Ed Gedeon (eddurd) says:
Y'know, if you had slightly rephrased Foot's dialog to: "FOOT TOLD, 'STOMP HAMSTERS'; NEVER QUESTION WHY ..." ...then we would have seen an iambic Foot.
Andrew Cole (andy4hire) says:
I'd read this strip a dozen times or more before it struck me that, in the third panel, Zeta's connecting Foot's "ZETA <i>UNDERSTAND</i>" observation with her own "mad scientist's creation" comment and realizing something about her origins. (Whether Foot recognizes her as a mad scientist's creation is neither clear nor necessarily germane to her own epiphany here.) I think it was her expression that finally clued me in. Sometimes I'm dense like that. She recovers her composure pretty quickly, though. Ruby doesn't notice anything unusual.
ribbles (ribbles) says:
I always read that as Zeta realizing that she now effectively controls a giant, stomping foot.
Adam Underfoot (unnatural20) says:
Is that Artie with glasses at the edge of the sketch?
So It Begins (soitbegins) says:
Eee! Gerbildoll!
Leon Arnott (l) says:
Tuesday: This is a very nice episode. Zeta letting out her gerbil hair is the most memorable part - a delightfully succinct symbol of coming to terms with the monster inside, with her impossible heritage. ("The brink of the gulf of madness" may seem a bit awkward but to me it's somewhat reminiscent of "the valley of the shadow of death".)
Ed Gedeon (eddurd) says:
(TUNE: "Push", Matchbox 20)
David Harmon (mental_mouse) says:
And Zeta reaches her own narrative climax, embracing her heritage and her nature. Amusing that this perpetual wanderer is now mistress of a giant foot. The odd thing about showing natural hair like hers everyone would assume it's some sort of 'do. But, people being as they are, she would be all too likely to spawn a new fashion....
Rex Vivat (sirgarberto) says:
I love this one strip. Then again, I love Zeta and Foot, so it's pretty understandable.
John Ames (commodorejohn) says:
D'aww, li'l hamster-girl...
Leon Arnott (l) says:
Wednesday: This is a good videogame joke because of how little it was telegraphed, and how naturally it results from its component parts. Though, the mystery of how one foot is capable of lifting itself up must remain unsolved - 'boing' sound effects notwithstanding.
Ed Gedeon (eddurd) says:
@Leon: As for the sound effects, it's a little-known fact that, around this time, Madblood had a short-lived henchman named Gerald Mac. (TUNE: "Winnie The Pooh", Sherman & Sherman)
Joe Glow (joe_glow) says:
Seanbaby certainly has been, ah, influential, to put it mildly. But I wouldn't be surprised to one day find that time cops have been sent to kill him, due to the irreparable damage that nigh universal adoption of his sense of humor will be seen to have done to the human psyche.
This guy I know (thisguy) says:
In panel one, there appear to be two black boxes affixed to Foot's sole. My initial thought was they were rocket boosters, but that merely begs the question, what kind of rocket goes "boing"? A more "realistic" possibility is directed gravity projectors--set them to negative for alititude, and back to positive for that extra oomph on the stomp. (Attitude control could be handled by an internal gyroscope.) Honestly though, I think it's just Flubber.
Carl Fishman (carlfishman) says:
@Leon; It's not all that mysterious, provided that the foot has a flexible sole. Which seems plausable for FOOT, if less so for the Nintendo original. (Which, I must admit, I'd never heard of before.) Of course, anything created by Mad Science is likely to have a pretty damn flexible soul. If it has one at all.
Rachel S. (masamage) says:
"Head" count, Artie? Such hurtful exclusionary language!
Leon Arnott (l) says:
Thursday: This is also a good strip. Zeta going mad with extremely limited and highly ridiculous power, while almost everyone else ignores her, is quintessenital Narbonic.
Ed Gedeon (eddurd) says:
OK, picture this ... the modern-day Sherlock Holmes from the new PBS "Sherlock" series ... sitting at home, playing SMB3, reaching this level, and shouting ... wait for it ... "The game's a foot!" (Arthur Conan Doyle would be so proud ...)
Kay Gilbert (kaygilbert) says:
"From now on, I live here." That's exactly how I felt when I discovered Narbonic and Skin Horse.
Daniel Ross (nentuaby) says:
Panel three is hilarious to me for reasons I cannot wholly articulate. Something about the "can't see over the steering wheel", eyes-fixed-forward effect just hits the spot.
Leon Arnott (l) says:
Friday: Characters using stale drama/romance clichés as veiled code for freaky sex is actually one of my favourite jokes.
Ed Gedeon (eddurd) says:
(TUNE: "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me", Harry Noble)
N B (daveclone7) says:
A shape-shifter and a battle android. Wouldn't such things merging create the T-X?
Chris (khade) says:
If they haven't managed to figure it out before the end of Narbonic, I wonder if they will get the assistance of Dr. Narbon and Master Davenport, as their specialities seem to fit the situation, and their ethics would let the two leave relatively intact (if only to allow the perversion against nature that is a sexually active battle gynoid and shapeshifter couple.)
Kay Gilbert (kaygilbert) says:
I'm currently writing a book, using the Chicago Manual of Style. It's just as illogical and inflexible as the AP Stylebook, so you have my sympathy. Perversely, I've gotten used to dropping the Oxford comma, and I prefer that, but the Chicago Manual wants me to use it.
Kay Gilbert (kaygilbert) says:
Oh, and Artie may not be fully aware that he's gay, but now Zeta is. Bummer.
(confusador) says:
Have to agree with you on the AP Style guide. In fact, this strip always surprised me a little, given Dr. Smith's reference to S&W earlier. Maybe Zeta just hasn't learned yet.
Leon Arnott (l) says:
Saturday: I think the first time I read this half a decade ago, I misinterpreted Zeta's last line as "actually married [to the entire concept of grammar]". Certainly that would explain his preternatural powers and dedication.
Tiff Hudson (tiff_hudson) says:
The Oxford comma is important, necessary, and fulfilling. The AP style guide is wrong, incorrect, and fallacious. The Oxford comma will not be pushed, filed, indexed, stamped, briefed, debriefed, or numbered. Perhaps the AP style guide is to be used as ablative armor to protect Antonio, Zeta, and Artie since it has no other purpose, function, or place amongst educated people.
Ed Gedeon (eddurd) says:
(TUNE: "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer", Randy Brooks)
Brian Fallstrom (alfador) says:
I PREFER the Oxford comma. Style guides, linguistics professors, and academia in general be damnèd.
Pete (westrider) says:
MLA All The Way!
John Ames (commodorejohn) says:
Why can't they understand? Why can't they understand that serial commas are important because they naturally reflect spoken English usage? Do they never read the things they write aloud?
Vlad Taltos (flyingfish) says:
@Leon: He is not a freaky comma guy!
Pastangum Felinix (pastangum) says:
@leon: I'm not sure about that being a misinterpretation. In a world wherein AIs can sue for emancipation from their programmers, a giant robot foot may sell its life story to Esquire, and gerbils tie their own neckties, I hold the opinion that marrying a system of grammar is NOT beyond the scope of plausibility. Is there any unambiguous evidence that ANTONIO SMITH, FORENSIC LINGUIST's spouse is, in fact... a person?
Edwin Quantrall (reynard) says:
So, of the three manuals named above, which one is the definitive Comma Sutra?
Justin Kane (avatarjk137) says:
I salute, applaud, and approve of tiff and alfador's comments here.
(confusador) says:
@Tiff You win the day, thank you.
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