Dumbing of Age

Plus Ruth is a recurring character, as opposed to Joyce's dad who is a semi-recurring character.

Joyce's life has been a bit shitty lately, so I think it's only natural that people get excited that things are going her way.

Mind you, I'm glad Hank seems to be coming around, but I'm bracing myself for when the other shoe drops (hi Jocelyn!)

Think we'll ever see a permanent end to Amazi-Girl?

It's hard to say "permanent" in a longform narrative like Do A where there's no ending, and there's clearly meant to be some catharsis and fun in Amazi-Girl's antics, the way she bruises realism and beats up nameless thugs and ne'er-do-wells who all operatically do evil so it's made clear it's okay for them to be punched, but since the end of 2013 it's become increasingly clear that it's a really violent and destructive lifestyle she's living that's actively worsening the problem she's trying to solve, and even with how Willis described her involvement in the car chase as "Becky being helped by a gosh darned superhero", we still ultimately got a scene, from Sal of all people, about how Amber nearly died because she had something to prove. When the fiery climactic showdown between her and Sal finally happens, I can't not see it being the culmination of all the wrongness in Amber's life and how she's still treating Sal as her bogeyman.

It just feels like something that has to end at some point, and I think Danny realizing that she is stringently compartmentalizing her identities is a sign that it's starting to.

edited 7th Feb '16 3:52:33 PM by Mr.Badguy

So, I'm definitely looking forward to May 5ths page. Based on the preview panel, Carla is gonna get back at Mary.

As long as Willis wants to do action scenes, we will have Amazi Girl.

x2 Well, at least we got some more Carla involvement in that subplot, I guess.

TBH I was kind of hoping Mary was going to be a villain to Billie and Ruth in the sense that she handed them a pair of jumpers and watched as they strapped them to their nipples. You know, just be one push in a bad direction and let them ruin everything on their own, because Billie and Ruth don't need any help ruining things; they got that covered.

Something like Ruth, Billie and Carla undertaking some massive revenge scheme just immediately strikes me as something that's really off. Like we're seeing a bunch of rowdy schoolkids plot to get their ball back from Mean Ol' Mr. Wilson.

I mean, he's been building up Amazi-Girl as something violent and wrong for years now. I can't imagine he'd go through with the important story, her confronting Sal and realizing that her compartmentalizing is making things phenomenally worse, only for her to press on anyway. I can't see this finally happening and still getting Amazi-Girl sequences.

edited 7th Feb '16 5:19:40 PM by Mr.Badguy

Just because Amber is superheroing for the wrong reasons now doesn't mean she can't eventually let the whole Sal thing go and then still be Amazi Girl because, dammit, the world needs heroes.

That's probably going to be the case since Amazi-Girl is a popular fixture of the series, but it really doesn't sit right with me since even in a diminished capacity it's still treating Amber's violent psychosis as a positive, that as long as she's dressing up in a weird costume and punching people for the right reasons and not because she's convinced herself that she's a boiling pot of rage that's about to explode on everyone she loves if she doesn't reign herself in, then it's okay.

Like, if she were juuust doing things a civilian could do during a crime, you know, actively prevent a purse snatcher, or something like being a particularly stringent civil servant who rescued cats from trees or told Duncan to put his beer away, then that's how it's probably going to stick around, but at the same time, that still hits me as "Amazi-Girl was always a good thing to do, but the problem is in the execution."

IDK, I suddenly realize that this might be the case, if only because "Amber getting therapy" might not be exciting enough much as I'd like it, and Willis would deprive himself of punching, but I like the punching when it's in service to the greater narrative. Amazi-Girl starts as this outlandish fantasy concept in a relatively grounded series, and as it became more dramatic and serious the whimsy of the character gradually got peeled away and now we understand that Amber's a really screwed up kid who thinks if she doesn't wear a costume she's going to hit people she likes. Having her be eventually be this lighthearted fun thing seems counter intuitive to that.

edited 7th Feb '16 5:31:51 PM by Mr.Badguy

For Amazi-Girl to persist without spiraling into a destructive end, Amber would have to 1) solve her issues somehow (probably with some professional help), and 2) re-integrate the Amazi-Girl persona as something other than just an outlet for violent angry feelings.

