416

Parkour
Posted on March 10, 2016 by David M Willis
Hooray!  The Dumbing of Age Book 5 Kickstarter reached $50k, meaning everybody who pledges for a paper book (versus a PDF) will get a free Amber magnet.  That's pretty sweet.

416 thoughts on “Parkour”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    NO ONE EXPECTS THE SPANISH INQUISITIONSAL

    (or Carla, for that matter)

    ((unless you know what I’m doing with my Gravatar and were waiting for today, I guess))

    1. Jay Eff

      The Spanish Inquisitionsal was not a good time for Amber..

      1. Fish Facade

        To be fair, there haven’t been many good times for Amber.

        1. Clif

          And this one balances on a knife edge.

    2. Lan

      I knew you were hiding something… Parkour Champion 2016!

    3. Aeron

      The payoff was worth the wait.

    4. Flipz

      The Sal-ish Inquisition?

  2. Tabitha Desanto

    Fight!!!

    1. Tabitha Desanto

      Or flight???

      1. Dana

        Or say thanks.

        1. Silvester Crow

          Or ask Walky why he’s in drag…y’know, cause her glasses are busted.

        2. Plasma Mongoose

          I’m holding on to a dim hope that make-outs will result.

      2. LazerWulf

        You know, Fight-or-Flight is really a false dichotomy, as there’s at least one other option displayed in nature, which Amber seems to be demonstrating, and coincidentally also starts with “F”: Freeze. (See Also: Possums and/or Fainting Goats)

        1. modulusshift

          Yeah, my confrontation instincts seem to be Feint or Faint. Or Fbe completely insufferable. (The F is silent on that last one.)

        2. Cerberus

          Yup, I think we’re about to see Amber in freeze mode for the duration of this encounter, which, depending on the strength and noise of her flashback, might mean we get another round of Sal tries to connect, Amber is too triggered to really listen.

        3. leftwingfox

          I prefer the other “f” alternative.

          …look my dick got me into this mess, it’s only fair if it gets me back out of it too!

        4. Julie

          Comment: 7/10. Comment w/ Oglaf fox: 11/10. Well played!

      3. Willoughby Chase

        Or kiss and make up.

    2. Opus the Poet

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TUeUL7EW9M

  3. AnvilPro

    God Damn Willis can’t we get an off season from all this drama?

    1. No Name

      My future seeing laser-eyes see that the answer is no.

      1. Prinnyramza

        Do the laser eyes shoot in the present or future? Like are you going to be chillin, reading the comic when sudden your computer explodes and you’re gonna be like “oh right, I was divining the future of the comic like two years ago.

        1. No Name

          No, see, the two powers are distinct and separate. The lasers can’t go into the future any more than the future sight can hurt anybody.

          The power up sequence is exactly the same though, so I sometimes activate the other power by mistake. I’ve destroyed several computers that way. Not to mention the number of times I’ve foreseen my own hilarious butt-kicking.

        2. Dragon_Nataku

          Pokemon begs to differ about the damage Future Sight can do

        3. No Name

          OK fine, emotional distress maybe, but physically, future sight can’t cause much damage.

          Poor Steven…

    2. a4lbi

      Parkour is fucking intense.

      1. DSL

        What Parkour and Intense do with each other is their business, unless it’s non-consensual and/or in public and frightening the horses.

        1. Clif

          Nay.

    3. Ana Chronistic

      yeahWHAT’S IN THE BOX

      (the OTHER boxes)

      1. Mr k

        A dick.

    4. Mr k

      He’ll give you an all Faz comic.

      1. Doctor_Who

        It’ll just be Faz pointing to a line chart, with the arrow marked “Drama” pointing down. The arrow marked “Great Faz’s Penis” on the other hand…

        1. NotPiffany

          …will have a magnifying glass attached to it?

        2. Roborat

          tunneling electron microscope.

    5. -Sentinel-

      Do we WANT an off-season?

      1. Tacos

        What would an off-season even entail? Non-stop dick jokes?

        1. Captain Button

          Non-stop butt jokes.

          Butts disease – There is no cure, butt there is hope, through research.

    6. Reltzik

      Define “season”.

      I predict a three-strip series of general non-drama silliness before the end of the next book. Does that count?

    7. Willoughby Chase

      This *is* the off-season. We’re being softened up for the worse bits.

      1. Clif

        You’ve been reading Wilis comics for awhile, haven’t you?

        1. Willoughby Chase

          I’ve got ‘damn you willis’ permanently on stand-by in a system copy buffer.

  4. butts

    Oh shiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

    1. Leorale

      –iiiipping is likely to happen whenever multiple people are in one comic strip

      1. begbert

        Three-way!

        Specifically, given the parkour, the window exits, and the grappling hooks, a three-way halfway up the side of a six-story building.

        1. nooB

          I like your way of thinking

        2. Deanatay

          So, a one-way three-way halfway up?

  5. Doctor_Who

    Carla confirmed for next movie Spider-Man.

    Look, she’s even shouting her character’s name, though she hasn’t got the pronunciation down yet.

    1. slinus

      oh boy, here we go

    2. nooB

      Spider-Car

      1. Needfuldoer

        Spider-Car
        She is just like a spider… are?

        1. Usayasha

          Can she swing from a web?
          If that web is structurally sound enough to support her weight and she has a proper grip, then I suppose so.

          Watch out! Here comes the Spider-Car.

        2. Uncertainty Moth

          The hat takes over

      2. podian

        In Dumbiverse, it’s Spider-Carla.

    3. Historyman68

      I love the idea of Spider-Man bouncing around shouting “Parker! Parker!” like some weird Pokeman

      1. JaneDoe

        Though it would cause him to have even more trouble than usual holding on to his secret identity

        1. a snow ʍousɐ

          People start shouting “IT’S PRONOUNCED PARKOUR YOU DUMBASS”

      2. DSL

        P. Ponah Pokemon.

    4. a snow ʍousɐ

      PETER PARKOUR

  6. Ctrl+C D@

    Maybe they should make out?

    1. newllend(henryvolt)

      …:-)

    2. inqntrol

      Hatefucks solve all the problems!(not really)

  7. VizardJeffhog

    PARKOUR PARKOUR!

    1. Eyebrow

      I thought only Harry Dresden shouted “Parkour!”. Everyone else just does it.

      1. Volkai

        We were thinking the exact same thing!

      2. Pleasestop

        Dresden!!!

      3. Rheinman

        I wonder if he just does it to annoy his… house guests.

      4. Kelli

        Well, also Michael Scott and Dwight Schrute.

      5. Bryan

        Your Harry Dresden post inspired me to reread the books again, this time in audiobook format. James Marsders reads them!!

  8. Bagge

    Ooooh, look, Amber and Carla can parkour together and have fun and be friends and… no, wait, Amber doesn’t parkour. Amaziegirl has hogged that one too

    1. Needfuldoer

      Amber won’t let Amber be anything but a meek introvert. Anything positive goes to Amazi-Girl.

      1. NelC

        Including good eyesight? How does Amazi-Girl see? And why can’t Amber use whatever AG uses?

    2. Willoughby Chase

      I think she was practicing back-flips as Amber one evening? Danny was watching IIRC.

      Anyhows, I’m betting there’s a sweaty superhero costume in the pile of laundry.

