His jaw looks pretty wide, and he seems pretty friendly, so probably a gator. (Also, this sanctuary doesn’t look like it has enough security to properly deal with crocodiles. You really don’t want to let those guys get loose…)
I’m seeing a lot more teeth outside the mouth than you usually do for a gator. Remember, aside from the shape of the snout, a crocodile looks like an alligator that needs braces. And then there’s the caiman, which looks like a hedge trimmer.
It probably is supposed to be a gator though, because of the short, fat snout.
Going by Shaenon’s gerbils, I don’t really think that judging fine anatomical detail on the basis of biological accuracy is terribly sensible. I believe she uses a mix of “rule of cool” and “how horrifyingly painful would this be to draw over and over again”
Finally the comic seems to be actually starting. Skin Horse is supposedly about non-humans, so I’ve been waiting for it to actually get there rather than just have a few token non-humans around. Counting the main characters (and depending on who you count as a main character) you get around 10 humans, a human cyborg, a human cadaver inhabiting nanotech goo, a dog, a lion, a tiger, a robot or two and a swarm of bees. That’s double the humans versus non-humans. These guys are finally evening the ratio, assuming they aren’t just a passing reference.
You know, if you don’t like the way the comic has been written, you don’t have to read it. But if you want to criticize the way it’s written, you can go elsewhere to do it. Who are you to say what it’s supposed to be about?
I s’pose if I didn’t like a story or storyline, I’d say so. Hasn’t happened here, but I suppose it could. (For example, I *really* didn’t like a lengthy World War II story in “9 Chickweed Lane” a few years ago, intensely enough that I would have *really* liked to say so, but in their world there’s no replying.)
Actually I’d see the story as essentially government bureaucrats trying to do good while doing their job, which is often two different things. Whether they’re human or non-human doesn’t affect that.
Sorry. I must have misunderstood the description:
“Somewhere in this great nation of ours is Project Skin Horse, an overworked, underfunded secret agency dedicated to assisting America’s nonhuman citizens. The receptionist is a clockwork robot, the project head is a swarm of bees, the field team consists of Sweetheart the talking dog and her faithful zombie Unity, and Dr. Tip Wilkin, the lone human staffer, feels he can only do his job properly in high heels. They’re the shadow government. They’re here to help. Please go easy on them”
And there are Shaenon’s words on the Narbonic commentary about how she wanted her next comic to be less about mad scientists and more of their creations.
I apologise if I have misunderstood those statements. The comic has been enjoyable to read even with much of it having no non-humans in it.
PS: Yes, I’m a furry. Feel free to call me speciest.
From that description, I read that basically the comic is about Project Skin Horse itself, not so much specifically about their clients, the non-humans (and that is borne out throughout the whole series). Although almost the entire staff of Skin Horse are themselves non-humans. Occasionally the people they work with, and especially the people they work against, are actually human.
But even among those humans, there are a couple of wild cards. Tip is part werewolf, and has been injected with Essence of Unity, so he’s not 100% human any more. Jonah was zapped by a malfunctioning Mad creation, so while he’s not exactly non-human, he probably qualifies as an enhanced human (like all the AG-I people). Chris and Marcie have absorbed so much radiation over the years, it’s amazing that they still have normal human features
Then there’s a few Mads in the mix (actually, a lot of those, if you count the population of St. Charlie).
But ordinary humans? There really aren’t very many of those in the regular cast.
It says so right here in the Skin Horse advertisement on the grocery shopping flyers, next to the part that says Renard and #12 are going to be 11th hour additions to the main characters list, and $1.50 a pound for grapefruit.
Okay, so it’s not actually Reptile Gardens, but it does LOOK like Reptile Gardens. But no word on whether they needed Free Ice Water or 5cent coffee on the way there.
I know Virginia, Moustachio and Hitty transported the Cobras to the Jersey safehouse, but I don’t recall them ever returning to Annex One. I kinda figured that all of them were on the Habakkuk, even though we only saw Alfie.
Renard: how did you fight off A-Sig? They have combat drones and heavily armored soldiers with high tech-weapons, you have…
(A scaly foot the size of a bus comes down nearby)
Alligator: we have Bob
Renard: point taken.
Oh-oh-oh, when you’re feelin’ chirpy,
Come and stop at Happy Herpie’s.
The place that’s got most everything in lizards galore.
