#449 – ‘kay

Oof. Hope you've been enjoying this intense week of comics! I went to a Kurt Vile concert this past night at Other Music, where he played an acoustic set from his new album, Smoke Ring For My Halo. Have you heard it? It's wonderful!

108 thoughts on “#449 – ‘kay

  1. Maybe he's just grumpy before his coffee..

    1. For the record, this is pretty much exactly how I reacted upon being woken up by my cute one-night-stand when he said he was leaving, so I'm going to cut Jack some slack here.

  2. Something about Eve's expression in the last panel reminds me of Anders Loves Maria.

    1. It's the big round Maria eyes!

      1. Yes! I think her lack of a mouth in the panel probably contributes too.

    2. Now that you mention it it reminds me of Anders Lovers Maria too,

      1. I wish the made a Anders Loves Maria 2 🙁

        1. spoiler alert:

          But then it'd just be Anders.

          whomp whomp.

        2. it could be his little daughter maria C: (in a father-daughter way of course) 😀

  3. Poor Eve, hopefully Julie will fair better before this storyline ends.

    1. You think so? I'm not so sure.

      1. You're probably right, I just want things to work out for that girl.

    2. definitely the big googily eyes

  4. Is it possible that this is the first he has seen of Eve's tattoo? Is there really a Guild of Ristretto?!

    1. Yes, and that thing a few strips back where that one girl was showing the "secret" of the hotel coffee machines was on of Guild stuff, iirc

    2. also: it's blantantly mentioned in this strip: http://www.octopuspie.com/2011-03-01/445-the-keys

      1. Yup, there it is. I feel pretty stupid for missing that.

        Thank's for pointing it out.

    3. I thought she picked him up at the “Ristretto party” she set up. He might still think she was a “current” member (and what’s that about anyway?).

      And you know, they both new it was going to be a one-night stand.

  5. aww sad -_-
    lol gotta go find Will again…

  6. aw man, this is gonna make me cry, isn't it?

  7. hanna, you will cry, you will laugh, you will ask for more pie. such is the life and story of an OCTOPUS PIE reader

    1. I think that first sentence should be on the next book jacket!

  8. Wait, isn't she still technically with Park or am I missing something? I thought Eve and Park stayed in a long-distance relationship when he moved. o_O

    1. I think you might benefit from revisiting this strip:
      http://www.octopuspie.com/2010-04-09/364-an-answe

      and maybe this one
      http://www.octopuspie.com/2010-08-18/384-whats-fa

      =)

      1. Oh, I guess I misread it the first time through. Thanks!

    2. No, they broke up, but they were both very sad about it.

  9. That does it – I need a Taz tattoo…

    Now, to find a hairless place to put it… other than the top of my head.

  10. Nooo, Jack, please just think it's an ironic tattoo. Please.

  11. The Eveboob: more common than the elusive Marekpubes, but still a rare sight, indicative of awkward or unusual times in the world of Octopus Pie

  12. noooooooo. Maybe he just can't process things in the morning! Sad Eve bums me out 🙁

    1. you must be bummed out a lot then. :S

    2. Yeah, it's tough as hell for me to comprehend stuff when I just wake up.

    3. yes, and obviously he's probably lying there a little bummed out because he's fearing the worst and knowing that they are going to have to have "a talk"

  13. 🙁
    i knew this was destined for failure but i like him

  14. Well, at least we can't say we didn't see it coming 🙁

  15. Ooo, the semi-revelation I've been waiting for; what could this portend?

    I like what's going on with the characters here. This might hurt a little, but it'll be worth it.

  16. i don't get it why is he reacting like that 😕

    1. Presumably by having a Taz tattoo she's broken one of the hipster commandments. Probably what got her kicked out of the Guild in the first place.

      1. He has the same tattoo on his arm, actually. It's probably more related to why she's no longer a member, being it was made out like she'd prefer not to talk about in the beginning of this arc.

    2. Because Eve has kept him in the shade about her being an ex-Guild member. Think of it: you just opened yourself to someone and suddenly find they've been keeping a thing like that from you. The reaction is understandable.

      Also, considering how Jack said that the Guild was top important for him, he might even consider Eve a 'traitor' or 'defector' or whatever. Now we JackxEve shippers just have to cross our fingers and hope he'll be sensible enough to say "oh well she must've had her reasons". But I'm not betting on it.

    3. I'm pretty much like that every morning

  17. Morning people must be incredibly rare in this guild.
    I was looking forward to the morning-after-coffee!

  18. That's Taz on the back right? I'm not the only one seeing this.

    1. What Taz..? There is nothing there but Eve's clean back.

      😀

  19. Noooo, I was afraid of something like this…

  20. I thought her tattoo was Taz (tasmanian devil) from Looney Tunes.

  21. Does the Guild frown upon relationships with deserters?

  22. I'm glad nudity isn't a big deal in this strip! Eve's boobs are just kinda hanging out up there, all comfortable with the narrative.

