Spartacus-ing
Posted on March 30, 2020 by David M Willis

199 thoughts on “Spartacus-ing”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    I was WONDERING when that would get brought up

    1. Doctor_Who

      If I were Amber, I’d make it part of every conversation.

      “Hi, I’m Amber, my dad is an abusive asshole, but I kicked his ass so hard he now uses Peparation H as a mouthwash. Anyway, I’d like a large pepperoni with extra cheese.”

      1. Tan

        “Ma’am, this is a library.”

        1. UncolaMan

          “And a Mountain Dew Baha Blast. And here’s my library card.”

        2. He Who Abides

          “Ma’am, that’s an ace of clubs.”

        3. Jhon

          “Uno!”

        4. Tan

          “Ma’am… You’ve activated my trap card.”

    2. kendermouse

      The million dollar question is, did she mean that first time, or is she just saying that’s what she does now whenever she sees him?

      1. Ron again

        She doesn’t recognise her father with the mask. AG saw him put it on, but this is Amber’s first introduction

      2. Wizard

        Given that her father is Blaine, that actually seems like a reasonable policy.

  2. Suet

    And he also came up as a hologram, but that’s different.

  3. KJ

    This is so satisfying

    1. clif

      It would be even more satisfying if Amber weren’t duct taped up.

      1. Keith Curtis

        But this is usually the point where the action hero reveals they have slipped their restraints. Majinx ensue. Or perhaps Hihem?

        1. clif

          We can hope, but read the blanket warning.

        2. Agemegos

          Yeah. The next fifty-four strips make up an emotional roller-coast that dips into some dark and distressing content. I don’t suppose that DY Willis would have posted such a content warning for, nor written and drawn, two months of Amber gradually beating Blaine to death. So don’t count on “with one bound Amber was free”. Expect a few more ups and downs, and don’t be surprised if Blaine beats Amber black and blue while she is in restraints.

        3. SillyGoose

          He did warn us, and I though I’d tough it out and be just fine, but we’re not even halfay to the worst bits yet, and well, long story short… Welp, I’m out!
          See you in a while everyone. Enjoy, possibly.

  4. King Daniel

    Nonsense, hovertext

    Billie’d believe everybody but Amber

    (and we all know Sal is really Amazi-Girl, anyway. Billie said so in the article she wrote for the paper!)

  5. Abel Undercity

    Oh, dear. I’m wondering if Blaine is about to face… NOT-Amazi-Girl.

    1. Bagge

      Without Danny around to hold her back.

      1. clif

        But unfortunately the duct tape is.

        1. AutobotDen

          Oh, trust me, that won’t be an issue for long.

        2. Jon Rich

          Why? She’s immune to criticism, not duct-tape.

  6. Beef

    Wait I’m just realizing I didn’t think of this before. What was Blaine’s beef with Amazi-girl? Is it just because of what happened during the party or was it something before that?

    1. King Daniel

      Amazi-Girl (and Amber, eventually) hospitalized him in front of a McDonald’s, IIRC.

      1. Reltzik

        In front of the AAA, actually, one lot over from McDonald’s.

        PEDANT-MAN STRIKES AGAIN!

        1. King Daniel

          At least my necklace is still safe.

          That’s right, I only truly fear Pendant Man.

        2. Reltzik

          I also eat three-egg amulets for breakfast.

        3. a/snow/mous/e

          Is that even safe for your digestive system? …Sorry to brooch such a sensitive subject.

      2. Deanatay

        As far as Blaine knew, Amazi-Girl kicked his ass. And no one but her and Danny were there to witness it, which is why he claimed a gang had beaten him up, later.

        But if his daughter knows it… *gulp*

        1. temperaryobsessor

          Yea not sure if he was protecting his reputation as someone who doesn’t hold college students hostage or as someone not beaten up by a young woman.

    2. Stephen Bierce

      The time Blaine took Danny hostage to get Amber–and Amazi-Girl called the bluff.

    3. Regalli

      Back at Freshman Family Weekend, Amber beat him shitless (after he’d taken Danny as a hostage to bring her off campus) dressed in her AG outfit. Note, since we’re talking about Amber’s dissociations, that this was one of the first strips where Amber was tagged while in the suit and using the AG voice, if I’m remembering right. (It’s also where the ‘cheek blush = Amber, no cheek blush = AG’ shorthand started coming up.)

