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The Book 9 Kickstarter ended at $70,903! Which is... jeez, this was my second-best Kickstarter total, after Book 3's $71k. I'm honestly friggin' amazed, because with everything going on in the world this spring, I wondered if I should even BOTHER with a Kickstarter. So, like, uh. Thanks for making this work beyond all my expectations.
Keep safe, everyone. And again, thank you.
163 thoughts on “Myself together”
Ana Chronistic
“GET TO DA CHOPPAH!!”
“It ain’t a Chopper! Ah ain’t modded SHIT”
Ana Chronistic
on Kickstarter: well, what ELSE are we spending our money on, bars, theater, and concerts??
Rose by Any Other Name
Yeah, really. Got this stimulus check burning a hole in my pocket.
… we’ve bought so much new furniture lately, it isn’t even funny. Our kids have a new bunk bed, we have a new vanity, padded bench, and ottoman.
JaneDoe
Yep, and honestly, at times like this, I’d rather see my money go into the hands of independent creators and small business owners than to giant heartless corporations. (Which is not to say I haven’t also been spending some money with them too, but you know how it is lol)
Opus the Poet
I bought a new toilet because the old one literally fell apart when the plumber tried to fix it.
1985 was not a good vintage for houses. Or toilets for that matter.
Deanatay
I’ll be your non-stop sidekick
Get wild girl
Your non-stop miracle
I’m your Sal
Get out of my dreams
Get onto my bike
NinjaNick
…and kick some Blaine ass!
Yet One More Idiot
She has pulled herselves together enough to decide to go and make a huge friggin’ mess. Yeah, you go Amazi-Amber-girl! 😀
Doctor_Who
You mean there’s no time for Amber’s show-stopping musical number about believing in herself?
Fine, but Sal had better put “Holding Out For a Hero” on the radio as they ride off. Bonnie Tyler will do, but the Jennifer Saunders version is obviously preferred.
Dean
Amber can have her musical number, just as long as it’s non-diegetic.
Keulen
Jennifer Saunders’ version is good, but I’m gonna have to say Bonnie Tyler’s is better.
Bicycle Bill
If they aren’t playing THIS as they ride off to do battle, I will be immensely disappointed.
Lumino
Talking is a Free Action
Nono
Someone more in the know can answer: given that Blaine probably has like a 5 minute head start at this point, how likely is it that a motorcycle can catch up?
sharktrs
I’m willing to be that Blaine’s crashed into something, or at the very least got pulled over
He ain’t doing the best rn
sharktrs
bet*
jeffepp
Well, it’s probably just a few blocks to where ever they crashed the van.
Sirksome
I’m by no means an automotive expert but Sal’s bike is top of the line Rutten technology so it probably easily outpaces Blaine’s work van. The real problem is finding him.
Reaver
Time is moving slower in the comics than for us, so I imagine he hasn’t gotten that far.
NinjaNick
Depends on the traffic, the Salvary can catch up. Motorcycles tend to squeak through traffic.
brumagem
If it’s a straight shot, definitely depends on what each vehicle is packing. If there are any turns involved, the motorcycle has much more maneuverability than a big top-heavy van and can definitely catch up. Also, I’d say 2 minutes head-start tops.
horsevoirace
I think you’d be surprised at how little time dialogue can take when you’re getting it drip fed. He’s probably 90 seconds out at most.
abacuswizard
Talking is a free action, especially when superheroes are involved.
Bunny
1) the Twitter IDing Blaine as a kidnapper went Live about the same time he peeled out.
2) motorcycles are nimble and faster than cars. The sun just came up. The roads won’t be crowded. They have a sporting chance.
Shane
It’s plausible and even probable she actually did it, but outside chance the Twitter claim was Becky bluffing.
JetstreamGW
That’s stupid. He hasn’t gotten that far. Talking is a free action. Duh. 😛
Reaver
HAH!
Emeraldbeacon
A motorcycle like that has FAR greater acceleration than a standard box van, as well as a higher top speed. Even assuming that Sal will drive slower and more carefully with a helmet-less rider, she shouldn’t have much trouble catching up (assuming they know which way he went).
Cholma
Sal: (putting on sunglasses) “Blaine’s got a 90 second head start, we’ve got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it’s dark and we’re wearing sunglasses.”
Amber: “Hit it.”
DaveM
“Use of excessive violence in the capture of Blaine has been approved.”
Bicycle Bill
Isn’t that a line from a movie or something?
Sirksome
At this point I’m starting to worry for Amber’s physical health more than her mental.
poofdepoof
saaame
Roach
panel 1 of the next strip is just AG passing out face down in front of the motorcycle
poofdepoof
I hope so?? I’m still hoping for a good outcome for everybody, but I’m honestly not keen on Amber delivering it. She is just too tired and beaten up to keep being everyone’s secret weapon.
Bonnie
honestly same with sal, im hoping it’s dotty who goes, or even walky (sidekick to be, also bonding time w/ sal)
Mra
As soon as this is over she’s going to collapse and not wake up for 3 days
Doctor_Who
I’d worry about the effect on her midterms, but it’s Amber, she’s already proved that she can have whatever grade she wants.
