Why did they get rid of secret bases? They were the best part.
September 5, 2011
12:00 am
I think I wrote this (and the strips coming up the next couple weeks) like eight months ago then didn’t do them because I’ve been consistently running out of time and thinking of other ones I wanted to draw more.
Jared’s got this on his shirt, it didn’t resize well.
Pokemon trainers have secret bases? Since when?
Since Ruby/Sapphire, I think.
Since generation 3 i believe :D and nice comic coelasquid, theres a reason i keep coming back every week and its because while you have the lady-balls to go places others wont, you still find a way to add humor to each situatuion
That explains a great deal. I called it quits when the number rose higher than 251.
Exactly the same story here. 251 was enough.
I’ve always wanted a secret base. It’d be in a complex of rocky caves and have geothermal energy and an all-natural hot tub.
And now, having read this comic, it has to have a bubble trap too. That thing reminded me of the inflating sticky spheres trap in Syndrome’s base, but… bubblier.
What are sticky spheres too mainstream for ya? You hipsteeerrrrrrr
she has balls. They are on her chest. : p
Eww…
I believe the technical term is “Chesticle”.
ROFL
Jared
Ja/RED/
Red.
It all makes sense now.
MIND = BLOWN :O
HOLY-
I don’t even… Ohcrap.
No one pointed out that Commander didnt say anything about the beanie babies?
He was the one who GAVE Jared the Beanie Babies.
…,MY MIND.
No. Just. NO.
I don’t know what’s funnier… The bubble trap, the secret base full of plushies, or the fact that he’s not afraid to have his beanie babies on display. XD
Really nice strip this week. :3
So that’s where Jared’s been living!
I wonder if that weird kid broke in yet?
He probably already has, but since he’s a stalker and not a robber you can’t tell.
No, Jared. You don’t have a proper secret base until you build at least an octave long keyboard on your floor.
Scrubs reference?
Big I believe. Get some Tom Hanks action in, dancing Chopsticks.
No… you could actually buy note mats and put ’em on the floor of your secret base. I’d know, I made a base that played the Zelda uncovered-a-secret-something sound if you walked the whole path.
I DID THAT ALL THE TIME WOAH NOSTALGIA. and I agree, a musical welcome mat was essential for the secret base.
At first, I thought you meant that you could do this in real life and now am disappointed. I suddenly want to make it happen though, one day when I am no longer a broke college student.
Ahem. I direct you to the giant floor piano at F.A.O. Schwartz in Manhattan.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiNmrMgcUUc
(too lazy to link properly, sorry)
I want the bubble trap! D:
When they redo the 3rd Gen games, I hope they revamp the bases, because MAN, those rocked.
The bubbles.
THE FREAKING BUBBLES. A+ Would geek again.
LOOOOOOVE.
“It fills the room with bubbles!”
God, that face made me laugh so hard.
Also yeah, I don’t get why they delete gimmicks that were liked on each gen. We should have pokémon musicals, contests, secret bases, pokéathlon, the pedometer, EVERYTHING on each new game. Screw Gyms and the Pokémon League, I want to be a Pokemon Coordinator <w<
I doubt I would play it myself, but I totally believe they should at least make 1 Pokemon game where the goal is to be a coordinator and not just a trainer.
You can even add in experience (to level up and learn moves) the more you win competitions!
Last time I did a contest was a good while before the last time I played my Ruby game. From what I remember, the contests in the Pokemon games suck and the other Pokemon in the contest would often pull some little bs move that would screw you over. Now if they were to make it so that you only had one round of stupid showoffy crap and then just beat the hell out of each others’ Pokemon like in the show I would love it, but they don’t do that in the current games so I could care less.
It’s called strategy.
Strategy my ass. If the other Pokemon were controlled by other players, then yes it would be strategy. However, the Pokemon you go up against are randomly picked and have random move sets. As far as I’m concerned, those contests are more about getting lucky against the AI than strategy.
I think they should start reusing the music from the second gen games. That music was the best music in the whole Pokemon game series. Especially for some of the caves. Love that tune soooooooo muuuuuuuch!! And yes, though I COULD go without the contests “they’re a pain in the neck unless you get lucky and find a pokemon that knows the good moves), I REALLY missed the ability to have a secret base wherever you liked. I also discovered they took out the Underground thing they had in Platinum. That was so useful for finding items and getting extra money from selling stuff! What they REALLY need to do, though, is make PP ups buyable, and they DEFINITELY need to make Elixirs and all that PP restoring stuff buyable. Beating Platinum would have been fifty times easier if I could buy those at some random store instead of waiting hours for two Lepa berries (or whatever they were called). And lastly, I think they should have stopped making new pokemon after fourth gen, because that was enough, although the starters never fail to look pretty cool in my mind, so they can keep making those. They also need to quit making it so freakin’ impossible to complete the pokedex, and they need to start making it possible to find starters in the wild (where the heck do the scientists find those dang things?), they need to make rare pokemon a little easier to find, they need to make male Ralts’ more common (I caught a female, had it lay two eggs, and both of those were female, even though I FREAKIN’ WANT A GALLADE!), and they ABSOLUTELY MUST make Feebas easier to find. I mean, four to six random water tiles? WHAT THE FUDGE!! I have searched over and over for those dang things, and STILL haven’t found one yet! So why is Milotic so freakin’ common among the tougher AI trainers!?
