The Dreadful -- Chapter 6

[MSperoni]

Chapter Six has finally begun!


And we start off with Judge Catherine reciting poetry*. Because, why not? Cryptic meanings are always fun, because it gives people a chance to theorize over stuff.

Page 131! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2012/07/03/the-dreadful-131/)




*Emily Dickinson: "Because I Could Not Stop for Death" and "My Life Had Stood -- A Loaded Gun"


For convenience, here is the link to the opening page of the previous Chapter: Page 107 (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2012/03/26/the-dreadful-107/)

[MSperoni]

Page 132! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2012/07/06/the-dreadful-132/)

Kit overhears some sex.

EDIT: This is also the first page where we get to see some devikin who aren't Kit and Poe.

[Alanim]

Poe always was more of a lover then a fighter :smug:

P.S. Seriously did not see this coming. Literally :dance:

[SaltyKracka]

Shootin' time.

Of course with Kit, it's always shootin' time.

[MSperoni]

Poe always was more of a lover then a fighter

Much to Kit's chagrin.

[MSperoni]

Page 133! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2012/07/10/the-dreadful-133/)

Kit handles the situation the way she knows how.

[SaltyKracka]

Page 133! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2012/07/10/the-dreadful-133/)

Kit handles the situation the way she knows how.

With bullets. Because Kit's reliable like that.

[EVILNess]

Wow.

You may sort of bash yourself for what you perceive as bad story telling, but I want you to know I really did not see Kit's sister this way.

The whole comic Kit has basically had Poe on this can-do-no-wrong pedestal, and this basically brings her down to a much sleazier level. When Liz insinuated that maybe Poe is the one who shot Kit, I gave the theory a passing glance that lasted all of a second before I went "NOPE" based on what was shown of her so far. I didn't think she had it in her.

Now, I wonder if Kit isn't just kind of delusional about her and that has made me consider her a suspect in the shooting again, and the whole idea is no longer just Liz being a bitch.

Maybe she wasn't just trying to turn her against Poe. (Obviously, Liz has ulterior motives, but still)

[Doctroid]

Wait, having sex is sleazy? People who have sex are more likely to shoot their sisters? Hm.

[EVILNess]

Wait, having sex is sleazy? People who have sex are more likely to shoot their sisters? Hm.

No, but being a hooker in a wild west brothel is kind of sleazy, and it doesn't really fit the image that I feel Kit has been painting of her sister so far.

[Nikose Tyris]

I see no signs of her bein' a hooker, just havin' a shag.

Also, nothin' sleazy about prostitution, either.

[MSperoni]

Poe's not a hooker. That's actually just her and Kit's apartment. Those other women are just hanging out on the bottom steps :)

EDIT: However, that doesn't mean all of your theories are flat out wrong, Evil. You said some good stuff there. :)

[phil_]

Also, nothin' sleazy about prostitution, either.Not necessarily, no, but, in the context of the non-perfect world we live in (and the one which Kit and Poe live in), being a prostitute typically entails working with and among less-than-nice people, hence its association with sleaze. It's like selling drugs or running a casino: there's nothing inherently bad about either, but they're both surrounded by crime and bad times.

We've already established that in the world of The Dreadful prostitution is not a respectable institution and that Kit buys into that view of prostitution being a thing to rise above (being annoyed by people saying things like "Pinkies are just good for the whore house"), so it would say something about her relationship to Poe if Poe were a prostitute. Not that she is, thanks to Matt clearing that up, but it's fairly obvious how the previous few pages could be interpreted that way, even if that interpretation is wrong. Actually, besides Matt explicitly stating:Poe's not a hooker.there's nothing in comic to say she isn't. Like, you can sell sex in your apartment (though, I'd imagine you'd want to keep that it's your apartment on the down-low, given the previously mentioned less-than-nice people).

[McTahr]

Ness, I myself am particularly unsure of when we started allowing off-handed insults of forum members. Would you care to clarify for me when this became the norm?

Alternatively, stop doing it.

E: Nevermind me dumb.

[MSperoni]

Ness insulted someone? Where?

EDIT: Are you referring to Ness calling Liz a bitch? If so, that's a reference to the character Liz, not the forum member Liz (I have a character in The Dreadful named Liz).

[POS Industries]

Ness insulted someone? Where?
Don't worry about it. Someone made a joke report. Someone might get banned for it. I haven't yet decided.

[Kim]

Ness, I myself am particularly unsure of when we started allowing off-handed insults of forum members. Would you care to clarify for me when this became the norm?

Alternatively, stop doing it.

I think he was talking about the character in Matt's story. :P

[McTahr]

Aha, nevermind Ness, my apologies. I'm on a phone here so I missed that.

E: And now Matt knows whether I read his thing or not...I was waiting until you had a nice backlog for me to wade through, I promise!

[EVILNess]

Aha, nevermind Ness, my apologies.

It's okay, the grudge this has caused will fade with time.

In all honesty though, I just realized this was all going on. Totally just like me, always missing the good stuff by like an hour.

Poe's not a hooker. That's actually just her and Kit's apartment. Those other women are just hanging out on the bottom steps :)

EDIT: However, that doesn't mean all of your theories are flat out wrong, Evil. You said some good stuff there. :)

I kind of assumed that she was a prostitute since you have established that demon-girls pretty much get shoehorned into the oldest of professions.

Apparently, my mind started connecting dots that weren't there. For example, the second thought in my head after "Poe = Prostitute" was "Whelp, Poe is a prostitute because Kit refuses to be one."

Also, you just made what I said earlier more concrete in my own mind by revealing this to me! My interest in Poe has shot up quite a bit due to this one page.

*Thumbs up*

[MSperoni]

I like all this talking. I was hoping that going into character stuff might prompt some discussion. :)

It's hard to talk about action scenes. If Kit shoots a zombie in the head, it's like "Yup, that's a zombie that got shot in the head."

I *think* a little light will be shed in the upcoming pages as to where Kit's coming from in all this. This scene has a bit more to go before it's through.

Unfortunately since Brian is traveling he isn't going to update the page tomorrow, so we'll have to wait till Tuesday :(

(or Monday, if I decide next week should be a three page week. I'm not sure. I've been extremely busy with Real Science Adventures work this week and have only managed to get one page of The Dreadful done, so I could use a bit of an extension on the ol' buffer).

[MSperoni]

Someone is working on a fanfic of The Dreadful! Link (http://wallscamedown.tumblr.com/).

I gave the writer some info about the backstory, and he's been a long time follower/pal of mine on Twitter, so it's not a TOTAL surprise. Still, this wasn't prompted and aside from just those small details I'm totally clueless about where it's going.

So give it a read!

[MSperoni]

Page 134! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2012/07/18/the-dreadful-134/)

Kit gives Poe some sisterly advice (though maybe not necessarily good advice, but I'll leave that up to interpretation).

llYx-qH0Xec

[BigDemonicBunny]

Kit has a serious case of Black-and-White thinking.

[SaltyKracka]

The Legend of Poe-da.
The Legend of Kit-da?
The Legend of Liz-da...

In any case, tittehs.

[MSperoni]

Kit-da?

Curious if anyone who participated in the previous discussion has had their opinions reinforced/changed due to the recent page.

Or, if you didn't have an opinion regarding the previous discussion (the one Ness started when he commented about the "Sleazy" side of Poe), do you now?

The next page may flesh things out even more. I'm interested in hearing what people think, so let me know if you have any thoughts!

