I’m sure in the progressive Spacefuture several of the space ships have hunky dudes airbrushed on the side
April 7, 2014
1:06 am
Pretty people just boost morale.
Manly Guys Doing Manly Things
Updated Mondays or whenever I feel like it
(MY GOD!)
First!
The 90’s called. They want their shitty meme back.
Actually~…
They kind of sent it into the future:
http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/first
I guess they wanted to deal with it later, after it became something else entirely.
XKCD got some words with you.
https://xkcd.com/1258/
Wait, the commander has a brother? When was that mentioned? Did i miss something?
Well he’s a clone, so clone brother or whatever.
That’s kind of what this whole arc has been about…
As was recently demonstrated on April 1st, paying attention to context is not the internet’s strong suit…
what is this “context” you speak of? If it involves remembering something for longer than 15 seconds…I want nothing to do with it.
All the internets.
british acccent? is that a wink at MGS? :)
Any chance you could register the website tplim.com?
It’s all helluva lot faster to type out ‘tplim’ than ‘thepunchlineismachismo’.
(That’s only if it wouldn’t cost much at all — ideally nothing)
you can use manlyguys.com
That just sounds like a dirty website.
See, that’s why you bookmark the site address.
You could always just click the little button to bookmark the site, you know.
remeber when they where cloned in batches.
yeah, kinda makes you siblings ;)
I believe the first mention may have been months ago during a Pacific Rim reference. Where the Commander was complaining he had several siblings and two kids but was most compatable with Canadian Guy.
Genetically similar creche mate, thus – brother.
They’re brothers from another… uh, test tube?
LOL. Damn good one.
Hmmm…Step-Siblings?
Technically, “siblings” would have to all come from the same test tube, wouldn’t they?
A few points…
1.Kinda interesting how you get used to a thing like that. Not just the fact that you have a purdy lady painted on the side of a spaceship, but the fact that the lady just so happens to be the sister in law to what I assume is the entire crew. But hey, the Commander is cool about, so that means it’s not that big a deal.
2. I’m wondering about the context for that sort of posed. was it done with the intent of eventually being pasted onto a spaceship, or was it another instance where a personal picture just ended up that way? My money is on the former
3. Another strip where Jonesy is the most relatable character.
4. No fist in the face of Admiral A-hole? Waahh. (JK)
5. First… time commentor, so just wanted to say that yours is a damn fine comic Coelasquid, so keep it up :)
I don’t remember the Capt’s ex wife being part of their batch, but just a normal girl from Jonesy’s time of whom he fell in love (and probably had painted on the side of his ship as a memo, since he DID use to captain it before getting the boot).
No one ever said she was from present day.
Reeeee-ally. *strokes beard thoughtfully.* I did just kind of assume that she was. (I started looking for the comic that explained why they broke up, but I realized that I’d just end up re-reading the entire archive, and while there’s nothing wrong with that, I have stuff to do, so I’ll just leave this, which is sort of relevant to the present storyline and also great.)
So she’s from the Renaissance then?
Head canon accepted.
She married the Commander, making her their sister in law, sister by marriage, not by blood… or clone batch… or however in the nine hells they work it.
I clearly recall it being mentioned that Rock’s ex was also from the future.
Wait, when was EVER discussed that his ex was from the future? i only remember Commander remembering that he spend more time in the marriage than her? 2 years to be exact?
I don’t believe it was ever said in the comic itself (Maddie’s origin is just never brought up), but Coela said outright in the comments (and maybe on her blog, too) that she’s from the future.
Hm… apparently i was not attentive enough and missed this piece of important fact.. thanx for clarifying!!
Just an idea of why there is no punching of the admiral; I could see them turning it into a boxing match or something. Then they’d sell tickets and get to produce more merchandise to help fuel their economy.
And if you had a similar work history I bet you’d want tickets to that fight.
“Aaaand in this corner we have Commander Baaadass!!!! And his opponent… He gives you your orders!… The admiral!”