I doubt this will ever be read since it’s 7 years after the fact, but I hope that one day there will be an option to be a villain in Pokémon games. I mean, every so often I just want to join Team Rocket because of how many “Pokémon are our friends” speeches that they cram into the games. They talk of friendship and comradery, but you’re essentially participating in one massive chicken fight. They encourage you to catch as many Pokémon as you can, but in all honesty you really only use between 6 to 10 of the ever increasing amount that they force you to catch. And making a team of your favorites? With the exception of the Sun/Moon games, you have to build a team that revolve around 5-8 HM moves just so that you can get to the damn league! Every water type I have ever owned has known 3 HM moves since Johto! And stealing is bad but we can ransack almost every house we come across in the hopes of free items? So for just one Pokémon game, I just want to play a villain just so that I can say to the Pokémon world: “I am doing exactly what you’ve been encouraging me to do for years! The only difference now is the fucking red ‘R’ on my chest!”
Man, I want a secret base…
Oh, the bases – those were always a lot of fun. They should bring them back, which they probably will since Ruby and Sapphire are due for a remake.
They did: they’re also in Gen IV. With wireless multiplayer CTF. Also, the only place in the game where you get fossils and shards and elemental plates, if I recall aright (the first is right, the next two…).
If Ruby and Sapphire are remade (better be *shake fist*), and they’re not 3DS exclusive (*MORE VIGOUROUS FIST-SHAKING*), then I’ll have played (a version of) every Pokémon generation: I played Red, then Diamond, then HeartGold, then Black. Just Gen III to go…
Well, that bubble trap can be really deadly if it comes from “Female Ninja Magic: [entrypoint for female reproductive tract] Bubbles From Hell”. And then I look back at the third last panel and cringe.
I suggest y’all not search for it, and I’ll bear no responsibility for whatever psychological damage it does to you. Don’t say I didnt warn you.
suggestion: ignored
mind: screwed
regret: absolute
Suggestion: Ignored
Mind: No Change
Regret: Nope
Status: Laughing at the Pure Awesomeness of Japan’s Insanity
What the fancy moses are you talking about.
google it, youtube it, you’ll hit it. its a nasty thing to do to anyone, but you asked..
By sheer coincidence, I watched both of those videos today. And my psychology remains as intact as before (admittedly, many friends would agree that I’m a tad too twisted to be termed “cracked” anymore…). Honestly, I just laughed about how cheap it looked. Ah, the ’80s. So messed-up.
Note: the videos are rather… odd. Bizarre. Nuts. Also, sort of NSFW.
Oh sweet angry Jesus I think I remember that film. Was that also the one with like the Virgin blood phoenix attack?
Or was that the OTHER female ninja movie?
i came across it once on the youtube regions of the interweb and swore never to revisit it. hence, i wouldnt know.
Ah – very understandable. Me and a friend just have a tendency to watch bad martial arts films on cable when there is nothing else to do. Oh the things I’ve seen.
I just tore a muscle in my neck resisting the urge to search it, BUT RESIST, I DID.
I’m guessing… La Blue Girl?
Kunoichi Ninpocho?
That just made my day! OMG just the fact that it killed the man and she just had t spread her legs. thats worse than any fish joke ever!
by the way the Commander looks like he’s doing a pretty nice DERP in the last panel…
I think he’s looking at the poster because poor Jared will never be manly like him and Marlon.
Or he’s thinking, “Oh Brando, please don’t roll in your grave when I say this …”
“…but the kid’s got a point.”
The opening line is just wonderful. I dare anyone to pick up a new book, read that as the first line, and overcome their curiosity enough to put that book down and walk away!
I am conflicted. I find Jarred amusing, but at the same time I want to break his neck.
Wait, when did Jared become completely awesome?
(It might just be because my lifelong dream is to live in a cave with decent air conditioning, lighting, electricity and a wifi connection. I’m a neo-caveman; it’s the next big thing.)
You know, some people have converted caves into actual homes. It’s been done before. Lots of advantages there actually.
Not in rural Kent they haven’t.
You my friend need a place that allows for cave houses.
Is that a Pikachu blanket?
Awesome comic as usual
And a Gengar plushie.
And Gyarados pillow cases. :3
He’s wearing sock feet in a cave.
doesn’t want to track dirt in his house.
Haha shoulda figured he’d have a Secret Base. I missed out, as the 3rd gen is the only one I HAVEN’T owned…Oh well, on to actually attempting to finish White version!
If you have Diamond/Pearl/Platinum, that gen has secret bases you fill with plushies and traps. I didn’t do much with the underground except get *tons* of Evo Stones and fossils.
The secret bases seemed cool but I didn’t really have anyone else that I could visit the underground tunnels with. So it was pointless to do all that…
The commanders probably gonna try to find it now. Quick get the records of local cave systems!
