163

Help
Posted on July 29, 2011 by David M Willis

163 thoughts on “Help”

  1. Bunk

    We all Know Sal’ll just crash through the window anyway…

    1. Plasma Mongoose

      Only as long as the windows are made of sugar glass, otherwise she could seriously hurt herself.

      1. David Herbert

        She’s Sal, nothing can hurt her.

        1. Angelicfiend

          nothing can hurt sal because she is Amazi-girl

        2. Icalasari

          Amazi-girl is immune to criticism, not sharp shards of broken glass

        3. dutchguy

          Come on Amazi-Girl is clearly Mike, after all what is more insulting for a bunch of jerk jocks then to be beaten up by a girl or for Billie to be rescued by a nerd?

      2. 1Samildanach

        That’s what the leather is for ;).

        1. Blob Marley

          Spoiler alert: hot girl leather is NOT for crashing through windows. That’s just a side effect.

        2. 1Samildanach

          Wrong: Hot leathers are for crashing through windows. Protecting skin in case of a motorcycle crash is just a side effect.

        3. Webcomic Addict

          ALSO WRONG: Most riding leathers are actually Kevlar these days.

      3. QueenThomas

        We actually used a plastic resin for our break away objects! Sugar glass attracted insects to the theater.

    2. Bunk

      Sweet, I got first comment. This is about as good of an achievement as a successful poop.

      1. Plasma Mongoose

        It’s more like been able to get to use the bathroom straight after the cleaner before anyone else beats you to it.

      2. ryan

        i liken it to a very quick poop. or as i call it, the “stop, drop, and roll”.

      3. Henry

        Don’t knock it. That’s a big accomplishment.

  2. Plasma Mongoose

    Is Marcie giving Billie the Japanese Red Eye?

    1. Aizat

      She’s an android? RUN! IT’S THE TERMINATOR!!!!

    2. TsunamiJane

      No, it’s sign language for DOUBT or SUSPECT.

      1. TsunamiJane

        OK, I’ve been corrected by Willis: it’s sign language for “We’ll see.” If the fingers were curled I’d have been more on target.

    3. Kernanator

      Oh snap, she has pink eye!

      1. Aizat

        Pink eye? Is there a demented nurse somewhere that makes delicious crumbles out of eye crusts?

  3. Mkvenner

    Yay Marcie is on the tag cloud. 🙂

  4. arjay2813

    someone’s crazy here, but its not sal. has sal known Marcie before coming to college, or do they have the same classes? i should have asked that when Marcie was introduced but it just occurred to me they seem very familiar with each other

    1. gangler

      I assumed she was a friend from Catholic school.

    2. Heavensrun

      Oooh, oooh! New ship! New ship! ;p

      1. gangler

        All Aboard!

      2. Plasma Mongoose

        What will the name of this ship be?

        The USS MarSal?

      3. arjay2813

        …that wasn’t actually where i was going with this one, but good idea

      4. Jackson

        I could totally get on board for Marcie♦Sal.

        1. bramble

          Oh good, I’m not the only one whose shipping habits have been dramatically altered by reading Homestuck.

        2. Jackson

          I know, dude[1]. It expands the shipping possibilities fourfold!

          ===========
          FOOTNOTES:
          [1] Perhaps you are not a dude.

        3. gangler

          Anyone can be a dude so long as they’re Rad enough. Free yourself from the confines of gendered language, dude!

        4. Ian

          Except for the fact that “dudeness” traditionally implied quite the opposite of “radness”

        5. madd

          I’ll call anybody dude.

        6. Rikushadow5

          Dude, I call my MOTHER dude. People thought she was my sister for years. It was weird.

        7. MacaroniPterodactyl

          Dude…

        8. Jackson

          “I’m a dude. You’re a dude. She’s a dude. We’re all dudes.” -Less Than Jake, “We’re All Dudes”

    3. arjay2813

      i just realized, i should have specified by “familiar with each other” i meant Sal walked up to Marcie and 1 knew her name, 2 knew she had smokes, and 3 understood ASL. 1&2 could be explained by having a class/classes together, while American Sign Language is something you learn like any other language, taking time to become familiar with

      1. Djw175

        I know how to say yes, no, and HOLY SHIT THAT bongo IS CRAZY!!! in thirteen languages, doesn’t everyone?

  5. gangler

    Really liking how Sal’s handling this, but I’m also getting that ominous feeling. Like something’s about to go wrong. Sal’s gonna disappear like a Ninja and it’s not gonna be her fault. Like some claw-game claw is gonna come from the sky and scoop her up or something.

