It’s beast work
A strange understanding seems to be developing between Reverend Penrose and Brian. Not exactly a friendship, but certainly a more genial relationship than you might expect, given their history. I think Brian’s personalised letterman jacket was probably his Saturnalia present from Billie. Colours by Sammy Borras
That last panel made me actually cackle. And Brian’s facial expressions! And Mrs Clovis! Thank you John.
Yes, I think this is the first time we’ve seen Tom actually showing any intense emotion other than smugness. (Uh… at least in the online comics. I haven’t read the initial print-only Steeple comics. I should remedy that.)
Well, wait, no, I guess he was just as emotional in the October 4 comic, actually. I guess this whole story in general is the first time though we’re seeing Tom… knowing that he’s not at all in control of the situation, and not liking it.
I think we can all find common joy in Tom, helplessly unable to master his circumstances, just so mad.
I think Tom should learn something from Mrs Clovis. She’s confused and unhappy about what’s going on, too, and she’s still keeping it together. Of course, it helps that she doesn’t see herself as an evil mastermind who should be in control of everything.
Tell that to one of the poor helpless eggs he’s crushed.
Right at the end of Secret Sentai he was seen sadly tootling after Billie refused to be an audience.
Made me burst out laughing, as well.
Tom doesn’t know whether to look up or down for some metaphysical source of answers to his question.
Can’t wait for the panel years from now that reveals a discreet tramp stamp on Mrs C.
What do tramp stamps and mullets have in common?
They’re both low in the back?
Business in the front, party in the back!
FYI, Germans (or maybe Swedes? Or both?) call those an expression that translates equally as euphoniously as “ass antlers”. So I am told.
So do we in Dutch! Aarsgewei, arse antlers
Brilliant!
Every day is a schoolday on here.
Danes too – “røvgevir”, to be exact.
“Property of the Royal Marines”
I think the most Mrs. C would consider is a removable tattoo on the arm.
Brian has that “real work?” look and it’s priceless
Both of them work with beasts, they know things
Putting those piles to work!
You mean that “real money?” look.
This is such a good page!! Though I wonder about those prices, are they reasonable?
£75 seems quite reasonable for charming a demon. I mean, assuming the demon will remain charmed for quite a while and not go back to being a problem again 5 minutes later.
That seems pretty cheap compared to London beast-whisperers.
This entire page is one of the two best things I’ve experienced all week. Thank you.
That is a nice jacket Brian is wearing.
Tom doesn’t realize it, but the world is passing him by. When Billie steps into his place he won’t know what hit him.
And to think, he doesn’t even know the truth about Trident yet. He’s gonna flip.
He already correctly guessed that Bob Warren was involved with Trident.
brian and the rev united by being big fellas who just arent as good as anyone else in town at pickin up or puttin down subtext
Brian does not have subtext. He’s strictly a dub man.
Maybe not good at picking up subtext, but at least one of them is good at picking up Big Ken. Greased AND ungreased.
I bet the Rev could pick up Big Ken. At least ungreased.
Poor Tom… he’s powerless and no one care about him. Brian wants to live new and exciting adventures (well payed) with the awesome Rev. Penrose and his loyal siderkick Mrs Clovis. Good for him! Nice to him to give a free tattoo for Mrs. Clovis. A butterfly would be so nice on her shoulder ♡.
To be fair, Tom’s had this coming for a long time now.
Billie’s miracle just keeps on giving!
Tom as Satan’s gatekeeper – failed.
I initially misread how hunched over Brian is in panel 3, and I thought he was wearing [*shudder*] red trousers!
Maybe you read it right. The coloring seems to have been corrected.
With all that was going on with Billie and Mags, I forgot about the eggs!
These strike me as very reasonable prices. Does Brian have a rate sheet?
I wonder how much he charges for turning back a great reptilian behemoth you’ve accidentally unleashed in your neighborhood? Asking for a friend.
I like how Tom looks a little like Count Orlock from Nosferatu in the first panel.
Mrs. Clovis can’t have a butterfly tattoo.
It’d interfere with the fully-functional (and currently inactivated) Seal of Solomon she had inscribed on her back during the Quatermass Incident of 1979. You think you have Satanists NOW? Ha! Their carrying-ons ain’t a patch on the Black Masses of the old days…
…Damn. With a little tweaking, she’d be just the right age to be a Mod superspy femme fatale in Swinging London.
Maybe she was one of John Steed’s “talented amateurs”.
You leave the British Experimental Rocket Group out of this!
Next up: Your voluminous lady suit.
Maggie’s puffy dress? Billie’s purple suit? Something completely different?
The suspense is killing me!
It’s the 15-year old punchline I’m curious about. Page after next.
Bob Warren better not be hitting on Billie
I can imagine it tho!
This is what Tom gets for the Church of Satan being a pay-your-own-way gig.
This comic is typical of interfaith interactions of all the clergy that I know.
Tom must be using a strange, British turn of the phrase. In the US, the classic line would be, “Can Warlock Brian come out and play?”
I thought it mighta been like when one football club loans a player to another, but I’m only guessing based on watching “Ted Lasso”….
Ah, sports lingo. That explains why I’d ne’er heard it.
No, it’s like when you knock on a friend’s door as a kid and ask if they can come out… and play… not sports lingo at all!!
I reckon “play out” is a bit Northern for Cornwall. Although we haven’t had enough of Tom’s backstory to know that he isn’t an incomer himself.
His surname is ‘Pendennis’, which is about as typically Cornish as you can get.
Poor Tom, can’t quite wrap his mind around this turn of events… 😀
“It’s almost like no one is a sincere satanist anymore…”
That front door area is so not ADA compliant! What would be a UK version of the Americans with Disabilities Act?
I think it’s the Disability Discrimination Act of 1995. Disabled access to the Church of Satan is via the function hall where the pantomime took place in Secret Sentai.
The Equality Act 2010 replaced the DDA and other anti-discrimination legislation, and makes disability one of its nine “protected characteristics”, in England, Wales and Scotland. Most of the Equality Act was not applied to Northern Ireland where the DDA still applies.
Thanks Rob!
Imagine if the growing friendliness between the two Tredregyn churches forces Tom and Mrs Clovis into an alliance for the purpose of preventing an alliance.
But then, BOTH churches can have Billie as Curate! Uniting Tredregyn under her earnestly cheery rule!
While we all chortle for Tom’s loss of control of the CoS, let’s also remember this might be just the opening Bob and Trident needs…
Better the devil-worshiper you know than the devil-worshiper you don’t know.