He’s probably going to get detailed instructions if Jared plans on being picked up and brought back from Ikea.
oh yeah. duh.
Thing is, they don’t show what he’d use for a toilet. My aunt knew a guy like that; he lived in a storage unit for a while, but he had to use large pickle-buckets for toilets. :P
Secret bases could be so much fun, though i for some odd reason could never find one big enough to suit my egotistical needs! Bases were cool, but if they do bring them back, I want to be able to own my own poke’flat at the top of a huge tower so I can train (enslave) pokemon to do what I command of them! =D
Yes! Secret bases were so damn great.
That is one of the things I miss the most from RSE.
So, this strip is especially hilarious to me because I totally bought a bubble gun today. It’s shaped like a shark (the bubbles come out of its mouth) and it lights up.
Wait, you bought a real minishark!? http://wiki.terrariaonline.com/Minishark
Honestly the Minishark should be craftable. And one of the ingredients must be a shark.
Do I detect carefully-disguised envy in the Commander? I would be jealous too…
I suspect that he is realizing that there has been a bubble-trap shaped hole in his life, that now may be filled.
And that it will bring joy to his offspring, as well.
Is that a Reptar I see? Or a miniature Godzilla?
The purple plush he’s holding? I think its Gengar
Nah, Banana means the green action figure on the rock shelf above Jared’s bed. I’m not sure what it is…
I believe that would be a Tyranitar seeing as how Jared is (or was) a Pokemon trainer.
I’m gonna assume it’s a Tyranitar
I love how The Commander is manly enough to admit how fun a secret base is.
It’s every little boy’s dream, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s kept that dream into manhood.
Also, BUBBLES!!!!
I’m 21, and I’m TOTALLY planning on having a secret base! Mwahahahahahaha! YES! >:D
It fills the room with bubbles! What more could you want?!
Yeah, I loved the secret base! It gave me a place to put the stuff I couldn’t fit in my room in the game.
Pft beanie babies, he needs the super GIANT dolls. I always ran out of room in my bases trying to stuff it with them.
Words will never explain my love for you.
Damn.. it actually took me a minute to remember why he has a secret base.. then I remember that I still have Pokemon Diamond in my DS-Phat.
Damn Pokemon Trainers and their Underground tunnel systems.
On another note.. I absolutely adore the Pikachu bedspread!
I like how your secret base has a doppelganger of you and your Pokemon in it, just in case anybody happens by and wants a battle.
The real question is, when he installed the bubble trap, did he use up the plumbing connections his bathroom needed?
I can only imagine what’s behind that green towel-curtain thing
The outdoors.
Never heard of it.
Sounds scary to me.
It’s a dangerous, legendary place with lots of wide, open spaces.
Trust me, I’ve been there, and you’re not missing out on much.
I hear there’s bugs and stuff out there. Also something called “weather.”
It’s dangerous to go alone; take this.
There’s no ceiling. It makes dwarves nervous because they’re afraid they’ll fall upwards into the sky forever.
Don’t be silly. You just have to hold on real tight with your feet.
Jared, maybe THAT’s why your beanie babies get soggy. <.<
D: Why did I not think of that?!?
Patti the Platypus!
Why do I get the feeling that Commander Badass it totally serious in the last panel? As if he’s saying to himself “A bubble trap? .. lucky bastard.”
You mean he isn’t? In any case, I can see him acquiring one ostensibly for his kids, but joining in the fun anyway.
The best secret lairs in that game were in the trees.
Omigosh, secret bases were one of the best things about the 3rd gen. I liked making mine on that part of route 199 where you found the Hondew berries cause I looooooove Milotic, (and therefore feebas) and Hondew was the best berry to mix with in…. that beach town next to the evil team base. I kinda ended up hating DPPl secret bases cause you needed to buy a freaking drill to make them (and with only one use) where in RS (never played emerald) you just needed a pokemon with a move. (for INFINITE USES!!!)
Hey, I have a plush Gengar! And it’s reversible: inside out, it’s a big soft Pokeball pillow.
aaaaaaaughhhhhhhh I want onnnnnneeeee. I saw a tepig one, but no Gengars.
a quick search for “gengar reversible plush” reveals one on ebay for $50 US…
I wish my Croagunk doll turned into a pokeball ;-;
I have a squirtle one and my little sister has a jigglypuff.
I’m 18 and I still sleep on it sometimes
Instant envy, right there.
Pikachu AND Charmander, outdated yes, comfy as hell? oh baby yeah.
I am so jealous of you. Gengar may be low on my list of favourite Pokemon (though it is on the list), but it’s right at the top of the list of my favourite plush Pokemon, and I totally wanted the pillow-sized reversible Pokemon as a kid! The only reversible ones I got were an over-priced, baseball- or racquetball-sized Togepi and a couple of those velcro-latched kids’ meal prize toys.
This almost makes me want to pick up my Ruby game again after maybe five or six years. Almost. I remember the secret bases and actually remember finding a random secret base once. I believe that they should have allowed you to dig out your own base instead of getting a random one. imagine what you could do if they did let you do that.
