Oh dear, that must be a nightmare…
“- Is it even plugged in and switched on?
– Well, yes, but if I’d go check the fusion pile’s quantum power switch it would collapse the wave function and the whole block might black out…”
[CHORUS:]
Workin’ mad tech! It makes me a wreck!
Oh heck, oh heck, oh heck, oh heck!
Workin’ mad tech! It makes me a wreck, oh heck! (Out of spec!)
Workin’ mad tech! It makes me a wreck!
Oh heck, oh heck, oh heck, oh heck!
Workin’ mad tech! It makes me a wreck, oh heck!
Oh, Phillips! Oh, Phillips! What’s wrong with your head?
Ordered deadly poison, and now you’re dead!
This dog is saying there’s something amiss!
Well, my butt’s available for her to kiss!
Yeah, if you know more than me,
Then I will leave indignantly!
You’ll see! [repeat CHORUS]
There’s no malfunction, it’s working just fine!
Gave him what he ordered, that’s why he’s dyin’!
Now you take over, ’cause you’ve been sent
By our friendly Federal gov-ern-ment!
Yeah,’cause you know more than me!
But I’ll return prodigiously!
You’ll see! [repeat CHORUS]
“OK, it sounds like the spark plug – you’ll have to replace it.”
“No! That’s what they WANT me to do- AHAHAHA! You’re one of THEM, aren’t you? The Zebra squids! Stop probing my toaster all the goddamned time! It’s got a very delicate personality, I’ll have you know.”
“…OK, then we’ll re-route power AROUND the defective spark plug…”
“Yeah, sure, no problem. Next?”
There’s probably a story there. Possibly involving time-traveling kids from the future, and gene-splicing, and Lupin thinking he had a sample of Helen’s DNA when he didn’t.
Hmmm…the slight slouch, the newly trimmed beard/goatee, better haricut, different glasses, obvious technical skills, oblique reference to a past working in a mad science lab….hmmm. Could easily be Dave in disguise. Doesn’t seem much like Madblood, though.
Significantly higher chance of getting blown up while in the field. Which is offset by the slightly lower chance of getting prosecuted for killing a client.
All in all, I thinks a better than fair trade off.
Mad tech support? There’s always anti-tech support in the form of the legendary BOFH. Imagine an ever-so-slightly psychopathic network admin (and asisstant) who can (quite literally) get away with murder… oh, and they’re the protagonists. Needless to say, they have quite a high turnaround of bosses…
The people in Mad Tech Support have the genetic predisposition toward becoming Mad Scientists, but were too lazy and unmotivated to earn degrees in science.
Now, I know this may seem a bit unorthodox but I’m going to go out on a limb here and posit the hypothesis that this gentlemen did not, in fact, kill himself. Furthermore, I believe that someone on this train…
Oh dear, that must be a nightmare…
“- Is it even plugged in and switched on?
– Well, yes, but if I’d go check the fusion pile’s quantum power switch it would collapse the wave function and the whole block might black out…”
“Is it even plugged in and switched on?” – Remember the microwave in Narbonic?
Yes, I do, Mr. Prodigal. Yes I do. And you’re victim number 2.
Panel 4 echoes one of my favorite Doonesbury strips, from 1976:
Uncle Duke: “You’re a very cynical man, Senator.”
Senator: “Tell me about it.”
(TUNE: “Hit The Road, Jack”, Ray Charles)
[CHORUS:]
Workin’ mad tech! It makes me a wreck!
Oh heck, oh heck, oh heck, oh heck!
Workin’ mad tech! It makes me a wreck, oh heck!
(Out of spec!)
Workin’ mad tech! It makes me a wreck!
Oh heck, oh heck, oh heck, oh heck!
Workin’ mad tech! It makes me a wreck, oh heck!
Oh, Phillips! Oh, Phillips! What’s wrong with your head?
Ordered deadly poison, and now you’re dead!
This dog is saying there’s something amiss!
Well, my butt’s available for her to kiss!
Yeah, if you know more than me,
Then I will leave indignantly!
You’ll see!
[repeat CHORUS]
There’s no malfunction, it’s working just fine!
Gave him what he ordered, that’s why he’s dyin’!
Now you take over, ’cause you’ve been sent
By our friendly Federal gov-ern-ment!
Yeah,’cause you know more than me!
But I’ll return prodigiously!
You’ll see!
[repeat CHORUS]
And yet—
“I COME BETWEEN MAN AND THE DEED OF HIS HAND.”
He could have made him read what he’d ordered wrong, for one.
I believe that is what Shaenon and Jeff are insinuating in this strip.
“OK, it sounds like the spark plug – you’ll have to replace it.”
“No! That’s what they WANT me to do- AHAHAHA! You’re one of THEM, aren’t you? The Zebra squids! Stop probing my toaster all the goddamned time! It’s got a very delicate personality, I’ll have you know.”
“…OK, then we’ll re-route power AROUND the defective spark plug…”
“Yeah, sure, no problem. Next?”
That guy looks like a cross between Dave Davenport and Professor Madblood
I am so glad I am not the only one who thought that!
There’s probably a story there. Possibly involving time-traveling kids from the future, and gene-splicing, and Lupin thinking he had a sample of Helen’s DNA when he didn’t.
There but for the grace of Helen goes Dave.
You know, it would be funny if Dave now owned a mad tech support company.
Hmmm…the slight slouch, the newly trimmed beard/goatee, better haricut, different glasses, obvious technical skills, oblique reference to a past working in a mad science lab….hmmm. Could easily be Dave in disguise. Doesn’t seem much like Madblood, though.
Didn’t you know? Pre-mad Dave has many brothers and sisters who look similar and act similar.
Not a Dave – that was my cameo in the strip.
I have been considering putting together a Madblood costume for awhile though, so looks like I know what I’m dressing up as for Halloween this year.
Also: Today’s episode’s guest star; Wrenchie!!
Based on this strip, I’m not sure how mad tech support differs from normal tech support in any meaningful particulars.
Significantly higher chance of getting blown up while in the field. Which is offset by the slightly lower chance of getting prosecuted for killing a client.
All in all, I thinks a better than fair trade off.
Mad tech support? There’s always anti-tech support in the form of the legendary BOFH. Imagine an ever-so-slightly psychopathic network admin (and asisstant) who can (quite literally) get away with murder… oh, and they’re the protagonists. Needless to say, they have quite a high turnaround of bosses…
The people in Mad Tech Support have the genetic predisposition toward becoming Mad Scientists, but were too lazy and unmotivated to earn degrees in science.
And thank you for including the Hawaiian shirt, Sarge!
We aim to please.
Mission most definitely accomplished.
hey max, you just reminded me about that one time with dave and that cooking box thingy incident… MICROWAVE! i sad microwave!
oh and great page shaenon.
The IT guy doth protest too much
Now, I know this may seem a bit unorthodox but I’m going to go out on a limb here and posit the hypothesis that this gentlemen did not, in fact, kill himself. Furthermore, I believe that someone on this train…
*melodramatic pause*
*melodramatic pause, continued*
*unnecessarily long melodramatic pause*
… is a MURDERER!!!
Well, yeah. Unity covers serial, spree, and mass just on her own. I posit that there are MULTIPLE murderers on this train!