Garigar

I gotta tell you — my heart is so full after this past week, I’m not sure where to start. I spent most of last week in Columbus, Ohio, for the 80th annual National Cartoonists Society conference and Reuben Awards. My friend, Dave Kellett, and I were doing a live version of our ComicLab podcast, and I had received my third nomination for a Silver Reuben award in four years. (More on that later.) Evil Inc is a reader-supported publication.

Countess Influencia isn’t waiting anymore. Now that she has an entire city hanging on her every move, she’s ready to turn the tables on Cap. And judging by the look on his face, she may have found a way to make sure he gives her his undivided attention. Panel 1: Countess Influencia floats above a city street as Captain Heroic is struck by a sweeping wave of pink energy. A crowd watches from below. Countess Influencia: I’M THROUGH WAITING TO BE CHOSEN! Countess Influencia: HAILEY WAITED.

July was an extra hot month for my Patreon backers! I posted eight NSFW commissions — many of which featured microfic versions that told a spicy short story in the narration boxes. I shared a sampler from my friend Gina Biggs, founder of Filthy Figments. backers got a free 27-page eComic spotlighting Cassie Cruz. And there were two short prose stories to share in the Evil Inc Erotica category. Here’s a (slightly) SFW review of all of the hijinks.

Captain Heroic has a showdown with Countess Influencia, but the former waitress isn’t interested in going back to the diner — and she certainly isn’t hearing his excuses! She has the city at her feet, and in her book, that’s a win! Fairmount City’s top hero sees it differently. There’s a big difference between trending and mattering. The Countess may be impossible to ignore... but that also makes her impossible to choose.

As we come to the end of a long, hot summer, I got some pretty cool news. Evil Inc was nominated in the Best Humor Webcomic category of the ’Ringo Awards! Voting is now open to comics pros, and if you’re a qualified voter, I would greatly appreciate your consideration. I’m up against the likes of Harley Quinn and Nightwing’s butt, so it’s definitely an uphill climb! Nonetheless, as an independent cartoonist, it feels really good to be nominated along with all of those big names from DC Comics.

Dr. Muskiday needs to get into the zone—and HoloClone Miss Match knows exactly what that means. HoloClone Miss Match insists that she truly loves him—but she also admits that she couldn’t feel any other way. Muskiday programmed her devotion into every part of her personality. She can never stop loving him, question that love, or choose someone else. Which means she can never truly choose him, either.

By ajay_suresh - Reading Terminal Market, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=146365829 Q.:I’m watching some tourist Youtube videos of the Philly World Cup: Is Reading Terminal Market pronounced ‘Redding’ like the color, or like ‘to read a book,’ Brad? Also, what do those pretzel wrap with cheese hot dogs taste like? It’s pronounced “redding” — and it was originally a terminal for the Reading Railroad.

With the macronanos temporarily out of the way, Dr. Muskiday should be concentrating on how to neutralize them. Instead, he has a more troubling question on his mind. HoloClone Miss Match insists that she truly loves him—but she also admits that she couldn’t feel any other way. Muskiday programmed her devotion into every part of her personality. She can never stop loving him, question that love, or choose someone else. Which means she can never truly choose him, either.

There are weeks when running an evil corporation is all death rays, hostile takeovers, and making sure the break-room refrigerator isn’t harboring a sentient yogurt colony. And then there are weeks when your chief scientist realizes the holographic woman he programmed to adore him may have developed feelings that are considerably more complicated than a line of code. This is one of those weeks.

The macronanoes feed on genuine emotion—which makes HoloClone Miss Match a particularly dangerous target. Dr. Muskiday programmed her devotion himself. She may express love with overwhelming intensity, but there is no emotional uncertainty underneath it for the macronanoes to consume. His artificial love algorithm has created the perfect trap. Unfortunately, that realization leaves Muskiday with something much harder to digest. Evil Inc is a reader-supported publication.