For those people re-reading skin horse and going through the comments as they go (like me) and also leaving spoilers (not like me); here is a lesson.
This would be an excellent place to leave a spoiler.
Watch me not do it.
“Evil defense contractor” is kinda redundant, isn’t it? And *someone* has to create the bombs that create more enemies for those contractors to ask for more funding.
Not sure, actually. Violet Bee claimed to be Goldbug, and later was suggested to be Mr Green, but those were two different occasions and may have been different drivers.
In http://skin-horse.com/comic/2015-05-14/ Dr. Ao claimed to be Mr Green and implicitly claimed to be Goldbug and Violet Bee (by not denying it). I suspect it’s not true because “Otori” means “decoy” and because I think a revelation like that would have been handled differently in the narrative if it was true.
Really? I get the impression that Walton’s Disorder leads to your ethical stance becoming very, very clear and simple. I’m trying to imagine Helen, Madblood or Tigerlily having this conversation, and I can’t get as far as them saying you should try to do good. (I know there was a good mad scientist at the convention in Narbonic, but I’m betting he wouldn’t work for an evil defence contractor in the first place.)
Dr Lee’s ethical stance reminds me more of the main character in David Langford’s satire of the nuclear weapons industry The Leaky Establishment, who is decidedly not a mad scientist; he just works really hard not to think about what his work is for.
I know I keep going on about this every time someone says Ginny’s on the edge, and I apologise, but I’ve worked out why. In a strip full of Mad Science, the non-mad scientist who can work with it is interesting and I don’t want her to just turn into another Mad.
Oh, I’m fine with her _not_ going full mad, but I consider her an edge case, with one foot on each side of the “mad-not mad” line: it’s interesting to me to speculate if she’ll tip over at some point. She’s something unique even in the multiverse, according to Mr. Green, which would seem to indicate a very improbable existence.
Is she unique, or is her survival beyond a certain point unique? The alternate universe in “Looking Glass Land” had versions of both Unity and Nick the Chopper, both of whom are the products of her experiments. And let’s not forget Squid!Unity.
No, that’s just being human. One of our defining characteristics is the ability to hold mutually contradictory views at once, then rationalize a way it makes sense somehow. Explains alot.
Wasn’t that the way to win the HitchHiker’s Guide computer game? (I remember what you have to do, but I won’t spoil in case someone here doesn’t and wants to play it. You still can, online.)
She’s not evil. She just untangles ethically dubious experiments created by other scientists and schlorps out the brains of unsuspecting gamers. And Dr. Lee justifying her ethics to one of her former experiments requires whole new levels of chutzpah.
Well, “defense” contractors who build weapons are a thing in the real world and they never seem to have any trouble finding plenty of allegedly sane people to work for them.
I find myself thinking here of the scientist character from Repo Man. “Designer of the neutron bomb. You ever hear of the neutron bomb? Destroys people – leaves buildings standing. Fits in a suitcase. It’s so small, no one knows it’s there until – BLAMMO. Eyes melt, skin explodes, everybody dead. So immoral, working on the thing can drive you mad. That’s what happened to this friend of mine. So he had a lobotomy. Now he’s well again.”
There’s also that famous film where a group of vampires are peacefully taking a commuter flight- but some vampire hunters have hidden themselves on board. I think it was called “Stakes on a Plane” or something.
Yes, but so does the entire office of Skin Horse. Add in the fact that when faced with conflict between her good dog instincts and beaurocracy she’ll generally just flip out and do the good dog thing in the most ridiculous way possible and actual control isn’t possible. What is possible is the threat of control.
There’s evil and then there’s just being a dick…
I’ma call him Green Bee from now on.
For those people re-reading skin horse and going through the comments as they go (like me) and also leaving spoilers (not like me); here is a lesson.
This would be an excellent place to leave a spoiler.
Watch me not do it.
See, not so hard to not do.
I lol’d at Nick’s line in the last panel.
“Evil defense contractor” is kinda redundant, isn’t it? And *someone* has to create the bombs that create more enemies for those contractors to ask for more funding.
One CAN be a non-evil defense contractor. Much like one CAN be a pacifist Krogan.
With a passion for poetry
Was it ever conformed that Goldbug was really Mr. Green and not really some kind of freedom fighter against Anasigma?
Not sure, actually. Violet Bee claimed to be Goldbug, and later was suggested to be Mr Green, but those were two different occasions and may have been different drivers.
And either way could just be a lie to discredit an enemy.
In http://skin-horse.com/comic/2015-05-14/ Dr. Ao claimed to be Mr Green and implicitly claimed to be Goldbug and Violet Bee (by not denying it). I suspect it’s not true because “Otori” means “decoy” and because I think a revelation like that would have been handled differently in the narrative if it was true.
