That's right! I am dealing with my concerns about an over-extended plot arc alienating new readers by introducing three or four characters that nobody will recognise, thereby alienating everybody!

These aren't people who have featured in the comic before. though one or two of them may be familiar to some. In particular the lady on the left is somebody who has featured heavily in Julian's hitherto-unpublished backstory (snippets of which can be seen on my other website, on the rare occasion that it is in operational condition). I've here taken elements from three or four of her various costumes and added a cape. It may be worth mentioning that I was consciously trying to avert a trope here - this costume definitely shows the least flesh she has ever displayed, including her "thigh boots" phase.