Girl Genius XXIV: Ask Vit a Bit More Terror

[Shining Wrath]

The question of where Barry is right now is interesting. He didn't try to stop The Other that we know, nor was he there for his niece - so what was he doing that was more important than those two things?

[Celestia]

The question of where Barry is right now is interesting. He didn't try to stop The Other that we know, nor was he there for his niece - so what was he doing that was more important than those two things?

He found a really good falafel place.

[geoduck]

The question of where Barry is right now is interesting. He didn't try to stop The Other that we know, nor was he there for his niece - so what was he doing that was more important than those two things?

The Other wasn't active when Barry went off on his Mysterious Trip. The first GG print novel offers a couple more details about that- when he left, he said he intended to be gone only a couple of months. Agatha and the Clays got three letters from him, one from Mechanicsburg, one from Paris, and one last travel-stained missive from an unknown location, filled with disquieting ramblings.

[jwhouk]

There is something from the novels that suggests that he and Bill are in the Americas, but that's complete conjecture.

[Fyraltari]

My bet is time-travel and/or wherever the Other is from.

[Shining Wrath]

Barry made it back to Beetlesburg (or wherever Agatha broke through), and Bill didn't. And then Barry left. And wherever they went, it was more important than Agatha, and more important than The Other - or they never heard about The Other wherever they are.

[Ellen]

They may be trapped in amber or on Mars or in the Americas (maybe, in this world, it's emigration that the Americas are trying to stop. . . .).

New comic is up.

The sad thing about Jagers is this makes perfect sense.

[JavaScribe]

New comic.

I think we all knew something like this was going to happen. On the bright side, they can't mess anything up if it's already been messed up.

[multilis]

New comic.

I think we all knew something like this was going to happen. On the bright side, they can't mess anything up if it's already been messed up.

and if the head is intact, the dead in this universe may still be able to talk and come back

[keybounce]

Anyone think that those screens might be portals? :)

[Lethologica]

Anyone think that those screens might be portals? :)

Those are the erased blackboards. I mean, it's the GG universe, they could still be portals, but at first glance it doesn't seem likely.

[factotum]

Yeah, just blackboards, now sadly empty of the information Agatha was interested in. I fear Oggie is going to be disappointed with the reaction of the others to this news...

[Darth Tom]

Is anyone else getting the sense that "Ivo Sharktooth: Private Jaeger" teased the plot of this arc?

With the lantern as the trophy, Wooster as Ivo, and Hadrian as, uh, Hadrian. I actually hadn't noticed that until going back to check. A few other details seem similar too, like the killings of squeezy stan and Greenclaw.

It wouldn't be the first time. The "homecoming king" time travel story bore rather a lot of resemblances to the "tomb of the storm king" for example.

[Shining Wrath]

Boilergast needs to use a knife rather than causing a head explosion. Head explosions may require the victim to imbibe poison or some such.

I'm going to guess something was missed in the erasing process.

[Calemyr]

...dang... I was hoping for something straight forward for once. Rather than an ever more convoluted series of bait&switch revelations, that is becoming the norm for the strip.

Still, you gotta love the creative simplicity of the Jaegers. Nobody will say we messed this up because it was already like this when we got here. Reminds me of Sturmhalten where Oggie resolved a three-faction standoff by bellowing "Who wants to be my friend?" and then fighting for the side that raised their hands.

[Gauntlet]

Sounds to me like in order to find out what time travel equations were on the blackboard, Agatha is going to need to.. look back in time...

[Celestia]

...dang... I was hoping for something straight forward for once. Rather than an ever more convoluted series of bait&switch revelations, that is becoming the norm for the strip.

Yep, me too. I like the comic, but it really needs to find some new ways to create obstacles and challenges rather than continuing to fall back on its old tropes.

[Rodin]

Barry made it back to Beetlesburg (or wherever Agatha broke through), and Bill didn't. And then Barry left. And wherever they went, it was more important than Agatha, and more important than The Other - or they never heard about The Other wherever they are.

I think you have a misconception here.

Bill and Barry fought against the Other, and did so for an extended period of time. The fight against the Other is why the Boys are revered - at a time when a zombie apocalypse was in progress, Bill and Barry went out and fought to contain it. Then one day, the Boys disappear. At the same time, the attacks of the Other cease. The general assumption is that they found a way to get to the Other, stopped her, but then either died or got trapped on the other side unable to return.