In http://skin-horse.com/comic/lot-of-factors/ Violet claimed to be the one who hacked Nick. In http://skin-horse.com/comic/unity-bounced-2/ Dr. Lee accused Mr. Green of being Violet and he didn’t deny it. I’m not sure I believe those either.
It can’t be an accident (though it could be misdirection) that Violet’s last name is Bee, and bees are gold bugs.
Another sign of incipient Mad syndrome: positively non-Euclidean ethical stances.
Really? I get the impression that Walton’s Disorder leads to your ethical stance becoming very, very clear and simple. I’m trying to imagine Helen, Madblood or Tigerlily having this conversation, and I can’t get as far as them saying you should try to do good. (I know there was a good mad scientist at the convention in Narbonic, but I’m betting he wouldn’t work for an evil defence contractor in the first place.)
Dr Lee’s ethical stance reminds me more of the main character in David Langford’s satire of the nuclear weapons industry The Leaky Establishment, who is decidedly not a mad scientist; he just works really hard not to think about what his work is for.
I know I keep going on about this every time someone says Ginny’s on the edge, and I apologise, but I’ve worked out why. In a strip full of Mad Science, the non-mad scientist who can work with it is interesting and I don’t want her to just turn into another Mad.
Oh, I’m fine with her _not_ going full mad, but I consider her an edge case, with one foot on each side of the “mad-not mad” line: it’s interesting to me to speculate if she’ll tip over at some point. She’s something unique even in the multiverse, according to Mr. Green, which would seem to indicate a very improbable existence.
Is she unique, or is her survival beyond a certain point unique? The alternate universe in “Looking Glass Land” had versions of both Unity and Nick the Chopper, both of whom are the products of her experiments. And let’s not forget Squid!Unity.
No, that’s just being human. One of our defining characteristics is the ability to hold mutually contradictory views at once, then rationalize a way it makes sense somehow. Explains alot.
Wasn’t that the way to win the HitchHiker’s Guide computer game? (I remember what you have to do, but I won’t spoil in case someone here doesn’t and wants to play it. You still can, online.)
She’s not evil. She just untangles ethically dubious experiments created by other scientists and schlorps out the brains of unsuspecting gamers. And Dr. Lee justifying her ethics to one of her former experiments requires whole new levels of chutzpah.
Well, “defense” contractors who build weapons are a thing in the real world and they never seem to have any trouble finding plenty of allegedly sane people to work for them.
I find myself thinking here of the scientist character from Repo Man. “Designer of the neutron bomb. You ever hear of the neutron bomb? Destroys people – leaves buildings standing. Fits in a suitcase. It’s so small, no one knows it’s there until – BLAMMO. Eyes melt, skin explodes, everybody dead. So immoral, working on the thing can drive you mad. That’s what happened to this friend of mine. So he had a lobotomy. Now he’s well again.”
Isn’t AG-I under the banner of A-Sig as well?
And it’s not even evil coffee.
Panel one, Cobras. Panels three and four, no cobras. Snakes on a plane?
Alfie is curled up in a corner, muttering, “I am $*^%@#$%ing sick of being on this $*^%@#$%ing plane!”
There’s also that famous film where a group of vampires are peacefully taking a commuter flight- but some vampire hunters have hidden themselves on board. I think it was called “Stakes on a Plane” or something.
Is that a real thing?
Well, there was that scene in the pilot episode of “Preacher”….
Well, Dr. Ao seemed nice…
Actually, while officially Skin Horse is under Anasigma’s thumb, in reality it’s under Sweethearts’ paw.
And who put Sweetheart in charge again? Oh yeah, Mr. Green.
Yes, but I highly doubt even Mr. Green could control a dog that neurotic for long.
Remember her “interview” with him? He knows what sticks and carrots (or are those also sticks?) work on her.
Just tell her it’s institutional Best Practice (and that she’ll be a Good Dog for doing it), and she’ll do it…
Yes, but so does the entire office of Skin Horse. Add in the fact that when faced with conflict between her good dog instincts and beaurocracy she’ll generally just flip out and do the good dog thing in the most ridiculous way possible and actual control isn’t possible. What is possible is the threat of control.
Those last two panels really gave me flashbacks to my last job.
No song parody today, assuming anyone cares…got a splitting headache from being sick…being sick brought on, I’m sure, by stress at work…
Sorry to hear that, Robert. May you have a good night’s rest and calmer days ahead at work.
Thanks…but the headache has kept me awake…and I think my time at work is over as soon as I can arrange to retire.
Nick’s more righteous than all y’all.
… alias Ira