New Weekly Voting Incentive: PUCKIANS OF THE GALAXY!!!
In the spirit of Halloween, the Puck gang are celebrating the second most entertaining movie of all time (almost beat the Blues Brothers for my number one spot!) in crazy cosplay fashion! The first one’s already gone by, so don’t miss this week’s!
CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR PUCK! A VOTE FOR PUCK IS A VOTE NOT FOR GARY BUSEY!
ALSO…
PUCK APPEARS IN WOOHOOLIGAN!!!
A while back, the fine Mr. Dealey from Woohooligan promised to put Puck in a cameo role in one of his comics as a thanks to me for supporting his Kickstarter campaign (which is seriously too generous of him), and the result is up now. It’s pretty incredible! It’s WAY more than a cameo; it’s a full-on Puck guest comic with more action and goofiness than you’ll ever find in a real Puck comic! Go check it out! Then vote for Woohooligan to see a special bonus panel featuring Phoebe!
ALSO ALSO…
As for this comic…
If you’ve never been to a shower of any kind (or had lengthy stories about showers told to you by your significant other after she attended a shower), then you will dismiss this comic as an odd bit of nonsense, perhaps worthy of a silly chuckle, in the same vein as one of those weird Monty Python bits where Vikings come in out of nowhere and spoil an otherwise decent sketch. If you ever have been to a shower, though, you will likely recognize the deep, undeniable truth in Puck’s statement. And you might also experience a little PTSD at the mere mention of the word.
Now I’m sure there will be a few guys reading this who have been to one of those newfangled ‘boys included’ showers who will say, “Hey Gecko, I was at a shower, and it was no big deal. What gives?” To you, I have one of the following explanations:
1) You’re a man, and thus were totally blind to the nasty, bullying, complex social dynamics going on right under your nose, or…
2) You’re a man, and the presence of a man meant the women were on slightly better behavior than usual.
Bottom line: showers suck. But this one is going to be awesome.
Its true men miss so many of the little subtle things that women pick up on and give out.
And groups of women, those have their own dynamic cliques and power plays that make negotations for ending a war seem like warm-up exersizes.
It’s this male obliviousness which leads to the mistaken male belief that women are less aggressive. It’s just like Americans who think Canadians are ‘nice’ because we say ‘sorry’ and don’t argue much. Americans simply can’t detect the many subtle, silent ways in which we Canadians say “I hate you.” But they’re there.
It’s something like the opposite way humans talk to dogs: dogs can’t understand human words but respond only to *how* a person speaks…the attitude & tone of voice.
You describe the opposite of this, in that people listen to the Canadians’ actual words, but completely miss the context that underlies them.
Yeah, exactly. And the expectations of social nicety are much higher in Canada, so Americans mistake everyday expected behavior (like holding doors open for others, saying ‘sorry’ even when someone else pushes you) for kindness and friendliness. From my experience, Canadians are way less (truly) friendly than your average American. Case in point: take your average Texan and spontaneously ask him/her “Would you like to come over to my house for a barbecue this weekend?” and you will likely make that Texan happy. They might not say yes, but they would be touched by the act of generosity. Try that in Canada, and you will get cold stares, frosty vibes, and people who will slowly back away from you. I’ve heard world travelers say that Canada is the least friendly country on the planet, and I totally believe it.
Working at a casino I dreaded when the Canadians came. Some of the most irritating, entitled, arrogant idiots I dealt with. I know not all Canadians are that way, how could they be? But I never met a Canadian there that didn’t go out of their way to lecture me about how inferior I am because I’m not Canadian, and how Canada is superior to America in every way.
Yeah, that sounds like Canadians. Mind you, that sounds like Americans too, who do the same thing up here. I think that it has something to do with being outside your comfort zone: you realize that you’re not in Kansas (or Alberta) anymore, and it makes you feel weird and oddly out of place, and so you compensate by looking down upon your surroundings. Case in point: I used to work a computer store. At that store, two American guys came in and one of them asked me where he could get a salad. (Yes, at the computer store. And it’s not like he was shopping for computers. That was the reason he came into the shop in the first place: to ask about salads.) I shrugged and said there was a Wendy’s up the street. He then blew his top. “I don’t mean no damn fast food salad, boy!” he shouted. “I’m talking a real salad here! Goddamnit, what’s wrong with this country? Can’t any of you make a real goddamn salad?” True story.
