Comments on: D, D’: March 6-11, 2006

By: Ed Gedeon (eddurd)

Ed Gedeon (eddurd) — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 22:26:19 +0000

Bravo Kay! You win the Internets today!

By: Leon Arnott (l)

Leon Arnott (l) — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 22:26:18 +0000

Saturday:

Mell's last line is really adorable. There oughta be more strips that just end with the characters basking in the present silly situation.

Off-panel head pokes: 36.

By: Kay Gilbert (kaygilbert)

Kay Gilbert (kaygilbert) — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 22:26:17 +0000

tune: "It's Impossible (Somos Novios)," Armando Manzanero and Sid Wayne, 1970

It's the awesomest!
Helen grew a clueless clone
It's just the awesomest!

It's the awesomest!
I cant leave this mook alone
It's just the awesomest!

We told Helen
"Dave is hist'ry"
Then he came back
What a myst'ry
I laughed so hard,
Nearly pissed me
It's just the awesomest!

Doesn't know that
He and Helen once saw stars
It's just the awesomest!

Doesn't know that
We've destroyed all of his cars
It's just the awesomest!

Me and Artie
We are gonna throw ourselves a mocking party
Dave is acting awf'ly dumb for such a smarty
This pathetic, off-brand Dave is just the awesomest!

By: Ashley Lange (alange)

Ashley Lange (alange) — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 22:26:16 +0000

"Someday there will be a reckoning, Helen!" might be the most understated entry in this category, but it's my absolute favorite line in Narbonic. Perfect in context, hilarious after multiple read-thrus. Sometimes it's the little things.

By: Matthew Mather (madtinkerer)

Matthew Mather (madtinkerer) — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 22:26:15 +0000

"I was taken with the idea that Rebooted Dave doesn't like Man-Artie."

He probably realizes on some subconscious level that Artie is Helen's pre-Dave idealized male fantasy made flesh. So as a clone of someone she has a real relationship with, there's some mild tension. Even though Artie is most definitely not an Ex and isn't about to become a rival for Helen's affection for his own reasons, there's still a mild bit of residual tension between all three of them, on top of the obvious part about huge plot-related secrets.

Also, Helen obviously confides in Artie much more than clone-Dave. She says as much right there in panel three. Regardless of anyone's off-the-clock relationship, too much of that kind of thing in the workplace can lead to resentment.

By: Leon Arnott (l)

Leon Arnott (l) — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 22:26:14 +0000

Friday:

That mug of Artie's looks pretty interesting.

By: Edwin Quantrall (reynard)

Edwin Quantrall (reynard) — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 22:26:13 +0000

When I first heard of orgone I thought that it was where the city of Eugene was located...

By: Jacob Haller (jwgh)

Jacob Haller (jwgh) — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 22:26:12 +0000

I think there's a fairly sympathetic chapter on him in Martin Gardner's 'Fads & Fallacies in the Name of Science'.

By: Shaenon Garrity (shaenongarrity)

Shaenon Garrity (shaenongarrity) — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 22:26:11 +0000

Reich was persecuted less for his crackpot science and more for vocally supporting free love and sex education back when that could get you put on a Communist watch list. There were public burnings of his books.

At least one of his (non-orgone) books is worth owning: Listen, Little Man!, an extended rant about the mediocrity of modern society illustrated by William Steig. It's crackpot in its own way, but very entertaining.

I admit I have a soft spot for Reich. As a psychologist he was brilliant and humane, and, as far as quack medicine goes, sitting in a wooden box (LINED WITH METAL IT HAS TO BE LINED WITH METAL OR THE ORGONE WILL NOT ACCUMULATE) for sexual energy is at least not going to actively hurt anyone.

By: Jacob Haller (jwgh)

Jacob Haller (jwgh) — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 22:26:10 +0000

I worked in a used bookstore for a while, and one day a gentleman came in asking if we had any books by Wilhelm Reich. It took me a while to remember who that was, and when it finally clicked I only just barely managed to keep myself from saying, "OH, YOU MEAN THE CRACKPOT?"

Anyway, we didn't have any of his books, which is not that surprising. since I believe the FDA destroyed most of them -- though I did later notice one of his books on sale in a used bookstore in New Bedford.