Comic Discussion > ALICE GROVE

Alice Grove MCDT - NEW COMIC! - October 2014

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Saabstory88:
I'm not sure that something supernatural is explicitly stated. If she knew that she was somehow invulnerable, or had the power of flight, why would she be wearing a harness in the first place? If she is of average height, then might we assume that she is falling less than 5 meters? Although we do not see the tree line, we immediately assume that the previous panel shows a perfectly orthographic view of the turbine. She might only be falling from the height of a medium height tree when her tether breaks. You can absolutely be unscathed when falling from those heights.

BenRG:

--- Quote from: Saabstory88 on 08 Oct 2014, 00:08 ---I'm not sure that something supernatural is explicitly stated. If she knew that she was somehow invulnerable, or had the power of flight, why would she be wearing a harness in the first place? If she is of average height, then might we assume that she is falling less than 5 meters? Although we do not see the tree line, we immediately assume that the previous panel shows a perfectly orthographic view of the turbine. She might only be falling from the height of a medium height tree when her tether breaks. You can absolutely be unscathed when falling from those heights.
--- End quote ---

These are all valid points.

The harness thing can be hand-waved away as being 'keeping her cover'.

Commercial power-generation wind turbines are typically in the 300-foot height range but much smaller units exist and are in use, especially for one-building-only applications and the like. To be honest, that turbine didn't look much more than 10 meters (33 feet) at most. However, even that fall onto loose earth will leave Alice with an interesting selection of bruises and the possibility of long-bone compound fractures. I'd be shocked at her being able to stand up so quickly instead of just lying there, groaning in pain.

Another angle: Will we see a post-fall freak-out when Alice realises that, yes, she did just fall a considerable distance and isn't even slightly hurt? She wouldn't be the first character in the history of fiction who only learnt that they were special when dire circumstance brought their special talents out of subconscious inhibition.

NilsO:
I estimated the total height to 60 meters, and 30 meters from where the rope snapped, based on Alice's size compared to the turbine. Admittedly, the perspective makes this calculation imprecise, but it is a typical medium size wind turbine. Something supernatural is going on, or it might just be Arthur C. Clarke's 3rd law kicking in:

--- Quote ---Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

--- End quote ---
If so, we might expect a very high-tech, futuristic setting for the comic. But QC is also in the same setting, so what is the difference? Perhaps Jeph just is into futuristic high-tech?

EDIT: Also, the two people we have seen so far, appear to be in their thirties. We might expect them to be married (not necessarily to each other), and with children. They are probably maintenance workers on the wind turbine, or perhaps saboteurs that (for some reason) do not like wind turbines. Typically, wind turbines are positioned on top of hills, distant from any habitation. I would guess they have a car somewhere, but why did they not drive all the way up to the turbine?

BenRG:
Okay - Scenario Building.

Alice and the as-yet-unnamed guy are power workers who were engaged in maintenance on one of the turbines. Their van/pick-up is parked out-of-sight (these sites can be huge and there might be a maintenance building somewhere where they left the vehicle before walking over to the turbine needing work). Alice's companion went into the woods to look for something - maybe a maintenance cover that either blew off in a storm (it happens) or was blown off by debris coming out when the turbine overheated and seized up due to extremely high revs (also happens). He comes back just in time to see Alice's harness cable snap.

Kugai:
*Sings*

I believe I can fly

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