#716: "Have you seen Black Mage?" [Archive]

RickZarber

07-04-2006, 12:24 AM

So many fantastic things in this one--the hat, the puppet, the obliviousness... It's not possible for one man to be this funny.

More and more I'm convinced Brian is some sort of robot. Or maybe, the hand-puppet of a robot!

DarkCORN!

07-04-2006, 12:26 AM

Or the robot of a hand-puppet! Also, Thief's expression in panel 2 is awesome.
Heh. Red Mage is wearing two hats.

Roy_D_Mylote

07-04-2006, 12:28 AM

Oh...so it's a puppet, and BM didn't accidentally shrink himself with the Hadoken and land in Figher's hat thing.

WHAT?

Tk-421

07-04-2006, 12:33 AM

I think Fighter's getting so lonely he made a puppet of BM to have someone to talk to.

bananarama

07-04-2006, 12:37 AM

I'm as confused by this as you.

Wait maybe this because your hands are possibly acting apart from your brain! For example, while you were watching the xtreeeeme awesomeness that is Superman Returns, your right hand was actually in mortal combat with your left hand. Have you ever noticed that your hands been bleeding and you don't remember the cause of it?

Uhhh...not that I am calling you insane or anything like that.:sweatdrop

Also so the LWs (Black Mage not included) and WM are trying to rebuild a pit stain of town. Oh there will be spilt on these grounds. And just wondering what is Fighter's besides being cool and acting borderline psychotic (I mean he has freakin hand puppet)

DarkCORN!

07-04-2006, 12:44 AM

Don't spam.

Chrismith

07-04-2006, 12:45 AM

I'm not familiar with the...type of thing that I'm seeing here. Why does Fighter have a BM handpuppet? Why did he ask it, "Was that right?" Why did he call himself stupid and ugly? Does he just miss Black Mage's constant insults and beratings that much? Because that's kind of sweet, or something.

Black Sword

07-04-2006, 12:46 AM

Ah, fark. There goes Black Mage's vacation. Next thing ya know, he lands on Fighter, and is returned to the Light Warrior fold.

Joshua

07-04-2006, 01:05 AM

Met-hat Red Mage for the win!

Norvilion

07-04-2006, 02:02 AM

I love this one if for no other reason tahn it is number 716! 716 is the ultimate of all numbers you know.

Long-Haired Narcissist

07-04-2006, 02:14 AM

That was an awesome comic. I never would have expected that. At first I thought that was BM's conscience...ya know...the one from the time the armoir fell on fighter.

Quirriff`

07-04-2006, 02:35 AM

I thought it was Fighter's imagination of Black Mage calling him stupid and ugly.

BetaRuler

07-04-2006, 02:37 AM

Me 2, thought it was his imagination, just as good anyway!

Has Fighter, Thief or RM been bluffing that BM has been around them this whole time anyway? You'd think some one woulda noticed through all the usual bull**** they go through that BM is not actually with them :D

Meister

07-04-2006, 02:44 AM

Heh. Red Mage is wearing two hats.
Sure, one for the CHA bonus, one for (I assume, as it's a hardhat) a nifty CON bonus. Min/Maxing 101.

darkie

07-04-2006, 02:53 AM

Am I the only one worrying about that puppet?? Fighter IS thinking as Black Mage would... that totally freaks me out.

greed

07-04-2006, 03:13 AM

Man
I'm just hoping Fighter somehow starts using magic with that thing, like here (http://www.nuklearpower.com/daily.php?date=040124).

Fighter with a hadoken.:D

BlackBelt McMonk

07-04-2006, 03:16 AM

And so the Warriores ofe Lighte finally notice that BM is missing. Wonder why it took so long.

Also: Red Met = win :p

MetalPsycho

07-04-2006, 03:17 AM

This is disturbing.

Yet HIGHTLY funny.

Yay for menal illnesses that affect Fighter. :D

Long-Haired Narcissist

07-04-2006, 03:21 AM

And so the Warriores ofe Lighte finally notice that BM is missing. Wonder why it took so long.

Also: Red Met = win :p
Actually noone has noticed other than fighter, and if it weren't for him saying he hadn't seen BM, i figured he thought the puppet actually was BM after rereading.

invghost

07-04-2006, 03:42 AM

Man
I'm just hoping Fighter somehow starts using magic with that thing, like here (http://www.nuklearpower.com/daily.php?date=040124).