    Loving Marcie. Cool as Ice.

    1. Mkvenner

      Marcie my new favourite character.

      1. Blob Marley

        I like Marcie. She’s as cold as ice. Also,
        DAT.
        ASS.
        I don’t even think we’ve seen it but I know for a fact it’s epic.

        1. Mkvenner

          😀 🙂 😀 🙂 😀 🙂 😀 🙂 😀

        2. madd

          I concur.

  6. Tempo

    When did Sal become an expert in American Sign Language? Was it a boarding school thing or something she just picked up?

    1. Mkvenner

      Might be a bit of both.

    2. gangler

      Probably needed to talk to Marcie so she learned.

  7. Ridureyu

    Billie will go back to her room to wait for Sal.

    But Ruth will be there.

    With an icepick.

    1. NF

      That’s odd, Billie is neither in exile, nor is she a communist.

      1. Ridureyu

        She might be a secret communist!

        You know how those reds hide everywhere.

        1. madd

          I’ve long suspected that my little old Mexican grandmother is really a Russian sleeper sent here during the cold war. How else do you explain living in the U.S. for 30+ years, becoming a naturalized citizen, yet being seemingly unable to speak/understand a word of English? The old lady is highly suspect!

        2. Ian

          You sound like another one of those people who have the mistaken belief that the United States of America has an official language.

      2. Bryan

        You, Sir/Madame, win 5 internets.

  8. ilvos01

    Wait, where else has Marcy been?

    1. ilvos01

      in other comics

      1. Brendan

        Peanuts.

        (Also, IW on squad 48, and Jason leaves Sal for her.)

      2. Mkvenner

        Experimenting with Peppermint Paddy. 😉

  9. NF

    Quick Billie, plant a tracking bug while Sal is off-guard.

  10. Daeva

    She can’t be 100% with you on this, Billie. It’s just not something someone can be entirely certain about.

    The need to run off and disappear like some crazy ninja often arises suddenly and unexpectedly like some crazy ninja.

    IT SIMPLY CANNOT BE HELPED.

  11. NCP19

    Is Marcie’s gesture in the final panel indicative of something? I don’t know sign language…

    1. milk experiment

      I suspect there may be a bilingual bonus punchline in there for people who know ASL, but sadly I have no idea what it is.

    2. Joe

      Looks to me like it’s just her saying “I’ve got my eye on you.”
      Just making sure that Sal doesn’t go Crazy Ninja after class.

    3. ryan

      the only sign language i know is the gesture for “lesbian”, which is placing your hand on your chin with the thumb and index finger extended. i don’t know if it matters which hand you do it with, but i prefer the left as it makes a nice “L” shape.

      1. echidnae

        Unfortunately it’s ungrammatical in ASL to make facial signs with your left hand 🙁 I’m sure there are foreign sign languages that will let you, though!

        Sidenote: Good on Willis for including the facial expressions, most people seem to believe that hands are the only thing that determine the meaning of a word in ASL.

        1. Kateastrophe

          That’s true, but only if you sign right-handed. For lefties, it’s ungrammatical to make facial signs with the right hand. At least, that’s how my leftie ASL professor taught…

      2. Kernanator

        …Is there a reason you know that sign?

        1. ryan

          my cousin showed that one to me. she took ASL as her foreign language class in high school. i guess that one’s part of the curriculum?

    4. echidnae

      And yeah, that seems not to be ASL so much as “Keep an eye on this psycho” (a universally-recognized gesture :P). I mean, she is making the gesture to Billie, not Sal.

      1. David

        It is ASL. And that’s not it. (Someone figured it out on this comments page somewhere…)

    5. Sagara S.

      The first panel is Marcie saying “help her/the ‘help’ verb in a direction that correlates with someone other than the signer” and the last panel is roughly “we’ll see/ suuuuuuure” if i see rolling eyes. if Marcie isn’t rolling her eyes, i don’t really know what it says

  12. Plasma Mongoose

    Mike didn’t stir up any shit to make the fur fly? What is wrong with him?

    1. Undrave

      Apparently Mike’s not there.

      1. Plasma Mongoose

        He just left? This Mike very different from SPs version.

        1. iSaidCandleja-

          Nah, Mike is still there, waiting for Billie to recover so she can be broken again.

      2. David

        Mike’s there, but just offpanel.

