A character-driven, long format online comic that updates three times a week. Comedy! Drama! Revolutionary Communists, runaways, creative taxidermy and more.
Predicting that within 4-5 pages, Ben’s going to have a costume and be pounding on Templar’s criminal scumbags by night, then swinging away on some kind of grapple-gun line. Or a jetpack. He might get away with a jetpack.
Yeah, I think a lot of us have taken his little bird routine to mean he can’t wreck someone. He’s a skinny dude after my own heart; if he doesn’t leave EJ crippled in some way it will be because EJ managed to run his ass away.
Ooh gods, that’s what Ben’s meds were for ? To repress his murderous instincts ?
I was hoping for Scip to show up, or Ray, or even Gene or the Jakes. Even Dr Bash would have been useful at that point, but it might turn out that the most violent person in the building could very well have been the one I suspected the least.
Once you turn on his switch, I mean. Which apparently TJ just did.
I mean, I’m glad Ben’s not letting himself get all dead, but holy shit. 0.0 Unexpected is an understatement. Undeserved is a lie, or at best, an exaggeration, but daaaaaaaamn.
I’m not sure how common ocular penetration is as a fetish in Templar, but considering some of the other items for sale at Kingdom Come , I feel like Spike has already dropped us clues about this…
The eyeball itself is harder to pierce – you’d need something sharper than the average person’s fingernails – but you can definitely cause enough damage to destroy the vision. (Or even dislocate the eyeball, in which case ripping it off isn’t all that difficult.)
I think that’s what Ben is going for. As you mention the eyeball itself is surprisingly tough. But it’s also relatively easy to scoop oout of the socket if you know the proper technique. Which it looks like Ben does.
Oh and one thing they taught me in self defense classes is as soon as you take your attacker down you run… That’s if you are smart or sane. Somehow I think Ben is lacking one of those right now. I fear the upcoming change to his character. Hello, Mr. Hyde.
Taken down doesn’t always stay down long enough to run away, unless you give them something else to worry about, like a stomped ankle or hyperextended knee. I suppose they gouged eye will work fine enough ;)
That’s true…though kicking someone is a lot less dangerous than sitting on top of them to poke their eye out. I suppose we’ll find out if Ben is attactually self defending versus “berserking” in the next few comics, but either way I bet this is the point where his personality changes as Spike has mentioned it will. …goes to get some popcorn…
I’m torn between “YESYESYES” and “where did Ben learn to fight like that?” Was he a child soldier before adoption, or something? Surely that particular technique isn’t covered in any self-defense classes he had access to at home…
Or maybe he had a bullying big brother? If you’ve ever been in a good old-fashioned sibling fight, you’ll know that kicking someone’s legs out from under them is the best strategy. Of course, since said sibling also knows this, they’d’ve likely positioned themselves so that they fall ON you instead, which allows them to do so with a strategically aimed elbow.
No, we didn’t maim each other growing up; we didn’t actually go for the kill. But it gave some interesting pointers for possible desperate self-defence situation in the future.
Yes. Most of what I know about joint-locks and pressure points I learned from experimenting on my big brother. Most of what he knows about bullying, psychological warfare, and dodging quickly he learned by messing with me.
Unfortunately none of this knowledge makes either of us a better person than we might be.
Learning to leg sweep is a pretty standard self defense move. They also teach eye poking to disable the attacker enough you can run. Jumping on you attacker and gouging out an eye Is not a covered subject, though…
Well I’ll be….GO BEN GO you crazy concussed little dude!!! Is he even gonna remember this? I don’t care! Win before EJ can regain the advantage! He’s probably more experienced so kick him when he’s down!!!
True, I expected something along these lines if Ben ever went off his meds, but I didn’t expect it NOW. At first I thought maybe Scip had come up behind EJ.
Ben: quiet doormat except when SHIT GETS REAL. There is something so satisfying about seeing a meek character switching on the survival instinct. To eleven.
When an unhinged Elliot is about to brain you with a scrap-metal gun, you either get primal on his ass, or you don’t – no formal lessons required.
Just noticed, previous page, panels 2 and 3, the framing strongly suggests that Ben sees that his assailant has his bag. Is this Ben being protective of his work, perhaps?
