• T.R.

    I’m not following the artwork clearly. It would make sense if they were swiveling around a bunch to blast the incoming flechettes, but that’s not entirely clear to my eye…

    Also, I hope Tenzin can keep them safe, as they seem a bit exposed up there on the shoulder rails. If an opponent could find a way to disable those (via whatever means), then the suit becomes vulnerable. I wonder if duo deathbots was considered in the design, or if the double puts them outside their design range. (especially if the deatbots manage to flank Tenzin)

    But at least we now know what those shoulder mounts are for. :)

    • Yeah that’s what we’re trying to show.

      And those are good questions/concerns ;)

      • Dusty Coyote

        I imagine they chew through a fair amount of ammo as well. Being that they stop incoming things with a wall of outgoing things.

        • NickDA

          Fairly low kinetic energy (mass) required though… like a 22 sized round would prolly be enough to disrupt significantly the flight of the flechette…

          *” hides in terror behinds @disqus_AN5Che8i9d:disqus ‘s stack of invincible whatevers it was… as people like @Amberlight precede to explain how ridiculously wrong I am”

          • Heh, my thought process was “Shoot dart enough to make it explode NOT in Tenzin’s flesh”. If that’s bad science? Sorry ;P

          • Matt [in Middletown]

            Kill Deathbot with a Nokia

          • Chris

            type “quit” to exit program
            press “y” to confirm
            press “any-key” to continue

            Crap… where’s the “any-key”!!!

          • Adriano

            Or use Tactial Brick Mk VIII, now with PDC mounted on it!!

          • Dr. Michael Marino, DC MAO

            No the concept is sound and has been around for a good while. The munition does not need to be large depending on what you have made it out of. Also firing them depends on what is moving them, powder (explosive propellant), gas, or magnetic means have all been shown to work. Nice set up, now are the rounds he is packing up to the job of AP or HE that is need to take these things down (or is he lucky and has an EMP with the ability to shield his own systems). This is not nerd stuff this is serious engineering in the areas of weapons and defensive systems/armour. This is a very very old battle over who builds the better system; the weapon smith or the armourer. Only these days the lines are very very blurry over which is which.

          • Awesome, thanks for your detailed thoughts :)

            We’ll shortly see how well Tenzin and Jane hold up against Hulkbot and Speedbot.

          • Honza Prchal

            Love the names.
            Bolshoizdroi and Rychlyzdroi were what I thought of, especially since zdroi calls to mind the English word destroyer, but Hulkbot and Speedbot has a reassuringly Marioesque ring to it.

          • Adriano

            I thought they were small burst of plasma, so you’d just pump gas in
            there, heat it and launch it, maybe with em guidance. I dunno.

          • Dusty Coyote

            Reality vs webcomics.

            In the end, make a good story…

          • Honza Prchal

            It requires very little to disrupt a shaped charge enough for armour to handle it/displace a high velocity aerodynamic projectile for a dead on impact of the sort required to mangle armour.
            Good science. Very good science.

        • Adriano

          I thought they were small burst of plasma, so you’d just pump gas in
          there, heat it and launch it, maybe with em guidance.

          • While they do glow red in the page, we aren’t intending to show little laser blasts XD More like little railgun pellets.

          • Adriano

            Aw. I am so disappointed :'(
            I see, mini railguns are cool, too.

            Though they must be really hot, in fact.

    • the problem with releasing a page at time is that some times you have to make the readers wait to explain what’s happening.

      this page its not supposed to be very clear by itself

    • Interesting, I got right away what was going on. But people interpret things differently, and I respect that!

  • I love love LOVE the first panel and the way the visor was done on Tenzin’s suit… Gorgeous use of transparencies!! Seba you are the bomb!

    • T.R.

      Lovin’ it too, though it looked to me like one of those scenes from Samurai Jack where they show the same action 3 times in 3 different panels (on the TV) with different zoom levels and speeds. The only thing missing is Tenzin yelling “HYAAAAAAAAAAA!” :)

      • Tenzin was TOTALLY yelling that. How else do you go to Super Saiyan mode?

