read Ryk Spoor’s ‘Grand Central Arena’ books which is set in the future and pays a lot of homage to early sci’fi (there is a character who is a real fan of Doc E E Smith and another character who was Gen engineered and raised in an artificial environment to believe he was one of those characters). They make use of a ring carbon composite for just about anything in that soceity (think carbon nanotube) and I would think that she would start thinking about that and get Madison on it. Would make a lightweight bullet proof armor, but I was just reading on current nanotube work and the structures can be metallic(though not sure if they would be considered metal by the Strike Gate) or superconducter. Maybe someone else has read more about it but I’m sure that Marissa and Emil should talk about it at least once, even to just throw the idea out of consideration.
Hmmm! I’ll have to check up on the nanotubes, though I do try to stay abreast of that stuff. I’d been under the impression that they had good tensile strength but were a bit prone to shear. I’ll look into it. And I read quite a lot of EE “Doc” Smith in college — Ah, I see Rik Spoor is available in the Kindle store. Just ordered Grand Central Arena Book 1! Thanks! And thanks so much for reading ours as well!
As well as the nanotubes there also have been some Spider Silk Combat jackets / Flak vests developed by the military. They genetically modified goats to produce milk that contains the same protein that spiders use to make silk. Scientists then extracted the silk proteins from the goats’ milk and used them to weave a kind of genetically modified silk. Finally, the material was cultured with human skin cells that, after about five weeks, created a tough, flexible, living material.
Currently still in early stages and is only capable of stopping a slow moving bullet but nothing like a .22 fired from a rifle which is what I believe is the standard for Kevlar.
Given the fact that it is completely organic in nature, it should be able to pass through the Strike Gate. So get milking them Goats 🙂
Dropping back in to curse you for getting me hooked on Spoor. Finished “Grand Central Arena” and have to admit I squeed like a fangirl when one of the characters was Marc DuQuesene. (And thank you Google for telling me it is pronounced “Du Kane” — all these years since college I was pronouncing it “Du Kwiseen.”) Just started “Spheres of Influence” and squeed again when a female assassin with four red ponytails was named “Oasis Abrams…”
Wandered across this while searching for something else related to GCA, wanted to say I’m glad you enjoy my stuff and it’s always fun to run across people talking about my writing! 🙂
Welcome, Ryk! Big fan of your work!
I found you on TopWebComics, read through the entire archive (shut up in my office so my boss wouldn’t know I wasn’t working), added you to my favorites list and now vote for you twice a day (once at work, once at home).
Gotta say, I love the comic. It was the artwork that drew me here and it’s the story that keeps me here. Even though I’m a guy and did notice the (ahem) obvious, it was Marissa’s green eyes, flaming hair and, especially, her playful expression that I noticed and made me want to see what this was about. Max, your artwork it gorgeous to look at. Then I started reading the story and was hooked. It’s a great premise, truly unique and I can’t wait to see where it goes.
So, Bob and Max, thanks for 3mm!!
Thank you Magasek! I happen to be up at the moment drawing the next page as we ‘speak.’ It all kinda has to come together at the last minute and I’m grateful for the boost of support at the 11th hour. And we have an excellent vote incentive for the next month that should be up in a matter of days, so we’ll keep you guys posted on that.
Another entranced antipodean-based Grrl Power addict, now gleefully watching. I have added your fantastic story to my must-follow-on-pain-of-death list; and believe me, that takes some doing.
On the matter of cheap but reasonable graphics tablets, I use (sporadically) a Genius – made in China, bought very cheaply on eBay, and impressive in its uncomplicated and effective handling.
I am enjoying the comic and hope to continue. 🙂
I know I’m late (because I like to read my web comics in chunks of some pages) but this has to be said before it’s much too late: When reading Grrl Power, have a look at the comments, too. Some of them (not mine!) are… pearls. You know what I mean when you encounter them 🙂
Electric? Backed by a rich man? Tesla Model S perhaps?
Also: Dembewbz! O.o