Barry returns in secret after this, with baby Agatha, and meets up with Punch and Judy. He's around on and off for a few years, long enough for Agatha to have childhood memories of him and for him to design the locket. Then he goes off, and is never seen again. During this whole period, the Other is completely inactive, still presumably defeated. We know that her servants were continuing the work, but they were doing so in deep secrecy.

My personal theory for Barry's mysterious trips is that he was searching for a way to get back through the portal to wherever Bill and Lucrezia are - be it somewhere else in time, a different dimension, on the moon, etc.

[eee]

Oh, poo. I liked Smokes.

Agatha is not going to be happy.

The Other wasn't active when Barry went off on his Mysterious Trip. The first GG print novel offers a couple more details about that- when he left, he said he intended to be gone only a couple of months. Agatha and the Clays got three letters from him, one from Mechanicsburg, one from Paris, and one last travel-stained missive from an unknown location, filled with disquieting ramblings.

Disquieting ramblings? Sounds like he may have strayed into Lovecraft territory. Hopefully he's not in Innsmouth.

[Shining Wrath]

Oh, poo. I liked Smokes.

Agatha is not going to be happy.



Disquieting ramblings? Sounds like he may have strayed into Lovecraft territory. Hopefully he's not in Innsmouth.

There are no Deep Ones. Vapnoople killed them with his cetacean minions before Albia could save them.

[Rogar Demonblud]

This strip now has me wondering how many revivifications the average Jager has seen.

[eee]

There are no Deep Ones. Vapnoople killed them with his cetacean minions before Albia could save them.

NOOOO!!! (bursts into tears at the thought)

(they and the Elder Things are some of my favorite Lovecraftian monsters)

[PraetorDragoon]

Is anyone else getting the sense that "Ivo Sharktooth: Private Jaeger" teased the plot of this arc?

With the lantern as the trophy, Wooster as Ivo, and Hadrian as, uh, Hadrian. I actually hadn't noticed that until going back to check. A few other details seem similar too, like the killings of squeezy stan and Greenclaw.

It wouldn't be the first time. The "homecoming king" time travel story bore rather a lot of resemblances to the "tomb of the storm king" for example.

Nah, Wooster is more like Van in this scenario. Remember, Ivo is a Private Jaeger, not a Private Eye. (So Zeetha & The boys are the Ivo standin)

[Ellen]

Sounds to me like in order to find out what time travel equations were on the blackboard, Agatha is going to need to.. look back in time...

Because, to Agatha, it will make total sense to invent time travel to go back in time to read the instructions on how to do time travel.

Sparks, gotta love 'em (from a safe distance [which means a minimum of one universe away, preferably farther]).

[SZbNAhL]

Because, to Agatha, it will make total sense to invent time travel to go back in time to read the instructions on how to do time travel.

She just has to remember to use the secret of time travel to go back and tell herself what the secret of time travel is. Simple!

[Darth Tom]

Nah, Wooster is more like Van in this scenario. Remember, Ivo is a Private Jaeger, not a Private Eye. (So Zeetha & The boys are the Ivo standin)

That's fair. I couldn't place someone as Van, so it works.

[The Glyphstone]

Does anyone not think their 'understanding' is 'I will try to shoot you the second we're safe and your back is turned"?

[Lethologica]

It could work out. I mean, it won't, but it could.

Pirate guy has way better odds of making it out, since now seems to be the time for Bang to find out what happened to her crew.

[Onyavar]

Yes, this could really work out with both of them surviving.

Steelgarter (and/or the mastermind behind her) has a theory how to get to Skifander. That plan involves Zeetha ('s body), and is to a somewhat sinister end.
Pirate steward wants to bring Bang information that it was Zeetha who destroyed her fortress.
At some point, the story demands that they will exchange notes, something like "Oh, this green-haired bridge..." - "Wait, do you also have a grudge with..."

So, can anybody NOT imagine that it is Bang's vessel that will drag Agatha and crew to Skifander against their will?
Once the current mystery plot is sufficiently solved, Bang makes a daring raid on the Dome and just takes our protagonists hostage.
Not to just get revenge for her fortress, but to raid Skifander itself. Revenge is sweet, but gold clogs blood better than elastoplast.

[factotum]

Does anyone not think their 'understanding' is 'I will try to shoot you the second we're safe and your back is turned"?

Well, no. Neither of them really has a reason to kill the other--a pirate is not likely to be eager to go running to the authorities with news of Steelgarter, especially when he helped her escape, and once he's clear of the dome he doesn't really profit from killing her either. (If he wanted to turn her in for some sort of reward, it would be far easier to betray her before they leave).