557 | A Planned Delay

557 | A Planned Delay

November 20, 2011 | 10:20 pm, by Pascalle Lepas

Gunner spells it out for the rest of us. Enjoy those two middle panels! It’s the exact moment Gunner and Zap’s friendship developed a rift. Zap was keeping secrets from Gunner, and Gunner found out. I sort of think Zap was trying to delay the rift as long as possible, because he knew what he would have to do once Gunner found out his secrets.

A NOTE ON HOLIDAY SHIPPING: ORDER EARLY! Especially if you are planning on getting an artist edition book! I try to take at least ten minutes per drawing in those, and as you can imagine, that adds up fast, especially if I get slammed with orders. I want to make sure everything gets there on time for your holidays, so if you are going to get some Zap! swag as a gift, get those orders in now! Thanks! <3



Comments

  • NB

    “Dear Diary,
    Mood: Psychic.

    I think Gunner may be onto my secret journal of psychic-shipping. Oh Diary, if only you had my psychic foresight and ability to break the fourth wall on occasion, you’d be laughing at pun I just made. Shipping? Get it?! Oh what’s the point…you probably don’t read the fangirl fan fiction. Write to you again tomorrow unless something happens to me and I forget…..

    Yours,
    Zap”

    Yeah, I could see why that would ruin their friendship or at least make things awkward.

  • Keeva

    Sweet Mamma-Jamma! The noses, they are drawn in a skightly different manner! Cool!

    And wow, I’m first to comment on this new page! =D

  • Plucky Pooka

    It is hard to think of Zap as intelligent. He seems quite cool intelligent though.

    Zap’s expression is wonderful.

  • Anonymous

    We already know about the second ship.. Where’s the third?

  • Love the expressions in this page. It`s weird to see Zap plotting and cunning like that.

  • Anonymous

    I’ve never been able to understand why some people find it necessary  to keep journals or diaries about everything they do (mainly the secret type).  if it is important enough then you would think one would remember it, especially if they are mentally endowed,….or at most put a sticky on the fridge or computer monitor.

    dangit, i’m out of popcorn!

  • Anonymous

    Wow. That’s a lot of heartache / self destruction to go through just because Zap couldn’t bear to blow up Daedelus himself.  But if he was as smart as we’ve been led to believe, I’m guessing there’s still some secrets Gunner doesn’t know yet…

    Zap’s expression is awesome. :)

  • KryptonAngel

    ZAP! You’re so CUTE! AND you actually have a nose on this page XD
    Wow, Gunner, way to be mean to your best friend and read his diary… but your ponytail hair is TO DIE FOR!

    Aww, Naveed. Now that you know Gunner’s not mad at you, you still want to go and get the other ship for him…
    I finally figured out what their relationship makes me think of: Voldemort and Bellatrix!

  • KryptonAngel

    *GASP* There’s a little toy Excelsior on the top shelf in Panel 3!

  • Glasshouse

    Zaps’ face says it all. The sudden realisation of a lingering doubt about the intentions of a longtime friend mixed with sadness on said dicovery and a pinch of betrayal.
    Nice going Pascalle

  • Zap’s journal was more of a notebook on inventions and projects he had going.

  • Remember: The audience knows Excelsior is the second ship, Gunner doesn’t. He would have if someone hadn’t deactivated Excelsior’s visualization.

  • Qwerty

    It’s a model, not a toy!

  • If you remember back to when Gunner realizes he can’t trust Zap anymore, this page is Zap’s version of that moment. When Gunner found out Zap had been hiding the ship from him, Zap realized he was going to have to set the plan in motion. I think he kind of hoped it wouldn’t come to that, and that he could handle the situation on his own terms.

    But when your best friend is kind of a genocidal maniac, sometimes you have to make tough decisions.

  • It’s only a model!
    Shh!

  • The original script was just a Gunner gab-fest, and I’d been feeling that the audience wasn’t getting enough Zap and Gunner past snippets, so I worked this bit in. It really worked out! Thanks!

  • Dgeniu

    Sad to see Naveed willing to go to hell and back for a guy who`s just abusing her. I really hope she gets her happy break sometime.

  • A S

    Oh My !!! I’m finally beginning to see the whole picture … or at least why some persons are acting in some ways :)

  • Psionicost

    “Happy break?” Like broken arm? Nope, already had that. Broken leg, maybe? Or maybe broken neck? Then she’d be ecstatic for the last fleeting moments of her life.

  • Astralfury

    Or IS it? Is shrinking something beyond Zap’s powers? ;)

  • Astralfury

    I know right? I’d defriend someone into shipping too.

