The Dreadful -- Chapter 10

[MSperoni]

232! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2013/08/14/the-dreadful-232/)

I told you Chapter 9 was short :D

BACK TO KIT. yaaaaay

[epcharles]

I'm pretty sure they don't need to worry about "pinky powers of seduction"... that isn't Kit's style if she wants them dead.

.

[BigDemonicBunny]

No. Her style is more:

1. Summon dreadful.
2. Make 'em dead.
3. ???
4. Profit

It's still a bad idea to untie her hands.

[MSperoni]

Thing about her summoning The Dreadful is that even though the comic has been up on the site for nearly three years and is 230+ updates long, it *still* hasn't been 24 hours since she last used it.

So she'll have to do something else!

[MSperoni]

233! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2013/08/21/the-dreadful-233/)

Kit is the puppetmaster.

[Gitman]

233! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2013/08/21/the-dreadful-233/)

Kit is the puppetmaster.

...or at least she thinks she is. I suspect she's either letting her ego get the better of her, or deliberately grandstanding.

[MSperoni]

Kit can be quite the ham.

[epcharles]

Well.... she might have seduced the dumb men... but I'd be impressed if she'd gotten the female trees on her side.

On the other hand... she could just get everyone arguing about whether or not she seduced any of them, and just casually walk away while they are distracted.

[MSperoni]

I'm kinda surprised that this recent update hasn't gotten any complaints. I thought my "Kit Booty Bam" panel woulda gotten me some "That's Problematic" words thrown my way.

Not that I did that for that reason...I did it because I thought it made the whole thing a bit funnier to me.

Then again I guess no one on NPF really pays attention to the comic anymore anyway. At least that's the impression I get. TVtropes seems to be the place to be for Dreadful comments these days.

Tsk tsk. You all will miss Kit when she's gone!

[phil_]

I'm kinda surprised that this recent update hasn't gotten any complaints.I figured I'd wait and see where you were going with this. I didn't know there was a rush.

[MSperoni]

Feel free to rush! Or not say anything. Whatevs. I'll probably keep going with it how I want to anyway :D

I seem incapable of gaining readers so the least I can do is have as much fun as possible with it before I have to move on.

That's why I'm kinda switchin' it up here lately.

[Loranna]

Hey, long time lurker, first time poster saying, we the unseen and unheard are enjoying the heck out of The Dreadful, least in these neck of the woods :)

Also, I totally expect the dryads to calmly march up to Kit and reveal that they were planning on seducing her in this "cleansing" in the first place, totally throwing our heroine's game off. And causing Wacky Hijinks of the Benny Hill kind.

Or something even more incredible that I could never predict. Either/or; I'm not picky. :dance:

Loranna

[MSperoni]

If I have Kit and the Dryads get into some sorta super sexy seducing competition, I'd *really* be "problematic"!

Thanks for commenting! Glad you and the other lurkers are enjoying it :)

[Loranna]

*Camera cuts away to the shocked, scandalized, and outraged faces of the human detectives while Something Happens beyond our view*?

:D

Loranna

[MSperoni]

That or "death by anime nose-bleed" :)

[Gillsing]

I'm kinda surprised that this recent update hasn't gotten any complaints. I thought my "Kit Booty Bam" panel woulda gotten me some "That's Problematic" words thrown my way.
I think it comes off more as a parody. Even if she did manipulate them it still comes off as a joke. Makes me think that you're making fun of Adam Black's succubi who manipulate people with their Voice. And yes, movements too, but they are much too refined for booty bams. In fact, I can't recall ever seeing a booty bam as anything other than a joke. Mostly in Sinfest.

Tsk tsk. You all will miss Kit when she's gone!
What? Where is she going? Is she going to die? Or is she going to retire to a life that'll become too boring for further comics? :ohdear:

[Octopops]

I just re-registered to post that I've been a long time lurker since the 8-bit era, posting once in a blue moon and forgetting my account name over the years


I love The Dreadful. Don't pay attention to comments in judging how many readers you have, look at website statistics :)

If those are low and stagnating, well, ok, sucks. I don't think The Dreadful is to blame though, it would possibly be the format. Probably nothing beats a physical comic even in modern days.