  13. Brendan

    I believe that’s ASL for “biida!”

    …it’s probably something else and I’m a horrible person.

  14. The Aussie Bloke

    Any chance of a translation of the sign language for those of us who don’t understand it?

    1. gangler

      Context seems to be handling that just fine…

      1. Mkvenner

        …What? 😐

      2. iSaidCandleja-

        No, context isn’t helping at all with that last panel. And I’m pretty sure the punchline would be even funnier if I knew what Marcie meant.

        1. gangler

          She’s talking about not disappearing and Marcie’s gesturing in her eye area. Something to the general effect of “I’m watching her” or “I’ll keep an eye on her” seems to follow.

          Though I could be biased. As Alechsa mentions it’s a pretty common gesture regardless of sign language. If it’s not used where you live or something I guess that would explain it.

          http://hijinksensue.com/2011/06/17/green-and-yellow-black-and-white/

          Here’s another instance of the gesture being used. Looks a bit more clear in it. Might help.

    2. Alechsa

      That is the universal sign for ‘watch this crazy bongo like a goddamned HAWK’

  15. Erick

    First panel looks like the sign for “help”, most probably with situation context “Help her out”. Last one looks like the universal “I’m watching you” hand gesture.

  16. AgentCimorene

    Wait… is Marcy using ASL (American Sign Language?). I’ve missed her! I don’t know if I have my old avatar picture that had me looking like her.

  17. Aizat

    Everything’s fine without incident? Something’s up, I’m sure of it.

  18. Hitoshi

    Judging by that eyebrow I think Marcie is saying “Run, run for the hills and never turn back!!!”

  19. addude

    Why am I shipping Walky and Marcie now?!

    1. Jacob

      Because anyone in this comic can be shipped with anyone else.
      Of Course.

    2. Daeva

      Likely for the same reasons I’m shipping Marcie and a clone of Marcie.

    3. NF

      Ooh! Ooh! A Sal-Marcie-Walky love triangle!

      1. nothri

        Shipping not available in all areas. Voidware prohibited.

  20. Beunsung

    Marcie is just doing the ASL Sign for “Help.” As in, “You should probably help Billie.”

  21. B

    Two comics ago Marcie made the ASL sign for yes, which is a fist bobbing up and down. In this comic, the last panel is ASL for “watch you”. In the first panel, I am not sure.

    1. B

      Actually, the last sign could be “we will see”

      1. David

        Yay! Someone got it.

        1. Rachel

          Haha! That’s so cute, I love it.

        2. B

          Oh sweet!

        3. TsunamiJane

          Also if the fingers were curled a little it could be DOUBT or SUSPECT. But yeah, a little tapping and it is definitely “we’ll see.” 🙂

      2. Mkvenner

        Oh, Thank you kindly. 🙂

  22. CP

    Anyone who thinks it’s going to be this easy is going to be sorely disappointed.

  23. Translation

    Marcie is making the sign for “help” as in “help her”

  24. Shifty

    I like Marcie. She managed to sort this out of the girls with one gesture.

  25. Azukar

    Suddenly I love knowing a bit of sign language. Seems like Auslan has a bit in common with ASL.

  26. 1Samildanach

    I have a question. What happened to Sal’s helmet? Did she just drop it on the ground? (If so, can someone whack her for it, please?)

    Simplest options are to either carry it or make use of a helmet hook (most bikes have them).

    [/incongruity spotting]

    1. Björn

      Her fangirl Joyce probably holds it for her whenever she takes it off.

  27. XLR

    Does she ever light that cigarette? :I

  28. anoff

    As some people are asking already: Anyone know what Marcie’s gesture means in the last panel?
    Consensus seems to be along the lines of ‘I’ll be watching’ or ‘I’ve got my eye on you’, something like that, but in the english sign language I know (so not ASL) it means ‘shit’
    Am I bowling completely out of the ball park with this one?

    1. Mkvenner

      Maritime or BANZ sign language?