[BigDemonicBunny]

I really would not call it a sleazy side. So far it seems like Kit is overreacting to Poe wanting some love in her life, and she's not willing to wait for marrage or some chivalrous devilkin boy (if there are such, we've never seen one yet).
So? Poe is not some virtous madonna on a high unreachable pedistal (and is thus outside the three classical, and frighteningly patriarchical, womens roles of Virgin, Mother, Whore. Good thing too). I would have been dissapointed if she was.

[MSperoni]

Page 135! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2012/07/20/the-dreadful-135/)

Kit and Poe have a small chat.

This page took forever to write, I'm not sure why, but I was pulling my hair out when it came to figuring out what they should say in the last three panels. I eventually changed the order of them. Panel five used to be panel six. That helped.

So, I hope it's a good page!

[BigDemonicBunny]

Kit's the elder sister isn't she? Or at least she views herself as the older and more responsible sibling. Although it might be the other way around...

[MSperoni]

They're twins, but Kit views herself as the one who has to take care of them. So when you combine that with her personality and her unique abilities, she becomes the one in charge.

[CABAL49]

Seeing now that they share the same bed, I can understand why she wouldn't want Poe sleeping with people. Strange dude funk gets into the sheets.

[BigDemonicBunny]

Seeing now that they share the same bed, I can understand why she wouldn't want Poe sleeping with people. Strange dude funk gets into the sheets.

Worse. Strange Human funk.

[MSperoni]

When I was first composing this scene I had that as a possible joke. Like Poe waited till Kit got all settled and then implied that the guy blew his wad all over her side of the bed (and mostly hitting her pillow). Kit was then going to freak out and be like "BURN THE SHEETS! BURN THEM FOREVER!" but I decided not to do that.

I also had a joke where Kit came back into the house and Poe was naked and refused to put her clothes back on. Poe knew it bothered Kit, and she was like "I was going to spend my evening naked so I'm gonna stay naked." and Kit was like "Put your clothes on." and Poe was like "Make me." It was Kinda like an immature sibling power struggle. But I dropped that also.

I'm pretty satisfied with how the scene ended up. Sometimes ideas seem funny initially, or they're good to come up with to help free your mind to think of the good ideas. Like a warm up. Or they serve as examples of what not to do so you can figure out what to do. I'm also not all that big on sex-based or titty jokes. So they have to be incredibly funny and work extremely well with the scene for me to use one.

Yet...I laugh at violence...so maybe my moral priorities aren't all that straight :P

[Michael Morris]

As I drifted off to sleep last night this occurred to me

Poe ... Kit

Poe .. Kit

Poe . Kit

Poe Kit

PoeKit

PoKeit

Poke It....

Anagram or double entree? You decide.

[MSperoni]

The Dreadful is indeed laced with symbolism.

[SaltyKracka]

liiiiiiiipppssss

[MSperoni]

Total symbolism.



(edit: to any possible TVtropes or Wiki Peeps out there, I'm just joking :D)

[MSperoni]

Page 136! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2012/07/24/the-dreadful-136/)

Wait...so he's here and not there? Poor Kit.

[MSperoni]

Page 137! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2012/07/27/the-dreadful-137/)

Lucas tells a story. possibly exaggerating some of the details.

[greed]

Oh hello, that's an interesting expression she's got there.

[MSperoni]

Which panel?

(e: I figured you meant the last one, but I wasn't sure)

[Michael Morris]

So Poe is left handed?

(Her pistol is holstered for a lefthand draw)

Kit's right handed -- curious fact, twins are usually oppositely handed, even when identical.

[MSperoni]

She wears her gun in a way that requires her to draw it across her body. Which is to say, yes, she's left handed.

[Michael Morris]

Yes.

Good eye for detail then. Little things like that get missed easily.

[MSperoni]

A somewhat significant detail, at that!

[BigDemonicBunny]

Hmm. Leftie crossdraw holsters are usually further forward. The only ones that far back for crossdraws are cavalryholsters (since cavalry rarely if ever speeddraw and it allows you to draw the gun with your right hand if necessary. It was also considered a secondary weapon compared to the saber).

It does have a second advantage, in that you can draw the pistol easily with either hand while sitting.

P.S: Right side cavalry draw revolvers are also usually for right-handed people.

[MSperoni]

Well, I had a cavalry holster in mind, so I might have to pretend that in the world of The Dreadful, lefty cavalry holsters exist :)

Though I might tweak it some and move her holster up more so she looks to be drawing it across her belly, rather than from her hip.

Poe just kinda has a gun to have a gun, for protection/emergencies. She's not even close to being as adept with one as Kit is (then again, a lot of people aren't).

[BigDemonicBunny]

Poe just kinda has a gun to have a gun, for protection/emergencies. She's not even close to being as adept with one as Kit is (then again, a lot of people aren't).

More like "pretty much no one is".

Also, since a cavalry holster is one of the easiest draws while sitting....is Poe the type of Gal that would shoot someone from under the table?

[MSperoni]

I wish I could draw faster so I could get into more character stuff :D

Like, four pages a week is what I can do if I push myself. I wish I could do five or six, but I'm not fast enough.

At least not fast enough where I could draw pages comfortably and still maintain the level of quality I want. Sadly, I'm just one person who has to do ALL the jobs! :)

[SaltyKracka]

Matt, most webcomics have to get along with less than three pages a week. You're pretty damn good at what you do.

[Krylo]

Hey, Matt, was talking to someone and it came up that neither of us post in this thread much 'cause we don't really have much to say other than that it's still awesome and there's only so many times one can say that.

But it's also discouraging to not get feedback.

So, I'm just here to say, "Yup, still awesome."

So keep up the good work.

[MSperoni]

Thanks! I really appreciate feedback :)

[MSperoni]

Page 138! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2012/07/31/the-dreadful-138/)

Speaking of Kit...

[SaltyKracka]

Speaking of zombie apocalypses...

Also, Kit looks like hell.

[Krylo]

Thanks! I really appreciate feedback :)

I'll give you some more in like, 100 more comics.

[tehixe]

I love love LOVE Kit's face in the bottom left of page 138. Is it OK if I use it as a forum avatar? It's just perfect. It's like she can't make up her mind between being a blood-caked badass and kitty that just saw a red dot she has to pounce on.

[MSperoni]

That's fine with me if you want to use it as an avatar :)

[Doctroid]

I was going to volunteer for next week's "it's awesome" duty but then took another look at page 138 and decided not to wait. It's awesome. There's so much being said in that one page without a word being said.

[MSperoni]

Thanks! :)

[Arhra]

If zombie apocalpyses have taught me anything, it's that you should never open any hidden rooms. Because they're always full of zombies.

But then again, so are most things.

[Bum Bill Bee]

Aw don't be so negative. Maybe there were some smart survivors hidden there. Or a convienantly placed zombie antidote. Or leperchaun gold.

[MSperoni]

You never know what may be lurking in the basement!

However, this is Kit, so she'll probably handle it. She ain't no pushover. Unless it's a Pushover Monster.

[Mordaenor]

So, it's been established that most Devikin end up as prostitutes. A trade which is historically female dominated. Is the intent then that all Devikin are female? Or do Devikin males also end up as sex workers?

[Doctroid]

So Kit doesn't even spare a glance for her own picture on the wall?

[MSperoni]

Page 139! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2012/08/03/the-dreadful-139/)

Kit explores the basement!

Those guys looked like they were Kit fans, based on that poster.


So, it's been established that most Devikin end up as prostitutes. A trade which is historically female dominated. Is the intent then that all Devikin are female? Or do Devikin males also end up as sex workers?