Kit's reaction was a bit awkward because she is usually depicted as serious even when she does funny things, while in this case the scene is clearly making fun of the situation in an unusual way.

The seducing itself, I see it as added depth to the character more than something out of character. No complaint from me, so long as it turns out to be as cool as the rest of the comic ! :)

[SaltyKracka]

This update may just have been your best update.

Kit is the largest ham.

With the best hams.

[MSperoni]

What? Where is she going? Is she going to die? Or is she going to retire to a life that'll become too boring for further comics? :ohdear:

Well I said "Kit" but I meant "The Dreadful". I've been making comics for nearly three years now and I don't have enough readers to make it worth pursuing much further. It eats up a ton of my time and I get no money for it, so I'm going to have to move on whether I like it or not. Unless something changes. The Dreadful is a fantastic setting with fun characters and has plenty to offer content wise, so it's possible I could wake up one day and find myself swimming with readers (but I'm not betting on it! :D).

I thought about trying to promote it or make merchandise like t-shirts and mugs and whatever, or maybe set up a Paypal donation system. But since I can't get the majority of the people on NPF to talk about it or read it, I feel trying to do all that other stuff would be a waste of time and effort.

I really appreciate the fans I have though, and I'm gonna wrap it up here on nuklearpower and do the best job I can. I won't abandon the comic in the middle of a chapter. If people are screaming at me to continue, I'll set up its own website and go from there. The comic having its own site could do it a lot of good.

I like nuklearpower, but even though The Dreadful has had 230+ updates over the course of two and a half years, I never felt like it truly belonged here. Like something was being held against it because I wasn't Clevinger. Not that I expect everyone who reads it to like it, or that I think I'm a better writer than him, but it's amazing how many people just won't give it a chance for no apparent reason. Even people I'm friends with! I'm not entitled to anything, but it's like...c'mon, what gives? Help a bro out! :D

When I see threads pop up on NPF that ask "Why do people still come to this site? There's nothing here anymore" it pisses me off and the 8-10 hours a day I spend working on the comic no longer feel worth it. It makes me think "What have I done with my life in these past few years?"

So that's not good!

Anyway, I'm going to do the best job I can and try to have as much fun as possible. The Dreadful's swan song ought to be pretty good. May as well go out with a bang :D

(That's how Kit would want it).




I love The Dreadful.

See? This kinda stuff is good to hear every once in awhile! :D I feed off praise like Unicron devouring a planet.

Delicious adulation. Nom nom nom.





With the best hams.


There's some song someone made awhile ago that I think would be appropriate in the context but I can't remember what it is...

Something about liking large posteriors and not lying about it.

[Kalbelgarion]

Keep in mind the 99-1 ratio. For every person who takes the time to comment, there are 99 more readers out there who enjoy the content without giving feedback.

I thought the "cheesecake" would be much, much worse. After the previous page, and the God-awful comics you were parodying in the flashback, I was prepped for the worst. The little shake was nothing compared to the dreadful (heh) direction I thought you were going with this.

[Loki]

I just registered to give some encouragement. I think The Dreadful is one of the better current webcomics. I've seen your art style evolve as the comic progresses. The characters are likable, even the villains. The storyline is interesting although I feel like we haven't gotten to the true plot yet. I'd like to see what happens next.

I've been working on a creative endeavor myself (writing a book) and have been doing some research about how to be successful. Actually producing content is just the start, you have to promote your work too. Of course make use of social media (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Reddit, Tumblr, Pinterest, etc). Try to get on the top webcomic sites and encourage your followers to go vote you up. Try to get bloggers to do a review of your comic. Maintain a blog of your own. I'm sure there is other stuff but that would probably be a good start.

Just think about all the gifted writers, artists, musicians that go unnoticed while talentless hacks make it big. It's not fair that people who produce absolute trash sell millions of books/albums but it is what it is. Learn how to self promote and harness the power of the internet. It'll at least give you a chance.

