It’s not, though. For the main (ish) cast, Unity is a neutral version of Mell, Tip is more or less the Artie/idealist badass/hot guy, and Nick is the closest version of Dave (of course, Dave is the main protagonist of Narbonic whereas Tip is the main protag of SH, but you can’t have anything). This would slot Sweetheart into the Helen Beta role…which isn’t actually unreasonable, since Sweetheart is the leader, but in many ways Dr Lee is a better Helen equivalent (otoh, Gavotte is totally the Helen Prime equiv).
the buzzing adds a nice ominousness touch, but of course it only work if you harbor dark and fearsome secrets, beyond human ken. I think that sapient bee swarm would by definition 🙂
Tip is a partial mirror to Dave — glamorous and badass, compared to schlubby Dave, but Nick has the nerdiness. Really, I can’t make any simple mirror or correspondence work. Which is at it should be, or SH would just be Narbonic 2, instead of Narbonic: the Next Generation. 🙂
I was just reminded of Narbonic by the “send the member of the team with a different morality out to fight the abomination whilst the ‘core’ of the group cowers in fear of the monster, with a tad of fear for the member fighting it” situation. I never said the whole comic was a copy, just that this particular strip reads similarly.
Lessee… UNITY’s hardcore Chaotic Neutral; Sweetheart’s Lawful Good; Artie’s probably a Neutral Good, possible ‘true neutral’ leaning; Nick is ostensibly Chaotic Good; Tip is Neutral Good; and Lee is Lawful Evil on a technicality. I think.
Honestly, I might call Sweetheart Lawful Neutral — she certainly seems concerned about upholding the rule of order over the common good (see: vulnerability to bureaucracy, ideas about sacrificing Tigerlily to the Machine Union, etc., etc.)
(TUNE: “Bad To The Bone”, George Thorogood & The Destroyers)
I remember you, Venus …
You tossed me in a ditch!
There’s history between us,
And payback’s a bitch!
Yeah, now, it’s high time
To make you scream ‘n’ moan!
Because now, it’s my time
To reap what you’ve sown!
[CHORUS:]
Reap what you’ve sown!
Reap what you’ve sown!
R-r-r-r-r-reap …
R-r-r-r-r-reap …
R-r-r-r-r-reap …
Reap what you’ve sown!
Tip’s asking us, “We still
Are the good guys, right?”
Lee’s technically evil …
(But, really, not quite)
And I’m your attacker!
Just like a cyclone,
Or a souped-up weed-whacker!
I’ll reap what you’ve sown! [repeat CHORUS]
I see Dr Lee as being variable-alignment in a curiously consistent way. She’s done terrible things while obeying orders. She’s done good things while defying her own deeply felt moral instinct to be loyal and obedient to authority. But the orders she was given allowed her to follow her curiosity and creativity without thought for morality, which is kind of chaotic.
(I really do think Dr Lee is a great study in how scientists can and do end up in very murky waters, less from malice than from a kind of lethal innocence.)
Ah. I see UNITY is *not* of the super-intelligent-therefore-enlightened-therefore-pacifist type. That’s… good to know. (And makes sense, given her source material. I wanted to say genetic heritage, but I’m not sure that applies.)
Tip, you’re part of a bureaucracy. By definition, best-case scenario, you’re not good. Occasionally good occurs because of your acts, but that doesn’t make you one of the angels. The most you can hope for is to be one of the modrons.
(I invite all jokes regarding Nick being halfway there already.)
Oh, they’re the good guys all right – the same way Pinky and the Brain were…
Well, they’ve got plenty of insane. But which one is the genius?
That varies.
Well, Tip! *You* in particular are the good guy. I’m not sure that Helen would agree about Artie not being evil. ^_^
Sure she would, she recognized that his good is just as destructive as her evil!
This reads like a morality-reversed Narbonic. In this analogy, Unity is the evil equivalent of Artie.
