Let’s see, ma’am … background check shows … you buried a dismembered corpse on a hill, hired a contract killer and currently have 6 people in suspended animation in yer basement.
Yep! Looks fine to me! You want a complimentary grenade with this?
Not remotely the same tone, but the 10% discount on the laser sight reminded me of this:
"Good afternoon, madam. How may I help you?"
"Good afternoon. I'd like a FrintArms HandCannon, please."
"A--? Oh, now, that's an awfully big gun for such a lovely lady. I
mean, not everybody thinks ladies should carry guns at all, though I
say they have a right to. But I think... I might... Let's have a look
down here. I might have just the thing for you. Yes, here we are!
Look at that, isn't it neat? Now that is a FrintArms product as well,
but it's what's called a laser -- a light-pistol some people call
them. Very small, as you see; fits easily into a pocket or bag; won't
spoil the line of a jacket; and you won't feel you're lugging half a
tonne of iron around with you. We do a range of matching accessories,
including -- if I may say so -- a rather saucy garter holster. Wish I
got to do the fitting for that! Ha -- just my little joke. And
there's *even*... here we are -- this special presentation pack: gun,
charged battery, charging unit, beautiful glider-hide shoulder holster
with adjustable fitting and contrast stitching, and a discount on your
next battery. Full instructions, of course, and a voucher for free
lessons at your local gun club or range. Or there's the *special*
presentation pack; it has all the other one's got but with *two*
charged batteries and a night-sight, too. Here, feel that -- don't
worry, it's a dummy battery -- isn't it neat? Feel how light it is?
Smooth, see? No bits to stick out and catch on your clothes, *and*
beautifully balanced. And of course the beauty of a laser is, there's
no recoil. Because it's shooting light, you see? Beautiful gun,
beautiful gun; my wife has one. Really. That's not a line, she
really has. Now, I can do you that one -- with a battery and a free
charge -- for ninety-five; or the presentation pack on a special
offer for one-nineteen; or this, the special presentation pack, for
one-forty-nine."
"I'll take the special."
"Sound choice, madam, *sound* choice. Now, do--?"
"And a HandCannon, with the eighty-mill silencer, five GP clips, three
six-five AP/wire-fl' echettes clips, two bipropellant HE clips, and a
Special Projectile Pack if you have one -- the one with the embedding
rounds, not the signalers. I assume the night-sight on this toy is
compatible?"
"Aah... yes, And how does madam wish to pay?"
She slapped her credit card on the counter. "Eventually."
I thought the FrintArms name was familiar. I’ve read that book. Twice, I didn’t catch all the plothooks the first time through. I was also 15 the first time.
So… either she’s going to commit suicide or murder someone.
If the latter, who? Shanna and the gang? They’re in the wind and won’t be back to see her or Hurricane until they’ve got real evidence and cops in tow.
Just because you took down a professional hitman is no guarantee of surviving- much less defeating- a complete novice with a gun. Desperation, ill luck, the violent power and nature of firearms- all this makes such an encounter an unpredictable and risky one.
Confidence really isn’t the point. Carol’s desperate and has already made the decision to kill.
Yeah, I’m curios as to what she plans on too. But I’m thinking it’s murder.
I don’t think she is the type to commit suicide. And I don’t think she’s buying it for self defense (unless she believes Shanna is going to kick in the door of her office). But she might be desperate enough to try for Shanna herself.
I was wondering too. Maybe she’s thinking of protecting herself from Shanna and her buddies now that she somehow has word of her hit-man’s death, or she is planning on taking the matter into her own hands and going after them herself?
I’m assuming this is for her own protection. If a trained assassin couldn’t take out his targets I don’t think an amateur will. Then again HR might have provided her some advantage.
Well Carol is desperate. And Shanna isn’t bulletproof. Carol can still very easily succeed where JJ failed. Plus Carol still has access to quite a few resources.
JJ made it clear that his first attempts were to convince the target to back off. Killing was not his first resort, otherwise Shanna would likely be dead.
This approach gave Shanna and crew time to learn about him, anticipate his move, come up with a counter and of course call in the police to help them. They do know that Carol is part of Hurricane yes, but I doubt that Carol is going to go out into the streets looking for Shanna. She’s got a perfectly good fortress to hole up in and she’s just making sure she doesn’t have to rely on the guards.