I have about fifty more of them, and from them I could conclude one of two things. Either (A) Americans are jerks, or (B) people get really weird outside their comfort zone. I tend to hook toward (B), especially because I’ve seen even crazier behavior from Americans in Quebec, which makes sense because Quebec is even further outside their comfort zone.
Let me apologize on those guys behaviors. When a person travels outside of the country, they should conduct themselves with decorum and dignity. I would say that’s a failing of the person for all those rude people. I haven’t had the money to travel outside of the US, but I hope I’m far more polite than them, and sensible.
And let me apologize for those stupid Canadians. If only we could do something about the stupid people everywhere! Although I have heard there are no stupid people in Iceland, so maybe we should go there.
We can do something about the mass of idiots out there. But they took away my shovel citing something wussy like Crimes Against Humanity. Bunch of wussbags.
Must be all that repressed rage. There is something to be said for venting.
We Americans detect them. It’s just that you’re CANADIANS. So it’s not like anything you say, think, or do actually matters. Isn’t the beaver your national bird? You guys do make some wicked good syrup though.
(Remember these are just jokes people)
Wow. My previous post was SUPPOSED to be a reply to EG’s post about Americans not detecting Canadians subtle hints that they hate us.
Subtlety is for when you’re afraid of the consequences of being caught. So far as actually achieving results go, subtlety is the opposite of practicality.
I thought baby showers happened before the birth. You know, to get the mom ready for the coming of the baby.
And on an unrelated note, Happy Thanksgiving, my Canadian friend.
Well, tradition usually states that the shower occur before the birth, but sometimes it occurs after, if there’s scheduling issues or baby comes early or whatever. It’s not a hard and fast rule. And some women (the ones who want the gender to be a surprise) like to wait until after the baby’s born so that gift buyers know the gender. Not saying it’s a good reason, but it’s a reason.
Another reason to wait until afterwards is an adoption. Sometimes an adoptive mom might have a baby shower once the adoption is secured/finalized.
Especially if it was very expensive or more expensive then planned. Plus its a good way of advertising that she’s finally a parent.
That’s another case, I guess.
Who cares?
If people want to have a party, they have a party. What they opt to call it, when it happens, how it happens and who it happens with are just trivial details.
Baby showers, the inciderary of all womanhood.
Get your fire-retardant clothing out!
Baby Showers, or lets call them what they are: Rains of Blood. For the baby.
I’m okay with blood rains as long as they’re not spelled with a ‘y’.
Blood rainy?
No, BloodRayne. Passable video game. Terrible Uwe Boll movie. Must be avoided at all costs.
Geeze, you make me glad I missed the movie. Never heard of movie nor game.
I thought maybe you meant you didn’t want to see it spelled “Bloody Rain” and tried to make a joke of it. Made sense to me, since I’ve heard saying “Bloody” is vulgar to most subjects of the British Commonwealth.
I’m okay with Rains of Blood as long as the Blood is not spelt “Castamere” and flowing from the open necks of a thousand dead Northmen.
I’m feeling really really skeptical of this plan. What if the two blonde ladies meet, love each other, and their powers combine to a terrifying force that lays waste to all who dare oppose them?
That’s easy…. tell one of them that the other is really the boss
Why tell one? tell both.
you, Valkeiper, are an instigator after my own heart
I’m skeptical as well, even though I’m sure they’ll hate each other. Because both of them are, indeed, dirty fighters. As in: they don’t fight in the open, and certainly not physically as they could be hurt in the process, and their look is an important part of their business.
They’ll still fight, mind you, and for the people in the know, it’ll be worth their weight in popcorn. but with insults in disguise and “accidental” mishaps. I wouldn’t rule out lawyers either 😀
Heather’s the type to fight with lawyers. Tracee, though… I get the feeling that Tracee’s a scrapper. When the chips are down, I wouldn’t put it past her to swing a punch or two.
That never happens in Godzilla movies. Though maybe it should.
I was at a baby shower once (for one of my nephew’s). It was… Not a pleasant experience (mainly as the mother’s family decided to be idiots).
I thought I saw the ‘bite me’ card prior to reading the alt-text and I was happy to see I was right about it.