    Although this business with Eve's implicitly shady past with a secret coffee club is sort of confusing. Hasn't even been mentioned until very recently, and even then, only briefly and somewhat vaguely. Hopefully it'll make more sense by the end of this arc.

    Comedy 'shipping option: Eve is secretly in love with Marek, but knows she can never have him, so she's taking her pent-up romantic frustration out on this hairy stud.

    1. Perhaps Eve just got that tattoo when she was drunk and needed a cover story.

  23. Eve sure does have a tiny mouth in that last panel.

    1. I believe that is her nose. Her mouth is even SMALLER.

  24. Marek is the only bearded guy I know who isn't an ass.
    (This is excluding all the elderly people I've met)

  25. Note that he notes her tattoo for probably the first time, also note that she fails to note this. Then note that her failure to note his noting of her tattoo leads her to walk away feeling a bit hurt.

    Thank you for noticing this notice. Your noticing has been noted.

    Anydangway, I'm guessing beard dude was just caught off guard by that tattoo, and needs to mull it over.

    1. Maybe she didn't notice his noticing her noted tattoo. THE SUSPENSE KILLS ME.

      1. Pretty certain she didn't. Her back was turned when he saw it, and when she turned to face him, he had his eyes closed.

    2. You sure are making much ado about noting.

  26. Does anyone else notice that the guild tattoo is Taz the Tazmanian devil?

    1. Yeah. It's sort of hilarious to think that Eve's had it all this time.

  27. Eve is totally checking out Jack's junk in panel 5.

    The one thing I don't quite understand is how Eve's avoided detection so far. Does the guild have a description of where each tattoo is located on its former members, but not have a description of their faces? Ah well, I'm sure we'll find out eventually.

  28. I probably would have rolled over to go back to sleep too. She's gotta go! She said it! I can sleep more! Why wouldn't I?

    I mean, compared to my husband I'm a morning person, but I'm not going to pass up more sleep if it's available. That's just wasteful. We can cuddle later, when we're all back in New York.

  29. I thought they were both in the guild? So what's the big deal?

    Also, thank you for not awkwardly draping the sheets over Eve's chest in a way that no one does in real life, but everyone does on TV.

    1. haha yup. I hate that.

  30. Maybe he just realized who she was.

  31. I feel like there’s been foreshadowing with Jack’s mixed feelings with the guild. Maybe he’ll realize that he doesn’t have to be a part of it to be happy. Maybe. Hopefully. Probably not.

    I’d like to see his and Marek’s beards face off. Beard off?

  32. (Sigh) Poor Eve. Jack doesn't seem like the type to keep on dating a barista heretic.

    Its just as well that Eve got out of the Guild. Think what that Taz tat is going to look like when she's sixty.

    1. Shaddap! Argh, now I can't take that image out of my mind! >_< Are you happy?

  33. OMG i was kurt vile too 🙂

  34. Hooray safe sex.

    1. Woah, well spotted. Meredith is a genius for the little details.

  35. I wonder if Meredith draws every single Taz, or if she has a little stock image she just alters. It seems like a big hassle if she draws him every time.

  36. The beauty of Taz tattoos is that they never look good – so age won't matter.

    So does this make Eve a 'sleeper' agent of the guild?

  37. noooooo! I liked them together!

  38. HA! I called it! Someone owes me $5! My one question about all this is what of those who just have a Taz tat on them but aren't apart of that coffee cult?

    1. Maybe they ALL are.

    2. They don't count because they're probably going straight to hell anyway.

  39. Poor Ning takes so much emotional abuse. If I met her in real life I'd probably have to just give her a hug.

    Which I'm sure would freak her out.

  40. I think y'all are judging Jack too harshly. This doesn't necessarily mean he's an asshole. It's morning, he's half asleep. Plus they've been drinking for 2 days straight. So maybe he commited a bit of a faux-pas, sending false signals of uncaring. I just don't think we should be so quick to judge him. I have a feeling he'll call Eve later and be completely dumbfounded as to what's wrong.

  41. also hey. I have to say that I think this is the best webcomic I've ever read. Can anyone suggest any that are similar to this? I've already read Anders loves maria, as well as QC. Anders definitely compares to this one, but QC has become a little too punch-liney for me (or maybe it always has been). Suggestions?

    1. I would sincerely suggest The Abominable Charles Christopher

      It's definitely a different style than what you've read so far (and updates less often) so I can't guarantee you'll like it but the art is beautiful and the story is heartbreaking. Just make sure to read from the beginning 😉
      http://www.abominable.cc/

    2. Girls With Slingshots is one of my favourites. Also the new Erika Moen comic Bucko is already shaping up very nicely.

    3. Gunnerkrigg Court, for one. (wait until you've got through the first few chapters, it ends up getting very, very good.) Not quite my favorite webcomic, but definitely the one that I reckon to be "best" in pure quality of art and narrative.