      1. anoff

        You know I’m not sure, I learned it a long time ago. 8(

        Tho it has been explained as “we’ll see” further down in the comments.. 😀

        1. Sagara S.

          English Sign Language is COMPLETELY different than ASL (American Sign…) because the English scholars refused to help the developers of ASL with the language, so ASL ended up being based largly on French Sign Language and the French Language.
          (The more you knooooowwww)
          Maritime Sign Language hasn’t been wildly used in at least three generations. So it is highly possible the sign you learned DOES mean ‘shit’.
          There are alot of differences within individual communities even, what with Home Sign and others. It really depends on whether you learn Sign as a ‘deaf’ person, or a ‘Deaf’ person. Being a Hearing person reaching into the Deaf community it is daunting and you don’t get the benifite of having it as L1, or even L2 in most cases.
          ASL is a fun, and dexterous language, but isn’t rooted in English like we (general Americans) use. I would say it’s even closer to Russian with the vast amount of deixis used, and the variability of word orders (again, within dialects).
          I’m just exstatic that Willis isn’t using SEE, or PSE even, which ARE easier for a Hearing person to articulate, but lack the flavor of ASL.
          I can’t wait to see some of the visual jokes Sign lends itself to, and look forward to more Marcie.
          …oh dear, I do believe I lectured O_o

        2. Mkvenner

          Lecturing isn’t always a bad thing,

  29. murrkitteh

    I have boarded the salxmarcie train, WOOT WOOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Any way i think Marcie is telling billie she is being watched… With her PENIS!!! for a nickel!( and all those other applicable memes!)

  30. Björn

    I’m just thinking… if I were mute like Marcie, and had to rely on the rest of my face and body to communicate to others, I’d take care NOT to choose goggles that obscure my eyes.

    1. Nagaoka

      That’s been bugging me too! Hiding your eyes while communicating in ASL is like talking in monotone. It’s hard to tell whether you’re asking a question or making a statement. At least in the comic we can see her eyebrows though.

      1. Cybersnark

        Hiding your eyes while communicating in ASL is like talking in monotone.

        I kinda figured that was the point. Marcie is Soundwave.

    2. David

      Yeah, that was a problem I bumped into when I decided Marcie spoke with ASL in Dumbing of Age. In my earlier comics, Marcie almost always had a blank expression, not even a mouth. So I was forced to open her up to facial expressions, especially since so many signs require them. The last panel’s sign, for example, “We will see” requires a sarcastic eyeroll. So I cheated her goggles’ highlights upwards to compensate. Her goggle highlights will probably start functioning as her eyes. At least when I need them to, anyway.

      1. Mkvenner

        It looks great anyway.

      2. nothri

        basically the spiderman approach to facial expressions. neat.

      3. Mkvenner

        I think it’s better than the eye’s you draw. Most of them are unsettling to me.

      4. TsunamiJane

        The mouth definitely works too! Mouth morphemes are as much a part of ASL as eyebrows!

        1. Sagara S.

          I love you because you used the phrase ‘mouth morphemes’. :3

        2. Wack'd

          Walkyverse!Marcie didn’t have a mouth. Poor girl was practically incapable of communication.

  31. anoff

    Sal’s being the bigger person.

    I wonder how long it’ll be before she regrets it.

  32. anoff

    MY COMMENTS AREN’T WORKING :C

    1. anoff

      I apologise, getting a bit desperate here. >///<

      1. anoff

        Yeah, I understand now, sorry.
        I freaked when I left the page for a bit, refreshed and my comments disappeared.

    2. David

      Your first comment has to be approved before your posts will appear.

  33. begbert2

    I… kinda don’t like there being dialogue in a language that I not only don’t understand, but can’t even guess at most things in. (Latinate languages are better for that.) I feel confused and left out.

    (And yes, I know my whining doesn’t matter to any of you people. Sue me. Free speech, people.)

    1. Matt of Steel

      Well, you could always expand your horizons and look them up.

      Or, read comments … like the ones posted before you did … that translate them for you.

      There are more hearing-impaired people that you think out there, this is an excellent excuse to learn a bit of their language.

      1. bramble

        I can kind of see both sides of this… I mean, on the one hand, yes, picking up a bit of ASL is great, and so far Marcie hasn’t said anything that can’t be (mostly) figured out purely from context and Sal’s reactions.

        On the other hand, because ASL is by necessity a highly visual language, and each panel shows only a single, static moment, we’re getting only a single word or phrase from Marcie where we get entire sentences from everyone else. That could make her a little hard to understand if we ever see her in an important scene without Sal to interpret for us.

        1. David

          If Marcie needs to be understood above and beyond the usual single panel, I plan to give her enough space to do so. I feel I lucked out here, since the sign for “we will see” is pretty uncomplicated. (A double tap on the right cheek with two fingers while making a sarcastic expression, IIRC.) I was really happy with this particular strip, since what would be a pretty mundane punchline (“I’ll totally probably do it” with the aside “We’ll see”) is made more interesting to me with the use of sign language. It makes it more visual, I think, is the trick, and the reader has to work harder for it.

