I was too busy on friday to look at the previous strip, and judging by the comments (and ferociousness of same) I’m glad it took me until now to look at the two of them together.
First panel = brilliant work on the closeup lippy twist.
Flip off = perfect.
Final line – BAHAHAHAHHAHA even more perfect.
Well done man. I’m extremely pleased at how you’re telling this little part of the story.
I do like the way you handled this, though I have to say it was kind of difficult discerning that Nate is going down stairs or an escalator or something. At first I thought he was ducking behind some sort of counter to flip the bird. I had to go back a couple strips and pick up the background details to figure it out.
Well Nick if you wanted us to hate Rose then I say you did a fantastic job doing it. Although I think I’m giving myself brain damage from all the slaps to forehead I’m doing to myself because of such a stupid act that Rose pulled. Especially with a guy that girls typically fall for. Can’t say that’s a surprise there.
One thing is for certain, Nick you have massive amount of talent. Not only was the art exceptional, but the dialog was solid gold as well. If this hasn’t been said already or enough, this comic is brilliant and very creative as well.
Nice work, it’s really fun reading and re-reading this comic.
If I were actually sitting at a desk I would have headdesked. I’ll have to settle for facepalming instead.
*Facepalms*
With that out of the way I believe I will continue to refer to that guy as Dickweed. And I can’t tell if Aya’s saying “No!” before or after Dickweed’s statement.
I think Aya’s “No!” is before Dickweeds comment. Btw.. I’m still sticking to someone needs to be slapped/punched for the events that have just occured. OH! What would make it better is if Nate made a pass at Aya, now that she seems the only sane one around. lol
No way is Nate going to make a pass at Aya. He’s convinced that she helped set him up for the humiliation. Aya is going to have to be REALLY convincing if Nate is ever going to believe that she didn’t know what was going to happen.
i don’t see how nate could think that aya set him up to see that. what’s in it for aya? unless she’s trying to get on to nate’s good side for her own purposes?
Rose is so immature it’s embarrassing. I wonder if nate sees her the way that a lot of girls see guys…. as misguided creatures who need ‘fixing’… and nate wanted to “fix” rose to help her become a smarter, stronger, more reliable person.
not that he’d want to do that anymore… and i’m bummed to see nate hurt. I get the impression that he’s more hurt than angry, but the angry will come later.
I’m in agreement with Philip here as the seeming friendship between Aya and Rose is similar with several, countless other girls in the world(yet not all). I can absolutely see why Nate would not want to associate with either of the two from this point on. Girls this close almost ALWAYS work in teams when one is in a position of being hurt like Rose was. Usually it’s the closest girlfriend to the hurt one that plays the part of the middle-man and tries setting up a ‘friendly’ meeting.
I have seen way, way too many times this routine happened to guys around me, almost always by girls in the high school age who think they are never in the wrong(ie: girls like Rose). Girl wants to get back at a guy for whatever reason, his mistake or hers, and rather than be obvious that she wants revenge, or own up to her own mistakes, has her friend instead convince the guy to walk into the situation.
It’d be at this point that the girl stabs him with a move like this, when the guy is most open/vulnerable as he is in a willing state to make up, but is instead slapped in the face per say, by the sight of this. And the fact that she made it so obvious she was intending to make him jealous… Yeah I can see why it’s going to be nigh impossible to get him to believe either of them any more.
Damn Nick… I know you’re good, but I didn’t know you were THIS good. This has to be single handedly the best comic I’ve ever read. The plot is just way too good; it’s realistic, it’s so easy to relate to, and it’s down right unafraid to show the nasty side of things for fear of losing some fan base. This is a comic that stands out amongst others, and those of us who read it know all too easily why. Keep up the fantastic work Nick, if this ever gets printed on hard copy, I’m getting the whole series.
Well. It was a very nice story arc. Problem is, it really feels as if you kill my interest in that character now. Not only do I dislike her (which wasn’t the case two strips ago), but it would also probably annoy me to even see her pop up again in the future.
Well, this preserves my respect for Nate, which would have been lost if he had done anything other than walk away(He did exceed my expectations here…well done π ). And Rose…well, rose is just immature. Thats the whole problem. So they need to spend some time apart at this point. Hopefully Rose can use this to grow up a little. This doesn’t make me hate Rose or anything…You cant really hate a child for acting childish. She is a bit annoying at this point, but I have hope that she can grow out of all of this, and develop into a character we can like again. Hopefully.
Donβt know where the story can go from here. Rose has been such a large part of it, and it looks like she just committed character suicide. I would personally like to see her character be rehabilitated and come back stronger and wiser, but I have to admit it would take quite a metamorphosis. Itβs certainly been an interesting ride so far! Keep up the good work.
um, if Rose sleeps with Lipsy McAsshat then I hope she gets pregnant and her mother gets visited by DFACS and Rose goes to a nice home where she can have parents and a proper upbringing. Instead of stupid slut training.UGH
…but…but….but you led me to believe that Rose was smarter than the average teenager. Played her off as worldly and more knowledgeable about relationships than the older man (Nate)…and yet she does this? Even Aya knows this is a bitch move.