      1. Nono

        How does one clean spandex anyway?

        1. N0083rP00F

          Caring for Spandex. To retain maximum shape and flexibility, spandex should be hand washed only, using lukewarm water and mild detergent, such as Woolite or Deft. Never twist or wring Spandex when washing, but gently knead the garment and rinse thoroughly with cool, clear water.

          You’re welcome

        2. Deanatay

          Do not taunt happy Spandex.

  9. Leorale

    How much do I love sugar-high Parkour Carla? All the much.

    1. Doctor_Who

      Many much. The most much.

      1. Schpoonman

        Many much… Moosen?

        1. Lurker

          idk if anyone got that joke but that’s fucking hilarious

        2. Petroden

          Amen

        3. Roborat

          Yea, I have seen Brian Regan doing standup.

    2. caesaria82

      Such parkour. Much wow. Doge.

    3. JessWitt

      Oh that explains her upside-down state.

    4. Dara

      Yes. So much. 😀

    5. Cerberus

      Parkour!

    6. Griffin

      Save some of the much for me! I want to love Carla the much.

  10. John

    I hope the costume’s not in the laundry.

    1. Durandal_1707

      She hardly looks any different with it on, Sal was pretty close to her last time, and Sal’s not blind. She probably knows already.

      1. Kinoko

        Amber seems pretty good with misdirection. Amazigirl oozes confidence, Amber presents as shy and demure. That kind of compartmentalized presentation can go a long way, honestly.

        1. modulusshift

          Seriously, even if I was 99% sure I recognized the girl I’d probably think I got it wrong by reason of personality alone.

        2. Emperor Norton

          It’s basically Superman and Clark Kent. I mean, many people thinks that the only difference is the glasses*, but that’s not all. It’s also the clothes, the hair, and above all, the composure. Superman just oozes self-control out of every single pore in his body; a body that he’s showing off as the perfect Michelangelo sculpture that it is.

          Clark Kent, on the other hand, shrinks himself. He’s a bit hunched in his demeanor, his clothes completely hides the muscle tone, he walks and talks nervously all the time, and by and large is someone that tries to not bring attention to himself in any way. You would never look at him twice on the street. In fact, you wouldn’t look at him even once; and judging from the way many people bump into him on the street, they don’t. (If it’s not obvious to everyone, I’m using Cristopher Reeves’ depiction from the first Superman movie.)

          Really, the only mistake Superman does is that he and Clark Kent stays in the same city, and even worse, talk to the same people. People that sooner or later will pay closer attention (especially since several of them are journalists). If Superman’s main protection route had been any city but Metropolis, it would’ve been so much more effective.

          And sure, that’ll also be Amber/AG’s downfall too, but since she lacks superpowers and can’t just go from one city to another like that, it’s more understandable.

          *Which can be more effective than you might think, especially with the thick, distorting lenses that are usually depicted. Bob Burnquist (the skater) is an especially good example of someone who looks completely different as soon as he takes off his glasses.

        3. Muspel

          To be fair, Superman also has the advantage that because he doesn’t wear a mask, most people don’t even realize that he HAS a secret identity– they think he just fights crime and lives in the Fortress of Solitude.

          Also, simply looking the same isn’t really enough. If you had a co-worker who looked like Tom Cruise, would you assume that they WERE Tom Cruise in disguise, or just someone who looked similar?

      2. thejeff

        Didn’t we go through this with Danny, back before it got revealed to him? Whatever it looks like to us, it’s not obvious to the characters. No one has just figured it out by looking at her with and without costume. No one is going to. That’s not how the superhero costume trope works.

        There’s Dina, but that’s the trouble with being a superhero with a dinosaur ninja roommate. She was probably behind the door when Amber changed. 🙂

    2. Disloyal Subject

      Doesn’t look like it is. It’s pretty bulky, and that’s a small hamper.

  11. Guairdean

    Fear, meet Trigger. Trigger, meet Fear.

  12. Alice Macher

    Just how many cookies did you eat, Carla?

    1. Bagge

      ALL THE COOKIES
      …half the cookies, but you know what I mean

      1. TamiDOA

        If I did that after that many cookies, I would lose my cookies. ALL OF THEM.

    2. No Name

      Half the bag, duh.

      1. Bysmerian

        Her half was on the bottom. She had to get through the top half to get to it.

  13. Stephen R. Bierce

    *plays Spin Doctors’ “Cleopatra’s Cat” on the hacked Muzak*

    1. Stephen R. Bierce

      Meanwhile…

    2. Stephen R. Bierce

      You thought I was going to go with Lionel Richie or The Cars, didn’t you?

      1. Roborat

        Crunchyroll pummeled me with that commercial a while ago, so now I hate that hotel chain with a deep and eternal hatred.

  14. Cattleprod

    Hey, the FUNDED tag in the latest Kickstarter update is pointed at the $55,000 tier, not $50,000.

  15. Vagabond J

    Just hope Sal doesn’t find the costume, Amber.

    1. N0083rP00F

      Spandex is hand wash only.

  16. Lord Stoneheart

    Quick Amber! Chase after Carla and see if she’s willing to do a team up! (Those parkour skills are pretty close to on par with Amazi Girl)

    1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      Amazi-Girl and The SkateMaster?

      1. Mandy

        Together they will engineer revenge against Mary!

        1. Roborat

          They cant, they are in the wrong major.

  17. CapedLuigisYoshi

    Carla how are you doing that

    I want to know how to do that

    1. TamiDOA

      Just the right kind of glue applied to the floor imparts the perfect launch and spin. Thanks for the idea, Mary!

      1. Clif

        Start with a sugar rush.

    2. Reltzik

      I could tell you, but then you’d have to kill yourself.

      And I don’t want the liability.

    3. Cerberus

      From a friend of mine who used to do shit like that, it’s all about speed and momentum, use that and shoes with good grips to run up the walls and then continue forward with a flip to spin upside down.

      1. Tenn

        Speed, momentum, shoes with good grip, and a fanatical devotion to the pope!

    4. Disloyal Subject

      My first guess would be a short wallrun to get a little height and then kicking off the wall into a side flip, but I’m sure dedicated practitioners would know better than I.

  18. Mr. Mendo

    The screen should freeze, and that tense music from Sailor Moon when Tuxedo Mask and Nephrite ran into each other should play in the background!

    1. Sailorcakes

      I love this idea so much…..<3 ^.^

      1. Roborat

        Wow, mention Sailor Moon and she appears. Just like Candlej . . .

  19. Opus the Poet

    Awwkwarrd…

  20. Jezi

    I hereby vote that all further interactions that need to happen for plot reasons should be instigated via Carla ex machina.

    1. Dana

      Second.

      1. Reltzik

        Over in La Porte, Joyce and Becky run into Jocelyn in drag because Carla literally bumps into them.

        Then back to Bloomington, where Carla shimmying up the prison-house wall causes a distraction, leading to Blaine and Ross meeting.

        Side effect of ginger snaps: You can travel at the speed of plot even when that breaks the sound barrier.

        Robin did this in the other universe, in this universe it’s Carla.

        1. stegosaurus

          Jocelyn is a woman. If she were “in drag”, she’d be wearing clothing typically associated with men, which wouldn’t register with Joyce and Becky at all because she’s closeted and they still think of her as a man.

