WARNING: Spoilers will be unmarked.
If you think a wacky sex comedy about a billionaire H-game programmer wouldn't make you cry (and not from laughter), think again....
- The reveal of Venus'
reasons for wanting to kill Izzy. Venus had been the Big Bad of the second volume so far and was presented as an Amoral Attorney who had an unknown but intense interest in destroying Izzy's career and reputation. When legal tactics didn't work, she decides Murder Is the Best Solution. When Izzy asks her why she's doing this, Venus completely drops her smug, villainous demeanor and goes into a rant about how Izzy ruined her chances of advancing her political career and that she didn't even know it. And then she removes her bandages, revealing her scars and her allergy to whale cum. By the end of it, Venus is reduced to tears and Izzy, finally remembering, is overcome with guilt.- In "Catch", while Noah and Hashim are happy that Izzy is okay, she is staring Venus as she flies away in her helicopter. While Venus is giving her a Death Glare, Izzy looks at her with sadness and regret.
- The epilogue to "The Gordian Knot", while also a Heartwarming moment, is also a massive tearjerker as well. In her letter, Izzy laments the fact that, had she not caused Venus' misfortune, the two of them could've been friends....
- The flashback to Captain Orca's past (starting at page 977) In short, a young Orca wakes up after a shipwreck to find his leg crushed by an anchor and his entire crew, including his father, all dead. Then, after God knows how many days spent trapped, Orca believed he found a good samaritan in the Jellyfish Girl. Too bad she cannot understand his pleas for help and, to make matters worse, she begins eating the corpses of his crew members. He is forced to watch her devour his crew for the next fifteen days before finally deciding to free himself.Young Orca: Nay... Ye've had your fill of me father's crew... Ye'll NOT be dining on me! *he grabs a rock and begins chopping off his leg with it.*
- In "Flashes", we see the evolution of Izzy and Darcy's relationship. One particular moment is their harsh falling out over Pro-Ass Fishing becoming a hit. Even though we know they will eventually reconcile, it is still very hard to watch...Izzy (filled with angry tears): YOU did this to me! You and your STUPID marketing! I didn't want ANY of this!
- The entirety of the flashbacks to Izzy and Adelie's childhood in Vol. 5, when they aren't Nightmare Fuel. They are possibly the most gut-wrenching, tear inducing strips the comic has ever put out. But a special mention goes to:
- "Disintegration Ray": After a horrifying Shoot the Shaggy Dog story for Izzy, Adelie is there to comfort her sister after getting a beating from Morrigan. However, Izzy's attitude is already changing for the worst...
Adelie: It's okay... It'll all be okay, Izzy. 'Cause someday...someday, the aliens are gonna come. (tears start to form in her eyes) They'll melt the rooftop like plastic and take us away on a tractor beam... And there won't be any reason left to cry.Izzy: ...no... There's no aliens. There's only you, me and monsters.- Another special mention goes to "Vantablack." The girls are trapped in the car, water is flowing in and they are about to drown, thanks to their mother. Adelie is panicking, Izzy on the other hand, is angry. And gives one Hell of a Despair Speech.
Izzy: There's no reason for it. No aliens. No monsters. No god. Just people. And people are garbage. I love you Addy.- Finally, there's "The Birth of Izzy Pritchard." Upon learning that Florida Man, the man they grew a close bond with and was the first adult they could truly rely on, was the one who got their mother hooked on drugs, Izzy and Adelie are utterly broken. Dull Eyes of Unhappiness and all. To make matters worse, they sit in a similar position to this in an earlier comic, making it a sad, dark echo to what was once a heartwarming scene between two sisters. Then there's the end. Izzy discovers a gun in the bag, looks at it for a moment.... and chuckles. The ONE bright spot to all this? Experiencing all the flashbacks finally cause present!Izzy to finally admit in the next comic....
Izzy: You know what? No. I'm NOT okay. - "Disintegration Ray
- Ally's backstory, starting from here. Ally's mother, an alligator woman, meets a human and has sex with him. Months later, she gives birth to Ally and learns to her horror that the baby will drown when she hatches due to her human half not allowing her to breathe underwater. One year later, she is forced to leave baby Ally behind to let her be raised by alligators in a swamp, because she herself would die if she stays on land for too long. It's really not helped by the mother crying throughout the ordeal. Needless to say, it truly is a tragedy for both sides.
- The worse part? Ally might never see her mother again nor will she remember who she was.
- Even better: Since Ally is having a baby with Orca in Vol. 6, there's a good chance Ally's mom may never get to meet her grandchild.
- The worse part? Ally might never see her mother again nor will she remember who she was.
- When Omegaman attempts to stop Izzy's invasion of Florida and mentions his failed efforts to find two twin girls after their attempted murder, Izzy reveals to him that she and her sister were those twin girls. Omegaman has a complete breakdown over this...Omegaman: I swore I would do everything in my power to stop injustice. Ever since my first failed case.Izzy: What case?Omegaman: The twin girls whose mother drove them into the sea. It haunts me.Izzy ...what? Omegaman, that was me. Me and my sister are those girls.Omegaman: *beat* What. You're lying.Izzy: I'm not. It happened a little over fifteen years ago. Our mom's name is Morrigan. We lived on the south side of Costa Noche, Florida.Omegaman: Stop it.Izzy: She liked heroin and everclear. She had a Ninety-Two Honda Accord, that's what she drove into the bay.Omegaman: STOP IT!Izzy: Omegaman, I still have my old library card from when-Omegaman: *unmasking, revealing his face.* I'm SORRY, okay?! I looked for you! I looked EVERYWHERE for you! But the police gave up and I'm not a detective like Miss Mantis! I was just some kid who got powers! What kind of superhero can't save two little girls?
