2021-05-01
Posted on 2021-05-02 by Aaron

88 thoughts on “2021-05-01”

  1. Stephen Bierce

    I wonder if it dribbles.
    “One two three O’Malley
    Four five six O’Malley
    Seven eight nine O’Malley
    Nothing you can do!”

    1. Opus the Poet

      That is from a Bugs Bunny cartoon.

      1. Stephen Bierce

        Porky Pig, IIRC.

        1. Opus the Poet

          They used that gag more than once. Looney Toons was known for that.

        2. Ed Rhodes

          “Well, gee. Why shouldn’t we reuse gags? It’s not like someone’s going to COLLECT all these cartoons, or package them so people can take them home and watch them all, anytime they want!”

  2. Ingot9455

    Aquaman talks to fish, the Flea talks to bugs. Traditionally underrated powers.

    1. Xero

      An aussie based villian with that power would be TERRIFYING do to how nasty the bugs are down there

  3. Messenger

    And people make fun of Aquaman for being able to communicate with fish…

    1. TBeholder

      Not just fish… all that lives upon the sea.

      1. SuddenReal

        Bob has really started to regret selling his house to live on a boat…

        1. TBeholder

          He’s more lenient than Poseidon, anyway.

      2. Bificommander

        I like the poster with Cthulhu rising from the deep with an orange spot on his shoulder and a caption that’s approximately “Still think controlling all the creatures of the sea is a weak power?”

        1. Nealend

          Or that time during a Marvel vs DC crossover where he K.O. an army of marvel-verse Atlanteans using that power.

        2. Sweeper

          Well, let’s be honest; Namor’s got a stick up his 5th point of contact. There would have been a lot if disappointment if Aquaman didn’t kick his butt. 🙂

        3. Man in the Mists

          I could see an alternate version using Godzilla.

      3. Korith

        Oh no….Aquaman can summon Spongebob Squarepants!

        1. Pander

          That’s too much power for any one man to possess.

      4. snek

        That might technically include Cthulhu.

    2. Almond Magnum

      I guess they’ll stop doing that if he ever faces a villain with an armor made of live fish.

    3. xero

      Only stupid people

    4. skullthetroll

      You should read worm by Wildbow. The hero is a girl who can control bugs and she turns out to be one of the most powerful beings on the planet because she is clever in how she uses it.

      1. Wanderer

        Haven’t read Worm (yet), but not surprised that someone who controls bugs is considered powerful. Half the biomass on the planet is bugs…

        1. Xero

          Some of the best builders on the planet too hell we learned stuff by watching them

      2. AtriusNight

        Yes! Seconding the worm recomendation!

      3. Azir

        I am absolutely delighted to see someone else thinking about that Flea/Skitter comparison too! Just finished rereading it (for the third time iirc) last week and if The Flea really put his powers to work like that…. easily OP.

        I’d kind of love to see that though. 😛

        1. Robert Loughrey

          What I loved about Worm was that her real superpower was her tactical sense. Her ability to control a city blocks worth of bugs was actually kind of weak compared to some of the people she bested, but she always came up with a workable plan. Easily the best superhero fiction I’ve ever read.

      4. Fractal

        Worm is so good. Definitely recommend. There’s a fun reference to it in Slay the Spire, too!

  4. WT Wagener

    Flea totally ROCKS!!

  5. Nacht-Jaeger

    So this frame begs a lot of questions. Is the Mantiloid Empire XTs? Parallel universe? Hidden civilization?
    And that might be the perfect upgrade for the Flea.

  6. Jacob P

    And this strip right here is why The Flea is one of the best characters in his or any other metahuman story.

    1. Cerulean Lion

      I like ‘im for sure.

  7. Krenn

    …But how did he know that it HAD a pillbug mode?

    1. Ardis Meade

      He probably asked it.

    2. Vinny Havoc

      The suit probably told him. He said the suit is basically like a bee colony, and alive, so he just spoke to it. And it talked back. Him vocalizing ‘pillbug mode’ in english is probably just dramatic affectation, he likely made the command via his antenna, same way he spoke to the suit to begin with.

      1. Jenora Feuer

        Heck, could be like the manacles implied earlier, slipped some information to the enemy so as to be free of the nitwit controlling them.

      2. Laurentio

        The english phrase is to answer to the human opponent. Silently dispose of him? Inadmissible.

    3. TBeholder

      «Oh. Well, it does now.»

  8. Clell65619

    God, I love the Flea. I wish we had more of a background on him. Is he from a family of insect-based supers? Is he the first of his kind?

    Inquiring minds want to know.

    1. ProfArmitage

      According to the PS238 roleplaying game, the Flea is the son of two insect-themed superheroes, the Mantis and Tarentella, and inherited his powers from them.

      1. Autoskip

        PS238 comes in RPG format?
        I’m getting one!

        1. Mechwarrior

          It’s a bit old by this point, probably not in print any longer. Though DrivethruRPG has it in PDF form. It uses the HERO system.

