Through Hell
Posted on May 26, 2020 by David M Willis

257 thoughts on “Through Hell”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    “It’s the Salvary!”

    “that should be cavalry, but with Sal”

    “Salvalry?”

    “…ok n/m it actually sounds worse that way”

    1. Doctor_Who

      Sal-vation has arrived!

      1. clif

        And the theme music is awesome.

        1. clif

          Don’t pretend you don’t hear it in your head.

        2. Doom Shepherd

          Is it “For the Win” by Two Steps From Hell?
          https://youtu.be/rl_ndy61ON4

        3. anonymousethatscurriesinthedarkness

          Here I was thinking this would have been more appropriate, less the facial reconstruction of the MC
          https://youtu.be/oNyXYPhnUIs

        4. Deanatay

          I’m actually hearing the ‘She-Ra’ theme song in my head for this.

        5. Androiddreams

          No “running in the 90s”?

    2. NelC

      “Ca-Sal-ry!”

      1. UncolaMan

        Sounds too much like “Casualty,” but thanks for contributing.

        1. Captain Oblivious

          It may look so, but now I’m curious how you pronounce casualty? Or Sal?

    3. FacelessDeviant

      Its part of the Salution to the problem!

  2. OtterBoy1

    It’s so refreshing to see new characters

    1. OtterBoy1

      Not new characters, but, you know what I mean

      1. Sporky

        More characters!

        1. clif

          Gently used characters.

        2. Needfuldoer

          Certified Pre-Appeared characters, with extended 3-year, 36,000 mile warranty and run-flats.

      2. FacelessDeviant

        Al dente characters

  3. Axel

    I FREAKING KNEW IT. Cavalry to the rescue.

    1. Arian

      (OT: Jigglypuff! *hugs it*)

  4. Giguioto

    Sal and Amazi-girl… Joining forces one last time to save Joyce

    1. clif

      If only Amazigirl were here.

      1. Chris Phoenix

        I was thinking of making a joke about Sal being Amazi-Girl, but it’s been simultaneously too many and too few years for that to be funny.

        1. Amazi-Stool

          Oh please, don’t refuse the opportunity!

          Amber and Amazi-Girl … joining forces the first time to save Joyce!

  5. NinjaNick

    Sal and Carla to the rescue! Let’s bust the Blaine Beast!

    1. NinjaNick

      And Malaya!

      1. NinjaNick

        Dang thing needs an edit tool.

    2. He Who Abides

      And, for some reason, Malaya.

      Seriously, how did they get Malaya involved?

      1. AutobotDen

        Probably by telling her there was the potential to impress Marcie if she helped put the beatdown on Blaine.

        1. Deanatay

          Sal: C’mon, girls, Amazi-Girl needs our help!

          Malaya: Pfft. Whatever. I’m out.

          Sal: *looks back at her* Fine with me. More people for me to punch.

          Malaya: PUNCHING? You shoulda led with that! I’m all in if I get to punch people!

      2. BarerMender

        According to the tags Marcie is present. I don’t see her, though. Or Walky either.

        1. Yumi

          Walky’s tagged because he’s the one saying “Sis!” Don’t know about Marcie, though.

        2. Cholma

          She’s the one not saying anything. ;p

        3. BarerMender

          Good one.

        4. NinjaNick

          She’s off panel. They’re going to need more than a motorcycle if the Salvary can catch up with the white van. Not sure if Blaine’s a speeder.

        5. Chris

          One crime at a time. When you’ve got an unconscious girl in the back of your van, you should scrupulously obey the traffic laws.

          Who am I kidding? He’s not that smart.

        6. Reltzik

          He’s already up to five crimes at once. Might as well go for a half dozen.

        7. BarerMender

          In for a penny in for a pound. Of flesh.

        8. Kamino Neko

          Marcie is no longer tagged, though that doesn’t mean she’s not present, just not in any way involved in this strip itself.

      3. Bagge

        Blaine truly deserves to be defeated by Malaya in the end.

        1. RacingTurtle

          Yes, yes he does.

        2. Reltzik

          No, Blaine deserves to be defeated by Faz in the end.

          …. maybe they could do a team-up?

        3. Bagge

          That is entirely correct.

        4. Bagge

          …I mean, he deserves to be defeated by explosive diarrhea, but I’ll take what I get.