Nono
Leslie should give Joyce, Walky and Dorothy As just because.
Regalli
Look, if ‘I was kidnapped’ doesn’t get you at LEAST a free retake on any midterms you have scheduled for the rest of the goddamn week, what does?
I mean I know the ‘if your roommate dies you pass your classes’ thing is exaggeration and not any school’s formalized policy, and I know that a sizable portion of academics are absolute inflexible douchebags, but ‘I was kidnapped in the middle of the night by my friend’s mobster dad and that dude who tried to shoot up the campus a few weeks ago, and the mobster killed him’ is one of those things that is both IMMEDIATELY verifiable and probably goes into even my most inflexible douchebag professors’ ‘I only excuse active deployments, the ER, or jail’ absence policies. If only because the PR’s bad enough that even the completely self-unaware would recognize that’s extraordinary circumstances.
On the other hand, tenure and tenure-track can produce some REAL inflexible douchebags, so who even knows.
Matthew Evan Davis
It’s not always the professors — they don’t have the power students think they do. A lot of times its administrators who never set foot in a classroom.
Example – my campus has a rather draconian attendance policy I am required to enforce. They want the records in case they get audited by the state. I have had students come to class with open wounds where stitches blew out because they are afraid of being counted absent, and I’ve had students reveal their sexual assault to me because they were worried they’d be counted absent because they needed a day to process being raped. Both of which are, to my mind, totally unacceptable. It’s not me being an inflexible asshole, there — as far as I’m concerned they should go get themselves taken care of, my life is easier if only the students who want to be there show, and in the grand scheme of things one day is not going to ruin anything for them. It’s the campus creating an atmosphere where students fear being absent more than the risks to their mental or physical health.
Leorale
What is the reasoning from your administrators that this is okay? Why would the students’ attendance be that important to the state; are you teaching court-mandated anger-management classes or something?
Opus the Poet
Most states only pay local schools for days the student’s butt is actually in a desk.
thejeff
Doesn’t really apply to colleges.
Giguioto
Wait a minute… Her cheeks are still… OOOOOh!
Mra
What?
Chris
The voice has changed, but it’s still Amber.
DaveM
Yeah, Note that AmaziGirl isn’t tagged. Psychologically I’m not sure if this is a sign of personality integration, the creation of a third “Amber presents as AmaziGirl” persona, or what.
Needfuldoer
Amber mustering up Amazi-Girl’s confidence, I think. The voice and costume are donned at will.
Kazuma Taichi
Thanks! I was just noticing for the first time that I can’t rely on the speech bubbles anymore to differentiate them, and now I have a different visual indicator I can use without dipping into the tags everytime one of them is on screen.
Bagge
I love how the bubbles of being worn out transforms to the lens-flare of awesomeness
sharktrs
Yoooooooooooooooooooo
Holy shit, I didn’t even notice that
Bicycle Bill
The “woozles” were receding in the second and thirds panels, and were completely gone by the fourth panel. Those actually ARE the lens-flare of awesomeness in the fifth panel.
Nice touch, Willis!
Alan in DC
Bein’ a picky jerk here, but the angle of those flares is too high given the location of the sun at that hour of the day.
Hell with that … its Clobberin’ Time!
Reaver
“Look yer clearly putting yourself up by the bootstraps but ah gotta kick you in the gut”
Loki
Did we already know Sal knows about A=AG, or is this a first?
Bunny
She caught them making out on Garbage Roof. She knows.
Sporky
Amber and Amazi-Girl made out?! Wish I could’ve seen that!
DailyBrad
Yeah, she knew about it, it’s why they had a really rough fist fight that one time.
The only person potentially finding out here is Malaya, who may as well know anyway because they’re going to be doing roller derby together and who would Malaya tell, anyway? She has like 2-3 friends. Carla’s like the only person not present who would be new to this information since Marcie knows.
I'm Batman
Whole arc, several months ago (IRL)… before the David/Sally connection was mentally made, IIRC
Qube
well I dunno what you mean, hypertext, it sounds like Amber and Amazigirl are finally getting along like two peas in a pod
Koms
So she’s Amber with Amazigirl’s voice?
sharktrs
Maybe it’s a New Vegas, Dog/God type thing where the two personalities melded
abysswatcher1993
I said this before weeks ago.
SuperFroakie82
I’d agree, but this strip does start with “No, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to pull myself together.”
sharktrs
That is a fair point
King Daniel
Plus, in real life DID alters merging is typically neither common nor recommended.
DaveM
Yes. In real life that’s like asking your bowel cancer to sit down and talk to you so you can come to to a reasonable compromise
Reltzik
While you are 100% correct and in no way deserve what I’m about to say, I can’t help but feel you should have chosen for an example of afflictions with which one can’t negotiate something that was less…
… accommodating.
*flees for dear punning life*
DaveM
Ouch ouch ouch!
What makes it worse is I can’t think of a good pun to respond with. Only a few sh*tty ones.
*turns to flee, but is dragged off stage by a large vaudeville hook instead*
Needfuldoer
Yeah, isn’t harmonious coexistence the ideal goal?
Qube