Their Sunshine Sanctuary
Is evolutionary.
They’re the place with all the greatest reptiles and more.
So come on by and put it to the test.
Snakes, iguanas, we’ve got all the best.
We’ll show you lizards you didn’t know exist.
And herpetology you cannot resist.
So when you’re feelin’ chirpy,
Come and stop at Happy Herpie’s
The place that’s got most everything in lizards galore.
And come and have some fun
With snakes that have uncoiled…
Happy Herpie’s will not be underdone
Ooh-ooh-ee-ooh…
—from, well, a well-known commercial in the New York area in the 1970s.
Waitwaitwait. Is this Reginald, from Unity’s adventure in New Orleans a few years ago, as detailed in Nick’s old LiveJournal beginning with this entry here?
Given how much Anasgima’s shock troops have been played up, it’s pretty weird to suddenly hear this random lizard place saying “yep, they attacked us and we took them out”. When we saw them in action before, they defeated an army of combat robots, and were only driven off when a second army came to reinforce the first. Plus a humongous mecha.
Ayup.
Loving this gator (croc?) so far!
His jaw looks pretty wide, and he seems pretty friendly, so probably a gator. (Also, this sanctuary doesn’t look like it has enough security to properly deal with crocodiles. You really don’t want to let those guys get loose…)
Apparently, they didn’t have enough security to deal with gators, either…
I’m seeing a lot more teeth outside the mouth than you usually do for a gator. Remember, aside from the shape of the snout, a crocodile looks like an alligator that needs braces. And then there’s the caiman, which looks like a hedge trimmer.
It probably is supposed to be a gator though, because of the short, fat snout.
The only way to cartoon any of these types is with lots of teeth outside the mouth. It’s in the handbook.
Going by Shaenon’s gerbils, I don’t really think that judging fine anatomical detail on the basis of biological accuracy is terribly sensible. I believe she uses a mix of “rule of cool” and “how horrifyingly painful would this be to draw over and over again”
The alligator looks dubious. He’ll learn about #12 soon enough.
Did #12 tell Rey he was a male?
Possum, gator, turtle, and fox among other anthro splices. It’s Walt Kelly gone bizarro.
I have always cherished Pogo’s observation of the problem being “It’s what you know that ain’t so!”
“We have met the enemy and he is us.” Never have those words been so timely.
The gator’s no Albert, but he’ll do.
The Alligator distinctly remembers passing the crown to his seventh son…
Not her sixth daughter?
Nope, and here’s proof!
But was his seventh son the seventh son of a seventh son?
Finally the comic seems to be actually starting. Skin Horse is supposedly about non-humans, so I’ve been waiting for it to actually get there rather than just have a few token non-humans around. Counting the main characters (and depending on who you count as a main character) you get around 10 humans, a human cyborg, a human cadaver inhabiting nanotech goo, a dog, a lion, a tiger, a robot or two and a swarm of bees. That’s double the humans versus non-humans. These guys are finally evening the ratio, assuming they aren’t just a passing reference.
You know, if you don’t like the way the comic has been written, you don’t have to read it. But if you want to criticize the way it’s written, you can go elsewhere to do it. Who are you to say what it’s supposed to be about?
Hear hear!
… to awgiedawgie’s comment, of course.
I s’pose if I didn’t like a story or storyline, I’d say so. Hasn’t happened here, but I suppose it could. (For example, I *really* didn’t like a lengthy World War II story in “9 Chickweed Lane” a few years ago, intensely enough that I would have *really* liked to say so, but in their world there’s no replying.)
Actually I’d see the story as essentially government bureaucrats trying to do good while doing their job, which is often two different things. Whether they’re human or non-human doesn’t affect that.
Sorry. I must have misunderstood the description:
“Somewhere in this great nation of ours is Project Skin Horse, an overworked, underfunded secret agency dedicated to assisting America’s nonhuman citizens. The receptionist is a clockwork robot, the project head is a swarm of bees, the field team consists of Sweetheart the talking dog and her faithful zombie Unity, and Dr. Tip Wilkin, the lone human staffer, feels he can only do his job properly in high heels. They’re the shadow government. They’re here to help. Please go easy on them”
And there are Shaenon’s words on the Narbonic commentary about how she wanted her next comic to be less about mad scientists and more of their creations.