Carol has the police to contend with as well, though. Once enough evidence is unearthed, Shanna and company will be coming in with a lot of extra people- cops. JJ managed to deal with two but was wounded enough after to be finished off by Shanna. Carol going the gun battle route, even on her home turf, won’t do her well.
If this gun were for defense, we wouldn’t see her buying it. We’d just see her pulling it out of a desk drawer when her office is under attack. The gun’s mere existance wouldn’t be important enough to spend an entire sepia world comic focusing on.
The reason we’re seeing this scene is because the gun is a catalyst for something else that’s going to happen. And there’s pretty much only thing you can use a gun for.
Glass slanted at a 45 degree angle. Alternately, that’s not a reflection, the gun shop owner just happens to already have a set of portraits of Carol painted on the counter.
Nearly. This doesn’t show her handing over her government-issued photo ID for the store’s records and a criminal background check, and filling out the questionnaire form certifying that she is not a criminal, drug addict, or mentally ill. (At least that’s how it works in my state.)
However, in many states, it is totally possible to walk into a store and legally purchase a gun in half an hour or less.
Oh Oh… Chekov says this will end badly.
Well played sir.
I see what you did there.
AGH! You dummkopf! Lady doesn’t know how to stay off the grid! For her sake I hope the store only takes cash!
Carol likes the grid. Carol practically is the grid.
This is fine.
She just wants to shoot some empty cans, I’m sure.
She hates those cans.
By “cans,” of course, you mean the rear ends of our lovely protagonists.
Let’s see, ma’am … background check shows … you buried a dismembered corpse on a hill, hired a contract killer and currently have 6 people in suspended animation in yer basement.
Yep! Looks fine to me! You want a complimentary grenade with this?
Not remotely the same tone, but the 10% discount on the laser sight reminded me of this:
"Good afternoon, madam. How may I help you?""Good afternoon. I'd like a FrintArms HandCannon, please."
"A--? Oh, now, that's an awfully big gun for such a lovely lady. I
mean, not everybody thinks ladies should carry guns at all, though I
say they have a right to. But I think... I might... Let's have a look
down here. I might have just the thing for you. Yes, here we are!
Look at that, isn't it neat? Now that is a FrintArms product as well,
but it's what's called a laser -- a light-pistol some people call
them. Very small, as you see; fits easily into a pocket or bag; won't
spoil the line of a jacket; and you won't feel you're lugging half a
tonne of iron around with you. We do a range of matching accessories,
including -- if I may say so -- a rather saucy garter holster. Wish I
got to do the fitting for that! Ha -- just my little joke. And
there's *even*... here we are -- this special presentation pack: gun,
charged battery, charging unit, beautiful glider-hide shoulder holster
with adjustable fitting and contrast stitching, and a discount on your
next battery. Full instructions, of course, and a voucher for free
lessons at your local gun club or range. Or there's the *special*
presentation pack; it has all the other one's got but with *two*
charged batteries and a night-sight, too. Here, feel that -- don't
worry, it's a dummy battery -- isn't it neat? Feel how light it is?
Smooth, see? No bits to stick out and catch on your clothes, *and*
beautifully balanced. And of course the beauty of a laser is, there's
no recoil. Because it's shooting light, you see? Beautiful gun,
beautiful gun; my wife has one. Really. That's not a line, she
really has. Now, I can do you that one -- with a battery and a free
charge -- for ninety-five; or the presentation pack on a special
offer for one-nineteen; or this, the special presentation pack, for
one-forty-nine."
"I'll take the special."
"Sound choice, madam, *sound* choice. Now, do--?"
"And a HandCannon, with the eighty-mill silencer, five GP clips, three
six-five AP/wire-fl' echettes clips, two bipropellant HE clips, and a
Special Projectile Pack if you have one -- the one with the embedding
rounds, not the signalers. I assume the night-sight on this toy is
compatible?"
"Aah... yes, And how does madam wish to pay?"
She slapped her credit card on the counter. "Eventually."
-- Iain M. Banks, "Against a Dark Background"
Nice.
I thought the FrintArms name was familiar. I’ve read that book. Twice, I didn’t catch all the plothooks the first time through. I was also 15 the first time.
Going on a Shadowrun?
We stopped following the background check requirement at this establishment after the previous owner was killed by a Terminator.
It’s only a Glock. Pretty common toys down on East st.
In the last panel, the outline of the gun gives her this lazy, crazy, lackadaisical smile.
=3
Reminds me of a certain other webcomic :)
http://lackadaisycats.com/
So… either she’s going to commit suicide or murder someone.
