Amber needs either a therapist, a punching bag, or both. Cheezus, both of them seem to have made an equal and concerted effort to fuck their friendship up the asshole.
Holy shit that’s not a bad idea, no no really THINK about it
Tunaro
Sounds like the perfect job for masochists. Or Faz.
Batman
I’ve found fighting crime by punching homeless and insane people is very theraputic. It releases a lot of the inner tensions resulting from my unresolved chilhood trauma.
Boom
Yeah, that’s good for you. Thanks, by the way, for inspiring the Joker to terrorize the motherfucking city while you were at it, you underwear-on-the-outside jackass.
apostateCourier
It was the other way around, neh? The Joker would have been just as crazy without Batman. There was this big court thing where the DA proved that his entire rogue’s gallery would have been just as criminally insane without Batman ever being a thing.
Mind showing what proves that Batman is innocent of such guilt?
I think it goes against many parts of the Batman mythos, where it’s clearly established that Batman presence potentially increased the criminally insane while greatly reducing the small thievery/assault/etc.
He strikes fear in the heart of criminals and criminals are a superstitious lot. So most of them quit. A few take it as a challenge, and decide to one-up the bats themselves.
David Willis
The current Year Zero re-origin of Batman clearly establishes that folks like the Riddler and other extravagant criminals predated Batman, partly in a way to clear Batman of such bad mojo. They created him, rather than the other way around.
I honestly stopped keeping track of both DC and Marvel comics in the new millennium. So I really don’t have any idea what you people are talking about. It’s killing my soul.
ProjectXa3
Also, even before the New 52 there was an episode of BtAS where the Arkham inmates and a sympathetic [read: misguided] lawyer put Bats on trial for all the “misfortunes” that led to them going to crime. Long crime spree short, the sane people concluded that even without Batman the nutters woulda wound up crime-spreeing anyway. *Maybe* without the colorful personas, but the crime and violence would still be there.
I guess you’re joking and stuff but it’s not like people who don’t have a place to sleep are worthless 🙁
Tenn
If you get that he’s joking, why are you replying as if he was serious?
CleverTrousers
I think that was more of a comment on Batman.
Also, if there are still unwillingly homeless people that Batman sees every night and there aren’t a ton of homeless shelters popping around Bruce Wayne’s a massive tool.
tenn – because people used to make jokes about extremely uncool shit and now we’ve learned a little better – why can’t we learn better here that things like homeless people dying, which actually happens, all of the time less of a punchline and more of a thing that we can all give a damn about?
saltchocolate
^ That. Except you accidentally typed “used to” in that sentence, rachel.
saltchocolate – : ) yeah you are totally right. such a good comment section this is, man!!
Tenn
@rachel: You seem to believe that “Batman’s” joke trivializes or ridicules the suffering of homeless people. That it somehow denies that homeless people dying is a real thing, or that it somehow prevents us from giving a damn about it. It doesn’t. It’s not even a joke about the homeless. It’s a joke about an alleged hero being an immoral asshole.
LiaHansen
She needs Hulk Hogan.
Equuizzicals
LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING BROTHER, THE BEST THERAPY IS A YAPPAPI INDIAN STRAP MATCH!
YOU’LL HIT ETHAN WITH THAT INDIAN STRAP UNTIL HE’S ON HIS KNEES SAYING “PLEASE AMBER I CAN’T TAKE ANYMORE”. AND BROTHER THATS WHEN YOU’LL MAKE YOUR TRANSFORMATION INTO HOLYWOOD AND HIT HIM UNTIL THE STRAP HITS THE BONE AND HE’LL START BEGGING “PLEASE HOLYWOOD.NO MORE OF THE YAPPPAPI INDIAN STRAP.” BUT YOU’LL NEVER STOP. FOR ALL THE LITTLE AMBERMANIACS OUT IN THE WORLD YOU CAN NEVER STOP.
Or you could like talk to a therapist.
Varangian
WHATCHA GONNA DO, ETHAN SIEGEL, I SAID TELL ME WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO WHEN AMBERMANIA RUNS WILD ON YOUUU?!?