[Octopops]

If you really managed to work 8-10 hours a day for 3 years and for free, that's some amazing persistence you have there. Like, completely outstanding stuff. You can do lots in the future with that personality trait.

Regarding The Dreadful I would clearly hate to see it go, but I agree that you can't keep going on like that. You need to make some money off of it or relegate it to hobby status or to oblivion. >_<

I'm way too poor myself to send you back up - actually I wouldn't mind that you send me some xD. But I can at least suggest stuff. You apparently have a decent number of readers even though it's stagnating, so there's something to leverage.

Now it's hard to start selling something that you've been giving for free, so you need momentum and added value. Also, MVP - Minimum Viable Product - so that you can have something to sell soon instead of risking many more months of work for potentially poor results.

IMO the best way is to start with a small physical books. But what to put inside ? How to leverage The Dreadful's fan base ?

Well first, who are they ? If they are interested in what's up behind the scenes, you could provide a short side story of the Dreadful with clear winks to the main story maybe, or with elements that would add depth and flavor to the world. Then add pages that explain where your inspiration comes from and how you are working, along with some dreadful trivia. This part could be made of text and drawings rather than walls of text, since your fan base is reading comics.

First make 100 copies of your 20 or so pages book, each copy having a unique number (1/100, 2/100). See how fast they sell, that will be good feedback - but you need some momentum before you do start selling.

Then if it went well, make some more copies. You'll know if and when you can start making other books, although be careful not to let momentum fall by waiting too much.

You most likely won't get rich but you'll get experience in making a living out of your passion, and earn some money on the side. This should make The Dreadful worth your time again, hopefully :)


Also if you do have a decent amount of readers, it would definitely be worth it to have your own site / blog on top of what you already have. Seems way easier to make a name for yourself and leverage your existing fan base this way.

[Gitman]

It may be worth it to host a Kickstarter to fund a print run. I'd donate!

[Bum Bill Bee]

I can't see Kit's attempted seduction working. Surely they's be smart enough to send Asexual dryads against her right?

[MSperoni]

Thanks for the useful advice!

The whole "business/promotional" side of The Dreadful is something I've never been brave enough to attempt so I've just been focusing on making pages in the hopes that word of mouth will do all that work for me :D

Naive? Probably!

I think the reason a lot of crappy things get really popular is because their creators spend all their time promoting it and themselves rather than working to produce quality content. That or they just happen to be in the right place at the right time.

[Octopops]

The whole "business/promotional" side of The Dreadful is something I've never been brave enough to attempt so I've just been focusing on making pages in the hopes that word of mouth will do all that work for me

Against all odds it seems that money doesn't grow on trees, I checked many species in vain :(

Even if you get known you still have to find a way to monetize. Even Facebook had to face this issue and they chose to pimp us :D

But getting featured regularly on Nuklear Power near the end of 8-bit was quite a good deal for you. I don't know how that happened but it is promotional, so you've probably been playing the game already without paying attention.

Success comes from work, network, marketing and luck. You're already quite on the way from what I can see :)

[Loki]

Do you know how many unique hits your comic gets? Having your own site may be something that would give you more information and control. You can monitor when people view your comic, how many unique ips visit your page, etc. You could use google adsense or something else to pay for webhosting. You could have character information, wallpapers, etc. It may be something to think about.

[MSperoni]

I'm thinking of setting up a Paypal donation thing where if you donate a minimum amount you get a wallpaper. Sorta like what 8-bit did a long time ago.

Not really sure how to go about doing that. I'd have to run it by Brian.

I've also been working on a Character/Plot FAQ. I'd have it finished, but I'm blazing through the pages so fast I'm having to constantly update it!

[Red Mage Black]

Hmmm... looking through this, then I think to myself... "What obscure thing can we bring up that might get more adoring fans?" Then I believe I had an epiphany. Perish the thought, but we must have 'fanmade characters'. Like some other folks do.

I was going to make another bold suggestion, but it would have far more implications than a simple booty shake.

[MSperoni]

Fanmade characters might be fun. If this was an easier to comic to produce I'd be all about making all sorts of side stuff. I don't mind guest comics though or fanfics if someone wants to make them.

