Girl Genius XXII: Paris Needs Pants

[factotum]

Maybe I is dumb, but I didn't see anything particularly fourth wall breaking in this strip?

[Lethologica]

Maybe I is dumb, but I didn't see anything particularly fourth wall breaking in this strip?

Wooster has been trying to convince Agatha to go to England for years. Just not their years.

[Douglas]

Wooster has been trying to convince Agatha to go to England for years. Just not their years.

Actually, as I recall he started before Klaus put his time bubble on Mechanicsburg, so if you count time outside the bubble he's been trying for over 2.5 years of in-comic time.

[factotum]

Yeah, from Wooster's viewpoint it *is* years that he's been trying to get her over there, even if it isn't from Agatha's.

[petersohn]

So it's Leaning on the Fourth Wall, then.

[Shining Wrath]

I find the concept of "licensed smuggler" interesting.
What's the point of meeting a Smoke Knight at the dock? She can hide herself, and presumably Zardilev, inside someone's shirt pocket.

[eschmenk]

Yeah, from Wooster's viewpoint it *is* years that he's been trying to get her over there, even if it isn't from Agatha's.

But Agatha was the one doing the talking and the Foglios have made similar jokes before, so I think it was intended to be a joke.

I find the concept of "licensed smuggler" interesting.
What's the point of meeting a Smoke Knight at the dock? She can hide herself, and presumably Zardilev, inside someone's shirt pocket.

A licensed smuggler is probably somewhat analogous to a privateer. Regarding Madwa, I guess we'll just have to see how good the British are.

[stsasser]

Heh. Nice wink to the audience.

[eee]

I find the concept of "licensed smuggler" interesting.
What's the point of meeting a Smoke Knight at the dock? She can hide herself, and presumably Zardilev, inside someone's shirt pocket.

The British may have their own Smoke Knights.

They have have something BETTER than Smoke Knights.

[Shining Wrath]

The British may have their own Smoke Knights.

They have have something BETTER than Smoke Knights.

The name is Bond. James Bond. Licensed to Capture Smoke Knights.

[Manga Shoggoth]

The name is Bond. James Bond. Licensed to Capture Smoke Knights.

What? No love for Trelawney Thorpe, Spark of the Realm?

[Rogar Demonblud]

A 'licensed smuggler' is, historically, someone who has bribed the right people so their activities will be ignored by the authorities. Governments (intelligence agencies especially) find them useful for making sure the right cargo goes to the right people in the right country (the Soviets got a lot of mileage out of smuggled caviar).

[Aquillion]

Maybe I is dumb, but I didn't see anything particularly fourth wall breaking in this strip?

From Agatha's perspective, his initial invitation to visit Paris happened roughly a week ago - maybe a few days more or less depending on the travel time to Mechanicsburg and between Mechanicsburg and Paris, but no more than a matter of days overall. Everything in Mechanicsburg happened over the course of two days, then she took a quick train ride to Paris with a brief (<1 day) interruption, and she's been in Paris for less than three days. Plus maybe another day when she was recovered after falling through the gate?

The joke is that years have passed in the real world. (Although also in comic due to the timeskip, but Agatha didn't experience that.)

[keybounce]

Can you imagine the spark-nature of Q? At least, if we have a Bond?

[petersohn]

Forget it.

[eee]

Can you imagine the spark-nature of Q? At least, if we have a Bond?

He's not a Spark now?

[petersohn]

Wooster? He didn't seem very sparky so far. Though, who knows? Maybe he is one of the more level-headed ones.

...

Oh right. English.

[Kantaki]

Wooster? He didn't seem very sparky so far. Though, who knows? Maybe he is one of the more level-headed ones.
...

Oh right. English.

Not Wooster. Q. The gadgeteer who builds 007's toys.

[Shining Wrath]

Not Wooster. Q. The gadgeteer who builds 007's toys.

Now that it's come up, I shall be horribly disappointed in the Foglio's if Wooster doesn't have a Q-type Spark building gadgets for him.

[petersohn]

Not Wooster. Q. The gadgeteer who builds 007's toys.

Q, or at least GG's equivalent of Q, is obviously a spark. We haven't seen him (or her?) yet, though. But I think we will, and soon (for some definition of soon, at least).