I’ll keep reading–you got me hooked–but as an old man (43), I took that kiss as out of character for Rose.
Hmmm… Panel 3… Was anyone else thinking DA DA DA DA DADUNDA! DADUNDA! Mini-me’s Middle Finger Theme. Instrumentals are hard to express via text-based communication.
The original Treading Ground comics were created between 2003 and 2011. As such, you'll find some unfortunate hallmarks of raunchy comedies of the time. These include casual misogyny, dubious sexual situations, insensitive edgelord humor and a character using the r-slur.
While these are not typically portrayed as positive, it's definitely not how I would write the comic today, and you should know that going in. That said, there's still a lot of good stuff here.
There's also some nudity. Consider the whole comic NSFW!
43 thoughts on “Due Diligence”
RotSman
This new guy is a smooth operator.
FIRST!!!
Jerichow
I love how Dickweed’s face is the total virginal “Holy shit I just got kissed!” expression while he tries pushing the envelope with all his might π
Uranium Bullet
I’d say it’s more of a “Woah, did I just get laid?” sort of expression.
David Herbert
I love the final flip off there. Best to let a gesture say what words cannot.
James
Damn… Rose is about stupid and a half
Krendall
You’d think she’d learn that “sexy assertive” doesn’t work with Nate.
Sara E.
At this point if I were Aya, I’d flip Rose the bird right along with Nate, then tell her she’s on her own.
CarolynV
Dude…Rose is an effing idiot. This makes me rage. >.<
Geoff Appleby
Awesome.
Pure awesome.
I was too busy on friday to look at the previous strip, and judging by the comments (and ferociousness of same) I’m glad it took me until now to look at the two of them together.
First panel = brilliant work on the closeup lippy twist.
Flip off = perfect.
Final line – BAHAHAHAHHAHA even more perfect.
Well done man. I’m extremely pleased at how you’re telling this little part of the story.
Nick
Man, I almost want to print out that comment and put it on my wall. π Thanks!
Geoff Appleby
If you want something to put up on your wall, I can send you my last centrefold shoot…
Yeah. You DO NOT want to go there π
Zach Reddy
I do like the way you handled this, though I have to say it was kind of difficult discerning that Nate is going down stairs or an escalator or something. At first I thought he was ducking behind some sort of counter to flip the bird. I had to go back a couple strips and pick up the background details to figure it out.
Cartoon Eric
Well Nick if you wanted us to hate Rose then I say you did a fantastic job doing it. Although I think I’m giving myself brain damage from all the slaps to forehead I’m doing to myself because of such a stupid act that Rose pulled. Especially with a guy that girls typically fall for. Can’t say that’s a surprise there.
Name
One thing is for certain, Nick you have massive amount of talent. Not only was the art exceptional, but the dialog was solid gold as well. If this hasn’t been said already or enough, this comic is brilliant and very creative as well.
Nice work, it’s really fun reading and re-reading this comic.
Dan
Best. Treading Ground. EVER.
Val Kilmer Batman
Second.
AxelxGabriel
While this is an awesome strip. It’s clear now that the whole “Will They/Won’tThey” is going to get stalled for another two months now. >.<
Rob Lopez
To quote Bridget Marquardt: “Sooo good!”
Val Kilmer Batman
Goddamn it Nick, you magnificent bastard.
You played me like that guy who plays music really good plays that instrument.
Yes, okay, I’m not very good with similes. So sue me.
Regardless.
I never considered that Rose might just be stupid, and not vengeful.
Edwin Shy
Nate’s flip off : The most awesome thing to come out of this whole comic
Kevink
Hmm I think we’ve seen the personification of ‘/rage quit’
Taiming
Well done sir well done.
Camui
Bahahaha. Aya’s priceless expression in panel 4.
Crimsonshade
Nate’s face in panel one is epically priceless. Good job Rose way to drop the ball.
MrGBH
If I were actually sitting at a desk I would have headdesked. I’ll have to settle for facepalming instead.
*Facepalms*
With that out of the way I believe I will continue to refer to that guy as Dickweed. And I can’t tell if Aya’s saying “No!” before or after Dickweed’s statement.
necron
I think Aya’s “No!” is before Dickweeds comment. Btw.. I’m still sticking to someone needs to be slapped/punched for the events that have just occured. OH! What would make it better is if Nate made a pass at Aya, now that she seems the only sane one around. lol
RotSman
I’ll second that emotion!
Nick
The dickweed thing is catching on. I almost want to go back and retroactively have Aya call him that instead of asshole. π
Philip
No way is Nate going to make a pass at Aya. He’s convinced that she helped set him up for the humiliation. Aya is going to have to be REALLY convincing if Nate is ever going to believe that she didn’t know what was going to happen.