Personally, I don't think it seems likely. And if it does (somehow), it would likely not be the Amazi-Girl we're familiar with.

Good relationships aren't based in secrets

It might just be my optimism talking, but I hope Ruth tries to find a way to help Becky out due to some sort of lgbt woman comradery.

But its kind of a moot point for now, since Becky isnt even there.

Probably. Ruth tends to stick up for folks in bad spots (Amber, Carla), and we're not actually going to see Ruth kick Becky out, even though it'd be her job.

Yeah. Willis likes Becky too much to write her out.

...it feels weird saying, since it'd mean putting Becky on a bus, but could one of Joyce's siblings take her in? I feel like Becky accompanying Joyce home is setting up for that. Like, surely neither Joyce's dad nor Jocelyne is gonna be like "yes you go on hiding out in a dorm room you could be evicted from at any time, this is a sound solution that will keep you safe."

(I say the siblings specifically since 1. we still don't know what's up with Joyce's mom and 2. I suspect many a folk in this neighborhood would be siding with Ross, Becky wouldn't wanna live there anyway)

edited 7th Feb '16 9:55:20 PM by Wackd

See, part of the reason I know Momgate is going to go terribly is that if it didn't, if Carol and Hank were both on board with Becky, there'd be no good reason for her not to stay with them until she enrolls in January. There needs to be a reason why Becky has to go back to the dorm.

As for Jonathan and Jocelyne, well, maybe some bad thing happens as well. They'd probably be on board with Becky, at least Jocelyne would, but they're not going to take her in either.

I'm still thinking that when Becky gets found out she stays with Marcie, since Marcie was recently established to not be a student and also working long hours.

Jocelyne, at least, does not seem to be in a great place financially, so having Becky move in there would be. Eh.

We'll see what's up with Jonathan, I suppose.

Gender Studies teacher was offering her help, she may give Becky a room in the end of all this shakedown.

Also anybody out of Joyce's family doesn't leave anywhere near, so to get any help from there Becky would have to be removed from the active comic which Willis doesn't want.

edited 7th Feb '16 10:02:40 PM by Adannor

Mary's days on top are numbered.

Becky should seek employment in the mighty army of Galasso. No doubt she would be a powerful asset of his pizza empire.

I'm so glad that Carla is moving up to becoming a more frequently recurring character. The number of preview panels that involve her is getting me excited.

If Becky gets a paying job, isn't it possible that she'll just rent a legitimate room, off-campus but close by so she can hang out with her friend Joyce and girlfriend Dina?

It might have to be a cheap and grotty room for a few months, but usually part of the point of having a job is to pay for a roof over your head.

Utopic scenario: Ruth manages to convince the management to charitably give room to the poor girl that almost got shot on their grounds; Billie gracefully surrenders her room for the purpose; Ruth give up her RA privilege of non-shared dorm to room with Billie.

Then they go and rub it in Mary's face.

After Carla does a celebratory round of skating across the hallway, Ruth reglues her wheels because they're still not allowed.

edited 8th Feb '16 2:08:33 AM by Adannor

I dunno about IU, but in the college town I live in it's basically impossible for a student to be doing well enough they can solo a room.

re: secrets in a relationship: Normally I'd be on Ruth's side, but this is an example of why people aren't allowed to date their suboordinates.

There's lots of reasons Billie and Ruth shouldn't be dating. The rules being broken is probably the least objectionable thing about it in the same way I'd rather Becky be hiding in the dorms than follow the law and get kicked out onto the streets.

EDIT: So here's something that just crossed my mind; are there any relationships in the comic you don't want to see?

I can't really think of any, actually. My objections over Danny/Ethan potentially happening is less to do with its own quality (since, in-universe, it'd make a ton of sense for them to hook up) and more to do with the greater problem of bi representation in media. I'd say Walky/Joyce would be a retread but then they're both different enough people in this verse that I don't think that'd be the case, and their history is changed enough that it'd go in a different way.

Any other ideas? I guess, like, Walky/Billie or something, just because the cliché would actually kill me.

edited 8th Feb '16 10:29:42 AM by Mr.Badguy