If I recall correctly, either Secret Power or Nature Power allow you to turn any base-making object into your own Secret Base. I remember going all around, trying to find the best tree to lurk in.
It was secret power, but I know what you mean. Out of the many things (that I believe) they did wrong in Ruby/Sapphire, the secret bases was one of the few things that was almost perfect.
GENGAAAAAAAAAR! I fangirl’d.
NerdGasm
When I saw the first sentence, I immediate went to thinking Minecraft. But then I remembered Pokemon… and that it was a Pokemon secret base.
Huh, I wonder how he got the equipment to make a secret base, can’t be Commander.
He does get $500 a week from the Commander as allowance. That converts to 50000 Pokedollars.
Wait, so Pokeballs cost $2 each? Neat.
You learn something new everyday! *cue the More You Know music*
Its not so much an allowance as a paycheck lol. Remember, he IS an intern at the office of manliness.
i thought interns weren’t paid.
Depends on where you work, I got paid as an intern.
As Promised from Last Week, Essay Length Reasons Why This Comic is Fantastic!
First of all, I love Jared in this comic. I mean there is no time ever when the average person can’t relate to his mindset. He is the Average Joe surrounded by Macho Men. And no one here can honestly say they never had the thoughts like that of this panel. Sure some may have thought the secret base pointless, and yet Everyone had one!
To Follow Up, the Commander’s reaction to Jared’s… Jaredness. I mean I guess he never really thought about Jared’s living quarters. And now he can proudly say he knows someone with a secret Base! … Oh wait, he probably knows Batman. Okay two pe… no wait never mind. He knows a lot of people with secret bases. Anyway, I’m sure that was everyone’s thought to the bubble trap. Because honestly what are bubbles supposed to do?
Finally, it takes a true man to own up and realize that the bubble trap was one of the best things to put in your base! Next to the piano mat and tent you could put in there. I mean come on, who wouldn’t want a floor panel that shoots bubbles. Because if my friend called up and told me he had a floor panel that shot bubbles, I’d be Jealous as shit.
In conclusion, this comic is Awesome as Always. I look forward to your next one.
Apart from the bubble blower, a secret base counts for points towards Jared’s manliness, I think.
But what pokémon of his knows Secret Power?
You know, I always wondered if Jared had any other pokemon lying about.
I was just about to ask the same question about Secret Power. It would definitely be a waste of 1 of the 4 moves for Mr. Fishy, but I guess in a way its worth it if he isn’t challenging gyms.
While Sapphire and Ruby are on my mind, does Jared ever participate in contests? That whole mechanic of the game seems very unmanly compared to the standard battling. Jared should love it.
Or maybe… Jared has the Secrete power. He just doesn’t know it.
I see what you did there. It’s a secret. Ah-ha.
Maybe he just had Mr. Fish ram a cave wall or something.
Yay! I’m so happy you updated! And yes! Secret bases were so much fun, I don’t know about you but I spent sooo long getting mine -just right-!
Beanie Babies? BEANIE BABIES! Oh, the nostalgia! I still have all mine, too, for what it’s worth.
And…is it just me, or does his shirt say ‘Secret Base’ on it?
It says SeRiouS BiSoNS.
….I will be a pokemon trainer if it means I get a secret base!
Buy Me.
Yep, that’s the one I have! I call him Mr. Gatsby. And I would never sell him or trade him away. Never ever ever.
…well, if I find a large Lapras or Lugia plush, then maaaaaaaaybe…
Gangar is a rather cool pokemon, I wonder if it would accept Jared as a master or simply be too unruly for him to handle.
Well, Mr. Fish hasn’t eaten him yet, but that’s probably out ot love and not really respect
Brando’s ass behind the Commander is distracting. Not like sexy distracting, just distracting. It’s really kind of odd that it’s distracting without being sexy ’cause, let’s face it, it’s Brando’s ass.
I love the Commander so much. Manly guy who does manly things, but still can admit that bubbles are fun. :D
LOVE.
Secret bases WERE the best part. And to find out Jared lives in one is hilarious because it makes him like unto a hobo. I am very pleased with this. Very very pleased.
You know maybe if he didn’t fill his secret lair with bubbles his beanie babies wouldn’t get soggy.
Not sure how manly it is to have a giant fangirl sized poster of Marlon Brando, even if he is a baws. Just saying, I personally don’t know any “manly” men who collect posters of other men.
Justsaiyan
There was a comic explaining the poster back near the beginning of the strip if you feel that threatened by it.
Residual drama from the previous comic, methinks. And most likely someone who has never read the comic and only visited because of the previous comic, and feels the need to go ‘Look! Look! The Commander isn’t manly either, you have no right to insult Dante!’ without realizing that the comic is dedicated to mocking the manly in general and always has been.
If you have always been a fan, then I am at a loss what your excuse could possibly be for missing the point this badly after all this time.
I’d say his excuse very well may be ‘general incompetence’. It’s worked for me all these years.
