June 30th, 2014
1 Jul 2014 · page 384 of 1306
Real professionals.
Cast: Benjamin Thackerey, Heinrich Wolfe, Jack O'Malley
Comments (36)
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Mr Thackeray has got to get customers to sign a disclaimer that says he is not responsible for any damage that occurs during malform removal. If the customers don't like it then no removal.
Yeah, he really should do that!
Somehow, Ben doesn't strike me as someone cut out to be a successful businessman. Too polite and all. But that fourth panel is hilarious. In fact, this whole page is hilarious!
Well, perhaps he could take a tip from the little obnoxious guy in Ghostbusters when a customer complained about collateral damage: "OK, we can put it right back."
I was thinking he could take out professional indemnity insurance, but the premiums would be crippling and I don't think it's been invented yet.
I'm over-analysing this aren't I?
"little obnoxious guy"? You must mean...Professor Peter Venkman, Ph.D! And that is exactly what they should do!
(Also, wrt your second suggestion - there's actually been fairly sophisticated business/property insurance available since the end of the 17th century. Ben needs to put down the Latin and pick up a how-to tome or two on 'modern' business practices - those date back to the early 18th).
Sad to think I saw Ghostbusters on its original cinema release. .
My extensive 3 minutes of Google research suggested just shipping (the sort with real ships) and business insurance in the 1830s with other types coming later, but I'll take your word on it. I suspect if we start a discussion on c19th insurance Ms Ashwin will have apoplexy. Anyway, would you insure that lot?
[Lloyd's of London](http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd's_of_London "http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd's_of_London") probably would. If they'll insure the legs of various famous actresses, then insuring/indemnifying a company that chases malforms ought to be a breeze -- an expensive breeze, but a breeze nonetheless.
Sturzkampf: Sad to think I saw Ghostbusters on its original cinema release.
Don't be sad about that, fellow old-timer - I saw it then too! There's a good argument to be made that 1984 might have been one of the most amazing years for movies ever - at least for the 20-something crowd. In addition to Ghostbusters, I remember... Splash, Bachelor Party, Footloose, Romancing the Stone, The Natural, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Police Academy, Gremlins, the Karate Kid, Conan the Barbarian, Repo Man, The Gods Must Be Crazy, Revenge of the Nerds, Amadeus, Buckaroo Bonzai, Stop Making Sense, The Terminator, The Killing Fields, Beverly Hills Cop, Dune, etc etc.
(Jeez - I know I did a lot that year other than watching movies, but it's hard to imagine how I managed it!)
Um, 20-something crowd? Anyone who can actually remember 1984 would have to be 30+ since people don't start forming permanent memories until they are 3 or 4 years old.
Sure, I'm only 28 and I remember a bunch of those movies in your list, but I watch old movies! I also listen to old music.
By the way, my father always wanted to be Buckaroo Bonzai when he grew up . . .
He meant 20-something in 1984. =)
20-something in 1984, child.
Then you should have actually said that. It was not clear from your statement of: "There's a good argument to be made that 1984 might have been one of the most amazing years for movies ever - at least for the 20-something crowd." Nowhere in that sentence do you say that you're talking about people who were 20-something IN 1984.
Also, I'm insulted that you feel the need to belittle my perfectly reasonable statement by calling me a child.
I meant no insult to you - using the word 'child' was simply intended to reinforce how very wizzened both I and Sturzkampf truly are.
When used in such a context, calling someone a child implies that their opinion can be dismissed because they are too young, naive, or inexperienced to understand. As that should not apply to a misinterpretation of an ambiguous statement by an adult, such a dismissal is insulting. If no insult was intended, then what we have here is yet another instance of ambiguous language.
Precise language is very important to avoid misunderstandings, particularly on the internet when there are no other indicators as to meaning.
If the original statement had been "-at least for those remember the 80's" or "-at least for anyone who was in their 20's at the time" or something else to indicate you were talking about people who were 20-something then as opposed to now it would have been clear what you meant.
If the reply to my post had been something like "I meant people who were 20-something in 1984" or, if you wanted to indicate the age difference without coming across as an insult, "I meant older people like me who were in their 20's back then" (older being a relative term that indicates the age difference between the one making the statement and the audience without saying "you're too young" or "I'm old").
Vague language is a huge pet peeve of mine, in case that wasn't painfully obvious at this point . . .
It seems the bug... malform has a different problem that has to be taken care of. Somebody should start listen to it?
I'd say that O'Malley should give it a hug and say "Shhhh, it's all right - I'll protect you!"... but I suspect that's another thing that's just not going to happen.
Thackerey: I fully agree. Expensive breakages are one thing, but if we gain a reputation for... mollycoddling these malforms... I-I really dread to think what people might say about us!
>:=)>
Oh, now it has to happen.
I am already loving the manic little yeller feller.
I hope he sticks around with O'Malley for a while, as a sort of familiar.
Why do I hear the Willie Coyote theme playing during this scene?
That said, I find Ben's prioritization of wine bottles over O'Malley's safety extremely concerning. I don't recall there being any rules against Malfroms directly causing harm to humans, and O'Malley seems like he'd be pretty high on the 'should exterminate' list for the Seven Deadlies.
Indeed, but if the malform was actually of the big, powerful & dangerous type O'Malley'sown reactions would make it quite plain. Most malforms shown so far are more vandalizing pests than actual threats.
Man, I love these guys.
But O'Malley earlier listened to one of the buggerups and with good results - why not now?
Little bit harder to listen when there's a lizard on your face.
Well, yeah. So...how much does a three-foot long yellow-lizard clown weigh? Does O'Malley smell them? What does their skin feel like? Are they warm or could to the touch?
Inquiring readers must know.
Presume it applies to all senses :)
O'Malley only sees colors in malforms, auras, and himself (including what he wears and holds). At what point does an object have color for him? If he held a baby (not that I think he would willingly), would the baby be in color?
His clothes are in colour but that's just what we see, if you get my drift. It's more of a narrative thing. Things he holds haven't been shown as in colour, but I get that clothing colours kinda confuses that.. Expect a little more clarification on it all eventually.
You'd probably have to actually pay him to hold a baby. This is not a transaction I could endorse.
I'm curious if coloring is easier when you're in O'Malley view?
It's actually much the same! In order to preserve the levels, I just use the same colours, desaturate it like woah, and shade in a tone much closer to black. There's a bit of gradient shadery around the edges of the backgrounds so the people pop out a little more, too!
Oh wow, I see what you mean with the gradient shading; nice job!
No matter what its original attitude was, I'm sure its exposure to (even one of) the Seven Deadly Sins and a talent-thief didn't help it any. o_o;
So even the malforms are fully aware that the Seven Deadly Sins' release would be a Very Bad Thing, huh?
I wonder whether they're as big a terror in the spirit world as they are in the mortal realm.
Lizard malform: "the omalley must help!" "They break free!" "send them back!"
Unless the little guy is worked up over the escapes of the Deadlies in general, there might be something somewhat more immanent to worry about . . .
Not just O'Malley but the O'Malley
I just realized that Mal's gloves are colored in his black-and-white world. Now what can that represent?