[SZbNAhL]

Now that it's come up, I shall be horribly disappointed in the Foglio's if Wooster doesn't have a Q-type Spark building gadgets for him.

As fun as that would be, does Wooster actually have any gadgets? The only thing I can think of off-hand that even comes close is this propeller thingy, and unless I'm misreading that panel, it's just a convenient rope-cutting device.

[schmunzel]

Hey all. I recently refund this webcomic. I'd read it many years ago, but then I stopped for a reason I can't recall. Anyways, I binged the archives and got caught up again. In this reading, I have developed a fan theory. I have no idea of anyone else has stated it before, but whatever.

Spoiler

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Agatha is not, as she claims, the daughter of Bill. Why? Well, the main reason is that when she first got to Mechanicsburg, no one believed her. More than that, they were surprised by her being a her. Plus, we even saw the grave of Bill's kid, so how could that be Agatha?

Now, the castle has genetically confirmed that she is a Heterodyne, and Lucrezia, herself, has confirmed that Agatha is her daughter. So, if Bill isn't the father, who is? Well, Barry. We already know that he and Agatha have a relationship. Sure, she called him "Uncle," but she also called Punch and Judy "Dad" and "Mom." Her perspective of her childhood is unreliable.

Lastly, Agatha is too old to be a second child of Bill's from after the attack on the castle, and we are told that Bill basically went crazy after that, anyways. However, her being a secret child from Barry would work just fine. And we know that Lucrezia isn't really into that "monogamy" thing as she slept with Klaus while engaged to Bill.

So, my theory is that Lucrezia was having an affair with Barry and had a kid with him shortly after the kid with Bill. Agatha was kept secret from everyone, and after the attack on the castle, Barry escaped with her, gave her to Punch and Judy, and then played the role of "uncle."

Another theory from the Girl Genius Wiki page on von Pinn speculated that

Spoiler

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Agatha might be a clone of Euphrosynia.
Maybe Agatha *is* Euphrosynia (and the Storm King Tarvek cousin) who both will travel back in time ?

[Rockphed]

New page is up.

Next Thread Title Watch: "Not Allowed to Talk to my Friends"
Alternatively: "Our Children Will Be Magnificent"
Or: "The Clothiers of Paris"

[stsasser]

Shouldn't tha speech bubble be pointed toward Violetta?

[factotum]

Shouldn't tha speech bubble be pointed toward Violetta?

Yeah, I noticed that too.

[Kantaki]

„No exploding”.
I'm not sure if that sign is a wise idea.
Some Sparks might consider it a challenge.

And Seffie simply ignores it.

[Shining Wrath]

I have not been able to find out who "Carla Hennes" might be.

It appears that Tarvek is no longer in Paris. Neither, I suspect, is Zola; nor Grandma. All three may be together, traveling to some hideout. If Grandma wanted Tarvek dead, he'd already be dead. If she doesn't, then she probably has a use for him - and if you think about it, Obsidian is a very fine bodyguard indeed.

[geoduck]

I have not been able to find out who "Carla Hennes" might be.

There's a gal by that name who goes to scifi conventions and is/was a member of a Renaissance-themed singing group. I'm guessing she's a friend of the Foglios.

[factotum]

It appears that Tarvek is no longer in Paris. Neither, I suspect, is Zola; nor Grandma. All three may be together, traveling to some hideout.

I think that unlikely, if only because we saw Tarvek a few strips ago (he was the one putting "pants on Paris", as the thread title says) and he seems throughout to have been working with Colette, whereas Zola and perhaps Grandma are both working against her. In fact, I wouldn't be at all surprised if Tarvek is in the process of hiding aboard the airship so he can accompany Agatha to England without her knowledge.

[Divayth Fyr]

I think that unlikely, if only because we saw Tarvek a few strips ago (he was the one putting "pants on Paris", as the thread title says) and he seems throughout to have been working with Colette, whereas Zola and perhaps Grandma are both working against her. In fact, I wouldn't be at all surprised if Tarvek is in the process of hiding aboard the airship so he can accompany Agatha to England without her knowledge.

Considering a certain Mr. Obsidian appeared just as Tarvek was going to change clothes and go to meet Agatha, I'd imagine Grandma forcing him to do something for her (possibly involving Zola's safety) more likely.