        2. Prairie Son

          Also some of the information is flat out wrong. The comic told us the real names of Eagle and Patriot when they were introduced, for example, but the game has it wrong.

        3. Ed Rhodes

          Looked it up. The HERO system is $20 for a ZIP file. More if I want an actual paper copy. The PS-238 rulebook is $9.75… (marked down from $19.50!)

          In your opinion, assuming I want to go through the module and make whatever changes need to be made to update it, is it worth the time, money and effort?

        4. Ie Yamof Ool

          @Ed- the Ps238 rulebook INCLUDES a simplified/ modified hero rules for the game, you don’t need to buy the core rulebook to play. So the basic outlay is just the $9.75 for the Ps238 rules.

  9. TBeholder

    And so, a shopkeeper was undone by his own habit of advertising.
    Fittingly.

    1. Faust

      At what point could advertising during this could have led to a sale though?
      Even then, mid combat sales to your opponent of equipment you are demonstrating would only be beneficial if you know of weaknesses you intend to exploit.

  10. Hyperstrike

    And that’s how THE FLEA gets it done!

  11. Prairie Son

    Flea remains awesome. And this is why you keep your mouth shut about your abilities.

    1. Some Ed

      It probably didn’t matter – the suit was probably talking with Flea anyway. We just didn’t get to perceive the side channel conversation because we wouldn’t have been able to comprehend it even if we could have perceived it.

  12. Kytross

    This is arguably the best comic being published today, easily in the top 5. We only get 1 page every 2 months. Can we do a campaign to pay Aaron so we can get a 3 page a week update schedule? I’ll happily take black and white pages if it speeds up the process.

    1. Prairie Son

      He has a Patreon. And we get an update at the start of every month.

      1. Kytross

        Let me be clear. I am a customer for PS238. I own all the PS238 books. I am not a collector looking for action figures and chachkis. What I am looking to buy is more story.

        I don’t do patreon. I do not like the idea of patreon. Frankly, I am not a fan of Aaron, I am a fan of PS238. I like buying books to let the author know I want more of those books. PS238 is one of the few times this has not worked. It is the only time I have ever considered this route. I would prefer a crowdfunding campaign for his next book to encourage a faster production schedule. The more books that are made, the more I’ll buy. Win-Win.

        What I’m looking to buy is this story. Does Tyler get super powers? What is happening with Atlas on Argo? Does Ron get his FISS powers back? What happened to all the octo-dudes Cecil shrunk that got flushed by his mom? What happens with the Infinite Vanguard? When will the Revenant drop the hammer on the Headmaster? Watching two masterminds face off in a story told by one of the best in the world is a story worth reading.

        This is a comic book universe that’s as good as the best in the field. I don’t buy Marvel or DC anymore. I would buy the entire line of PS238 comics every month.

        An 84 comic. An Agent Holmes comic. A Moon Shadow comic. The Flea. The Misadventures of the Earth Defense League.

        That’s the dream. What I’m asking for is 3 pages a week. That’s 12 pages a month, or one normal sized comicbook every 2 months. If you can get me that I’ll sign up for the patreon.

        1. Xero

          No never(we know this do to time travel), lots of paperwork, no

        2. Messenger

          You’re asking for too much, TBH. PS238 is all being done by just one person, Aaron Williams whom you’re not a fan of. And that’s besides his other ongoing webcomics, FFN and Use Sword on Monster. That’s besides his real life responsibilities as a family man and artist.

          Even if he were to just focus on PS238, asking for all those other comics is still too much.

        3. Viqsi

          something about a goose and golden eggs

        4. evileeyore

          His patreon offers no such rewards. No rewards at all actually, it’s literally, “I make Patreon only posts about stuff, give updates, and that’s it”. There is a theoretical “if it hits 800$ a month he’ll write a short story” for Patrons only, but he already writes short stories we can buy. I’m not a fan of patreon either, but Aaron’s is literally just a way for his truest of fans to throw some money at him for no reason.

      2. Thisfox

        However, we are informed that if we join his patreon, we still won’t get more pages per week. Or month. Or year.

        1. Robert Carnegie

          If many people contribute real money in Patreon (I should, I’ve been lazy), more pages might appear? Aaron Williams is a professional artist. In the comics business, there’s a set price per page. (Not really, but I’m making an argument.) Math is math, is my point.

          Also, Patreon has treats. Take a look.

        2. Messenger

          It’s not as simple as more money = more pages. You have to consider time and effort. Lots of comic book artists- whether Western or manga, printed or digital, traditional or webcomic- burn out when they try to do more. I’ve seen this a lot over the years.

          Like I replied above to Kytross, PS238 is all being done by just one person. And that’s besides his other ongoing webcomics, FFN and Use Sword on Monster. That’s besides his real life responsibilities as a family man and artist.

        3. Mike S

          As I once read, bearing a child takes nine months regardless of how many women are assigned to the task or how many resources are made available.

