687 | I Wanted Out

687 | I Wanted Out

March 30, 2014 | 10:57 pm, by Pascalle Lepas

Gosh, that sure is some science Zap is doing there.

This update brought to you by the magic of the Internet since I’m still in Seattle!



Comments

  • Psithief

    Superfluous apostrophe, panel 1, bubble 2.

    “Welcome to psychic culture, where we don’t teach, we just implant knowledge.” Yay?

  • Tresk

    Oh? Is that an old familiar shape-shifting goo?

  • Brandon O’Bryant

    This is an apostrophe> ‘. This is a coma> ,.

    Panel one bubble two ends in a coma. A coma can be used to show an incomplete thought or too merge two thoughts that are related, for example “It took its toll, and I wanted out.”

  • Private Eye

    Sure looks like it

  • safyrejet

    I think the word you’re looking for is “comma”. :P

    Comas don’t show up in grammar lessons. They usually involve hospitals and sad family members.

    I’ll refrain from pointing out other grammar issues since I’m not trying to pick on you, but the coma/comma thing amused me.

  • safyrejet

    That first panel is quite amazing. Zap’s eyes. The whole atmosphere. Smashing good job with that.

    I am often highly amused by how sciency type stuff is portrayed in movies, TV, comics, and other various forms of entertainment. Mind you I’m not trying to take a dig at you Pascalle…it’s just one of those mostly inaccurate but essentially harmless stereotypical portrayals I see a lot and roll my eyes and laugh about.

  • safyrejet

    I want that. Implanted knowledge: that would be wondrous.

  • trashbandit

    That may be a comma but, ‘It took it is (it’s) toll’ would work better as ‘It took its toll.’ Psithief. Kind helper and accurate grammarian (I’m sure that’s a word…)

  • trashbandit

    Loving the first two panels – Hard. Core. :D

  • hkmaly

    Understanding of science surpasing knowledge of GEF … see, GEF? FIRST loot, THEN burn.

  • sunphoenix

    Yeah those first two panels… intense!

    Gunner is indeed as close as a blood-brother, no doubt Zap loves him like family!

    That second panel.. gasp.. Spike Speigle [Cowboy Beebop] Hard-Assed and bitter! “Beautiful!”

    …and last panel. ‘Shudder’…. I think, just a theory, Naveed “saved” Gunner!

    After all the pain, anger, and loss heaped upon Gunner… I think Naveed kept Gunner sane, and taught him how to smile again – kept it possible for him to actually love {or at least as close as he comes to it}.

    Gunner looks ready to explode in that last panel!

  • But what if you only wanted technology that was resistant to fire? :3

  • Dun dun dunnnnnn!!!

  • SoItBegins

    I’m in a comma coma.

  • safyrejet

    I’m not sure “sane” is a word I would use to describe Gunner, but I think I know what you mean.

  • willow_kidd

    This is the most civil grammar conversation I have ever seen on the internet.

  • willow_kidd

    *settles in with pop-corn to enjoy story time.* *munch*

  • Jim R.

    Your FACE is the most civil grammar conversation!

  • Jim R.
  • hkmaly

    Even informations about technology resistant to fire may be recorded using media which itself are not resistant to fire. Like paper or, as I suspect is this case, humanoid brain.

  • Crestlinger

    Cue the GEF iron man-spinoffs.

  • totally get Zap’s emotions here…nice job ya two

  • Christer Johnsson

    Why do I think of “How I learned to love the bomb” reading of how Naveed taught Gunner how to smile again?

    And why am I disturbed by that thought?

  • Speedy Marsh

    The apostrophe that Psithief was referring to was the one in the word “it’s.” Since that word is assigning possesion of the toll to the “work”, the proper form is “its.” I know that I’m beating a dead horse, since other people have already posted the correct form of the sentence. However, I thought it would be good to share a link to the rule, especially since I had to double-check for myself.

    (Please don’t expect proper grammer in my posts, however, since the rules that I haven’t forgotten might have changed in the 28 years since my last English class.)

    According to Grammar-Monster:
    http://www.grammar-monster.com/easily_confused/its_its.htm

    It’s is short for it is or it has. This is a 100% rule. It cannot be used for anything else. If you cannot expand it’s to it is or it has, then it is wrong.