I'm not sure I wanna push the fanservice too far. I'm not that desperate for ratings (yet)! :D

[phil_]

Introduce Gateball or disc golf. Everyone loves sports comics.

[Arhra]

I think you just need a bit more visibility - it's not terribly obvious when a new comic's gone up. I basically stick my nose in here every week or so to see what new ones there are.

[Atma]

Long time lurker here, after reading this thread I thought I'd share my 2 cents as an avid reader and hopefully give you some insight or encouragement.

First, kudos to you for working so hard on something you're passionate about. I can't tell you the number of people I've encountered in my life that have really great ideas or interests but never choose to pursue them because they "don't have time" or some other nonsense, and here you are putting a huge time investment into this comic simply because it's what you wanted to do. That's a fantastic work ethic and exactly what you need to be successful as an artist. I hope even if The Dreadful has a premature demise it helped you grow as an artist for future endeavors.

Next, I can sympathize with your feelings that The Dreadful never really felt at home with Nuklear Power. I have a number of friends that enjoyed reading 8-bit Theater and exactly zero of them gave The Dreadful a chance even after my recommendation. I think this is because 8-bit theater attracted a very specific demographic (Old-school video game and Final Fantasy fans) while The Dreadful attracts another (Sci-fi fantasy, hand drawn comic) and while there is a bit of overlap, it probably isn't very significant. I think having an independent website would go a long way towards promoting the comic since Nuklear Power, as a website, feels like it's primarily meant to advertise a comic that has long since ended.

For the comic itself, in my opinion episodic entertainment such as comic books or television shows rely on cliff hangers or large amounts of shock or intrigue to keep the public coming back for more (This is less true for comedy, as each episode is simply a bite-sized punch line that is self sustaining). For novels and movies you're allowed more leeway for exposition or suspense since viewers paid for a complete story and are willing to see it through to the end, while episodic entertainment needs more of a pull. For me, this comic peaked my interest in two points: When it was revealed that Poe may have shot Kit, and when Kit was facing off against Jean. The latter being more recent began last September -- almost a year ago.

Things such as ninja horses are cute and add character to The Dreadful's world, but it doesn't provide a lot of shock or intrigue that really makes me wanting to come back for more. I'm not a writer so it's difficult for me to offer solutions, but the plot moving more rapidly may be beneficial. Also, I really like Boozloaf as a character and I want to know what's up with him.

That's all I got. Hopefully my opinion helped you some, and I'm looking forward to more of The Dreadful or whatever future endeavors you take on next.

[MSperoni]

Useful advice! Thanks for chiming in :)

I'll try to pick up the pace from now on. I'll be as shocking and intriguing as possible. The scenes with Bludkolt, Liz, and Umami all have something to do with the plot though, but I guess it's too slow to develop. Also with the way the comic updates, it makes things really drag out. It might be months before a scene finishes.

I've drastically altered the way I compose scenes though, so I'm hoping the changes will make the comic a lot more fun to read. And "quicker" (I didn't make these changes until recently so the comic has a few updates to go through before they're evident).

[Admiral Skippy]

Hey, I'm another fan of the comic who registered to show support, you've done some very fine work Mr Speroni! Kit is an entertaining and engaging antihero, but still maintains a core of vulnerability that you can connect to. In fact all of your characters are three dimensional in their own way, no one feels like they're simply a role the plot needs which has been turned into a character. The art is gorgeous, and the setting achieves that balance you want where it feels full and like it stretches out far past our little window into it, without the reader being swamped with infodumps.

Anyhow, you're in a position where you want more readers, and ideally you'd like to start making some proper money from your work, as you deserve. You can fix both of these things, and here's some suggestions as to how:

- Get a donation button set up on the site, as you've said you're thinking of doing. You'd be surprised how many people right now want to support you, but can't. I can't afford much, but I'd still like to make some small recompense for all the high quality entertainment you've provided me. If there are some more people who feel like I do, (and there will be), we'll be doing well won't we?

