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.

I’d love your help with something big: Nominations are now open for the 2026 ’Ringo Awards, and reader nominations make all the difference. If the comic has ever made you laugh, please consider nominating Evil Inc for Best Humor Webcomic — it only takes a minute, and your support truly means a lot. You can submit your nomination here: https://go.evil-inc.net/ringo

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.

Chicago Comic Con

Chicago Comic Con: Aug 8-11It’s hard to believe, but Chicago Comic Con is this weekend! This will be the first time I’ve been back to that show in years and I’m really looking forward to it! I’ll be in Artists Alley (lower level) at Table H31. Besides having the Evil Inc books and original art on hand, I’ll also have copies of the classic “How To Make Webcomics” book, and I’ll be spending a lot of time talking about the upcoming “Webcomics Handbook.” Additionally, I’ll be hosting two panel discussions: Webcomic 101 Friday, August 9 2:00pm – 2:45pm Room 50 Webcomics Bootcamp Saturday, August 10 4:00 – 5:30pm Room 50

Webcomics 101

Fri., 2 p.m.: This is for everybody who wants to take their comic to the next step. We’re going to do a step-by-step tutorial covering the installing of a Content Management System (Comic Easel for Word Press). Your CMS is one of the most important aspects of your webcomic, and many of us avoid working on this because it seems so complicated. I’m gonna try to de-mystify it and show you how you can have a sleek, classy Web site operational in no time at all.

Webcomics Bootcamp

Sat., 4 p.m.: This is actually two panels in one. For starters, you can sign up for a personal one-on-one consultation with me. We’ll go over your work, identify strengths and find ways to improve. It’s a private discussing, and I won’t be using any of the stuff we discussed in the public panel. But spaces are limited, so if you want to jump it, do it now. Then, at 4 p.m. on Saturday, I’m going to do a panel in which I run down ten things that you can do right now to improve your webcomic. We’ll be talking art, writing, site design, social media — the whole ball of wax. Having lead critiques at Webcomics.com since 2009, I see the same basic mistakes done repeatedly. We’re gonna go through ’em one-by-one and show you how to do it better.