Fighter with a hadoken.:D

Fighters/knights new class should allow for white magic, and thiefs/ninjas should allow for black magic, but not at the same level as white mage or black mage

Although im not entirely sure because what Fighter says in panel 7 here (http://www.nuklearpower.com/daily.php?date=060502)

Flarecobra

07-04-2006, 03:49 AM

Well, it's not following the FF1 rules...Plus Thief said he doen't know magic.

Long-Haired Narcissist

07-04-2006, 04:10 AM

Well, it's not following the FF1 rules...Plus Thief said he doen't know magic.
In FF1, Knights could learn White magic, and ninjas could learn black magic up to level 4 or 5.

invghost

07-04-2006, 04:10 AM

Yes, but at the start none of the light warriors (in ff this is) knows magic. So fighter and thief could possibly learn them later on.

Edit to above: In FF1, Knights could learn White magic, and ninjas could learn black magic up to level 4 or 5. look above Flares post

Second edit: this is kinda getting a bit offtopic

Art of Hilt

07-04-2006, 04:26 AM

Heheh.
Handpuppet!
Lalalalalalala.
...
...
Don't... look at me...

Bells

07-04-2006, 04:37 AM

I'll bet ya 5 bucks that the LW create Utopia on that city thanks to White mage, and then BM just lands there and we have another ORGY OF VIOLENCE

Im such a "glass half full" guy... gosh darn it, im Especiaaal... =D

DarkLadyNyara

07-04-2006, 04:49 AM

I think Fighter's getting so lonely he made a puppet of BM to have someone to talk to.

I pity fighter. I really do. It's pretty sad that he's that used to Black Mages insults. :D

Sky Warrior Bob

07-04-2006, 05:14 AM

Good comic, but the puppet bit comes off a bit awkward for me. Fighter's line of 'Was that Right?', just sounds wrong, and if I knew the rules of grammer, I bet it might even be wrong.

Maybe something like, Do you think she's right? would've worked for me better. Or something that sounded like a question directly to the sock puppet.

Speaking of which, if this prop gets used in the future, maybe the font could be changed, either to italics or to some other font entirely, just to indicate that Fighter is trying to mimic BM's voice.

SWB

Meister

07-04-2006, 05:26 AM

Good comic, but the puppet bit comes off a bit awkward for me. Fighter's line of 'Was that Right?', just sounds wrong, and if I knew the rules of grammer, I bet it might even be wrong.

Maybe something like, Do you think she's right? would've worked for me better. Or something that sounded like a question directly to the sock puppet.
I think it was more like "Was that the right thing to say?" or "Did I do that right?"

Sky Warrior Bob

07-04-2006, 05:56 AM

I think it was more like "Was that the right thing to say?" or "Did I do that right?"

Okay, that makes a bit more sense. But since this is the first time we've been introduced to the puppet, Fighter's line seems all the more awkward (to the reader, well me at least).

SWB

Black-Blue Mage

07-04-2006, 07:57 AM

So... Funny...

Like always, I take my hat off to you (Okay, maybe I don't say it, but I do... If I have a hat at the time), oh Brian, wizard of comics, master of humor and owner of imagination.

Adoring and worshipping aside, I must say that I'm kinda freaked out by Fighter with a handpuppet of BM. Next thing we know he'll start pressing buttons and become a real Mage Knight! Y'know, a three-way Hadoken battle would be weird and the combined forces could destroy the world as the LW's know it!. But that's just what I think.

(Yes, I do realize I said three-way)

roguepornstar

07-04-2006, 08:04 AM

Hahahaha... red mage... two hats... bloody genious!

bass_virus

07-04-2006, 09:36 AM

Doc T

07-04-2006, 09:45 AM

Of course. Because she's talked two conscience-less idiots, one of which had a hand in attempted genocide, into being altruistic. What a bitch

iwishiknew

07-04-2006, 11:07 AM

I read the comic and thought that the puppet was actually one of those Good Angel/Bad Angel things that sit on your shoulder in the movies. I guess I am wrong.

As for WM being grouchy, she got a self-centered criminal to help out the town with it's financial problems(however it wouldn't surprise me if he put in a tax that went to his bank account or something). She got Red Mage and Fighter to do work, Red Mage only being slightly harder than Fighter.

cheezewizz2000

07-04-2006, 11:33 AM

You just know fighter will get confused between the BM hand puppet and the real BM though.

