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Have y’all seen the new B9 Kingdom Kickstarter? I’m doing an exclusive Octopus Pie sketchbook for their new art book set, which you can get when you help fund the print run. If you’re a fan of OP you’ll get a lot of neat sketchbook and B-side art in mine! Plus art books from Dustin Harbin, Becky Dreistadt, and Evan Dahm, which are sure to be terrific. There are 13 days to go on this book run, so pledge now! |
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greg is transcendentally lovely I want to hug him so much
Nah. he's still a goblin.
I'd hug a goblin if he was like Greg
Naw. He was a goober. Now he's pretty tight.
He is. And if we find out he's still actually single (and not just "okay" with it now, because he is in a relationship), that makes him all the more gold.
I think it's because he's realized that he doesn't want Eve any more. To me those words sounded like "this was easy to say because I honestly don't care about you any more".
Nah, he seems to sweet and empathetic in this scene to have said it like that. I think it was more like, 'this was easy to say because I'm so much stronger now that I'm my own person and have my own identity and confidence'
Possibly… Or maybe he is the friend Eve hooks up with—disregarding another good piece of advice given to her. After all, bad things happen in 3s—and I assume that includes not following good solicited advice 3 times in a row.
I read it as "This is easy to say because I still care about you, but I no longer have a crush on you"
Could be. This story has taught me to be cynical.
And here we see the difference between being a good friend and being a jerk: empathy and apology. Be a Greg, kids, not a Park.
The plot thickens!
Did Eve reach out to Greg while she was hurt because she knows that old flame will have him come running when she needs him? As people have pointed out, this seems to be shortly after her Park incident and phone call to Jane, about going on a rebound if you gotta, but just make sure it's not one of your on the regular friends. Greg also just generally seems like the reliable friend that would come out to meet you to help ya out as soon as he could. I'm really curious to see what her motives are here, and there's so much we don't know! As a retired messy bitch who had a bonafide coven of messy witches, this is pretty formulaic of, "He hurt me! So I'll just get closer and closer to that friend of his to drive him mad, that'll show him for hurting MY feelings!" But surely that isn't the Eve we've grown to root for, right? This comic hecks me up in the best way, because I can actively feel myself projecting my issues onto it. I always go back once the chapter/arc is over and re-read it in one sitting and it's pretty nuts and awesome to see how much of myself and experiences I throw into there!
It's also pretty interesting to see the switch up of Eve and Will as their relationship has progressed over the series. What's even going on with them right now (or did I miss it)? A lot of us thought Eve hooking up with Will (FINALLY) would lead to her being the other woman while he got to have Aimee in another state (I SEE DEM PARK PARALLELS YOOOO)… but the more we've gotten to see wacky fun chill Eve, the more Will has started to try to shape up and better himself between a career and attending therapy. He used to flounder while Eve was the nagging anchor of stability for her wacky ragtag group of hipsters (which, lol, this is what Park was to his friends as well), who have all grown up and progressed in their lives and now she's the perpetual mess.
I love how Greg has gone to this slightly obnoxious side character to showing so much growth we weren't even witness to in a few pages. The light reflections on the room and them remind me of a cheesy middle school dance that was mandatory to attend. Gonna be waiting with pretty baited breath to see what choices they both make.
sldfhsdjfksdjfosdj hhfdh OP kills me in the best way… I have no idea if the constant analysis of what's going on is annoying to artists, but… it's just a testament to this being some good shit, y'all.
Also, really digging seeing more of why Eve cut her former friends out. I'd have done the same thing, if I felt my group was aware my boyfriend was cheating on me while we were still together. There's so much more here we don't know, and so much of it seems to stem from poor communication and assumptions that young adults (and let's be real, much older adults lol) are known for while they thrash about trying to figure themselves out, not noticing the damage they cause in the process.
I don't think she reached out to Greg as a rebound, I think she knew of that whole group of (former) friends he'd probably be the nicest and most real. And sure, she knew he liked her, and maybe she thought as a result he definitely wouldn't blow her off, but I don't think she was intending to take advantage of it, physically or otherwise. She needed a friend, and needed to talk it out with someone from that old group, and I suspect he might be the only real friend in that group she has left. Obviously not Gwen, who even knows anything about Clark Li, and I can't even remember if there was anyone else: Eve, Park, Greg, Gwen, Clark…?
I'm so in love with the color in these panels!! The mirror ball and its refractions are stunning!!!!
Ahhhh… I've had platonic friendships like that. They are hard! Either the person secretly holds a flame forever and gobsmacks you with it after your wedding (making you question the legitimateness of the friendship— or they are super cool like Greg and get over it and stick around as good friends and don't make you feel like a turd for not having feelings back or try to take advantage of you during a breakup.
God, I WANT this to be a platonic friendship, or at least for Greg to want to maintain it as such. Eve is in a very vulnerable state. I think she needs a good, supportive friend more than she needs a rebound right now :c
My hope is that his last line, "You wouldn't believe how easy it is to say it now," is because he's over those feelings and just wants to be there for a fallen friend.
Your use of background color shifts to denote mood have been spot on.
I love the dotted colors of light to denote whirling, parallel yet related emotions at different extremes.
Greg's last comment is like seeing your high school crush years later and admitting you liked them. You're older and moved on and so what seemed like a huge matter becomes small.
