Title: Saint James Infirmary 333: Jakob's Ladder. Post by: Daphne on September 24, 2014, 12:28:54 pm Friday, September 26th.
Title: Re: Saint James Infirmary 333: Jakob's Ladder. Post by: jmundt29 on September 24, 2014, 09:16:02 pm This could be how Jakob survived, where he's living now, or some sort of construct in Pearl's memory.
Maybe I have this wrong, but...are there supposed to be three Kuppler brothers? Is Jakob the eldest? Why does he look four decades older than Johannes? Hard living like The Prisoner of Zenda, or is Johannes the child of their father's old age? Title: Re: Saint James Infirmary 333: Jakob's Ladder. Post by: GodWilling on September 25, 2014, 10:49:49 am It's hard to judge from the few drawings we have, but it doesn't look impossible to me that Johannes and Jakob could be twins. I don't think we're aware of a third brother. Maybe Joachim stayed dead.
Title: Re: Saint James Infirmary 333: Jakob's Ladder. Post by: GodWilling on September 25, 2014, 03:18:32 pm Another fantastic page - great concept brilliantly realized.
Title: Re: Saint James Infirmary 333: Jakob's Ladder. Post by: jmundt29 on September 25, 2014, 03:43:30 pm I'm glad this is early because
What...The...Hell? :o :o Why is there some unwritten law that all men in the SJI-verse except Adrian (and his father) must be complete douchebags? >:( >:( >:( Well, unless they're completely blind papas (here's lookin' at you, Cantor). ::) ::) I was looking forward to Jacqui and Dani performing at Sawyer's club...it's been the longest standing carrot in the strip...and now, it's tainted. Unless, of course, there's another level of programming that Pearl has yet to break through. And now, I'm confused about our sideview. Is that Jakob giving raw material to Dani to mold into something (in the past)? Jakob giving raw material to Cherry (in the present)? Johannes showing stuff to Claudia (in the present/near future)? Or Jakob showing stuff to Pearl (in the past) before he gave it to Dani to work with? Why does his hand look younger than the rest of him? More important--this is the second person to say that Jakob couldn't make anything himself. Why not? Is he a mechanical klutz? Is this to give us the impression that he could be a weak villain, a Dark Helmet-type if he faced real opposition? Can only women work with the shells? What ARE the shells? Did they once all belong to Rain or her sisters...or her cousins? What??? ??? ??? ??? ??? Title: Re: Saint James Infirmary 333: Jakob's Ladder. Post by: GodWilling on September 25, 2014, 05:05:03 pm Just... am I the only one crossing my legs when I look at rung/panel 4? I suppose it's panel 3 if you read it from the bottom... And it certainly makes a lot more sense that way.
And it makes more sense if Dani is taking part in this conversation, and the speech bubble attributed to her is actually her "speaking". And if she is, then is the unattributed bubble saying Jakob could not make anything coming from her as well? And is it her saying there's something he didn't know? Anyway, do we have an explanation for the "crystal" confusion now? We saw Jakob using something that looked like Zenon's "hypnotic crystal" (ep 8 pop-up text) on Pearl in 331. That presumably is "the pendant" referred to here. And it's powered by the same red crystal that the scallops are made from - but only a small piece of one. Once he'd got the watch, did he leave the pendant behind? Did Claudia pass it on to Zenon to help him find the little watch girl? Did Cherry and Julian break in and steal it on behalf of Johannes? Or are there several of these pendant things knocking about? Title: Re: Saint James Infirmary 333: Jakob's Ladder. Post by: jmundt29 on September 25, 2014, 06:43:43 pm So, the scallops are crystals. Of what substance?