All devikin are female, actually. :)

(at least that's my intent so far. I suppose I could make the "one male exception" like Hiei or Ganondorf, but as things stand now all devikin are female. )


So Kit doesn't even spare a glance for her own picture on the wall?

She might just be used to seeing it or something :)

Like "Yeah, I know I'm totes hot. Whatevs. I got a job to do."

[A Zarkin' Frood]

Love the Big Eagle Beer poster in the background and how Kit seems to not even notice it.

[SaltyKracka]

Oh look, things to drink! Kit's favorite kind of things!

[MSperoni]

Yup!

Though, since this is "Doc Dobbs's Place" they're probably all cheap healing potions. Cure Minor Wounds or whatever. But, considering Kit's recent fight, they might be useful (assuming she decides to chug a couple).

I dunno if healing potions would wash away battle-damage though. Kit needs a bath, I'm getting tired of drawing this crud on her :)

[EVILNess]

I dunno if healing potions would wash away battle-damage though. Kit needs a bath, I'm getting tired of drawing this crud on her :)

Have someone throw a bucket of water on her in a tone breaking comedic moment.

[MSperoni]

There are a couple of "get Kit clean" options I have in my head. Which might be surprising considering that the goal is simply to wash the gunk off of her. There are a lot of routes the comic could take at the end of Chapter Six and I am still struggling to figure them out. Each of them would have a different means by which Kit gets scrubbed. (not necessarily on screen, either).

One solution, of course, is a pointlessly sexy shower scene, as comics are wont to do. Like Chun-Li's in the Street Fighter 2 anime. It's an instant ratings boost!*




*Don't hold your breath on that one.

[tehixe]

Yay, you used the same face again!

[Doctroid]

All devikin are female, actually.

But then how... where do... how do they... do they...

O NOS SAME SEX MARRIAGE??? :D

[Doctroid]

Wait, that's not a reference to Dr. Dobb's Journal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Dobb%27s_Journal), is it?

(Huh, it's still going. Thought it went extinct ages ago.)

[Bard The 5th LW]

But then how... where do... how do they... do they...

O NOS SAME SEX MARRIAGE??? :D

Makes some sense to me. There was a throwaway line earlier about Kit's father being a wizard. It may have been a joke, but it was never mentioned that Kit was a "half-devikin" so I guess demonhood or whatever could just be passed down by the mother.

[MSperoni]

I put the following info in Swap Tags because I wasn't sure if this could be considered a spoiler or not (better safe than sorry!):


All devikin are female, and when they get pregnant they give birth to another girl that is pretty much identical to them. So Kit and Poe would look like their mother, and so on. Kit is unique in the sense that she takes all the standard racial traits of a devikin and turns them up a notch, and also has a very high affinity for weapons and enhanced strength/reflexes.

I wrote a post on TVtropes that details Kit's skills n' stuff: Link (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=12989209200A43724200&page=43#1070)

[MSperoni]

Page 140! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2012/08/07/the-dreadful-140/)

Kit encounters someone who looks a little like Nurse Joy...

[Bum Bill Bee]

Curious-er and curious-er. What is a large medical facility doing underneath that smallish shack? And who or what is this steamer guy? Is he that eatery woman's husband?

Find out all this and more on next week's episode of Poke-oops, I mean Dreadful...mon?

[Loyal]

Well, she ain't a zombie, at least.

Given the presence of zombies, ghosts, devils, necromancy, and so forth, I'm slightly surprised there isn't more of an "anti-evil" bent to worldly weapons. So far there was only the one bad-silver bullet that shot Kit, and ones Kit has now alluding to now, and possibly something based out of Moomonism. Maybe a holy cattleprod?

[MSperoni]

Given the presence of zombies, ghosts, devils, necromancy, and so forth, I'm slightly surprised there isn't more of an "anti-evil" bent to worldly weapons.


There's actually an entire faction dedicated to eradicating supernatural threats. They just haven't showed up yet :D

They've been mentioned (Jeanne was talking with Marcus about them on Page 79 (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2011/11/28/the-dreadful-079/)).

I'm really looking forward to getting to them because one of my favorite characters is a part of their group :P

A long time ago I was writing a fantasy story just for fun, and Kit was a part of it and so was this other woman named Charsi (after the blacksmith from Diablo 2). Charsi was the main character, and when I came up with The Dreadful I wanted her in it too. Charsi was a kind of fighter and Kit was a thief. However Kit was about 12-14 in that story...Kit became the main character of The Dreadful because I liked her more. She was funnier and more prone to hijinks and violence :D (Kit is also older in The Dreadful. She's old enough to jiggle around in a bikini (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2012/03/23/a-paid-message-from-big-eagle-beer-05/) and not have it be creepy, but young enough to be immature and impulsive).

Anyway, I have delayed putting this group in the story because I'm waiting for the right time. I think it will be soon though. I have actually drawn about eight pages with Charsi in them, but I haven't used them yet because I felt they broke the flow of the story too much.

[Arhra]

Page 140! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2012/08/07/the-dreadful-140/)

Kit encounters someone who looks a little like Nurse Joy...

Wait wait wait.

So Kit's stumbled onto the undead remains of an underground pokemon smuggling ring?!

Please, not the spider-zombie-pikachu!

[A Zarkin' Frood]

It has to happen now. I will remember this in case Matt ever holds another guest comic contest, and I'll bug you to write it.

[SaltyKracka]

God dammit. The first thing I thought when I was the new page was "Nurse Joy!". And then I realized Matt had already spoiled it.

[MSperoni]

It has to happen now. I will remember this in case Matt ever holds another guest comic contest, and I'll bug you to write it.



It could happen! You never know. I will be finished working on Chapter Six by the end of this week and then I'll think about it. I'm seven weeks ahead of schedule, so I have time.

I haven't decided what I want to do for the Between Chapter Bonus yet. I was thinking of doing another wallpaper or two, but I don't know. I might just go for another advert that I do myself. Whatever I do, I want it to be relatively short. Maybe just take the space of a single update, because Chapter Six ends in such a way that I really want to get into Chapter 7 as soon as possible. I don't know if I want to take a week away from the story like I did the last few times.

[tacticslion]

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Wait.

Are ghosts... born that way...?

*runs and hides*

(But seriously, is there some necromancy-type-magic thing that makes them, or are they just born with the propensity to become ghosts, or... what's the method of making them, you know, ghosts? And more importantly: do zombies have ghosts?)

[MSperoni]

Well, I'd say a ghost in The Dreadful is like a ghost in any other fantasy type setting. Meaning there's no single explanation for their origin or purpose.

Probably safe to assume that this ghost has been created by whatever the "standard process" of ghost creation is. She's kind of cute, so at least undeath hasn't made her look all horrible and haggard.

At least in her case becoming a ghost is better than becoming a zombie.

[MSperoni]

Page 141! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2012/08/10/the-dreadful-141/)

Don't argue with Mister Shelby's maid. Knowing this comic, she's probably a Battle Maid or something :D

(also, Shelby says something somewhat critical. It doesn't look like Kit is in a very safe place right now...)

[Doctroid]

Has she ever been?

[Krylo]

Is Shelby's Maid related to Mercy Graves?

[MSperoni]

Possibly. I think of her as maid/bodyguard.

I'll have to put her in the comic more in the future. She doesn't even have a name yet (though I keep leaning toward "Anna")

[Domestibot]

Damn, she's tall. Anna is a nice maid name, she also kinda looks like a "Bridget," or a fancy two-namer person, like... "Heatherlynn," lol.