        5. Reltzik

          So a three-way teamup. Blaine gets defeated by Malaya, Faz, and explosive diarrhea.

        6. thejeff

          I’ll just set my bowel disruptor to “unspeakable gut horror”, then .

      4. Regalli

        Malaya probably got woken up at the same time Sal did, since they’re roommates. Once that had happened, why not go see what all the fuss is about and maybe get some ass to kick?

  6. AutobotDen

    Ngl, I was hoping Ruth would have a femur to brandish.

    1. AutobotDen

      …clearly I’m not awake enough to recognize Carla… but to be fair, I’m used to her having her hair up. I expect whacky shenanigans powered by tech from her parents’ company.

      1. auroki

        Yeah to be fair I thought she was Rose at first. Took a bit to process

  7. Tekkactus

    Did Malaya skitch her way here?

    1. AutobotDen

      She was hanging onto the back of Sal’s bike.

      1. BassBone

        That’s what skitching is.

        1. Delicious Taffy

          It’s like these kids have never played a Tony Hawk game.

        2. clif

          There’s a Tony Hawk game where you get to hold onto the back of Sal’s bike?

        3. Opus the Poet

          I never had the game, but I’m told there is a stunt session where you get towed to speed by a bike of some kind and then grab back on between jumps.

        4. Needfuldoer

          Is “McFly” an appropriate synonym, when used as a verb?

  8. Sirksome

    I’m not sure they can all fit on Sal’s motorcycle.

  9. Illithid

    Cut AG some slack, she’s still incredibly sleep-deprived and probably coming down off the adrenaline.

    1. Jamie

      I don’t think that was meant as criticism. It was a, “If you’re up for this, you’re invited.”

    2. Strangeshapes

      But AG’s not tagged; this is Amber facing Sal. For Amber this night is basically All the Nightmares and she’s running on several nights of virtually no sleep, at least two major battles’ worth of injuries, and severe emotional trauma. I’m afraid she will fall down in the middle of the street and vapor lock at this point.

      1. Needfuldoer

        Sal doesn’t know that, she just sees the costume. We don’t know if she can tell the difference at a glance yet.

        1. thejeff

          I don’t think Sal even really knows the difference, does she?

          Amber said some things during the fight, but there was no sign Sal picked up on it. Or am I forgetting something from afterwards?

        2. Kamino Neko

          I don’t think anyone in universe can tell at a glance. The people who know what’s going on still need to ask who’s driving in situations where it’s not blatantly obvious.

        3. thejeff

          They don’t know to look for cheek blushes?

          My point is that I don’t Sal even knows to ask. Unless I’m missing something, Walky’s the only one we know knows for sure. Danny’s been seen struggling with the concept and no one else has shown any awareness of it.

      2. Kali

        But Amber has been facing Sal quiet a bit, with roller derby practice… I don’t think it’s fair to call Sal a nightmare here.

  10. CMasta

    Yup the girl with a record should definitely enact in vigilantism. This will end well.

    And hello Malaya how unpleasant to see you again.

    1. Doctor_Who

      After all the Blaine and Ross in this storyline, even Malaya is a breath of fresh air.

      1. Some1

        You could make the argument that while Blaine is a shittier person than Malaya, he also causes conflict which makes the comic more interesting to read. Malaya on the other hand is just generally unpleasant but she doesn’t really push the story forward that much.

        1. abysswatcher1993

          Blaine is the cartoony manchild villain that should be in prison.

          Malaya is just the annoying BONGO, and I am tired of this page censoring the word bongo when it is appropriate to describe bong-FUUUUUUUUCK!!!!!! THAT’S IT! BASTITCH! THANKS, LOBO! YOU CAN’T CENSOR THIS WILLIS!

        2. Yumi

          God, I hope he censors it.

        3. Deanatay

          But how? Bastongo? Snare drum?

        4. Deanatay

          Personally, I lOVE the bongo censor. I pretty much type the word ‘bongo’ just to trigger it.

        5. thejeff

          I just type bongo. Or sometimes “drum”.

        6. Bicycle Bill

          I imagine that if I put my creative mind to it I could figure out a work-around, like a intentional misspelling that still conveys the point.

        7. Deanatay

          Bee-yatch will probably work.

        8. Jamie

          I mean, Blaine has no good in-universe reason for being in the story, so he has to have an agenda that motivates him to show up and cause trouble.

