“Racism served us well as our trademark, but it’s time to shed it and let our adversaries have at milking it for what it’s worth in future” does not sound like a Mick thing.
In Volume 1 she failed to be pulled into the air by a forced Rapture, so it’s not just her judgments of herself. Maggie, on the other hand, was pulled up, implying a fundamental godliness that Billie lacked. That hasn’t, to my knowledge, yet been reconciled with why Billie’s touch burns Tom.
That’s from an animated series or film of some sort, isn’t it? I ever so vaguely remember hearing it in that context (with “you’ve,” no “she’s) many years ago.
My first thought was that surely it takes more than only three people to run a church, but then I remembered that Penrose’s church is itself run by only three people, so I guess not.
Apparently, Mick agrees with me that Billie offered the best deal Tom’s likely to get from anyone right now. Smart skull. I’m not sure I want to know how Tom activates Mick, though.
Billie’s job requirement was that she doesn’t want to get her snoopy out, so I doubt she’s undressed for the mag. Can’t see why she’d object to being on the cover though.
I’d quite happily have my face on the cover of a spank mag if they paid me. Can’t see it driving sales up though.
Please can the phrase “spank mag” never appear in the comments of this comic ever again. Given that there are five pages left, I can just cancel it to ensure this if you all won’t. I believe you can make my dreams come true.
Wait, the fact that Tom needs “antibacterial personal care product” (thank you, Wikipedia) in Panel 7 clearly indicates that it was his hand that was burned. Oops.
Being a Yank, I had to look up Savlon on the great internet encyclopedia / encyclopædia. Which led to me editing the article to correct a gross misconjugation of the verb “fall.”
Hi everybody! I’ve finally made it up to the current Steeple. I read Bad Machinery first, and it took some switching gears to get into Steeple but I’m thoroughly hooked now.
Mick is the voice of sanity in that place. Well, maybe.
Billie’s ability to burn Tom’s flesh with her saintly touch was previously seen here: https://steeple.church/comic/a-little-peace/
Giving good self-interested advice anyhow, which is what you want from a Satanic spirit.
Anyone who can be a dedicated Satanist, a Left-Hand Path Sex Magiician, and still have the Saintly Baraka has my respect
Mick sounds like the spirit of LBJ.
“Racism served us well as our trademark, but it’s time to shed it and let our adversaries have at milking it for what it’s worth in future” does not sound like a Mick thing.
Yeah the quote was actually from JFK, explaining to a friend why he chose LBJ as his running-mate.
Maybe Bilinda is so evil that Tom is getting burned.
She herself has doubts about her goodness.
People often aren’t good at judging themselves, though.
In Volume 1 she failed to be pulled into the air by a forced Rapture, so it’s not just her judgments of herself. Maggie, on the other hand, was pulled up, implying a fundamental godliness that Billie lacked. That hasn’t, to my knowledge, yet been reconciled with why Billie’s touch burns Tom.
Eh. People are complicated. And we don’t know that the rapture thing depended on actually “goodness”- it could have had other criteria.
She’s got the touch, she’s got the power…
From Upstairs AND Downstairs
That’s from an animated series or film of some sort, isn’t it? I ever so vaguely remember hearing it in that context (with “you’ve,” no “she’s) many years ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A52–FKUQgU
The Touch – Stan Bush. Used in Transformers the Movie (1986). I can never help but sing along when it comes on my shuffle.
Hm, does CoS collect offerings, or do they have some other source of income? And Brian wasn’t getting paid either???
It was revealed not long ago that Brian makes most of his money as a tattoo artist.
My first thought was that surely it takes more than only three people to run a church, but then I remembered that Penrose’s church is itself run by only three people, so I guess not.
Yes, but in Penrose’s church the three are one
The Father, the Daughter, and the Holy Mrs Clovis?
Penrose’s parish has the support of the CoE.
Barely, I think.
They even sent round a secret shopper to check.
Apparently, Mick agrees with me that Billie offered the best deal Tom’s likely to get from anyone right now. Smart skull. I’m not sure I want to know how Tom activates Mick, though.
Do you really want to know what he had plugged into the foramen magnum?
No? Just as well
“Foramen Magnum?”
“The Big Hole?”
I think you give Tom far too much credit.