- Florida Man's possible origin story in "Lies." It might be a lie, but it is still a tragic tale for the chaos-spewing immortal.
- In "Can't", Izzy has Florida Man right at her mercy, pointing her gun at him. However, as Florida Man goads her into shooting him, Izzy trembles and realizes...she can't shoot him. It shows that, despite everything he has done to her and her family, she cannot bring herself to shoot her Parental Substitute.
- It gets worse in the next comic, as Izzy is having a full-blown panic attack, crying, slowly slumping to the floor and mumbling "I just can't I don't I can't...Don't want just" as Florida Man happily reveals his latest scheme.
- The series of pages that lead up to the final arc of Vol. 6, "The Death of Izzy Pritchard." Of course, by the end, Izzy doesn't actually die but they're still powerful. Special mention goes to:
- Another Talk": We get more hints of Izzy's final confrontation through a discussion between Adelie and a high-school bound Max, ominously telling her son that he'll have more responsibilities now, deal with stuff he thought he'd never had to before and shouldn't expect his aunt to get him out of trouble anymore. The melancholy expression Addy gives when speaking and Max's subtle but clear look of surprise and distress adds to the suspense.
- "Normal": Despite being devoted to a heart-to-heart between Izzy and Tanya, this comic further builds the suspense of Izzy's possible death. It starts when she asks Tanya, "What would you do differently, if you were in my situation?" It implies that Izzy thinks she may not survive her encounter with Florida Man.
- "Thank You": In the final strip before the beginning of the arc, Izzy is on the beach with Red Snapper's mother and we have this exchange:Izzy: Hey. So I don't know if you even speak english, but here goes. I've got some stuff to do. Big stuff I need to see through the end. For me, y'know? And well, I... I don't know how it's gonna turn out. Still I wanted to see you, y'know, beforehand. Everything I have now is because of you. Back then, I had no idea if I'd even make it this far. Still, you were there for me, even though you didn't have to be. *as a tear forms in her eye* Thank you. For giving me a chance.
- Another Talk
- After his plan to detonate a nuclear warhead is foiled by Izzy and the gang, Florida Man gives an explanation of why he attempted to bomb Florida. He simply wanted to "create a new world" filled with "weirdos like [him]." Throughout "Gouge", Florida Man's expressions are melancholy and defeated, with nary a sign of him plotting something or acting insane or giddy. The final panels make it even more heartrending...Izzy: It was never gonna come out the way you wanted. You'd just die.
Florida Man: *After a brief pondering and now giving a sad smile* Then you shouldn't have stopped me. Both of us could've gotten what we really wanted. - Florida Man's final appearance. Despite being the Greater-Scope Villain for most of Izzy's life, you may end up feeling sorry for him in the end.
- We finally meet Izzy's mom in the present.... and it's clear that she had seen better daysIzzy: (with a glare) Hey mom. *looks down at an older Morrigan, who looks quite sickly, has gray, short hair her eyes are dull and is drooling. She's lying in a hospital bed hooked up to a heart monitor and an IV full of medicine, staring at the ceiling.*Izzy: So. You uh, likin' the room they got you set up in? You better, it cost enough. Fuck, I dunno if you can even hear me. [Beat] You know I had to take over a whole fucking state just to feel strong enough to do this?
- The wedding of Izzy, Darcy and Tanya also counts, but in a happy way.
- Vanitas revealing that he and Andromeda broke up in "Hearts". The way he slowly but surely drops his obnoxious attitude and beginning to cry will honestly make you feel sorry for the little jerk.
- Max learning that his strange perception of the world isn't the result of his mental illness, but rather because of his latent magical ability to see people's astral forms. The expression he makes in the sixth panel is especially tear-inducing.Max: Wait... but I thought but I thought... The shit I see... It's not fake? (looking to tear up) I'm not totally crazy?
- Manta and Seabass' reactions to seeing Callie. It's both funny and sad, especially toward the end where Seabass tearfully promises Callie that they'll find a way to bring her back underwater, which Callie clearly does not want to happen. It does make one wonder what the exact circumstances of Callie leaving both the kingdom and sea behind were if these two fishgirls happened to know who she was and wanted her to return...
- Max and Calixta breaking up; Calixta coldly tells Max that her parents are sending her to private school and, aside from one more social event, she will never see him (and her friends) again. However, Max quickly notices that Calixta's "cute stutter" is gone and is using her wrestling persona, proving to him (and the readers) that she clearly doesn't want to do this, but feels she cannot due to being the heiress to the family business and the weight this has on her...Max: Just tell me what's going on! Let's fix this together!
Calixta: F-fix? Th-there's n-n-no fixing this. M-Max m-my problem is EXPECTATIONS. The w-w-WEIGHT of them. N-nephew of m-mad Qu-Queen Izzy... Wh-what do you w-w-want to BE when you g-grow up? I nev-ver knew bec-cause it w-was decid-ded for m-m-me bef-fore I w-was BORN.