Not that Ethan coming to terms with being gay is an easy path, but let’s look at what Amber is dealing with again:
Asshole abusive father.
Ethan’s parents, his mom blames her for him turning gay.
Fighting all summer – the above is because Amber fought Ethan’s parents on his behalf.
The complete rejection on prom night. The feminine version of emasculation.
Mike’s little mind bomb. I like the guy, but his stuff can’t be easy to digest on ground zero.
Danny (of all people) rejecting her and calling her a user.
A lack of space to decompress from all of the above. How is the friendship supposed to heal if he doesn’t give her the space to do the same?
After all that, all the abuse she went through Ethan is crawling back into the closet (again, not saying easy on him, but see her perspective).
A similar scene from her spring/summer playing out in front of her in spite of her warnings.
So yes, Amber is a little tightly wound. Not all her fault.
Boom
It’s a little bit weird hearing all that from Joe… can… can you come back and say this all again when you’re not Joe?
Ourorboros
I should have ended that with saying her issues make her a patient needing Dr Dong and probably a wild cat in bed.
TheKelliestKelly
I love and thank you for saying all of this. I get so frustrated with so many people saying that Amber needs to mind her own business and acting like she’s completely in the wrong.
Focka
Oh come on. I love Amber, I do, but let’s look at this again:
Ethan’s asshole parents have been giving her the cold shoulder, but what do you think they’ve been acting like with Ethan, who obviously would care way more what they think about him, than Amber does?
And I know people in the comments love to hate on Danny, but Amber honestly behaved quite badly with Danny and his parents – specially since it’s clear that Clark Kenting does work in this universe. Sure, Danny’s no saint in all of this, but neither is Amber, and of the two, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Danny’s behaved better.
Ethan otoh also dealing with asshole parents and pretty much no support structure, except for people who want him to “stop being gay”.
Khrene Cleaver
… He had Amazigirl on his lap. HOW DO YOU NOT RECOGNIZE HER.
begbert2
has he had Amber on his lap? I think it’s like that spiderman thing; to recognize a superhero you have to make out with them at exactly the same angle you made out with their other persona.
Also, more seriously, there’s pretty good reason to think that either the comic’s night shots are colored brigher than they actually are, or that Danny had poor night vision. (Or both.) And on a less-mentioned not, Danny may not realize that the campus only has fifteen students attending. Yes, we know that, but he may not realize that every superhero he meets has a %50 chance of being one of the three girls he’s spoken to. Because you totally know that if you went out and randomly met two different people of the same gender and roughly similar physical type, it’s perfectly reasonable to assume they’re actually the same person.
Ourorboros
Ethan’s parent’s acted considerably better towards him than Amber, as seen on Parent’s day.
If Amber fought with them on his behalf, that means he was hiding.
They blame Amber for turning him gay, but not Ethan for being gay.
They still have anger at Amber, but certainly not Ethan. Mom’s line translated to “My anger was only my love for you because of how society will treat you, now fuck pussy until you’re straight.”
Amber has had no time to process this. Her time line went:
Rejected on prom night
Fight Ethan’ parents
Have no support from Ethan, because otherwise he could fight
Ethan crowding in, giving no emotional space.
As for Danny & parents, remember that it started with finding cover from her dad. She did not purposely act badly, but at dinner her feelings she had been developing came out. Sure Danny didn’t know, though his fantasy of being Lois Lane requires him to date two women. So I only blame his continual lack of spine. But Amber isn’t acting in the same space and after dealing with her father, she was very near her negative emotions. The very stuff she can’t deal with in real life, the reason why she became Amazi-Girl.
So if you need to blame anybody there, blame Amber’s father. He set up the conditions and reasons for that meeting. She did not set out to have that dinner, she was looking for help and protection.
The real problem here is that you must assign primary blame. There are really just two damaged people having to cope while in close proximity.
Ethan is the bad guy in Amber’s story because of what she gave up for him.
Ethan still hasn’t dealt with being gay and just wants his old future back, so Amber is the friend he can’t talk to, potential hazard for closeting, and angry bongo at the moment.