Or it’s just an “if I don’t fight back, he’ll kill me – oh, and I need that Unagi controller – but I need to do something or he’ll kill me” reaction, where his possessions are a secondary or even a tertiary concern.
Or else he really has a second, psychopatic self, and EJ just flipped the switch between the two.
You don’t remember him flipping out over his belongings being out of his possesion before, hmm? Yeah, it could be survival instinct, but then again it could also be hyper sensitivity to others taking “HIS” things. Although it’s likely a combination of both.
Holy Hell! I kinda figured Ben Had a “Hulk Smash” side when he was repressing rage at having his home intruded on by a little girl, But Jesus I almost feel sorry for that kid now, i don’t, but almost. Most likely Unless Elliot can Brain him with that Jake gun again, Ben is gonna gouge both of his eye out and or kill Elliot
I’m actually surprised Ben didn’t get kicked in the nads/stomach/chest during that interval, but maybe EJ was just so totally surprised and/or got the wind knocked out of him when he fall. Still, I would have thought his street-wise survival skills would have reacted before Ben did.
Oh yes I gotta go Templar woo to the woo on this one.
Love to see some survival instinct kicking in with Ben. It’s also awesome because not too long ago Ben wasn’t sure he wanted to live, let alone fight for his life. He’s come a long way.
I don’t think EJ will be able to command a very high price as a rent boy after Ben is through with him.
Assuming he ever had that high a price… And y’know, if he’s alive after.
Therapy and pills may have nothing to do with this reaction. Back when I worked in corrections I saw some real horror movie stuff inflicted by mellow guys moved by sheer animal terror. Just throwing that out there.
Then again, we’ve seen Ben flip out over his personal space before. He’s VERY protective of his space and his things. Someone above mentioned the incident when Zora entered his apartment, then there’s him scrambling to find his meds, all sorts of little things where he gets panicky over crossed boundaries.
I mentioned above, but again, I think it’s both survival instinct AND oversensitivity to intrusion on his “personal space” that are at work here, otherwise why have all those little prior details?
BEN
BEN
BEN
You are awesome.
Well, that took a rather unexpected turn…
Not really unexpected, if you look at the comments on the last page. :-P
The eye business reminded me of Mermaid Scar.
You wanna know what else is real quiet?
A powderkeg.
Right up to the second that spark falls in it.
-G.
Predicting that within 4-5 pages, Ben’s going to have a costume and be pounding on Templar’s criminal scumbags by night, then swinging away on some kind of grapple-gun line. Or a jetpack. He might get away with a jetpack.
No no it’s interesting. He got some stuff goin’ on.
Why. why. no. torrents. OF COPYBOOKS
Yeah, I think a lot of us have taken his little bird routine to mean he can’t wreck someone. He’s a skinny dude after my own heart; if he doesn’t leave EJ crippled in some way it will be because EJ managed to run his ass away.
YES! kick his ass benjamin!
dang dANG u go boi
Ooh gods, that’s what Ben’s meds were for ? To repress his murderous instincts ?
I was hoping for Scip to show up, or Ray, or even Gene or the Jakes. Even Dr Bash would have been useful at that point, but it might turn out that the most violent person in the building could very well have been the one I suspected the least.
Once you turn on his switch, I mean. Which apparently TJ just did.
I’m still hoping Scip shows up. Otherwise I think someone may die here.
Oooooh… Think we’re about to find out what Ben’s meds are for?
Well, basically anything mental that makes you volatile would work. Cause when you snap, you snap, and fuck any thoughts for personal safety.
I think in regards to violence he’s like a smarter version of Gene. Very passive until you press his berserk button and the…no restraint.
*visibly shaken*
ohholyshitIwasnotexpectingthat.
I mean, I’m glad Ben’s not letting himself get all dead, but holy shit. 0.0 Unexpected is an understatement. Undeserved is a lie, or at best, an exaggeration, but daaaaaaaamn.
Ben and Gene can be BFFs now.
Never, ever push someone into a situation where the only exit is through you.
Wise words.
Wow! This is better than I’d hoped for. But EJ’s obviously a tough customer, and Ben hasn’t beaten him yet.