        2. Reltzik

          Correction accepted. Sigh. I never can seem to get the language right.

    2. Uncertainty Moth

      I only take issue with the phrasing. It should be “deus ex Carla” because Carla *is* the machine.

      1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

        Is she the machine or the ghost in the shell machine?

      2. No Name

        I vote for Carla ex Carla.

        ALL HAIL CARLA!

    3. Willoughby Chase

      WILLIS IS GOD! ALL HAIL THE WILLIS!

  21. Stara

    Every time Sal and Amber share a frame I get so dang excited like “WILL THIS BE IT???” and so I am super excited for this because MAYBE IT WILL BE IT but then again maybe next strip Amber jams everything in the hamper and runs away and it won’t be it.

    1. Dean

      Maybe Amber doesn’t recognise Sal without her glasses.

      1. Mr k

        “Hey, Walky, your hair is kinda long today”.

      2. No Name

        I think she heard the voice (remembering it from the parking lot scene) and then looked up to make sure of it.

        1. Disloyal Subject

          Also the Becky-rescuing scene and its aftermath.

  22. tim gueguen

    Like many superheroes, Amber’s real power is the ability to prevent people seeing through her flimsy superhero disguise, which in her case consists of an eyemask and messing up her hair.

    1. Tacos

      Well at least it’s a better disguise than Superman’s >.>

      1. Reltzik

        Superman’s disguise is less physical than psychological. I mean who’d expect an all-around badass like that to be an everyday, awkward, introverted dweeb like….

        ….. okay, yeah, it’s a better disguise than Superman’s.

        1. Gamaran Sepudomyn

          Considering the amount of stupid and utterly ridiculous plots he’s gone through, I think Superman might be more of an awkward dweeb than his disguise.

        2. Cerberus

          Superman’s disguise is also wearing bulky outfits and slouching so that he looks hefty and out of shape when in Clark mode and wearing his tight outfit with good posture in Superman mode.

          This means that even if someone notices he looks superficially similar to Superman (which they probably won’t, the other things in his favor is he looks fairly generic white man, with somewhat handsome features, and people do often look completely different with and without glasses).

          Amber has similar posture and confidence differences between her alter which serve a similar function.

        3. Emperor Norton

          And don’t forget different hair-dos, and -completely- different composure. As I went into detail about further up in a different comment tree.

          Oh, and as for AG/Amber, most of the time (with exceptions, I know) AG does her job in the dark. It’s hard to get a good look in the dark, especially if you’re on your face in the asphalt with your arm being wrenched out of your socket.

        4. Emperor Norton

          Oh, you did mention composure (as in posture). Stupid me.

        5. Kamino Neko

          Lois and Clark (the TV series) addressed the ‘kinda looks like him’ thing in an episode. Jimmy looks at Clark, realizes, hey, he kinda resembles Superman. Perry rolls his eyes. ‘And people say I look like Elvis. It doesn’t make me the King.’

          The ‘totally looks like’ meme is all about ‘these two unrelated people (or not always people) totally look alike’, yet it’s never people who are ever actually confused with each other. Because, as you say, there’s more to recognizing a person than facial features.

          Lois and Clark is also the source of the obnoxious ‘glasses on glasses off’ Lex scene that people always quote when denying the fact that Superman’s disguise is the sort of thing that would actually work.

      2. Stara

        https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0Y8iRvQdSGA

  23. Paul

    Time to get through that dirty laundry!

  24. Dean

    Is Carla a Harry Dresden fan?

    1. Mr k

      She convinces Dina to help her raise a dinosaur from the dead. It then eats Mary.

    2. Just Me

      If I remember correctly, Harry was called out for shouting Parkour while doing Parkour. You are not supposed to shout it out.

      Someone needs to tell that to Carla, quick.

    3. JetstreamGW

      Carla is trans. Maybe Carla IS an alternate universe Harry Dresden!

      Did’ja think of that!?

      1. Zatar

        Lets see…. A huge smart ass, somewhat obnoxious to other characters but entertaining to the audience, hates bully’s…. differences that could be explained by different backgrounds…..huh, I could actually kind of buy this.

        1. Roborat

          Either that or she is Deadpool.

        2. Lynzigraye

          She hasn’t specifically addressed us yet, so I’d have trouble accepting this particular headcanon.

      2. Kamino Neko

        Not possible. I don’t perpetually want to punch Carla.

    4. Benjamin

      I scrolled through the comments specifically to see if anyone had made this comment yet 🙂

    5. Rheinman

      Hey! another Dresden phile. Neat!

    6. Spencer

      I’m reminded that I need to catch up on some more Dresden. I’m only finished with Proven Guilty.

      1. Benjamin

        You’ve got some awesome times coming ahead. Jump back in 🙂

  25. Random832

    So do we have any idea if Sal knows that Amber’s the girl who stabbed her?

    1. Ctrl+C D@

      I’d say obviously not considering there isn’t a bloodbath in the hallways.

    2. Viktoria

      She doesn’t appear to.

    3. Just Me

      But Amber sure knows her. Oh boy.

    4. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      The big stabbing strip isn’t until Tuesday, duh!

    5. NotPiffany

      I don’t know if Sal got a good look at Amber way back when. Amber sort of shrank during the hold-up, so Sal probably didn’t even notice her. Before the stabbing itself, she was facing away from everyone else with her hands on a police car’s hood, so she wouldn’t have noticed Amber then either. The stabbing itself would only have been a few seconds, and I suspect Sal was a little distracted immediately afterwards, what with the knife in her hand. I wouldn’t be surprised if Sal had no idea she and Amber had run into each other before.

    6. segnosaur

      Probably not. But it will be interesting to see what happens if/when Sal finds out.

      The assumption might be a big fight between the 2 of them. But, Sal is a different person now than she was back then. Its possible that she recognizes that, while Amber shouldn’t have stabbed her, she was partly to blame for engaging in the robbery to begin with. Maybe it was some sort of turning point for her.

  26. PughPughPugh

    GOD DAMMIT WILLIS

  27. Nick Piers

    To quote Cuba Goodin Jr from What Dreams May Come:

    “I bet you’re thinking ‘oh shit!’ now!”

    1. Clif

      And you’d be right.

  28. Demon-Something

    Carla seems like one of those people you would love to see as a character, but you would be utterly unable to stand as an actual person.

    1. Kernanator

      Those tend to be my favorite characters.

    2. Just Here

      She’s kind of like my kid on a sugar rush. Oh goddess….

    3. caesaria82

      Idk, speak for yourself. I’m kinda in love with Carla and would totally also be in love with an irl version of Carla.

      1. Chris2315

        Your Gravatar makes me seriously doubt that.

        1. caesaria82

          lol I always get these replies. I did not choose Mary? She was randomly assigned to me? I honestly don’t understand these comments.

          … it’s because I love Carla so much, isn’t it? Goddamit, Mary, even ruining my irl life in this comment section lol.

        2. Gamaran Sepudomyn

          Consider the facts: Mary is homophobic. Mary wants to think of herself as perfect. Mary is being transphobic towards Carla.

          1+1+1=3, right?

        3. Gecko

          = if Mary can view Carla as a boy she doesn’t have to be conflicted about having the hots for her?…

        4. Gamaran Sepudomyn

          Exactly.

