The Astonishing Excursions of Helen Narbon &Co., Chapter Sixteen
March 7, 2010 ~ 3 Comments
Definitely one of the best chapter titles in the Victorian serial.
The more ridiculous this story got, the longer it took to do these recaps. I like the slow zoom in on the tent, though. Classy.
I should’ve given Madblood bigger Victorian sideburns. Oh well.
Here it is. The one time I ever did anything nice for Madblood. Poor guy. I’ve said this before, but for some reason the Victorian versions of the Narbonic characters get laid a lot more than the regular versions. I’m not sure why that is; it just worked out that way. Maybe it’s the nice hats they wear.
Dave, meanwhile, continues to be the buttmonkey of the Victorian universe, even more so than the regular universe, until the very end.
Sci-fi stories about planets of women who need to be taught the awesomeness of heterosexual love rank among my very favorite ridiculous sci-fi subgenres. Naturally, I also love 1970s feminist stories about all-lesbian planets that have no interest in this nonsense. Is that a copy of Aurora: Beyond Equality on my reference shelf, alongside Feminist Philosophy in Science Fiction and The Battle of the Sexes in Science Fiction? Why, yes, it is!
This storyline seems intent to encompass as many pulpy scientific-fictitious genres as its initial premise and setting can be stretched to reach – and each one less seemly than the last. In that context, then, these bizarre turns of plot start to make a few more licks of sense.
(TUNE: “Stand By Your Man”, Tammy Wynette)
At night on Mars, is very lonely,
So we take advantage of this chance!
Signore Madblood,
Please show us method
Of doing horizontal dance!
Mars need of man!
We tire from war with Venus!
Demonstrate this act between us,
Full of passion and obsceneness!
Mars need of man!
You are the human only!
Please teach as many as you can … Madblood!
Mars need … of man!
I love how modern and Victorian Madblood have virtually identical speech patterns. 🙂