Brb gotta reread everything with Greg in it.
<3 Ack, sorry, meant to thumbs up – I have the same compulsion when characters pop up that I haven't seen in a while, or I catch a reference and want to reread a story line, or just because OP is so awesome!
Greg the Great, they should call him. That should be his nickname. Because of how great he is.
It also works because luckily, his name is Greg.
wonderful lighting, as always. people will surprise the hell out of you when you are vulnerable with them.
Despite his brief appearances, I always felt deeply connected with Greg ever since I started reading OP 7 years ago. It baffles me how much I still see myself in him.
Yeah, my brain is like a disco ball during conversations like these.
The pieces fall into place. I'd been wondering for a while why Eve didn't return to her old friend group when she returned to the city. She must have been in such a lonely place when she met Hanna and Marek.
And why it didn't even rate a bit of philosophizing or thinking we got to see when she ditched them again after Park moved.
Yeah, she was. She'd just been dumped by James. And it seemed like in that relationship she mostly just hung out with his friends by default.
Then she became roommates with Hanna and Merek and started hanging out with their friends.
hmm is this a pattern of behavior?
You're capturing the mood so well… And I also can't help flinching at the disco ball in the last panel, after the shooting in Orlando. :-/
i don't think we should praise greg that much. sure, he's behaving the right way, but i mean: we are so used to people being jerks that we can't help but be amazed when someone is ACTUALLY nice. this is what it should be, greg is doing the right thing and eve owes him nothing. she didn't like him back and she shouldn't feel guilty about it, she had her reasons
Of course, but being nice to someone who's been nice to us is just normal. She owes him nothing but the same fair behavior he showed. And i think this is how it is for now. He acted like supporting friend so she, in response, acted like supporting friend.
which means she felt emphaty for him and probably less happy by her behavior.
It's kinda similiar situation to the one with Park. You can see that if you show respect and care for somebody s/he will show you the same feelings.
Relationships are always game for two.
(at least)
Is that all exposition, or is it somewhere in the archives? b/c I do not remember any of that happening.
It happened in college, but Eve didn't find out for sure until her and Park were together in-comic.
Here's where Park admitted that he had cheated: http://www.octopuspie.com/2009-02-16/259-within-y…
Here's the flashback to the college breakup: http://www.octopuspie.com/2015-03-22/763-no-easy-…
I don't either, I keep trying to find the story. Hoping someone will link us up
Thanks!
Park screwing around behind Eve's back then visiting her just to break up with her was documented in the comic recently, in a flashback, here: http://www.octopuspie.com/2015-03-22/763-no-easy-…. Unsure about Greg's feelings for her at that time.
As always, the colors are just perfect and stunning. The dialogue and the atmosphere are just about tangible. Everything is so relatable on deep and visceral level. I'm nothing if not awestruck and a little weepy.
The douchebags have descended! Alert! Alert! The douchebags have descended!
meredith you are so good at comics.
Can I just say I'm completely blown away by the glow and lighting mood in the last three panels?
Have I mentioned that Park is Matthew Cunliffe?
Nah… I don't see it.
Oh God… He's such a good person. *inhales deeply* Been there, done that… =/
You know how sometimes you ditch a friend group because they just weren't working anymore, or they hurt you the way these guys hurt Eve, but you keep one good, solid, true-blue friend from it because they are better than all that? I hope Greg is that friend.
These two pages are visually gorgeous…
How does the coloring process work? Do you have a vision in your head that you describe to the colorist? Or is that all her? Would you have done these pages differently if you knew it was going to be black and white like the old days?
WOOH GO GREG
The second-last panel's body language is superb and I love this comic and ahhh Meredith why do you do this to my feels
My FEELS
i love these two. i love how aware they try to be of each other's situation. from what i remember, greg has always tried to be the best friend he can be, although i'm biased because i also had That Friend Who Tried To Mold Me Into His Own Clone and it sucks. it sucks because all of your validation at some point comes from that toxic person. now that i know greg was also that kind of person, i wonder if his jerkish phase (the one where he got some sunnies from someone for a marathon and turned into a massive jerk) was because at that point in his life he still wanted to be like park… and that's just how he saw park: cool, too cool, jerkishly cool. i'm so glad he's moved on from trying to be like park.
How can it be "how easy it is to say" to Eve while a goddamn disco ball is throwing polka dots all over her face?
I like Greg, please don't misconstrue this as an insult towards him, but… I get the impression he was so lonely until fairly recently that he'd develop a crush on just about any girl who stood still long enough.
I think he started turning a corner during the storyline with Hannah learning to exercise/getting over marek
"You wouldn't believe how easy it is to say now."
Damn.
That's some motherfucking real shit.
The way the light spots tighten up really translate how emotionally overwhelming this all feels. Also good ref is http://www.octopuspie.com/2009-09-07/327-took-it-…
Park really was trying to mold Greg…
Peeling the band-aid back slowly, exposing a scar that's growing in. It stings a little, but it's a sign of healing.
Gosh, I love Greg in this, especially those three panels.
It's such a great parallel with the conversation between Eve and Park. That total self-absorbed lack of empathy, versus Greg and Eve tripping over themselves here to get inside the other person's head and care about them. How it should be.