Girl Genius XXIV: Ask Vit a Bit More Terror

[PraetorDragoon]

Possibility, sure. Confirmation, no. Higgs has had centuries to learn all the tricks of being a useful minion.

Yeah, this is just Igor-fpace.

The boilerghast is a book-loving person, isn't he?

[Rockphed]

The boilergast is obviously a rogue member of the library.

[Shining Wrath]

Boilerghast - friend, or foe? I'm going with "foe", since he murdered poor Mr. Smokes. Therefore, these books won't help Agatha. Pages are missing or altered or some such.

[HandofShadows]

There's no proof that the Boilerghast murdered anyone. In fact whoever killed Mr. Smokes was known to him. We can assume that no one knows who the Boilerghast is.

[SZbNAhL]

There's no proof that the Boilerghast murdered anyone. In fact whoever killed Mr. Smokes was known to him. We can assume that no one knows who the Boilerghast is.

Assuming that s/he's the Boilerghast full time, as opposed to slipping into the role when needed.

[The Glyphstone]

Yeah, the Boilerghast is almost certain to be someone who everyone else knows and would never suspect of being the Boilerghast, because that's an extra level of protection against discovery.

[Rogar Demonblud]

And of course the book on sea monsters has one inside it. Sparks.

[ElFi]

Given that Agatha is in England looking for a way to reverse whatever's going on in Mechanicsburg, and Albia's intent (as far as we know) is to persuade/coerce her to stay with distractions and comfortable accommodations, can we reasonably conclude that whoever (or whatever) the Boilerghast is, they want Agatha back in Mechanicsburg, or at the very least away from Britain?

Also, given that whoever has all of Tobber's books is probably the same person who murdered Mr. Smokes (unless we have two mysterious villains running around, at which point this plot is starting to get too complex for me), I strongly doubt that Violetta is the culprit. For all we know she's probably hiding in a corner somewhere, licking the wounds that Steelgarter gave her, and waiting to reappear at the dramatically appropriate moment, like good action heroes do.

[keybounce]

Heh, I suspect that his actual rank is listed as "sergeant" or equivalent. He seems much too competent to allow himself to be promoted to "General".

What was Thurl's rank again?

[PraetorDragoon]

What was Thurl's rank again?

Chief Warrant Officer I think.

[geoduck]

Also, given that whoever has all of Tobber's books is probably the same person
who murdered Mr. Smokes (unless we have two mysterious villains running around, at which point this plot is starting to get too complex for me), I strongly doubt that Violetta is the culprit.

If he wanted to wipe the blackboard knowledge badly enough to murder Smokes, why would he turn around and start handing it back out to people?

[Rogar Demonblud]

That's not necessarily the same information. The blackboards held time equations. The one book we know the contents of deals with marine biology (of the Spark-developed kind).

[PraetorDragoon]

So many good thread quotes on this page.

"They are research manikins!"

[Rockphed]

Tinfoil hat time: Tobber is still alive. His dead body will get sent back in time from the future. He is also the Boilergast.

[Scarlet Knight]

"Dead? Who? Both? Can someone send me a frikkin' memo people?!"

[eee]

I think these are Doctors Crisp and Henkle, who were assigned to autopsy Tobber.

http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comi...8#.W-V-0DFN61s

Convenient deaths, no?

(And in the background of the guy having hysterics because the fish laugh at him, the fish DO see to be grinning widely...)

[datalaughing]

(And in the background of the guy having hysterics because the fish laugh at him, the fish DO see to be grinning widely...)

Maybe someone taped a funny sign to his back written in Fishese.

[HandofShadows]

Tinfoil hat time: Tobber is still alive. His dead body will get sent back in time from the future. He is also the Boilergast.

Yeah, I think Tobber is alive as well. He seem to be clearing up all debts and trying to help people. As for a body, there really wasn't much left other than his nose. However I don't think Tobber is the one killing people. There is another party that is killing and trying to destroy the research.

[PraetorDragoon]

I think these are Doctors Crisp and Henkle, who were assigned to autopsy Tobber.

http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comi...8#.W-V-0DFN61s

Convenient deaths, no?

(And in the background of the guy having hysterics because the fish laugh at him, the fish DO see to be grinning widely...)

It's the distortion through the glass

[Traab]

Considering his experiments in higher dimensions its entirely possible he is both dead AND dropping off clues, paying debts, etc.

[Rogar Demonblud]

So a page of random remarks, with (given past pages) two actual clues in the mix.

The question being, which two.

[PraetorDragoon]

So a page of random remarks, with (given past pages) two actual clues in the mix.

The question being, which two.

The fish. Definitly the fish.

[geoduck]

So a page of random remarks, with (given past pages) two actual clues in the mix.

The question being, which two.

One of the manikins bears a resemblance to the Thing in Mechanicsburg.

[gbs5009]

Interesting. Our autopsy doctors are dead, and the slab looks empty. Either somebody stole the body and killed them, Tobber's remains turned out to be more alive than assumed, or maybe they just killed each other? They did say they didn't work well together.

[eee]

Interesting. Our autopsy doctors are dead, and the slab looks empty. Either somebody stole the body and killed them, Tobber's remains turned out to be more alive than assumed, or maybe they just killed each other? They did say they didn't work well together.

Actually there shouldn't be a body, as Old Tobber was supposedly fed down an industrial grade garbage disposal that got rid of all of him but his mechanical nose. But you could check the blades of the disposal, and the crud that coats the disposal walls; and if you don't find evidence of human tissue there, well, then you know something's off. These two may no longer be among the living because they WERE too good at their jobs.

Too bad. I wanted to see the standard arc of "Creep" / "Witch" / "Cad!" / "Termagant!" / "KISS ME, YOU FOOL!" / "BELOVED!!!". And them going through life in a rapid cycling love/hate relationship.

[Fyraltari]

Actually there shouldn't be a body, as Old Tobber was supposedly fed down an industrial grade garbage disposal that got rid of all of him but his mechanical nose. But you could check the blades of the disposal, and the crud that coats the disposal walls; and if you don't find evidence of human tissue there, well, then you know something's off. These two may no longer be among the living because they WERE too good at their jobs.

Too bad. I wanted to see the standard arc of "Creep" / "Witch" / "Cad!" / "Termagant!" / "KISS ME, YOU FOOL!" / "BELOVED!!!". And them going through life in a rapid cycling love/hate relationship.

Bah! Their heads are still here and this place is full of Sparks, they have a chance of walking from that one.

[Ellen]

The question is whether Krosp discovered the secret people have been killed to keep, or is something else going on?

I'm betting the fish-monster is involved in distributing books. It's a way to prove you were hired for something besides your looks. But, I don't know about the murders.

[wingnutx]

Tobber never went through the grinder.

[factotum]

Tobber never went through the grinder.

I think that's probably what today's strip is about--you would expect Krosp to know the difference between beef and something else, aka human meat. It would also explain why the two examiners had to be killed, because they would also have discovered the ruse quite quickly.

[PraetorDragoon]

Tinfoil hat time: Tobber is still alive. His dead body will get sent back in time from the future. He is also the Boilergast.

Well, one part of your theory turns out to be more likely now.

Now, is Tobber the murderer and destroying his own research? Maybe at behest of angels?