I would presume that the kickboxing gym has a first-aid kit, with the usual assortment of supplies… cold packs, bandages, tape, and (in this case) God’s own immense bottle of Bactine.
I wonder whether it contains next-level Wapsi medications: specifically, a little box containing a Red Pill and a Blue Pill.
Justin seems like a decent guy, and I’d hope that he’s up to handling all of the strangeness of involvement with one of the Wapsi Women. However, given his job, it’s possible that he’s just too much of a conventional “straight arrow” to handle the weirdness.
Shelly does still have one last choice to offer him. “Justin, I can tell you everything about what’s going on. It’s all real… but it’s big, and it’s strange, and it may be very hard for you to accept, and you’ll never see the world in the same way again. Or, you can walk away… try to forget what just happened here, accept it as a mystery that you’ll never understand, and if we ever run into one another again we’ll pretend we don’t know each another. I’m really sorry… but there’s not really any place in between to go.”
I don’t know whether she’ll offer him that sort of explicit choice, now that push has come to shove. She wasn’t willing to, before. If she does, I don’t know whether he’ll decide to wake up in bed, or go down the rabbit hole into Wonderland.
Looking at yesterday’s and today’s strips, a number of things don’t jive:
1) Shellynx is so fast that she can take out three guys before her glass drops one inch (that’s 0.07 seconds). That was under premeditated conditions. This situation is strictly animal reflex which would be much faster. Justin’s hand should still be extended in the swat and her movements too fast to even see let alone evoke surprise in Justin. And, given the status of the punching bag, too fast to pull the attack.
2) Her swipe at the punching bag is almost perfectly horizontal as Shelly spins around yet Justin’s shirt is slashed diagonally. Does not compute.
3) Justin’s shirt looks like a normal T-shirt and fits fairly closely. By the size of his biceps his chest must be highly sculptured. To make multiple gashes without ripping the shirt off those claws must be SHARP! No way you can cut the shirt like that and not cut skin and pretty deeply.
Re point 1 – we don’t know how quickly Shelly’s initial reflex kicked in. In the absence of a premeditated warmup, it might have required a human-reflex-time instant (a good fraction of a second) for her body to morph into its clawed form and start the initial swing.
For point 2 – the swipe which took out the bag was a left-handed swing, as portrayed. The slashes to Justin’s shirt pretty clearly came from a right-handed diagonal-downwards slash. What I envision is that between the two sets of frames we’ve seen, Shelly took a step forwards onto her right foot, and a second slashing swing with her right claws… and then came out of reflex enough to stop.
And, yes Cartoon Physics rules do apply to some extent. She can only do that when it’s funny (or dramatic or tragic).
Nah, I went through that a few times myself and concluded that the only way his shirt would stay in that position for even an instant would be if it was a left handed, upwards diagonal slash. A downward slash wouldn’t leave that one piece separated from the collar hanging there like that. it would pull it down. Also, Shelly’s low stance in the previous strip suggests an upward slash.
Nothing, and your’e not alone. We covered that possibility in some detail Thursday. If it is Nudge (or Phix), it’s unlikely Shelly would have a tear in her eye. Unless, of course, she doesn’t know it is.
I would presume that the kickboxing gym has a first-aid kit, with the usual assortment of supplies… cold packs, bandages, tape, and (in this case) God’s own immense bottle of Bactine.
I wonder whether it contains next-level Wapsi medications: specifically, a little box containing a Red Pill and a Blue Pill.
Justin seems like a decent guy, and I’d hope that he’s up to handling all of the strangeness of involvement with one of the Wapsi Women. However, given his job, it’s possible that he’s just too much of a conventional “straight arrow” to handle the weirdness.
Shelly does still have one last choice to offer him. “Justin, I can tell you everything about what’s going on. It’s all real… but it’s big, and it’s strange, and it may be very hard for you to accept, and you’ll never see the world in the same way again. Or, you can walk away… try to forget what just happened here, accept it as a mystery that you’ll never understand, and if we ever run into one another again we’ll pretend we don’t know each another. I’m really sorry… but there’s not really any place in between to go.”
