Ha ha! Wouldn’t that be like, super weird if Efrem all, like… I don’t know, left on purpose at a specific time so that Reona would run into Zap and then Zap would become captain of Excelsior? HAHA. Why would he even do that? That is crazy thinking.
We have been making Zap! for over NINE YEARS now, you guys. I can’t even believe it. It’s been an amazing learning experience for me, and I’ve enjoyed it so much so far! I know we’ve only got a couple more story arcs left, and I’m just super grateful to you all for reading and sticking with us this long! Chris and I are so glad that we get to share this with you all.
Comments
Sebine
I have lost and found this comic like six times
You guys need to quit bloody moving >_>
Anonymous
Wow, nine years! Congratulations! I started about 7 years ago, in the casino arc, and I’m still being blown away by how fantastic Zap! is!
We haven’t? We’ve only ever had two Urls and the old one leads to here. I don’t understand why people keep saying this. :( I wish I could figure out why this is a thing so I could fix it.
Refugnic
Say, is it just me, or does this resistance council bear a striking resemblance to the council on the Citadel of the Mass Effect games?
safyrejet
Yeah, Reona could have returned to base after losing Efram, like a good little girl, but then this story would be boring as all get out and the universe would probably be doomed. And that’s usually considered a REALLY unfortunate situation. Silly blue haired lady.
Wait, doomed universe actually doesn’t sound all that boring…In any case, it would at least mean the comic couldn’t be called “Zap”.
Stev
Nine. Years. Man if this was my project and it didn’t take off after month #6, I would’ve moved on to something else. Either that, or sold the f–k out. I don’t even know how many regular readers there are, but I guess it’s enough to keep it going for damn near a decade.
You should drag the last two story arcs for as long as possible just to keep with it until year 30. Wait, that’s a terrible idea. Screw that!
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a paradox: Zap stowed away on the ship. He wasn’t picked up, so it wouldn’t make a difference if they returned to base–they still would’ve run into him in the ship’s halls regardless. They’d still discover he was captain, but they’d be en route to base instead of in the middle of nowhere at the time. We know they needed a captain to complete the mission, so they’d still bring on Zap (Reona was too obsessed with finding Efrem, which is why the thought of accepting the failure never occurred). Also, since Zap was a crap-tain (crappy captain) at the beginning, he probably wouldn’t let them return to base, he’d be like “I’m captain and I say NO. We’re going over THERE” or something like that. Either way, they’d find Zap and find out he’s captain, so Medusa’s “if you’d just come back, this wouldn’t have happened” comment isn’t entirely true. They wouldn’t be able to return because of all that.
TL;DR they still would’ve met Zap and the story still would’ve happened, since he was already on the ship.
Not sure if that’s a paradox, or irony, or Reona’s argument on the next page, or if I’m just confused… holy s–t this plot is complicated.
There goes almost an hour of my life. Meh, what else am I gonna do at 3 am? Sleep? HA!
Stev
My comment seems to be M.I.A. What sorcery is THIS?!
Refugnic
No, that’s not a paradoxon, and that also wouldn’t have happened. You see, Zap only was able to stow away on the Excelsior, BECAUSE Reona and the others were looking for Efreem. If they had returned to base the moment they got back to ship, they wouldn’t even have been on the planet, where Zap stowed away on.
And no, ‘funny coincidence’ doesn’t cut it either, because Naveed cut of Reona’s hand, and she had it replaced in the meantime…all instead of returning to base.
I believe I made my point clear…but then again, Zap knew all of this way ahead of time, so even if Reona had returned to base ‘like a good little girl’, he just would’ve arranged to meet her there :P
Anonymous
Wow, Nine years… I don’t even know when I found you guys. Probably 4 years or something? Right around the Amusement Parc part. Which is still one of the most awesome ones, art-wise. Speaking of which, the first panel is awesome, Just like this place in the one Indiana Jones movie. *checks google* Al Khazneh: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Khazneh
But if she avoid the situation your honor, then we wouldn’t have gone on this amazing space adventre in space and that would leave Lepas spending the last nine years pushing pencils at some boring desk job!
Anonymous
wow, 9 years… I remember finding this during the Grivak episodes…
Chris Layfield
Fun fact for ya. Grivak is based on an old DnD character of mine.
Psionicost
Holy cow, you’re right!
Psionicost
Well, Zap DID deliberately have his memory erased by Naveed. Gunner explicitly stated this when Zap was being interrogated with that fancy VR helmet.
If they had gone back to base after the mission failed, they wouldn’t have ended up on that space station looking for Efrem, and thus Zap would have never gotten close to Excelsior.
GwennieThePooh
oh my goodness this comic is ancient. :O My best friend and I discovered it months ago and we are now completely hooked.~ <3
Anonymous
the blue lady is vaguely reminiscent of an asari. the bearded guy looks a
lot like counciler udina, but other than that there is no real
comparison. even the building looks more like a cathedral based on the
treasury in petra, jordan than anything else.
The blue lady is Tentalian, the same race as Demonica. The bearded guy is just a human and the other woman is one of those four-eyed dog aliens I’ve drawn throughout the archives.
Refugnic
Yeah, that’s it. However it’s not just the ‘3 guys of different species, with one of them being blue’-theme, but also their attitude of ‘Reports and Bureaucracy will win this war’. Funnily enough, the Asari (blue) have a knack for sexual themes, just like Demonica…but if you say you’ve never played it before, I’ll just chalk up the matches (with a bit of fantasy ;)), to coincidence.
Stev
Nevermind, found it.
Stev
Right. It still would’ve happened anyway, because, yeah, Zap, and psychic and all that.