So, did Dani make both the pendant and the Watch? We have The Watch attributed to her, the only whole crystal that Jakob ever possessed. While the double nude shot on rung three is distracting, I confess I'm confused by Dani's costume change from maid's outfit to pale dress from one rung to the next. I can't tell if Zenon's pendant originally belonged to Jakob, or if first Dani and then Cherry were sent to steal it. I think Cherry and Julian are working for Jakob. Most of the shots we have of Jakob are of a guy with gray-to-white hair. I can't remember if there's a beard or not. Johannes looks like a gym rat/Bowflex model in his early 30s. That's quite a disparity. Title: Re: Saint James Infirmary 333: Jakob's Ladder. Post by: mns_95125 on September 25, 2014, 09:12:22 pm I suppose it's panel 3 if you read it from the bottom... And it certainly makes a lot more sense that way. Yes, it really does. I'm pretty sure that's the intent. Quote And it makes more sense if Dani is taking part in this conversation, and the speech bubble attributed to her is actually her "speaking". And if she is, then is the unattributed bubble saying Jakob could not make anything coming from her as well? And is it her saying there's something he didn't know? I think all of the dialog in this one is commentary; none of it makes sense if said by people in the past. For that matter, the backdrops make a kind of allegorical sense if the panels are read from bottom to top. Erin is helping Miriam climb over a wall, a metaphor for a block in her memory. Dialog in the second rung suggests that Jakob's programming is responsible for Miriam's sexual dysfunction. Third rung, they're over the wall and seeing a representation of what's behind the block -- the pendant Jakob used to program her. Fourth rung, Dani explains why Jakob sent her to Kearsage. (Does this imply that Erin's memory spell is helping Dani recover her memories too? And why did Jakob think more crystals could be found in Kearsage?) Fifth and sixth rungs are Erin and Miriam exploring the mental territory 'behind the block'. If Jakob wanted Miriam to join in the hunt for crystals, I wonder if that's why she 'decided' to go to college there? Quote Once he'd got the watch, did he leave the pendant behind? Did Claudia pass it on to Zenon to help him find the little watch girl? Did Cherry and Julian break in and steal it on behalf of Johannes? Or are there several of these pendant things knocking about? My assumption is that the Watch is more powerful than the crystal because it's built around a full scallop, not a broken one. Once he had the Watch he probably just set the pendant aside. For all we know it was sitting unused in what later because Claudia's desk drawer. Claudia's motivation seems to be freeing herself from Jakob's control. If the pendant isn't strong enough to break Watch programming she might have given it to Zenon to help find the missing harem girl and the Watch she had with her. Cherry and Julian's motivations depend on who they're working for. They might be trying to collect Jakob's old mind control tools to prevent them from being used against other people, or they might be trying to get them so that Jakob can get back in the game now that he's no longer playing dead. Title: Re: Saint James Infirmary 333: Jakob's Ladder. Post by: Haight on September 26, 2014, 01:47:18 am Some exposition, finally. Mind control *and* plot, my two major kinks!
What didn't he know? :D Title: Re: Saint James Infirmary 333: Jakob's Ladder. Post by: laguna85 on September 26, 2014, 06:01:26 am I'm happy is not the electric Jacob ladder that will shocking
let start bottom of the ladder First we see that Erin is help Miriam over the well and break the memory block He have piece of scallop and had lady made the pendant like Danielle did with the watch. the Who made the ring that Vikram had and give it to Amy? Next rung Now we in the sex rose garden so that why Miriam (SJI 304) Can not be done up ass. another block open up ? can she be fuck? so Jakob want to be only one to do her and have her as sex slave. Next rung p Pink cloud So Yves and sawyer was use the Pink Cloud to control the ladies in or out the club. (Quentin - Q tarbox or Q) use to put mental block all sex he had with Miriam(SJI 329) This tell us why Jacquelyn and Miriam Break up Next step answer Why Danielle was sent by Jakob to Kearsage to find more of scallop. We know more that where they are and Who can find them (SJI 102) next two step the Mental block open up Why the Pink cloud and who use it Why Miriam was sent to help find more Scallops. This Clear up a lot history of question We know from Cherry that Jakob is also look for Erin to stop her using her power. Is there more parts of Scallop out and into think and use to control minds? I know everyone have said it I just need type in my self to clear my mind Title: Re: Saint James Infirmary 333: Jakob's Ladder. Post by: GodWilling on September 26, 2014, 11:40:41 am I think all of the dialog in this one is commentary; none of it makes sense if said by people in the past. I agree with that. The commentary appears to be a conversation taking place presumably in some mind-space of Erin and Miriam. But to this point I didn't think we'd had any contributions from Adrian and Dani, yet it seems like Dani is chipping in here. It's also odd that reading from the bottom, panels 1, 2, 4, and 6 seem to form a continuous conversation about Jakob, while 3 and 5 are about Pink Clouds. (Numbering from the top down, Jakob's panels are 1, 3, 5, and 6. And of course 135 is the house number of the SJI. Let's move on.) The oddity in the choice of direction is that the top panel appears to show Erin and Miriam somewhere much like where we left them. And then they appear to be running up the mountain towards the big gonad, which they then arrive at. Is the first panel a reference to something, btw? It looks really familiar but I can't place it. The gonad is kind of pink. It accompanied the revelation that Yves told Pearl that Jacqui was helping Q to sell Pink Clouds, and that Q made her forget what she saw. I've taken this to mean that it represents Pink Clouds and that in its presence Miriam can see the lies she's been told under that influence. If Miriam knows in this space that Yves told her about Jacqui, she didn't know it when she was talking to Erin in the changing room (unless she really was lying). Indeed, in the changing room she didn't seem to know that she'd reported Jacqui to the authorities. So I'm assuming Pink Clouds was involved when Yves told her this. If Jakob wanted Miriam to join in the hunt for crystals, I wonder if that's why she 'decided' to go to college there? Miriam is only recently arrived in Kearsarge for the purposes of studying. As far as Ezra was concerned, Jakob died getting on for a year ago. So if she's come now looking for a crystal then either she's been in contact with Jakob since he disappeared or she's left it a bit late. But she may be referring back to her earlier visit in the guest pages - or some other visit. Or maybe he sent her somewhere else. I'm puzzled about exactly when Jakob sent Dani to find another scallop, given that she's supposed to have disappeared in the plane crash with him and didn't know he was still alive. Cherry and Julian's motivations depend on who they're working for. Well their boss is flying in to Concord, so if it's Jakob then perhaps there'll be a happy chance meeting with Johannes at the airport. Title: Re: Saint James Infirmary 333: Jakob's Ladder. Post by: Daphne on September 26, 2014, 11:58:31 am The "gonad" is a cotton ball.