One Manic Ninja
i don’t see how nate could think that aya set him up to see that. what’s in it for aya? unless she’s trying to get on to nate’s good side for her own purposes?
Rose is so immature it’s embarrassing. I wonder if nate sees her the way that a lot of girls see guys…. as misguided creatures who need ‘fixing’… and nate wanted to “fix” rose to help her become a smarter, stronger, more reliable person.
not that he’d want to do that anymore… and i’m bummed to see nate hurt. I get the impression that he’s more hurt than angry, but the angry will come later.
Jerichow
I’m in agreement with Philip here as the seeming friendship between Aya and Rose is similar with several, countless other girls in the world(yet not all). I can absolutely see why Nate would not want to associate with either of the two from this point on. Girls this close almost ALWAYS work in teams when one is in a position of being hurt like Rose was. Usually it’s the closest girlfriend to the hurt one that plays the part of the middle-man and tries setting up a ‘friendly’ meeting.
I have seen way, way too many times this routine happened to guys around me, almost always by girls in the high school age who think they are never in the wrong(ie: girls like Rose). Girl wants to get back at a guy for whatever reason, his mistake or hers, and rather than be obvious that she wants revenge, or own up to her own mistakes, has her friend instead convince the guy to walk into the situation.
It’d be at this point that the girl stabs him with a move like this, when the guy is most open/vulnerable as he is in a willing state to make up, but is instead slapped in the face per say, by the sight of this. And the fact that she made it so obvious she was intending to make him jealous… Yeah I can see why it’s going to be nigh impossible to get him to believe either of them any more.
Damn Nick… I know you’re good, but I didn’t know you were THIS good. This has to be single handedly the best comic I’ve ever read. The plot is just way too good; it’s realistic, it’s so easy to relate to, and it’s down right unafraid to show the nasty side of things for fear of losing some fan base. This is a comic that stands out amongst others, and those of us who read it know all too easily why. Keep up the fantastic work Nick, if this ever gets printed on hard copy, I’m getting the whole series.
dorthlous
Well. It was a very nice story arc. Problem is, it really feels as if you kill my interest in that character now. Not only do I dislike her (which wasn’t the case two strips ago), but it would also probably annoy me to even see her pop up again in the future.
Anyway, I wonder what story you will next tell..?
the kingpin
NO!!! poor nate i dunno why i feel really sorry for him in this one. also sorry i hadn’t commmented on the last few i’ve been on holiday. :S
Dan
Well, this preserves my respect for Nate, which would have been lost if he had done anything other than walk away(He did exceed my expectations here…well done π ). And Rose…well, rose is just immature. Thats the whole problem. So they need to spend some time apart at this point. Hopefully Rose can use this to grow up a little. This doesn’t make me hate Rose or anything…You cant really hate a child for acting childish. She is a bit annoying at this point, but I have hope that she can grow out of all of this, and develop into a character we can like again. Hopefully.
Well, regardless of what happens, great comic.
King
poor nate =( but great comic anyways =D
Kona
Donβt know where the story can go from here. Rose has been such a large part of it, and it looks like she just committed character suicide. I would personally like to see her character be rehabilitated and come back stronger and wiser, but I have to admit it would take quite a metamorphosis. Itβs certainly been an interesting ride so far! Keep up the good work.
Tia
um, if Rose sleeps with Lipsy McAsshat then I hope she gets pregnant and her mother gets visited by DFACS and Rose goes to a nice home where she can have parents and a proper upbringing. Instead of stupid slut training.UGH
Dragonson
Duhn Duhn DUUUHN!
Damn, why cant i make up a wittier comment for this than THAT?
Hornet
Yeah! for Nate. Now how to keep the story going???
Sixtgigers
…but…but….but you led me to believe that Rose was smarter than the average teenager. Played her off as worldly and more knowledgeable about relationships than the older man (Nate)…and yet she does this? Even Aya knows this is a bitch move.
I’ll keep reading–you got me hooked–but as an old man (43), I took that kiss as out of character for Rose.
Crestlinger
Aya’ WHAT have you DONE?!’
Rose points at Trevor ‘Him’
AshtonGilbert
i really like nate’s pissed off face.
Oxford
Hmmm… Panel 3… Was anyone else thinking DA DA DA DA DADUNDA! DADUNDA! Mini-me’s Middle Finger Theme. Instrumentals are hard to express via text-based communication.
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Content Advisory
The original Treading Ground comics were created between 2003 and 2011. As such, you'll find some unfortunate hallmarks of raunchy comedies of the time. These include casual misogyny, dubious sexual situations, insensitive edgelord humor and a character using the r-slur.
While these are not typically portrayed as positive, it's definitely not how I would write the comic today, and you should know that going in. That said, there's still a lot of good stuff here.
There's also some nudity. Consider the whole comic NSFW!
Click to proceed Click to read the New Treading Ground