    4. StClair

      sounds about right.

    5. Peduncle

      Exactly.

      1. Peduncle

        To clarify (I keep forgetting the possibility of intervening comments by the time I actually type 10 characters): no IRL Carlas for me, thanks.

    6. Uniqueantique

      Agree.

    7. BenRG

      Carla is obnoxious, it’s true. I, personally, wouldn’t be able to stand her as a person. However, I do wonder what scars she’s trying to hide with that attitude and what manner of a person she’d be if you caught her without her armour plate. I think that we got a very slight hint of that frightened and haunted young woman a couple of strips back.

      1. Cerberus

        Ayup. Honestly, in contrast to most, I have met people very similar to Carla (using a fuck the world persona to take power back from continued victimization from oppression) and honestly, she’s probably the best sort of people to know personally and hang out with… in about a year or two when she’s settled down a bit more in her reflexive anti-authoritarianism.

        Which makes sense. She’s a kid trying to make her way in the world and establish her adult identity. There’s always going to be growing pains with that.

        1. Clif

          Carla’s redeeming virtue is her exuberance.

        2. thejeff

          Yeah. Good point. Nearly everything cited as Carla being obnoxious is her enjoying herself in ways that might bother those around her. Skating in the hall. Parkour! Even “Gimme cookies”.
          None of it’s based on attacking others. If you’re upset by her, that’s your problem and not her concern, but it’s also not the source of her pleasure. She might not be considerate, but she’s also not taking pleasure in screwing other people over.

          And as we saw with Amber, if you’re really hurting, she’ll help out.

          She’s really not very good at being an asshole.

        3. thejeff

          I meant to add: Unlike Ultra Car, who was all about deliberately pranking people.

    8. Weaselthorpe

      I feel like I’m the only person who doesn’t like Carla…as a character anyway. Maybe real life would be different, but I find her character to be obnoxious. If she was on my floor in college, I would probably want to strangle her on a regular basis.

      1. Paul

        I don’t like Carla either. I would be utterly unable to stand her as a real person and don’t much like her as a character either. I did like the car version of her, because she was funny back then, at least sometimes. But that was a long time ago.

  29. Viktoria

    See, THIS is why skating in the halls is banned. It can cause serious drama to people.

    1. Ctrl+C D@

      Screw your rules, we have cookies!

      throws cookies

      ….Awwww.

    2. Dana

      No, that’s why it’s allowed. It gives drama causers a non-parcour outlet.

      1. Betty Anne

        Exactly. If her skates weren’t broken, she’d just be skating by, and even without her glasses, Amber would have seen her. Instead, she’s all “PARKOUR!” because she needs some other outlet for that energy.

    3. JQuire

      Is she even skating? I thought her skates are out of commission again.

  30. Kris

    I question the physics of panel 2.

    1. TamiDOA

      Same physics that allows catching a caped hero in with 1 arm while riding a motorcycle in midair with a passenger, of course. “If we start to question this it all falls apart.”

    2. Orion Fury

      It’s just a comic, you should really just relax.

      1. SundaesChild

        CROWWWWWW

        1. NotPiffany

          “I’m different!”

        2. Captain Button

          No one gets me, I am the wind.

      2. Orion Fury

        And to think I was debating on going with the Bellisario Maxim.

    3. Disloyal Subject

      Physically possible, but extremely difficult given the dimensions of the halls.
      It helps that Amber’s short.

    4. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      Please think of the catgirls!

      1. Willoughby Chase

        Always!

  31. Disloyal Subject

    FINALLY
    IT’S HAPPENING

    Also, fuck yeah Carla

  32. cmd1095

    Holy shit Carla your skates are glued stiff and you can still ride on the ceiling how the fuck

    1. Riku

      Different skates. These ones are glued to the ceiling

    2. Shiro

      Duh, PARKOUR. She was pretty clear on that.

  33. Shiro

    PARKOOOOOOOH NO

  34. Sporky

    welp

  35. Tacos

    Uh… well crap. That’ll be awkward.
    On a different note, sugar-rush Carla is best Carla.

    1. Cerberus

      She’s the new Robin from Shortpacked! in a good way!

  36. Jay Eff

    Yeah, ’cause you know what’ll happen if Sal gets her hands on it:


    This summer, evil has no where to run.
    Sal Walkerton is:

    The New
    AMAZI-GIRL

    SAL: “Why’d y’all make this costume so baggy?”
    AMBER: “Because it’s not for YOU!!“

    1. Jay Eff

      Dadburnit!
      This was supposed to be a reply to this comment

      1. Someone

        meh, Im still waiting for Sal to make a contract with a demon that isn’t technically Satan, and get a skull thats on fire for a head.

        1. StClair

          as long as it’s not with some albino cat-rabbit-thing. *shudder*

        2. Jay Eff

          Skull on fire? Like this?

          …I apologize in advance…

        3. inqntrol

          Thought it was going to be a Ghost Rider reference(I guess that’s close enough? Also WTF!?)

        4. Someone

          I was making a Ghost Rider reference

  37. metaceryn

    I choose to believe that Carla was actually hiding inside-or-on the ceiling, waiting for an unsuspecting passerby to jump onto, rather than hitting the admittedly-pretty sick flip seen here.

    I have no reason to, but still.

    1. Random832

      Read doesn’t have drop ceilings (at least not in real life), though the ceilings are higher than I assumed they were when forming my initial mental image of the scene. Looks like 2-3 feet from the top of the door.

      1. Meowserita

        You made me look at the background closer and to different doors are shown, which bothers me because they are either the same door, or way to close together.

  38. TamiDOA

    Don’t you just hate it when you run into your arch nemesis while you’re trying to do your laundry?

    1. Reltzik

      Odds are that it’s because my arch-nemesis is also doing laundry. I use the opportunity to sneak lots of starch into it.

      1. TamiDOA

        Tights that chafe, the ultimate revenge?

      2. inqntrol

        Tried dyeing his clothes pink? Or is that too old school for nowadays?

        1. Disloyal Subject

          Nah, it’s just that pink is fucking awesome.

    2. Fleagle

      Laundry day, See you there, Underthings, Tumbling

      Want to say, Love your hair, Here I go, Mumbling

  39. Cacturne

    Not all heroes wear capes.
    Sal’s hair often gets mistaken for one in the dark, though.

  40. caesaria82

    Well that was a rollercoaster of emotion in 6 panels, hot damn. You can almost here the creaky suspense music in the last panel. Jaws theme or or something similar lol.

  41. Mandy

    Sal continues to be the most beautiful cinnamon roll.

    1. Reltzik

      …..

      …..

      ….

      … uh…..

      ….

      …. what does that even MEAN?

      1. caesaria82

        lol it’s tumblr-speak for a very nice person/character.

        1. inqntrol

          They should start teaching the internet “language” in school. You know, for better communication.

        2. Disloyal Subject

          Which dialect? If you talk on tumblr and 4chan with the wrong jargon, you’re going to get flamed.
          And other sites too, but nobody cares about them.

        3. Slartibeast Button, BIA

          You can’t learn this in school, it must be picked up on the virtual streets.