- Develop a regular schedule and stick to it. This allows readers to look forward to updates, and fosters an atmosphere of speculation and discussion between them. (Just the kind of thing you've been saying you wanted more of in fact.) You don't have to up the rate or anything, just make it regular. The really cool thing is, a set update schedule allows you to do bonus updates, which are paid for by donations, and hence incentivize donations via something more than goodwill. The very popular web serial Worm uses this system, for example your update day might be Tuesday, and you'd then set a limit, say fifty dollars, and once the donations had reached that level, your readers could look forward to an additional update on for example Thursday. Obviously as the fan following grows, you can increase the donation limit- this is exactly what Worm's author did, you can Worm's donate page for reference here (http://parahumans.wordpress.com/donate/). He started at a fifty dollar limit I believe, it's been six hundredfor a while now and he currently has five bonus updates queued, do you like the sound of those numbers? :)

-Get your own site to mirror the comic on. You don't want to take it off of here- being on the same site as the 8-Bit Theatre is a valuable draw of new readers. But you want something, possibly for a bit of ad revenue, but more importantly somewhere with the facility for your donate button and bonus update counter not to be in a corner of someone else's site, as well as possibly the option to discuss under the comics. It doesn't have to be expensive or highly technical to set up- a simple blogspot, disqus or wordpress domain might well offer what you want.

-It would be good to try and up the pacing a little, bot for the good reasons Atma mentioned, and equally important if slightly more mercenary ones. If the pacing is fast, something big happens in each couple comics, and ever few comics has a cliffhanger, then it helps foster more fan discussion and speculation, this ups your readers, which ups your donations, etc..

-Don't be afraid to go onto other forums and push the comic! You'd be surprised how much people cherish the opportunity to chat with the author once they're hooked on a series- this is a big part of how you cultivate regular donors.

Thanks for reading thus far, I hope the suggestions were helpful. I'm also making a thread on my home forum dedicated to the comic (http://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/the-dreadful.268478/), as you'll see if you poke around, we have quite a few members, so hopefully you'll get a few more readers rather soon! :)

[Jhan Robear]

I've apparently been part of the silent majority for too long. I don't know if it means much but I always enjoy reading your comic. I love the characters, enjoy the story, and sigh enviously at your artistic skills.

It's become part of my routine to check every day for updates and feel sadness when if it's not there. I'm only one barely above broke, just got his first decent job nerd, but I'd be happy to make small donations if it could help. Also as someone who's always daydreamed about making my ideas come alive, don't stop if it's something you are passionate about. I'll tell all my friends about your comic. Maybe they'll even listen. :-)

[MSperoni]

Page 234! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2013/08/28/the-dreadful-234/)

She's just a stupid pinky.

Also to the two commenters above: Thanks for the input! I'm really happy to see all the support the comic is getting lately. Keep it up! :D

[Admiral Skippy]

Hahahaha, I do not envy those lawmen in trying to explain this in a report later. :D

[Chaos Sepher]

I am trying to figure out if these guys are kinda smart or seriously stupid.

[Smith]

Hey, just registered to add my two cents here. I wouldn't worry too much about the pacing now. The new format works really well in regards to that issue, IMO. You don't need to have major plot points coming up that often, just try to end each update on sort of a cliffhanger note.

Also, I really enjoy the comic. It's good stuff. I know it might be rough to get your own website set up, but if it helps your comic(s) take off, it'll be worth it.

[MSperoni]

Thanks! That's one reason I switched to the new format, I felt the comic read better that way. :D

What I'm going to try to do is have each update be it's own scene, connect to the previous comic, and also have a kind of "cliffhanger" to it. That's probably too advanced for me to attempt writing-wise at this point, but like when I play video games, I always start on the hardest setting :)

[Gillsing]

Kit sure has a tricky mouth. ::V:

I think this is because 8-bit theater attracted a very specific demographic (Old-school video game and Final Fantasy fans)
I for one never played Final Fantasy. I got wind of 8-bit Theater through a reference to Red Mage and his minmaxing and stat juggling. And that was on the Neverwinter Nights forums, way back in 2002 or so. And whether it's RPG fans or FF fans, I think it was Brian's clever mix of extreme personalities, absurd logic and terrible consequences that made 8-bit Theater so popular. In The Dreadful the personalities are not nearly as extreme, the logic not nearly as absurd, and the consequences not nearly as terrible (as far as we know).

while The Dreadful attracts another (Sci-fi fantasy, hand drawn comic) and while there is a bit of overlap, it probably isn't very significant.
This I agree with. Some advertising on Top Web Comics and/or through Project Wonderful should get a diverse group of eyeballs who already read webcomics, while relying on the Nuklear Power visitors might be free and easy, but so very limiting.

