I just found out that Joey Manley died last year. I was so sorry to hear it. (Read Shaenon’s fine tribute at http://www.tcj.com/joey-manley-1965-2013/). No wonder WCN has fallen on hard times. I have the Perfect Collection, but we can’t lose the Sunday strips (not to mention the comments, and Jeff’s Battle Anthem.)
What were we scared of
In Narbon’s lab, Narbon’s lab?
What were we scared of
In years gone before?
The intern that we knew,
The intern we adore,
The intern who had a passion
For bombs, blood, and gore!
Although the cubes, so
Gelatinous, grew fat on us,
We’d hide together
When Mel’s skills she’d hone!
The intern kicked your hiney,
The intern made you groan,
The intern who was trained by
A mad-science clone!
So far in Skin Horse, I think we’ve never seen Artie in his gerbil form. Is this to avoid confusing new readers, or does he have reasons for presenting himself exclusively as a humanoid?
Too quote Shaenon, he’s having too much fun getting “laid like whoa!”
On the other hand, in “If I Ran the Circus,” the squirrels accused him of being a traitor for passing, in essence calling him a self-hating gerbil. They may have been right.
“Pockets” is his stated reason. It’s too convenient having pockets. (I’m sure he also has less predator pressure and finds it easier to get folk to listen to him, when he presents as a human.) Plus the issues of being nude when he switches to human.
Only two possibilities. One, they meet like two tigers, and destroy each other in order to establish dominance; the crater would extend for miles. Two, they meet like wolves, and work together to establish a pack; the crater will extend everywhere.
The brain in Unity’s head is cloned from Mell’s DNA. This was confirmed… somewhere… But Unity herself is really the “blood” inside that body that has a Mell brain and assorted body parts.
Unity hijacks a copy of Mell’s brain to think more complex thoughts in her non-degrading host body.
Which to me sort of implies that Unity is also smarter than she seems /without/ being high on brains, because lord knows Mell seemed dense but is actually sharply intelligent when she gets a goal in mind.
IS no one afraid that the super genius gerbel that no what your thinkinking exclaimed to God his abject terror at the thought of the intern or maybee he just meant helen
I’m surprised Artie is so terrified of Mell, seeing as she destroyed the universe/ rewrote the timeline to save him; he’s probably the one person in the world who DOESN’T have to be afraid of her!
I’m sure Mell is proud her legacy of terror has endured the test of time.
My hero Mell Kelly! Even as “Little Mell” she kicked ass! Thanks Shaenon and Jeff for bringing her back, even if it is only by name. 🙂
well, by job title. but thanks!
Proving they were intelligent flesh-eating gelatinous cubes…
One does not need much intelligence to be afraid of Mell. Just a halfway-decent survival instinct.
Now I has reason to read Narbonic.
You needed a reason?
Have you been able to get to it? I keep hitting a 404 error and I haven’t been back through the story in months. I’m jonesing for some Narbonic.
Ahhh! yet another victim of the fall of Webcomics Nation! Shaenon- does Narbonic live on anywhere else on the internet?
Yikes! Online is the only source for Victorian Narbonic & Dave in Slumberland!
I just found out that Joey Manley died last year. I was so sorry to hear it. (Read Shaenon’s fine tribute at http://www.tcj.com/joey-manley-1965-2013/). No wonder WCN has fallen on hard times. I have the Perfect Collection, but we can’t lose the Sunday strips (not to mention the comments, and Jeff’s Battle Anthem.)
web.archive.org should work, as long as you don’t want to use the chapter dropdown.
http://web.archive.org/web/20130405003306/http://www.webcomicsnation.com/shaenongarrity/narbonic/toc.php – it’s a little broken in some ways but at least at a glance it all seems to be there.
Superb!
The WebComicsNation people keep claiming they’re going to fix the site, but it hasn’t happened yet. So yeah, I’m working on moving Narbonic.
The transient nature of the internet is exactly why I love when my favorite comics print books.
Next time a hurricane or blizzard takes out Connecticut, I’ll be sitting here the next day giggling to Narbonic and Skin Horse hardcopy.
Robert has a point about the hurricanes. Especially if I do indeed end up moving down to Clear Lake or even Galveston.