        4. Cerberus

          Things like this make me wish that courses like Linguistics, Sociology, etc… were more required in high school or middle school. Teaching a supposed unified “one manner of communication” ignores all the cool little evolutions in how we’re communicating that are happening all around us.

        5. Mandy

          Seriously, I think the modern evolution of our language is fascinating. Things get added to our vernacular on a daily basis now. I’m all for proper speech and grammar, but I agree that language is an incredibly fluid, constantly-changing thing! And it’s wild!

        6. Rutee

          It also supports a lot of racist and classist bullshit.

        7. trlkly

          Unfortunately, it kinda sounds racist. I mean, the first thing I thought was that cinnamon rolls are brown.

          I’m kinda surprised that sort of thing flies on Tumblr of all places. Sure, they may not mean anything racist, but aren’t they all about trying to avoid even looking slightly racist?

        8. Mandy

          Racist, seriously? I just use the term “cinnamon roll” towards people I love, both fictional or IRL. I thought it was a widely-known term on the internet.

          But christ, I’m sorry I even brought it up. I won’t say it anymore here.

        9. Mandy

          Also, it’s been used in THIS COMIC before.

        10. No Name

          Referring to Dorothy, no less.

        11. Someone

          Yeah…that’s really pushing it. Cinnamon rolls are brown, seriously?

        12. Kamino Neko

          They’re mostly red and white, really… (Well, I suppose that depends on how much icing and cinnamon are used…)

      2. Orion Fury

        I thought it was a filter correct at first.

    2. Heavensrun

      Too good for this world.

      1. Tenn

        Too pure.

        1. Clif

          Too tasty.

          And good with coffee.

  42. tim gueguen

    This brings up the question of how high the ceiling is in the dorm halls.

    1. Chris2315

      I believe its height changes based on the needs of the plot.

  43. detective boomwolf

    HARDCORE PARKOUR

    ALSO SWEET MERCY, LET THE CHAOS BEGIN

    1. Cerberus

      Yeah, the main thing I’m taking away from all of this is that Carla is fit as fuck and has crazy good balance and control of her body. And that’s extra impressive given she’s trans.

      Most of us transfolk tend to be awful at that sort of thing because having that level of awareness of our bodies in physical space tends to be dysphoric as fuck. So one more in the column for “Carla doesn’t afraid of anything”.

      1. NotPiffany

        Would getting hormone therapy in her early teens or so help with that, maybe? (I’m assuming she’s on hormones, not wearing a padded bra.)

  44. catsonmars

    ok before i saw the potential severity of the last panel i swear i saw shoujo bubbles and amber blushing because she just met the new love of her life, sal

  45. JessWitt

    Is this finally it? Or yet another Willis tease?

    1. inqntrol

      You mean Amber realises that Sal ain’t just a criminal and starts liking her? Nah, it will probably be another couple of months before that happens( for us that’s going to take a couple of years till we see it happening)

      1. JessWitt

        That too. But I mean when Amber brings up that incident with Sal. Clearly the latter’s in the dark about that, but she isn’t one for trauma I think.

  46. DarkoNeko

    oh shi-

  47. Random832

    Also, even ignoring the physics of Carla jumping that high, I’m not convinced the dorm’s ceilings are high enough for her to have done so indoors even if it were otherwise physically possible.

    1. Mr k

      Amber’s obviously using acid.

      1. TamiDOA

        But we saw it too. That mean we are …

        1. No Name

          We also phantom Joyce and the Ryan clones. The little boxes are hardly windows into reality.

    2. Tacos

      Maybe they have one of them new-fangled variable height ceilings I heard so much about.

    3. Reltzik

      To answer both problems, it might be possible for Carla’s body to be relatively horizontal even as her head’s pointed down, similar to the way high jump athletes do their thing. It allows a lower center of mass (making the physics tamer) and requires less clearance.

    4. Disloyal Subject

      Even if she tucks her legs?

    5. BenRG

      I don’t think she’s jumping. She’s running so fast that she was able to run up a wall and across the ceiling with momentum keeping her in contact with the surface for just long enough to appear to be defying gravity. Of such subtle physical magic is Parkour made.

    6. Willoughby Chase

      *Gets out a comics tape-measure*

      Yep, enough room for a circus and Wiley Coyote.

  48. Eliza

    Aw man, I was super hoping for a strong Amber/Carla friendship after Carla helped her head wound. Maybe not though 🙁

    1. Reltzik

      Hey, maybe jumping around them in hyper happy mode is how Carla does friendship?

      1. de Combys

        Yes please!

    2. BenRG

      I was too but Carla is someone with a lot of emotional scars and I doubt that she’d be willing to open up too easily to anyone. Maybe it will happen at a later date but I think that Willis has decided to address some of Amber’s many scars first.

      1. Cerberus

        That and Carla has just received a major blow and so is probably of the mind to avoid any potentially emotionally vulnerable moments (like say commiserating with the person she last met doing what she’s probably done too many times).

        It’s the “too cool for school” version of Wacky Becky.

  49. Victor Riley

    Parkour… bringing enemies together.

  50. caesaria82

    Alternatively, the more I’m looking at the last panel, the more I’m hearing Ten Duel Commandments from Hamilton in the background. Because you KNOW this can’t end well.

    ~pick a place to die where it’s high and dry~

    1. Disloyal Subject

      Funny, I’m hearing Heavy Day. Probably has something to do with my expectation that they’ll eventually team up in combat.

  51. KingToasty

    God, Carla’s an asshole. She’s surprisingly acrobatic though.

  52. Rukduk

    Panel 2: How?!?!?
    Final Panel: Well shit, this isn’t good. Or is it?

    1. inqntrol

      Panel 2: Just like a kid who ate too much sugar.
      Final Panel: They will probably start talking, Sal will notice Amber seems scared then Amber will run to the laundry room.(that’s one possibility, I hope Amber disscusses with Sal and sees actually a good person)

  53. Havtorn

    My pedantic sense(I’m working on it, allright?) made me look up the definition of parkour. According to wikipedia “Practitioners aim to get from one point to another in a complex environment, without assistive equipment and in the fastest and most efficient way possible.”

    Overhead flips confirmed as the fastest and most efficient way to navigate the complex environment of a hallway. I’d better get with the program.

    *vaults away*

    1. Disloyal Subject

      Well, if you can do a flip in a safe hallway you can do it on a high rooftop. Best to practice where the costs of failure are lower.
      That said, the term is abused a lot more now that people are more familiar with it.

    2. Greebs

      I belive ‘Freerunning’ is the term for ‘dicking about and making mockery of physics’ – similar principles and techniques, different aims.

      Or I could be completely off, because it all sounds WAY too much like effort to me either way…

      1. Cerberus

        Technically I think you’re right, but since parkour is more famous, people tend to call the mucking about with physics using wall jumps and the like “parkour” a lot (which will change its definition thanks to the rule of common usage).

        I imagine Carla watches the dicking around with physics “parkour” videos online, so “parkour” it is.

  54. Jacques Cornelius Parrot III

    I sense a learning moment coming…

  55. newllend(henryvolt)

    What did you already forget your were in the same dorm?

    1. Disloyal Subject

      Amber doesn’t leave her room much.

      1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

        And Sal is rarely in the hall.