          Some things, you just can’t rush. Much as I wish we could in this case.

        4. Faust

          Also it’s just the person. No indication of which comics you enjoy and are backing. Last time I checked which wasn’t recently, PS238 was the slowest of his comics regarding update schedule.
          If I see the full set on Kickstarter or Amazon then sure I’d buy one or two.
          I’m not against Patreon though I don’t support anyone through it. It’s lacking in a lot of points.

    2. Some Ed

      In many stories such as this, the process it takes to make updates will be excruciatingly long regardless of how much pressure is spent to make it faster, until the point at which the artist caves and starts producing crap.

      We delight in how clever all of the characters are and want to see more of it. They think so fast on their feet and come up with so many amazing ideas.

      But the thing is, the artist isn’t actually as clever as his characters. Figuring out what these incredibly brilliant and divergent thinkers are going to do with the situations he throws at them is hard. And most of that sort of thinking is background thinking, not forebrain. So there is no way to rush it.

      Please stop trying to, because the only possible success you could have will break the goose that lays the eggs, and we will have no more eggs.

  13. Nealithi

    And this is why any communicate with ability should not be underestimated.
    You never know what will fall under their command.

    1. Nacht-Jaeger

      Someone with a “Talk with plants” ability can be a campaign killer, if they’re clever enough.

      1. Opus the Poet

        Literally Poison Ivy’s power is “Talk With Plants”.

        1. Ed Rhodes

          “The hibiscus on your desk thinks you’re trying to kill it. Stop watering it so much.”

          Only read it once, probably got it wrong, but that was the gist.

  14. Nos482

    lol, nice.

  15. Radecliffe

    This is a very important rule. Never, ever, ever tell your opponent how your stuff works.

    1. jy3

      Unless that somehow makes your stuff stronger. And even then, be careful what you blab.

      (Yes, I have been binging Jujustu Kaisen, why do you ask?)

  16. Faust

    The shelves should already be mad about him destroying them.
    He is going to be mad about the shelves?

  17. JoeMerl

    I kinda want the Flea to take this armor as his new weapon when all’s said and done.

    1. Faust

      If he can give it instructions without being inside it (like demonstrated) then he would like the idea of being in two places at once.

      1. Clown Science

        It can be his sidekick

        1. Rockphed

          He can claim it is his new costume as a new way to skip class.

        2. Man in the Mists

          He can couch co-op by himself.

  18. Kevin Roche

    I think this may be one of my favorite pages of yours *ever*

  19. Opus the Poet

    OK I’m getting notices from my browser that a ton of malicious code is trying to load with the page. The browser is blocking it from getting through, but I thought you would like to know about it.

  20. Ed Rhodes

    The thread has reached an end, and there is no “reply” tag. So I’ll post this as an original subject.

    The Game

    Looked it up. The HERO system is $20 for a ZIP file. $40.00 for a paper copy. $40.00 (marked down from $60.00) for a ZIP and paper copy! (And the rulebook alone is 660+ pages! That’s some serious studying!) The PS-238 rulebook is $9.75… (marked down from $19.50!)

    In your opinion, assuming I want to go through the module and make whatever changes need to be made to update it, is it worth the time, money and effort?

    1. Shiro

      Someone else did reply the last time you asked this, but in case you didn’t see it “the Ps238 rulebook INCLUDES a simplified/ modified hero rules for the game, you don’t need to buy the core rulebook to play. So the basic outlay is just the $9.75 for the Ps238 rules”

      1. Ed Rhodes

        I DID see that, thank you. I don’t know how a response was generated, when there’s no “reply” button on the post! But, such is life.

        1. Prairie Son

          You click the reply button in the post above. If you’re nice, you use @NAME to say who you are replying to.

        2. Ed Rhodes

          I never knew that. Thank you. Being me, I won’t remember it when I need to, but thanks.

  21. Speedy

    Can you please update the “Updates Mon – Wed – Fri” to What ever schedule you are actually following?
    I do not mind waiting for good, free comics, but I do not think you have not updated three comics in a week for the several years I have been treading this.

    1. Ed

      Yeah. We’re approaching 2 months this time.

      I totally get it. Life happens.

      Slightly more reliable would be nice. But certainly isn’t required!

      1. Ed Rhodes

        Yeah, I hope everything is OK.

        1. Mike S

          Same here. Use Sword On Monster hasn’t been updated since late May. Only Full Frontal Nerdity seems to be kept up, about twice a week, with the last update June 30. It figures that the only one of them I actually read (this one) is the one furthest behind schedule.

  22. RayNAiken

    Has this comic gone the way of Nodwick?
    Full Frontal Nerdity seems to be active as is Use Sword on Monster both within the last two weeks.

    1. Prairie Son

      Aaron’s production is erratic, based on whatever else he has going on. I think the longest drought was a couple chapters ago in USOM, where he went almost four months without an update.

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