Kind of a bummer to see that Poe is actually working for Jeanne, as well. I was really hoping Liz was exaggerating when she said that to Kit. Ah well, makes for more dramatic tension, which makes for better story.

[MSperoni]

"Heather" isn't a bad name. Maybe there could be a bunch of them. All graduates of Battle Maid University.

Except I just realized that if I have one named Anna and one named Heather that'd be names of two girls I had crushes on in High School... Maybe I'll just name them all after girls I had crushes on and TOTALLY NOT BE CREEPY.

(though they are pretty names).

Poe's relationship with Kit and Jeanne is...something that'll have to be explored later.

I think what's more alarming, or at least should be if you're in Kit's boots, is that Erin is with Jeanne. Right now. And they're going to where Kit is.

[Spinell]

Ooh, that Erin. I do wonder if Jeanne knows that Erin is undead and has a, ahem, passenger. Can't wait to find out. :)

[MSperoni]

You should know more Tuesday!

[SaltyKracka]

So Erin made it back to Jeanne alright?

Wait, why in the hell would Erin/Ith want to go back to Jeanne?

[Bum Bill Bee]

For the good dental plan obviously :P

[Domestibot]

true enough, Jeanne probably rips out enough teeth...

[MSperoni]

I'm sure there's probably some security benefit that comes with working for Jeanne. Like, she probably won't kill you...right away.

[SaltyKracka]

I'm sure there's probably some security benefit that comes with working for Jeanne. Like, she probably won't kill you...right away.

I dunno man. See, the way I see it is, it's much easier for Jeanne to kill you if you're right there. I've never met anybody who could kill me from more than 100 miles away. (And I don't intend to)

[MSperoni]

Page 142! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2012/08/14/the-dreadful-142/)

Uh oh.

EDIT: Just was brought to my attention there is a typo on panel two. Ah well, I suppose one typo every 142 pages isn't too bad :P

Weren't there typos all the time in 8-bit? :D

[Spinell]

Ahaha, i bet Jeanne likes Erin better the way she is now. :D

[MSperoni]

It's like two gang-members for the price of one!

[BigDemonicBunny]

Well. Cold Sniper+Sadistic faery mage = Good times. Even if they happen to inhabit the same body.

[Taioko]

I like how Erin's horse is noticeably frightened by Jeanne's horse, while Jeanne's horse doesn't even give a care about anything.

Like having pupils. It's too evil to give a damn about those things.

[MSperoni]

Like having pupils. It's too evil to give a damn about those things.

It takes after its rider :D

[SaltyKracka]

It takes after its rider :D

Jeanne's a Clydesdale?

[Hatake Kakashi]

She's built like one.

[Masterof7s]

I've been wondering for a awhile, but what type of devkin is Jeanne? She's got no horns and no tail from what I can tell. Is it possible for humans and devkin to breed or do some devkin just not have horns?

[MSperoni]

Jeanne is actually an unspecified race, not a devikin :)

She's kind of a dull green/grey color. I'm going to do a picture of her soon that I'll color so people can get an idea what she would look like (in color).

[Bum Bill Bee]

Huh, I always thought of Jeanne as a witch. The only two reasons being that 1. the green skin and 2. Kit hating spell casters.

[MSperoni]

Well, we haven't actually seen Jeanne do anything yet, so time will tell!

[Gitman]

So that is in fact a Clydesdale she's riding?

[MSperoni]

I dunno if it is that breed specifically, but it has the anatomical characteristics of a Clydesdale (except for the fact it doesn't have pupils).

[Masterof7s]

Oh, Matt, I meant to point this out yesterday but there's a typo in panel #2.

"So if you don't mind, will you say here while we go take a look?"

[MSperoni]

Yeah, I noticed that shortly after I saw it posted. I tried getting an updated version posted, but unfortunately the site is terrible about actually making the change.

For example, I made a change to page 32 like probably a year ago and the site STILL isn't displaying it >_<

I have no idea why that is. But, I guess we'll all just have to live with the typo :P

(if the comic ever gets printed I will have the typo fixed, for sure)

[Gitman]

I dunno if it is that breed specifically, but it has the anatomical characteristics of a Clydesdale (except for the fact it doesn't have pupils).

I could tell it was a draught horse, but didn't know if it was (the Dreadfulverse equivalent of) a Clydesdale or a Shire (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shire_horse). They look very similar. Thanks for the clarification!

[MSperoni]

Page 143! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2012/08/17/the-dreadful-143/)

Don't you make him use the wu shu!

[Doctroid]

Judging from Poe's expression I think she thinks she's being scammed.

I have a suspicion she's right.

[SaltyKracka]

Oh, for fuck's sake, Luke. (hurr, unintentional pun)

Now all that remains to be seen is just how bad she's going to kick his ass for this.

[Doctroid]

Is there a psychological term for a desire to be humiliated by devikins?

If there is, Luke has it.

[Domestibot]

You know, for a total ponce with a sex drive great enough to get him into all kinds of hilariously awkward situations, that Lucas isn't so unlovable.

[Mordaenor]

Lucas not too bright is he.

[MSperoni]

He's lucky this is Poe and not Kit!

[Arhra]

Judging from Poe's expression I think she thinks she's being scammed.

I have a suspicion she's right.

What are you talking about? This paragon of virtue is clearly protecting the pink lady from an amorous cyclops who didn't memorise his lines, the idiot!

[Krylo]

Lucas, best character or BEST best character?

[MSperoni]

Rather than going back and telling his sister (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2012/04/30/the-dreadful-118/) why he's not at work and why he didn't come home the night previous he's in town hitting on girls.

I think she MIGHT kill him.


(I also realized Page 118 was the last time we saw Boozloaf. Dangit, I need to start making pages faster, and get to posting them faster. Or I need to stop leaving characters behind for so long. Maybe I need to do all three of these things...Like, where's Liz! :( )

[BigDemonicBunny]

I wish Kit was there. Then we could rename this chapter "Chapter 6: Kit shoots retarded people in the face".

Although I guess Dreadful could turn into some sort of Knights of Cydonia-like "Kung fu&Revolvers western" I really don't think Lucas is the one to take it in that direction :)

[MSperoni]

Well, Kit's dreadful blast is like a kamehameha (a horrible version of one) so I guess it could eventually turn into Dreadfulball Z.

[MSperoni]

Page 144! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2012/08/21/the-dreadful-144/)

I don't think Lucas is as "in" with Poe as he probably thinks he is...

[SaltyKracka]

Page 144! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2012/08/21/the-dreadful-144/)

I don't think Lucas is as "in" with Poe as he probably thinks he is...

He's definitely not as far in as he wants to be!

[MSperoni]

Hey now! It's not that kind of comic....yet.

(I'm not desperate enough for attention at the moment)

[Domestibot]

I was hoping there would be a subtle clue in Poe's dialouge with Lucas that would tip whether or not she's really working with Jeanne or just kind of stuck with her, but you're keeping it under wraps very well. Nice one, Speroni.

[Krylo]

She didn't seem to actually care that Jeanne was going to, presumably, murder Kit, other than that she wasn't told. Her response to that was of someone disappointed about being left out of something as opposed to someone worried about their sister being killed.

[Arcanum]

She didn't seem to actually care that Jeanne was going to, presumably, murder Kit, other than that she wasn't told. Her response to that was of someone disappointed about being left out of something as opposed to someone worried about their sister being killed.

