Chapter 17 | Page 13b: Hard bargaining

At Evil Inc, even labor negotiations can spiral out of control — especially when “hard bargaining” takes on a whole new meaning. Cassie Cruz just realized that the conference room she prepped for Dr. Muskiday’s… unconventional solution… is already booked for a high-stakes union negotiation. Unfortunately, it looks like Doctor Threat and the henchpersons may have already reached an agreement.

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Transcript

Panel 1
Cassie Cruz (angry):
“We are NOT having an orgy at our desks!”

Dr. Muskiday (calmly defensive):
“Of course not! I stocked the conference room with mattresses and lube.”


Panel 2
Cassie Cruz (panicking):
“The conference room?! Doctor Threat is scheduled to negotiate a new contract with the henchpersons’ union in there!”


Panel 3
Cassie Cruz (looking toward a slightly open door):
“Where’s Doctor Threat?”

Dr. Muskiday (matter-of-fact):
“I believe that’s him in the middle of — erm — ‘collective bargaining.’”

(Sound effects from behind the closed conference room door:)
“Hhh hhh”
“Plap Ngh Plap Plap”
“Hngh hhh”
“mmf mmf mmf”


Detailed Alt Text

A three-panel comic set inside an office at Evil Inc.

Panel 1: Cassie Cruz, a professional woman with short brown hair, red glasses, a white blazer, and a low-cut yellow top, stands beside her desk looking furious. A small pink “emotion cloud” with a skull icon floats near her head, indicating anger. She shouts that they are not having an orgy at their desks. Standing nearby is Dr. Muskiday, a short humanoid with a fly’s head—large red compound eyes, small body, and lab coat—who calmly explains that he already prepared the conference room with mattresses and lube.

Panel 2: Close-up on Cassie clutching her head in alarm. Her expression is wide-eyed and panicked. She exclaims that the conference room is supposed to be used for an important union negotiation between Doctor Threat and the henchpersons’ union.

Panel 3: Cassie and Dr. Muskiday stand in a hallway facing a slightly open conference room door. Cassie asks where Doctor Threat is. Muskiday gestures toward the door and awkwardly suggests that Doctor Threat is inside, in the middle of “collective bargaining,” implying something sexual. From inside the room comes exaggerated, comic-style sound effects indicating vigorous activity: heavy breathing (“hhh hhh,” “hngh”), rhythmic “plap” noises, and muffled sounds (“mmf mmf”). The implication is that the union negotiation has devolved into an orgy inside the conference room.

WonderCon Roundup

WonderCon Roundup

WonderCon wrapped yesterday, and it seems there was a lot of news made. Here’s some of the best stories from the weekend.

DC’s Great Expectations Panel: [CBR] After Friday’s DC Nation panel, Dan Didio returned to Wondercon on Saturday with VP/Sales Bob Wayne, Senior Editor DCU Matt Idelson, Coordinating Editor DCU Jann Jones, Judd Winick, writer for “Green Arrow” and “The Outsiders”, and “Teen Titans” writer Adam Beechen. Didio spoke about the big projects for 2007 starting off with showing an image from the upcoming “Countdown” series (seen to the right). “Take look at this image, it’ll tell you a lot about what’s in store for all these heroes.â€? Didio happily then opened up the floor for questions. Read the entire story.

DC Nation: [CBR] Still pumped from from last weekend’s New York City Comic-Con, at which DC Comics Senior VP/Executive Editor Dan DiDio let slip a couple of heretofore closely guarded secrets (Barry Allen in a red Flash costume? Jason Todd as Red Robin?), the panelists were careful to keep their secrets close to the vest at this year’s WonderCon. Read the entire story.

Jeph Loeb Spotlight: [NEWSARAMA] Saying that he was his own moderator for the hour-long panel, Loeb introduced himself, briefly running down his credits in comics, film and television, noting this today’s was his first spotlight panel ever. …

Asked why he signed an exclusive contract with Marvel, Loeb said that it wasn’t an issue of security in his comic career, but rather that, with the way the landscape is in the comics industry now, “It’s hard to stay at one place without the other place trying to get you to stay with them.� Loeb said that while he had told a lot of stories at DC, and had a lot of fun, Superman/Batman #26, the tribute to his late son Sam, was the last thing that he wanted to write at the company for a while.
Read the entire story.

Jeph Loeb Spotlight: [CBR] Friday afternoon at WonderCon saw the creators of “Groo the Wanderer” Sergio Aragonés and Mark Evanier hosting their annual “Sergio & Mark Show” at the Moscone South Center in downtown San Francisco. The panel began with Evanier showing off his Groo computer wallpaper as people filed in. As people waited for Aragonés, Evanier walked the audience through the icons on his desktop and threatened to start a game of computer Solitaire. Read the entire story.