Girl Genius XXVIII: Dancink! Ve is here for de dancink!

[Rodin]

I'll be very disappointed if Agatha ever has anything to do with Martellus. "Enemy Mine" works well enough when combating the Other. Anything more than that is repugnant after his attempt to force her into marriage.

Frankly, I dislike even the limited rehabilitation the Foglios have given him.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Besides, if Agatha is going to fall for anyone it's going to be Commander Rakethorn - at least she seems attracted to him. Tweedle has got to be way down her list.

I think Agatha is more likely to start a relationship with Trelawney Thorpe (Spark of the Realm) than Rakethorn (discount Wooster, can't compete with Gil, Tarvek or Zeetha for Sparkiness or action-adventure motifs).

[Manga Shoggoth]

It's WAY early, but I propose "Does the jungle have a wine list? It does not" for Girl Genius XXIX.

Saves me doin' it... Noted. Although it might be better as "Does this thread have a wine list? It does not"

I think Agatha is more likely to start a relationship with Trelawney Thorpe (Spark of the Realm) than Rakethorn (discount Wooster, can't compete with Gil, Tarvek or Zeetha for Sparkiness or action-adventure motifs).

Whilst I agree about the relationship (or lack of) with Agatha, I think it's a bit early to discount Rakethorn on other terms - he is good enough that his name is known at the highest levels (Lord Womble, if not Albia herself). I get the feeling that most of his adventures have been in England and in the Ivory Towers. Let's see what he is like once he gets his feet outside...

I'll be very disappointed if Agatha ever has anything to do with Martellus. "Enemy Mine" works well enough when combating the Other. Anything more than that is repugnant after his attempt to force her into marriage.

Frankly, I dislike even the limited rehabilitation the Foglios have given him.

He is hardly being rehabilitated - he is being kept around because he is, or may be, useful. Agatha probably still needs him to get rid of the Kings Touch even with the weasel workaround, He is staunchly against the Other (to the length that he has stated he would give up his crown and everything if it meant taking the other down), and he knows something of Vapnoople's work.

[Scarlet Knight]

I think Agatha is more likely to start a relationship with Trelawney Thorpe (Spark of the Realm) than Rakethorn (discount Wooster, can't compete with Gil, Tarvek or Zeetha for Sparkiness or action-adventure motifs).

These are the Foglios; I would not be shocked if she has a relationship with Rakethorn & Miss Thorpe - at the same time. If not in the main story, at lease in the eventual Xxxenophile edition.

I'll be very disappointed if Agatha ever has anything to do with Martellus. "Enemy Mine" works well enough when combating the Other. Anything more than that is repugnant after his attempt to force her into marriage.

Frankly, I dislike even the limited rehabilitation the Foglios have given him.

It may be as simple as during Covid the Professors re-read "Richard III" and thought, "Hmmm. How can we work an ugly but seductive villain into the plot? Martellus fits!"

[Radar]

These are the Foglios; I would not be shocked if she has a relationship with Rakethorn & Miss Thorpe - at the same time. If not in the main story, at lease in the eventual Xxxenophile edition.

Which will not happen at least until their kids are old enough (I think they did give this kind of an answer at some point concerning XXXenophile). I kind of hope they will return to that series as it was a very fun and positive read.

[xroads]

Frankly, I dislike even the limited rehabilitation the Foglios have given him.

Yeah, I agree with this. Agatha has enough friends as is. I hope they move Martellus more towards the villians category and less in the direction of frenemy.

And there is hope for this. He obviously has something planned involving Krosp. And his maniacal laugh when Agatha pointed out her weasel sounded like foreshadowing.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Look, Martellus can't betray Team Agatha unless he's inside. This is not a twist, it's a rerun of Curse Your Sudden Yet Inevitable Betrayal.

[Rockphed]

I think both Othar and Martellus have too much plot armor to die; therefore, their epic throw-down would end with Othar experiencing something that ought to kill him, but doesn't, after opening a fairly large can of whoopin' on Martellus. In other words, the winner would be the audience.