Also, a random thought that struck me, you ever considered making a Puck wikia (or letting your readers create one)?
Finally, I checked through the character list yesterday (while waiting for this comic) and I noticed that Stan appeared (who has appeared… Twice) but not the weird-as-sin nurse (who apparently has 3 nipples?). Is there a special reason for that or just a slip of mind on your part?
Yeah, the weird nurse was in it and then not in it before I thought to put her into the character list. I don’t think she’s coming back, so I don’t want to clutter the list with her. All the other characters on the list, though, are likely to be recurring.
I’ve thought of creating a Puck wikia, but I’d dismissed such thoughts as ridiculous, mainly based on the fact that I doubt anyone would ever care to look at it. I’m sort of under the belief that if you’re not noteworthy enough to gain entry into the real Wikipedia, you probably shouldn’t have your own wiki.
Thank goodness, that nurse is gone forever. She was about the only character who truly freaked me out (and that is saying a lot if you were to look at the list of webcomics I read).
Me too. That’s why I don’t want her back.
Go for it. Every baby shower needs a good floor show.
Exactly. Entertainment for the masses.
Ah, a baby shower. I hadn’t thought of it, but it is certainly a wonderful ploy. Women are vying for attention and one-upping one another with gifts. Vivian Ho, you must not have ever known anybody like Heather or Tracee. They don’t like other women unless they are 1) ugly and 2) useful to them
True on both counts. But ‘useful’ is the most critical thing. They’re the types who are ultimately, overwhelmingly self-serving, but I really can’t think of a common goal that they could conceivably unite them. Maybe in a storyline in the distant future, but not now.
That final line is awesome.
mmueit.
To be fair, though, knitting night at the nursing home can get pretty ugly sometimes. Watch out for flying needles!
i think puck picked the perfect arena. tracee will be awkward just atending, cause come on, babies? so not her style! as if she would ruin the masterpiece of plactic surgery that is her body by producing ankle biters! heather on the other hand will be in full, sadistic ‘give parenting tips to the retarded redhead’-mode. she will take on cold look at tracee, put her in the ‘hooters tramp’ category and say something along the lines of: oh dear, even more BAD influence for my poor niece? and unlike sweet, clueless phoebe tracee will fight back dirty. i foresee arguments like ‘oh, so you have three kids? its a miracle your tits aren´t sagging MORE´ “at least mine are silicone free” and so on. its going to be epic. and colin will be shocked to learn that puck can be dangerous when fighting subtle, too.
Man, I don’t even have to write this! You’re doing a good job right now!
Heh, it’s a fine line between predicting and fanfic 😀
Between this comic and watching RWBY, I get my daily/weekly dose of fem-fatal.
What’s UFC?
Untimely Flatulent Chicken. Stinks the place up at the worst possible times.
Actually, I believe it’s a show in the US called “Ultimate Fighting Channel” or some such.
It’s just a bunch of pugilists trying to prove who’s the meanest and stupidest punch-bag around.
Aw, you ruined my fun!
Actually, now you get to draw a scene that makes the UFC look like nitting day at the nursing home
You spend too much time on those backgrounds not to give us a higher resolution image. I would have probably completely missed that “Bite Me” card if you hadn’t mentioned it. XD
Yeah, true, but the higher res image (and I can go VERY high res with this stuff, because it’s all vector) would then not clearly fit on the page, and so on and so on. It’s a pain. But all sorts of stuff is lost at low resolution. For instance, there are some comics where characters are holding a newspaper. I actually write full articles for those papers, and some of them are dang funny, but you can’t read them in the low-res image on the site. You CAN, however, read them in the ultra high-res print copy.
Is that a “Food Fight” invitation in the upper right?
I could use a pack of those!
As long as it isn’t ‘Food Fight’ the movie, starring Charlie Sheen. (Shudder.)
But nah, it’s a card that says ‘You Been Married TOO LONG.’ In hindsight, a food fight card would have been cooler.
Why not just put up the vector graphics as SVG? Modern browsers should be able to display them directly.
The conversion would likely mean the end result would get messed up. Vectors don’t like being converted from file format to file format when they contain tricky elements like transparencies and envelopes and stuff. Besides, I wouldn’t be comfortable providing the world at large with the vectors. The low-res element’s also a bit of a copyright and piracy protection.
