Girl Genius XXII: Paris Needs Pants

[eee]

I hope Ivo's got the right guy, it's gonna be BAD if he comes down like an avalanche on some poor innocent bystander!

And I too agree that Ivo probably has the wrong idea here. Whoever shot Greenclaw pretty much HAD to be aiming at him. If he'd just missed, unless it's a one shot gun, he could have plugged Ivo before Ivo could have reached him. This is setting up an interesting series. Slimy Stan was apparently drinking with whoever stabbed him. Greenclaw was drinking with Ivo, saw someone come in behind him with a gun, and said nothing. Therefore, whoever is responsible for all this was known to both men, and they trusted him/her enough to lower their guard. And died for it.

Also, drinking in this story when Ivo is around is pretty darn dangerous...

[slayerx]

Why does he think that Charlemagne -- the now-dead drinking buddy from the last two pages -- is responsible for this killer?

I thought that as well, but looking back, the shooter was behind Sharktooth while Charlemagne was sitting in front of him. Its not that clear, but Based on that, Charlemagne would have been sitting in a position where he would be able to clearly see the shooter who was behind sharktooth. That's what Sharktooth means when he says that Charlemagne must have been smiling to the guy as he took the shot.

[factotum]

It's just about within the bounds of possibility that the shooter poked his head in the door, loosed off a shot and then ran away, so Charlemagne didn't see him any more clearly than Ivo did. I would have expected at least *some* surprised reaction from the latter before the shot hit him, in that case...

[SZbNAhL]

This raises the question of why the shooter didn't shoot Sharktooth. If it was simply a matter of "I'm willing to kill people to prevent Ivo from getting information from them" then the simplest solution would be to kill the lone investigator rather than every single lead.

[Qwertystop]

This raises the question of why the shooter didn't shoot Sharktooth. If it was simply a matter of "I'm willing to kill people to prevent Ivo from getting information from them" then the simplest solution would be to kill the lone investigator rather than every single lead.

He missed and his gun would take too long to reload get off a second shot before Ivo got to him?

[factotum]

He missed and his gun would take too long to reload get off a second shot before Ivo got to him?

Which again brings us back to the assassin being a really, really terrible shot--unbelievably bad, in fact. I'm pretty sure (or at least I'm hoping) that the explanation for this is not going to turn out to be utter incompetence on behalf of the bad guys.

[eee]

He missed and his gun would take too long to reload get off a second shot before Ivo got to him?

Multi-shot handguns exist; we've seen Bang and Martellus use them. How common they are, though, is unclear.

[eschmenk]

Which again brings us back to the assassin being a really, really terrible shot--unbelievably bad, in fact. I'm pretty sure (or at least I'm hoping) that the explanation for this is not going to turn out to be utter incompetence on behalf of the bad guys.

Unfortunately, that would mean Ivo made a pretty basic mistake for an experienced PJ and would make him look bad, IMO. I don't know what to think.

ADDED: It would be kind of neat though if the idea was to eliminate the witness and lead Ivo into a trap for some reason.

[runeghost]

This is my theory too.

Spoiler

Show

It would explain how the murderer is getting into and out of areas; no one can see them. Steal the Snail, get the various criminal factions to collapse into open warfare in a struggle for supremacy or finger-pointing, and then be authorized by Lady Heterodyne to go in there and clean house with Extreme Prejudice™. Et voila, no more organized crime in Mechanicsburg.

Good theory. I like it because it fits a couple other points:

Spoiler

Show

It explains why Ivo kept on smoothly with the conversation - he couldn't see anyone behind Sharktooth. And it explains why the shooter didn't target Sharktooth. Drozeki likes Sharktooth.

[eee]

Good theory. I like it because it fits a couple other points:

Spoiler

Show

It explains why Ivo kept on smoothly with the conversation - he couldn't see anyone behind Sharktooth. And it explains why the shooter didn't target Sharktooth. Drozeki likes Sharktooth.

Spoiler

Show

This DOES explain everything regarding the murder of Greenclaw and how the killer is accomplishing his acts. The one flaw being, there were two glasses in Squeezy Stan's apartment. He was drinking with whoever killed him. That wouldn't be possible if it was Drozeki, because Stan wouldn't be able to see him or know he existed.

Unless, of course, Stan was one of those constructs who could see the Watch...

[geoduck]

Yeah, the theory discussed above certainly is one of the more likely possibilities. Another is that the Snail is a sentient construct and arranged for its own theft for some as-yet unknown reason.

[PraetorDragoon]

I hope it won't be a third party that hasn't been introduced yet.

[eschmenk]

Spoiler

Show

This DOES explain everything regarding the murder of Greenclaw and how the killer is accomplishing his acts. The one flaw being, there were two glasses in Squeezy Stan's apartment. He was drinking with whoever killed him. That wouldn't be possible if it was Drozeki, because Stan wouldn't be able to see him or know he existed.

Unless, of course, Stan was one of those constructs who could see the Watch...