          Malaya, on the other hand, is around because she’s a student in the same classes and friend groups, so there’s no need to provide her with further motivation. (Mary is the same way. Ryan also, but fuzzier.)

          I mean, imagine if Blaine was, like, a janitor for the university and then subtract his motivations. Like, say Amber got a scholarship or something. Then he’d just be this annoying background character making snide shitty-parent remarks in random hallways: equally shitty human, but little to no plot relevance.

        9. timemonkey

          I feel the exact opposite about Blaine and Malaya.

      2. CMasta

        Malaya is a jerk to be a jerk. She’s somehow a less interesting Mike. At least his assholeness was eventually couched into pushing people towards improvement. Not a grand quality but he’s a Force ghost now so whatever.

        I’d rather see Blaine than Malaya eight days of the week.

        1. He Who Abides

          Walky!verse Mike was an Asshole Sage. This one’s just a dick to be a dick.

        2. BarerMender

          Malaya is a jerk because she’s insecure in herself. She puts people down to raise herself up. That won’t work. It just makes her a jerk.

    2. Foxhack

      Or you know, just follow Blaine’s van because -a friend of hers got kidnapped- and report his location to the police.

      1. CMasta

        We clearly have been reading two different comics if you think things are going to proceed that logically.

  11. tim gueguen

    Come on, Carla! It’s time for you to whip out some ultra secret tech device to save the day!

    1. Bicycle Bill

      She’s probably got a RUTTECH drone in position over Blaine’s van already.  All she has to do is give it the command, and it generates a tightly-focused, short-range electro-magnetic pulse that incapacitates the engine.

      1. abysswatcher1993

        She can do the same as in Spiderman Far From Home where Peter accidentally activates a deadly drone.

      2. Needfuldoer

        Attach some kind of Ruttech GPS tracker to the van so they can track it without getting killed.

        Or so the EMP drone can follow it autonomously.

    2. MatthewTheLucky

      It’s… a gun!

      1. Jamie

        If this were RWBY, (sentence intentionally unfinished as an exercise for the reader).

    3. Bobcat2022

      Carla “recovering” the Amazi-Tracker on Sal’s phone seems like an ample fulfillment of the “tech genius plot device” function for this early in the morning. When did the Amazi-Tracker last show up…?

    4. Tawdry Quirks

      Sal’s motorcycle has a RUTTECH engine. Perhaps Carla knows a secret override that’ll let the bike go faster.

  12. Hilzabub

    I expected Sal. I’m delighted that Carla’s with her. They’re just missing Marcie. Hopefully they’ve been sharpening their elbows in practice and smack Blaine around once they catch up.

    1. Some1

      Pretty sure hitting with elbows is actually illegal in roller derby.

      1. NelC

        Doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.

      2. SuperZero

        This isn’t roller derby, it’s combat with a supervillain.
        Easy to get them confused.

    2. SuperFroakie82

      Marcie is actually tagged, even though as far as I can tell we can’t see her.

      1. Needfuldoer

        She probably just tagged along like Malaya, but on the other side.

        If Sal’s going to haul all her friends around she might as well get a Goldwing, then there’s plenty of room for everyone. I can’t imagine getting pulled around at 30+ MPH on a skateboard is very stable; one rock or pothole and you’re on a one-way trip to Road Rash City.

  13. Tarnagh

    Only problem with that, Sal, is AG isn’t listed as being in today’s strip. At this point … can AMBER pull herself together? 🙁

    1. Jon S.

      Can Amber and AG pull themselves together?

      1. Arian

        Although I hope so, I expect not. Not without a lot of therapy.

  14. Kravis

    Hurry, to the Sal-Mobile!

  15. Moon

    GET ? HIS ? ASS

  16. bcb

    The return of Sal/Amazigirl team-up, woo!

  17. BBCC

    THE CAVALRY HAS ARRIVED.

    Sarah is ON IT too. You love to see it.

    1. Matthew Evan Davis

      She may deny it publicly, but she’s bought into being Joyce “Big Sis” wholeheartedly. This does not surprise me in the least.

    2. Matthew Evan Davis

      Also, they are the two characters least likely to think the police will be helpful even if they didn’t have Mike’s Corruption on The Force info.

    3. Regalli

      I want that first panel FRAMED. (Also, Carla looks so happy to be riding with Sal, it’s adorable.)

