Chapter 17, Page 18b: Motivational Speaker Nightmare

Today’s Evil Inc is a true motivational speaker nightmare! Meanwhile, Dr. Muskiday discovers that his evolving emotion-cloud technology is spiraling out of control!

’Ringo Awards — Last Chance

The nomination round for the Ringo Awards closes on Thursday! If you’ve been enjoying Evil Inc, Evil Inc After Dark, or any of my recent work, I’d be honored if you considered tossing a nomination my way. https://go.evil-inc.net/ringo

Bonus Rewards

One of the easiest things to overlook on Patreon is the archive of posts tagged Bonus Rewards — and there’s a lot of good stuff buried in there.

These posts include wallpapers, eComics, downloadable extras, and assorted goodies collected over the years. Better yet, they never expire, so you can dip into the archive anytime and discover a few hidden gems waiting for you.

If you haven’t explored those tags lately, it’s worth a deep dive — https://go.evil-inc.net/patreon

ICYMI

This week's bonus cartoon featured the Fantastic Four.

Well... most of 'em... 

 


Transcript

Panel 1:

Dr. Muskiday, bursting into Cassie Cruz’s office:Cassie! You need to send everybody home — NOW!

Panel 2:

(Inset panel) Cassie Cruz: I can’t do that! The quarterly wellness surveys are due by five o’clock, and if we miss compliance, corporate will send that insufferable motivational speaker again.

Susan, a supervillain motivational speaker, speaks to the assembled villains of Evil Inc: People said I’d never weaponize my childhood trauma. Look at me now.

The whiteboard has a number of phrases written in it:

Failure isn’t falling into a volcano. Failure is falling into the same volcano twice.

A hero is just a villain with better P.R.

Susan Says… Your greatest weakness can become your greatest strength… unless your weakness is silver, garlic, or emotional intimacy.

Panel 3:

Dr. Muskiday: You don’t understand! The micronanos are evolving into MACRONANOES!

Panel 4:

Dr. Muskiday: They’ll control everybody in the office. We have to get everyone out of here before…

Panel 5:

Dr. Muskiday (continues): ...it’s too late.

There is an emoji cloud enveloping Cassie’s entire head.

Alt Text

Five-panel “Evil Inc” comic set inside the Evil Inc office.

Panel 1: Dr. Muskiday bursts into Cassie Cruz’s office in a panic. His insect-like eyes are wide, his arms thrown dramatically into the air as he shouts, “Cassie! You need to send everybody home — NOW!” Cassie sits calmly behind her desk, turned toward him in surprise. Her office contains a laptop, paperwork, and pink file boxes.

Panel 2: An inset panel shows Cassie responding nervously from her office chair: “I can’t do that! The quarterly wellness surveys are due by five o’clock, and if we miss compliance, corporate will send that insufferable motivational speaker again…” The rest of the panel cuts to a seminar room where a stylish supervillain motivational speaker named Susan addresses a bored-looking audience of villains seated in folding chairs. Susan is an older woman with swept-back silver hair, glasses, and a dramatic purple outfit with a high collar. She gestures confidently while declaring, “People said I’d never weaponize my childhood trauma. Look at me now.” Behind her, a whiteboard displays ridiculous motivational slogans, including: “Failure isn’t falling into a volcano. Failure is falling into the same volcano twice,” “A hero is just a villain with better P.R.,” and “Susan Says… Your greatest weakness can become your greatest strength… unless your weakness is silver, garlic, or emotional intimacy.”

Panel 3: Back in Cassie’s office, Dr. Muskiday leans forward urgently, shouting, “You don’t understand! The micronanos are evolving into MACRONANOES!” The word “MACRONANOES!” appears in huge bold lettering dominating the panel. Cassie remains seated behind her desk, still not fully grasping the severity of the situation.

Panel 4: Dr. Muskiday runs frantically across the office floor with his arms spread wide. He warns, “They’ll take control of everybody in the office! We have to get everyone outta here before…” His lab coat and green tie trail behind him dramatically as he rushes toward the reader.

Panel 5: Dr. Muskiday stops in horror and quietly finishes, “…it’s too late.” Across the desk, Cassie’s entire head has been engulfed by a giant pink, fluffy-looking emoji cloud with angry eyes and a furious expression. The cloud hovers where her head should be, implying the evolving nanotech has already taken over her emotions.

Introducing Alex Heberling

I’m excited to introduce you to a new member of the Evil Inc team. As I mentioned last month, Ed Ryzowski, who has colored Evil Inc since 2008, has moved on to his own creator-owned property, Season of the S.H.A.R.K. His final strip appeared on Jan. 2, 2015. That left me searching for a new colorist to fill a substantial void. After looking at several portfolios, I’ve found someone whose work knocks me on my keister. And I’m thrilled to kick off this first full week of the new year with her first Evil Inc strip. If you’re not familiar with Alex Heberling’s work in webcomics, it’s high time you fixed that. Her comic, The Hues, is about a group of teenage girls who discover their powers just a little too late. The Big Bad is already here, and they have only a rudimentary grasp of their powers. Their ability to succeed hinges on the mysterious Jouchi — who may have the answers they seek about how to take their home back from the aliens.  It’s one of those rare comics that’s both beautifully drawn and written in a style that will glue you to your seat. I’ll just save you the trouble and point you to her Patreon now. You’ll thank me later. I’ve given Alex access to the Evil Inc blog, so you’ll see her post from time to time — to share behind-the-scenes updates on what she’s currently working on, alert you to convention appearances, and generally share whatever’s on her mind at the time! You’ll know it’s her because you’ll see her avatar whenever she posts. Like this…
Alex HeberlingI’ve been drawing since I could hold a pencil, as my mom might say, but I came around to comics in junior high and high school — since I liked both drawing AND writing stories. (Before that, I mostly drew cats. Lots of cats.) I eventually went to Ohio State and earned a fine art degree in Art and Technology, doing comics in my free time and incorporating them into my assignments whenever I could.  (I also learned how to make holograms and robots, so I’m ready for the Star Trek Future any time now.) I discovered webcomics around 2001, with my entry points being 8-Bit Theater and Megatokyo. 🙂  I started my first webcomic in 2005, during my first year of college, and I’ve worked on many different personal projects over the years, from absurd comedy, to fantasy, to my current project, The Hues, which is about magical girls versus an alien invasion.
The Hues is a story I’ve worked on in fits and spurts for many years, and I finally decided to start making the comic my primary focus two years ago!  I’ll soon be crowdfunding the first print volume to coincide with my 10th anniversary in comics, which I’m very excited about. Along with The Hues, I occasionally post to Alex’s Guide, which is my autobiographical/gag webcomic.  I’ve been an avid listener of Webcomics Weekly for years, as well as a member of Webcomics.com, and I’m really excited about the opportunity to color for Evil Inc. 😀
This is Brad again. Be sure to jump on Twitter and welcome Alex to Evil Inc. She’s @AlexHeberling. While you’re there, follow her. She’s a hoot. You can find her on Tumblr, too. And, of course, be sure to bookmark AlexHeberling.com to keep up with all of the many projects that Alex is going to be bringing out over the coming months.