And I successfully have my first post be an odd one…
Not that odd of a post, since It seems to gel with the logic of this webcomic. More interesting than my theory that we would only be able to it after the fact, like a pure flashback, or a television screening, or in a more cerebral over the top way, something akin to the last few issues of the woefully short lived comic Major Bummer, where shards of the past would move forward in time. The last one probably wouldn’t happen XD
It’s the future, social norms are a little different. Half-nude images of close friends and family on your space-craft need-not be that odd.
Maybe so, maybe no. CB’s sister did have to ask if the whole thing was weird or not. Course, the fact that it was placed upon a government spaceship in the first place would prove you right.
The Commander know it would piss her off. He is right, she is hot. Like to play connect the dots with her freckles.
Nah, he’s not vindictive like that, she’s the type who likes to be a pinup.
I stand corrected. Makes his wife a little hotter too.
Who wouldn’t appreciate being a pinup?
Like it or not, at the end of the day you’re still somebody someone somewhere can masturbate to.
That’s, like, a rule of the internet: no matter what you look like, no matter your physical deformity, there’s someone out there that’ll pay money to see you naked.
Feeling down? Depressed? Alienated? Just remember these three words: “I’m somebody’s fetish.”
Oh my god, I referenced that exact line just yesterday. I miss Lore, what’s he been up to?
That would actually make me feel incredibly uncomfortable, lol. I’d never want anyone to think of me like that.
But that’s probably just me. :P
Someone already does :P
LOLs XDDDDDD Good one!
I demand a ship with the Commander airbrushed on the side. I would go to space-war against the communists in that.
+100
I also put in my internet support for this.
Seconded.
I eagerly await seeing him shopped on the side of the Guardians’ ship. (Guardians of the Galaxy, of course)
But what if we Communists want the Commander painted on OUR ships?
Then the Communists have wonderful tastes, and we have to give them credit on that if nothing else. After all, a broken clock can be right twice a day.
Same pose, even.
+1
+50 if it is in government shutdown outfit instead of a sheet.
Commander, with a sitting pose. Leaning on his back, & arms crossed behind his head. Bare chest but with army pants & boots.
Now that is MANLY sexy!
Why is there no Like/+1/Hearty Approval button for this post?
That would make some fine, fine wallpaper, especially if we could throw our wallets at Coelasquid for it.
dangit lobster can’t you be even a little emotionally unreasonable about prior relationships
Yeah, exactly! How dare he get mad exclusively at things that directly harm him or people he cares for and be totally cool about everything small and petty? Who wants to read a story about emotionally stable rolemodel with clearly defined priorities anyway?
Seriously though, it’s really amazing what a rare breed of protagonist Commander is. A true example that making a character just nice and well-adjusted doesn’t make them inherently boring, as most mainstream media seems to believe.
His rareness is probably exactly why he runs the agency. Only somebody with his rare combination of traits and skills could successfully do what he does.
And not go postal after a day (or less)
Yeah, definitely, but that’s the in-universe thing. Also I think we can safely assume most of his family could be as cool at handling people as he his. This storyline just explained that he was sent out to run the Agency on his own request.
On the meta-level, though, we don’t get much works of fiction where a hero would be as well-adjusted and confident about his identity (especially its masculine aspect) as Rock Lobster is. Pointing that out is pretty much the whole premise of MGDMT, isn’t it?
I must’ve missed that. I just thought he went back to the present, and just came across the Agency.
Also, I have to say that is some amazing nose art. Makes the stuff you see in WWII-related media seem PG.
I presume you’re talking about films about WW2, not the stuff they actually painted on planes, right? Because while I personally prefer the modern style of Squid’s piece, it’s pretty tame compared to some of the actual pieces from the ’40s.
Actually, I remember a strip (which I’m not going to hunt down) fairly early in his relationship with Jonesy where it was suggested that he used to be bitter about the divorce. He says something along the lines of “I only recently got over a phase of wanting to set women on fire with my mind” However, knowing him, he probably tried his best to understand his feelings and deal with them appropriately (which I now think is something he probably learned to do in therapy after the “death” of his siblings).
Now, if you want examples of him being emotionally unreasonable, look at his one-sided acrimonious relationship with Canada Guy.
Was that supposed to be “when he thought WE were all dead” in the first panel or is that ‘r’ just part of an accent coming through?
Poor sloshed Jonesy. Is it just me or does she sound a little like Jared when she’s drunk?