    4. Doctor_Who

      Back when he kidnapped Danny, Amazi-Girl pummeled him.

      1. Ron again

        That’s the thing, it wasn’t AG, it was Amber. Notice how Amber’s usually dissociating herself from AG and vice versa? Here she says “I beat my dad”

        1. Agemegos

          She was dressed as Amazi-Girl, so Blaine blames Amazi-Girl.

          You have to admit that it was tough to tell them apart in all that rain and with dim light. Even Danny didn’t manage it.

        2. Sombrero

          You are setting a low bar here.

    5. Agemegos

      Amber beat piss and pick handles out of him dressed as Amazi-Girl back when he took Danny hostage, and he didn’t recognise her.

  7. jeffepp

    For those of you concerned about Amber’s ability to recognize her own father…

    And, someone’s sphincter just puckered.

    1. jeffepp

      Oh, and odds of her having already freed her self of the tape? Pretty good, I think.

      1. Delicious Taffy

        Don’t watch the mouth, watch the hands.

      2. StClair

        “And what makes you think you can do all that?”
        “You know my handcuffs?”
        “Mm-hmm.”
        “I picked them.”

      3. Icalasari

        She’s standing it looks like, with how she was bound that shouldn’t be working out so good unless she was free

        1. Icalasari

          Wait no I’m just stupid

      4. CMasta

        Blaine: Hey wait. Weren’t you tied up a moment ago?
        Amber: That was a moment ago.

    2. DailyBrad

      I do wonder if this is her saying she recognizes him, though it could also be her getting the point across she is very much not weak. Though, it’d be satisfying if Blaine outed himself here by being very Blaine and so Amber knows.

      1. Sterling

        Blaine is wearing a mask.

        1. DailyBrad

          He is, but Amber at least also doesn’t talk the same way when she’s Amazigirl.

          Blaine doesn’t seem to be trying to mask his voice, though I guess he is missing a tooth. Panel 3 is also him really letting much of any pretense slip to her.

      2. Meagan

        Amber implied that she recognized him when he came into the scene. I think she’s messing with him.

        1. Ron again

          She said “whoever you are”, the implication would come from the tone and therefore hard to verify. It could be literal. My bet is she does not recognize him. Hope I’m wrong though because that is some tactical info right there

        2. thejeff

          Yeah, I see no reason to think she recognizes him. If she did, there’s no reason I see for her to hide it.

  8. Stephen Bierce

    There go the Centurions…

    1. ktbear

      I’ve been trying to figure this out for ages but I’m not sure where tanks come into it?

      1. Stephen Bierce

        I was quoting Spin Doctors.

  9. Regalli

    Well, this is going to be another awful installment in Amber’s ongoing trauma flashbacks later. But for now? Honey, please know that you are not a bad person for wanting to beat the shit out of him again. And then feel free to do so.

  10. Mr. Random

    ….Damn it, I’m still not 100% sure on if she doesn’t recognize him.

    1. Hugo Bedward

      What’s more important is if she can get any scraps of memory from this.

  11. gingercake

    Amber knows who she’s talking to, and there’s no way her hands are still tied behind her back.

    1. emeraldbeacon

      And someone in the room conveniently has a mask available…

      1. Agemegos

        Both Amber and Amazi-Girl have beaten up Blaine dressed as Amazi-Girl. Narrative symmetry now requires each of them to do it dressed as Amber.

        1. adam Black

          but if it Rhymes,
          Mike will show up riding the HoneyBun

    2. Ron again

      What makes you say that? She would say the same things if she didn’t recognise him.

      1. gingercake

        Her expression reads as smug and very personal. Tbh it’s mostly intuition. I could be wrong.

  12. Dave Van Domelen

    +3d6 to Presence Attack.

    1. Agemegos

      You have to be ready to take decisive advantage when they hesitate.

  13. William Leonard Reese Jr.

    *tilts head*

    Is it possible for Amber’s two personalities to merge back together or share memories?

    Because . . . she did that while she was Amazi-Girl right? So shouldn’t Amber not remember that first time?

    Either way I am ALL for what is happening right now.

    1. Foxhack

      They used to share some memories. The complete split didn’t happen until recently.