    4. RedCat

      The Carlavery.

  18. Chris

    Excellent job summing that up, Sarah.

  19. bemisawa

    FUCKIN

    EAGLES

    (?)

    1. abysswatcher1993

      I KNEW I WASN’T THE ONLY ONE THINKING ABOUT TLOTR!

    2. BigDogLittleCat

      You know they could have saved everyone a lot of trouble if they’d just flown there on eagles in the first place.
      Or just give the stupid ring to an eagle and have bird drop it in.

      1. Chris Phoenix

        I never thought of that

        Why did I never think of that

        1. clif

          Proof positive that the ring was influencing your mind just reading about it.

      2. Chris

        Do you have any idea what an eagle could do with that ring?

        1. Delicious Taffy

          It could fly around unseen, dropping basketball-sized eagle shits on people’s cars.

        2. JaneDoe

          This comment section needs an upvote button ?

      3. Strangeshapes

        I think the point of the Hobbits doing it was they were so small and humble that they could, indeed, “simply walk into Mordor.” If Eagles flew there, they would absolutely draw Sauron’s attention and fail.

        1. Geneseepaws

          One does not simply ‘walk’ into Mordor… and if I recall, you cannot telnet into it, either…

      4. timemonkey

        No, the Eye of Sauron would have spotted the Eagle and they would have been shot down. The hobbits only managed because they were beneath notice.

      5. woobie

        Eagles tend to eat their riders, is why.
        I’m trying to remember where I saw that….

  20. Hex Hornet

    Carla and Malaya are BOTH gonna be disappointed that the motorcycle only fits two!

  21. bryy

    …. oh boy, are we gonna get some Malaya character development out of this?

  22. Bicycle Bill

    If Dorothy ever does run for president, she’d better pick Sarah as a running mate.  She passed on more crucial, accurate information in less than twenty words than anyone in the current administration has provided in any number of press conferences and tweets.

    1. SuperZero

      Well, that’s because they’re dishonest. Anybody can do that with one word.
      Sarah did better than that.

  23. abysswatcher1993

    That is now way to treat kidnap victims, Malaya, but I know you don’t care.

    Also, with this starts the second vehicle persecution of DoA, and hopefully there’s no “integrity moment”.

    1. Chris

      “Persecution”? Voice to text or autocorrect?

      1. clif

        Let’s hope they persecute the chase successfully.

        1. Bicycle Bill

          I believe the word that fits there would be ‘prosecute’ = “to continue [with a course of action] with a view to its completion”; e.g., “the inability to maintain a steady chain of supply represents a serious threat to the government’s ability to prosecute the war.”

        2. clif

          I find the war not guilty.

        3. Delicious Taffy

          What are you, a Republican?

        4. clif

          Honest, officer. I’ve never publicked before in my life.

        5. He Who Abides

          That’s Animaniacs-level funny, clif.

    2. SuperZero

      How would Malaya know they’re kidnap victims?

      1. Yumi

        Amber told Ruth they were kidnapped, Ruth told them something.

    3. Cmd1095

      I mean, in complete fairness, she didn’t know they were kidnapping victims yet… but she totally would’ve said the same stuff anyway so

  24. abacuswizard

    ONWARD NOBLE STEED

    1. Bicycle Bill

      (in Eddie Murphy’s voice) — “I hope you heard that.  He called me a ‘noble steed’.”

  25. Sirksome

    So like Blaine’s already in the next county right? He is gone! So how are they gonna track him in the first place? Also are these the slowest cops ever or what?

    1. Kernanator

      I think you are either wildly overestimating how fast Blaine is driving, or wildly underestimating how big counties are.

      1. NinjaNick

        I’m sure he’s not on a highway yet.

      2. Sirksome

        It was a partial exaggeration, but I doubt he’s respecting traffic laws and last we saw of his vehicle it was already over the horizon. Sal has a fast bike but finding him in the first place is the issue. Every moment that passes he gets farther away and it’s been at least a few.

        1. Yumi

          >Blaine gets busted for running a stop sign.

        2. Chris

          He’s no longer in sight. That probably puts him a few blocks away.

      3. SuperZero

        A lot of commenters seem to think vehicles can teleport.
        “The problem started multiple seconds ago. Why aren’t police on the scene yet!?” and now “Blaine started a van; who can even tell what solar system he’s in by this point?”

