Grrl Power

No possibility? Um, pretty sure there's every possibility. If nothing else, she probably wants to go back to that fun space mall and get some more of the stuff that destroyed her bum. (As a fellow capsaicin fan, trust me when I say we never learn.)

(...actually, it just occured to me to ask, how the hell did Dr. Tyson get there?)

Edited by TwinBird on May 15th 2023 at 8:11:06 AM

She brought him Take Out.

...which means she went back there, which proves my point.

"So, I says to Naval..."

The worlds most vetted hot dog vendor.

War Paint

I am sure this will go without hiccups...

I'm dang excited for this plotline.

Maxima is not enjoying mortality

I feel like, this coming shortly after the arc where Sydney's orbs were depowered, may lead to a heart to heart, since Sydney seems to have dealt with the de-powering fairly well.

Ah, the Mundane Utility of flight as a superpower.

Which, as we established in early strips, Maxima does so effortlessly that she stopped even really enjoying doing it any more than most of us relish the feeling of being able to walk from point to point.

I can only imagine the issues with temporarily losing such powers. I'm reminded of the one NASA astronaut who was giving a lecture about his experiences on the ISS, who kept absent-mindedly trying to set objects on thin air and having them instead crash down.

Run Leon, Run

She'll get another ticket for not wearing glasses, apparently. (...actually, looking it up, that's actually a criminal misdemeanor in Texas, albeit one sporting just a $200 fine - it's the record that gets you, though.)

I was about to ask why she even needed a fake name, but the fact that she can turn "white" now is classified, isn't it? Presumably she bought the car under her real name, though, which might raise some interesting questions if this officer is paying attention (which I doubt he is).

He is occupied by two other issues in front of him.

And it's a Texas residence, I don't think ARCHON HQ is actually in TX.

Edited by 3of4 on May 29th 2023 at 4:59:38 PM

Didn't they say it was when Varia and whatshisname opened a portal to the Garden?

EDIT: That was actually from the Ascenders' base, which definitely is in Texas, but I'm I don't think it's established anywhere how close that is to Arc-Light.

Edited by TwinBird on May 31st 2023 at 12:47:29 PM

Skål

A pint of overproof scotch and a beer? Not knowing who she is, I feel like they're going to have to cut her off on general principle soon (with a BAC of about 0.02%, I'm guessing). Maybe she should've pregamed.

Edited by TwinBird on Jun 1st 2023 at 10:57:41 AM

... What are the odds of some concerned citizen, noting the obvious metahuman, trying to make discreet calls to various organizations, likely including Archon itself, about the possibility of an undocumented illegal, so to speak? I mean, obviously it's not illegal to be a metahuman, but they have pointed out the need for registration. It's kind of like if someone starts flashing around a gun casually. Often, rather than asking for proof of registration, you make a discreet call to the authorities that something might be going down.

And then Archon sends in Hiro with Max's inhibitions alcohol lowered.

It's not illegal to be unregistered. It's illegal to be a vigilante, which is what you are if you try to fight crime without signing up with the government. Someone might still call, but ARCHON has no actual authority over a meta trying to get drunk.

Is there, though? Does superhuman ethanol tolerance, by a natural-born citizen, need to be declared? Haven't we even been told that most metahumans are undeclared, and they only go after the dangerous ones? Of course, we know that Max is basically Kal, but as far as anyone in the bar knows, she just has a superhuman ethanol tolerance.

Maxima's defense continues to be impervious

As regards her getting called in, I just assume that with everything else going on, superheroes and aliens and demons, people are likely to be on edge. And, as has been noted many times in the past with various events involving the police, making a call is something that people do without much concern for the consequences. See something, say something.

Edited by FuzzyBoots on Jun 5th 2023 at 8:20:54 AM

It occurs to me - what are the odds that Deus is actively keeping tabs on Archon and, upon hearing that an unidentified woman matching Maxima's general description left the building despite never having entered, successfully deduces that it's Maxima going out incognito (or, you know, just hearing about it from Harem) and then attempts to meet up with her also incognito to see if that improves his odds of hitting it off with her? Edit: Of course, that also means he'd have to 1) leave Galytn for a bit, and worse for him 2) have to not be Deus for a bit, which I can't imagine him doing.

Also, the second guy genuinely had a pretty good opener, as he wasn't commenting on her appearance (which she is absolutely used to hearing about), but rather an attribute she'd showcased, albeit inadvertently.

Edited by ironballs16 on Jun 7th 2023 at 8:42:53 AM

Clearing out the competition

I actually like the look of half-lid-and-half-bang, dopey and mysterious