Well, perhaps not so much “plugged” as “rattled about”.
The phrase you’re looking for is “throwing a hot dog down a hallway.”
Spoiler: Billie actually is the Queen of the Damned. She just doesn’t know it yet.
Erin left a vacancy.
Being Queen of the Damned can’t compete with freelance regional journalism as a career choice, apparently.
Where better to consult a skull than the head?
*golf clap*
You really should be more particular about who you play with there.
I hear raw egg is a good soothing treatment for saintly handshake burns.
Billie even made sure to get a sweet deal for Brian. I am loving this.
Billie is going to Hell with a *very* large entourage.
If Sex Magik is a spank mag, that would mean that Billie appeared on the cover of a spank mag. That doesn’t seem to me like something Billie would do.
So, if Billie and Brian are Tom’s only two employees…which one of them cleans his bathroom?
I’m not sure you have an accurate handle on what Billie would and wouldn’t do. Though to be fair I’m not sure Billie does, either.
But in any case, “something is intended as a spank mag” and “Tom uses it as a spank mag” aren’t the same thing.
Billie’s job requirement was that she doesn’t want to get her snoopy out, so I doubt she’s undressed for the mag. Can’t see why she’d object to being on the cover though.
I’d quite happily have my face on the cover of a spank mag if they paid me. Can’t see it driving sales up though.
Please can the phrase “spank mag” never appear in the comments of this comic ever again. Given that there are five pages left, I can just cancel it to ensure this if you all won’t. I believe you can make my dreams come true.
Thank you, John
A shudder ran through my delicate frame, too.
Sorry, John. Please don’t punish us, daddy.
Apologies. I shall endeavor to keep your comments sections classier in future.
To be a pedant, Billie said it shouldn’t involve their snoopy ‘unless they really want it to’…..
But she didn’t think of that part immediately. It was an afterthought.
Apparently Mick quit while he was a head.
Wait, did I already use that line for Great Uncle Donald?
Does her offer say 5000 per annum? As in, 5000£ per year? That seems low by at least one order of magnitude. I think I’m missing something.
Did not mean to post this as a reply.
And yes, you did.
If John had framed it very slightly differently, so that that 5 was out of frame, would you have assumed she was asking for £000 per year?
That’s what she was already getting.
It’s truncated, to leave it open to interpretation
Heck, you didn’t even specify the currency
Finally Tom is able to cast his ego aside and do what’s mutually beneficial for him and Billie. Also in my head canon, Mick is voiced by Ralph Ineson.
In my head canon, Tom’s voice sounds like that of the Great Vorelli from “Devil Doll” (1964).
Mike can speak and seems more reasonable of Tom?!? But accept Billie’s offer was a good deal. The CoS can only grow with her.
Tom can HEAR Mick speak. That’s not necessarily the same thing at all…
Any strips that start with even a hint of Tom’s bum should start with a warning.
Actually, now that I think of it, so should ones involving those shorts.
Even with everything falling apart, making Savlon come out in the form of an upside-down cross is still a pretty neat trick.
Sorry for the nitpick, but it seems Tom should say “I can’t have Bob Warren *on* one side”.
On this (rare) occasion it’s what I meant to write, that’s standard enough England English.
So, in Panel 6, who’s setting whose hand on fire?
Wait, the fact that Tom needs “antibacterial personal care product” (thank you, Wikipedia) in Panel 7 clearly indicates that it was his hand that was burned. Oops.
I don’t think it was a “s**** m**” so much as just reading material. Articles of varying lengths and whatnot.
Being a Yank, I had to look up Savlon on the great internet encyclopedia / encyclopædia. Which led to me editing the article to correct a gross misconjugation of the verb “fall.”
S-S-S-Savlon?
I’m coming over all Channel 4!
I’m not the only one who forever associates Savlon with late 90’S Harry Hill right?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azhPzP3nl5A&ab_channel=Wow%21Wot%3F
I’d forgotten this! I loved these Channel 4 HH shows.
Hi everybody! I’ve finally made it up to the current Steeple. I read Bad Machinery first, and it took some switching gears to get into Steeple but I’m thoroughly hooked now.
Cycling shorts truly are the most evil thing on the planet.
The monster that is Karma comes for us all, Tom!