    Its is the possessive form of it. Its is like his and her.

    His is used for a masculine possessor (owner). (These are his pies.)

    Her is used for feminine possessor. (These are her flowers.)

    Its is used for neuter possessor. (These are its footprints.)

  • Speedy Marsh

    To me, it looks like Persephone Physarum from the webcomic General Protection Fault.

    http://www.gpf-comics.com/archive/2003/04/27

  • sunphoenix

    Someone just earned a darkside point! :)

  • Good catch on the possessive. I’m ashamed.

    I didn’t even think implanted knowledge was implied, but okay, sure, I guess it doesn’t chance the narrative any!

  • Ding ding ding!

    You can also see it on the shelf of the flashback panel on this page, along with a model of the Excelsior:

    http://www.zapcomic.com/2011/11/557-a-planned-delay/

    :3

  • Isn’t that why the answer is to nuke it from the safety of orbit? ;)

  • mirrim

    No wonder it wanted to strangle Zap — living in a jar waiting for the next eye-dropper-meal can’t be much of a life for a homicidal blob. ; )

  • Psithief

    Well, as far as I’ve deciphered you haven’t shown them getting any education, and you’ve painted them as technologically advanced but not hyper-intelligent.

    So if they develop mentally no faster than humans, what options does that leave? How else would one child know so much of their technology?

    My guess seemed to be the simplest way to join all the given dots.

  • Speedy Marsh

    I get the feeling that Gunner always considered Efrem a third wheel, even as kids. So when Zap left to do sciencey stuff, Gunner probably felt that his only friend had betrayed him. He must have felt totally alone.

    At this point, Gunner looks like he’d rather kill Naveed than partner with her. I think we’ll see that they will eventually find common ground in their enjoyment of torture and killing. (Always a good foundation to base a stable, healthy relationship on)

    I don’t think they enjoy hurting people yet. I think they’re just focusing their anger at what has been done to them into the work they’re being forced to do by the GEF. Eventually, though, I bet Gunner and Naveed will be competing with each other for the highest number of and most elaborate kills.

    I bet they’d be perfect for an episode of Criminal Minds.

  • Lenat

    You can update without being there to update? Preposterous, i call hack/lies/sham. What year do you think this is, 2014 or something? :)

  • J S

    The early life of one wild kitten.

  • Mike

    I don’t need blood inside me! Besides I look way more bad-ass with it dripping everywhere. Or at least way more sinister.

  • safyrejet

    It’s possible that some, most, or even all of that blood is not their own. The way I read it I’m guessing that most of the toil Zap grew weary of would be of the mental, psychological sort vs the physical sort.

  • sunphoenix

    Now THAT’S the problem..! It would be so VERY Easy to just write Gunner off as insane. He’s not. He’s VERY FUCKING ANGRY! No, he could have just snapped and turned to killing everything in sight to let his fury and heartbreak and loss explode in a orgy of violence and destruction and defiance until he was eventually killed… but no.

    He plots and plans to get even – BIBLICAL STYLE! “Eye for an Eye” you Genociding CEF Murderers!

    No, he is not insane.. just Very driven to obsession to right what he feels is a Righteous Vengeance… to right a wrong done to his entire race.

    I think he was very close to that self-destructive rampage of ‘screw it.. I’m kill as many of you before you take me out…’ but I feel Naveed calmed him and implanted the thought.. “don’t just get vengeance.. get EVEN!” Like only a stalking killer predator can – LIVE to enjoy your vengeance and stalk another day. The BEST vengeance is the one where your enemies are destroyed , know who is destroying them and know you will live to out last their destruction and gloat over their end – long and well!

    Gunner and Naveed, as a couple, are purrfect for each other! :)

  • safyrejet

    And there’s a lot about what you just described that I would call insane. *shrug*

  • Speedy Marsh

    No sham, they just built a holographic A.I. to post the comic for them. Next they’re gonna build A.I.s to write and draw the comic for them, so they can spend every week at conventions. ;)

  • yeah, I based the “science glyphs” on astronomical symbols to give it a sense of authenticity.

    But I guess you can roll your eyes at me. *shrug*

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