Mind Control Comics Forum

Coming Tuesday, May 28th!

Who are the guest artists this time around?

Oops! MB and Sorenka are doing the full run until PK's return.

So this is early '07 that we're looking at?  Pearl is somewhere between 23 and 24 currently?  And the whole "Miriam" thing was a reaction to the trauma of whatever got Q-box busted?  Confusing.  Intersting, but confusing...as ever.

Incidentally, I know the title is a play on words, but aren't we referring more to "rights" than "rites" here?

.

Actually, that's an old trait of hers that we broke with Forget Something? Part 2.  She had this armor of sort of wounded sarcasm and bitterness that was an imposing wall of black that blocked out her (gorgeous) face.  Maybe this is all a reaction to Q-Box, because frankly, this guest page is more like Gilmore Girls the Punk Rock Edition than an angst disaster.

.

The thing that most struck me about these two guest strips is how happy and together Jacqui is, contrasted with her early appearances in the main SJI storyline.  She is combative in both, though playfully (with Q and Pearl) in the issues set years earlier, and angrily afterwards.  It reminds me of the Erin depicted with her school buddies (pre-Wilmot) vs early, angry Erin, actually.

I think Q must have used Pink Clouds on Jacqui, possibly (probably?) extensively, warping her in the process.  MC done by the bad guys seems to result in psychic scarring (for lack of a better word) - we see that with Dani, for example, as well as with Laura (to some extent, I would argue), and we still don't know exactly what happened to Erin.  I think Jacqui's change in personality from these strips to the early SJI issues is a result of similar mental trauma.

Adrian's mind control over his harem is curative of the other forms of MC, and is helping to restore these people to a version of themselves that's happier and better adjusted.

Just my latest crackpot theory, expressed badly.

.

Well, maybe not "happy", but definitely, i don't know, less angry?  Erin's early descriptions of Jacqui, and her behaviour, is hardly like the person we see here - in a good relationship with her daughter, in a relationship with Q where they are both pursuing their interests and (apparently) trying to work how things can work out for them.  The Jacqui we see in the shadows of the early comic punches out Derek (for good reason) and Erin acts as though this is just a standard kind of thing, with a scary boss who is willing to do that to people who piss her off.

.

Not sure why but I haven't been able to see the comic images on either my pc or PK's PC for a couple of months - I see the front pages but not the actual pages...just a mean little X where my image should be (same on PK's computer)...

So, I haven't read any of the guest pages and have just 'guessed' what's the story :)

I think you are right, GW...strong women don't admire neediness in a man...I have to say though, I'm not sure Jacqui is strong. She's very needy herself and aggressive rather than assertive  - I don't know if I think any of the women in the Infirmary are 'strong' in my sense of the word...but maybe that's a debate for another time....

I wish I could see the pages :(

I should point out that I have no input into the story and have no idea of plots past, present or future :) Just an interested observer....also looking forward to PK's return x

Customer service is just an email away. :)

Oh...I don't think it's to do with the site, D...I think it's more likely to do with a compatibiity issue or having my settings changed when my PC decided to download and install IE10...or something....

.

I agree...I know some strong women and some of them consider me to be a strong woman - but aggressive isn't assertive, and I consider the ability to be assertive a strong characteristic (if that's the right term). Weeping over your croissant because your boyfriend left without waking you up is, to me a pretty weak and pathetic trait - or behaviour. I may be just saying this because I like her and am (probably) like her, but I consider Dani to be the strongest of the SJI women. I like self reliant, capable women - lippy in one hand and hammer drill in the other...yummy :D

BTW...thanks to Daphne for sorting out the image problem - I've now had a chance to read the pages. I have no take on this bit of the puzzle, though...I may be flummoxed!!! But I did like the art, very much...

Hey, no one's perfect. :)

.

So...given that you don't think you know what it means, why Mallory? I mean what is it about her that you read as strong?

.

I don't know that we know enough about Mallory to make pronouncements that grand.  And really, I think it was her education, not her job selection where she broke with her parents.

I'm not sure I can really see where Dani ends and her programming begins, but Erin is multi-skilled and quite self-sufficient.  I don't neccessarily know that building up emotional walls and armors of sarcasm in response to severe trauma is really a sign of weakness, but that's a disucssion for a different moment.

Wow...and you say you don't think you know what it means :) I have a degree in psychology and I couldn't have written it better...and, you know what, I think you convinced me. Mallory does tend to just quietly get on with things and let others run around worrying...

I don't know about Erin being multi-skilled, though, Jmundt29....trying to think what skills she's displayed other than singing, crying and f***ing :D

.

Well, she can act. :)

As I understand it, she can act and sing quite well.  Also, could we revisit for a moment the reason why everyone is suddenly equating Erin Hackberry with Sally Brown?  I don't remember her crying in any instance, except just after Dani popped out of that closet (and maybe as part of that "summoning" she escaped in the GP flashback).  Dani has awakened screaming and crying a couple times, but I'm not hearing anyone criticize her for it.  What gives?

Maybe I am being a bit tough on poor Erin...who, until this particular incident I thought she was pretty cool. The incident in question is on page 174...where she weeps over her morning coffee because Adrian went to his music lesson without waking her up for a boink!! Whilst I completely understand her disappointment, I think it probably only warranted a bit of a grumble....maybe she was acting :)

I...well, I took another look at 174, I guess you're talking about two panels before we hear Dani's wake-up scream.  The first panel is definitely sarcastic Erin at her finest.  The slumping in her chair in panel...what, 3 shows her as more upset than sarcatic.  I think the combination of the slump and then the head in hands gives the wrong impression.  She gives off depressed, but she's not crying (and I don't think she's just barely holding back tears) but the combination of disappointment, and frustration has her at sea.  I've known people to have their heads in their hands rubbing their eyes when overtired or exceptionally frustrated, or both--higher education (particularly law school) can do that to a person.