    2. Jamie

      My understanding is that that’s a possibility for DID, but it’s hard to believe Amber’s issues will resolve that easily in a story.

    3. Nono

      Amazi-Girl turned partway into Amber during the beat-up.

      1. AntJ

        That was before they stopped sharing memories, which happened after AG went after Ross and was saved by Sal after getting concussed

        1. thejeff

          Well after that. It was first clear after the stabbing of Gashface, but there had been hints of a growing divide before then. The two of them explicitly talking to each other, for example.

      2. Agemegos

        Amazi-Girl is not tagged after the strip before Amber threw the first kick. The implication is that it was all Amber.

    4. Linkman0596

      Amazi-girl can write notes

    5. Reltzik

      Amber ALSO beat up Blaine a bit on Freshman Family Weekend.

      She’s basically shed his blood every time she’s been within shouting distance of him in the comic, not counting flashbacks.

    6. Cass

      No, she did it while dressed up as Amazi-Girl. Amazi-Girl herself vacated the area as soon as Amber started to make things physical.

      But, like others said, they also weren’t fully split then either.

    7. King Daniel

      As I understand it from those who have shared their own personal experiences of DID in these comments – when alters work well together, they can often share memories. When they don’t work well together, well…they don’t share memories.

      Also, AFAIK, “merging” of the alters is neither common, nor is it typically recommended.

    8. Agemegos

      The five-foot-two meat vehicle in question has beaten fuck out of Blaine twice—one time while ridden by Amber, one time while ridden by Amazi-Girl. Also, it clocked him once in a fight that Ruth ended before Amber got to drop him down an elevator shaft.

    9. Mydnyt

      I am a high functioning schizophrenic with DID issues. I can say this much from my experience. When an alter acquires the kind of strength needed to play memory tricks, they rarely want to give up that ability because it represents freedom and an increased sense of self among them.

      I have 3 who can mess with my memory if they feel it necassery. Luckily they don’t do it much

    10. iz

      No, that was Amber pretending to be amazigirl, as far as I remember.

  14. DailyBrad

    Joyce is a brave gal, as expected of her, and Sarah’s definitely in big sis mode.

  15. Foxhack

    A burn so bad his pupils went through the domino mask

  16. BBCC

    Fuck yeah, Amber.

  17. C.T Phipps

    I wonder if we’re going to see Blaine again during this plot.

    1. Foxhack

      Blaine is tagged. He’s just dressed up because he used that to mess with Amazi-Girl.

      1. Ensiform

        Whooosh

      2. C.T Phipps

        Is he behind the masked guy?

        1. Keulen

          He’s clearly one of the other silhouettes we saw behind Ross a few strips ago.

  18. Pink Freud

    My dad talked to me like that once…..ONCE.

    1. Deanatay

      I love shelf paper!

      1. Roborat

        Where the hell are we?

  19. Bicycle Bill

    I sweartoGod that I am not (Yet) supporting Willis by being a patron on Patreon, so I don’t get to see the next day’s comic in advance.  So when I posted my comment yesterday (“Cue the scene from Spartacus”), I came up with that all on my own.

    On the other hand, since Willis also came up with it, that goes to prove that great minds tend to think alike…..

    1. BarerMender

      Great minds run in the same channel. Fools think alike.

      1. Bicycle Bill

        Just semantics.  One man’s channel is another man’s rut.

      2. Deanatay

        Confirmed avatar is appropriate.

        1. He Who Abides

          No, it’s not. BarerMender misspelled “FOOOOOOOOOLS!”.

  20. Kyrik Michalowski

    Sarah has the right idea here, you shouldn’t try to pretend to be Amazi-girl just to screw with your kidnappers. But on the other hand, Amber just admitting she’s Amazi-girl isn’t the best plan either. What is the right choice here?

    1. deathjavu

      Possible alternatives:

      *Someone sneaks off behind the louder hostages to bite or lick the adhesive off of someone else’s duct tape.

      *Someone says “yeah we can contact amazi-girl” and then uses this chance to contact someone else (Leslie?) who can then contact the police.

      Really there are a lot of better options than more banter, but given the circumstances I don’t blame them for not thinking of them.

