Girl Genius XXII: Paris Needs Pants

[Porthos]

Naw, go ahead and kill him, Colette; we'll all feel much better.

It isn't worth jeopardizing Paris' neutrality and autonomy on this bug. Plus it sets a bad Hetrodyne-ish tone for a new ruler making sure continuity is being maintained.

Instead just prepare for the inevitable 'betrayal' and squish him like the bug he is then.

[Shining Wrath]

It isn't worth jeopardizing Paris' neutrality and autonomy on this bug. Plus it sets a bad Hetrodyne-ish tone for a new ruler making sure continuity is being maintained.

Instead just prepare for the inevitable 'betrayal' and squish him like the bug he is then.

Colette may well believe that there's no way Tweedle can hold the throne without help, and she's better served negotiating with his Grandmother. For example, if the all-seeing Master of Paris saw Grandma helping Zola, and can prove it, that may give her a hold on Grandma, and therefore on both Tweedle and Tarvek.

We have a couple of plus-sized Chekov's guns incoming: Gil/Bang, and Higgs/Vole. It would seem to be a shame to have them show up just to talk about Agatha's next move.

[Porthos]

Colette may well believe that there's no way Tweedle can hold the throne without help, and she's better served negotiating with his Grandmother. For example, if the all-seeing Master of Paris saw Grandma helping Zola, and can prove it, that may give her a hold on Grandma, and therefore on both Tweedle and Tarvek.

This dovetails nicely with Colette's background as a spy. She's suited for the cloak-and-dagger politics you describe here. Smashing her enemies and dancing on their graves just isn't her thing.

...

Not the season for it anyway.

[Shining Wrath]

This dovetails nicely with Colette's background as a spy. She's suited for the cloak-and-dagger politics you describe here. Smashing her enemies and dancing on their graves just isn't her thing.

...

Not the season for it anyway.

Frightening thought: combine her father's absolute Sparky power over Paris and knowledge of what happens therein with a spy's devious cunning.

[keybounce]

http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20170719

So Collette is not running Papa's Paris.

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All of you must leave. Begone! You have proven yourself, but since I must close Paris to The Other and her agents, you must leave because I can't have friends help me.

I'm sorry, Collette is making no sense at all here. It might make sense if she could not trust these people -- better safe than sorry -- but I think that all of them are trustworthy.

I mean, what's wrong with Gil, Travek, a smoke knight, a couple of missing smoke knights, a trouble-magnet friend (yes, she'll help, but she'll attract trouble), that Grandmother, ...

Riiight. Ok, all of you out.

[Rockphed]

I'm surprised Tarvek hasn't offered to help her with her wasp problem. Maybe Gil will.

[geoduck]

I'm surprised Tarvek hasn't offered to help her with her wasp problem. Maybe Gil will.

I predict he's not even there, and that Mr. Obsidian dragged him away again involuntarily. There had to be some reason why Grandma's strong-arm kidnapping expert suddenly popped up again.

And Gil won't be allowed into the city. As Colette just said, the gates are sealed.

[Douglas]

I mean, what's wrong with Gil, Travek, a smoke knight, a couple of missing smoke knights, a trouble-magnet friend (yes, she'll help, but she'll attract trouble), that Grandmother, ...

Riiight. Ok, all of you out.

Yeah, I think all of them are some combination of untrustworthy (Martellus and family) and/or trouble magnet (Agatha), and they're all so powerful that those traits make them very dangerous to have in the city. Also Agatha has The Other's voice, which brings up the possibility of her commanding the Revenants within Paris. Even if Colette trusts her, she might do it by accident or Lucrezia-in-Agatha might get temporary control, and that's a serious risk.

[factotum]

I'm surprised Tarvek hasn't offered to help her with her wasp problem. Maybe Gil will.

Slaver wasps have been around for 20-odd years and nobody has yet figured out a way to get rid of the things--not even the Baron could do it. Why would Gil or Tarvek be in any better position to solve that problem than all the other Sparks who have presumably tried and failed?

[Douglas]

Slaver wasps have been around for 20-odd years and nobody has yet figured out a way to get rid of the things--not even the Baron could do it. Why would Gil or Tarvek be in any better position to solve that problem than all the other Sparks who have presumably tried and failed?

Access to information passed through Tarvek's family from their original association with Lucrezia, which was never used to study un-wasping people before because they wanted to build better wasps instead? Such information has already been used by Gil (given to him by Tarvek) to develop a wasp-proofing formula which he used on Bang.

[Dexam]

Yeah, I think all of them are some combination of untrustworthy (Martellus and family) and/or trouble magnet (Agatha), and they're all so powerful that those traits make them very dangerous to have in the city. Also Agatha has The Other's voice, which brings up the possibility of her commanding the Revenants within Paris. Even if Colette trusts her, she might do it by accident or Lucrezia-in-Agatha might get temporary control, and that's a serious risk.