Men can’t be fans of other men? So does that make girls who put up posters of female celebrities they admire lesbians or manly girls? Does it even matter?
I like how Jerid has, over time, slowly shifted from a scruffy stubbly teen into a human plushie.
I want a Jered plushie! especially if it has Mr.fish :)
I do love the occasional pokemon joke comic, but I love more that the Commander can admit that’d be amusing. His kids would probably be ecstatic over it, but it’d be creepy to be asking kids if they’d like to see his “secret base” or visit it…just no right way about it.
wow i thought noone agreed with me, they were awesome!
Those secret bases were kinda fun, but it’d be nice if they had an in-game benefit as well. Like being able to heal there or connect to the Item and Pokemon storage (unless it was possible).
It still was something every kid would love to have.
… Suddenly have overwhelming need to make that Pikachu bedsheet. It shall be done.
Don’t forget the Gyarados pillowcase
Jared must make a fair bit of cash I guess.
Cave based secret bases in the middle of the city don’t come cheap. Sewer based ones are cheaper overall and skyscraper ones are pretty upscale but more common than cave secret bases.
Unless he commutes, of course.
Considering the things he bought in a comic some odd numbers back, the setup perhaps isn’t too surprising, but pretty amusing all the same. Can’t help but wonder if he’s got that Austin Powers getup he bought in some carved out closet in the base XD
D’oh, my Gengar plushie is maybe half that size..
I am so going to go play Sapphire now, for the secret base. It’s been far too long.
I want a secret base… like now… :(
Wait…
They have IKEA in Canada/US as well? :o
Oh yeah, they’re all over. I hear the guy who owns Ikea has more money than Bill Gates now.
Wow, the world really cant get enough of our crappy furniture.
I love that even the commander admits that sounds fun. I used to have a secret base, in a 50 foot tree in the back of the garden. The base was three rickety boards nailed up there by the last occupants. I used to scream abuse (Like: Mr. Joooones, Mr. Jooones… MR>JONES! Mr. Jones. Mr.Jones? EAT THIS! *launches twig* You suck! You suck Mr. Jones! Mrs. Smiiiith, Mrs. Smiiith…) at my neighbours and pelt them with twigs, all the while thinking they did not know where it was coming from… one day I almost fell out, but I only stopped when someone removed the boards, lol We all had that really obnoxious point, right?
I used to have a secret tree fort that I built out of discarded tires, crates and fiber glass porch roofing. We created a pulley like system to haul all the pieces up there, and then we used a lot of nails we found strewn all around a construction site (they were dropped in random spots, so we just picked them up before someone ran over them and got a flat tire). We’d hang out up there all weekend.
When I was 15, my interest switched from exploring the creek beds to chasing girls, so the fort went largely unmaintained for 12 or 13 years. I went back to see if it was still there, and it was, but mostly barely hanging on. Then a couple of years ago, I heard that lightning struck the tree and it burned down. So that was the end of that.
Everything about this page is wonderful. Especially the shirt!
Thanks so much for putting a smile on my face this morning. :)
“Smiley purple thing”?! How does this former Pokemon trainer not recognise a Gengar when he sees it?
I don’t think he even recognizes a gyarados when he sees one. To him it’s just “purple ghost” and “blue sea monster”.
Oh god, I’d hate to know what he describes a Jynx as.
Lady Gaga Mr. Popo?
I just did a full-body shudder. Oh god…. oh god… OH GOD!
Considering he “fought” his magicarp by swinging it by it’s tail and hitting other pokemon, what would you expect?
Yeah, I was wondering this at first, but then I remembered in the beginning of this delightful comic that he figured a Magikarp would be a swell starter Pokemon… So he mustn’t really know. And anyway, Gengar /is/ smiley and purple anyway :3
I RECOGNIZE SOME OF THOSE BEANIE BABIES. O: lol, secret bases *were* really awesome!
I desire a wallpaper of Commander and Jared playing around in the bubbles.
What I love the most about The Commander as a character is how thoroughly comfortable he is in his own skin. To me, that is pretty much the definition of manliness.
Of course Jared has a Secret base! He’s too broke to afford an apartment! And besides, WHY would you pay for a lame apartment when you can have an amazing secret base built into a mountain FOR FREE!? IT’S AMAZING!!!!!!!!! 8D
I dunno, he makes like a month’s rent in a week. It’s the difference between “can’t afford” and “didn’t think to budget for”.
*had no idea the kind of money Jared made in a week* OR, maybe he’s a genius that lives in his secret base so that he can spend the money on things he wants while he lives for free. :D
Of course, it begs the question: What does he do if the area floods?
He makes $500 a week, there was a comic a while back where he spends it all on gummi worms and has to get his stomach pumped.
Holy SHIT…where is this bureau located exactly? I need a Job…maybe the Manly Men need their daily dose of asswhoopins’? Can I get paid to kick wholesale ass all day long?
A bubble trap does sound pretty fun. And the burglars will be so busy with the bubbles they’ll forget to rob you, and then you can all get pizza and beer and have a wondrous time! GENIUS!
You know, I read these things when I’ve had a bad week and it just makes me feel so much better. Thanks and keep it up!
