So yes, hello and welcome to the Girl Genius Discussion Page! Girl Genius being a Gas-Lamp/Steam Punk/Mad Science comic written by Phil Foglio originating in dead tree format but eventually making a very successful transition to webcomic form. It's fun, it's comic related, and I didn't see any sort of topic for it on the front page and decided to rectify that. To begin! Who's read this comic already and who has yet to do so?
Girl Genius Discussion page
- Thread starter Emerald Oracle
- Start date
Well, I highly recommend it, but be warned, it's pretty far along, so if anyone wants to start from the beginning (which you should, really), be prepared for a long journey.
The wiki might help, as well.
The wiki might help, as well.
The true story doesn't begin until the big reveal of Agatha's parentage at the end of volume 3.
That said, you should note that Girl Genius is the only webcomic to win the Hugo award for Best Graphic Novel... three years in a row. At which point the writers withdrew it from consideration because it wasn't fair to everyone else.
That said, you should note that Girl Genius is the only webcomic to win the Hugo award for Best Graphic Novel... three years in a row. At which point the writers withdrew it from consideration because it wasn't fair to everyone else.
My main trouble with Girl Genius (which I enjoy, generally), is that I'm finding it genuinely difficult to know who to root for. I know it's SUPPOSED to be Agatha and crew, it's just that I have far more sympathy for the Wulfenbach side, who mainly seem to want to not plunge Europe back into war. I want the anti-villain to win, and that's a very strange feeling in this narrative.
I don't see the confusion, tiger. Personally, I prefer Klaus hands down. Not only is he a physical and mental titan, he's worked for years to keep the continent from dissolving into the constant infighting. He's benevolent as he can be, but knows that giving them too much rope would just hang them all. He did what everyone has wanted to do when you see a room full of bickering kids.
Smack them in the head, tell them who's running the show, and give them another smack if they start going off the rails. <a href='http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20040806' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>He says it best. </a>
The trick isn't him. It's the Other, and how she's got him under her thumb. How much is up to debate, but right now part of his choices are at her whim, so naturally we've gotta root for Agatha to help sort all this mess and see what comes out.
Smack them in the head, tell them who's running the show, and give them another smack if they start going off the rails. <a href='http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20040806' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>He says it best. </a>
The trick isn't him. It's the Other, and how she's got him under her thumb. How much is up to debate, but right now part of his choices are at her whim, so naturally we've gotta root for Agatha to help sort all this mess and see what comes out.
Klaus is a villain, but he's a sympathetic one. He doesn't really want his empire, but he can't see any other way of bringing some semblance of order to Europe. It's worth noting that every single expansion of the Wulfenbach Empire happened because either the local ruler invited him in, or the local ruler attacked him and Klaus conquered their territory in retaliation. If people just took him at his word and stopped attacking him, he'd stop conquering them. The only thing he's done that might be considered truly villainous was his attempts at containing Agatha just because of the potential political difficulties a live Heterodyne might bring him (Once she gets a copy of The Other in her head, his pursuit of her is justifiable to anyone who knows that).
It's also worth noting that Agatha has done her best to keep the Baron's Peace herself. Everyone she's gone to battle against has been attacking her or her territory.
It's also worth noting that Agatha has done her best to keep the Baron's Peace herself. Everyone she's gone to battle against has been attacking her or her territory.
I suppose the main difficulty in-story is that everyone IS after all, a cackling Mad scientist. And you are quite correct, Preventer in your assertion that the only reason I can't fully back Klaus at the moment is that he's at least somewhat compromised by the Other. The minute he isn't, though....
I suppose at that point I want him, Gil and Agatha to pimp-hand the rest of Europe into submission.
I suppose at that point I want him, Gil and Agatha to pimp-hand the rest of Europe into submission.
It wasn't until the Heterodyne's disappeared that Klaus started with his 'anyone causes trouble and I turn them into soup' mentality. Prior to that he didn't have much problem letting the Heterodyne boys run across Europa.
From some of the hints we've seen, I wonder if the Heterodyne's saw something in the future that made them scared of Klaus getting involved.
From some of the hints we've seen, I wonder if the Heterodyne's saw something in the future that made them scared of Klaus getting involved.
It was Lucrezia that ran Klaus off, on her own initiative. Possibly planning for the rise of The Other even then. Klaus didn't return from wherever he ended up (Widely theorized to be Skifander) until after The Other had attacked Europe and was apparently defeated by the Heterodyne Boys (Who then vanished).
I don't know about wildly theorized so much as un-officially confirmed as this picture of Chump, i.e. Zeetha's Father, shows
<a href='http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v606/datalaughing/chump.jpg' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v606/dat...ghing/chump.jpg</a>
Or at least so I think
<a href='http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v606/datalaughing/chump.jpg' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v606/dat...ghing/chump.jpg</a>
Or at least so I think
Given that he knows the language, has warned Gil about meeting a woman from there, said woman treats Gil like a younger brother and that image it's pretty evident that he met a queen there, they (may have) got together, Zeetha was born, Gil was born and then (for reasons not entirely explained) Klaus and Gil had to book it.
And the Heterodyne Boys had, for unknown reasons, knowledge of the place that never entered public knowledge.
From the name Bangladesh might know where it is (if Skifander is in Eurasia). Be interesting if the two manage to meet. That and I want to work Bang into every plot possible, much like Zola.
And the Heterodyne Boys had, for unknown reasons, knowledge of the place that never entered public knowledge.
From the name Bangladesh might know where it is (if Skifander is in Eurasia). Be interesting if the two manage to meet. That and I want to work Bang into every plot possible, much like Zola.
Klaus may not be an actual villain, but he has apparently been lobotomising sparks in order to figure out how their gift works. That's pretty morally unsound.
That said, he's created a peace, and even better, he's raised a son who'll be able to maintain said peace, being not only a very strong spark that's almost completely in control of his gift, but also a nice guy who's capable of kicking ass on a massive scale when sufficiently aggravated.
The people fear Klaus. They could love Gil.
That said, he's created a peace, and even better, he's raised a son who'll be able to maintain said peace, being not only a very strong spark that's almost completely in control of his gift, but also a nice guy who's capable of kicking ass on a massive scale when sufficiently aggravated.
The people fear Klaus. They could love Gil.
h43r:Klaus is a leader of nation. That for the most part requires leaders to order things that are not morally sound. Also, the lobotomising of Sparks IIRC was to find out how to control the Spark which is a good thing. Frankly, there are Sparks who have probably done a lot worse then what the Baron is doing