The Over Under Strip
I’ll admit right off, the inner dialogue Aikida is probably a little over-philosophical for something like a tattoo. But at the same time, Aikida is the type of character who wrestles with a tonne of internal dialogue. She is a heavily introverted sort of thinker, who most likely carefully calculates most situations. Well, the ones she can prepare for… then there are times when she just wants to punch a fucker out.
Also, in the end, she is a character, and sometimes as a character, they have to take the road we hardly ever did, but kind of wish we did. I’m not condemning anyone who has a Japanese character tattooed somewhere on their body, but I can almost guarantee when you’re thirty five, you may spend a moment or two second guessing it.
And of course, tattoos are just a big part of her mythos, if you will. I didn’t want to introduce them as just some thing she did on a whim.
One could debate the entire strip was overthought, and certainly a bit rushed, and they would have a valid argument. In the end, we’re at least closing out a poorly plotted episode in a fairly decent manner. Four more strips until better things.
On to other things… this may be your last update day to get the present donation incentives. New ones may be up on Friday. I hope.
I’m not sure what this has to do with anything, but I finally watched The Transporter. The original one. Now it was fun, had some very kinetic energy to it, and Jason Statham has his charms, but the movie was altogether forgettable. (Not a bad movie, I’m just saying I feel no urge to watch it again)
So what about this movie demanded two sequels? And is the second one better? Because as is, I have no urge to see them.
I think I enjoyed The Transporter more when it was Riding Bean.
See you Friday.
January 28th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
Don’t bother with the next two Transporters unless you can actually turn off your brain so you are only able to enjoy moving pictures and flashing lights. Or you could just fast forward the movie until you come to a fight scene since those manage to stay intact and fun to watch. I can’t believe I never made the Transporter and Bean Bandit connection I mean if you’ve seen Riding Bean or read Gunsmith Cats it’s totally staring you right in the face too.
January 28th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
Inner Dialogue is a great way to making Aikida more 3 dimensional, shows us another layer of personality and thought process, throughly enjoyed. I wish we could get a better look at the tatoo girls tatoo =X
I’ve watched all the Transporter movies and I enjoyed each one. I mean it doesn’t have a deep storyline and amazing acting, its an action flick, something u can just sit down and enjoy random guys getting their ass kicked, and stuff exploding.
January 28th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
I really wrestled with myself over posting this because i know how emo Josh can get, but i figure if I’m gonna go out i might as well go out with a bang. This will be the last time i bring it up, don’t worry.
Faces then? http://www.aikida.net/2008/07/28/the-stare-down-strip/
Faces now: *see todays strip*
I rest my case.
January 28th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Maybe you can cut and paste the heads from that colour strip onto every new strip, and stop crying like a little girl every second post.
January 28th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
Burn.
January 28th, 2009 at 3:09 pm
Transporter 2 *is* a fight scene, a 90 minutes fight/flight scene with two 30-second expo intermissions.
I have said on a few occations that the scene in Transporter where Statham comes back to his client’s house to “complain” after losing his car is the best fight sequence I have seen. If this did not strike you as such, I really doubt you’ll find much of interest in the sequels.
And, consideringthe permanance of a tatoo, I’d say this was an acceptable amount of consideration.
January 28th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
OH! I get it now. They don’t have the same pointy noses and lips…that’s what’s making them look so odd…Though I’m sure the other people complaining already knew that. >_>
In any case, woo! Consistent updates!
January 28th, 2009 at 4:52 pm
The strip, overall, looks a lot better. It looks like this style is working out for you. The characters definitely have a lot more depth to them, and the visual appearance actually allows them to express that emotion visually, not just emotionally. The only thing that seems a little off to me is the angle of Aikida’s eyes. They just seem to slant down a little too far in my opinion. Other than that, your hard work is really showing through.
January 28th, 2009 at 5:03 pm
As someone with several tattoos and who used to have a tattoo artist as a roommate…. I have to say that this is the proper amount of introspection before getting a tattoo.
If you want to avoid the second guessing. … or laser removal pain and cost.
The ones who just get something off the wall, just to have a tattoo, are the ones who regret it later.