As for the pacing, I have this feeling that nothing much has happened or been resolved in The Dreadful. But I get that feeling with a lot of webcomics, and I don't know if it's true or if it's just me. Sometimes I think that some artists just like to draw, so when the artist is in charge of the pacing, things can get drawn out. If the writer is in charge and has to pay the artist for every page, there is suddenly a financial incentive to get the story told in fewer pages. But what do I know? :sweatdrop

Maybe all the pieces will come together at the end, like in a Seinfeld episode? :)

[Krylo]

Pacing is tricky, because while too slow leaves it feeling like things aren't being resolved, too fast leaves it feeling like nothing makes sense.

That said, some webcomics are best left for a few weeks and checked all at once, rather than reading every update.

[Toaste]

Long time lurker (2003 ish) here who had to register to offer support. Part of my daily sweep of the web includes stopping in to see if a new comic was posted or something interesting was said in the forums.

For every person posting, there are untold masses not posting. Take heart, I am confident that you have far more fans than you realize.

Many of us have some discretionary funds that we would be willing to throw your way to help ensure the continued Kit addiction. Donation button, kickstart project (who wouldn't love a Kit t-shirt or hat), etc would all be welcome. Also, having your own site would mean potential advertising revenue...

Keep up the great work and we will try to do a better job of spreading the Dreadful word!

[MSperoni]

If the writer is in charge and has to pay the artist for every page, there is suddenly a financial incentive to get the story told in fewer pages.

Thought about that myself, actually. Maybe I should start pretending like I'm paying for the art.

I've read a lot more manga than I have western comics, so maybe their influence is causing me to move slowly. Like in One Piece or Naruto where it takes 300 pages to finish a fight with one villain. Difference is that in manga they have a lot of assistants (even though only one person gets credit). I'm just one person so I can only do so much (and maintain a quality I'm happy with).

I've thought about ways to increase my output. A colorist would be nice, because I wouldn't have to put so much work into the drawing. Black and white with minimal greyscale toning is more time consuming than it might seem. The line work has to pull all the weight, so I have to spend a lot of time adjusting it so the panel is readable. Also color tends to hide a lot of a drawing's inadequacies.

Coloring the pages myself would end up taking longer, though. So it's not something I feel I can do.

Besides I think black and white lends a "cheap" feel to The Dreadful's tone. Like "Lone wolf and Cub" or "Sin City" or "Maus" or something along those lines. Maybe I should drop the quality a little more, actually. Make it all grungy. At least visually.

[Admiral Skippy]

Remember, all this stuff about design is great, but you also want to start making money, and this isn't going to happen until you get a donation button. You seem to me to be rather a purist artist kind of guy, who mainly thinks about his work, and that's laudable in this day and age. But monetization is important too, indeed it's essential if you want to turn your passion into a living. If anyone deserves that, you do.

[MSperoni]

Yeah I'm going to do that once I get a website set up. I'd like to have that all ready to go by the end of the year.

My work situation makes things a little tricky. But I'm going to get things reorganized in the next few months and get things done!

[Admiral Skippy]

That sounds awesome man. :)

Eagerly awaiting new chapter, and yeah I can empathize with having aa complicated work situation haha.

[MSperoni]

Page 235! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2013/09/04/the-dreadful-235/)

Kit's not just a pretty face! (but we already knew that)

[Loranna]

Well, Kit's got quite a punch. Not as good a punch as Jeanne's, I'm guessing, but good enough for these two!