Tiako

07-04-2006, 12:37 PM

I said it once i'll say it again, WM is a grade A bitch. She's forcing the LW to try an "help" that town and gets pissed at BM for not doing something when he hasn't been around for over a day. Mabye she's PMSing.
Yes, poor, poor Black Mage. Does he really deserve all the pain he gets?

Yes. Every last bit of it.

The Green Mage

07-04-2006, 12:44 PM

Wait, wait...they STILL haven't noticed that Black Mage isn't there?

Forget about White Mage being one of the smarter ones in the comic. She's just as stupid as the rest of them.

Also, people seem to be believing that BM will come back eventually. However, some of you may remember the 8BT sprite sheets, that clearly showed WM in teh uber class change mode. Besides, it would be much better if BM overthrew the Dark Warriors, IMO.

Flarecobra

07-04-2006, 01:02 PM

That might not BE an upgraded White Mage. Do you think she's the only White Mage in the world?

Plus Brian has said that she isn't going to be upgraded.

Meister

07-04-2006, 01:06 PM

However, some of you may remember the 8BT sprite sheets, that clearly showed WM in teh uber class change mode.
This has come up one too many times now. Allow me to ask, does anyone honestly believe Brian would go to the trouble to craft a story, plan its major twists and turns, surprise us with plot twists, and at the same time allow, on his very own forum, the posting of sprite sheets that give away such a major plot point?

SWB practically does sprite sheets into the blue, and he doesn't know what sprites and plot arcs Brian is going to use (or if he does he's good at keeping a secret). Just as an example, he made a Vampire sprite, and Brian used a completely different one and called the character Vilbert.

powermast56

07-04-2006, 02:33 PM

That was an awesome comic.

....Sorta looks like RM is balancing the hard-hat on his head.

Art of Hilt

07-04-2006, 02:42 PM

Well, there IS a big pimp hat under that hardhat, y'know.

Seran

07-04-2006, 02:53 PM

Red Mage with a Met hat is priceless.

And the handpuppet? I can't stop laughing. This is my favorite episode by far. Fighter is aware that Black Mage insults him daily. He's always looking to the good side...but I'm not sure how I should look at that. Good side meaning, Black Mage being the same as ever means he's still Fighter's buddy. I'm not entirely sure how to look at this from any viewpoint, really.

But, um...handpuppet!

Sky Warrior Bob

07-04-2006, 03:23 PM

SWB practically does sprite sheets into the blue, and he doesn't know what sprites and plot arcs Brian is going to use (or if he does he's good at keeping a secret). Just as an example, he made a Vampire sprite, and Brian used a completely different one and called the character Vilbert.

Take the Blue Mage sprite for example. I got a hint that Brian was intending on intro'ing a Blue Mage into the comic at some point, but it never occurred to me it'd be Black Mage.

As for putting WM's upgrades on the sprite sheet, again I just assumed that she'd upgrade as well. Of course, when I offered to work on an upgrade for BB, I should've know something was up.

And as far as sprites that I've made that haven't been used... Ever see the Titan? Or what about Matoya's backwards talking broom? Or heck, when have you ever seen a Sky Warrior sprite outside of Meddros's films and/or my Avatar?

SWB

Kurosen

07-04-2006, 04:55 PM

1. Puppet.

2. Because it's funny that the whole team's dynamic radically shifts to the altruistic end of the spectrum without a key player.

Sky Warrior Bob

07-04-2006, 07:00 PM

I'm wondering if Fighter will develop this new personality quirk into some sort of act.

If he starts calling the BM puppet Johnny, and carries around a box containing the disembodied voice of Pedro, run for the hills.

'S all right in the box?
'S all right. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senor_Wences)

SWB

The Truth Is In Here

07-04-2006, 08:36 PM

I think Fighter insulted the puppet, he never had the nerve to insult BM but BP (black puppet) was easyer, but then again I am crasy.

Black-Blue Mage

07-04-2006, 08:41 PM

I think that was Fighter imitating BM, with the handpuppet. Basically, he insulted himself through the handpuppet.

Tiako

07-04-2006, 09:46 PM

2. Because it's funny that the whole team's dynamic radically shifts to the altruistic end of the spectrum without a key player.
Ha! I knew that the team was made incompetent because of Black Mage.

As a side note, I'm sure someone could go into deep, psychoanalytical reasons that Fighter is, in fact, dependent on Black Mage because he reaffirms his own deep inner feelings of inadequacy that go back to when Vargus kicked him out, but that might be reading a tad much into it.