I don’t know whether she’ll offer him that sort of explicit choice, now that push has come to shove. She wasn’t willing to, before. If she does, I don’t know whether he’ll decide to wake up in bed, or go down the rabbit hole into Wonderland.
Until his entrails start dropping to the floor.
Well, we can only hope that Justin is not badly injured and the next words out of his mouth are,
“Not another sphinx girlfriend!”
Or worse: Shelly, do you know Phix?????
Okay, I snorted coffee at that one.
Looking at yesterday’s and today’s strips, a number of things don’t jive:
1) Shellynx is so fast that she can take out three guys before her glass drops one inch (that’s 0.07 seconds). That was under premeditated conditions. This situation is strictly animal reflex which would be much faster. Justin’s hand should still be extended in the swat and her movements too fast to even see let alone evoke surprise in Justin. And, given the status of the punching bag, too fast to pull the attack.
2) Her swipe at the punching bag is almost perfectly horizontal as Shelly spins around yet Justin’s shirt is slashed diagonally. Does not compute.
3) Justin’s shirt looks like a normal T-shirt and fits fairly closely. By the size of his biceps his chest must be highly sculptured. To make multiple gashes without ripping the shirt off those claws must be SHARP! No way you can cut the shirt like that and not cut skin and pretty deeply.
Two words … cartoon physics.
not necessarilt; I think Shelly always wanted a boyfriend who was RIPPED *rimshot*
Re point 1 – we don’t know how quickly Shelly’s initial reflex kicked in. In the absence of a premeditated warmup, it might have required a human-reflex-time instant (a good fraction of a second) for her body to morph into its clawed form and start the initial swing.
For point 2 – the swipe which took out the bag was a left-handed swing, as portrayed. The slashes to Justin’s shirt pretty clearly came from a right-handed diagonal-downwards slash. What I envision is that between the two sets of frames we’ve seen, Shelly took a step forwards onto her right foot, and a second slashing swing with her right claws… and then came out of reflex enough to stop.
And, yes Cartoon Physics rules do apply to some extent. She can only do that when it’s funny (or dramatic or tragic).
Nah, I went through that a few times myself and concluded that the only way his shirt would stay in that position for even an instant would be if it was a left handed, upwards diagonal slash. A downward slash wouldn’t leave that one piece separated from the collar hanging there like that. it would pull it down. Also, Shelly’s low stance in the previous strip suggests an upward slash.
So… I guess I’ll be the dissenter, then? Exactly what goes against “Justin” actually being Nudge pushing this thing maybe a tad too far?
(Okay… maybe I don’t want to believe it’s Justin… but I’m waiting ’til Monday to find out…)
Nothing, and your’e not alone. We covered that possibility in some detail Thursday. If it is Nudge (or Phix), it’s unlikely Shelly would have a tear in her eye. Unless, of course, she doesn’t know it is.
Alternatively, the tears are for herself for having failed yet again and not for Justin, just Justin once-removed.
I don’t think she has had time to start feeling sorry for herself or down on herself. I think the tears are for what she might have done to Justin.
That’s what I meant by by “once-removed”
Yeah, I read it as her going into a sort of shock, and reacting emotionally to seeing what she just did, or might have done, to her cuddles.
Apologies if someone’s already posted these, but check it out:
http://wapsisquare.com/comic/01212004/
http://wapsisquare.com/comic/03082004/
http://wapsisquare.com/comic/03122004/
HMMMM!
And the payoff is here:
http://wapsisquare.com/comic/03242004/
Haha I was referring to Shelly’s teeth!
Damn, I never thought of that. Nice catch M.
Good set. And I was struck by how much more Paul has backgrounds, which tell their own story and fill in the gaps, as it were.
He looks like he needs to change his pants after he regains his composure.
Oh fuck! No no no no no!! Damnit Shelly doesn’t need this right now!