Star Power 7: Bad Luck for the Starstruck!

[Kornaki]

At first I was like you guys, you all missed the fact that it was an illusion.

Then I realized that grex turned around and killed the real person.
Well shucks.

[Vinyadan]

Has Grex just killed the poor woman?
What happened to stunning?

I wondered about that, too. Red means kill, blue/white means stun. https://starpowercomic.com/comic/2015-06-08/?nav=prev

But I have to admire (and/or pity) the woman who decided to take on the Star Power with nothing but a knife and a decoying device.

[faustin]

What bugs me is the total lack of surprise combined with the total lack of foreshadowing of the holographic tech. Like, the way this would normally work is grex falls for the hologram and gets winged by the killer boss lady, then the game of cat and mouse happens until grex lures her into a trap by pretending to buy the hologram but actually guessing where she is. This skipped over all of that. Somehow grex knows this is an illusion despite not seeing any illusions being used at any point.

In her defense, the "come at me bro" line made pretty obvious Extavo was up to something. Grex is also familiar with the Vutovix tactics.

[Traab]

In her defense, the "come at me bro" line made pretty obvious Extavo was up to something. Grex is also familiar with the Vutovix tactics.

Yeah but what I mean is, has this EVER been established as a thing the family does? How about as a thing they CAN do? I dont recall them ever using holograms or other illusions so to both pull a power out of nowhere then have grex auto no sell it is silly. Had there been even the slightest foreshadowing or a callback comment from grex it would have been fine. As an example, early in the arc we see one of these killers take out a target while saying, "You forgot, when dealing with this family", /killer appears behind with blade sinking in to finish line, "always watch your back" then here we see grex shoot the bad guy who was sneaking up invisibly behind her and she goes, "When dealing with your family, I ALWAYS watch my back." THAT would have been an amazing callback and excellent one liner to close out the scene and justify her knowing to shoot behind her. This was just stupid.

[Celestia]

I feel like Mookie has all this world building he's done on his own and just forgets what he's actually told us. So, he's known about this hologram trick for probably years now, just waiting to use it. Since it's become basically second nature for him, he just assumed it would be obvious to us and never properly introduced the technology.

[Kato]

The most startling thing to me is when this was set up.
Fine, maybe the hologram projector was always there or is very portable but when was the taunt recorded? Or are we to assume it's a life feed send from behind Grex' back (quite literally)

[Celestia]

The most startling thing to me is when this was set up.
Fine, maybe the hologram projector was always there or is very portable but when was the taunt recorded? Or are we to assume it's a life feed send from behind Grex' back (quite literally)

That doesn't bug me at all. It could be a live feed, a brain scan, an AI-generated response, or some other sci-fi answer. There are numerous ways that could be explained, so there's no real issue. Not having the specific answer doesn't make it a plot hole.

[random11]

I think part of it depends on what the intent was.

If it was just a quick scene to show Grex as a badass, I tend to be more forgiving since the emphasis SHOULD be quick, and there is no real need to explain the tech itself or establish it before.

On the other hand, if the intent was to create a tense moment, then we have a new record of a threat that was established and dissolved in the same panel!

Hard to say which was the intent.
She WAS supposed to be one of the bosses, but with all this story so far I don't really know who is supposed to be the real or the main obstacle threat.

[faustin]

Plot twist: The Detective is the actual big bad. He belongs to a minor criminal family and everything that happened was part of a nonsensical brilliant plan to trick Star Power into doing their dirty job and remove the big players, so they can fill the power vacuum.

[Welf]

I feel like Mookie has all this world building he's done on his own and just forgets what he's actually told us. So, he's known about this hologram trick for probably years now, just waiting to use it. Since it's become basically second nature for him, he just assumed it would be obvious to us and never properly introduced the technology.

I think he is using something I hereby name 'anime meta-canon'. In anime, when an assassin shows up, she always has a fight with some guy with a gun. The gun guy thinks she shows up in front of him, he shots at her, and then the fake image disappears. Gun guy is confused, and the (13 year old) assassin shows up behind her with a knife/katana and kills him. Always exactly in the back at 6 o'clock; never at a 90, 270 or 300 degree angle or any other vector. I think some 20 or 25 years ago I saw some show where this happens and wondered why people just don't turn around to get a guaranteed clear shot. I think Mookie saw similar stuff and wondered the same.