Silly detective; whyfore did you not keep drawing your gun when you knew Kit couldn't shoot you? You might have still had teeth left if you had! :)

Loranna

[MSperoni]

Yeah that guy's pretty dumb, but he might've figured Kit would give up since she didn't have a functional weapon. Which is pretty stupid for him to assume, but then again, he was tricked into thinking she had seduced him too.

I should probably invent some smart JDA guys. A heroine is only as good as her villains.

[SaltyKracka]

Kit-fu-do.

Also, I would hardly call these dicks villains. They're antagonists, and they're probably her enemies, but there's only one obvious villain in this piece so far. And she's a work of art.

[phil_]

That last BOK was definitely the highlight of this strip.

[Arhra]

I dunno, the dryads' reaction to this sordid deception was pretty great.

[Gillsing]

Silly detective; whyfore did you not keep drawing your gun when you knew Kit couldn't shoot you?
Considering that Kit chose to talk instead of pulling the trigger on Jeanne, I think that it's only fair that Kit's enemies suffer from the same disadvantages as she does. ;)

[Bum Bill Bee]

Kit throwing that gun was such a nice Spy Kids moment! :)

[Loranna]

Considering that Kit chose to talk instead of pulling the trigger on Jeanne, I think that it's only fair that Kit's enemies suffer from the same disadvantages as she does. ;)

I'll allow it! :D

Stay tuned, as a pair of now totally irate dryads reveal . . . something, that will probably cause Kit some degree of distress. Assuming the dryads aren't actually subconsciously seduced and just in denial about it. :ohdear:

Loranna

[Smith]

Yeah that guy's pretty dumb, but he might've figured Kit would give up since she didn't have a functional weapon. Which is pretty stupid for him to assume, but then again, he was tricked into thinking she had seduced him too.

I should probably invent some smart JDA guys. A heroine is only as good as her villains.

Are the JDA villains now? I thought they were also working against Jeanne, who's obviously the big villain. Therefore, I would classify them as currently misguided allies. That being sad, some intelligent JDA agents would be nice, but since these guys appear to be low-level lackeys, them being somewhat stupid is fine. Save the intelligent ones for the upper ranks.

[MSperoni]

Yeah I guess I misspoke. They're more like "antagonists" than outright villains. Not all of 'em are bad or racist morons.

[Admiral Skippy]

Not all of 'em are bad or racist morons.

...Some of 'em are bad and racist morons! :D

[MSperoni]

236! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2013/09/12/the-dreadful-236/)

Today we learn a valuable lesson about stereotypes and sticking guns up people's asses.

[phil_]

Nature is pretty stupid sometimes. Like coconuts. Are they fruit? And you can't get in'em besides, not without a giant knife or a sledgehammer. How are coconut trees still a thing?

[MSperoni]

It's hard for me to find nature all poetic and beautiful as fantasy games/stories suggest when you see a dog eat its own vomit.

Nature has a lot of nice things about it, but it's got a horrible side too. The idea that "Trees are the Good Guys Because Nature" seems like something written by someone who hasn't gotten outside much.

I really love being outdoors, but I mean...for every beautiful flower or tree you have creatures like fish. Fish are disgusting. It's a good thing they're good for eating.

EDIT: Actually now that I think about it, some fish are cool looking. Like sharks n' stuff.

[Deck Knight]

It's hard for me to find nature all poetic and beautiful as fantasy games/stories suggest when you see a dog eat its own vomit.

Nature has a lot of nice things about it, but it's got a horrible side too. The idea that "Trees are the Good Guys Because Nature" seems like something written by someone who hasn't gotten outside much.

I really love being outdoors, but I mean...for every beautiful flower or tree you have creatures like fish. Fish are disgusting. It's a good thing they're good for eating.

EDIT: Actually now that I think about it, some fish are cool looking. Like sharks n' stuff.

I think that I shall never see
A force so evil as a tree.
Its cells are rigid as a stone
It never leaves your lawn alone.
It spreads its roots out far and wide.
And if your paths should coincide -
it'll break your house and home in two
It will not even feel for you.
A tree can't think, it only grows
And anyone with sense then knows
Feeling no love nor pain it's plain to see,
There's no force so evil as a tree.

