Thunderstruck

[EvilRoeSlade]

Does anyone read Thunderstruck? I think it's a great webcomic, but it doesn't seem to have a large following and I've never heard anyone mentioning it. If you're interested in a modern fantasy with a lot of action, drama, and plot, then please check it out.

http://talesfromthevault.com/thunderstruck/

[Jerthanis]

I'm a huge fan, and have been reading from its debut. It took a long time to get to the outright fantastical aspects, but once it got there, the payoff was great.

My one complaint is that Gail, super samurai, physical prodigy, supposed badass gets the snot beaten out of her at every turn.

Still, it's a really awesome webcomic.

[ninja_penguin]

I'm a big fan of it. The art isn't super-duper awesome, but he's got a knack for subtlety in the art and the writing that makes me look forward to each update. I'm also rather impressed that he's managed to write characters like Grogan, who I can't decide where I felt he stands on the good/bad axis. Saxony also always makes me crack up, with his magic being focused on parlor tricks.

As for Gail, I think she's suffering half from the Worf Effect, and half because she hasn't ever gone against the supernatural before, and is used to holding herself back. I expect that she'll get a little better as things go on. I'd also probably have just kinda tuned out the comic if Sharon and Gail could just Mary-sue their awesome powers to victory.

[Jerthanis]

As for Gail, I think she's suffering half from the Worf Effect, and half because she hasn't ever gone against the supernatural before, and is used to holding herself back. I expect that she'll get a little better as things go on. I'd also probably have just kinda tuned out the comic if Sharon and Gail could just Mary-sue their awesome powers to victory.

Grandma wasn't supernatural when she beat Gail silly with the blunt end of her shotgun.

Although I admit I didn't count when Gail took down a gaggle of Vampires with her raw awesome.

[Midnight Lurker]

I've been following Towler since before Thunderstruck. Check out his excellent Ranma 1/2 fanfic, Relentless (http://www.talesfromthevault.com/relentless/). :)

[EvilRoeSlade]

I didn't know about that, I'll have to take a look some time.

And hopefully Gail will get a chance to prove herself soon. I think she did alright against Psyke and Grogan (during their practice match), but mainly she's inexperienced (and was completely caught off guard when she was (SPOILER): attacked by her own grandmother.

[Anselm]

I've been a fan of the comic for about five hours. (I'd never heard of it before I saw the link in the original post.) Having just completed my archive binge, I can confirm that it's awesome. The art may not be the best ever seen in a webcomic, but the plot, pacing and characters are all really excellent. Having non-strawy atheists (http://talesfromthevault.com/thunderstruck/comic034.html) and non-strawy theists (http://talesfromthevault.com/thunderstruck/comic513.html) in the comic and having both talk about their views seems rather rare for a webcomic.

The only part that bugged me was the odd instance of katanas-are-just-holier (http://talesfromthevault.com/thunderstruck/comic185.html) way back when the backstory of Gail's weapon was given, where rather a lot of properties were attributed to "real Japanese-forged katanas". (Wouldn't that be most katanas?) Fortunately, this seems to have been toned down (http://talesfromthevault.com/thunderstruck/comic452.html) a bit.

I have to say that given the current comic (http://talesfromthevault.com/thunderstruck/comic598.html), which I saw before I began reading from the beginning, I was wondering nearly up until the last two comics how this story was going to end up being about seventeenth-century pirates.

As for the complaints of Gail's supposed lack of demonstrated physical badassness, I submit:


The fact that her being downed by her grandmother (http://talesfromthevault.com/thunderstruck/comic073.html) seems to be purely a result of her not comprehending the situation correctly, not a lack of physical prowess. She's just heard two gunshots and breaks through the door to see Sharon wounded and her dear old grandmother holding a shotgun. Given that she knows and trusts her grandmother, the most natural assumption to make is that she has just tried to chase off the original aggressor with her shotgun. (Thus why she's asking if Stella is "all right".) Also, her grandmother isn't exactly Mary Worth in terms of badassness (http://talesfromthevault.com/thunderstruck/comic442.html) herself. If Gail was immune to surprise to the point of being able to resist a completely unexpected, competently executed stab in the back such as this one, the plot would probably suffer.
Psyche's inability to disarm (http://talesfromthevault.com/thunderstruck/comic184.html) her, which seems to imply that their earlier fight would have gone Gail's way if she were not an unarmed super-samurai at the time.
Her mentioned stint as Gail Curmen, Christian Kung-Fu Vampire Slayer (http://talesfromthevault.com/thunderstruck/comic325.html) and subsequent effortless takedown (http://talesfromthevault.com/thunderstruck/comic359.html) of an armed high-level Vigil agent.
Her sparring fight (http://talesfromthevault.com/thunderstruck/comic412.html) against Grant Grogan and her later drawing blood (http://talesfromthevault.com/thunderstruck/comic572.html) from his winged form. You can't really fault a girl for being able to completely best the superpowered earthly incarnation of the Archangel Michael, the patron saint of warriors, in single combat. (Besides, she eventually killed him, even if it did require the power of friendship.)


No matter the exact level of her skill at beating people up, she can also intuitively recognize lies, which is a pretty handy superpower to have in an intrigue-filled plot.