[Celestia]

I think he is using something I hereby name 'anime meta-canon'. In anime, when an assassin shows up, she always has a fight with some guy with a gun. The gun guy thinks she shows up in front of him, he shots at her, and then the fake image disappears. Gun guy is confused, and the (13 year old) assassin shows up behind her with a knife/katana and kills him. Always exactly in the back at 6 o'clock; never at a 90, 270 or 300 degree angle or any other vector. I think some 20 or 25 years ago I saw some show where this happens and wondered why people just don't turn around to get a guaranteed clear shot. I think Mookie saw similar stuff and wondered the same.

Could be. He definitely seems like the kind of writer who would shoehorn in an out of place trope deconstruction without any sort of build up or establishment.

[faustin]

[QUOTE=faustin;24425669]Update

Uoah, Extavo must have rolled a natural 20 on stealth to get that close without any of them noticing.
Also, how is Detective in front of them in one panel, and behind in the next? Grex and Danica have barely uttered a few phrases between both scenes.

[faustin]

Update


Uoah, Extavo must have rolled a natural 20 on stealth to get that close without any of them noticing.
Also, how is Detective in front of them in one panel, and behind in the next? Grex and Danica have barely uttered a few phrases between both scenes.[/QUOTE]

[Kantaki]

Huh. So it wasn't the Extavo after all.
You know, I shouldn't be surprised, but considering which comic we're talking about I almost am.

Also, how did that clown get from right next to Grex several meters away for for Miss Crazy Hood to grab?

And why are the weapons gone again?
Seriously, I can accept Grex putting hers away, but the detective?
Danika just knocked out the last idiot and right afterwards they run after the boss killer.
Neither of those is a gun put away situation.

Also, why is Grex still alive? Why did the Extavo wait until there were more opponents before striking?
Either take out Grex while she's alone and distracted, make it look like a mutual kill, or just walk away while everyone thinks you dead, buying you time for escape, vengeance or whatever.

[Shogo]

Don't worry, Grex. Clearly Danica isn't much better if killing is some arbitrary line to cross.

Like, I know they're just going to say she knocked everyone out, but she punched someone's head to drive them face first into the ground. Hard enough that it cratered stone and kicked up a plume of dust with enough force to send nearby rubble from her explosive entrance flying.

These aren't super beings. These are regular assassins you could knife or shoot with a pistol. That's at least one person that should have had their skull shattered and their brain liquified.

[Godskook]

Yeah but what I mean is, has this EVER been established as a thing the family does? How about as a thing they CAN do? I dont recall them ever using holograms or other illusions so to both pull a power out of nowhere then have grex auto no sell it is silly. Had there been even the slightest foreshadowing or a callback comment from grex it would have been fine. As an example, early in the arc we see one of these killers take out a target while saying, "You forgot, when dealing with this family", /killer appears behind with blade sinking in to finish line, "always watch your back" then here we see grex shoot the bad guy who was sneaking up invisibly behind her and she goes, "When dealing with your family, I ALWAYS watch my back." THAT would have been an amazing callback and excellent one liner to close out the scene and justify her knowing to shoot behind her. This was just stupid.

These are very clearly the same tech: https://starpowercomic.com/comic/this-meeting-is-over/

Admittedly, it's a holographic overlay, but the holograms were quite robust on every other front. So the only not-established part of the tech is the fact that it can be projected "elsewhere".

[Kantaki]

Don't worry, Grex. Clearly Danica isn't much better if killing is some arbitrary line to cross.

Like, I know they're just going to say she knocked everyone out, but she punched someone's head to drive them face first into the ground. Hard enough that it cratered stone and kicked up a plume of dust with enough force to send nearby rubble from her explosive entrance flying.

These aren't super beings. These are regular assassins you could knife or shoot with a pistol. That's at least one person that should have had their skull shattered and their brain liquified.

Nah. Dani didn't kill anyone.
They were still alive when she was done with them. Is it her fault they didn't go see a doctor about those injuries?

[Kato]

I'm actually slightly happy it wasn't the leader because it makes my complaint somewhat less important.
But as has been said, how did she sneak up on them? Cloaking device? And if she was out of their sight, was taking a hostage really worth revealing herself?

Also, I don't want to be too hard on Smith for this, but if you assume you're already dead anyway, why don't you fight back / get yourself killed but take away the hostage?

[faustin]

Because the only way Mookie could think to make the mobsters a threat to Star Power was to bring her no superpowered friends along so they could be used as hostages and shields by the baddies.