    2. Sirksome

      There is no right choice here. If Amazi-girl doesn’t show up Blaine would hurt or kill one of them. If she does or rather if Blaine believes Amber is her that leads to a fight or his plan of kidnapping Becky. Regardless of those options he’s probably planning to kill most of them anyway.

      1. Agemegos

        As Deathjavu suggested, you can say you have a phone number for Amazi-Girl, and use that to clue in Ruth, Leslie, Carla, Sal, Jacob, Robyn, or someone else with the nous to call the police.

        1. a/snow/mous/e

          “You can contact AmaziGirl by calling 911 and asking for her”

    3. Sombrero

      The point is Amber has no choice. By sheer luck, Blaine hit the right spot by threatening physical violence to Walky.

      1. frogger44

        Blaine also literally stomped on Ethan too. So there’s that.

    4. thejeff

      Amber claims to be the only one who can contact Amazi-Girl, but only in person.

    5. Agemegos

      Tell Blaine that Mary is Amazi-Girl.

  21. Lawzlo

    No, I’m Amazi-Girl!

    1. Agemegos

      And so’s my wife!

      1. Needfuldoer

        And one for Jenny and the wimp!

        1. He Who Abides

          I da pappie!

  22. Sirksome

    Does she know its’s him or not? And if she suddenly does that just confuses me more!

    1. Ron again

      I don’t think she knows.

      1. clif

        I think she’s realizing.

  23. JessWitt

    Come on Amazi-Girl, wake up and break out of those ropes.

    1. Agemegos

      I wonder whether Amber’s self-defence classes (or parkour videos on YouTube) covered escaping from bonds.

      1. jeffepp

        She’s read all of Empoweredcomic.com just for this.

        1. PB

          Me too 😀

  24. WaywardLynx

    And once again, we get these reminders:

    – Joyce is fearless, selfless, and takes no shit: Even more when it’s about Protecting Those She Loves.

    – Blaine should be glad indeed he only fought Amazi-Girl the last night. Amber unleashed, in protective mode…? Oh, this is going to get very, very ugly and I’m here for this. He knows this is true – So hard his pupils come back; and his disparaging comments only fuel Amber’s grin.

    At last, immune to criticism.

    At last, a hostage situation she’ll get RIGHT.

    1. PiotrW

      Unfortunately, I have a feeling Willis will come up with a way to mess up this situation up for Amber…

  25. NinjaNick

    And the Evil Dad is still evil with one less tooth.

    1. Needfuldoer

      So 27 more ass-kickings and he’ll be left toothless?

  26. Icalasari

    Oh this is satisfying, seeing Blaine BSOD

  27. C.T Phipps

    Listen, Blaine has to have figured out that Dorothy is Amazi-Girl, right? I mean, LOOK AT HER. Changing her hair color doesn’t disguise they’re identical.

    It’s not hard to figure out her identity.

  28. Rikunda

    Imagine robbing a bank in that world… Just a mask to hide your entire ID…

    1. a/snow/mous/e

      “Was the person who robbed your store Caucasian?”
      “I couldn’t tell, they were wearing a mask.”

  29. abysswatcher1993

    I am Brian-wait, wrong movie.

    I like how Amber triggers Not-Blaine by showing that his view of his daughter doesn’t fit reality. Is she really weak? The girl that defies you without crying? The girl that almost killed a rapist?

    You deserve to die horrible, Not-Blaine, and unlike Brian Cohen and the cast of Monty Python, your crucifixtion isn’t going to have a bright side.

  30. bea

    is blaine…stepping on ethan???

    1. bea

      never mind, looked back at yesterday’s update and saw that he is, indeed, stepping on ethan

  31. adam Black

    wait….

    How Does Blaine NOT know Amber recently sliced up Ryan ?

    ( isnt she being sued for it? wouldnt Blaine get included in that? )

    1. BenRG

      He cannot believe it because, in his mind, Amber is weak, worthless and manipulable. He hasn’t seen the girl for at least two years and, even before then, had little idea of just how much sanity slippage from what she was suffering.

    2. Bicycle Bill

      Why would she be getting sued?  Ryan attacked HER with the knife; she took it away and defended herself with it — maybe a little too enthusiastically, but it was still self-defense.  Trying to argue that in court — “Sure I tried to attack her my knife and she took it away and cut ME with it instead, but she didn’t have to go THAT far!” — is almost as absurd as calling the cops to have them arrest your roommate because they stole your meth or crack cocaine.