  56. Chandra

    The exact words that went through my head upon seeing the new strip:

    “Oh, so that’s what that preview panel was about. I thought Ruth was judo tossing people in the halls agai- … oh boy, wasn’t prepared for that last panel.”

  57. Someone

    quick Amber, use the Poltergust 3000 on Carla!

  58. Uniqueantique

    Amber knows Sal is the teenage robber that scared the crap out of her.
    Sal doesn’t know or doesn’t care.

    She did tell Amber, A-G, at the kidnapping wreak that AG needed to get over what ever happened to her in her past. Sal did it, so can she. And Sal rode away. So if Amber ever does tell her – Sal most likely will push it away, guess we’d have to see when it happens.

    As for the present day, maybe Sal has part of AG’s costume in her hands?

    1. Disloyal Subject

      That’s not part of the costume. It’s not a one-piece with a zippered back, for starters. The cape could hypothetically be in there somewhere, I suppose.

  59. Reltzik

    Okay. This is the perfect time for Sal and Amber to have a rational, grown-up conversation, for Amber to say that she was Sal’s hostage at the convenience store robbery, for Sal to apologize for that, for Amber to apologize for the stabbening, and for everything to be resolved maturely, politely, and without any angst at all.

    ….

    …. Yup. This would be the perfect time for that.

    1. Reltzik

      As a more serious prediction, Amber’s going to do a panic and a backwards rump-scramble, and hit her head again. Sal’s going to make the connection and realize she’s Amazi-Girl (or some flavor thereof) and also realize that Amber’s scared of her, Sal, in particular.

      1. inqntrol

        I’m hoping for the rational approach, but I doubt that’s going to happen.

      2. BenRG

        What is interesting (and what we haven’s seen yet) is how Sal might react to this. At first, she’s going to talk to Amber as if she was talking to Amazi-Girl but I’m wondering if she’s going to realise that she’s dealing with a subtly different persona and start to get a handle on what exactly is the secret behind IU’s very own superhero.

        I’m also wondering how she’ll react to Amber, in tears sobbing out: “Please don’t hurt me! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to stab you!“

        1. Cerberus

          Does Sal even know that Amber is Amazi-girl? Cause all of their interactions so far have been in the Amazi-girl outfit, except for this one, where Amber runs away at first sight of her and Sal just thinks she’s a weirdo:
          http://www.dumbingofage.com/2013/comic/book-4/01-the-only-dope-for-me-is-you/weirdo/

          Which makes me wonder what even will be their interaction. Cause Sal won’t be assuming the bad things she does with the Amazi-girl costume and so there’s the best chance for a genuine heart-to-heart or even a moment of small kindness (even though Amber’s traumas and panic responses will make that quite impossible).

        2. BenRG

          Look at the post to which I was replying – The assumption going in is that Sal will realise Amber is Amazi-Girl (for a certain value of ‘is’) by her subconscious reactions, body language and the like.

  60. Uniqueantique

    Carla is a fruitcake. A dangerous one.

    1. Cerberus

      Eh, she’s just a hyperactive adrenaline-junkie. Knock off the “hyperactive” part and you’re basically describing all three people in today’s comic.

      1. Insanenoodlyguy

        Consider what would happen if somebody, seeing another person launching at them, panicked and moved the wrong way. Both Carla and that person could get seriously hurt. Parkor is for inanimate objects, not people.

    2. trlkly

      Fruitcake is a common slur towards gay people. And, yes, it can be extended to trans or ace people. Please don’t use it.

      1. Peduncle

        “Nutty as a fruitcake” goes back a long way. Before I was born, which makes it practically medieval.

        1. Captain Button

          “Fruits” is a derogatory term for gay people as I recall. Don’t know the history.

        2. Roborat

          Interesting, I have never heard it used that way.

        3. Peduncle

          When I was an adolescent, way back in the Dark Ages, the two most common slurs for an insufficiently muscled male were “fruit” and “pansy”. I can hope from Roborat’s comment that at least one of them has been retired in disgrace.

        4. Willoughby Chase

          Look up Polari.

          Also, it’s worth listening to “Round the Horn” – a radio comedy program on the BBC in the 50s/60s. Dated, it can be hilarious in small doses.

  61. LadyThrimbletrimmer

    Why do I get the feeling that Sal will immediately piece together that Amber is Amazi-Girl?

    1. David

      Before or after she figures out that Amber crippled her hand?

      1. tim gueguen

        Scarred perhaps, but not crippled as far as we’ve seen. There’s been no hint the function of Sal’s stabbed hand has been impaired. And we have no idea what the back of Sal’s hand actually looks like under her glove.

  62. Adept Arcanist

    Aww, someone’s building bridges!

    1. Adept Arcanist

      Or, uh, un-burning them?

      1. David

        Sal doesn’t recognize Amber as either Amazigirl or Stabbygeek. Those are one-sided bridges at best.

  63. A Scientist

    Wow, Carla has hops.

    1. Disloyal Subject

      Her calves are gonna be great.

  64. Cerberus

    Sal is once again reaching out to Amber (though doesn’t realize this is an “again” thing) with a nice gesture. Will Amber go Amazi-girl and antagonize her, even without the costume? Will she just go into blind panic run-away mode? Or will the Amber alter start moving even further away from Amazi-girl by making peace with this piece of her past and actually see the nice adult person Sal is rather than the symbol she’s trying to make her?

    1. Havtorn

      What I’m really curious about is how Sal will react when she learns Amber is the person who stabbed her hand, and how the fallout of that realization will play out. Before that happens any progress Amber makes seems tenous at best.

      1. Cerberus

        I wonder if she’ll react much at all. Yeah, it’s a traumatic moment, but Sal seems pretty invested in breaking away from her past and the sort of easy anger that fueled it. Like, I don’t imagine she’ll be happy per se to meet the person who permanently scarred her again and then walked away scot free, but I don’t see her holding a permanent grudge about it either.

        1. Charles Phipps

          I love Sal as much as anyone else but if Sal is focused on the fact she got stabbed versus the fact the other girl had her best friend threatened with having his throat slit, that would be pretty damn insane. It’s like Ruthless and the femurs thing. “No, you didn’t hurt anyone physically. You just terrified them and left lasting emotional scars.”

        2. Havtorn

          I’m sure Sal would be the first person to admit that what she did was very wrong. That doesn’t mean she should be ok with receiving a post-arrest revenge stabbing. That would also be pretty insane.

          The reason I’m curious as to how she will react is because I don’t know how/if she’s dealt with that. The only thing I do know is that she still sleeps with gloves on because of it. That could either mean very much or very little.

        3. Spencer

          She also hid her right hand behind her back when her parents came to visit, so she definitely still has the scar.

          And agreed on the first part, which I think is a consistent theme in Sal’s character arc. She committed a crime and paid for it. She can’t tell Amber not to hate her or descend into PTSD flashbacks over her, but Sal is also entitled to not having Amber try to kick the shit out of her, and receiving love and caring from her family is still something she should be entitled to.

        4. Spencer

          Officially, anyway, how did Amber get away with it (since, y’know, we tend to dehumanize criminals as is let alone a young black girl who committed a violent crime on two white children)? Like, Sal was released into her parents’ custody and sent to a boarding school instead of juvie (which, can that happen? Was Sal “officially” punished for the robberies, or was it just her parents?), but Amber apparently wasn’t forced into any kind of court mandated therapy, or there were no repercussions, or anything. Could Amber have had charges put against her and then dropped? Did she have any charges put forward at all?