        1. SuperZero

          Oh wow, I somehow missed that comment did both at once.

    2. sharktrs

      I dunno, cops can’t really be trusted to be where you need them, when you need them

      Growing up in Oakland probably has me biased but this response time feels right to me

      1. Chris

        The tweet’s gone out by now. Who gets there first, the cops or the news?

        1. Needfuldoer

          The cops, because who else will hassle the news crew to move?

        2. Needfuldoer

          Well this comment aged poorly…

      2. JaneDoe

        The one time in my life I called 911, they didn’t. even. answer. I sat on the phone for at least 5 minutes (based on the timer on my cell, not just that it felt that long) and no one picked up! Thankfully the situation was resolved reasonably peacefully, albeit only after someone got threatened with a tire iron, apparently. (Note, I was witnessing the scene from a distance and did not personally see this part, this was related by another bystander)

    3. BBCC

      He JUST got out of sight. There’s almost no way he’s out of the county YET and if he is that’s MORE reason to follow him so they can report a location to their friends so they don’t just shrug and say ‘Iunno’ when the police get there and want to know where Blaine is.

      And the police can’t teleport. They were only called once it looked like Blaine was subdued because that was the earliest time the hostages could call them and AG chose not to when she was freed earlier because she was worried about corrupt cops on the mob’s dime.

      1. Sirksome

        I was kinda exaggerating some of my comment for comedic effect. I don’t actually think Blaine is in the next county. I’m more wondering how they are gonna track him since he is out of sight now.

        The cops? Eh, I don’t know. My comment was meant to be at their expense but I guess logically it’s been a little bit of time. Dorothy said they’d arrive “shortly” which is vague enough. They did have a whole hostage situation and conversation with Blaine before he escaped but who knows how long that really took. A couple minutes? I’d say at least 60 seconds but it’s still believable cops haven’t shown up yet. This isn’t a story about cops saving the day anyway.

        1. BBCC

          Okay, that’s fair. I didn’t get the comedic effect. That’s my bad.

          Yeah, I’ve seen some people wondering with varying degrees of seriousness why the police aren’t here yet – to the point I’ve seen some question whether they were actually called. Sometimes it seems people have high expectations for what emergency vehicles can actually do. When I was younger my mom called an ambulance for me and it took so long even the 911 operator was freaking out going ‘WHERE THE FUCK ARE THEY’. Sometimes it really does take quite a bit.

    4. KJ

      I suspect the mob ties are coming into play, because this IS a bit weird. They are not far from the Bloomington police station itself. They should have been able to get there during the few minutes people were in the basement with Ross.

  26. sharktrs

    Hot damn, Sarah wasted no time on this one

    1. timemonkey

      Little Sis is in Danger, Big Sis doesn’t fuck around.

    2. Rikunda

      Finally someone who summarizes fast. So many usually just waste time.

    3. Needfuldoer

      Ask, it doesn’t get done.

  27. DEAD MEME

    Apologies if I sound like a Certified Dum-Dum™️, but if this story arc doesn’t end with everyone safe and sound and back at school I will literally run away to the woods and become a forest wizard.

    1. Yumi

      That’s an awesome life plan, you should do that anyway.

      1. clif

        I mean, really!

    2. Keulen

      Even if it does end with everyone safe, becoming a forest wizard sounds badass anyway.

    3. Geneseepaws

      Ugh, do you all KNOW how much money forest wizards make, ugh,…it’s pathetic! You can never buy anything, all you can do is barter for stuff. The city wizards will prank and taunt you if you go into a big town for supplies. Small towns always have bad cross-bred …. whatevers skulking around; halflings, half hobbit x half elf, half orc x human, dragon x Wyvern, borg cross Vorlon…. ok I made that one up, but serzly, Forest wizard is tough work for not much glory. Better to study Sfeer theory at the university.

  28. Lingo

    I don’t know what the alt-text is referring to.

    1. clif

      Neither do I, really. I just chose to assume it’s a rendering of the awesome theme music playing in the background.

    2. Needfuldoer

      It fits the music hit from the Transformers animated series, which is on-brand. Maybe we’re due for a scene change?

  29. Catman

    Look how happy Carla is!

    1. clif

      She’s hanging out with Malaya, hanging onto Sal, while the throb of a powerful Ruttech engine shakes between her legs. What’s not to be happy?