        2. TsunamiJane

          Hey, if the dictionaries can show you the basic gist of a sign in 2D pictures, you can do it too!

          If you need any help, I’m a sign language interpreter. 🙂

        3. Sagara S.

          I’m trying to get an internship as an Interpreter.
          PLEASE, help me 😀

        4. MM

          Odds are if there’s no one around who can interpret, then the other characters will have similar trouble, and that’ll just further the plot and/or comedy.

          Personally, I love this. I hope we see a lot more of Marcie.

      2. David

        I’m excited to have a character who communicates with ASL because I’m bound to pick some of it up!

    2. Mkvenner

      You can alway try learning different languages instead of coming of as xenophobic about it.

  34. Robert in San Diego

    I can’t wait until Marcie has an in-class question in one of those huge lecture hall type classes — and paper-airplanes it in to some lecturer who likes to talk with his back to the class. I’ve never seen that, but I have had instructors who’d deserve getting nailed in the back by a paper glider.

    Note: My own college was once notorious for putting “Disabled Student Services” on the second floor of a building without an elevator. They’ve gotten a LOT better since those pre-ADA days.

    1. TsunamiJane

      HAHAHA! That’s fantastic. Both paragraphs.

      However, these being post-ADA days, she would probly have an interpreter in the class. 🙂 Not that that should stop her from paper airplaning. {Is that a verb? It is now!}

  35. nothri

    Hmmm…..Crazy Ninja….Crazy Ninja…nope, sorry. Amazigirl needs an arch nemesis with a better name than that. Biker Chick has some potential, I suppose, but Crazy Ninja is more the name you give a villain of the week.

    1. MM

      How about Nutty Ninja? The alliteration might help.

  36. Zem

    And then Sal never appeared in the comic again.

  37. Kreschnav

    So I assume Marcie can read lips? That’s what confused me in her first strip. I couldn’t understand how she understood Sal when she asked for cigarettes.

    1. David

      Marcie isn’t deaf. She’s only mute.

      1. Sagara S.

        awww…..
        …. now I feel wierd that I’m dissapointed that she isn’t D/deaf… only mute…. I think my ASL professor is infecting me.

  38. Mkvenner

    Is Marcie going to get her own cast page?

    1. David

      Probably eventually, if she keeps making appearances. I still need to get around to adding Dina to the cast, too.

  39. quietdevious1

    How did Marcie become mute?

    1. David

      I’m sure it’ll come up.

      1. Plasma Mongoose

        It wouldn’t have anything to do with The Catcher in the Rye now, would it?

  40. Reiku189

    don’t know if anyone noticed or commented but: Billie’s replaced Dorothy on the title picture, nice.

    1. Aizat

      It’s been that since about 2 weeks ago.

  41. Greg S.

    Am I missing something? Why does Walky’s sister have a thick southern accent and he has none?

    I must have missed something.

    1. gangler

      The catholic school wasn’t local.

    2. Plasma Mongoose

      Sal is also meant to be a Rogue(X-men) expy.

  42. Marty

    I’m deaf, and I find it really cool that DoA has a character that uses sign language. But I also feel really odd at the same time. Just not used to seeing references to deafness and ASL.

    1. Hello, Mr. Anderson

      Yeah, that’s kind of Willis’ thing, surprising you with the insightful out of pretty much nowhere.

    2. Sagara S.

      there’s a really nice arc in Girls with Slingshots that deals with ALOT of accurate ASL.

  43. Drake

    Oh, Sal won’t disappear LIKE a ninja. That implies that she isn’t one.

  44. Enderkap

    Marcie is definitely my new favorite character. I am LOVING the ASL. YOU’RE AWESOME WILLIS!

  45. Doranian

    That sign in the first panel is “help”, for those who don’t know. Marcie probably said, “Help her.” The sign in the last message is better known. Put bluntly, “I’m watching you”.

    1. David

      For that second one, remember that facial expressions are important. (The second sign has already been translated correctly elsewhere on this comments page.)

      1. Zem

        Wow, DoA – Fun and Educational. Why don’t we have more people speaking sign language in comics? Maybe as many people would remember as many have learned a few basic French expressions because of them.

  46. Cthulhu21

    Sal’s friend looks like Ted from El Goonish Shive.

Leave a Reply to Reiku189 Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

*

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.