The ones who think, and see it as a form of self expression and memento of that point in their lives, they carry the weight of memory in their ink, and the dreams they had at that moment in their skin.
I don’t regret mine, and I got them well over 10 years ago.
January 28th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
Storm, that is good to hear. I myself have never had one, mainly because while maybe I got to the same point as Aikida is at now, I’ve never decided just *what* to go with. It is satisfying to know that people are putting an appropriate level of thought into something is (generally) permanent.
January 28th, 2009 at 5:10 pm
Man don’t be hatin’ on Aikida!!! We need MORE Aikida Tattoo fan art :D !!! With Nudity!!! http://www.randommode.com/aikidatat.jpg
Did you like my fanart Josh? Or are you like bish stop drawing Aikida! :D Let me know. Aikida I love you! Tattoo or no tattoo. You got it going on girrrrlllll
:D Hey I agree transporter totally was Riding Bean except retarded, as if Riding Bean was a winner, but hey it was the late 80s and I loved it anyway.
Elliot I sent you an email. Check your mail! :D It also has some revealing photos of Kayne.. KIDDING. Yeah I’m pretty sure when people turn giant, with big muscles and suck souls out of people they might be possessed by the devil, that or they ate too much transfat… it can do that!
January 28th, 2009 at 5:18 pm
That’s nice colour work on the art, though admittedly the sort of tattoo Aikida is definitely trying to avoid.
Good work, though you might want to try the decaf sir.
January 28th, 2009 at 5:24 pm
Yeah that was all I drank today with a donut… maybe that wasn’t such a good idea. :O
January 28th, 2009 at 11:11 pm
Hi. I’ve been checking out Aikida for a while now, but only today felt the need to post, because I have some questions. Josh (if I may call you that), do you adapt your scripts to the consensus of the masses? Let me explain: in the strip where Aikida punched out Wade, numerous people made comments that it looked like she punched him in the throat. Lo, in the second next strip, Pepper raises the issue of Aikida throat-punching their neighbour. Further clarification: in the previous strip, several people questioned why a girl tattoo working at a tattoo shop wouldn’t be proudly displaying her ink for promotional purposes. In today’s strip, she explains that it was cold out, and rolls up her sleeves to show her tats. Do you see what I’m driving at? Bear in mind, I’m not criticizing; I’m merely curious.
January 29th, 2009 at 1:20 am
Aikida kinda looks lifeless in panel 3 and 4. Like “I’m the queen of icecold humourless martinets everywhere. The stick up my butt has a stick up his butt.”. :?
January 29th, 2009 at 1:47 am
*sigh* I wish the people complaining about the art would just shut up. Nobody forces them to read this comic. IF YOU HATE IT SO MUCH, DON’T FUCKING READ IT AND LET PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY LIKE IT ENJOY IT IN PEACE.
I especially love the post that says “I know how Emo Josh can be” whereas the poster himself obviously can’t let other people alone and need to rub their opinion in everyone else’s face. Further proving my point that Emo bashers are some of the most hypocrite people there is on this planet.
Rant over.
January 29th, 2009 at 4:19 am
Lord Dark Cloud; The throat punch was always a throat punch, that had nothing to do with feedback. The part where Giovanna had her tattoos under her shirt was always that way, I only added the explanation of “it was cold” to alleviate apparent confusion. They live in Canada. Girls dress for this weather.
Dwight; Yeah. That pretty much sums up her up! Very rarely will you find her charismatic and extroverted around people she doesn’t know. Because she isn’t those things. Friday’s strip will be aberrant behavior. Briefly.
January 29th, 2009 at 6:39 am
“Susauges”
Thats what she wants to say…
January 29th, 2009 at 7:06 am
@Josh: That’s why we like here. Nothing wrong with being a little distanced from the crowd. Of course, that’s why people call me arrogant, but like I care…!
January 29th, 2009 at 11:03 pm
You should use the new Akida donation piece to “debut” the tattoo she’s looking to get…….
Just a thought….
January 30th, 2009 at 8:56 am
Not bitching or anything but in that last frame, Aikida looks like Bulma…