Title: Re: Saint James Infirmary 333: Jakob's Ladder. Post by: GodWilling on September 26, 2014, 12:36:05 pm Tom Waits again...?
Thank you. That makes a lot more sense. I hadn't made that connection with the real world events. Title: Re: Saint James Infirmary 333: Jakob's Ladder. Post by: mns_95125 on September 26, 2014, 12:37:19 pm The "gonad" is a cotton ball. Ah. One infused with Pink Clouds, I suppose. I'd actually assumed it was the pendant infused by the red light of a scallop, but cotton ball works too. Title: Re: Saint James Infirmary 333: Jakob's Ladder. Post by: GodWilling on September 26, 2014, 12:46:45 pm One infused with Pink Clouds, I suppose. I'm seeing it as the one Miriam has just inhaled from, which was pink even though logically it would have been the antidote. As I say, it seems to accompany Miriam seeing the truth where previously there were Pink Clouds inspired lies. Title: Re: Saint James Infirmary 333: Jakob's Ladder. Post by: jmundt29 on September 26, 2014, 01:45:21 pm We seem to be reading Pearl's conditional, partial participation with Reka and lucky dog Weston differently.
I'm getting a Clueless vibe. Everyone else seems to be going Jennifer's Body. Why? Title: Re: Saint James Infirmary 333: Jakob's Ladder. Post by: GodWilling on September 26, 2014, 02:25:58 pm I'm getting a Clueless vibe. Everyone else seems to be going Jennifer's Body. Why? If I knew what these references meant, history suggests I would furnish you with an answer. Title: Re: Saint James Infirmary 333: Jakob's Ladder. Post by: jmundt29 on September 26, 2014, 06:39:56 pm *takes a deep breath*
In the movie Clueless the main character has a best friend Di...or, Dionne who explains her boundaries with her boyfriend thusly. "My man [a fellow high school senior] is satisfied. Sa...tis...fied. But, technically, I am a virgin." Jennifer's Body is a Diablo Cody "horror comedy" about a girl played by Megan Fox who becomes possessed by a demonic entity as the result of a botched ritual performed by an alternative band. They choose her because they believe that in spite of her...er, forwardness, she's actually a virgin and thus a perfect sacrifice. Her friend, nicknamed "Needy" informs Jennifer that the band's interest in her is because they believe she is a virgin. Jennifer scoffs "I'm not even a 'backdoor virgin' since...[some incident involving a rookie cop]" As I said, I seem to be reading Pearl's partial participation with Reka differently than everyone else. Clueless vs. Jennifer's Body. Why? Title: Re: Saint James Infirmary 333: Jakob's Ladder. Post by: GodWilling on September 27, 2014, 09:12:52 am So Clueless means she hasn't had a penis inserted into her vagina but perhaps other orifices may have been penetrated. Regardless she has engaged in sexual activity.
And Jennifer's Body means she's not a virgin at all, and at least one other orifice has been penetrated too. Right? I'm not really any the wiser. I don't think anyone here is insisting that Miriam has had penetrative sex with anybody. We've seen Miram performing oral sex but balking at having Little Weston inserted into her vagina. I don't know if he'd have got in the back door. Although she says here "No one could touch me there", that doesn't appear to prevent people going down on her. I'm not sure about how her thinking she and Q had "done it" reconciles with her saying last night that she'd never had a man inside her. But I don't think we've any evidence that she isn't technically a virgin. Title: Re: Saint James Infirmary 333: Jakob's Ladder. Post by: jmundt29 on September 27, 2014, 09:27:53 am I think Di restricted herself to oral pleasure. It wasn't an "abstinence pledge" situation.
Basically, the "villains" in JB think Jennifer's attitude is a mask of an insecure girl who's actually a very hot virgin (like Marley Shelton's character in American Beauty) and Jennifer actually enjoys all sorts of things--making her an unclean offering. ::) So instead of just imparting the band with U2...or maybe just Maroon 5 popularity, the ritual results in a possessed hypersexual carnivorous monster that looks and sounds like Megan Fox. Whatever. I think the problem came about because we had different avid readers of the comic interpret the situation in different ways. I took Pearl's reluctance to mean that she's comfortable with giving and receiving oral pleasure, (and spanking ;D) but no intercourse. Laguna seems to think that Pearl will have sex, but has been conditioned to view her derriere as "exit only" until such time as Jakob claims the privilege...which...could be, but we don't have proof one way or the other. I think the hang up is that we're still adjusting to the fact that all Pearl's memories of...intercourse with Q are fabricated. I cling to the desperate hope that Pearl's spanking fetish is hers and not a result of her conditioning by Jakob. Title: Re: Saint James Infirmary 333: Jakob's Ladder. Post by: GodWilling on September 27, 2014, 10:08:10 am For what it's worth I think Miriam hasn't been able to have your common-or-(lady-)garden penetrative sex. I believe that's all that Weston was about to attempt when Miriam fled. I suspect no one's taken the road less travelled either.
|