Well to be fair he is clearly an evil genius himself, not sure if he’s technically a mad scientist but he’s clearly a diabolical mastermind, and much more competent and successful than any mad scientist that we’ve seen so far. Also she’s an android and this is mostly a comedy world, so why can’t she just overpower them?
The two (three, really) are not directly related. Mad scientist =/= evil genius =/= diabolical mastermind. Someone – for example, Lupin Madblood – can be all three, but being one of the three doesn’t necessarily mean you’re any of the others.
Mmm. Gonna have to disagree a bit – being a Mad Scientist in this universe DOES mean you’re a genius, with a very strong probability of being evil. So being that one does mean you’re at least half of one of the others.
As for diabolical masterminds, I’m curious. Ira’s easily been the most visible/powerful/competent one that is not explicitly Mad (or Product of Madness) in this universe. So I’m looking to him to indicate whether that level of diabolical mastermind definitively indicates latent Mad Genius in this universe, or if diabolical mastermind is truly an entirely independent variable.
We’re sort of in “exceptions that prove the rule” territory here. As yet we haven’t met any good ones, just ones that we like anyway. Every single one in both strip has been (affably) evil.
Being a Mad Scientist means being able to pervert the laws of nature. Remember: They consistently do things that are impossible like creating a clockwork AI. It has nothing to do with intelligence. If it was a DnD setting, Mad Scientists would be sorcerers, regardless of alignment. Evil Geniuses are intelligent, they would be evil Wizards. Diabolical Masterminds would be some kind of Wisdom based class, though not Clerics because they don’t have magical-ish powers, and not Druids because they’re not neutral.
You probably won’t read this but I think the last one would be warlock, I’m assuming a high level of charisma would be involved with being a mastermind.
Mr. Green may have just shot himself in the foot here, metaphorically. Without the madboys to keep St. Charlie running on her tracks, you have a fusion reactor moving at very high speeds with no-one at the controls. How much of the landscape can A-Sig afford to lose? Not to mention how do they get off a runaway train?
We don’t know if they still have a fusion reactor on board, do we? The victor device was traded to Skin Horse for a perpetual motion machine’s designs. Still, this being St Charlie, it’s true that their could be any number of nuclear-powered engines on board.
I don’t know if Ira really is a mastermind – he’s ruthless and single-minded, and he employs smart people, as well as stealing the output of mad geniuses. I can’t see where he’s come up with anything that brilliant himself, though.
I realize what this is now. Mad science being cured, everyone going reality blind, all the non humans leaving. This is a story of how our world got this way, why it’s mundane. We already know the ending, don’t we?
Forced mental impairment or otherwise deliberately destroying people’s ability to think and create is something I find horrifying to the point of being a very mild trigger, so got to say, this whole thing is making me hate Ira even more than before. Good work, now set him on fire please.
So who wants to bet that because it’s a device mad by a mad scientist to disperse werewolf gas, it’s going to automagically trancombobulate the Cure gas into werewolf gas and turn the residents into mad furries instead of normals?
On a Mad scale of 1 to 10, Ari himself is . . . not a 1.
You sly dog! You got me monologuing!
Well to be fair he is clearly an evil genius himself, not sure if he’s technically a mad scientist but he’s clearly a diabolical mastermind, and much more competent and successful than any mad scientist that we’ve seen so far. Also she’s an android and this is mostly a comedy world, so why can’t she just overpower them?
Those goons have got her by the upper arm! That’s the secret weak point of all female protagonists.
Diabolical indeed. See how his hair makes little horns in panel 3?
And pretty much every strip since he revealed who he is.
The clever part? They were always there. We just couldn’t tell when he was wearing Ira’s hat.
The two (three, really) are not directly related. Mad scientist =/= evil genius =/= diabolical mastermind. Someone – for example, Lupin Madblood – can be all three, but being one of the three doesn’t necessarily mean you’re any of the others.
Mmm. Gonna have to disagree a bit – being a Mad Scientist in this universe DOES mean you’re a genius, with a very strong probability of being evil. So being that one does mean you’re at least half of one of the others.
As for diabolical masterminds, I’m curious. Ira’s easily been the most visible/powerful/competent one that is not explicitly Mad (or Product of Madness) in this universe. So I’m looking to him to indicate whether that level of diabolical mastermind definitively indicates latent Mad Genius in this universe, or if diabolical mastermind is truly an entirely independent variable.
A “probability of being evil”, yes. But as Helen pointed out at the Symposium, there are indeed non-evil Mad scientists.
For kinda creepy versions of Not Evil :).
We’re sort of in “exceptions that prove the rule” territory here. As yet we haven’t met any good ones, just ones that we like anyway. Every single one in both strip has been (affably) evil.
Being a Mad Scientist means being able to pervert the laws of nature. Remember: They consistently do things that are impossible like creating a clockwork AI. It has nothing to do with intelligence. If it was a DnD setting, Mad Scientists would be sorcerers, regardless of alignment. Evil Geniuses are intelligent, they would be evil Wizards. Diabolical Masterminds would be some kind of Wisdom based class, though not Clerics because they don’t have magical-ish powers, and not Druids because they’re not neutral.
You probably won’t read this but I think the last one would be warlock, I’m assuming a high level of charisma would be involved with being a mastermind.
Into the sea, you and me …
Wait, is that from all the way back in Big Bad Wolves? Yikes.
well, people kept asking for it to return, now it has
So will we get to see them all “cured”??
(Searching for popcorn to be ready)
Mr. Green may have just shot himself in the foot here, metaphorically. Without the madboys to keep St. Charlie running on her tracks, you have a fusion reactor moving at very high speeds with no-one at the controls. How much of the landscape can A-Sig afford to lose? Not to mention how do they get off a runaway train?
We don’t know if they still have a fusion reactor on board, do we? The victor device was traded to Skin Horse for a perpetual motion machine’s designs. Still, this being St Charlie, it’s true that their could be any number of nuclear-powered engines on board.
If they’re spraying St. Charlie with the Cure, won’t Ira and his Men in Black get sprayed, too?
I for one would be delighted if Mr. Green – not realizing he himself is Mad – got dosed with the Cure and permanently reverted to being Ira in truth!
Perhaps the only thing keeping that from happening is that it would make things too easy for Our Heroes! 🙂
I don’t know if Ira really is a mastermind – he’s ruthless and single-minded, and he employs smart people, as well as stealing the output of mad geniuses. I can’t see where he’s come up with anything that brilliant himself, though.
Skilled management and tactics is a power all it’s own. His possession of that combined with a vision makes him a mastermind by definition. 🙂
I realize what this is now. Mad science being cured, everyone going reality blind, all the non humans leaving. This is a story of how our world got this way, why it’s mundane. We already know the ending, don’t we?
Oh Dear Lord… You’re very likely right and that scares me!
Is it just me, or does anyone else find the very idea of werewolf gas to be profoundly disturbing?
Especially if they have gotten into the hummus.
The mad of St. Charlie are mad. The neutralization is bad. But with him monologuing, they’re in for a fogging. The Cure will affect them a tad.
Forced mental impairment or otherwise deliberately destroying people’s ability to think and create is something I find horrifying to the point of being a very mild trigger, so got to say, this whole thing is making me hate Ira even more than before. Good work, now set him on fire please.
So who wants to bet that because it’s a device mad by a mad scientist to disperse werewolf gas, it’s going to automagically trancombobulate the Cure gas into werewolf gas and turn the residents into mad furries instead of normals?