SFP

New Yorkers: Molly will be at Flamecon this weekend, August 18 – 19, at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel, table S142A! It’s a con for LGBTQ comics, fans, and creators, but of course all are welcome! I’ll have copies of SFP Book One and Two, as well as The Witch Boy, Shattered Warrior, and some short comics and prints. See you there!

Show Comments

Thomas S

I think the uglyness of our man in the pale blue suit is becoming apparent …
Gotham

So what is it? Impressive or rather simple and easy? You’re supposed to be wise you Odin wannabe, not bore us with ominousely vague tautologies, get to the damn point! The Exquisitely Crafted Table hungers
- Danygalw
  
  Something Templar has done other than selling weapons is impressive.
  - Gotham
    
    I’m sure. And we’ll know in just three evil pragmatist monologues!
    - Johan
      
      Those damn bad guys and their damn monologues XD
- RobNiner ♫
  
  All the hail The Great Table! The Table must be fed!
  - MichaelMRT
    
    True story.
    
    I was working as wait staff at one of the Society’s get togethers and one of the luminaries spilled his drink on the table. I hurried to wipe it up and the moment my cloth touched the table it… growled at me. Snatching my hand away, I watched the liquid seemly disappear into the table’s surface like it had never been there. A contented sigh came from everywhere (and no where). Everyone in the room studiously ignored the little burp that followed.
    
    Thankfully, the spill wasn’t my fault as I’ve seen what happens to servants that displease the masters. -shudders-
    - RobNiner ♫
      
      I for one welcome our new (old?) table overlords.
      - Gotham
        
        Why is my biodynamic superpower to create memes in the comment sections this is possibly the best and lamest there could ever be I’m so blessed
  - Nick Malachai
    
    The Great Table does not speak to those so lowly as us. They instead speak through the Chairman.
- Philippe Saner
  
  The money isn’t impressive, but something else about Templar is.
- TheDistinguishedAnarchist
  
  Since “impressive” is a completely subjective label, I’d hazard that it’s possible for something to be both “simple and easy” while simultaneously being “impressive”
21stCenturyPeon

That guy loves two things above all else: malevolent cabals, and finger-rings.
Eric Schissel

“let them know” in what way exactly? in a way that leaves them alive as potential customers or which makes them widely-spread-about impressive craters that might create potential customers among _their_ neighbors? (And are we actually thinking people or countries here?)
(edit: ah. got it now. arms race madly spinning along…)
Ganurath

It can’t be that far reaching of a society if getting their attention is an achievement, unless they do a LOT of delegating.
Glotos

“TWO of these watermelons are poisoned.”
bryan rasmussen

I just had an idea, I don’t think this guy is some actor Patrick hired to be the face of Templar. Patrick would want to have a more personal hold on the guy than just I pay you good money. Sure, I bet the guy gets handsomely remunerated as the face of Templar, but really I think it’s going to turn out Patrick has something personal on him, and it’s something that will make him want to be on Patrick’s side more than money or fear of exposure of some misdeed. I think this guy was chosen by Patrick for two reasons – 1. he could work as the public face of Templar. 2. he had personal reasons to want to take down the conspiracy.
McFrugal

Lame argument. It ignores there being multiple weapons dealers, and the existence of weapons prior.
- Gotham
  
  That and the silly way he sports his rings, I’d say his worldview is that there can only be one person in the world to do their one thing, so they must do them /hard/. As the only ringbearer in the world (he doesn’t get out much, the Exquisitely Crafted Table forbids it, and They’re also quite comfy), he must wear a few dozens so that ringmakers make a profit
  - Talina M
    
    In my younger days as a jeweler I wore rings like that.once you are used to it,there’s no issue with it.
- Tim F
  
  Templar has exclusive rights to Tony Stark – sorry, Lisa Bradley technology. You don’t want to fight that with anyone else’s stuff.
- Tsapki
  
  There being more weapon sellers would just make it even easier. The point he is making is that even if you are the only one selling weapons, it’s still easy to make a profit without any competition because fear does the job for you once one person has your weapon.
Danygalw

I wonder why the other two are leaving.
- Tim F
  
  Meeting’s over.
Anondod

“Listen to me alpha you while I display my large and incongruous collection of rings, especially the ones I wear uncomfortably close to the tips of my fingers. See? See?! These are the rings of a true MASTER OF THE-”

*hack* *cough* *spit*

“Sorry about that; I tend to froth overly when I monologue. Ahem. Let me start over.”
Tim F

Okay, NOW I think mr. stand-in CEO is a dead man. This meeting sounds like Odin is impressed by Patrick zeroing in on the conspiracy so fast. He wants to know where his security failed before he feeds CEO to the guests.
- MK Comics
  
  This also will show that stand-in CEO is not the actual CEO of the company, and that this man wants to find out who it is.
JohnTomato