  30. Bagge

    No Asher? Still a piece of shit, then.

    1. clif

      How dare he be blackmailed for going to school on “borrowed” mob money?

      1. Bagge

        Oh, I’m still calling him a piece of shit for narking on Sal all those years back.

        This was, however, a chance for redemption that he didn’t take.

        1. Axel

          I doubt Blaine told him the entire plan, given how he didn’t want to participate even before he got any intructions

        2. Aviana

          I don’t think he knows enough about what’s going on to have a chance at redemption. And: storyline’s not over yet.

    2. timemonkey

      I doubt Asher has any idea what’s even going on.

  31. drs

    So this is Amber, not Amazi-Girl. I know Sal and AG had been hanging out, but does Amber know? Did Amber ever reconcile with Sal? I forget.

    1. Lexi

      Pretty sure Amber is the one who joined the Roller Derby team, so yes. 🙂 I’m going off the “My social batter is nearly empt…*phone*”

    2. Needfuldoer

      Sal and Amber fought, then made peace, back in Flyin’ to the Red. We’ve seen them cooperate at least a couple times since then.

      1. thejeff

        What I don’t think we’ve seen is Sal and Amazi-Girl together since then. I was kind of hoping we’d get that while Amber and AG still weren’t sharing memories.

  32. Huttj

    Amber: “No, no I cannot.”

  33. Rikunda

    Ok seriously… How did no one hear a motorbike…

    1. clif

      They couldn’t hear it over the awesome theme music.

    2. Needfuldoer

      Stock exhaust on street bikes can be surprisingly quiet. Even if their attention wasn’t elsewhere, they might not have picked up on it over the commotion.

    3. KJ

      They probably tuned it out. You learn to tune out loud engine noises in downtown Bloomington….very fast. If it isn’t motorcycles, it’s car club people revving their engines down Walnut and College

  34. cartoogle

    So. Amber tells Sal “there’s a kidnap, tell everyone!” – and this is the lame response team?

    1. cartoogle

      Dammit, I meant “tells Ruth”

      1. clif

        Were was the part where she said “tell everyone,” again?

        1. Icalasari

          Plus really, do we NEED anybody else?

        2. cartoogle

          https://www.dumbingofage.com/2020/comic/book-10/03-when-it-crumbles/unaccounted/

        3. clif

          So she did. Thank you.

    2. Shane

      The part where the whole dorm doesn’t rally to stop a kidnapping? That’s by far one of the MOST believable parts. I’m actually kind of surprised Malaya bothered to show.

      “Yeah, sure, I’ll just drop everything to help stop a kidnapper or whatever. Because that’s realistic.”
      “Get real, it’s mid-terms today. And I’m already sleepy, since some loser pulled the fire alarm at 4AM.”
      “What do you want me to do, chase down the kidnapper and beat them up? It’s not like I have the training to do anything useful.”
      “I barely even know those losers anyway.”
      “Someone else will help, try calling the cops.”

      Let’s say a virus that is deadly to some people was going around, had already killed more people than major wars and there was a call to wear masks. Everyone would charge over to help right?

      “Wearing masks is inconvenient, I don’t want to.”
      “I don’t want to stay inside!”
      “What about my important freedoms?”
      “Life free or die! Also, I won’t wear a mask or quarantine.”
      “I SAID the people who die are heroes, I did my part.”

      1. Vulcanodon

        Everyone knows evil is no match for a bunch of plucky kids!

  35. Proto

    Can AG pull it together? I mean, I’m inclined to say yes, based on how effectively she took out Blaine and the damn government agents earlier, but she was exhausted even then. And based on her cartoon head rings, I don’t think she’s up for another thrilling vehicle chase.

  36. Mehe

    Look at that grin on Carla. She’s absolutely thrilled to be on that bike.

  37. Ray

    OK, Gang…. let’s go fuck-up a killer who… happens to be… Amber’s… dad…

  38. Björn

    (Salvador!)

  39. Coco

    CALLED IT

  40. TheFlamingonator

    g-grappling hook?

  41. Keulen

    I was kinda hoping Ruth would be with them.

  42. BenRG

    “Sal… I don’t know if I am Amazi-Girl anymore.”

    “Good; she was trouble. So, is Amber willin’ to do what it takes to save her friends?”