Unless Poe doesn't know that Kit is where Jeanne is going, and Jeanne didn't tell her anything precisely because she knew Poe would object to it.

So yeah she's disappointed on missing out on something, but she probably doesn't know that it's some sister murdering.

That is, if Jeanne even knows Kit is at Dobb's place.

[Krylo]

I'm kind of assuming they know what The Dreadful does, because, you know, they rolled with Kit for quite awhile and you'd have to be kinda dense to not figure out there's always zombie/demon outbreaks after she uses it.

Ergo: Zombie Outbreak -> Poe and Jeanne are both interested in it -> Jeanne goes after lead.

Conclusion, Jeanne is huntin' pinkies (though probably doesn't know Kit is there at the time, true).

[Krylo]

Also, there's a pretty good indication that Poe was gonna tell Jeanne about Kit on that page "About zombies and. . . other things. . ."

[Domestibot]

Well, it sounds like Jeanne doesn't know Kit is actually AT Dobb's, because she would be going off a lead given to her by the Sheriff, and Lucas just said he left the part about the "pinky gunslinger" out. Also, If poe's spider sense didn't go off about the zombies when they were initially mentioned, my guess is that this zombie thing is something new or never seen before sideeffect of Kits power.

Seems like it's only Poe who knows that Kit is the one responsible/involved.

[Masterof7s]

Wait, Poe and Kit are twin sisters? Fraternal or identical because they don't look the same to me. Maybe it's Poe's longer hair that's throwing me off.

[MSperoni]

Well, face-wise I draw them exactly the same, though their bodies are a little different. Kit is a lot more muscular due to all the physical labor/shootin' dudes she's done in her life. Also they carry themselves differently. Kit has a more "take charge" presence and Poe is more reserved.

So these things plus Poe's hairstyle might make them look more different than they do. Also it's hard to draw someone look exactly the same in every panel (it's a lot easier using a manga-style though). I don't think even Kit looks the same in every panel.

[Doctroid]

Hang it, is it really established that the zombies at Doc's place have anything to do with the Dreadful? I suppose Occam's Razor suggests so; but I didn't recognize any of them as being from Burke's gang, and the ones Erin ran into weren't yelling "blood" and having tentacles come out their mouths. Though they all appear to have the throat lump. So did Burke's zombies go breed more zombies, or did the Burke spider do it, or are they from some previous Dreadful incident, or is there some different zombie source?

[MSperoni]

It's a mystery!

I'm trying to avoid having an extended period of exposition where I flat out tell everyone what's going on, because I don't like that kind thing. I'm trying to let things develop gradually.

The problem is there are a lot of other things that need to develop too, so it sometimes takes awhile for me to get back to one plot thread. Add to that the fact the comic only updates twice a week and it's really slow...

I'm thinking I may start updating three times a week, since I've been getting into a routine of doing 3-4 pages a week and am going to start shooting for five.

[MSperoni]

Double Page! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2012/08/24/the-dreadful-145-and-146/)

Pages 145 and 146!

Lucas "immediately fleeing in terror" out the back entrance sorta conflicts with the tale he told in the bar...For some reason I believe the Ghost Nurse more than him...

[Doctroid]

Let me just make sure I have the time frame right here...

Kit's breakfast and subsequent visit to Doc's was later the same morning as the abortive attack on the cabin, right?

So Lucas, who was supposedly out "drinkin' with his idiot friends" the night before was in fact somehow (how?) caught up in the cabin attack; after he helped Aurox bury the dead gunslinger, he rode off. Some hours later Kit and Aurox headed in the same direction (presumably more slowly since Aurox was on foot). After breakfast Kit went to Doc's place and found the remains of the zombie attack.

By Lucas's account the zombie attack occurred after the cabin incident, so it was that morning. Presumably Lucas arrived at Doc Dobbs's place, the zombies attacked, Lucas ran for it, told the Sheriff about it (but not about the cabin), and then went to the bar and told Bunny, and later Poe, the whole story. Sheriff told Jeanne and she headed for the cabin. All of which took place before Kit arrived or while she was there.

Is that right?

[MSperoni]

I think that's right... I'm pretty sure everything I have going down in the comic will work in the time-frame I give it.

The only thing you got wrong is that it's Boozloaf, not Aurox :)

[Doctroid]

Oh duh. I knew that.

[Arhra]

Best way of finding illusionary walls.

[BigDemonicBunny]

Also. It seems like we now know what Kit used her gunslinging skills for (mostly) while she ran with the Jeanne gang.
Bankrobberies.

[SaltyKracka]

Took me a bit to notice the first instance of the rifle, this page. Maybe a something a bit more to highlight it against the background would help?

[MSperoni]

It's a little too late for edits, I'm afraid :( (though it IS showing "stay" (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2012/08/14/the-dreadful-142/) and not "say" now...That's a surprise!)

Page 147! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2012/08/28/the-dreadful-147/)

I think if Kit knew where Lucas was she wouldn't wish him well...

[MSperoni]

Page 148! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2012/08/31/the-dreadful-148/)

Will Kit let things be, or pick a fight with Jeanne?

[BigDemonicBunny]

I can't tell if she's angry or terrified. The eyebrows say angry, the eyes say terrified.
If it's angry+terrified you've succeeded perfectly.

[MSperoni]

Hmm.. does angry/terrified fall into "OMFG"?

[Domestibot]

yeah, I'm thinking she's more surprised or can't believe her dumb luck that Jeanne is right in front of her.

Oh Kit, don't be a hero. Liz said you were dumb enough to try, but just please don't. You had hard enough time against Erin last time you saw her, and that was BEFORE she was hopped up on fairy magic. Now Jeanne is here too, and everything Liz has said suggests you can't take her alone.

[BigDemonicBunny]

Hmm.. does angry/terrified fall into "OMFG"?

Not a straight "OMFG" (the eyebrows arc strangely for that, those are definitely angry or at least annoyed eyebrows).

[epcharles]

Hmm.. does angry/terrified fall into "OMFG"?

If that's what you were going for, I'd say you captured it.

It is a bit like the look people get in that Springer moment where you know you are going to meet the woman your husband has been cheating with, and it turns out to be someone you know pretty well. It was sort of nice to see a familiar face you didn't expect... then you remembered what got you to this point in the first place. Oh, and then you want to kill them... but the camera is still rolling...

[Masterof7s]

Hmm.. does angry/terrified fall into "OMFG"?

I guess that depends on what Jeanne is capable of. Thus far we've seen no real indication of why people fear her the way they do (demon horse notwithstanding). Part of good storytelling means making sure your audience understands why characters think and feel they way they do without actually coming right out and saying it. You let context do all that for you.

You can see the terror/anger in Kit's eyes, but while we all know why she's angry with Jeanne (what with being shot in the back and all) we have no real context for why she would be terrified. Not yet anyway.

Also, I thought I was imagining things, but are Jeanne's thighs really that muscular? Woman's built like a brick house. Not that I'm complaining mind you.

[The SSB Intern]

Well Jeanne surrounds herself with crazy dangerous people like Kit, Liz, and Erin and she was the leader. That definitely implies she's very powerful herself.

[MSperoni]

Page 149! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2012/09/03/the-dreadful-149/)

Kit...changes her mind?

Or...is it something else?

This week we're doing three pages! Monday, Wednesday, and Friday!

[Odjn]

Jeanne sure is buff.

[MSperoni]

Yes. Yes she is. :D

[CABAL49]

I was reading back through from the beginning and I first want to say, I definitely like how you draw Kit now than before.