I apologise if I have misunderstood those statements. The comic has been enjoyable to read even with much of it having no non-humans in it.
PS: Yes, I’m a furry. Feel free to call me speciest.
Thanks for explaining your perspective.
From that description, I read that basically the comic is about Project Skin Horse itself, not so much specifically about their clients, the non-humans (and that is borne out throughout the whole series). Although almost the entire staff of Skin Horse are themselves non-humans. Occasionally the people they work with, and especially the people they work against, are actually human.
But even among those humans, there are a couple of wild cards. Tip is part werewolf, and has been injected with Essence of Unity, so he’s not 100% human any more. Jonah was zapped by a malfunctioning Mad creation, so while he’s not exactly non-human, he probably qualifies as an enhanced human (like all the AG-I people). Chris and Marcie have absorbed so much radiation over the years, it’s amazing that they still have normal human features
Then there’s a few Mads in the mix (actually, a lot of those, if you count the population of St. Charlie).
But ordinary humans? There really aren’t very many of those in the regular cast.
Supposed by whom?
It says so right here in the Skin Horse advertisement on the grocery shopping flyers, next to the part that says Renard and #12 are going to be 11th hour additions to the main characters list, and $1.50 a pound for grapefruit.
The only real difference is that #12 wants to murder people in their sleep, and the gator will do it while you’re awake.
What about those of us that are only half asleep?
They tag team you.
If they’re crushing oppressors in their steel jaws, does that mean robots are welcome?
Happy Herp’s Sunshine Sanctuary would be a great name for a Florida-based rock band.
Yeah, but you just know they’d end up getting called “Happy Herpes”.
“RRC” is a clever acronym, designed to sound like the common Alligatorese phrase “Rrrrk!”
Okay, so it’s not actually Reptile Gardens, but it does LOOK like Reptile Gardens. But no word on whether they needed Free Ice Water or 5cent coffee on the way there.
Yup, that’s it. Can’t remember if we visited it when my family went out that way in the early 1970s.
I got to wondering if any of the cobras are here.
They’re still in Annex one, except for Alfie, who’s first mate on the Habbakuk. All of them would be a bit to peaceful for the gator crowd.
Now ask about the pythons in the back . . .
I know Virginia, Moustachio and Hitty transported the Cobras to the Jersey safehouse, but I don’t recall them ever returning to Annex One. I kinda figured that all of them were on the Habakkuk, even though we only saw Alfie.
I figured Alfie took a *job* as XO of the Habakkuk—but what happened to the others, I don’t know. Really they all should have been in school by now.
I figured his “job” as XO was just symbolic, since he and Bubbles… sorry, Captain Waters… are romantically involved.
Renard: how did you fight off A-Sig? They have combat drones and heavily armored soldiers with high tech-weapons, you have…
(A scaly foot the size of a bus comes down nearby)
Alligator: we have Bob
Renard: point taken.
Love it!
Anyone else hearing this guy talk with the voice of the daddy gator from How I Spent My Summer Vacation?
Oh-oh-oh, when you’re feelin’ chirpy,
Come and stop at Happy Herpie’s.
The place that’s got most everything in lizards galore.
Their Sunshine Sanctuary
Is evolutionary.
They’re the place with all the greatest reptiles and more.
So come on by and put it to the test.
Snakes, iguanas, we’ve got all the best.
We’ll show you lizards you didn’t know exist.
And herpetology you cannot resist.
So when you’re feelin’ chirpy,
Come and stop at Happy Herpie’s
The place that’s got most everything in lizards galore.
And come and have some fun
With snakes that have uncoiled…
Happy Herpie’s will not be underdone
Ooh-ooh-ee-ooh…
—from, well, a well-known commercial in the New York area in the 1970s.
my jaws carry bacteria too!
i don’t floss!
Waitwaitwait. Is this Reginald, from Unity’s adventure in New Orleans a few years ago, as detailed in Nick’s old LiveJournal beginning with this entry here?
I’m just wondering how good Trinity is at punching ‘gators in the face. Assuming they found her some new hands, that is.
Well he is a killer! Or enthusiastic about it at least.
Given how much Anasgima’s shock troops have been played up, it’s pretty weird to suddenly hear this random lizard place saying “yep, they attacked us and we took them out”. When we saw them in action before, they defeated an army of combat robots, and were only driven off when a second army came to reinforce the first. Plus a humongous mecha.