BEN’S THUMB IS IN HIS FUCKING EYE
Yeah. Nobody is so tough that if you grab their fucking eye, they don’t try to get away.
Well… maybe EJ. Depends how deep his emotional scars go. Hoping he’ll back down like a bully that gets fought back, but we’ll see.
I so ship them.
EJ might find it a bit harder to earn that quick cash after this.
I’m not sure how common ocular penetration is as a fetish in Templar, but considering some of the other items for sale at Kingdom Come , I feel like Spike has already dropped us clues about this…
Whoever commented, “Sweep the leg, Johnny” on the previous page gets a gold star.
ah, of course, the scifi classic: ben is a bioengineered assassin, barely retaining his grip on normal life before going on a murderous rampage!
Don’t forget the mental conditioning that makes him flip out and remove eyeballs when someone begins a backwards countdown from three.
Maybe he’s a cyborg and EJ hit the switch.
Are there three flowers in a vase?
Is the third one red?!
8 O
Go Ben!
Holy Hell, is that a Dollhouse reference?
I was thinking more River from Firefly but still a valid reference.
Go Dollhouse reference…Millie, the ultimate sleeper agent! ;)
I always go for the eyes, too. Just too easy to bury your thumbs in there.
The eyeball itself is harder to pierce – you’d need something sharper than the average person’s fingernails – but you can definitely cause enough damage to destroy the vision. (Or even dislocate the eyeball, in which case ripping it off isn’t all that difficult.)
I think that’s what Ben is going for. As you mention the eyeball itself is surprisingly tough. But it’s also relatively easy to scoop oout of the socket if you know the proper technique. Which it looks like Ben does.
Oh wow.. I wasn’t too far off the mark. Ben may be related to Byron. XD
Oh and one thing they taught me in self defense classes is as soon as you take your attacker down you run… That’s if you are smart or sane. Somehow I think Ben is lacking one of those right now. I fear the upcoming change to his character. Hello, Mr. Hyde.
Taken down doesn’t always stay down long enough to run away, unless you give them something else to worry about, like a stomped ankle or hyperextended knee. I suppose they gouged eye will work fine enough ;)
That’s true…though kicking someone is a lot less dangerous than sitting on top of them to poke their eye out. I suppose we’ll find out if Ben is attactually self defending versus “berserking” in the next few comics, but either way I bet this is the point where his personality changes as Spike has mentioned it will. …goes to get some popcorn…
I’m voting for berserk mode right now. Been there once or twice myself. (Years of bullying preceding said incidents. No bullying afterwards.)
I like the look of having the speech bubble in the first panel partially offscreen.
holy hell. NICE.
I’m torn between “YESYESYES” and “where did Ben learn to fight like that?” Was he a child soldier before adoption, or something? Surely that particular technique isn’t covered in any self-defense classes he had access to at home…
Or maybe he had a bullying big brother? If you’ve ever been in a good old-fashioned sibling fight, you’ll know that kicking someone’s legs out from under them is the best strategy. Of course, since said sibling also knows this, they’d’ve likely positioned themselves so that they fall ON you instead, which allows them to do so with a strategically aimed elbow.
No, we didn’t maim each other growing up; we didn’t actually go for the kill. But it gave some interesting pointers for possible desperate self-defence situation in the future.
Yes. Most of what I know about joint-locks and pressure points I learned from experimenting on my big brother. Most of what he knows about bullying, psychological warfare, and dodging quickly he learned by messing with me.
Unfortunately none of this knowledge makes either of us a better person than we might be.
Have plenty of fights, but can’t think of any that involved gouging out eyes. He has his finger all the way in the socket!
Learning to leg sweep is a pretty standard self defense move. They also teach eye poking to disable the attacker enough you can run. Jumping on you attacker and gouging out an eye Is not a covered subject, though…
Well I’ll be….GO BEN GO you crazy concussed little dude!!! Is he even gonna remember this? I don’t care! Win before EJ can regain the advantage! He’s probably more experienced so kick him when he’s down!!!
Well, it’s not quite HULKING OUT, but it’ll do.
Holy shit.
True, I expected something along these lines if Ben ever went off his meds, but I didn’t expect it NOW. At first I thought maybe Scip had come up behind EJ.