Wait… How could Jared not know that’s a GENGAR plushie?
I’m sure Jared knows what it is, but is just simplifying it for the Commander there.
I don’t think Jared even knows Mr. Fish is a gyarados. He just groups pokemon by “DRAGON THING” “BAT THING” “ROCK THING” and so on.
:D
Hahaha, that reminds me of the webcomic Mokepon… The trainer is a douchebag who named his starter Charmander “Dragonthing” because he never learns or cares what it’s actually called. (You might like it, if you ever have the time to check it out!)
I very much want a Serious Bisons t-shirt.
The Internet is serious bisons.
The internet is un-whimsical wisents.
I like how the Commander’s surprise seems to indicate he never really questioned where Jared was living before now.
And how even he can admit bubbles be pretty fun, yo.
The Commander’s “Wait you have a secret base?” face makes me so, so happy. And pretty much everything else about this strip. Including that Jared has pikachu sheets but doesn’t know what a Gengar is.
Amazing!!
*Looks at pile of Beanie Babies. Red bull sitting on top.
*Turn around, its on my shelf.
I should have sold that bull when it was worth something. Damn you Tabasco for not holding your value.
I preferred the 3rd generation Secret Base system of having spots in the overworld, rather than 4th generation’s Underground. Sure, the Underground had lots of stuff to dig up, and fossil Pokemon were always among my favorites, but it was just too bland of an area to spend long in. Best thing about 3rd generation was that you could pick a base near an area where your favorite Pokemon resided. I just wish they would have let you fly to your base instead of having to walk.
I agree with this, very much so. Fingers crossed they get returned in a future remake of Ruby/Sapphire or another game. Would be nice if there was a proper PC in them to use too (as well as being able to Fly to them as mentioned), would make them more handy.
As for Jared’s problem, I guess it rains through the door… perhaps adding custom doors would solve that problem. *ponders base designs* Now I’m picturing a Mr. Fish doormat that sprays bubbles.
I think this comic has cemented Jared’s status as my favourite character. His ecstatic facial contortions are entirely out of proportion with what he says, and it’s just so much funnier – The strip where he gets to use the power washer is probably one of my favourite ones entirely because of that..
“I REGRET NOTHINGGGG!”
Out of curiosity, where do you draw (pardon the pun) the inspiration for Jared?
My brother and a couple of his xbox live/WoW buddies.
Hmmm…I think the t-shirt website has been wanged.
no, it just links to a picture I drew on tumblr, not an actual shirt.
I like how his secret base is just a cave with a blanket tacked across the entrance.
I love it when the Commander shows that his inner child isnt completely dead.
also check out modestmedusa.com they’re doing a kickstarter and it’s awesome.
I just want to go on record and say that haunter>gangar
What is the Commander’s jacket made out of? It looks leather, but he doesn’t appear to have a shirt under it, so would that lead to massive amount of chafing, and even possibly rashes? What is the deal here?
It’s his uniform, it’s a leather motocross jacket lined with felty stuff. He doesn’t like wearing it much.
I see, but if he is running this agency, why does he still need to wear the uniform? Aren’t his time traveling soldier days behind him at this point?
I know I am thinking more than I should about this. Still, as long as I got your attention.
He’s still operating under the spacefuture Navy, he just manages the place.
I see, thank you kindly for indulging me.
I COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT THOSE
I was think it was about minecraft but then noticed the lack of blocks. :’D
Oh, man! I was beginning to think nobody cared about the classic R/S/E bases. Not sure where Jared got the bed, though. I especially like the subtle Tyranitar bookend on his shelf and the fact that the commander actually likes the bubble trap. I never used one myself, I preferred a duet of well laid spin traps.
THANK YOU! For finally revealing where Jared lives. The one thing that been bugging me about this strip is where on earth Jared found an apartment that not only allowed pets, but but giant flying snake-dragon pets.
i just started reading this comic today and think that it is incredible keep up the good work
I am amused by the beanie babies you decided to make distinguishable.
Secret bases were my favorite. Hands down. GOOD FOR YOU JARED, I thought you were living in a Box somewhere! He should invite the Commander over to show off his pad~
the secret base was pretty freaking awesome. sync up with your friends to get their currently in their party and their base put into your game? fight them daily for awesome experience? awesomeness. took me a second to remember what this comic was about. they havent had a good secret base system since their first system. sadly in this day with ds’s you can sync with far to many people to be able to get away with a mere 20-30 bases to call home.
I fucking LOVEDDDDddddDDDd secret bases.
I had one on route 21 or whatever the route which always had rain and was by the weather center where you could get Castform.
I understand Jared’s soggy beanie babies problem fully.
Also, Jared’s face in panel five.
That face.
Ok, yeah, that shit’s pretty cool.
I think you have way too much fun with Jared’s expressions.
Too much? Or not enough?
Welcome to my secret lair, Mr. Powers.
/puts pinkie to lip
Well, you’ve got to hand it to him. For something that sounds so silly, Jared’s trap is well-thought out, logical and well-executed.
