Nihilist fringe
This page took a long time to draw and that doesn’t include the faces I drew that ended up behind caption boxes.
Bad Machinery
New comics by John Allison
This page took a long time to draw and that doesn’t include the faces I drew that ended up behind caption boxes.
Faces = Patreon only content!
They always have an alibi…
They’re celebrating a successful crime? There’s jubilation on that there dance floor!
Perhaps the sunglasses help to conceal that these are not the real Ghent boys spectating…
OMG not just Evil-Lottie but evil- nihilists. This probably inspired the weird B to be a Lottie.
Do nihilists smile at all? They seemed to be… ENJOYING THEMSELVES in panel 3.
And they’re not smoking.
Whereas the ones overlooking the festivities at the wedding reception are.
Indeed. In Beate’s increasingly twisted mind she hates Lottie, but desperately wants to be her too. Hence Beate’s malevolent imaginary friend begins to look more like Lottie too.
That and “no one can be in two places” will undoubtedly resonate in Beate’s mind.
Not really that much (but nobody ever gets close enough to be able to tell the difference.)
I wonder who their doubles are? In the history of great mystery/magic literature, it’s fully possible each young man has an identical twin, which is how they have gotten away with so many heists.
Are those two on the left of panel 4 doing the Peanuts Christmas Special dance?
Kind of looks like it. Also, my headcanon is that the old fellow on the right side is doing The Robot.
When your joints are old and creaky it becomes second nature, tbh
I never was much of a dancer, but now I just try to imitate an old man tripping on the stairs and trying not to fall down. Generally people escort me off the dancefloor and offer to bring me drinks.
Nihilist twins?
The nihilists have doubles?! This explains why the trio looks so cheerful watching Claire and Lottie and what inspired Bea for frame Lottie. That party is really awesome. Love to see how the security man is able to stay calm between the bridesmaids, the child dancing holding the bride’s veil is such a cute particular.
They’re easy to imitate since they only need those clothes dark glasses and endless smoking with that Who Cares attitude.
Also explains why they always have an alibi.
I love the kid picking their nose. No celebrity wedding would be complete without one.
I reckon D Slide could stand in for the nihilists at a pinch.
When they first appeared, I actually went back and compared them to D-Slide. Maybe they’re D-Slide’s evil doppelgängers.
Or, conceivably, D-Slide are their evil doppelgängers.
Imported moose head!
From somewhere in Scandinavia, or closer.
Those are North American moose antlers, not found in Europe.
A møøse once bit my sister.
Nø, realli!
P4 is an absolute masterclass in sequential art, storytelling at its absolute finest.
The beat and bounce that holds one’s eye across the panel.
The bridesmaids on either side of Mr. Security.
The pure fun of nose-picking boy balanced with little miss “I’m still minding your train” girl.
Mr A. As ever, you spoil us. Thank you so much.
Oh! And as this is heist movie, no doubt the song they’re all bopping to I s ABBA – Gimme Gimme Gimme
At every wedding I’ve ever been to, Nutbush City Limits is the floor-filler.
No squirrels in this tale afaict 😉
In Australia particularly
I’ve analysed the musical notes carefully transcribed in panel 4 and I can conclusively say that the song they’re dancing to is…
Cat jumping across a piano keyboard, knocking a music book onto the keyboard behind it!
3 other robbers!
Ooh!
I hope, hope, hope that panel 4 gave you as much joy to draw as it gave me to take it all in. It’s just marvellous.
Thanks Rob. As is often the case, I was just happy when I finished it because I had finished it. But I sensed it was a good one.
It’s excellent! Thank you!
Also, does the guy on the far left remind anyone else of Desmond Fishman?
But, you know, aren’t ALL our faces behind caption boxes in a sense?
Makes you think.
Some quare shapes being thrown on that floor, as my Uncle Pat would say.
The head of elder moose watches over all, keeping the peace
Wait a minute, that’s Bullwinkle!
Hey, Rocky! Watch me pull a rabbit out of a hat!
Or maybe a habit out of a rat!
That trick *never* works.
This time, for sure!
PRESTO!
Mmm, so why do they need to have doubles? Is it just to create a diversion for any nosey teen detectives that suspect them specifically?
The Nihilists are the cover, the decoy, as the 3 can assume that form and nobody notices them. Right now they’re being played by others. But the real robbers are the ones who thought-up the Nihilists… who are their proof of innocence!
One thing notable here is the difference in reception between the boys at different times. Methinks the real thieves are far less sociable, they don’t like getting caught needing to play nice, thus the “we’re nihilists” schtick. Beate caught up with them unexpectedly at the beginning since she’s such a great skier, and got that frosty reception. (idk if this is true, this is my speculation.)
Alibi.
Alibihilists
I love the hard work you put into these drawings. Good job! 🙂
You know John I’ve been in love with you for quite some time because of the ScaryGoRoundverse but two back to back pages featuring a caricature of La Caballe and a nihilist twink reading Cioran at a wedding reception only have rekindled my ardour 🤣🏆👏🏻BRAVO SIR
I was waiting for “nihilist fringe” to be about someone’s hairstyle.
At least it’s not “nihilist comb-over” those never work.
A man’s nihilism REALLY gets tested when he starts going bald. How much of nothing will he endure then?
The whole idea of hair is to protect the head (from the Sun & to act as a sort of dry lubricant to divert and cushion blows.) As one becomes more civilized as they get older, wiser, and much smarter than they were at 20, perhaps losing that essentially useless stuff- that just grows and must be continuously maintained, is a sign of sophistication? I think that the more evolved a person’s genes are the less hair they will actually have (or need!) Culture and customs say the other, that hair makes a person attractive, but these are voices that shout from the distant past.
Luckily as we lose our hair (ok, I am just talking about myself here) we also lose our hearing
So those voices from the distant past will have to shout louder if they want me to take any notice
Also, get off my lawn!
So am I the only one who hears Tom Cochrane every time I read “nihilist fringe”?
No.