Narbonic Is reason to read Narbonic.
YOU HAVEN’T READ THE BEST WEBCOMIC OF ALL TIME YET?!
The intern, the boss, the boss’s mom, the kitten….
The EVIL kitten. (Mew.)
And you left out the yogurt….
The Auld Grump
Sir Pounce? (the evil kitten, not the evil yogut)
Now there is a name that brings back memories.
Vague, clouded memories that may not match actual events 🙁
Did Sir Pounce get a cameo in a Monster of The Week episode?
http://www.shaenon.com/monsteroftheweek/2013/11/01/11012013/
ps: dear reader, even if you don’t read Monster of The Week, please click the link and read one of the best webcomic X-Files episode re-caps ever!
*rarw!*
pps: bring back Sir Pounce!
Sadly, no. Pounce was black and white brindle, that cat is some sort of tabby.
maybe they did a real good makeup job on him?
Apparently Helen started taking Dave’s suggestions. Or, terrifying thought, actually joined a DND game…
Someone remind me: have Artie and Unity met yet?
Heh heh heh.
I had never thought of my neighbors up El Camino as “Colmans” before–apt, though.
Her name wasn’t mentioned. She was brought back by reference.
(TUNE: “Turn Around”, Malvina Reynolds)
What were we scared of
In Narbon’s lab, Narbon’s lab?
What were we scared of
In years gone before?
The intern that we knew,
The intern we adore,
The intern who had a passion
For bombs, blood, and gore!
Although the cubes, so
Gelatinous, grew fat on us,
We’d hide together
When Mel’s skills she’d hone!
The intern kicked your hiney,
The intern made you groan,
The intern who was trained by
A mad-science clone!
I suppose there’s always the dead-tree edition… still available at the store, I see…
the dead-tree versions are gorgeous. highly recommended. i read the webcomics first, but i still go back to my print copies for re-reading.
So far in Skin Horse, I think we’ve never seen Artie in his gerbil form. Is this to avoid confusing new readers, or does he have reasons for presenting himself exclusively as a humanoid?
Too quote Shaenon, he’s having too much fun getting “laid like whoa!”
On the other hand, in “If I Ran the Circus,” the squirrels accused him of being a traitor for passing, in essence calling him a self-hating gerbil. They may have been right.
“Pockets” is his stated reason. It’s too convenient having pockets. (I’m sure he also has less predator pressure and finds it easier to get folk to listen to him, when he presents as a human.) Plus the issues of being nude when he switches to human.
Pockets and being illegal in California.
Ohgod. Mell and Unity. The world would very likely not survive.
Only two possibilities. One, they meet like two tigers, and destroy each other in order to establish dominance; the crater would extend for miles. Two, they meet like wolves, and work together to establish a pack; the crater will extend everywhere.
I’m pretty sure Unity is already about 25% Mell. Does anyone else remember the cheap gag where Mell’s DNA is sold to a government contractor…?
Good point about the DNA. Unity could be a PURER form of Mell 🙂
The brain in Unity’s head is cloned from Mell’s DNA. This was confirmed… somewhere… But Unity herself is really the “blood” inside that body that has a Mell brain and assorted body parts.
That and the Willie Nelson imagery in Unity’s subconcious. Nod to one of the Andrew Fargo Sunday comics!
Unity hijacks a copy of Mell’s brain to think more complex thoughts in her non-degrading host body.
Which to me sort of implies that Unity is also smarter than she seems /without/ being high on brains, because lord knows Mell seemed dense but is actually sharply intelligent when she gets a goal in mind.
I got the skin horse books and the t shirt for christmas’. Next christmas will b narbonic. Addicted to both.
maybe they did a real good makeup job on him?
oops – that was ment to be a reply to a post back up the page 🙁
IS no one afraid that the super genius gerbel that no what your thinkinking exclaimed to God his abject terror at the thought of the intern or maybee he just meant helen
I’m surprised Artie is so terrified of Mell, seeing as she destroyed the universe/ rewrote the timeline to save him; he’s probably the one person in the world who DOESN’T have to be afraid of her!
Mell did kick Artie’s ass in the oubliette at Ma Narbon’s castle, just after she kissed him.