P.S. So. Many. Freckles!
I like that. He’s not sour at the split, and has an great response to it. Jonesy being drunk is amusing.
Also: Is that Spacefuture TF2-Demoman? Looks like he finally got a replacement eye instead of a patch, nice~
That’s not a Spacefuture version of Tavish DeGroot, TF2’s Demoman.
Thanks to Halloween Jack finding this link above, we can say that the guy in panel four is “Jet,” with his arm around “Ace.”
http://thepunchlineismachismo.com/archives/comic/cherry-cherry-sweet-caroliiiiine
I think Jet’s arm is around Angel there – in panel 2, Ace is in the suit with the martini and Cate’s the redhead in a dress uniform. Nice to see them “in person”, not just “in RLB’s flashback”.
I want a T-shirt of his ex like that. Or a poster. Or some saucy playing cards. DAMMIT, FRECKLES, WHY YOU GOTTA BE SO CUTE?!
Also: Great comic as always.
I agree 100% with this.
I don’t know but it seems like Jonesy fits in a little too well
A recipe to make new friends: Good talks, good drinks.
Is it just me, or is jonesey starting to look like Jared?
Jonesy’s always looked a little like Jared. They’re both skinny and a bit nerdy. Esp compared to the Cmdr.
Jonesy’s question is completely valid for someone who’s that wasted XD
How does spacefuture military condition siblings to talk with completely different accents?
The same way a Chinese baby raised in England would, I’d imagine.
They’re heavily implied to grow up together (you know, as siblings do), so the argument you’re proposing is kinda invalid.
Wouldn’t say I was arguing, but yeah I overlooked that. I dunno why I didn’t go with another point I thought up– it’s the spacefuture where they make specialized soldiers to fill in different roles, like diverse characters in a merchandised series. So perhaps the “conditioning” Bond-brother mentioned had something to do with that idea, like his own specialized training for his role. Either basic acting classes or other behavior courses…or maybe other methods.
So they conditioned his brother to be a James Bond style spy or something? I wonder how many genres his immediate family covers.
As many genres as “badass” can possibly cover.
Does that mean they’ll have an Asian accented person who is the master martial artist/ninja person?
Probably. Either that, or an Almighty Janitor-type.
okay I’m not getting the almighty janitor type reference what is that from?
The almighty janitor is the guy/girl who’s at the bottom of the chain of command (or pretty close to the bottom) and yet is as efficient at doing stuff as the people who are at the top (sometimes even better)
E.G: Mr. Miyagi from Karate Kid
Or Radar from M*A*S*H.
ah thanks. I should’ve remembered the mash one.
All Asian Know Kung-Fu.
NOT me :P
Why wouldn’t you want your second in command to sound properly British to put a leash on your loose-cannon, southern captain? Or having your tac gun sound all sorts of posh while fragging and cursing? but not both, that would be weird. XD
I imagine that it let’s the military give the appearance of a multi-national unit, and thus gain more of a universal appeal.
I’ll lay you even odds that Jonesy is still on her first pint.
I… I think I am experiencing great desire for the Commander’s ex.
She’s single. What’s stopping you?
Who is the cute redhead in the spiffy uniform in the second panel? She is hot :D
That would probably be one of Rock’s sisters, or sister(s?)-in-law.
Not sure if sister, or just bishie.
I believe that’s Kate, his sister. We saw her in the walking-in-front-of-an-explosion flashback.
I just can’t pick a name for this site.
Anyway, it says right on this page that she’s his ex. As in his ex-wife and the mother of his two kids. She’s from the future, too, but there’s no indication that she was one of the army clones, as far as I’m aware. (Feel free to pop in and let me know.)
His ex-wife, painted on the ship, is not the same person as Cate (C48), his sister in panel 2 in the white uniform.
I misread the comment, my apologies. I just caught the redhead part. Sorry Coela. <////<;;
I didn't even notice that there was someone in the second panel with red hair, for some reason. …Whelp, nevermind me, guys.
