This is collusion, Brian!
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The story of Mata Hari is an intriguing one. I don’t remember where I first heard her name but it seemed to come up as an accusation a lot when I was young. Not by me. I wasn’t accusing women of being German spies “willy-nilly”.
Gotta appreciate the car, though.
Tom puts on jodhpurs to drive his Phaeton.
That sounds like one of those phrases actors use as a vocal exercise.
As is only right and proper
He already put on his driving jodhpurs pre-pacing, so I suspect that was all just (extra) theatrics.
Um – based on earlier dialog, are we to assume Tom’s chauffeur uniform is . . . PVC? Not content with just looking anachronistic, he’s had to make it porn-y anachronistic.
No no, it’s not PVC. Oh god!!!
He is not a PolyVinyl Chauffeur.
Crushed velvet, then?
Have to hand it to Tom, in that last panel. He knows his strengths.
Yes, and he might even be puerile and pusillanimous about it.
Channeling Dick Dastardly here which makes Brian Mutley. That adds up
Wacky racing/pigeon stopping ensues!
Given the nature of this story, I expect more wacky racing than pigeon stopping.
I mean, Peter Perfect and Penelope Pitstop are literally hanging off a cliff, so what else would you expect?
Exactly.
The anthill mob? Quick Pockets, make with the giant magnet 🧲 ⚡🚙
Tom is so sexy when he puts some trousers on.
Satanic trouserlessness.
If I’m reading the innuendo correctly, I’m surprised they aren’t more supportive of her supposed.efforts at corrupting the Rev.
Tom seems to think that she’s a double agent, but it’s hard to tell if this is substantive of just some kind of gangster instinct for calling anyone you can’t seem to control like a chained dog a secret operative of your rivals and or enemies.
Plus, if they flipped the Reverend (which obviously won’t happen), Tom will suddenly be competing for the favor of his church against a man built like a Victorian pulp adventure hero. Brian might be perfectly happy getting whatever’s left (https://steeple.church/comic/a-cruel-game/), but Tom would *not*.
Eh, he’s Church of England, not Catholic. It’s barely even a sin for him.
David’s just a cool, chill guy. Kind of interesting.
Tom is really rocking that quasi-Fascist/cartoon supervillain look this strip.
“Quasi”???
While everyone has been admiring Tom’s car (and rightly so), I’m wondering what the is the deal with that picture of Tom and Brian in third panel.
Also, this page has got me wondering, what is the source of Tom’s wealth? I know Billie and Brian used to work for free and pay rent, there has got to be more to it than that. I’m guessing Tom either A) takes a generous cut of the donations the local congregation gives to the Church of Satan, B) has some sort of diabolical pact that grants him wealth either directly or indirectly, or C) Tom was already wealthy when he became a Satanist. Of course, these theories are not mutually exclusive and they might all be wrong anyway.
Other stories in John’s work allude to wealthy people becoming sorcerors/satanists etc, so Tom could either be part of that set or good at obtaining their money.
I agree about the picture. I have this nagging feeling that it’s reflective of a well-known album cover, but can’t dig the band or title out of my memory.
It put me in mind of the photos where it’s Mom, Dad, and baby, and not a lot of clothes otherwise.
Yes, this was it, kind of a nurturing natural vibe
Just now that I see him in what looks like a fascist uniform I notice the similarity between Tom and Gabriele D’Annunzio. It’s… weird! It’s also weird to see him be an apprehensive parent for Billie, or being jealous that she’s the one with Penrose. But it’s also fantastic. GO TOM!
Tom has borrowed the whole mid-20th century oh-so-wicked Decadent/Occultist/Satanist look. D’Annunzio was one perpetrator, but the direct model for Tom is surely Anton LaVey.
Kneel before Tom!
I predict Tom trash-talking the Rev’s car, followed by unprecedented automotive shenanigans.
Oooh, yeah, the shape-shifting autonomon (I forget our approved T****s euphemism) battle! Also, man I haven’t read the word “Phaeton” in something like 5 decades. Whee!
GASP!!! Not petty, passive aggression! Unpleasant, reeeaaally annoying and makes everyone’s lives worse…truly Tom is a devil!
Okay, you got me. I can’t figure out what it is. At first I thought “Morgan,” but the grill is wrong. The best I can come up with is a Rover Roadster from the 30’s.
With that grille it looks rather like an early BMW, possibly a 1934 303.