But also, I am not convinced the Dreadful was responsible for Burke. I am not saying it is not possible, but the scenes where Kit reacts to Burke's transformation could easily be a reaction to being sensitive to the supernatural. It seems clear that Kit didn't really grow up around other demons and doesn't know the full extent of her power.

[MSperoni]

More details regarding the zombies n' stuff will come to light relatively soon. :)

I plan to get a bit more into them in Chapter 7. I feel I've kinda let that plot thread hang too much. I also need to get back to Liz, and ... there's just a LOT of stuff!

I need to draw faster, dangit.

[Domestibot]

^ I agree with the above poster, Kit looks really awesome. However, I think I'm a bigger fan of the old Liz. The Dark Circles under her eyes fit much better, in my opinion, the old style, and I find her face too rough and angular now. I think you could comfortably find some medium between the two, after all, Boozloaf hardly changed at all, and Kit seems to have also kind of changed somewhat since you started the new style, to some kind of hybrid between the two.

It's not really a gripe or complaint, and we haven't seen Liz in awhile anyway... more just thinking out loud.

[rpgdemon]

I need to draw faster, dangit.

I had a dream that I was reading a comic, but I couldn't read anything until I drew it. That was pretty rough.

[Masterof7s]

Yes. Yes she is. :D

Any chance of seeing a jacketless Jeanne? Buff gals with strong shoulders and a wide back are a major turn-on for me. I dig the whole woman of iron thing.

[MSperoni]

I'm keen on athletic women too, and yes, Jeanne will take her coat off :)

[Doctroid]

Page 149! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2012/09/03/the-dreadful-149/)

Kit...changes her mind?

Or...is it something else?

Maybe she thinks... mere bullets aren't good enough for Jeanne? Not when Kit has THE DREADFUL?

This week we're doing three pages! Monday, Wednesday, and Friday!

BEST WEEK EVAR.

[Masterof7s]

I'm keen on athletic women too, and yes, Jeanne will take her coat off :)

Sweet.:D

[MSperoni]

Page 150! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2012/09/05/the-dreadful-150/)

It's about to get real...

[Doctroid]

More details regarding the zombies n' stuff will come to light relatively soon. :)

I plan to get a bit more into them in Chapter 7. I feel I've kinda let that plot thread hang too much. I also need to get back to Liz, and ... there's just a LOT of stuff!

I need to draw faster, dangit.

You know what The Dreadful needs to get back to? The Dreadful!

It's been a long time since the one time we've seen it, or even heard about it, and there are WAY too many unanswered questions about it. What does it really do? Where did it come from? How did Kit get it? Can anyone else possess it? Can anyone else use it? Are there more like it?

[Gitman]

So Jeanne not only heard the click, but was able to tell by the sound that Kit was decocking the gun rather than cocking it. Impressive. I can only imagine how she knew it was Kit to begin with.

Also, Kit needs to work on her bargaining skills. "As soon as you give me what I want, I'm going to kill you" isn't much of an incentive.

EDIT: A nitpick on the artwork too - Kit seems to be missing a face stripe in the final panel.

[MSperoni]

Jeanne is...very unique.

Let's just say she has a very heightened sense of awareness.

[BigDemonicBunny]

I've noticed it before that Jeanne rides bareback (something which can make you quite raw unless you're a very skilled rider. Or extraordinarily tough.
But I only just now noticed that Jeanne isn't carrying a gun. And never has in any of the frames.
So unless she can fetch a gun from hammerspace, exactly how badass do you have to be to figure that you can handle crazy gunmen, treacherous lieutenants and all sort of people with only your own natural abilities?
I'm guessing either:
1. Magic guns, or gunlike magic.
2. She's some sort of shapeshifter. Werewolf or Ogre or something else with some sort of battle form.
3. She's just that tough. Regeneration, Imperviousness or just great physical strength in combination the ability to survive wounds that would kill an elephant.
4. Combination of the previously mentioned stuff.

[MSperoni]

Originally I drew Jeanne riding her horse with reins, and I drew her with a rifle, but I've changed my mind. I guess I didn't plan it out well enough. Luckily I only drew her that way for a couple of pages.

I can't say exactly which numbers are correct in your theory, but, it's good that you noticed Jeanne isn't carrying a gun. I wondered when someone would point that out :D

[Krylo]

The world is her gun.

And she is the bullet.

[Masterof7s]

I know the height difference between Kit and Jeanne is more pronounced because of the incline of the hill, but how tall is Jeanne?

[MSperoni]

Well, the TVtropes (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=12989209200A43724200&page=47#1153) peeps figure around 5'10" since I said Kit is around 5 feet tall.

I only have rough estimates about how tall everyone is. Like, I figure Jeanne is *around* six feet, give or take a few inches. 5'10" is close enough if that's how tall you wanna think she is.

Maybe one day I will work on getting more exact measurements, for now it's good enough for me that Jeanne is a lot bigger than Kit.

[epcharles]

I had assumed that Jeanne was at the stage of her career where you didn't need to carry a gun anymore... even in the old west. I don't recall seeing the elder Vito Corleone carrying a gun either. Everyone just seemed to assume he could kill them whenever he felt like it, because, you know, he could.

Also, really really like the expressions in the closeup of kits face this page.

P.S. Yeah, what Gitman said, but the expression is still great.
.

[MSperoni]

It's kinda weird how often I forget to draw minor things. Like, I forget to draw Kit's face stripes more than it seems (I usually just always catch it at the last minute).

Another thing I sometimes will forget to draw is her tail.

[Domestibot]

I always kind of assumed the Dreadful had something to do with Kit's father. It was only a passing exchange between Kit and Liz, but it was something to the effect of

KIT: "I hate Wizards and the shit they make."

LIZ: "Wasn't your daddy a wizard?"

KIT:"Shut up!"

^ However comical and fluid those lines flowed, to me it seems there must be some kind of story behind it, and the Dreadful SEEMS to be magical and unique to Kit, so my money is on her father crafted it into her soul or something and she resents him for it.

[MSperoni]

Well, I'm not gonna confirm or deny anything regarding that, but it's nice to see how close you're paying attention :)

[Masterof7s]

Yeah, I did a reread from the beginning and realized that a great deal of the fear that people have surrounding Jeanne comes from her physical strength and unflinchingly brutal nature.

I mean tearing a guy's arms off and feeding them to him? Tearing off a troll's penis (ouch) and strangling him with it? Apparently Jeanne is a wookie, and yet Kit doesn't fear her.

[MSperoni]

The whole "cutting your dick off and ramming it down your throat" was an idea I stole from the Comanche Indians.

Not to say they were the only group of people who ever did that (I mean, scalping was done in ancient Europe), it's just I was reading "Empire of the Summer Moon" at the time and that was mentioned in it.

Needless to say it was something that stuck in my mind. Because: ouch.

[Masterof7s]

Well, the TVtropes (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=12989209200A43724200&page=47#1153) peeps figure around 5'10" since I said Kit is around 5 feet tall.

I only have rough estimates about how tall everyone is. Like, I figure Jeanne is *around* six feet, give or take a few inches. 5'10" is close enough if that's how tall you wanna think she is.

Maybe one day I will work on getting more exact measurements, for now it's good enough for me that Jeanne is a lot bigger than Kit.

5'10" puts her at around my height and given how muscular she is probably around my weight. (200-205 of mostly muscle). Definitely a big gal, though apparently wookie strong.

