Chapter 17, Page 24a: Impossible to Choose

Posted on August 5, 2026 by Brad Guigar

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.

Cartoonist Showcase

If you're in the Columbus area, make plans to stop by the Billy Ireland Library & Museum on August 8th from 1-5 p.m. It's a free event, and I'll be there sketching and signing along with a bunch of my pals from the NCS.

Transcript

Captain Heroic faces Countess Influencia (formerly Hailey the waitress)

Panel 1:

Captain Heroic: You don’t have to do this! Come back to Ralph’s and —

Hailey: Oh! NOW you want to talk to me in the diner!

Panel 2:

Captain Heroic: Hailey, I stopped making content with you because I didn’t want to be part of using you for “likes.”

Panel 3:

Hailey: Problem solved. Now I’m using THEM for likes.

Panel 4:

Hailey: Everyone is watching me — praising me! I’m impossible to ignore!

Panel 5:

Captain: And that means you’re impossible to choose.

Melonpool’s Troop Launches Weekly Feature for Kevin Smith Site

Posted on June 23, 2006 by Brad Guigar

Steve Troop, webcomics veteran and professional puppeteer, is proud to announce a new weekly feature scheduled to appear every Friday on Kevin Smith’s new Web site, Quick Stop Entertainment.

Smith, best known for hits such as “Chasing Amy,” “Dogma,” and “Clerks”, launched the site Monday. It features an impressive line-up which includes Terry Gilliam (“Monty Python’s Flying Circus”), Paul Dini (“Tiny Toons”) and Blank Label Comics founding member Steve Troop.

Troop’s Melonpool puppets will have a new 3-5 minute “quickcast” available every Friday at the new site — an updated version of the “Movie Poop Shoot” site made famous in Smith’s “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.” The new site will feature interviews, entertainment gossip, and other original content.

The first installment is available this Friday, June 23. For a sneak peek, point your browser to this sample video.

Chad Diez of Today The Comic ( http://www.todaythecomic.com ) edited the first installment. A new Melonpool theme song was created for the podcast by Erik Przytulski of Pretzyl Music ( http://www.pretzyl.com). In addition to Troop, who performs the title character and Przytulski who performs Ralph Zinobop, Roger Przytulski will continue to perform Sam T. Dogg and Chris Gleason will continue to perform Sammy the Hammy – roles they all created for a small student film in 1994.

The puppets were the inspiration for Troop’s seminal webcomic classic, “Melonpool,â€? ( http://www.melonpool.com ) which centers around the misadventures of several aliens stranded on earth. It has been on the Web since 1996. The puppets have made regular appearances at comic conventions for almost as long. Troop plans to tape more footage for his new feature at Comic Con International in San Diego this July.