You’re right, the “lobes” of the grille are BMW-ish, but apart from that the front view is giving me strong MG TC/TD vibes.
It looks a lot like a BMW 319/1: https://www.netcarshow.com/BMW-319-1_Roadster-1935-wallpaper.jpg
Looks like a classic BMW 328 to me, possibly with the rear spats off judging by the last panel.
You know those cyber-changers often look not-quite-exactly-like some existing model of car, right?
(Okay, I admit it again: I have no idea what I’m talking about.)
Well, I’ve learned something today! When I read “Phaeton” I thought of the bike from “Good Omens”, but Wikipedia says that it’s a word meaning “open topped carriage, drawn by horses”. So, “join me in the phaeton” is presumably equivalent to saying “your chariot awaits”.
A phaeton is an open-topped car with no side windows. No longer fashionable because who wants a car that you can only drive on sunny days? Other than Tom, obviously.
note that in Greek mythology Phaeton was the son of the sun-god Helios (making him the son of the Sun) who kept begging his dad to let him borrow the sun-chariot (being a classic teenager). His father finally relented, and Phaeton discovered he couldn’t control the solar horses, getting too close the the Earth and burning it in places and too far and freezing it in other places. He had no control at all, and couldn’t stop, so eventually Zeus had to hurl a thunderbolt at him, killing him. So that’s where the connection between the name and a carriage or car came from originally.
Tom’s going to kick himself when people start taking him for the chauffeur.
But he probably enjoys kicking himself.
I deeply disliked Tom’s quasi-military look, until he added the chauffeur’s cap.
I just love the phrase ‘an unprecedented period of petty passive aggression’. It’s beautiful to say out loud!
Another vocal warm-up tongue twister!
Sounds like a Gilbert & Sullivan lyric.
Y’know, Steeple as a whole would make a great Gilbert and Sullivan opera.
“I am the very model of a modern Cornish Satanist…”
Not to rizz up Tom too much, but guy’s got drip. That outfit and that car are both extremely cool and good.
I am old enough to remember “Lancelot Link: Secret Chimp,” which featured his sidekick Mata Hairy.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065309/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_4_nm_4_q_lancelot%2520link
My friend Guillermo and I discussed this at length for hours over dinner last year, I consider this chimp to be at the heart of my creative enterprise.
Does Tom, at least when angry, speak in the voice of Neil Hunt, Nonsense Potter from Athletico Mince? It had never occurred to me before but that’s really how I’m hearing this page.
This isn’t 100% inaccurate
Damn, Tom is kinda eating in this outfit. Buddy has more style than you’d think.
It makes his usual attire worse, being that its offenses against aesthetics are undoubtedly calculated.
I thought that was already pretty obvious.
Chauffeur, no. I instantly saw Ian McKellen’s Richard III.
Aw, they all call him David.
Also:I like how Tom hurries Brian along with the vague threat of ass-grabbing.
“A Runabout! I’ll steal it! No one will ever know!”
I understood that reference!
I’m not sure “an unprecedented period of petty passive aggression” is actually possible for Tom. He already keeps the petty passive aggression dialed up to 11 pretty-much all the time. That’s a precedent that’s going to be hard to beat.
I have faith in Tom’s ability to dial his petty passive aggression up to 12 or 13, if he needs to.
Is Billie in the painting featured in panel #3? Seems like there would be a third figure featured there.
Could be Eggsy.
I can’t believe I’m the first one here who thought of Maggie.
Oh! OH! … a cool guy “to hang out with”!
(Remember what he was doing when we last saw him?)
It’s sad that Mata Hari was executed. Countries do have the legal right to execute foreign spies, but sometimes they resist the urge. Which I appreciate.
Did Magus Brian deliberately pattern his patter after Dr.Smith in Lost In Space or dud it happen more organically?
Hmm. I don’t read that patterning in Brian’s dialogue, but now that you brought it up, Tom is speaking very much like Dr. Smith. (the 60’s version, at least)
I’m pretty sure Nick meant Tom. Brian’s title is Warlock, not Magus.
I’ve been away so late to this-but last panel reminds me so much of the Citroen Traction Avant in Diva … the _second_ one. BUT
The colour scheme? That is NODDY’S car, Revs, that he tooled around with with Big Ears riding shotgun. Does this become a helicopter later???
I’m pretty sure I’m older than John, and even I’m too young for noddy first … or second… or third time around, but the noddy car toy from the mid 90s revival was huuuuge for kids my nephews’ ages.