      2. Mr.Morningstar

        I’m pretty sure Sal would apologize since she was most definatnely in the wrong

        And she was a messed up kid who held two people hostage.

        1. Spencer

          I think she’ll try to set things right, but I don’t think she’s going to, like, put herself in the wrong there. Amber stabbed her in the hand and left a seemingly permanent scar.

          Which, I mean, it doesn’t excuse threatening Ethan at knife point, but at the same time Amber not only violently assaulted her when she was already detained, she hunted her down and tried to beat the hell out of her in a parking lot.

          Basically it’s just a really complex situation, both of them are people who have made terrible mistakes due to extraneous circumstances, and they’re both trying to live with them. Sal’s got her head straight, and Amber needs to learn the same thing.

        2. nightsbridge

          Uh. Both kids made mistakes. Sal threatened people. Amber ACTUALLY ASSAULTED her.

        3. thejeff

          Let’s be clear here. Sal committed Armed Robbery and Assault with a deadly weapon. Likely Battery as well, depending on what they want to throw at her. She did it premeditated and unprovoked.

          Amber did commit the same Assault with a deadly weapon, but she had far more obvious extenuating circumstances – traumatized in the aftermath of Sal’s crime.

          Now, we know more of both kids and can see that Sal was acting out from her parents neglect and that Amber had her long term issues and father’s abuse in addition to the immediate trauma. Both of them need help, not punishment.

  65. Orion Fury

    darkness, my old friend.

    1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      The vision that was planted in her brain, still remains.

      1. Orion Fury

        She walks alone over narrow pathways of cobblestone.

        1. Roborat

          This thread is disturbing.

        2. Foolong

          Just a come-on from the whores on Seventh Avenue.

        3. Orion Fury

          I’ve heard it’s a war zone there.

  66. Raen

    Go home, Carla, you’re drunk.

    (At least, I think that’s what this is a reference to…)

  67. Pinja

    …

    Dude, what did Linda lace those cookies with?

    1. BenRG

      Sugar is enough.

  68. BenRG

    Well, well! What an interesting situation for Amber: Confronted with Sal in a scenario where she can’t just run away!

    Meanwhile, Carla kindly teaches us the hidden downside of eating too many cookies too fast – the sugar rush is… disruptive. She’ll probably have a heck of a hangover after too!

  69. CJ

    “Uh… Why are you doing this? You’re a robber.”

  70. Ambadi

    Is this our first glimpse of DoA-verse’s SchtickShift?

  71. Peny

    Holy shit, Carla, how are you walking on the roof? Are you an abnormal being powered by the sugar?

    1. David

      My best friend’s prospective fuckbuddy’s victims are my … wait, I confused Carla with Malaya. Never mind.

  72. Sam

    What I am currently imagining is inside Amber’s head: Traumatraumatraumatraumatrauma. *INTERNAL SCREAMING*

    What I am currently encountering in my own head: *INTERNAL SCREAMING* AMBER, NO. DID SHE NEED TO SUFFER MORE. WHY. WHY YOU DO THIS. I CAN FEEL THE PAIN ALREADY AND IT HASN’T STARTED YET.

    1. BenRG

      She’s going to go full fight-flight. However, only Amazi-Girl can fight and Amber isn’t in a situation where she can easily run away. So, some kind of breakdown is quite possible with Sal suddenly being the position of trying to interpret Amber’s tidal-wave of trauma all coming flooding out at once in a verbal torrent.

  73. OnyxIdol

    “The beginning of a beautiful friendship”

  74. Russ

    Awww great, she dropped her clothes, AND another shoe

    1. David

      That still does not give her spandex amazicleavage.

  75. Zaxares

    Meanwhile, ominous thunder rumbles in the distance…

  76. Dariu55

    Oh noes.

  77. Jason M. Bryant

    “hello”

    “Is it me you’re looking for?”

    1. RP

      Dang, I am 3.5 hours too late.

  78. 6Qubed

    oh boy

    here we go

  79. Willoughby Chase

    When both sides of Amber’s personality meet, on a scale of 1 to 10, how much drama will there be?

    All the way to 11.

  80. Willoughby Chase

    I’ll wager there’s a very sweaty superhero costume in that laundry.

    I’ll also wager that there’s a smidgin of blood on it too.

    Da-da-daaaaan.

  81. Dorje Sylas

    Female Caucasian, admitted to local hospital for bruised hypothalamus. Patient is described by witnesses as suffering, “an attack of fighting flight denial.”

  82. Luchucholo

    There´s a situation for Amber in which she can put in practice those q-qui-quick thinking, maybe! xD Hope she doesn´t fling into Amazigirl mode by shock.

  83. The Candyman

    *Amber runs away screaming*

    “Weirdo”.

  84. Thomas

    Does Amber *know* Sal lives on the same floor? Has this somehow escaped her attention? Sal being frequently absent & entering through the window & all that. It seems possible.

    1. Cacturne

      She’s aware, there was a strip sometime back where she told Ethan the person who took him hostage lived on their floor

  85. smooti

    I don’t think I can deal with the inevitable confrontation about to happen, because Carla is the best. Parkour, indeed, Carla. Parkour indeed.

  86. nothri

    Poor Amber. For all the shit he goes through, Batman never has to stand by in awkward silence while the joker helps him with his things.

  87. Emperor Norton

    Today’s interesting fact about sugar rush: It doesn’t really exist. Lots of sugar will not, in itself, make you hyperactive at all.

    http://uamshealth.com/healthlibrary2/medicalmyths/willfeedingachildalotofcandyorfoodwithalotofsugarinitmakechildrenhyperactive2/

    1. Tacos

      Ah so that’s why whenever I ate entire bowls of sugar as a little kid, nothing happened.

    2. Clif

      Don’t confuse science with truth.

  88. Reltzik

    Uh, Mr. Willis?

    I noticed an art mistake.

    You forgot to draw a tumbleweed.

    1. inqntrol

      ”Music starts playing in the background”
      Amber: Is that Western Music playing in the background?

    2. Willoughby Chase

      Showdown: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0BrdMi-oyc

  89. Charles Phipps

    Sheesh, how much more until Sal finally defeats AmaziGirl like Bane? It’s kind of sad she hasn’t had her Amazifall moment yet. Only after she bottoms can she crawl back up to defeat Carlzrael after they defeat Sal, preventing a proper rematch.

  90. perlhaqr

    Carla is a Dresden fan? 😀

    1. Gamaran Sepudomyn

      Not every loud wiseass who defies physics is Harry Dresden.

      1. Clif

        But they’re all the same under the hood.

  91. trlkly

    And we’re at number 2! Sal has a voice in my head. I actually heard her voice when she said what she said to Amber, even before we saw it was her. It’s low and smoky, and of course has that accent.

    So that nakes to with Dina being Raven doing a genuine Starfire impression.

    Eventually they’ll all have voices, and then there will be a TV cartoon, and then they’ll be all wrong.

  92. trlkly

    I think Carla would be fun as a friend. We wouldn’t hang out often enough for her to become annoying. The fact that she distances people makes it easier. Granted, it would be hard to become friends. But it could work.