Stev
What if they were looking for Efrem UNTIL they found Zap on board then decided to return to base? Now there’s at least some logic.
Gillsing
While you are staying in the same place, that place could be moving around in someone else’s mind. It’s not your fault! :-)
And thank you both for your many years of servicing my need for escapism.
Anonymous
what, he was an ooze controlled zombie?
Rythwyn
As someone who began reading near the beginning (Before the Squid). I would like to say that I love the wonderful story that you two have been making, and will be sad when it comes to a close.
On a happier note It will probably end amazingly.
Virgil
I came in at the end of the amusement park arc (seems to be that way for a lot of people).
Zap deliberately erasing his memory (a la Total Recall) was both intriguing and unsettling. Intriguing because it necessitates some truly creative explanation. Unsettling because (in other instances I’ve seen it used) it often boils down to a ridiculously complicated way of achieving a simple objective.
I’d initially conjectured that Zap had put hidden plans into motion and the wipe (and subsequent romp through the galaxy) was to keep Gunner distracted and (after catching up with Zap) unable to telepathically assay the plans. You can’t mind read what isn’t there.
But subsequent panels have clearly shown that Zap can withhold his thoughts from Gunner, and moreover, that Gunner was already suspicious of Zap’s behaviour. Zap wiping his mind would have been his first clue that something was amiss. And Zap, of course, effectively incapacitated himself–which is a heavy price to pay.
This explanation also doesn’t compass the snake/bird “dream” aspect, Reona’s involvement, the seeming randomness of Zap’s boarding Excelsior, and other material issues. Hence the final few arcs should be truly revelatory. :)
I _do_ believe Efrem is a good guy, and has been from day 1. I guess that would make him a “triple agent”. :)
Thanks for the top-notch webcomic. It’s gone from “casual” to “polished and professional” in a very short time.
MDude
Finally, the return of fully visible epaulettes.
Anonymous
repaired an a/c today, sitting next to the condenser outside when a little kid runs past me playing with a water gun. he runs up to me after a bit and points it at me and actually says “zap!” to which i respond by pulling out my phone, pulling up the Zap page and show him the arc with zap fighting the space squid,…it had him rolling on the ground. later i heard him yelling “SPACE SQUID!!!” from his back yard.
imagination = the best damned toy anyone ever had.
and possibly another one hooked on the sweet online comic goodness.
Anonymous
SATURDAY NIGHT RANDOMNESS!
first panel, first chat bubble
announcer – “Meanwhile, at the justice league headquarters new location in the adobe desert, superman is set upon by a horde of angry women.”
second chat bubble
batgirl – “he teamed up with Lex luthor and figured out a way to record us with his X-ray vision!!”
black canary- “stop him!!”
hawkgirl – “he’s making a break for it!”
huntress – “GET THE KRYPTONITE!”
second panel, chat bubble
just a human – “all in favor of making the doggy door bigger for councilor floppy ears say I”
third panel, first bubble
Reona – “I can’t reach my-……….um” (okay i’m drawing a blank looking at reona’s nicely drawn bottom in this one…..moving along.)
fourth panel, bubble
Reona – “it’s so demoralizing when someone tries to give me a high five with their right hand and i have to leave them hanging”
fifth panel, bubble
blue lady – “I’m blue, da ba de, da ba die, Da ba de, da ba die, Da ba de, da ba die, da ba de, da ba die”
sixth panel, bubble
Reona – “zap used to…*sniff*….used to sing that when i turned him down”
{this episode of Saturday night randomness was brought to you by the makers of Predator bran flakes! the only cereal guaranteed to fill you up AND stalk you down before you get to the toilet,…predator bran flakes, snare some today !! }
these guys are kind of boring and rather incompetent leaders. i’m kind of fascinated by their lack of interest in all of the Reona’s experiences. it’s like they’re very limited in their perception of galactic affairs.
for example, didn’t Efrem reveal to Reona that his motivation for joining Gunner is that Efrem sees Gunner as more likely to destroy the GEF?
if i was leading the rebellion, i’d be very interested to know that there is another major player in the game, and that player may or may not be working towards similar objectives.
also, Efrem’s defection seems eclipsed by Reona’s and company’s delayed return…that seems like slightly misplaced priorities.
so Reona side tracked. it’s not like she flat out betrayed her loyalties like Efrem did. don’t these people care why about the whole Efrem defecting business?
also, although Reona physically side tracked Excelsior, later interactions with Gunner and Naveed, indicate that there is a deep and significant relationship between Gunner, Naveed, Efreem, and Zap and i’m a little surprised that the rebellion’s leaders are not interested in all this. to me it seems like the side tracking was actually time well spent because more has been learned about Gunner, Naveed, Efrem, and Zap.
over all, these guys seems overly concerned with policy and procedure, and terribly clueless about the genuinely compelling issues…
Speedy Marsh
Ahh… freon inhalation… explains sooo much…
You do know the freon is supposed to go in the a/c, right?
This is the most sane thing I’ve seen you post yet. I hope the kid does become part of the Monday Zergling, I mean Zapling rush.
Rexan
I’m glad you answered this. I was wondering the same and was going to comment about it.
See you at Wizard World! - 2014-11-05 Chris and I will be at Wizard World Tulsa this weekend (Novemeber 7-9!) at the Cox Business Center in Downtown Tulsa. Come see us if [...]
Volume 3! - 2014-07-22 Hey! If you’ve been waiting to get Volume 3, wait no more!
Vol 3 from Brainstorm Limited on Square Market
TGT Media Interview - 2014-06-28 Sarah from TGT Media asked us some questions recently. Read her piece about Zap! here.
Comments