I suspect that if Othar and Martellus faced off in an arena wearing their skivies you would be right. Martellus does tend to have plenty of minions around, so I don't know that Othar would be able to have his typical brawl.

Which leads me to question how Othar manages to take down any sparks. The only time I have seen him actually fight a spark was in "Revenge of the Weasel Queen", and he did not do well.

It's WAY early, but I propose "Does the jungle have a wine list? It does not" for Girl Genius XXIX.

This intrigues me and I wish to explore it further.

Saves me doin' it... Noted. Although it might be better as "Does this thread have a wine list? It does not"

That might make a better title. I am provisionally in favor of one of them. I doubtless will find other titles to propose (I have to keep up my status as most prolific title proposer after all).

[Rogar Demonblud]

Meh. We have another 40 pages to go before we need to start worrying about it, and history says the one we'll pick will be from one of the last couple updates.

[Manga Shoggoth]

Besides, you can always vote for both - but let's leave the actual voting for when the page count gets to the high 40's.

[Shining Wrath]

If Agatha has sex with Martellus I'll probably be done with this strip, unless that's how she kills him. That would be very Heterodyne - death by sexual exhaustion.

I personally think she'll wind up in a open love triangle with Gil and Tarvek, although who beds her first is up in the air. There's precedent - consider Horatio Nelson.

I think Othar might have allies of his own, and if he were going to try for Martellus' head he might be cunning enough to bring them along.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Nelson wasn't in a love triangle. He was cheating on his wife with a married woman, whose husband tolerated it because being an associate of Lord Nelson was good for his career.

[Rodin]

I suspect that if Othar and Martellus faced off in an arena wearing their skivies you would be right. Martellus does tend to have plenty of minions around, so I don't know that Othar would be able to have his typical brawl.

Which leads me to question how Othar manages to take down any sparks. The only time I have seen him actually fight a spark was in "Revenge of the Weasel Queen", and he did not do well.

Othar has some pretty good fighting chops. He was able to tire the Baron in a fight that took them all over Castle Wulfenbach, although it is implied the Baron was going a bit easy on him. He would have shot Gil dead if Agatha hadn't grabbed his gun and then distracted him until Gil got the drop on him. He kept up with Tarvek and Violetta doing a full Smoke Knight evasion routine without even breathing hard. He's also a Spark himself who dismantled a giant clank barehanded to get Agatha a component she needed.

The reason Othar seems underpowered is that we only see him fight against the absolute top tier - the Baron, Gil, Jenka and Fust, etc. For the average tin-pot madboy he will have been an absolute terror.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Yeah, you'll notice that I included a caveat for Madboys getting too full of themselves. That doesn't tend to happen with Klaus and Gil, who are almost eerily calm and collected for Sparks.

[Radar]

Yeah, you'll notice that I included a caveat for Madboys getting too full of themselves. That doesn't tend to happen with Klaus and Gil, who are almost eerily calm and collected for Sparks.

Regular madboys are like campfire, Klaus and Gil are like a well adjusted cutting torch. But they are not the only ones, who can focus well (maybe not as much, but still) - any spark needs to be able to do that, if he/she wants to live long. We have seen that recently in how Agatha delivered her warning to Bang for example, or consider Master Payne and how he needed to keep everyone alive and hidden for most likely many years.

[HandofShadows]

We have seen Othar fight a couple of time and after seeing him ripe the arm off a giant clank and then use that arm to clobber the clank... Yeah, Tweedle is out of his class.

[Shining Wrath]

Hey, I bought a bundle of GG stuff from a place - probably can't say where because of site rules, but use your Google skills.

Included in the bundle was a Secret Blueprints file, which included brief descriptions of the dramatis personae of GG.

They did have a sketch on Bang.

And what that indicates is that her oath to "her family's unpleasant God" is to kill not only the person who destroyed her base, but their families, and their friends. So ... Bang is not out to kill Zeetha. She's out to kill Zeetha's entire family, which means she'll help find Skifander so she can kill them. And of course, Agatha, and Higgs.