Depicted, Evil Tree:
http://s1.zerochan.net/Exdeath.600.1376397.jpg

[phil_]

Use the share links, Deck Knight. It's what Gandhi would want.

[Arhra]

236! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2013/09/12/the-dreadful-236/)

Today we learn a valuable lesson about stereotypes and sticking guns up people's asses.

Magnificent

[Gillsing]

Those JDAs may be stupid racists, but I like the way they talk about how they think.

[Bum Bill Bee]

For some reason, that second to last panel reminded me of Scott Pilgrim. Like that one dream sequence he had where he saw his own exes as toothy monsters.

Oh yeah, and funny dialouge going on, good work :)

[MSperoni]

Page 237! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2013/09/18/the-dreadful-237/)

Kit handles the situation. But what is that El Sabueso has?!

[Bum Bill Bee]

That's a weird sounding roar that Mr. El-S has.

[MSperoni]

He's very frustrated.

[Bard The 5th LW]

Kit is getting a lot of mileage out of saying "I don't want to fight" and then incapacitating people.

[MSperoni]

Well maybe if they'd stop getting in her way...

[Gillsing]

El Sabueso is cleverer than those dryads. He's taking great care not to reveal or specify how he does whatever he does.

[MSperoni]

The Dryads being naked wood ladies probably aren't used to the idea of discretion.

[Deck Knight]

The JDA guys were right, Nature is pretty stupid sometimes. Look at turkeys. Or wood constructs.

[Arhra]

Sometimes you just gotta let out a good ole brraoooarrr.

Neat trick Kit pulled with the cage. Must be lighter than it looks.

[Gillsing]

Neat trick Kit pulled with the cage. Must be lighter than it looks.
My assumption was that it's Kit who's stronger than she looks.

[MSperoni]

Bit of both, actually.

[MSperoni]

Page 238! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2013/09/25/the-dreadful-238/)

El Sabueso is this comic's version of Bikke. At least when it comes to stealing crystal ball type artifacts. And when it comes to having a beard.

[BigDemonicBunny]

So you can through shew stones see future predictions about yourself. Very specific ones.
But if Ms.Ninja hadn't said those words exactly, would there be a time paradox?

[epcharles]

Did "Mr. Sabueso" lose a lot of teeth? I'm pretty sure he used to have twice that many.

Also... what must his lame-sidekick-guy be thinking? On the list of things I don't want to hear from my boss, especially while he is crouched behind a tree with his pants still on...

"I'm trying to take a leak.... It stopped working!!! Why now, of all times?!?"

[MSperoni]

Yeah, I imagine the JDA guy is quite puzzled...

Though the JDA and Sabueso are working together to apprehend Kit, and since they hired him, technically they're his boss.

[Octopops]

Sabueso does actually have a normal amount of teeth now, 32. And it is herbivorous dentition: Sabueso is such a wild horse.

I kind of liked that he had twice the normal amount but oh well, at least he still drools and splutters all over the place :D

Anyway this was a particularly good episode. The previous one was outstanding too... I think you're onto something :)

[Gillsing]

OH, YES. I LOVE TO GROW HAIR ALL OVER MY BODY IN BETWEEN ACTS OF DEFECATION. – 8-Bit Theater (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2008/05/31/episode-999-like-a-hobby/)

I love coming to nuklearpower and read about defecation. Sabueso sure sounds human. ::V:

[MSperoni]

Sabueso's beard is beyond anything Warmech could pretend to grow.

[BigDemonicBunny]

That said. He's pretty good. He holds off Chinami and her katana by parrying with his pistol... Not the easiest feat.

[MSperoni]

Well, everything that happened in Chapter 9 was canon. El Sabueo was a highly skilled Xtreme government agent, who was capable of storming secret bad guy bases. He ain't no slouch in the combat department, even though he comes across as an overly intense buffoon.

But he's intimidated by Kit, so that ought to tell you how skilled she is. And he's terrified of Jeanne (but that's simply a matter of common sense).