      1. Libby

        My guess is Ryan and his family are trying to leverage how brutally he got his front and rear ends sliced and skewered to paint himself as the true victim, which would have the fringe benefit of making him look more sympathetic to anyone who had doubts about the allegations of drugging and sexual assault. Even if he doesn’t get a ruling at all, tough enough lawyers will keep things going until the opponent is drowning in legal fee related debt, and then you have revenge on a girl and her single mother. Unfortunately, it’s pretty realistic .

      2. Agemegos

        She’s getting sued because Ryan’s parents chose to file suit, and courts very seldom dismiss suits unheard for lack of merit. They seem unlikely to win, but winning might not be their goal.

        Anyway, Stacy and Amber are being sued: https://www.dumbingofage.com/2017/comic/book-8/01-face-the-strange/boundaries-2/

        1. abysswatcher1993

          If Ryan and his parents were real people, I would put poop bags on fire on their front yard, beat Ryan’s face with a bat, and post photos of Ryan in all campuses in the state as a warning for all women in the area. Being publicly shamed is more hurtful than a bat to the face.

  32. Bagge

    I’m 100% here for Joyce Spartakusing this whole thing.

    I mean, Walky was kidnapped only because they thought he might be amazi-girl. He is ahead of the curve.

    1. adam Black

      he ought to give her the mask

  33. Bagge

    The thing is, this whole “mask or no mask thing” ends badly for Blaine however you slice it. amazi-girl was well on her way to beat Ball-peen(tm) last night, amazi-girl could sure take down a looser like Blaine and if they let amber have a go… yeah.

  34. BenRG

    Just a quick reminder that Amber is the one who struggles with homicidal impulses, not Amazi-Girl!

    1. Bagge

      I’m sure Blaine will get that memo eventually…

    2. temperaryobsessor

      I think they both do but Amber admits it.

  35. Keulen

    I was hoping they would “I’m Spartacus” this.

    1. Bagge

      Sarah says no.

      1. Vulcanodon

        But at least they got the reference in!

  36. TlalocW

    Wait… Amber is Amazi-Girl? J/K.

    I’ve forgotten and don’t want to go through the archives, but I’m sure a DOA super-fan can tell me. Who in the truck knows Amber is Amaz-Girl? Who not in the truck knows (like Dina)?

    1. Ron again

      Only Joyce and Sarah didn’t know Amber is AG. I don’t know about the other question beside Dina. I don’t think Ruth knows…

      1. thejeff

        Ruth does. Found out from Dorothy during the Sal/Amber fight. Sal also knows. As does Marcie. Can’t think of anyone else.

        1. Minim

          Danny also knows.

        2. thejeff

          Yeah, was thinking about those who recently learned and forgot one of the first.:)

        3. Ron again

          I could only find Ruth talking about Amber’s suicidal issues during that fight but maybe I should just re read that part of the story… If you have a link that would save me the read 😉

        4. Ron again

          there it is. Can conrifm Dorothy, Marcie and Ruth. Danny also knew I think.

    2. Agemegos

      Truck?

      1. Myles Adams

        The truck wot people wot were thrown into to be carted to this basement.

        1. clif

          Oh, I thought we were talking about the truck wot smashed into Ruth and wot failed to smash into Amazigirl. Though I suppose it could still be the same truck, except that we have Walky’s word it was a van, so why are we even talking about trucks?

        2. Agemegos

          Limousine.

  37. Mishyana

    I mean, I’m all for Amber reconciling the disparate parts of her personality, but now may not be the best time..?

  38. auroki

    So who all is guessing that Amber has already freed her arms and is luring Ball Peen into striking range?

  39. PB

    Wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwait.

    Does … does the mask work both ways?

    Does she NOT KNOW that that’s Blaine?

    Or is she just messing with him?

    1. Arianod

      The laws of the walkyverse obviously work the same for everybody.

    2. thejeff

      Masks do appear to work. Comic book tropes.

      She said “whoever you are” yesterday. She seems not to know.

    3. Andy

      She does not know. She doesn’t remember seeing him put the mask on, because that’s Amazi-Girl’s memory.