[MSperoni]

Page 151! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2012/09/07/the-dreadful-151/)

Jeanne kicks Kit's pride in the nuts.

[rpgdemon]

Just as a nitpickey thing, Kit's tail coming in from off panel made me think there was a weirdly placed text bubble down there.

[epcharles]

I like this! Two demure females. Not letting their pride get in the way of thing. Should end quietly, and without too much trouble.

[MSperoni]

Spoiler Alert: They hug and go their separate ways.

[Masterof7s]

Spoiler Alert: They hug and go their separate ways.

Aww, man...

*puts popcorn away*

[epcharles]

I assume at some point Jeanne will explain to Kit that she wasn't so stupid as to think a shot in the back would kill... and so... if it was her, she clearly wasn't trying very hard to kill Kit. This whole "you tried to kill me but left me alive" thing ain't working outside of Kit-logic.

Also interesting that Kit thinks it will be easy to kill Jeanne... but I suppose we have no proof yet that the right shot at close range wouldn't do it.

[BigDemonicBunny]

I assume at some point Jeanne will explain to Kit that she wasn't so stupid as to think a shot in the back would kill... and so... if it was her, she clearly wasn't trying very hard to kill Kit. This whole "you tried to kill me but left me alive" thing ain't working outside of Kit-logic.

Also interesting that Kit thinks it will be easy to kill Jeanne... but I suppose we have no proof yet that the right shot at close range wouldn't do it.

1. Well. It probably could have killed Kit if the bullets had been higher quality silver. So it all depends on if the shooter knew that the bullets were shoddy or not.
2. I'm fairly sure Kit isn't the best judge of who she's a match for. While she's won the fights so far....well, lets just say that "coming out unscathed from a fight" doesn't really seem to be Kits style.

As a sidenote. Kit/Jeanne showdown. FUCK. YES!

[MSperoni]

Page 152! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2012/09/10/the-dreadful-152/)

*plays showdown music*

(though in this case, one of the people in the showdown doesn't actually have a gun)

[BigDemonicBunny]

Holy fuck yes!

[Domestibot]

Yeah, it's interesting to me at this point Jeanne has neither confirmed or denied that she shot kit, or even had kit shot in the first place. Liz suggested POE of all people did it, but who knows if that's true.

[Masterof7s]

*squees like a little girl at the sight of Jeanne sans coat* Now that my friends is woman!

Ahem! Sorry bout that. Seriously though, Matt it's like you're in my head about the kind of woman I like. Womanly biceps, strong shoulders, legs like tree trunks, wide back, and is that a six-pack I see under her shirt....mmmmm, ahhhhh......pardon me I need to clean up the drool.

[BigDemonicBunny]

I'd just have to restate that I'm a huge fan of the way your drawing Jeanne. In fact, as far as woman powerhouse goes you've trumphed the vast majority of artists employed by Marvel (where most fail spectaculary at drawing a good She-Hulk).
Or DC for that matter.

[MSperoni]

Glad you like the way she looks.

What helps might be that I don't think Sports Illustrated Swimsuit models are the only way to draw women. Every main character has their own body type. Even Kit and Poe are different. They're twins, but Kit's had a more rigorous life and has exerted herself a lot more physically than Poe, and so she's a bit more muscular. Not like Jeanne, but Kit's anatomy has changed a lot since the Big Eagle Beer advert.

[Gitman]

The picture isn't loading for 153.

[MSperoni]

Page 153! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2012/09/12/the-dreadful-153/)

Building the tension!

[Domestibot]

Goddamn tension!

[phil_]

Tension is the worst thing. I'm gonna write a bunch of bad reviews to lower tension's Metacritic score.

[Gitman]

The picture isn't loading for 153.

Ah, there it is. I can't wait to see how Jeanne's going to outfight a bullet with fisticuffs. Because my trope-sense tells me there's no way Kit kills her this early in the story. :D

[Doctroid]

Ah, there it is. I can't wait to see how Jeanne's going to outfight a bullet with fisticuffs. Because my trope-sense tells me there's no way Kit kills her this early in the story. :D

They're pretty close together, I doubt if Kit would get off more than one shot before Jeanne is on top of her. If Kit misses, or fails to fire, she's in big trouble. She'd have to be pretty flustered, though, to miss at this range, or to miss her chance to shoot. Jeanne does have her worked up, but I wouldn't think she'd count on it.

So maybe she knows something Kit doesn't know. Like she has a sniper positioned nearby, or she's got some anti-bullet magic, or something.

[Odjn]

This better not turn into How I Killed Your Ass.

edit: I cannot wait to see Jeanne's Bullshit Kung Fu. No sarcasm, really. Seriously!

[Gitman]

They're pretty close together, I doubt if Kit would get off more than one shot before Jeanne is on top of her. If Kit misses, or fails to fire, she's in big trouble. She'd have to be pretty flustered, though, to miss at this range, or to miss her chance to shoot. Jeanne does have her worked up, but I wouldn't think she'd count on it.

So maybe she knows something Kit doesn't know. Like she has a sniper positioned nearby, or she's got some anti-bullet magic, or something.

In real life, at that range most self-defense instructors advise you to duck and swoop in to deflect the gun for the best chance to avoid being shot. But in real life, there aren't gunslingers who can shoot the thumbs off three gunmen and/or the hammer off their weapon before any of them gets a shot off. :D

[BigDemonicBunny]

Oh she's FAST.
Probably hits like a freighttrain too.

So basically a superlative Lightning Bruiser.

[Doctroid]

And of course Kit is all fresh and ready for a fight, having done nothing this morning but get kicked around by giant vampire zombies.

[Spinell]

And of course Kit is all fresh and ready for a fight, having done nothing this morning but get kicked around by giant vampire zombies.
Yeah but it's Kit who thought she could take Jeanne and its not as bad for her as it would be for a human. She's supposed to regenerate faster than other pinkies (do the pinkies have another name?).

And we know how fast Kit is. Killed a guy with is own gun in midair. I guess she wanted to go for speed instead precision for Jeanne but apparently she is even faster.

[Masterof7s]

Yup, saw this comin'.

Woman doesn't carry a gun, is built like a damn tank, and has no fear of someone as skilled as Kit. It was kinda obvious those muscles weren't for show.

Still, Jeanne was on top of Kit so fast she broke the damn sound barrier! Holy fuck!

[Domestibot]

Something else I've noticed about Jeanne, she doesn't seem to have a western/southern accent, and she's very well-spoken. If you had to place her accent when you hear her speak in your head, Matt, what would it be?

Also, I know she's a ruthless killer, but She seemed cordial enough to offer Kit up a chance for escape, forgiving even the opportunity kit had to shoot her from behind. I'd say she's very honourable for someone of her reputation... she doesn't strike me as the type to have Kit shot in the manner that she was. Her remark to the accusation was more a "I see..." as in "I see, you think I had you shot." than a "I see, Yeah, that was me. Totally did it."

[Krylo]

As I said: Jeanne is the bullet.

[MSperoni]

Something else I've noticed about Jeanne, she doesn't seem to have a western/southern accent, and she's very well-spoken. If you had to place her accent when you hear her speak in your head, Matt, what would it be?

Jeanne is relatively sophisticated and her accent would be of a Southern variety, but with a far less twang than Kit's.

[phil_]

(do the pinkies have another name?)Devilkin. I even searched for a post by Peroni using the term, (http://www.nuklearforums.com/showpost.php?p=1198305&postcount=131) just to make sure I wasn't making it up.