    That aside, I think that riding pillion on Sal’s bike is the biggest thrill Carla ever had. Previously, she only dreamed of being cool; now she knows what it feels like!

    1. Captain Oblivious

      Carla will be, always is, and always was cool. And she knows it. If she’s dreamed of being cool it was not as a juxtaposition to her normal life, but rather as the development of her next escapades.

      Thing about being cool, is that it’s like being the one in the Matrix. You can’t think you are, you just know you are, “balls to bones.” And it’s not something that actually cool people express or worrt about.

  43. Needfuldoer

    That’s one hell of a sentence to unpack, Sarah.

  44. ADLegend21

    SAL YOU’RE A BEAUTY!

  45. Van Jealous

    “DA DAH DAAAAAA”….. With apologies to Walter Schumann!

  46. Zaxares

    I’m still not sure HOW Sal is going to help… Even if she catches up to the van, what do they do next? They can’t physically stop the vehicle (PLEASE don’t try ramming the van with your motorcycle. That can only end badly), so the most they could do is tail it to see where Blaine is going, after which they call the police, but then we’re back to that same “a bunch of black teens are acting suspicious and hassling a white guy!” scenario that Sarah was afraid to get into.

    1. Bagge

      She could jump onto the roof, have a gun/kick-fight with Blaine which causes truck to run off the road with Blaine unconcious on the ground and a victorious Joyce rising from the ruins proclaiming “AGAIN!”

      …just spittballing here

    2. BenRG

      I think Sal is expecting a long chase followed by Amber jumping onto the top of the van from the pillion and somehow disabling it. Or at least something else suitably stereotypically superheroic. However, I’m not sure that is what Willis is aiming for.

      FWIW, I’m still thinking that Joyce will be able to save herself (or, at least, make a good enough try to crash the van). My gut makes me feel that Amber will get hurt saving Faz and Joyce from the wreck but that Blaine’s story will end there alongside the superheroic persona that he was a major part of creating.

      1. Regalli

        Joyce being in, apparently, a panic attack is the only reason I think Blaine managed to get her into that van. The bad news is, those can last a while. (Especially since the kidnapping’s only gotten worse and her body’s probably finally catching up with the last four hours.)

        If she comes out of it enough, I think she’ll be able to be more trouble than she’s worth to Blaine. But that’s a bit of an ‘if’, right now.

        1. thejeff

          She attacked him and next thing we saw he was heading outside, with her held restrained. I don’t think a panic attack was necessary. He simply overpowered her.
          Ballpeen is apparently much more dangerous in a fight than Blaine was, even now that he’s hurt.

    3. Needfuldoer

      Maybe Carla disables the van’s ECU with some kind of EMP gadget?

      1. Captain Oblivious

        She wants to make the van pollute more?

        1. Needfuldoer

          Disabling the engine computer would make the van stop polluting entirely.

  47. Sombrero

    I have just noticed how much I missed Sal. Nice to see Carla, too. I hope she gets to be in the action.

  48. Delicious Taffy

    And then Amber fucking collapses because she’s too physically exhausted to do anything else.

  49. Shariku

    Carla’s just happy to be here.

  50. Vulcanodon

    Carla, when this is over, here’s a superhero in need of tech. You know what to do!

  51. Commander Clash

    Stsrts playing epic Back t9cthe Future chase type theme music.

    Amazigirl:”When we hit 88 miles an hour you’re going to see some serious shit.”

  52. JMP

    Sal’s phone had an Amazi-girl tracker?

    1. thejeff

      Yup. An Amazi-girl phone tracker, specifically. AG installed it when Ryan swiped her phone at the rally fight, then Sal uninstalled after they’d gotten the phone back.

  53. Commander Clash

    Personally I can’t wait for the inevitable Amber versus Blaine fight scene.
    Blaine:”You can’t be me. You’re not ruthless enoughm”
    Amber proceeds to break a knee and pummels Blaine to a pulp.
    Amber:~breathing hard~ “How’s that? I think that qualifies as fairly ruthless.”

    1. Kali

      No no, to be Ruthless you need to remove a femur.

      1. Commander Clash

        Well, since Ruth isn’t likely to be at the fight they’d be utterly Ruth-less.

        1. Chris

          Well, Ruth told them what was going on, so while they’re Ruth-less, they’re not Ruth-less enough.

  54. Makkabee

    “Ah, heck” is a remarkably restrained reaction to this.