  40. Acher4

    Ok. I adore the alt-text!
    Bilie would do that!
    ROFL

    1. clif

      Not at all. She already realizes it’s Sal.

  41. Libby

    Not in the truck: Danny, Mike, Sal, and like you said Dina know it’s Amber. Billie only knows it’s not Sal, details are fuzzy but she did see her original theory debunked.

    1. clif

      Where did this mysterious truck come from? Do we not believe Walky knows how he got there?

      1. Agemegos

        I think we’re up against some people who think that the difference between a van and a truck matters as little as the difference between a .22 varmint rifle and a shotgun.

        1. Agemegos

          Plus, possibly, one who thinks this basement is the back of a truck.

  42. Agemegos

    I have this idea for a story about a superhero who has twelve secret identities, each of which enjoys an alibi during the others’ superheroing. “Amazi-Girl on the Orient Express“.

  43. DuckDuckMoose

    The old O’Malley rope-a-dope.

  44. Commander Clash

    I see AG bringing in the pain

  45. Thursday Violist

    Good thing her dad isn’t actually here and only a dumb supervillain is here, though, because otherwise they’d have to call an ambulance for what would follow.

    1. clif

      Always assuming the duct tape has already been defeated.

  46. maarvarq

    “I’m Amazi-Girl and so is my wife!”

  47. Shariku

    Amber, use Headbutt!

  48. Callid13

    Clearly, this is gonna go down movie reference lane. First we have Spartacus, next is Star Wars.

    “You’re only have a scary as my father!”
    “No, Amber. I *am* your father.”

    1. Callid13

      *half as scary

      1. a/snow/mous/e

        We just had an “AmaziGirl is your daughter” line which is like a reverse reverse Skywalker moment

  49. DarkoNeko

    hahahaha she said it

    1. DarkoNeko

      “also your breath stink”

  50. Vulcanodon

    Oh dear, I do hope she has overcome the restraints on her hands already

    1. clif

      That’s a pretty important point. Otherwise Blaine has to put her in her place.

  51. Sombrero

    Blaine should try to make friends with Joyce. Her father is a dentist, and he will desperately need one.

  52. ValdVin

    Walky: “I’m the Whiteboard Ding-Dong Bandit.”
    Sarah: “We’re soooo not doing this.”

  53. BenRG

    ROSS: “Wow! I never knew that you could pull off someone’s head like that!”

  54. clif

    All is proceeding as Mike has foreseen.

  55. James Rye

    I wonder if Blaine suddenly gets really proud of his daughter after realizing that she isn’t weak and did beat the shit out of him. Kinda like “You are my daughter, you are just like me!”, that kinda thing.

    1. Andy

      Which would probably completely break her.

    2. abysswatcher1993

      He would never. His social darwinism is self serving. No matter what he will always want to put Amber down.

    3. Sombrero

      Nope. “You are nothing, and you always will be”. Blaine was never worried about her daughter being this or that, that’s just how he abused her. He simply hated her very existence.

  56. George the Archon

    I know there’s going to be Much Drama to come.

    But this? The wind beneath my (figurative) wings.

  57. Rabisch

    I adore Amber’s smile in the last panel. So full of love for her beloved dad♡

  58. Ghastly

    Ready for round two, Pops? How’s that leg and ribs treating ya?

  59. Delavan

    I love how Blaine’s face is simultaneously worried and turned on. It really takes the “creepy abusive fuckwit” persona to a new level.

  60. jufreire

    :DDDDDDD

  61. FacelessDeviant

    Aaaand just like that, Blaine understood that people grow and develop and that his daughter indeed is a strong person.

    Overcome by shame and guilt he gave himself up to the cops.
    Theee end.

  62. Josh Spicer

    Good line Amber.

  63. Mel Drake

    Oh no last panel Amber is super hot to me…

  64. Alaric

    We’re ALL Amazi-Girl.

  65. PokeyPuppy

    The amount of glee I feel over that last post is probably unhealthy. I’m okay with it.

    1. PokeyPuppy

      UGH, last PANEL, not post. *sigh*

  66. ADLegend21

    I **LOVE** the look of satisfaction on Amber’s face. That’s pure, visceral, and triumphant. no word is strong enough to express my enjoyment of it.

    1. Felian

      Absolutely agreed.

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