664 | It's a Trap!

664 | It’s a Trap!

November 10, 2013 | 8:12 pm, by Pascalle Lepas

Thanks to Luke and James for backing our Volume 3 kickstarter! They make cameos on this page, and sadly are not kind to one another.

Also: SERJAK?!

(this post brought to you by the magic of the internet, since I’m in Vegas right now and not actually at my computer at all!!!!!)



Comments

  • safyrejet

    Yay cameos!!!! Wish I could have bought one. Although it appears that buying a part in the series doesn’t mean you’ll last long.

    Nice cut off there. “Order the retreat before….” Well, before that.

    Is that a bubble around Reona and William? Is that William?

  • kerrie

    it does look like a bubble around Reona and William, I would say that is definitely William as he is the only one with a cloak :)

    Can’t wait for more, as I’m curious who did the explosion and who did the bubble or perhaps it’s the same person?

  • Anonymous

    The explosion sound was green. Zap, probably.

    The Bubble…it’s green- it’s the shield that Zap placed around Reona a long while back, most likely.

  • Anonymous

    Heeheehee. I know what you meant because I had the same thought, but the phrase “the explosion sound was green” is still funny to me.

  • Darkoneko Hellsing

    ….well, they didn’t last long.

  • Oh no, Cyclops is dead! …again!

  • Crestlinger

    Dat Serjak and Vanish White.

  • Melissa Crowell

    Wow. Poor guy! Brought back into the comic just to die like that.
    Oh, well. My question is what made that bubble? Was it a last shred of Zaps earlier protection that he gave Reona from before? If so, why did it encompass William too? Proximity would be a good guess on that, but I dunno. Maybe it was Vitale. I mean, psychic mentors have been known to reach out from the realm of the dead before, right? Kind of like a last vestage of his power maybe. Or, it could be something completely unrelated like a random stranger. Too contrived, I think. Then there is the last thought. Someone previously unaware they had psychic powers themselves. Either Reona or William created it instinctivley!

    Or it’s electronic and William forgot he had that on him.
    Until now. Lame.

  • Anonymous

    Zap’s just jelly cause Reona’s found herself a new man (or several men at this particular moment)

  • Anonymous

    I’m guessing your first instinct is correct — it’s Zap’s lingering protection from psychic attacks, which has protected others close to Reona before (Holly from the Aquarians). Maybe that’s why the “fwoosh” is green — because it’s the “Zappy shield-up sound” rather than the blast.

  • safyrejet

    I know! I’m really curious too. There’s so many theories to go off with this.

    Unless I missed it or forgot, I’m not sure if William’s been established as a practicing psychic himself. As I recall he seemed to think he was ill suited to have any role in the psychic academy.

    It could be a remnant of Zap protecting Reona still, but then why didn’t he protect her from Naveed’s sword last time she had her arm cut off (again).

    It could even be Gunner puppet Zap protecting her so that he gets the chance to eliminate Reona himself.

    Maybe even Efrem? Excelsior? Beyond the grave Vitale? Or is there another latent psychic around. Maybe Grontar has more up his proverbial 4 sleeves than we thought. Oh the speculation. What a week of waiting this will be.

  • safyrejet

    Well he just needs to accept that her mission is to save ALL the cute boys.

  • Anonymous

    I think Zap’s shield only protects from psychic attacks. Gunner says so himself: http://www.zapcomic.com/2013/02/623-clever-little-beast/. Fun to speculate though! : )

  • anony

    I still say Reona should explore the benefits of her own gender in this matter.

  • safyrejet

    I think (and this is just speculation and interpretation) that Gunner could only harm Reona in that comic you linked because he already had control of Zap’s mindscape. Reona was mentally connecting with Zap, he told her himself that he wasn’t in control anymore and then this happened. So my guess is if Zap was in control, then Gunner’s psychic anything still wouldn’t have been able to harm Reona there.

    Sometimes I wonder if we readers are reading more into and overspeculating on some of this further than the writers ever thought anyone would. But yeah it is fun. Fills the space while we anxiously await the next page!

  • *sage nod*

  • Hello! Goodbye!

  • Marduk

    A GEF soldier with good aim? What sorcery is this!?