No one else has mentioned the “Bismark” sailing by in the first panel ?
I thought we sunk that thing.
That’s actually Toronto. That’s what it looks like from the Hamilton beach strip.
So Toronto was based on the “Bismark” ?
(oh you wacky Canadians)
On a serious note, in the USA we have horizontal donuts, filled with cream, topped with peaks of whipped cream, and THOSE we call “Bismarks”.
We do NOT call them “Torontos”. But it’s a thought…..
We don’t have those. But we do have Toronto. It’s a consolation prize of sorts.
So why not have a button to view the strip in hi res?
Mostly because I don’t have the tech savvy to manage a thing like that. I have heard of a plug-in for Comic Easel, though, that makes it so that your high-res comic automatically adjusts to the screen’s width. That would make some of those details jump out, maybe. But it would also mean re-uploading every single strip on the site. We’ll see.
I know this may be way out in left field, but would be an idea for future comics…. why not post the comic in a grid 2×2 so you add more detail per frame without changing the resolution? wouldn’t help for the previous comics, but your loyal fan-base would certainly appreciate the added detail.
or am I talking out of my rear, because I don’t understand art (which is entirely possible!)?
I actually experimented with that 2×2 arrangement for that very reason, but I didn’t particularly like the results visually. I’m not sure why, but I like the idea of remaining loyal to the comic strip presentation. I eventually might come up with a solution, but we’ll see.
Okay, apt quote for today: Don Pedro:
In faith, lady, you have a merry heart.
Beatrice:
Yea, my lord, I thank it, poor fool, it keeps on the windy
side of care. – Shakespeare, “As You Like It”
The line’s actually coming from Twelfth Night. Fabian says to Sir Andrew, “Still you keep o’th’ windy side of the law.” The echo was intentional.
Hello there,
I just came across this comic, like, yesterday. Being on vacation, and having nothing better to do, I actually managed to click my way through the entire archive, from the very first strip to this one. Now my eyes feel as if they had been scrubbed with sand paper, but I think that was totally worth it. (-:
(Discovering a web comic that has been online for a while is always weird, because at first you can binge-read the entire back catalog, and then you have that shocking moment when you realize that from now on you have wait for new comics instead of just clicking on the “next” button.)
Thank you so much for putting this online, I really love the comic, both visually and the sense of humour!
Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed it! And yeah, I sort of write the comics so that they’re best when read in one sitting rather than week to week (which I guess is kind of stupid, because they’re released weekly, but whatever). New comics are always coming here, though. Slowly, steadily coming…
Geck, why do I get the feeling that you’re looking for an excuse to include a rubber kiddie pool filled with either mud or Jell-O very soon? 😀
You get that feeling because you’re a smart, observant individual. 😉
Before going into depths explaining the social dynamics of “baby showers”, maybe you could have first explained what a “baby shower” *is* 🙂 I had to google it: I don’t believe I ever heard of that institution before — and I’d wager few others have outside of North America…
Well, just goes to show what I don’t know. I thought they were more widespread than they are, apparently. They’re a dominant social custom here … and spreading. It’s getting so that almost every life milestone is now being accompanied by some sort of shower. I think the behemoth of capitalism is behind it all.
A shower is more than an excuse to party. It helps a new mother gather the stuff she needs to take care of her new baby.
Puck will no doubt get lots of expensive stuff from her overbearing in-laws.
Always good for shaking down the people you actually don’t like.
Oh damn.
For a brief, shining moment I saw the words TRACEE and SHOWER in close proximity.
Never mind.
There was a ‘Tracee in the shower’ voting incentive pic a while back.
I sooooooooo wanna see Tracee in the shower. With Phoebe. And Heather. Not fighting. Being friendly.
It’s impossible in this universe. But in an ALTERNATE universe, maybe…
Well, whoever wins will be stronger. But it’ll still be fun.
My money’s on Tracee because she has the home-court advantage. She also worked with Puck when she was a mascot at Howlers.
Puck has an issue regarding the order she does things, doesn’t she? Not a criticism, I’m enjoying it.
Well, some people have the baby shower after the baby is born. Not as common, but it does happen. And then there’s an added bonus for women who like babies: there’s an actual baby at the shower.
O.K. Fair point. Maybe I was chanelling my grandmother there.