Now we know what happened in yesterday’s strip — Riley wasn’t just randomly annoying Sarah, she was trying to hide behind her, to avoid being collateral damage in Amber’s rage-fest. When Sarah shooed her off, she had no choice but to flee the impending amber-pocalypse.
Had to replace all ours after someone figured out how to do grievous harm with a cafeteria chair.
Tachyon
“Figured out”? What, were your cafeteria chairs made of plastic or something?
I dunno what you sat in, but our cafeteria chairs are metal and fabric at best, and mostly metal at worst. Heavy enough to break the glass walls (kinda surprised it hasn’t happened yet to be honest).
402 thoughts on “Promised”
Tunaro
HOLY SHIT AMBER!!!!!!!!!1!!!!!!1!
Psycho
Amber needs either a therapist, a punching bag, or both. Cheezus, both of them seem to have made an equal and concerted effort to fuck their friendship up the asshole.
GoldStarz
Professional Punching Bag Therapist
newllend
Holy shit that’s not a bad idea, no no really THINK about it
Tunaro
Sounds like the perfect job for masochists. Or Faz.
Batman
I’ve found fighting crime by punching homeless and insane people is very theraputic. It releases a lot of the inner tensions resulting from my unresolved chilhood trauma.
Boom
Yeah, that’s good for you. Thanks, by the way, for inspiring the Joker to terrorize the motherfucking city while you were at it, you underwear-on-the-outside jackass.
apostateCourier
It was the other way around, neh? The Joker would have been just as crazy without Batman. There was this big court thing where the DA proved that his entire rogue’s gallery would have been just as criminally insane without Batman ever being a thing.
Boom
… well, naturally.
FAZ
Mind showing what proves that Batman is innocent of such guilt?
I think it goes against many parts of the Batman mythos, where it’s clearly established that Batman presence potentially increased the criminally insane while greatly reducing the small thievery/assault/etc.
He strikes fear in the heart of criminals and criminals are a superstitious lot. So most of them quit. A few take it as a challenge, and decide to one-up the bats themselves.
David Willis
The current Year Zero re-origin of Batman clearly establishes that folks like the Riddler and other extravagant criminals predated Batman, partly in a way to clear Batman of such bad mojo. They created him, rather than the other way around.
ShaggyDonahugh
@Tenn, correctamundo.
Parnifia the Bastard
I honestly stopped keeping track of both DC and Marvel comics in the new millennium. So I really don’t have any idea what you people are talking about. It’s killing my soul.
ProjectXa3
Also, even before the New 52 there was an episode of BtAS where the Arkham inmates and a sympathetic [read: misguided] lawyer put Bats on trial for all the “misfortunes” that led to them going to crime. Long crime spree short, the sane people concluded that even without Batman the nutters woulda wound up crime-spreeing anyway. *Maybe* without the colorful personas, but the crime and violence would still be there.
rachel
I guess you’re joking and stuff but it’s not like people who don’t have a place to sleep are worthless 🙁
Tenn
If you get that he’s joking, why are you replying as if he was serious?
CleverTrousers
I think that was more of a comment on Batman.
Also, if there are still unwillingly homeless people that Batman sees every night and there aren’t a ton of homeless shelters popping around Bruce Wayne’s a massive tool.
rachel
tenn – because people used to make jokes about extremely uncool shit and now we’ve learned a little better – why can’t we learn better here that things like homeless people dying, which actually happens, all of the time less of a punchline and more of a thing that we can all give a damn about?
saltchocolate
^ That. Except you accidentally typed “used to” in that sentence, rachel.
rachel
saltchocolate – : ) yeah you are totally right. such a good comment section this is, man!!
Tenn
@rachel: You seem to believe that “Batman’s” joke trivializes or ridicules the suffering of homeless people. That it somehow denies that homeless people dying is a real thing, or that it somehow prevents us from giving a damn about it. It doesn’t. It’s not even a joke about the homeless. It’s a joke about an alleged hero being an immoral asshole.
LiaHansen
She needs Hulk Hogan.
Equuizzicals
LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING BROTHER, THE BEST THERAPY IS A YAPPAPI INDIAN STRAP MATCH!