Spoiler

Show

A second flaw: The Chief said that he doesn't drink anymore. One of the glasses was fairly full, though.

[tonberrian]

Comic's up!

Spoiler

Show

And as some people predicted, chief! But he seems equally perplexed at Charlemagne's death, and has hired Ivo to find the killer. Is he faking Ivo out? Why take the risk that Ivo will figure out that he's the killer, if he did in fact kill Charlemagne? Guess Ivo still has to find the Snail...

[Ellen]

I get it, now. I'm voting with everyone who thinks it's the chief. Our hero thinks Greenclaw was working with the killer because he should have been able to see him coming but didn't react. The watch was made somewhat ill but will be fully recovered by the time organized crime falls apart.

I'm not 100% sure about killing the guy at the bar. Was he one of the people who could see the chief and was he convinced to go along with it? Or did he NOT know and questioning would have revealed that someone he couldn't see must have done it? Or was he killed because this is what a normal criminal would have done and it helps draw attention away from him?

Of course, since we think we've got it all figured out, maybe it will turn out to be a rebel snail or the zombie tribble from Star Trek: Into Darkness.

[multilis]

Spoiler

Show

A second flaw: The Chief said that he doesn't drink anymore. One of the glasses was fairly full, though.

Spoiler

Show

It could be that Chief did earlier dealings though middle men or otherwise anonymously. Or someone else did the earlier dealings and then Chief killed them and then pretended to be them. And this last meeting Chief said we will meet face to face and other guy got out drinks thinking good time to celebrate while Chief being invisible snuck in and killed him.

[factotum]

Yeah, it's looking quite likely it's the Chief who's behind these murders. Looking back, it was quite suspicious he had a Jaeger positioned to intercept Ivo as he left the first murder scene, after all.

[PraetorDragoon]

Yeah. Chief seems to be the most likely candidate now.

Though hiring Ivo against himself seems a bit.... odd.

[Grey_Wolf_c]

Though hiring Ivo against himself seems a bit.... odd.

Not in the context. It is a well-plodded trope of Noir novels that the person hiring the Private Eye is doing so to allay suspicions of his own involvement (usually because they think the PE so incompetent they will fall for the false clues they have been laying to pin the crime on someone else).

GW

[Traab]

Not in the context. It is a well-plodded trope of Noir novels that the person hiring the Private Eye is doing so to allay suspicions of his own involvement (usually because they think the PE so incompetent they will fall for the false clues they have been laying to pin the crime on someone else).

GW

And considering his other options would be to try and dissuade him from investigating for various reasons which would be even more suspicious, this is his best option. More time to arrange his death while he isnt suspicious of him.

[factotum]

I don't think he's arranging to kill Ivo at all. Not only has he already had golden opportunities to do that, it seems to me that the Chief's entire reason for doing this is to destroy the Golden Circle, not because he got up one morning and decided for the lulz to become an invisible serial killer. Killing the bad guys who run all the crime in the city? Sure, why not. Kill an innocent bystander whose only crime (as far as we know) is being hired to investigate the crime? Definitely not something he would do.

[Rogar Demonblud]

That may be the first time EVER that someone has described a Jaeger as "innocent".

They generally don't stand by, either.

[eee]

(ponder, ponder)

On the OTHER hand...

These are the Foglios, and this is a sort of noir detective story. Do we dare rule out the possibility of a (insert TV trope that means double double cross) and that somebody - perhaps an original Watch member - is framing the Chief for all this? That would work, too, and if Ivo could figure out the trick and collar the REAL culprit, that would show how good he is...

(I read The Murder of Roger Ackroyd at an early age. I don't trust detective story writers any more.)

[keybounce]

First: Experiment number 2? What are they doing, mixing chemicals at random to see what they get?

Second: It could be the chief as the killer, and Greenclaw didn't react because Greenclaw didn't see the chief.

[BannedInSchool]

There's a second Invisible Man!

[Rockphed]

First: Experiment number 2? What are they doing, mixing chemicals at random to see what they get?

The Foglios engaged in some biological experimentation involving mixing their genomes and observing the results. The first 9-ish months of each experiment involved discomfort for Kaja, but since the experiments have been reasonably self sustaining (only requiring periodic feeding and occasional changing of bedding). The nature of the experiment has put the kibosh on Phil's more racy and risque works until the experimental period comes to an end.

[HandofShadows]

While I think the Chief killed Green Claw, I really don't think he stole the trophy or commited the first murder. At least not yet.

[keybounce]

The Foglios engaged in some biological experimentation involving mixing their genomes and observing the results. ...

Yep, that sounds like "mixing chemicals at random to see what they get?".

"Do we take this C or that T here?"

[Celestia]

Apparently, the Heterodynes are so terrible, that they invented four more sins.

[Ellen]

I bow before the genius of the second panel. They managed references to Lovecraft, the movie Labyrinth, and Ladyhawke, along with a humorous dig at shopping mall architecture. Oh, and they did all this while managing to make sense and be funny.

I wonder what the four other sins are? Things that even freak out a Jager, it seems.