    1. Ryek Hvek

      they’re test-marketing DOA for the Nickelodeon audience

    2. Deanatay

      Sal, for all of her ‘cool rebel’ image, actually doesn’t cuss that much.

      Besides, it’s not like it’s the FIRST time she’s been recruited to chase down a kidnapping dad on her motorcycle. Second time’s just not as exciting.

  55. Kyle Voltti

    May I nominate Hocus Pocus by Focus as the soundtrack for the ensuing chase https://youtu.be/nj2vhFJDLKo

    1. Mehe

      This song is even more hilarious if you play it 1.5x the speed. I love it so much.

      1. Kyle Voltti

        Have you seen the live performance where the producers said they only had 4 minutes to play and wanted them to cut the song down? They just double timed it and fit a 7 minute song into the 4 minutes

        1. Needfuldoer

          This one, where the lead singer looks like George Carlin in his heavy drug years?

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFDW9b_ejfI

          Ah, the seventies. So much good music, so much chemical creativity aid.

        2. Van Jealous

          That crazy Thijs Van Leer!

        3. Mehe

          That’s my favorite version!

  56. Pat

    That’s not Faz and Joyce! That’s not Faz and Joyce at all!

  57. FacelessDeviant

    Did Malaya skitch on Sals bike?
    Fuck yeah!

    I nominate this for chase theme

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJ8_Gp5tNjw

  58. Rabisch

    HOORAY!!!!!+!
    The only true relatable help♡! And now I think at Malaya going on the skateboard holding on to Sal’s motorcycle .

  59. RedCat

    Thanks Malaya, bye Malaya.

  60. JessWitt

    Yes! It’s not exactly the motorized cavalry, more of a wheeled cavalry. They’ll still catch up to Blaine though.

    I’m surprised Malaya tagged along, maybe she was bored?

    1. clif

      Marcie came along, so of course Malaya did.

      1. JessWitt

        I didn’t notice the Marcie tag. Heck I don’t see her at all.

        Blaine’s gonna be in a full derby team of pain then.

  61. thumb

    “Ah, heck.”
    My god what is your life even like?

  62. Sean

    If it wasn’t such a spoiler, I’d say that Sarah’s dialogue in panel 4 would be a great Book 10 title.

  63. Nenja

    Carla looks so CUTE with that big smile!

  64. Nep

    Honestly, I hope Amber can say “No, I’m exhausted and at the end of my limits. However, I trust you to get her back.”

    I also hope that Amber powers up and teams up with Sal to kick her dad’s butt, so I have multiple win conditions.

  65. Pylgrim

    I KNEW Ruth would not be happy just being brushed away.

  66. JohnInCA

    I like Sarah. “Exposition can wait, here’s what you actually need to know, go!”

  67. Sterling

    Sal, Sarah and Amazi Girl speeding away from the scene of the crime on a bike is hopefully not going to attract any undue police attention before Becky can give the cops the full story?

    1. thejeff

      Last time around, Amazi-Girl riding a skateboard behind the car didn’t attract any attention even when she tried to wave them down.

  68. Kazuma Taichi

    Is the rollover text supposed to be the Zelda Item Get jingle? I can’t figure out anything else with that timing.

  69. Juanoku

    TEAM-UP…
    again…
    Still hype tho

  70. Hazel

    I wonder who Malaya was expecting instead?

  71. Wakeangel2001

    those crotch rocket motorcycles are actually pretty quiet, it’s Harleys that are stereo-typically loud.

  72. Alan in DC

    Good golly … is it even Thanksgiving Break yet?

    If this is only first semester of freshman year, what the hell else can happen? Thermonuclear war between dorm buildings?

    1. Van Jealous

      You won’t need to fear, because those are scheduled until 3rd or 4th year. By which time we will all likely have passed on to that “great web-comic arc in the sky” (or “down below”*, depending on you point of view).

      (*) And when I say “down below”, I don’t mean it in the California High Desert sense, meaning “Los Angeles” (although, based on the few times I’ve been there……).

    2. Van Jealous

      “Good golly … is it even Thanksgiving Break yet?” BTW, Great DOA Book Name idea!!!

  73. Van Jealous

    And one more and then I will melt away…. I’m about 60 miles from Alan in DC. I’ll stop now.

  74. HeySo

    “Ah, heck. [Another Typical Tuesday.]”

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