[Celestia]

Didn't we just have a page that mentioned how incredibly skilled with a gun Grex is, specifically mentioning her accuracy? Why can't she just hit the Extavo's exposed face? And can't Danica move at superhuman speeds and just shank the Extavo before she can react? I believe she can also shoot light beams that, presumably, travel at light speed.

[PraetorDragoon]

Didn't we just have a page that mentioned how incredibly skilled with a gun Grex is, specifically mentioning her accuracy? Why can't she just hit the Extavo's exposed face? And can't Danica move at superhuman speeds and just shank the Extavo before she can react? I believe she can also shoot light beams that, presumably, travel at light speed.

I have seen this situation way too often in many media to let it bother me.

[Celestia]

I have seen this situation way too often in many media to let it bother me.

I think that's called Stockholm Syndrome.

[PraetorDragoon]

I think that's called Stockholm Syndrome.

Might be.

But frankly, the number of heroes/high powered characters not using their power in a hostage situation is large. A dumb trope, yes, but also merely a minor blip.

[Vinyadan]

Three pages to go! We are left with two options: Danica frees the detective, or the next issue will be about trying to save the new hostage. Or the crazy policeman enters and kills the priestess of murder in cold blood? And then attacks the witnesses?

I have to say, I am liking Garth's art a lot. I have looked back at some older chapters (Roarboar), and it's always been good (the only oops I can think of is a cover with a Bioshock Elizabeth-sized head for Danica, but that's happened to many others). And in the latest page we have foreshortening with an alien body, so he has to keep the odd proportions in mind when drawing it. And I think he's doing everything -- pencil, inking, colour, shading, lettering.The backgrounds are good, too, there's detail when it's needed, but it's also made in such a way that it doesn't steal attention from the main focus.

[Celestia]

Three pages to go! We are left with two options: Danica frees the detective, or the next issue will be about trying to save the new hostage. Or the crazy policeman enters and kills the priestess of murder in cold blood? And then attacks the witnesses?

I have to say, I am liking Garth's art a lot. I have looked back at some older chapters (Roarboar), and it's always been good (the only oops I can think of is a cover with a Bioshock Elizabeth-sized head for Danica, but that's happened to many others). And in the latest page we have foreshortening with an alien body, so he has to keep the odd proportions in mind when drawing it. And I think he's doing everything -- pencil, inking, colour, shading, lettering.The backgrounds are good, too, there's detail when it's needed, but it's also made in such a way that it doesn't steal attention from the main focus.

It's not the best looking comic out there, but it is certainly near the top. I think it fluctuates between an 8-9/10. The only times I've ever had a problem with it, it was clearly an issue with direction and not the art, itself.

[halfeye]

I don't particularly like the art, it's angular and elongated. Better than Dominic Deegan, but there are a lot of comics out there that can say that, and a lot that can't.

[Celestia]

I don't particularly like the art, it's angular and elongated. Better than Dominic Deegan, bit there are a lot of comics out there that can say that, and a lot that can't.

Not liking the style doesn't actually comment on the quality. Though, that is a perfectly valid reason to be dissatisfied with it.

[halfeye]

Not liking the style doesn't actually comment on the quality. Though, that is a perfectly valid reason to be dissatisfied with it.

Sorry about the disappearing typo.

[Kornaki]

I agree that the art in this comic is very strong. It started good, and you can see Garth continue to improve. For example look at the first panel in this comic:

https://starpowercomic.com/comic/2013-05-14/?nav=next

It's good, but it's a little rough (I mean, still 10000x better than I could do). Danica's face looks like she's coming off a two week meth binge. Or her face in the first panel here:

https://starpowercomic.com/comic/2013-05-15/?nav=next

Which has a distinct flatness to it. Now compare it to her face in these panels:

https://starpowercomic.com/comic/bad...alth/?nav=prev

I cherry picked the bad faces in the early comics a bit, but I would argue approximately every face drawn in that last comic is better than every face drawn in every panel in the first two that I linked.

[Vinyadan]

https://starpowercomic.com/comic/2013-05-14/?nav=next

It's good, but it's a little rough (I mean, still 10000x better than I could do). Danica's face looks like she's coming off a two week meth binge. Or her face in the first panel here:

I think that that page and the talking flower were the reasons why I turned her into a junkie in the slays (they're here, if anyone wants to take a look. Click to enlarge, click the arrows to navigate, maybe arrow keys work too.)