The parameters of human ecstacy
I know that a lot of readers have been worried about what has been going on with Reverend Penrose while Billie and Maggie dealt with issues upstairs. As you can see, there was absolutely nothing to worry about.
STEEPLE – A Scary Go Round Comic
by John Allison
If he isn’t head-to-toe in leather and giving us the Kubrick stare what have the Systers even been doing?
Does Maggie have a middle name? I feel that Billie needs to be snapping something like “MARGARET ELSPETH WARREN!” for full matronly effect.
I suspect that Maggie’s probably disowned her middle name, whatever it was.
Given Maggie’s background, it’s probably Lilith, , Tisiphone, or Agrat bat Mahlat…?
Her father wasn’t into Satanism yet when she was born. I’m thinking “Thatcher”.
How is that not Satanism?
I think that realization may be what got Bob into Satanism in the first place.
UNUSUALLY SEXY. Approve.
Never split the party
“We’d love to have you for supper, David.”
“Over for supper, Ludmilla?”
“No.”
They magically impeded the door so they could be magically impudent.
Any chance the ghost is the one blocking the door and not the two olied enchantress? Also, Maggie needs to face The Clovis Murder Issue, not to walk away from it.
Maggie doesn’t have any actual magical ability, but she does know a lot about magic. Judging from the events of Clotted Crime, and particularly the results of her appeal to Baphomet, it seems like Billie might have an incredibly high natural aptitude for magic, but she doesn’t really know anything about it. I wonder if the two of them together can somehow equal a single capable sorceress between them.
Mid-tier, perhaps
I wonder which of our two heroines might be most able to bulldoze their way through the magical barrier by force of sheer anger/annoyance/stubbornness?
(Or maybe go our the upstairs window and around to the front door)
Maggie has used windows for entrance and egress in the past, has she not?
She’s certainly talked OTHER people into using them.
I just knew Maggie and Rev should have switched assignments.
Billie and Maggie’s chemistry is wonderful regardless of Billie being in the Anglican fold or COS.
“Crocs and Socks. Paranormal detectives. One’s a straight shooter. The other’s a loose can[n]on. Let the hijinks ensue! Facing the witches, they’ll have you in stitches.”
Coming this fall to ABC!
“Cooking oil”. More words that Maggie should not be casually tossing around.
And is the oil’s smoke point important?
apropos of nothing, I used to date a girl named Mazola
I’ll bet that was a sizzling relationship.
There’s a “Popeye” joke in there somewhere.
I enjoy your art but that first panel is impressive and worth specifically mentioning. Looks like it was likely a pain in the ass, too.
Often the hard ones are the easiest to make look good. It’s “boring” panels – often people sitting at tables – where I end up having to do them three times!
Well at least it’s clear Maggie doesn’t mind sharing the Reverend.
She enjoys a vicarious vicaring
As a cultural catholic, I’m somewhat unclear what the rules are for Anglican priests… they can be married, and they do offer to marry Jane Austen protagonists so presumably they’re not expected to be 100% celibate. But cavorting with witches is obviously beyond the pale.
Joining the Church of Satan is also historically frowned upon.
Even today?
Well, frowned upon. How powerful the frowns remain in our era is questionable
I mean, it’s the Anglicans. Frowns are about all you you’d get. You’d probably need seigneurial authority to issue a vigorous finger-wagging.
“No cake for you!”
This reminds me of a classic Not The Nine O’Clock News sketch about an Anglican priest pushing to make the church more open and welcoming: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWa3LyvFOdc
“Cautiously, I could see sacrificing the occasional virgin. I mean, fair enough.”
…offering *shelter* and friendship to a former curate who has joined the Church of Satan, as well as one of their former priestesses, also probably not Bishop Bergerac’s favorite activity.
Letting a Satanic Warlock into the rectory to play with dollies and holy robes, even with the best of intentions, not so very great either.
But who knows. One of the beautiful central questions of Steeple is: How holy are these holy men? What does it mean to be religious and also be a deeply flawed human? What does it mean to sin and to forgive?
I feel that nothing that could be going on behind that door is a match for Maggie’s fevered imagination.
Please give us a close-up of those shoes.
Kermit slippers?
They’re just lime green Crocs, aren’t they?
John – off-topic, but the phrase “you could tell by her wrists she’d be good to kiss” popped into my head unbidden while eating my tea this evening. So I, in turn, popped it into Google, to find it returns 0 results, and not only that, but Scary Go Round as a whole is nowhere to be seen, or nowhere easy anyway. So that’s just got me feeling all neiges-d’antan-y, and presents another opportunity to thank you for your many years of wonderful art and stories.
Or maybe my mind is just starting to go and I can no longer remember word-for-word things I read on a webcomic 15+ years ago.
Tom, if I wrote that line I no longer remember doing so, and have no idea where you’d find it in my back catalogue. I looked for it on Oh No Robot, which still has all the Scary Go Round comics transcribed, but found nothing like it. It sounds like the sort of thing that would come to me in a dream so I am hopeful I was actually responsible. But thanks for still being here 15+ years later!
Haha, well I put the memory thing is in a joke, but perhaps it truly is failing me. BUT I’m sure The Boy remarked it to a friend upon returning from French exchange in a lovelorn state. To be honest, it could have been Jack and the French exchange could have occurred in the other direction. But I feel in my heart I am right, and that’s what matters. Still want to form a band called The Little Goth Boxes too.
Scary Go Round – “The Bell”, May 8th, 2008: on the Wayback Machine.
Er, May 7th, rather. My kingdom for an edit function!
Holy moly John Campbell, you’re a genius. And I am fully vindicated. Word for word indeed! Exactly one week before my 20th birthday that came out. Thank you, I will explore this further when it’s not almost midnight!
Shelley and Erin summing it all up rather nicely under the comic there as well.
Good Lord. Just after “Christmas Island”. The last time John had a comments section! And then came that awful Obama/McCain campaign and he had to take it all down.
It seems I can do near-photographic recall any era of my past up to about 2001 just via associative Bobbins/SGR memories.
The uncut gems from that era, I swear. John really made me believe the future of cartooning was upon us.
I wonder if Revd Penrose found any axes at the Clovis Cottage?
If so it may be the witches that get the stitches.
I’d like to think the staircases are lit blue by the magick door holder since it is nighttime and I see no visible lighting equipment around.
Best picture of Billie on this page: Panel 1. Best picture of Maggie on this page: Panel 3. Agree? Disagree? I mean, they’re all great.
Here in the States, we spell it “ecstasy” — but maybe that’s wrong? Your language, after all.
Head back in the game, Mags!