YOU’LL HIT ETHAN WITH THAT INDIAN STRAP UNTIL HE’S ON HIS KNEES SAYING “PLEASE AMBER I CAN’T TAKE ANYMORE”. AND BROTHER THATS WHEN YOU’LL MAKE YOUR TRANSFORMATION INTO HOLYWOOD AND HIT HIM UNTIL THE STRAP HITS THE BONE AND HE’LL START BEGGING “PLEASE HOLYWOOD.NO MORE OF THE YAPPPAPI INDIAN STRAP.” BUT YOU’LL NEVER STOP. FOR ALL THE LITTLE AMBERMANIACS OUT IN THE WORLD YOU CAN NEVER STOP.
Or you could like talk to a therapist.
Varangian
WHATCHA GONNA DO, ETHAN SIEGEL, I SAID TELL ME WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO WHEN AMBERMANIA RUNS WILD ON YOUUU?!?
Renshear Blade
http://thechive.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/funny-gifs-my-dreams.gif
Robert
Okay you’re hired. *Hits GoldStarz over the head* Welcome to employment.
Ourorboros
Not that Ethan coming to terms with being gay is an easy path, but let’s look at what Amber is dealing with again:
Asshole abusive father.
Ethan’s parents, his mom blames her for him turning gay.
Fighting all summer – the above is because Amber fought Ethan’s parents on his behalf.
The complete rejection on prom night. The feminine version of emasculation.
Mike’s little mind bomb. I like the guy, but his stuff can’t be easy to digest on ground zero.
Danny (of all people) rejecting her and calling her a user.
A lack of space to decompress from all of the above. How is the friendship supposed to heal if he doesn’t give her the space to do the same?
After all that, all the abuse she went through Ethan is crawling back into the closet (again, not saying easy on him, but see her perspective).
A similar scene from her spring/summer playing out in front of her in spite of her warnings.
So yes, Amber is a little tightly wound. Not all her fault.
Boom
It’s a little bit weird hearing all that from Joe… can… can you come back and say this all again when you’re not Joe?
Ourorboros
I should have ended that with saying her issues make her a patient needing Dr Dong and probably a wild cat in bed.
TheKelliestKelly
I love and thank you for saying all of this. I get so frustrated with so many people saying that Amber needs to mind her own business and acting like she’s completely in the wrong.
Focka
Oh come on. I love Amber, I do, but let’s look at this again:
Ethan’s asshole parents have been giving her the cold shoulder, but what do you think they’ve been acting like with Ethan, who obviously would care way more what they think about him, than Amber does?
And I know people in the comments love to hate on Danny, but Amber honestly behaved quite badly with Danny and his parents – specially since it’s clear that Clark Kenting does work in this universe. Sure, Danny’s no saint in all of this, but neither is Amber, and of the two, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Danny’s behaved better.
Ethan otoh also dealing with asshole parents and pretty much no support structure, except for people who want him to “stop being gay”.
Khrene Cleaver
… He had Amazigirl on his lap. HOW DO YOU NOT RECOGNIZE HER.
begbert2
has he had Amber on his lap? I think it’s like that spiderman thing; to recognize a superhero you have to make out with them at exactly the same angle you made out with their other persona.
Also, more seriously, there’s pretty good reason to think that either the comic’s night shots are colored brigher than they actually are, or that Danny had poor night vision. (Or both.) And on a less-mentioned not, Danny may not realize that the campus only has fifteen students attending. Yes, we know that, but he may not realize that every superhero he meets has a %50 chance of being one of the three girls he’s spoken to. Because you totally know that if you went out and randomly met two different people of the same gender and roughly similar physical type, it’s perfectly reasonable to assume they’re actually the same person.
Ourorboros
Ethan’s parent’s acted considerably better towards him than Amber, as seen on Parent’s day.
If Amber fought with them on his behalf, that means he was hiding.
They blame Amber for turning him gay, but not Ethan for being gay.
They still have anger at Amber, but certainly not Ethan. Mom’s line translated to “My anger was only my love for you because of how society will treat you, now fuck pussy until you’re straight.”