Ben: quiet doormat except when SHIT GETS REAL. There is something so satisfying about seeing a meek character switching on the survival instinct. To eleven.
When an unhinged Elliot is about to brain you with a scrap-metal gun, you either get primal on his ass, or you don’t – no formal lessons required.
Oh yeah. Ben to his own rescue. Definitely a twist I didn’t expect.
AHAHAHAHAHA It’s always the quiet ones..
Just noticed, previous page, panels 2 and 3, the framing strongly suggests that Ben sees that his assailant has his bag. Is this Ben being protective of his work, perhaps?
Or it’s just an “if I don’t fight back, he’ll kill me – oh, and I need that Unagi controller – but I need to do something or he’ll kill me” reaction, where his possessions are a secondary or even a tertiary concern.
Or else he really has a second, psychopatic self, and EJ just flipped the switch between the two.
You don’t remember him flipping out over his belongings being out of his possesion before, hmm? Yeah, it could be survival instinct, but then again it could also be hyper sensitivity to others taking “HIS” things. Although it’s likely a combination of both.
So this is where Ben gets all fucked up and kills a dude, then? Reagan saw his potential waaay back when.
BoyFights VII – Two short, under-medicated mental cases step into a crappy apartment building, only one comes out!
PLUS Baby Buster: “I don’t want to go back to Templar!”
DANG.
Was NOT expecting that.
Who knows? This could be the start of something…
http://sketchbet.tumblr.com/post/12948173139/happy-birthday-spike-she-asked-for-fanart-from
That last panel is physically painful to look at, and yet… I can’t help going back to look at it, time and time again.
Holy Hell! I kinda figured Ben Had a “Hulk Smash” side when he was repressing rage at having his home intruded on by a little girl, But Jesus I almost feel sorry for that kid now, i don’t, but almost. Most likely Unless Elliot can Brain him with that Jake gun again, Ben is gonna gouge both of his eye out and or kill Elliot
I love the third panel! Those hands just reaching in …
So exciting!
I’m actually surprised Ben didn’t get kicked in the nads/stomach/chest during that interval, but maybe EJ was just so totally surprised and/or got the wind knocked out of him when he fall. Still, I would have thought his street-wise survival skills would have reacted before Ben did.
Oh yes I gotta go Templar woo to the woo on this one.
Love to see some survival instinct kicking in with Ben. It’s also awesome because not too long ago Ben wasn’t sure he wanted to live, let alone fight for his life. He’s come a long way.
Oh snap, Ben snapped!
While I’m glad the comic is continuing, I’m worried about another long hiatus coming. Wouldn’t it be better if the comic updated, say, once a week?
Also… “GO, BEN, GO!”
You’re-a what now, EJ? Hope he leaves you the other one, is that it?
Mmmm. Murdertime.
I was so, so hoping for this. Not surprised, just very pleased.
Ben, you dark horse you.
A) So…. what was Ben going to therapy for? What were the pills he was taking?
B) I was right! NO MERCY!
BEN! GO FOR THE EYES DUDE ew squishy.
I don’t think EJ will be able to command a very high price as a rent boy after Ben is through with him.
Assuming he ever had that high a price… And y’know, if he’s alive after.
I doubt he’s getting paid so his customer can look into his eyes. :-P
Therapy and pills may have nothing to do with this reaction. Back when I worked in corrections I saw some real horror movie stuff inflicted by mellow guys moved by sheer animal terror. Just throwing that out there.
Then again, we’ve seen Ben flip out over his personal space before. He’s VERY protective of his space and his things. Someone above mentioned the incident when Zora entered his apartment, then there’s him scrambling to find his meds, all sorts of little things where he gets panicky over crossed boundaries.
I mentioned above, but again, I think it’s both survival instinct AND oversensitivity to intrusion on his “personal space” that are at work here, otherwise why have all those little prior details?
I’m guessing it’s panic, whatever his meds suppress, the personal boundaries, survival instinct and concussion all mixed into Ben the Berserker.
Do tell.
I wanna see him pop it out and eat it.
Totally hearing the Fruity Oaty Bars jingle in the background here as Ben whispers “MIRANDA”
Looks like Ben just went a little bit Jake.
Off topic, but where’d all the links at the bottom of the page go..? they’re all gone…