If the latter, who? Shanna and the gang? They’re in the wind and won’t be back to see her or Hurricane until they’ve got real evidence and cops in tow.
Or, maybe… H. R.?
Remember, their last encounter Shanna said Carol was going to have to kill her.
well, I wish her good luck with that, they’ve already taken down her hired killer, not sure what makes her confident she can do it herself.
Just because you took down a professional hitman is no guarantee of surviving- much less defeating- a complete novice with a gun. Desperation, ill luck, the violent power and nature of firearms- all this makes such an encounter an unpredictable and risky one.
Confidence really isn’t the point. Carol’s desperate and has already made the decision to kill.
I think the issue is that, despite the fact that she shouldnt be at all confident, she appears to be supremely so.
Yeah, I’m curios as to what she plans on too. But I’m thinking it’s murder.
I don’t think she is the type to commit suicide. And I don’t think she’s buying it for self defense (unless she believes Shanna is going to kick in the door of her office). But she might be desperate enough to try for Shanna herself.
Or Shanna’s mother. (And my gravatar is totally wrong for this comment.)
Your answer lifts the incitlegenle of the debate.
I was wondering too. Maybe she’s thinking of protecting herself from Shanna and her buddies now that she somehow has word of her hit-man’s death, or she is planning on taking the matter into her own hands and going after them herself?
Oooh guns, I’ll take twelve!
Last time we issued you with a gun, you broke it clubbing a Reman >:(
So what? I broke my little ships too (not to mention crashing a few of the big ones) and I still get to captain one.
*queue the guns and roses*
…
*starts to sing but exhales and drops the mic, walking off*
I’m assuming this is for her own protection. If a trained assassin couldn’t take out his targets I don’t think an amateur will. Then again HR might have provided her some advantage.
Well Carol is desperate. And Shanna isn’t bulletproof. Carol can still very easily succeed where JJ failed. Plus Carol still has access to quite a few resources.
JJ made it clear that his first attempts were to convince the target to back off. Killing was not his first resort, otherwise Shanna would likely be dead.
This approach gave Shanna and crew time to learn about him, anticipate his move, come up with a counter and of course call in the police to help them. They do know that Carol is part of Hurricane yes, but I doubt that Carol is going to go out into the streets looking for Shanna. She’s got a perfectly good fortress to hole up in and she’s just making sure she doesn’t have to rely on the guards.
Carol has the police to contend with as well, though. Once enough evidence is unearthed, Shanna and company will be coming in with a lot of extra people- cops. JJ managed to deal with two but was wounded enough after to be finished off by Shanna. Carol going the gun battle route, even on her home turf, won’t do her well.
If this gun were for defense, we wouldn’t see her buying it. We’d just see her pulling it out of a desk drawer when her office is under attack. The gun’s mere existance wouldn’t be important enough to spend an entire sepia world comic focusing on.
The reason we’re seeing this scene is because the gun is a catalyst for something else that’s going to happen. And there’s pretty much only thing you can use a gun for.
What about the waiting period..?
Not all states require that.
I feel uncomfortable
The Glock is the Guiltless Gourmet of personal armament.
When manual safeties and slide locks are too complicated for your hectic lifestyle.
She should have gone with the phased plasma rifle in the 40-watt range.
A Glock? Ick.
Shut up and take my money!
“Does madam wish to hear about the extras we’re offering for that?”
“Shoot.”
BAM
“Idiot”
*dies*
Happy end (TM).
Aww, you beat me to it. I was even going to post a link to the meme picture.
That salesman really knows how to play a glockenspiel.
Doooooushite, KYAROLLLU?
Kyaroll’d!
If you want it done right do it yourself?
I’m trying to figure out exactly how the display case is designed that her reflection would be at just that angle…I really don’t have a life.
Glass slanted at a 45 degree angle. Alternately, that’s not a reflection, the gun shop owner just happens to already have a set of portraits of Carol painted on the counter.
Is it this easy to buy a gun in the USA?
Nearly. This doesn’t show her handing over her government-issued photo ID for the store’s records and a criminal background check, and filling out the questionnaire form certifying that she is not a criminal, drug addict, or mentally ill. (At least that’s how it works in my state.)
However, in many states, it is totally possible to walk into a store and legally purchase a gun in half an hour or less.
Is she using the company card on purpose? It’s like she’s TRYING to lead the authorities straight there.