    The one that I think would annoy me the most would be Becky, actually. She’s just so chipper all the time, and she clings to people, so I wouldn’t be able to take breaks. And then I’d feel horrible for it given her circumstances, and the fact that I do like her.

  93. Charles Phipps

    So, when are we going to have the Tobacco Kryptonite fight between Amazi-Girl and Amber where Amazi-Girl finally defeats Amber and she becomes sane?

  94. Bard

    I hope it’s okay if I don’t like Carla, because I’m starting to dislike Carla. “Gimme your cookies! Haha, made you drop your laundry!” The “I’m a dick for attention” shtick is getting kind of old.

    1. Dave

      Eh yeah, but Carla’s been like that ever since she was a sentient mini-van with infinite creme pies.

      1. Dave

        Woops, hit Send to quick. Was also going to say, being so attention-seeky is just part of who she is, I’m personally used to it by now.

  95. Dave

    Damn, doing that flip in roller skates must be a trick and a half. /clap/

    1. tangled_z

      Omg, Dave is here! 😀

      1. Dave

        Hi! 😀

    2. Kamino Neko

      She’s not doing it in skates. This is probably the day after her skates were ruined again. And it took her several days to replace the first set.

      1. Dave

        Oh, I thought she was still wearing the broken set out of stubbornness. Like very heavy boots.

  96. Sigurther

    How did she even.. I don’t understand.. Damnit, Carla, you’re not allowed to abuse the laws physics in a relatively realistic universe!

    1. cesium133

      Amazi-Girl exudes a field that cancels out the laws of physics in her immediate vicinity. That’s how she was able to pull off the stunts with Ross’ car. This field is still present in a much weaker form around Amber, allowing Carla to violate various laws of physics.

      1. Dave

        Or perhaps Cara has her own anti-physics field one that allows rollerskates to function on carpet for example.

  97. Griffin

    Panel two: what the fuck
    Panel six: What the FUCK?!

  98. Willoughby Chase

    It’s all fun and games until gravity is switched back on and the drama explodes.

    1. No Name

      I think you mean implodes. Gravity is strictly attractive, after all.

      1. Clif

        And yet stars, some of the biggest gravity generators around, once their energy is mostly expended, explode.

        1. No Name

          Fair point. But they still start with an implosion and bounce into an explosion when they get too dense too quickly.

  99. WaddleDee

    Carla continues to be an unlikable bongo, no surprises here.

  100. Scar Man!!!

    Popcorn, anyone?
    *starts setting up lawnchairs

  101. SorataYuy

    Ironically enough here, Mary has a point about Carla and her hallway behavior being inappropriate. Skating around in the halls is bad enough, but flipping over people and scaring the crap out of them? No, Carla. This is college, not gymnastics school.

    1. Charles Phipps

      That was kind of the big issue with the Mary and Carla glue thing. Willis wrote it as Carla being cute and Mary being her usual unlikable self but plenty of readers really-really hated their loud neighbors in college. The TV trope “Unintentionally Unsympathetic” came into play.

      1. chris73

        Which then turned into a whole big thing that basically came down to one thing: if you don’t agree 100% that Carla did nothing wrong then you’re trans phobic and you agree with Mary

        1. Spencer

          Hell no. The actual point was “thinking Carla is annoying in this sequence is okay but being at worst a bit of a pest doesn’t warrant hate speech.”

        2. chris73

          I agree, I had some sympathy for Mary in that situation right up until she brought out the hate speech

          Then I had none for her

        3. Spencer

          Which was the point. Carla can be an annoying jerk and still not deserve hate speech. They aren’t mutually exclusive.

        4. chris73

          I was more referring to the reactions of the posters, there really did seem to be over reactions on both sides

      2. Kamino Neko

        Those people, of course, are 100% wrong, since Carla was not, in any, way, shape, or form, making excessive noise.

        Calling Carla the noisy neighbour is less connected to reality than anything that Amber has done as Amazigirl.

        1. chris73

          She was actually

        2. Zatar

          Can we not revive this argument?

  102. Some Random Guy

    Keeping up that “normal person” disguise, I see.
    Cunning.

  103. quarktime

    Last fictional being I caught screaming “PARKOUR!” while doing parkour was Harry Dresden. When he did it, it was funnier, but appropriate.

    1. thejeff

      In fairness, without the “Parkour!”, it would be really hard to tell what was happening there, at least without spending more panels/dialogue setting it up. With it, it works fine.

      Also, I want to see Carla and Amazi-girl racing on the rooftops.

  104. Haintsu

    I don’t even like Amber, but daaamn is that a cute face she’s pulling in panel 2.

  105. Dynonychus

    Irrational freak-out in 3…2…

  106. Leila

    Oh, good! We interrupt your regularly scheduled trauma to bring you…one panel of chuckles!

    Now back to the trauma!

  107. Ashley

    So, Carla is basically Dumbing of Age’s Pinkie Pie.

  108. Charles Phipps

    Amber is basically Kitty Pryde to Sal’s Emma Frost. Sal is the face of evil.

    https://girlsreadcomics.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/astonishingx-men200901.jpg

    1. Spencer

      It’s more like Amber is convinced Sal is her Joe Chill, and that means she’s allowed to wreak vengeance upon her for causing her origin story.

      Unlike Joe Chill, who usually dies or in Grant Morrison’s case had Batman drive him to suicide, Sal’s an actual person. She’s not the Violent Criminal Scum that Amber wants her to be.

      1. thejeff

        Except she’s not allowed to wreak vengeance on her. By her own rules. Even in the parking lot confrontation, she tried to provoke Sal to attack, she didn’t attack her. Sal not playing the role is part of what’s stressing Amber now.

        1. Spencer

          Well, she was definitely trying to pick a fight with her. She even said that Sal breaking the law by drinking underage meant she made this “so much easier.”

          I think that’s the point. Amber needs to see Sal as The Criminal in order to justify to herself that she’s doing the right thing, and moments like this, where Sal tries to ignore her or actually save her or help pick up her laundry, pokes holes in Amber’s view of her as The Criminal.

        2. thejeff

          Absolutely agreed. I was just quibbling with the “allowed to wreak vengeance” part. She’s not allowed to because Sal keeps not acting like the criminal she’s supposed to be.

      2. heyman

        Batman doesn’t bother people after they’ve Paid Their Debt to Society, unless and until they break the law again. And if they do, he goes after them; he doesn’t try to goad them into starting the confrontation.

  109. Rob

    TIME TO PULL OUT THE KNIFE

  110. Keulan

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOy6hqzfsAs

  111. Cyntalan

    You know, I’m curious Willis, this series has been goin’ on for five and a half years now, and in-universe time has gone, what, 2 months? Do you have an outline of the overall story? I’m mostly curious if this is something you intend to run through until you finally don’t feel like it anymore or if there is a planned ending (I’d have said graduation, but I feel the story may extend to beyond your remaining lifespan :D).

    1. Cyntalan

      I mostly ask ’cause while I don’t want to see this end, it’d be interesting to know whether this is already fully planned out or if it’s gradually expanded on as you wrap up a given plot.

  112. BrokenEye, The True False Prophet

    Interesting… I assume we can expect Spider-Carla to make an appearance in the near future.

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