Yeah, was talking about Cate, Rock’s ex is in panels 1 and 3
Hmmm… This may be just the motivation I need to get back to the gym. “Get Space Ship Pinup Hot Again”…
Rock’s wife is pretty curvy, so let’s not go assuming that “pinup hot” requires going to the gym. If you wanna be as hot as a pinup, all you gotta do is pose for a pinup. (Speaking up here for those of us who appreciate variety in body types.)
Amidst Coelasquid’s usual menagerie of muscular badasses taking stuff down all loud and proud it feels almost inclusive to have Ace be, I’m gonna guess, a suave covert badass spy. “Yes, fans of cloak and dagger, you too can be a badass!” so says Daniel Dae-Kim as James Bond. It’s like a well received gay character but for people who roll rogues.
I have no idea how that entirely unconnected comment got put in as a reply. Disregard it.
Airplane pinups are awesome.
Wait, what? You saying Ace is gay? o_O
The woman with the giant glutes and quads never goes to the gym, right.
Correct!
All it requires it the right genetic mix to give you the figure of a Reubens portrait model, and sufficient pelvic tilt to give you a swayback.
Voila! the skeletal imbalance will naturally incline you to develop large glutes, large quads, and shrunken hamstrings.
Souce: my own anatomy
‘A’ British?
No, sorry. ‘British’ is the adjective. If you want a noun, you’d be looking at ‘Briton’, ‘Britisher’, ‘Brit’, or, considering what is normally meant, ‘Englishman’ (although failure to differentiate is a common enough mistake that it could be intentional on your part).
Of course, you could always say that he ‘is’ British.
And the Commander demonstrates, yet again, why he is vso awesome.
It’s almost like I intentionally have her goofy grammar because she’s really drunk or something.
Yeah, drunk people don’t care about the grammar (most ‘normal’ people don’t either)
“Hot” is sort of a relative term here. I consider her a butterface at best.
The definition of beauty changes over time. People used to think fat woman are beautiful.
Yeah, some guys considered it to be a kind of status symbol to have a fat wife…In a way, saying that “I can afford to keep that well-fed.”
Hey! You are talking about the Commanders relative (yes, spouses do become a relative when they get married, just, in most cases hopefully, they weren’t before :P)
I’m inclined to agree, but it’s all a matter of personal taste. I’m not into red heads (I think this may be because my father has red hair, so there’s the whole subconscious thing going on) and have an aversion to freckles, especially when heavy and on the body. Light face freckles are okay, but not something I consider a beauty point.
But, like I said, it’s all a matter of personal tastes.
Wow, that is super rude. I mean, I know she is a fictional character and everything, but DAMN you sure sound like a dick. “The Chainmail Guy” was at least apologetic and psychoanalytical about it, whereas you went straight for “butterface”. Ouch.
I like the Redhead in the second panel. What’s her deal?
That is his sister, Cate (and get in line, it starts 2 paces to your left, and one pace back, don’t mind the little bullseye or the blood)
So anyone else wanna talk about how one of the future space solders is Demolition guy from Team Fortress 2? just with a robotic eye instead of an eyepatch… fourth panel, right side.
With the fake eye, the guy in the fourth panel looks like demoman.
Aaaand I’m not the first to make that observation.
He does certainly fit in, with his temper around other people prancing aboot wit’ a head full o eyeballs.
And the Commander is becoming more and more impressive, a genetically engineered, smart, levelheaded, intelligent super soldier with a sense of humor.
No wonder his commanding officers don’t really know what to do with him.
@Coelasquid :
I like how you deconstructed everything plain-vanilla-hero-esque about Commander. He is such a positive disgrace to that on so many levels.
And because he’s been tagged B-52, it’s all natural to have a pinup on the side.
WHY THE THING?!?
Why indeed, Jonesy. Why indeed.
Holy shit, is that The TF2 DEMO sitting there?
Haha, I just noticed the resemblance too. I’ll laugh my ass off if she made him Scottish to boot, since I’m guessing the British brother was raised because the military wanted a ‘Bond’ type.
Most likely. I mean hell he’s even drinking a martini.
That gal has a whole lot of freckles. (Not a criticism – I rather like it. It’s just unusual to see.)
What is up with Jonesy in panel 2? That look is like she’s seen some things that will haunt her for life.
Nah she’s just drunk.