Its intention was to fill the room with bubbles when stepped on. When stepped on, it fills the room with bubbles. Ergo, it’s a complete success.
Also, Commander’s expression in the last panel reminds me of when he was cooking with his daughter. That whole “that’s – … Huh, wait a minute, why the heck not?” look.
This is too funny. Why hasn’t he hooked up his XBOX there y-
Oh wait he still hasn’t bought that has he?
Where would he hook it up?
At the rate he’s going, he can just get the new system when it comes out.
Two words. Extension cord.
All this time you came here, expecting to see Jared become more rugged and manly under the Commander’s wing– Too bad.
The Commander’s getting softer.
You are too honest and open-minded Commander, Jared will turn you soft to the core.
Hey, kid’s living in the outdoors in a shelter he made himself and he’s having fun while he does it.
First, be glad Jared is living in a pretty rad Secret Base cave and not in a fort made out of sofa cushions and a tarp in the agency’s waiting room.
Second, how can you possibly be shocked / dismayed that someone who’s highly conversant in the Jem & the Holograms universe and who purchases animal-sponge capsules might also see the entertainment value in a bubble machine, even if he IS the walking embodiment of a testosterone overdose? I mean, my bedroom contains two air rifles, a .38, a MicroMachines AT-AT filled with tiny pipe cleaner chickens, and 130+ bottles of nail polish. It’s all about variety.
Based on your description of your room, I’d have to say you’re probably a very interesting person. I mean that as a compliment.
Jared and his bubbletrap make me giggle.
Also, the CDR and his phone pose in the second panel make the has-been animation school graduate that joined the military in me go squee.
More accurately, has-been that never was. But I’m alright with that, ’cause they let me play with a .50 cal.
I want that Gengar doll, it’s amazing!
Coela, YOU’RE amazing! I want a doll of you. Is that creepy?
I would totally get that shirt for my roommate. Also, secret base needs nerf gun turret defense :D
I like how literally half the people who have commented have no idea what this is, and other comments (referring to the note mats comments) is referencing.
Yet still find it funny.
I guess it’s just ’cause it’s Jared and the Commander.
I admit that I didn’t spend a lot of time working on my secret base. Mostly I was always picky and wanted it in a lone tree, for some reason that I admittedly can’t figure out. If I ever found a tree that could be used as a base that was entirely by itself, I always had to make it my base.
Even better if the surrounding area was pretty, as if that even mattered.
I LOVED the secret base in Pokemon Diamond. Hell, I loved that whole entire underground. The little minigame of digging stuff up was so addictive. I don’t know why they didn’t re-add that in the next games. I don’t know why they cut a lot of stuff out in every new game they make. “It’s fun and doesn’t have anything to do with the general idea of enslaving animals, scrap it.” Veh? O.o
And I want a bubble trap. Nao.
I had an incredibly lucrative fossil trade thanks to that underground! 2 Pc boxes full of assorted revived fossil pokemon= GTS gold!!
Suddenly I miss the underground in Diamond and pearl….
Love the little Tyrannitar bookend figure in the background!
i used to have a secret base in a shrub where i would read comics and eat jello/lemonade crystals! with assorted stuffies, back in thee= dark ages before pokemon. – what does mr. fish think of the bubbles? do they smell great?
I think it’s hilarious that the Commander thought the “living in a secret base” thing was stranger than “owning a beanie baby collection.”
After this, I’m almost convinced that maybe the Commander isn’t just keeping Jared around because he wants to be Jared’s fatherly figure. More like Jared keeps invoking these strange and amusing situations that keep the Commander on his toes.
Well, the Commander got him those Beanie Babies in the first place.
Even Commander can’t deny the joy of the bubble trap…
This is awesome! I loved the bases too…. They were pretty useless but I decked mine out anyway.
They didn’t get rid of secret bases, silly! They just ruined them, that’s all.
I loved how secret bases worked in Ruby and Sapphire…
I admire that you won’t make Mr. Fish shirts because you don’t want to sell shirts with copyrighted characters despite the large amounts of money you’d make from them. Ethics!
Second to last panel I can feeeel the wheels turning! Loved the Gengar plushy
oh wow… that, that just made me geek out in joy! never really liked the secret bases past ruby and sapphire… wow… those are kinda old now… there is now 648 total pokemon…
I bet that if it was poisonous bubbles the comander would give a fuck.
Bubbles…
Ahahahah – there is a Man from UNCLE ep with the spy hero trapped in a room filling with deadly bubbles…
…no, wait, there are TWO Man from UNCLE eps with such bubbles. The ’60s were amazing.
My point is that this comic is amazing (just discovered it and read all the archives on the spot. Love the commander. Also his kidlets!)
Is that a Pedobear Plushie on Jared’s floor? LOL
What? No.
Wat. It’s likely to be a regular bear beanie baby, or a Teddiursa.
I want a secret base too D: And I find it very amusing he doesn’t care to acknowledge the pokemons’ names. I wanna see a strip of Jared in pokemon battles now XD “Go rockthing!” I would love to see Jared’s serious face while seeing the other kid’s face make “wtf?” look.