Seran

07-04-2006, 11:13 PM

Fighter acknowledge's Black Mage's bitter attitude. He probably insults himself with a Black Mage hand-puppet just to calm his conscience about Black Mage's absence, as he knows that if it's Black Mage, it's Black Mage, and Black Mage is his buddy. It's not a matter of the insults. It's a matter of recognizing how someone acts and acknowledging him or her as your friend.

King_black_mage

07-05-2006, 02:57 AM

Did black mage ever cast feather fall? Oh well I like the part about fighter talking to a hand puppet of black mage that was great.

KBM

cheezewizz2000

07-05-2006, 03:12 AM

Did black mage ever cast feather fall?

Yeah, he did. It was when the Lite Warriors were first thrown out of an airship. Everyone else used seatbelts.

Here's the link: http://www.nuklearpower.com/daily.php?date=030814

Technocloud

07-05-2006, 07:04 AM

I wonder was it the BM doll or Fighter who said

"You are stupid and ugly" ?

Sky Warrior Bob

07-05-2006, 07:33 AM

I wonder was it the BM doll or Fighter who said

"You are stupid and ugly" ?

Well unless Fighter's a good ventriliquist, I'd say Fighter. And even if he was a good ventriliquist, I'd still say Fighter was doing the talking, just trying to make it look the the puppet was talking.

Unless, you're talking about the fictional BM that now resides in Fighter's mind.

SWB

BlackMageFF1

07-05-2006, 07:54 AM

Finally, a cameo of the old BM :)

w0rf

07-05-2006, 09:08 AM

What baffles me about this whole mess is not that they only just now noticed that BM was missing, but that WM was asking where he was when the task is not complete, but somehow managed to give him instructions when he was not present to receive them. You'd think she would have noticed at that point.

Meister

07-05-2006, 09:09 AM

His task was demolitions. She probably figured he'd get to that on his own.

Derbeste

07-05-2006, 11:13 AM

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the ties to "Mr. Hat" from South Park that Mr. Garrison used to carry around everywhere.

If that IS what influenced this.......is fighter gay? O.o

I mean......RDM is at least confused (deborah). But if you think about it, only BM has made real moves on a female.......ever.....and even then he wanted butt sex.

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm............

GARUD

07-05-2006, 12:12 PM

Ha! I knew that the team was made incompetent because of Black Mage.

What are you saying man? They are STILL incompetent, just alot less evil. Well, sorta.

CrotchKnocker

07-05-2006, 01:02 PM

I now have visions of black mage falling on the town and making it go boom......

Tiako

07-05-2006, 02:23 PM

I mean......RDM is at least confused (deborah). But if you think about it, only BM has made real moves on a female.......ever.....and even then he wanted butt sex.
Fighter wrote Evil Princess Sara a haiku of love. And Thief is an Elf.

What are you saying man? They are STILL incompetent, just a lot less evil. Well, sorta.
Not really. Individually, all of the Light Warriors are extremely competent. Fighter is the most awesome swordsman in the world, BM can wield enough power to destroy the world, Thief is the greatest criminal mastermind, and RM is incredibly versatile. The problem is that they don't work well together, and a lot of the reason for that is BM.

Glug

07-05-2006, 06:18 PM

You know who the party are turning into...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v44/macdonnell/8bitmonkey.png

Monkey! Anyone remember that show?

The Al Bundy thing was very West, these guys are taking inspiration from the East.

The Truth Is In Here

07-05-2006, 07:53 PM

invghost

07-05-2006, 09:46 PM

What are you saying man? They are STILL incompetent, just alot less evil. Well, sorta.
You call the thing that rm created that is related to the "WTF" not evil?

Redwood

07-07-2006, 02:03 PM

Okay, really nice idea with the handpuppet.
"Was that right?", what if that means, that Fighter himself is able learn? Okay, he's kind of lonely without BM, maybe he thinks it's his fault that he's gone. Remember episode 700, there he told WM where BM was hiding (even if it wasn't his intention). So, this time he won't tell her anything.

Quickman X

07-07-2006, 03:07 PM

I wants me a BM handpuppet. *swipes*
Seriously, that's just awesome... I guess Fighter's just that devoted. If nobody in his immediate vicinity refers to him as 'stupid' within a certain amount of time, he'll take matters into his own hands.
Literally.
...I have a feeling that we won't see the puppet again. Methinks 'twas merely a one-time joke. Alas and alack.