Rings of the Mandarin?
Pol Subanajouy

Is it just me or is the woman on the right in panel 1 look super…drowsy? If I hadn’t seen her alert and looking around in the previous page I would think that there’s some mind control/thrall stuff happening here. Maybe she’s just getting up from her chair?
- Tim F
  
  She’s bowing with her eyes lowered. White-haired one-eye with the rings clearly commands a LOT of respect.
- elysdir
  
  To me she looks sad and defeated, but I’m reading a lot into her posture and expression.
- Ellie
  
  I think she’s just helping Duval get into his seat. Her eyes aren’t closed, she’s just looking down at the back of his chair.
Graeme Sutton

Uh… no actually you see if you sell weapons to one person their enemies will generally want to buy weapons from OTHER people, unless you’ve already got a monopoly in which case a ‘meteoric rise’ would be rather redundant. By this logic a restaurant would be easy to run because without you everyone would starve.
- Tylikcat
  
  Selling weapons to both sides is, in fact, common.
  - Tsapki
    
    Heck the USA made bank in World War I selling to both sides, all the time with the jingoism papers talking about how noble it was for them not to pick a side in the silly concerns of those wacky Europeans.
    - Ian Osmond
      
      Back in the Age of Sail, Dutch arms merchants sold weapons to Spain. While Holland was at war with them. With no particular negative repercussions from the rest of the Dutch, who basically thought that, well, this way, we get the money from Spain when they buy stuff from us, and we get it again when we capture their ships and can sell them back to them.
      
      This isn’t particularly relevant to anything — it’s just a historical fact that makes me both admire and be terrified of the Dutch.
  - Graeme Sutton
    
    So’s selling lasagna to both sides, that doesn’t mean every pastaria owner is instantly a billionaire.
- UnsettlingIdeologies
  
  I think the point is (in part) that selling weapons doesn’t function like most other goods. When you sell food, it makes someone (or some people) less hungry so their need decreases (at least temporarily) while other people’s need for food is unchanged. If you sell weapons to one person, it almost inevitably creates a demand for similar/better weapons elsewhere. All you have to do is start the chain and then you can capitalize continuously.
  - Graeme Sutton
    
    Actually lots of goods function that way. Firstly, any product that people use to compete with each other is open to the exact same dynamic. Fashion, Vehicles, industrial machinery, business consulting, advertising. There are also products that create demand by their very nature. Phones for instance, every time someone buys a phone who didn’t own one before everyone else’s phones increase in value. Any addictive drug creates its own demand, as does any medication for a chronic condition.
Skudplastr

Hi Molly! I saw a printed copy of volume 1 at a comic store near where I live. That’s awesome! Congratulations and great job!
Scott

That’s right, kids! The theme of this week’s episode of SFP is…The Military-Industrial Complex!!
*Sounds of Children Cheering*
- Ian Osmond
  
  It’s on-brand…
Tylikcat

Okay, the woman who escorted him in took off, and the one woman who had already been present is being weirdly deferential.

These people are up to no good. Or at least, they’re no good.
- Tylikcat
  
  Also, Bond villain, what?
- Philip Bourque
  
  I think I get what you’re saying, but could you clarify ‘weirdly deferential’?
  It was clear from the opulent pretentious frat party that they were up to no good. Only the bad guys have opulent pretentious frat parties in fiction.
  - Tylikcat
    
    I’ve attended my share of bacchanals. Good fun, no inherent weird power differentials, none of them frat hosted (I mostly hung with pagans or folks in the arts community as it happened – well, as far as bacchanals went). We didn’t have a lot of folks in suits attending (some had a dress code, and if you didn’t wear something appropriate you would be put into a toga made out of battlestar gallactica sheets or something similar) but no harm, no foul.
    
    Her whole bowing thing? I mean the other guy just got up to leave. Maybe she’s just being polite and helping actor guy with the chair, but…
plainclothes supervillain

I mistrust this man’s number of rings.
- Bruce Munro
  
  Yeah, “old white guy with lots of rings” is sort of a danger signal. Bet people have had to kiss them.
Devon Jolly

Pages like this are why I like this comic. Nuggets of wisdom.
Natsumeg

holy crap there’s an actual conspiracy? I’m biting my nails here
Jordan Hiller

This guy looks like a Bond villain. He just screams Big Bad.
Peter G

I believe that the meteoric rise that Odin is talking about is the fake-CEO’s rise from whatever-he-was to CEO, which indicates that he knows about this fellow’s past and knows that he isn’t the real power behind Templar. I predict that the next phase of the conversation will be Odin revealing this and grilling him about Templar. This will go poorly for fake-CEO until he reveals that he has some purpose for being here, to negotiate about something or deliver a message.
TheDistinguishedAnarchist

“Because after you’ve sold your first weapon to a man, you need only find his neighbors and let them know what you’ve done to sell the rest. Isn’t that right?”
…No…
If you are the only person in the entire planet selling weapons, perhaps… because otherwise you have competitors that are also selling weapons to the neighbors once you have sold your first one.