She'll need help to pull this off.

So ...

Either the Secret Blueprints overstates the level of vengeance Bang wants (unlikely), or ...
Bang will decide to break her oath and forego her vengeance (unlikely), or ...
Bang is going to have to ally with someone willing and able to kill Agatha and Higgs. Such as The Other.

[HandofShadows]

Well, you have to remember the stuff in the Secret Blueprints was just the start of things and the story has evolved. IIRC Klaus was a lot more evil originally and I'm sure other things have changed since then.

Also killing all of Zeetha's family also would include killing Gil and Klaus.

[Shining Wrath]

Well, you have to remember the stuff in the Secret Blueprints was just the start of things and the story has evolved. IIRC Klaus was a lot more evil originally and I'm sure other things have changed since then.

Also killing all of Zeetha's family also would include killing Gil and Klaus.

Not until the Big Reveal that Zeetha is Gil's sister. Bang doesn't know that, yet.

[Rogar Demonblud]

It's not a secret that everything except the last two PDFs are on DriveThru.

[Shining Wrath]

Yes, but I got them for pay-what-you-want (above a minimum) elsewhere.

[Rockphed]

Yes, but I got them for pay-what-you-want (above a minimum) elsewhere.

So long as it is neither illegal nor overtly political/religious, you should be okay to post it. I suppose if you literally cannot post the link because the site would get filtered that would also be a reason not to post it. Or if the pages are plastered with images drawn from Phil's risque work (or similar). Yeah, if you don't feel comfortable posting the link, don't feel like you need to tell us.

edit:And I could swear that the Secret Blueprints used to be on the Girl Genius site somewhere. Or maybe they are in the GG wiki.

[Rogar Demonblud]

They used to have a link where you could get them for like a penny at Topatco (whose system apparently doesn't do the $0.00 thing).

[geoduck]

Getting back to the actual comic, prepare to meet

Spoiler

Show

Mrs. Krosp.

[Ailurus]

Getting back to the actual comic, prepare to meet

Spoiler

Show

Mrs. Krosp.

Oh dear. I was wondering what it would be, and that makes a scary amount of sense given what Martellus says in this strip and his history.

[HandofShadows]

Oh dear. I was wondering what it would be, and that makes a scary amount of sense given what Martellus says in this strip and his history.

And what he was on this page. No, there is no "reforming" Tweedle.

[Shining Wrath]

And what he was on this page. No, there is no "reforming" Tweedle.

Oh, you are quite right. That smile ... and what he says about the arrogance of Krosp today - yes, Martellus has modified a cat to be Queen of the Beasts. And she has the arrogance of her kind, amplified by the arrogance of Martellus.

BTW, the fact that Martellus acknowledges that Tarvek's claim is stronger on paper - that is, by law - and still intends to claim the throne makes him a traitor to his own kin, does it not? Seffie, you might want to consider the possibility that if circumstances require it YOU'LL be under the - er, not bus ... steam locomotive.

[Fyraltari]

BTW, the fact that Martellus acknowledges that Tarvek's claim is stronger on paper - that is, by law - and still intends to claim the throne makes him a traitor to his own kin, does it not? Seffie, you might want to consider the possibility that if circumstances require it YOU'LL be under the - er, not bus ... steam locamotive.

Have you seen his kin?

[HandofShadows]

Look at those old pages I noticed that Xerxsephnia is much more pale when she first showed up.

[Shining Wrath]

Have you seen his kin?

He's willing to kill anyone who gets in his way, including Uncle Julius. My point is that Seffie should not consider herself in any way immune.
Of course, Tarvek will probably kill Martellus if he can see a way to do it without offending Agatha. 'Tis a Game of Thrones, and we know how those games are played.
I do wonder which of them Grandmother Sturmvarous really wants to see take the throne.

Possible ironic twist: neither Tarvek nor Martellus ascends; through some twist of fate, Violetta winds up Storm Queen.