Cinnamon has known Artie for a very long time… an extremely long time, by cat or gerbil standards. There is little doubt that such a thing has come up in conversation at some point.
Hey, Tip has managed to weaponize the Mojo before Artie. You probably can use it to escape, but only if you really, really want to seduce Sergio into a very sexy CERN conference or something.
The problem with Mojo (Aside from the fact that, as Artie said, it’s for comedy purposes only) is that it has a very noticible weakness: It doesn’t WORK if you’re in love.
Or at least it hasn’t. While the ways they express are different, Artie’s results here are very similar to how Tip was affected when he met Tigerlily Jones for the first time. A noticible loss of their “superpowers” in the face of someone they legitimately seemed to have a crush on.
I strongly suspect the Mojo really only works on someone when they DON’T actually care about them… well, ok, that’s unfair to Virginia. Artie clearly likes her as a person even if he doesn’t want to marry her. But the Mojo seems like it’s cancelled out by someone you love. It’s for frivilous romantic fling and sexual adventures only.
Maybe after Artie and Sergio actually get comfortable and affectionate with each other, sure, but right now Artie is too self-conscious and in a few senses trying too hard. He’s too nervous and off his game because suddenly the relationship MATTERS to him in a way it never did before.
The first example that comes readily to mind is when Artie told Dave he was going to tell the readers that Dave was going to put the moves on Helen, and then he followed through with it.
Dave sometimes addressed the fourth wall, too…the one that stands out in my mind is the one where Artie expresses sympathy for Dave and say he’ll be there for him. Seemed like a new low but Dave felt comforted.
And for reference, the time Robert mentioned was at the beginning of the immediately previous story arc, right after they had returned from their mission on the moon.
I’m already biased in favor of Cinnamon, and this really just furthers the idea that she’s the ‘brains’ of this outfit for the time being. Is this why most masterminds have a cat, evil or otherwise?
So how does Cinnamon know about that one? O_o
EVERYBODY knows about that one. It got written up in several St. Charlie journals.
Cinnamon has known Artie for a very long time… an extremely long time, by cat or gerbil standards. There is little doubt that such a thing has come up in conversation at some point.
Hey, Tip has managed to weaponize the Mojo before Artie. You probably can use it to escape, but only if you really, really want to seduce Sergio into a very sexy CERN conference or something.
I’ve missed Artie nervously fiddling with his tail
Nice 4th wall break!
I do not recommend the sun as a venue for your first date with Sergio, Artie.
..and Artie maintained his composure on a date with Tip and Dr. Lee.
That’s because he wasn’t in love.
flustered enough to crack the fourth wall, I see
The problem with Mojo (Aside from the fact that, as Artie said, it’s for comedy purposes only) is that it has a very noticible weakness: It doesn’t WORK if you’re in love.
Or at least it hasn’t. While the ways they express are different, Artie’s results here are very similar to how Tip was affected when he met Tigerlily Jones for the first time. A noticible loss of their “superpowers” in the face of someone they legitimately seemed to have a crush on.
I strongly suspect the Mojo really only works on someone when they DON’T actually care about them… well, ok, that’s unfair to Virginia. Artie clearly likes her as a person even if he doesn’t want to marry her. But the Mojo seems like it’s cancelled out by someone you love. It’s for frivilous romantic fling and sexual adventures only.
Maybe after Artie and Sergio actually get comfortable and affectionate with each other, sure, but right now Artie is too self-conscious and in a few senses trying too hard. He’s too nervous and off his game because suddenly the relationship MATTERS to him in a way it never did before.
For a tiny gerbil, Artie certainly did some damage to the fourth wall.
…good thing I was warned about the fourth wall. I might have mashed my nose!
Who’s that who spoke at the end? #12?
No, that’s Artie. Self-conscience embarrassment can raise one’s voice a few octaves.
That, plus the tail of the speech balloon is missing. But from context it’s pretty clearly Artie, yes.
In gerbil form? His voice would be above even a cat’s hearing range.
But it’s not though! Tip has weaponized his mojo, Artie can do it too!
Of course, Sergio has thrown off his groove. So we don’t NEED to damage the fourth wall! Artie is just being melodramatic.
Y’know, with this talk about “comedy subplots,” Artie must have deduced he’s a character in a comic strip.
Artie knew that back in Narbonic.
I remember him talking to the fourth wall, but I’m not sure how far that went.
The first example that comes readily to mind is when Artie told Dave he was going to tell the readers that Dave was going to put the moves on Helen, and then he followed through with it.
Which story was that in? I recently did a binge re-read of Narbonic and somehow missed that.
Dave sometimes addressed the fourth wall, too…the one that stands out in my mind is the one where Artie expresses sympathy for Dave and say he’ll be there for him. Seemed like a new low but Dave felt comforted.
@Rimwolf, it was at the beginning of the “Demons” story arc.
http://narbonic.com/comic/january-5-10-2004/
And for reference, the time Robert mentioned was at the beginning of the immediately previous story arc, right after they had returned from their mission on the moon.
@awgiedawgie, thanks!
I’m already biased in favor of Cinnamon, and this really just furthers the idea that she’s the ‘brains’ of this outfit for the time being. Is this why most masterminds have a cat, evil or otherwise?
Even if you are a mastermind, a cat will treat you with the disdain you secretly crave.
Geniuses can be dumber than anybody. All that sail aloft just means they can screw up bigger and better than regular guys.
Also makes it harder to fix whatever they screwed up, because you first have to figure out how they did it.
Come on Cinnamon, if he did that then he’d have to become naked in front of Sergio.
And I mean literally and not the bearing his feelings kind like right now.