I love pokemon but only classic. New pokemon brought in, I would be calling them “go pink fairy thing!” also. I use to know ALL 150 of pokemons’ names back in the day. I was one of classic pokemon lovers. I dislike 1,000 of new ridiculous god like powered new pokemon yet so easy to defeat… That does not make sense. :P
I really, REALLY want to live there.
I cannot put into words how badly I want to live there. I want to live there.
If anyone wants to play old pokemon games, Download an emulator or something.
Jered has all the fun. I wished I had a secret base. Though I loved how Commander just got surprised look seeing that he had one. that was the perfect “Wtf” face.
I am realizing that the Commander sort of reminds me of Brock Samson. At least Patrick Warburton voices him in my head.
Secret bases were one of the few things that third gen did better than fourth.
At least in terms of the variety of places you could build them. Being able to play with your friends in them in fourth gen was fun, though.
Maybe we’ll see a comeback for 5th gen’s inevitable third version. Ideally, it would give you the best of both worlds: multiplayer like in 4th, and more environment variety like in 3rd. Better yet, make it so that you can visit your friend’s world in real time so that you can not only check our their base, but you can battle, clear dungeons together, trade and (if your friend has the opposite version) catch the Pokemon you can’t find on your own game.
I think the DS could probably handle it all, I basically just described a Pokemon version of Dragon Quest IX. The question is, will Nintendo go for it? It’s a lot to ask in a third version, so maybe we’ll have to wait for the next generation.
I agree! Those bases were awesome ;_; I miss them.
Great comic – as always <3
Secret bases were amazing. Especially in ruby/sapphire. I loved having secret bases in trees. So awesome.
At the risk of repeating a earlier coment (comment page too big). why does the camander ask about the trap door when jared already said it deployed bubbles?
He means it in terms of what is trap that makes bubbles supposed to acomplish?
Like if it s pressure trap what does making bubbles to do trap people?
But then he realizes it’s still pretty cool regardless
When I was a kid my family owned a hot tub, and when it got gross and needed to be drained for cleaning we would fill it with dish soap and blast the jets one last time.
As you can imagine this made lots of bubbles. So much bubbles in fact that they made a tower-esqe shape reaching up to our ceiling.
My brother and I would adorn our faces with goggles and patrol through these bubbles.
To you, fine reader, this may sound like a jolly good time.
And indeed it would have been except for the constant inhalation of soap.
And let me tell you not only does soap taste bad but it also stings the back of your throat and can suffocate you.
So to sum up my comment, I feel bad for Jared. :<
BEST BASE EVER!!!!!!!!!!!! i want to have a trap that emitts bubbles!
plus the expression on CB’s face on panel 4 is pure gold. and the last one he can’t deny it, it does sound like fun
Not going to lie, this has always been my dream ever since pokemon sapphire. I was really, really sad when they dropped secret bases.
Batman,Superman…Jared if i met a dude with a secret base I’d put out.
Just saying.
Pokemon Emerald, man. \m/
BUBBLES. MY BUBBLES.
Love this site <3
The best webcomic imo :D
Secret bases were my favorite part of playing Sapphire! Finally, I had something to spend all that excess money on besides a ludicrous amount of pots to hoard when I entered caves. I would totally have watched a show called ‘Pimp My Base’.
This is making me (again*) want to teach a Pokemon SecretPower if I ever somehow got a non-fictional one. Then I remember that there probably aren’t any Secret Base spots in the real world, and I’m sad. Then I remember Jared explaining to the Commander what the bubble trap does, and I’m smiling again : )
*I wanted the ability to create a secret base IRL back when I first played the games, but got bored with the bases in-game and forgot how awesome it would have been.
Coelasquid, or Kelly, or whatever you prefer (or whoever may have been delegated the job of moderating the comments): Sorry about the double-post. I wouldn’t have posted the full version of the response if I’d realized the partial version had already Sent.
planel 5 i laffed so freakin hard
The best base was on the corner of that rainy route right past foretree right before the Safari Zone. It’s a bush within some very long grass. I decked that thing out in all manner of Pokedolls and pictures and stuff.
I miss them so much.
:(
I exported all of my pokemon from my Sapphire version to my Heart Gold version. I keep telling myself that I’ll restart my Sapphire version, but then I think “Nuu! But my secret base! I’ll lose all my stuff!” Don’t sneer! I got some rare stuff! Like a statue for getting a portrait in the museum of all my top-level contest winners! And boards so I can use a base with holes in the floor!
*le nostalgia* <3
“God help me, Marlon…that DOES sound pretty fun.”
I WANT A STUFFED GENGAR!
Not gonna lie, i am so gonna build a secret lair one day :3
You must be very happy about the remakes, then.
So glad they brought back secret bases in omega ruby and alpha sapphire
It seems every generation they throw something in to see if people like it, and whether or not the audience does like it, they never do it again.
Secret bases, talent shoes, pokeathalon, pokemon walking behind you, etc.
The Pokewalker?? though I guess that is coming back in some extent with Pokemon Go.