  • Melissa Crowell

    The thing about that is, if it originated from Reona as Zap’s shield, shouldn’t it only be focused on protecting Reona? From what I understand a psychic shield that is left for a specific person will only work on that person because it is adjusted to fit that person own mental frequency. As such, if anything, it should have only surrounded her, or pushed William out of the way.
    And now, I am not over thinking this because I have done my research into psionics in the past to work on my Novel. Unless Zap specifically left a psychic order for the bubble to react to those around her as well then it would only work on her.

  • Think of it like William was just lucky to be close enough to Reona for it to envelop him too. You can see a bit of his cloak getting burned up because it wasn’t in the bubble.

    Reona used her shield in a similar manner on Aquaria to protect Holly. That was on purpose, though. This is kind of a happy accident.

    If there’s a specific set of trope-rules for psychic shields, we certainly haven’t read them! WE MAKES OUR OWN RULES! *tears shirt in half like a barbarian*

  • You pay to be in the comic, I’m not going to make you be terrible!

  • Melissa Crowell

    Lol. No, it’s not trope rules. Tropes aren’t the only place to get information. Like I said, I did research for my novel. matching brainwaves and frequency have a very strong factor in the use of psionics. Though, I must admit. Spionic shields can be very tricky, so, whatever.
    I will refrain from commenting the use of psionics in the future and just be glad that William is safe.

  • haha, no! comment away. I was just saying that we created our own set of rules for the way psychic powers work in Zap! that probably don’t conform to other works or standards in a lot of respects.

    So, you can look back at how Zap’s shield has worked for a better idea of how it works than to compare it to a psychic shield from another story, since they may or may not be similar. :)

  • safyrejet

    These are GEF soldiers, not Imperial storm troopers.

  • Some of them have been pretty terrible at aiming. :P

  • Joe Bartoli

    I can’t speak for others, but to be honest, i was getting lost in the story. the once a week update is hard as a reader. so I can definitely see how one can read much more into things. but over the last 3 days, I just re-read from the beginning and as a whole makes a lot more sense!

    BTW, I think Zap’s hair is better now than that mile high thing he had going on in the beginning :)

  • ugh, I know! I wish I could have done Zap! as my day job so I could’ve cranked out multiple updates a week, but it was not to be. (There’s a few two-a-week updates coming up though, ’cause it’s some extra special stuff that I worked super hard to have ready!)

    Zap! is for sure something that is intended to be read in a couple sittings. When’s its over I hope everyone goes back and rereads it! After the beginning of the next (AND FINAL!!) chapter I think everything will make sense.

    Thanks so much for reading, too! :)

  • LISTEN!

    I didn’t get it at first, but then I did.

    *ashamed*

  • safyrejet

    Those were ex-storm troopers? After the Death Star blew up again, they had to find jobs somewhere.

  • Marduk

    Sold haha. First opportunity I get!

  • Melissa Crowell

    Wasn’t actually referencing another story, but acutally facts dereived from various sources. However, I do understand what you are saying. It’s all very justifiable anyway, so whatever. Pionics really have no actual set rules to begin with, I was basically just wondering if it was the obvious answer or a more bewildering answer that would lead to an interesting plot twist. Obviously it’s the former.
    Question. Do you consider the use of Psionics a form of inexplicable magic, or scientifically proven natural abilities?

    Edit: ‘Any significantly adnvanced science cannot be distinguished from ‘magic’ by a more primitive society’. Not the actual quote, but I just remembered it and it kinda fits.

  • Speedy Marsh

    … she says, forgetting that one of the paid characters was most likely the shortest lived named character in the history of Zap!

  • Speedy Marsh

    I’m thinking Zap’s plan was to eliminate Gunner’s army and as much as possible of the GEF army and command structure, while saving as many of our favorite good guy characters as possible. Somehow he planned it so that current Zap is making that happen, whether or not current Zap is able to influence his own actions.
    If there are infinite possible futures, there had to be at least one where the choices Zap made before he was crowned would lead to the desired outcome, regardless of what anyone, including himself, did afterward. Once Zap found that future, all he had to do was set the ball rolling, and the outcome was inevitable.
    I’mma go stick my head in a bucket of ice now.

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