The fact that they're so powerful also makes this a smart move by Colette - she's the new Master of Paris, and there's an immediate crisis affecting it; she needs to be seen to be the one acting on it and/or solving it if the populace are to have any faith in her ability to run the city. If the the Lady Heterodyne or the newly crowned Storm King are seen helping her, even tangentially, there will always be a level of doubt that Colette is just a puppet or figurehead.

[Shining Wrath]

Well, this was necessary for the plot, so we'll let the competence of Colette's thinking slide. I wonder if this applies to the Deep Kingdoms? Is Paris closed vertically?

The Library is going to be peeved, no doubt.

I wonder what will happen when Gil/Band and Higgs/Vole arrive and are turned away?

[eee]

Makes sense. It's harsh, but probably necessary for Paris' survival.

Access to information passed through Tarvek's family from their original association with Lucrezia, which was never used to study un-wasping people before because they wanted to build better wasps instead? Such information has already been used by Gil (given to him by Tarvek) to develop a wasp-proofing formula which he used on Bang.

Also, he worked with Lu-in-Agatha's-body in Strumhalten. He knows more about her technology than anyone else. That's how he was able to devise the wasp immunity potion, which Gil actually made and used (and is using). If anyone can figure out how to unwasp someone without killing them, it's probably him.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Love the faces on the last panel. Completely and utterly gobsmacked.

And is that Oggie trying to eat the one guy's hat?

[Hurkyl]

And is that Oggie trying to eat the one guy's hat?

That was my reaction too.

Oggie was noticeably eyeing the rather impressive hat in the previous strip, though; I imagine he was trying to steal it to replace his current placeholder hat.

[eschmenk]

That was my reaction too.

Oggie was noticeably eyeing the rather impressive hat in the previous strip, though; I imagine he was trying to steal it to replace his current placeholder hat.

In the latest strip, maybe the guy was giving it to Oggie?

[Shining Wrath]

Voluntary or not, Oggie has the hat.
And suddenly, <name forgotten> appears with a "You must go to England!" message, in the best let's-get-on-with-the-plot tradition.

Colette's "We're all friends but I'm exiling you from my city!" message makes a little more sense in the context of "The Other is everywhere!".

[keybounce]

I'm sorry Agatha, but your Lantern is in another Continent.

... Just so ... Mario-ish :-)

[Grey_Wolf_c]

I'm sorry Agatha, but your Lantern is in another Continent.

Point of order: despite what many in England seem to believe, they are not in a different continent from Paris.

GW

[Traab]

Point of order: despite what many in England seem to believe, they are not in a different continent from Paris.

GW

Indeed, england is an island in the GGverse. Not even remotely large enough to be a continent.

[stsasser]

Indeed, england is an island in the GGverse. Not even remotely large enough to be a continent.

To be fair, the English in the Late Victorian regarded BE as the entire world and everything else as mingy little bits clinging to it.

[eschmenk]

Indeed, england is an island in the GGverse. Not even remotely large enough to be a continent.

Much of England is underwater according to an old map. There are a number of islands that poke out of the water that may still be considered to be part of England, but I think England is generally considered to be submerged.

[Traab]

Much of England is underwater according to an old map. There are a number of islands that poke out of the water that may still be considered to be part of England, but I think England is generally considered to be submerged.

I suppose technically we could be dealing with a naboo run by an eternal vampire queen, underwater living gungans and all.

[stsasser]

I suppose technically we could be dealing with a naboo run by an eternal vampire queen, underwater living gungans and all.

Summon Bigger Clank!

[keybounce]

I suppose technically we could be dealing with a naboo run by an eternal vampire queen, underwater living gungans and all.

Summon Bigger Clank!

In this universe, this is very, very possible.

[SlyGuyMcFly]

Summon Bigger Clank!

This is exactly how some of GG's battles play out.

[petersohn]

This is exactly how somemost of GG's battles play out.

Corrected for you.

[Porthos]

I swear, the Foglios are having them leave Paris now just to spite me and my prior comments.

Sneaky Gate:

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That poor poor Fourth Wall, though. Not as abused as the one in OotSlandia, but still...

Also, dollars to doughnuts that we get to see what the Circus crew is up to.

[The Glyphstone]

Damage control parties to the fourth wall.

[geoduck]

Sneaky Gate:

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That poor poor Fourth Wall, though. Not as abused as the one in OotSlandia, but still...

Also, dollars to doughnuts that we get to see what the Circus crew is up to.

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The Foglios announced at one point that after England Agatha and Co. are heading to Africa. if this is still true, I predict that circus member Embi will reveal something about his homeland that will prompt the journey. The most likely cause would be some sort of functioning portal.