        • T.R.

          We’d need about 8 panels to capture the fullness of “HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA….” needed to get to Super Saiyan. :)

          • More like 8 PAGES. And then another 2+ of dust settling.

      • Honza Prchal

        Nice work, kid/Julia, don’t get cocky!

  • Kaiden

    Point Defence Canons!

    • XD Oh yeah, I forgot to say, Point Defense Canons are indeed what PDC stands for XD

      • Kaiden

        I can’t believe I didn’t think of it earlier. I’m just used to them being deployed on larger war machines. Like star destroyers.

        • I think credit goes to Matt, who suggested it first on Monday :)

          • Matt [in Middletown]

            We all know it’s really a brick thrower.

          • Dusty Coyote

            Instructions unclear, thrower mauled by bricks.

  • Kaiden

    TL;DR

    • SOO many words, I know.

      • Matt [in Middletown]

        Smert, smert, smert, smert, objective (not) complete.

  • Matt [in Middletown]

    Ideally, three point defense weapons are required.
    Otherwise there may end up a moment or serveral where the same target is engaged by both, or the system goes into a “Mexican stand-off” with itself and does nothing, thus opening a vulnerability.
    (Red Storm Rising by Tom Clancy had just such a scenario with the ciws on an aircraft carrier.)

    • NickDA

      this is like when in the office we are geeking out about a piece of code… then one of the guys just yells out “NERD!”

      • Matt [in Middletown]

        No!
        No!
        I have not revealed my inner nerd!
        *Hides behind the stack of invincible TRS-80’s*

        • NickDA

          “throws tactical brick behind stack to lure you out”… if that doesn’t work “trail of lucky rabbit feet to the pizza box”

    • Dusty Coyote

      Doesn’t really happen with CIWS. Think about it. When was the last time you heard green peace complaining about all the waterfowl the Navy has shot out of the sky with a CIWS?

  • Adriano

    *BUDDA BUDDA BUDDA*
    *FWIT FWIT FWIT*
    *PEW PEW PEW*
    *BOOM*

    Just adding SFX, don’t mind me

  • NickDA

    So beautiful last panel first panel juxtaposition… the different visor effect for the glare/bloom of explosion… many wants.

  • Aaron R.

    Oh tower shield, you were a dear friend and lover. But I’ve found someone that appreciate me and takes care of my needs….namely kicking death-bot ass.

  • T.R.

    What’s the over/under on how long until Jane figures out that the Deathbots have a remote puppet master? (Sopka) And attempts to leverage that communications channel to isolate the deathbots?

    • NickDA

      HAHAHA…. I so wish I had the free time between work/kids to just mockup fake little things like the Demon Archives betting site… who gets it next, which limb… etc.

      • Matt [in Middletown]

        Shoulder Viktor sits in cyberspace, a new face blips into existence.
        “So the koschei got you too?”
        “Yeah. Looks like it.”
        They look at video feed of newcomers body.
        *Collectively* “Eeeeew”

        • Amberlight

          I have to point out that Koschei is a name and thus should be written with a capital letter.

          • Matt [in Middletown]

            Yes, smertfoan kept trying to “autocorrect” it to anything but that.
            It ended up letting me type it that way, finally.
            I take victory over my phone in any way I can.
            Apologies to K the Deathless.

  • GES280

    shoulder mounted, laser based, anti small projectile, CIWS systems. NEAT!!

  • Comrade Iron

    PDC looks very similar to the Gatling laser in fallout 4, the design works for the purpose of rotating barrels to cycle between them to maintain firerate and cool them at the same time. But camera would need to be in another place, and the trigger handle is not needed. Been enjoying the comic so far, and is quite beautiful.

  • Your comment. I see what you did there.
    Seba forgot to add the “pew pew pew” on this page.

  • Honza Prchal

    Over-under railguns as point (in this case, also “personal”) defense cannon? Nice!