Amber has had no time to process this. Her time line went:
Rejected on prom night
Fight Ethan’ parents
Have no support from Ethan, because otherwise he could fight
Ethan crowding in, giving no emotional space.
As for Danny & parents, remember that it started with finding cover from her dad. She did not purposely act badly, but at dinner her feelings she had been developing came out. Sure Danny didn’t know, though his fantasy of being Lois Lane requires him to date two women. So I only blame his continual lack of spine. But Amber isn’t acting in the same space and after dealing with her father, she was very near her negative emotions. The very stuff she can’t deal with in real life, the reason why she became Amazi-Girl.
So if you need to blame anybody there, blame Amber’s father. He set up the conditions and reasons for that meeting. She did not set out to have that dinner, she was looking for help and protection.
The real problem here is that you must assign primary blame. There are really just two damaged people having to cope while in close proximity.
Ethan is the bad guy in Amber’s story because of what she gave up for him.
Ethan still hasn’t dealt with being gay and just wants his old future back, so Amber is the friend he can’t talk to, potential hazard for closeting, and angry bongo at the moment.
Lord Geovanni
That is what crime fighting is for
Ourorboros
Run, she has yet to figure out how the world works, much less the fact that she has issues to work out.
GoldStarz
0_0
Amber scares me…
Somebody hide me from her.
KingMabel
I’ll hide you!
Tunaro
It’s no use! She can sense fear!
lejwocky
My god… berserker!
Ourorboros
She even transported Ethan to a red pocket dimension.
The flames and pitchforks can’t be far behind.
Plasma Mongoose
Amber be firing her lasers!
Tachyon
Nah, that’s a pretty standard rage-empowered table-flip. Lasers are a level 10 superpower at least.
Ourorboros
Amber is Hulking up.
Boom
And this isn’t even her final form.
Keroshino
She went from being Hulk Hogan….And is now “The Hulk”
Sock
RAGE FACE!
Cragalanch
No, rage FAAAAAAAAAAACE
Kyrros
Someone explain “FAAAAAAACE” to me… I see it all the time on these boards… and have no idea where it came from.
Jeva
http://www.dumbingofage.com/2010/comic/book-1/01-move-in-day/face/
KingMabel
That table flip was the 3rd most epic thing in this comic ever….
HMRC4EVR
Somewhere off to the side IDW Prowl is taking notes.
Marc in MN
Until it landed on Riley…
“Why does everyone here hate me?? I just wanted some cereal!”
saltchocolate
Now we know what happened in yesterday’s strip — Riley wasn’t just randomly annoying Sarah, she was trying to hide behind her, to avoid being collateral damage in Amber’s rage-fest. When Sarah shooed her off, she had no choice but to flee the impending amber-pocalypse.
Roborat
Especially when you realize that the tables are bolted down.
Roborat
You would think that I would eventually learn to read further down before I post a comment. You would think that, but noooooooo.
Geminia999
Wouldn’t the tables in a cafe like that be nailed down? And is Ethan’s favourite Chromedome?
Jen Aside
Ours never were, because people moved them around all the time to form
cliquesgroupsFLIPTOP LOL
Tunaro
Had to replace all ours after someone figured out how to do grievous harm with a cafeteria chair.
Tachyon
“Figured out”? What, were your cafeteria chairs made of plastic or something?
I dunno what you sat in, but our cafeteria chairs are metal and fabric at best, and mostly metal at worst. Heavy enough to break the glass walls (kinda surprised it hasn’t happened yet to be honest).
Yotomoe
That table WAS nailed down.
Doctor_Who
Bolted to the floor actually.
Boom
And the floor is kept in place by prayer. Or gravity.
sentrythedefiant
Hence the red background. You know shit’s serious.
Tioras
I feel like the tags should include Blaine.
Yotomoe
If she breaks his back the tags should include Bane.
Casanova
Wow. Good one.
Batman
That was insensitive.
Farmer_10
Oh, go dedicate your life to crimefighting to avoid dealing with your grief.
Safgaftsa
Does anyone else remember that whole “aggression” business involving Amber’s dad?
Ourorboros
Or Mike’s point.
Mr K