      If you're ready for something that requires a very high investment of interest and dedication, but will absolutely and irrevocably rock your world once you've got far enough (and it will take you a long time to catch up to this one, even though it's only two years old): Homestuck,of MS Paint Adventures. If you like the sound of absurdly complex interweaving plotlines including time travel shenanigans, great characters, hilarious moments, very intelligent dialogue, mind-blowing twists and turns and the most original fictional-world-building you'll see anywhere, this is where you'll find all that. If you can spare the time, energy, and patience to get through two years' worth of something that updates 5-6 times a day, and has a rather slow buildup to what eventually becomes most grandiose and ambitious story I've ever read. Because of Flash bits mixed in with the .gif pages, it includes animated segments, music, and very occasional interactive pages.
      File Homestuck under "experimental."

      It sounds like you like funny story-based comics with a streak of lighthearted drama, so if you can spare the romance aspect, I highly recommend Bad Machinery.

      And okay that's enough for now. 😛 I could go on for ages about good webcomics.

    4. Seconding the choices mentioned and adding Kukuburi.

      1. Kukuburi is great, and soon restarting after a months-long hiatus! But it’s much more action-driven than OP – where the appeal for most of us, I suspect, is not so much about the particulars of what happens, as how it affects the characters and their relationships with each other.

        For long narratives with significant focus on character development, I’d also put in votes for Gunnerkrigg Court and The Abominable Charles Christopher. Also take a look at Rice Boy, Shi Long Pang, Dovecote Crest, and SPQR Blues. The first of those four is set in a world of pure deep fantasy, the other three are historical fictions. None have the ironic-yet-still-affectionate sense of humor that OP does, but they have other strengths, and in each you will find characters worth caring about.

  42. Ack! So it begins…

    At least they had one good night together?

  43. Girls with slingshots?

  44. I'm confused… wouldn't that mean they were on the same team? Why would that be a bad thing?

  45. This has been another episodes of "Poor Decisions with Everest Ning". Thanks for watching, and tune in next week!

  46. He definitely figured out why the others recognized her and is reacting coldly because of it. His facial expression, the emphasis on her tattoo, and him faking still being asleep so she doesn't know that he saw all point to that.

    In #441, Eve is concerned about Jacob telling people about her once being in the guild, because she left under abrupt circumstances. In #445, Jonathan is trying to figure out why he recognizes her, and although Jack starts off defending her, ultimately says his first priority is protecting the keystone of the ristretto, and looks really sad about it. Obviously Jack's figured it out and is being cold to her because of it. He did seem to genuinely like Eve though, so my hope is that he doesn't write her off entirely.

    1. yes, and obviously he's probably lying there a little bummed out because he's fearing the worst and knowing that they are going to have to have "a talk"

      Although, what I don't understand is why Jane seemed totally cool with Eve being in the guild, and obviously since she works in a grocery store now and she's no longer a barista, she's no longer a member.

  47. No, no, no.

    Please, please, please…

  48. I went to the Kurt Vile in-store too! I'm glad I didn't know you were there, or very awkward fan freaking out would have happened. But the performance was great (when he forgot My Best Friends)and Smoke Ring for My Halo is awesome

  49. So going back and reading i realized that she told Jane to not reveal her status as a guild member, which even then she is partially lying about as she no longer associates with them at the very least. So jack possibly never knew about her ties to his own social group and is disturbed she didn't share this with him/realizes she left/basically doesn't trust her

  50. Eve's face in the second-to-last panel breaks my soul. ):

  51. Maaaan….I would just like to know what the low-down is on this whole "guild" thing…The suspense is killing me! Keep up the wonderful suspense-iness Gran!

  52. Maaaaan, Eve just can't catch a break. I hope this guy doesn't do anything too dickish. He doesn't seem like the mean type.

  53. NOOOO I KNEW IIIT

    GRAAAAAAN!

    (pretend that rhymes with KHAAAAAN)

  54. I'm just wondering if Eve having the tattoo on her back is a give away. Like, maybe after she defected or left the Guild, they didn't allow them to get the tattoo on the back anymore – so far we've seen it on the back of Jane's neck and Jack's arm. Turned the "sign of an ally" into a "sign of the traitor". I dunno, just a thought.

  55. You would think he would've noticed that earlier. But I guess bumpin' uglies will distract you a little.

    1. Either it was too dark, or they kept things face to face, I guess. They both seem to me like the type to be pretty tame the first time in bed with someone new.

  56. He didn't notice that at all last night? Well that proves Eve was on her back most of the night..

  57. I would throw any number of secret cults and coffee guardians under the bus for sweet5 Eve Ning's love.

    1. You and I both, man ^^ Let's hope Jack turns out to be just as sensible.

      Also, yay to Eve's sleepy face in panel 2!

  58. What happened here is simply the story of my life- doesn't matter how hard I try I just can't wake up and care when they have to go. Poor Jack

  59. remember she said she left the guild under "…abrupt circumstances"?? I bet she's been black-listed by the guild as a traitor and now Jack will have to kill her for revealing the secrets!!!! :O

  60. It's not the tattoo since Jack has it too. Check the last page!

    1. No, it's the tattoo. 😛

  61. Wait, did he sleep with her JUST to check for a tattoo? If so he's a total prick

Leave a Reply to Allison Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

*

*