[Bard The 5th LW]

Kit may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer (unless its a drawer of puns and bullets) but I'd assume she'd walk into this confrontation with -some- sort of trick or plan in mind. Its not as though she's unaware of what Jeanne is capable of!

[Spinell]

Devilkin. I even searched for a post by Peroni using the term, (http://www.nuklearforums.com/showpost.php?p=1198305&postcount=131) just to make sure I wasn't making it up.
Ah, thanks thats right, i read that before. Somehow i managed to forget. :(

[MSperoni]

It's "Devikin" and "Speroni" , actually , not "devilkin" and "Peroni" :D

But that's pretty close!

[BigDemonicBunny]

Wait, you mean the MSp doesn't stand for MS Paint? :P

[phil_]

It's "Devikin" and "Speroni" , actually , not "devilkin" and "Peroni" :D

But that's pretty close!http://i.imgur.com/UvusK.jpg

I'm sorry.

[epcharles]

My guess is that Kit's "plan" was similar to her way of dealing with the vampire-zombie-transformer thingy: Take a beating, get the right shot in at the right moment, walk away.

Meanwhile, Jeanne's plan is something like: Give a beating, don't let Kit get a good shot, walk away.

While The Dreadful has been successfully surprising, I'm pretty sure they will both succeed at implementing Step 1 ;- )
.

[Odjn]

MSperoni: Kit ever see Jeanne do the Flash impression before?

[MSperoni]

I think it's safe to assume Kit has, since she has been in Jeanne's gang for awhile. I'm not 100% sure if the two have ever fought before, but I'd imagine Jeanne would've showed off her skills at least once in the course of their outlaw antics.

[Doctroid]

My guess is that Kit's "plan" was similar to her way of dealing with the vampire-zombie-transformer thingy: Take a beating, get the right shot in at the right moment, walk away.

Meanwhile, Jeanne's plan is something like: Give a beating, don't let Kit get a good shot, walk away.

While The Dreadful has been successfully surprising, I'm pretty sure they will both succeed at implementing Step 1 ;- )
.

I wouldn't have believed it, but neither has accomplished Step 1 yet!

[MSperoni]

Page 155! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2012/09/17/the-dreadful-155/)

ACTION!

[Kalbelgarion]

And in all that action she didn't even lose her hat!

(It's a very fine hat)

[MSperoni]

It must be an anti-gravity hat.

[Doctroid]

That's what the horns are FOR.

[MSperoni]

I assumed Kalbelgarion meant Jeanne, actually.

[Doctroid]

Oh, well, she just uses body glue.

[phil_]

So, I assume Kit knew that shooting Jeane in the leg wouldn't slow her down. 'Cause that first panel, man, clear shot right there.

[SaltyKracka]

Oh, Erin. You should know that superpowers are super by now.

[Odjn]

Interesting that Kit managed to dodge and got somewhat close to nailing Jeanne with that shot. I suppose that Jeanne is vulnerable to shootin' if she's bothering to dodge it.

Maybe now we know why Liz wanted Kit to back her up.

[BigDemonicBunny]

I'm guessing that Kit is pretty familiar with Jeannes abilities and tactics. Either that or she got a lot faster since she faced off against that super-zombie, because she managed to dodge Jeannes MUCH faster punch but not the slower zombie strike.

Or maybe jeanne should take the hint from the zombie and go for harder-to-dodge body strikes instead of trying to finish the fight in one-hit-crit punch (it's harder to move your center of gravity out of the way).

P.S: Nice ass display there in frame 1. :P

[Bum Bill Bee]

...Butt....Butt...Butt....

[Masterof7s]

Moves like lightning, probably hits like a two-ton freighter.

It one of those punches connects, Kit is gonna need more than her devikin healing factor.

[Domestibot]

Well, I don't feel like looking back to check, but didn't that zombie monster have some super long arm, or was that the Christmas Grunchy monster of doom? Might explain why Kit has an easier time dodging Jeanne thus far if it is the case.

[Gitman]

I can't quite tell what's going on in the last panel of 156. Nice job showcasing the speed of both parties, though.

[MSperoni]

She's cocking the hammer of her revolver.


Also, Page 156! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2012/09/19/the-dreadful-156/)

[epcharles]

Is it bad if, in the last frame of 155, I hear Erin talking an Dragon Ball Z voice?

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaa, How is she so faaaaaaaaaaaaast?"

<sound of scouter eye-piece being crushing>

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
.

[epcharles]

Oddly though, I note that it is the Fairy asking the question... right. (Still heard in Dragonball voice, but now higher pitch.)

[MSperoni]

Well, I've described this scene as Shonen-esque, and what is Shonen without someone yelling pointless comments from the sideline?

[Krylo]

what is Shonen without someone yelling pointless comments from the sideline?

Mo-like ShoNONE.

[Doctroid]

She's cocking the hammer of her revolver.
Ah, OK. Obvious once you compare to #154, but I didn't see it on my own.

[Doctroid]

Oddly though, I note that it is the Fairy asking the question... right.
Sure... Erin presumably is already familiar with Jeanne's talents.

[Gitman]

She's cocking the hammer of her revolver.


Also, Page 156! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2012/09/19/the-dreadful-156/)

Ah, got it. I was thinking that was a body part, but I see it now.

EDIT:
Sure... Erin presumably is already familiar with Jeanne's talents.

I wasn't sure if she was talking about Jeanne or Kit, for the same reason. I figured Erin would know what Jeanne can do by now.

[MSperoni]

Page 157! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2012/09/21/the-dreadful-157/)

SPIN!

This scene will read a lot better (hopefully) once all the pages of it have been posted.

(that's the problem with action scenes like this)

[Doctroid]

I wasn't sure if she was talking about Jeanne or Kit, for the same reason. I figured Erin would know what Jeanne can do by now.

I guess Kit must be pretty fast -- she seems to be dodging as fast as Jeanne's throwing. Unless there's something going on I haven't figured out.

Erin just turned up last night in the comic's timeline, right? So I wouldn't expect her to know much about Jeanne.

[Loyal]

I doubt Erin would still be sticking around Jeanne if she didn't previously know her, what with her assignment getting her shot in the head and all.

Also if I'm not mistaken Liz had prior knowledge of Erin as well, so there's that.

[MSperoni]

I'm going to start trying to do a better job of explaining details EARLY rather than putting them off till later :D

I have an explanation for just about everything, but I'm not keen on infodumping so I tend to avoid giving out information until I feel the moment is right for it.

[Gitman]

Kit's CQC experience is showing here. She moves under Jeanne's blow, gets behind her, and turns to face her using the spinning momentum to bring her gun about, all in one fluid movement. Very nice.

[Domestibot]

"I lay a hand on you and you are one dead little girl."
"So lay a hand on me." :3

[Doctroid]

Erin just turned up last night in the comic's timeline, right? So I wouldn't expect her to know much about Jeanne.

Gaah, I've been having real trouble keeping my names straight. I meant Ith just turned up last night, not Erin.

[Lord-of-Filing]

Keep in mind, Kit only gets 5 more shots. With Jeanne being as fast as she is, there is no way she'll be able to reload a revolver and dodge those punches at the same time.

If the Dreadful requires any concentration at all to summon, she won't be able to do that either.

I don't doubt her abilities in your standard hand-to-hand bar room brawl, but evidence suggests this is anything but. She looks like she's just barely keeping up.

In other words, Kit has five more chances to end this duel in her favor. Six if she can summon the Dreadful and keep dodging at the same time. After that she's screwed.