[Jerthanis]

I've been following Towler since before Thunderstruck. Check out his excellent Ranma 1/2 fanfic, Relentless (http://www.talesfromthevault.com/relentless/). :)

That fanfic went on hiatus for something like four years around chapter 13 or so. I continued to check the site weekly for my entire highschool career before it finally started updating again.

Yes, it was worth the wait.




As for the complaints of Gail's supposed lack of demonstrated physical badassness, I submit:


The fact that her being downed by her grandmother (http://talesfromthevault.com/thunderstruck/comic073.html) seems to be purely a result of her not comprehending the situation correctly, not a lack of physical prowess. She's just heard two gunshots and breaks through the door to see Sharon wounded and her dear old grandmother holding a shotgun. Given that she knows and trusts her grandmother, the most natural assumption to make is that she has just tried to chase off the original aggressor with her shotgun. (Thus why she's asking if Stella is "all right".) Also, her grandmother isn't exactly Mary Worth in terms of badassness (http://talesfromthevault.com/thunderstruck/comic442.html) herself. If Gail was immune to surprise to the point of being able to resist a completely unexpected, competently executed stab in the back such as this one, the plot would probably suffer.

Yeah, but it's still a supposed badass getting owned. She's supposed to be practically legendary at martial arts, and that includes reading peoples' stances. And I argue the plot wouldn't have gone any differently if Gail HADN'T been knocked out, it just would've stolen Sharon's thunder a little... but Sharon would've still needed the juice anyway, so Warwick would've still been investigating the disturbance later.



Psyche's inability to disarm (http://talesfromthevault.com/thunderstruck/comic184.html) her, which seems to imply that their earlier fight would have gone Gail's way if she were not an unarmed super-samurai at the time.


Psyche I'll give to you, because Gail wasn't used to fighting for real, but I will say: Psyche knocked Gail into next week, Gail picked herself up and dusted herself off and said, "I could take her", but then it was Sharon who took her down in round 2. When I was reading it myself I thought, "Man, just like last time, Gail gets knocked around, Sharon cleans up."



Her sparring fight (http://talesfromthevault.com/thunderstruck/comic412.html) against Grant Grogan and her later drawing blood (http://talesfromthevault.com/thunderstruck/comic572.html) from his winged form. You can't really fault a girl for being able to completely best the superpowered earthly incarnation of the Archangel Michael, the patron saint of warriors, in single combat. (Besides, she eventually killed him, even if it did require the power of friendship.)




I don't see why she shouldn't be able to beat the superpowered earthly incarnation of the Archangel Michael. She's the grandchild of the Adversary himself, whatever that means in the context of the comic, and is a focused, dedicated physical battler who honestly believes with true faith that he is mistaken and not serving God. And her sparring match with Grogan seemed like a tie, to me... since Grant said, "The match is yours" and she said, "We both know better than that"... and remember, she hears lies.

The real reason though, that I'm disappointed in Gail not getting any true moments of absolute and unquestioned badassery is that she's my favorite character. So every time she rushes forward and gets owned by a water elemental, or what have you, I'm just like, "Aw man, not again..."

[Hamilkar]

This comic looks very interesting but I can't nail it down what makes it interesting. I have read the first four chapters so far. It's not the art, more the story, the characters and the attention to detail that I like. And that mad grandma is something very unique too. :smallwink:

[EvilRoeSlade]

New chapter! (http://talesfromthevault.com/thunderstruck/cover011.html)

Somehow I doubt Gail fans will be pleased with the cover. Me, I'm just baffled as to how that could even happen. Is that her grandfather perhaps?

[Jerthanis]

Grandfather, or Grandfather possessed Sharon is my bet. Redhead in front has her face deliberately concealed, so it's probably Sharon with glowing red eyes or something.

But yeah, I'm not looking forward to this apparent feud between sisters, as it seems Gail gets the short end. Although I will say, almost all these chapter covers have been misleading in some way.

[EvilRoeSlade]

Yeah I'd give this a chance to unfold before complaining. I'm sure there will be more to this than meets the eye.

[bibliophile]

Having non-strawy atheists (http://talesfromthevault.com/thunderstruck/comic034.html) and non-strawy theists (http://talesfromthevault.com/thunderstruck/comic513.html) in the comic and having both talk about their views seems rather rare for a webcomic.


The art is decent and the story is decent but that is why I read the comic. Evenhandedness is extremely rare on the internet, and is very refreshing.

[Anselm]

I was going to make a reply about how I felt Gail had to lose that fight for story purposes, but after this chapter cover I sort of feel your pain, Jerthanis.

I'm betting that this will come about by means of possession by grandfather, though, and in that case this might very well be a more-powerful-than-usual Sharon.

[KIDS]

I happened upon this thread by accident and only browsed through a few of the first episodes...

... well, I was pleasantly surprised! The art is good ("classic", I daresay), and the story is compelling. I love it how a lot of things are said with so little words. Definitely have to read all of it with more attention once I have more time on my hands!

[ninja_penguin]

For some reason today's strip cracks me up. Maybe because lucifer is pleasantly laid back compared to how I thought this conversation would go.