I see the Demoman is a time-traveler now. (4th panel)
From the likes of it, Jones is going to experience the incredible impossibility that is having a hangover before you even had the drinks. Assuming, of course, they’ll be doing the trip back soon.
Also: omg, freckles! *bites lower lip*
Wait, if this equal minded future is open minded to the genter of the pin ups on the aircraft, and the command structure is very image concense, does this mean that as petty revenge they’re going to issue manditory drawings of Commander Rock Lobster (in tasteful nude)? After all, if you annot win the minds and hearts, gowing lower down might do the trick.
How would that be revenge, Rock would probably ask for a copy .
How would that be revenge, Rock would be so unfazed he’d probably ask for a copy .
Hell, I would ask for a copy.
We all would.
Commander’s ex is hot. DAMN.
Commander’s got a good attitude about exes (exs?). Most people I know just start bashing them the moment they become an ex.
I’ve always maintained that if you didn’t like someone enough to at least be amiable despite a relationship not working out, why the hell would you date them in the first place? People, man.
Those words should be carved into a bronze slab for the world to see.
I can understand a break-up if the guy or girl turned out to be a douche or a cheater, but when it’s just not working out, people start getting all pissy about the other person and pretend like they never liked them anyways.
I’m also wondering if Coela’s going to sell that pinup as a poster or print sometime…
Well, the Commander is a family man, so he would try to keep a healthy relationship for the sake of his kids at the very least. Plus, it’s another instance in which he just ignores the sort of things most guys would do and maintains a cool head
Instant love of Ace thanks to that suit. And the hair. The suit then the hair.
If you squint you can see the full-robocop high school sweet heart.
They are awfully “normal” and well adjusted for a group raised in and conditioned to military political corporation bullshit. Which just explains and drives home the reason why the Commander fights so hard for what little rights and protections he’s been able to get.
If there is an all Female Unit in the Spacefuture Navy, they might already have the Commander painted on the side of thier ship. It’s probably still true that “Sex Sells” in the spacefuture.
Well, so long Maddie’s okay with it. Personally, if I had a husband, I wouldn’t want to be depicted as wearing only a bedsheet on the side of his ride, but then again, I am, by my own admission, a prude.
Waitaminute, has Ace become an Asian James Bond?
Far left panel on the bottom… Is the the Demo from TF2?
Amidst Coelasquid’s usual menagerie of muscular badasses taking stuff down all loud and proud it feels almost inclusive to have Ace be, I’m gonna guess, a suave covert badass spy. “Yes, fans of cloak and dagger, you too can be a badass!” so says Daniel Dae-Kim as James Bond. It’s like a well received gay character but for people who roll rogues.
And not a single punch to the face was given that day!
I.. umm.. humm. :looks closer at the painting:. I think I may have dated his ex.
I’m pretty sure I dated her during 10th grade…
So… Commander is a cloned supersoldier who is American with a cloned supersoldier brother who is British… Did Kojima get elected President of Space in the future or is there just some really weird coincidence going on?
is that the tf2 demoman with a new eye in the lower left panel?
I’d vote for him, and so would all of my clones, plus that guy who had hypnotherapy to think my clone is possessing him.
Is the pinup on the spaceship an homage to the lady on the Highwind from Final Fantasy VII. Btw, did we ever see Cid Highwind?
(And, BTW, hi! *waves unconfortably* Long time lurker, love your site, your stile and your writing!)
i can`t believe it took people this long to notice commander`s ex was hot. seriously i noticed on the panel when she explains ultimat pillow fighting. rules
Love Jonesy’s face. :)
Coel is just doing some Awesome foreshadowing for later I bet for the whole “punch to the face” we were all holding our breathe for :)
Thank you Coelasquid
Long time fan of your work!
Is HE the one who refused to walk away from the explosion?
Oh hey!
Is that the Demo man from tf2 ?
This is two years too late, but anyway:
‘You think that’s bad you gotta hear what she said to him when he thought we are all dead!’ – Oh no. That is about his ex-wife saying… horrible, HORRIBLE things, right? ó.ò
So there was actually a hint to that in the main comic. I just now noticed and… well… I guess Jonesy never remembered afterwards, since she was that drunk.
It’s still really cool to see this in a short re-read.