  • I think my quote works better on the 25+ Zaplings:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfGpVcdqeS0

  • Astralfury

    I really love panel 4, I think it’s the best art direction/visual
    decision you’ve made in ages even coming off the back of the amazing
    insight into Gunner and Naveed’s relationship – Zap’s expression in that
    page is worth 1,000,000 words, it’s the beginning of his plans but more
    than that he just looks so resigned and sadened by what he knows he
    needs to do.

  • So wait, if Zap tricked Naveed into wiping his memory, was Efrem also in on the plot, sending Excelsior to find him once his memory was gone?

  • Anonymous

    Ooh, I hadn’t realized that. But he knows now then..

  • No, he still doesn’t know. If he did know, he’s be all up on Reona and Co.

    I think, if I remember correctly, Gunner even calls the Excelsior a piece of junk.

  • Love Zap’s face in the 4th panel. Reona should get to see that face…’stead of the goofy-ball Zap ;D

  • Kronk: “Oh yeah, it’s all coming together.”

  •  Hey, I only spent the last two years drawing progressively more noses on the characters so that there wouldn’t be any noticeable shift in style and you’re pointing it out! D:

  • Keeva

    HEY. HOW WAS I NOT THE FIRST TO COMMENT? I PUT MINE IN AND THERE WERE NO OTHERS BEFORE ME. I AM ANGERED.

  • Anonymous

    kinda makes you wonder who is on who’s side?

  • Ramification

    To me that expression reads:
    “I am so very disappointed in your Gunner. And I am so very sorry about having to do now that which I had wished I wouldn’t need to.”

    It’s not in the least surprising to me that Zap had all this planned.
    He’s the #1 psychic in the universe or something along those lines. He has powerful foresight/divination/clairvoyance ability. We’ve already been told he’s an academic genius or so. If anything, all’s lacking is a flat declaration of his malevolence for him to turn onto the best villain/character in the entire setting.

  • Ramification

    If I be presumptuous, I believe what Lepas meant to say is that the hologram in itself is not something that is detectable by Gunner, as in the instant it is enabled Gunner would know.
    Rather that had Gunner seen it while aboard the Excelsior he would realize that it’s the second ship.

    Efrem is definitely working for someone…question is, himself/fourth party or Zap?

  • Ramification

    When will we get to see Gunner’s sad childhood that made him a genocidal maniac? Or is he simply a bad genes/brain chemistry fluke like one of those psychotic murderers/chaotic evil?

  • Ramification

    Efrem is definitely not working for Gunner. But for whom…that I guess we’ll find in due time.

  • The majority of the Gunner and Zap’s backstory comes at the beginning of volume 7. In like a giant, long flashback.

    People are going to say “Uh, we’re tired of all this character development. uuuh.” And I’ll say “Chill out, this is the good stuff!” and they’ll say “Whatever.” but they’ll still read it because it’s good stuff, like I said.

  • this.

  • Anonymous

    Ohh! Ok! Thanks, that clears it up nicely. I was thinking that the since the hologram is active, the ship would be detectable.

  • Christopher Brady

    Zap’s expression is more sad than angry.  As if he KNEW that Gunner was likely to spy on him, and was disappointed to be proven right.

    Also, I have a theory that Psychics can’t be ‘dumb’.  They have to think on a higher level just to be able to control their powers.  Of course, that’s just a me thing.

  • Einargizz

    Based on the theme of this comic, I have to admit that I find this version to be more fitting:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luVjkTEIoJc

  • Melanie Smits

    Just wanted to let you know, that amazingly cool-lookin’ ad on ComicBox
    leads to page http://www.zapcomic.com/2004/12/20070118/ , not the most
    recent one. Is that on purpose? Cause it just made me look at the
    timestamp, go “aw, 2004? This looked promising, shame it stopped”, and
    almost leave before I noticed that I was looking at an archive page ;)

    The thing is, I’m pretty sure this isn’t the first time I went “OOOH SHINY” at the ad and clicked it, “aw 2004?” and left. Although it might actually have been 2004 last time I did that.

    Anyway, long rambly comment.
    Awesome comic.
    Update the link in that ad. :P

  • trooper

    I have to say, reading through what you have so far… your artwork has improved immensely.
    your comic went from a goofy artstyle to an in-depth graphic novel

  • Hey, thanks! I’ve never had anyone bring up that perspective on linking to archive pages before. The traditional idea has been to link to an archive page so that people will click through a bit and get hooked.

    I’ll alter the link for the next time the ad runs and compare the pageviews.

    Glad to have finally hooked you!

  • And I don’t understand why some people like to watch football, or why others collect stamps.
    To each their own.
    My best guess on the diary thing is that when you’re keeping secrets, sometimes it feels good to confide in something, even an inanimate object. Also, writing something down can help you put your thoughts together and figure stuff out. 

  • John Smith

    “Yeah, about that second ship…”

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