It’s not, though. For the main (ish) cast, Unity is a neutral version of Mell, Tip is more or less the Artie/idealist badass/hot guy, and Nick is the closest version of Dave (of course, Dave is the main protagonist of Narbonic whereas Tip is the main protag of SH, but you can’t have anything). This would slot Sweetheart into the Helen Beta role…which isn’t actually unreasonable, since Sweetheart is the leader, but in many ways Dr Lee is a better Helen equivalent (otoh, Gavotte is totally the Helen Prime equiv).
Heh (buzz) heh (buzz) heh (buzz)
the buzzing adds a nice ominousness touch, but of course it only work if you harbor dark and fearsome secrets, beyond human ken. I think that sapient bee swarm would by definition 🙂
Tip is a partial mirror to Dave — glamorous and badass, compared to schlubby Dave, but Nick has the nerdiness. Really, I can’t make any simple mirror or correspondence work. Which is at it should be, or SH would just be Narbonic 2, instead of Narbonic: the Next Generation. 🙂
Eh, I dunno… sounds kinda forced. Is it unthinkable to accept the possibility that this is a different comic and not a rehash of a previous one?
I was just reminded of Narbonic by the “send the member of the team with a different morality out to fight the abomination whilst the ‘core’ of the group cowers in fear of the monster, with a tad of fear for the member fighting it” situation. I never said the whole comic was a copy, just that this particular strip reads similarly.
Lessee… UNITY’s hardcore Chaotic Neutral; Sweetheart’s Lawful Good; Artie’s probably a Neutral Good, possible ‘true neutral’ leaning; Nick is ostensibly Chaotic Good; Tip is Neutral Good; and Lee is Lawful Evil on a technicality. I think.
Honestly, I might call Sweetheart Lawful Neutral — she certainly seems concerned about upholding the rule of order over the common good (see: vulnerability to bureaucracy, ideas about sacrificing Tigerlily to the Machine Union, etc., etc.)
I wonder if the swamp has its own weather underground.
(TUNE: “Bad To The Bone”, George Thorogood & The Destroyers)
I remember you, Venus …
You tossed me in a ditch!
There’s history between us,
And payback’s a bitch!
Yeah, now, it’s high time
To make you scream ‘n’ moan!
Because now, it’s my time
To reap what you’ve sown!
[CHORUS:]
Reap what you’ve sown!
Reap what you’ve sown!
R-r-r-r-r-reap …
R-r-r-r-r-reap …
R-r-r-r-r-reap …
Reap what you’ve sown!
Tip’s asking us, “We still
Are the good guys, right?”
Lee’s technically evil …
(But, really, not quite)
And I’m your attacker!
Just like a cyclone,
Or a souped-up weed-whacker!
I’ll reap what you’ve sown!
[repeat CHORUS]
someday I will go back and copy down all of these and make covers of them.
Did she make agent orange grenades?
Knowing Unity, she probably used actual oranges…
Oh my God, UNITY is so noir here. Her dialog is *perfect*.
There was a swamp in New Orleans
To Colma it did come
Its eating zombies underground
All except for one
My buddy she’s a zombie there
And now she’s eaten brains
She learned the trick of getting smart
Riding on a train.
With one hand on the hand grenade
She’ll soon start dealing pain
The swamp will flee to New Orleans
When its feeling drained
There was a swamp in New Orleans
To Colma it did come
Its eating zombies underground
All except for one
It’s beautiful!
last panel would make such an awesome t-shirt!
I’d like that on the back, and UNITY with a rake on the front.
Smart and deadly.
She just looks so cool here…. 🙂
Solid point, Ginny.
Dr. Lee is currently neutral. She works for A-Sig for a paycheck, but she’s willing to betray them in the name of the greater good.
Dr. Lee is neutral chaotic.
I see Dr Lee as being variable-alignment in a curiously consistent way. She’s done terrible things while obeying orders. She’s done good things while defying her own deeply felt moral instinct to be loyal and obedient to authority. But the orders she was given allowed her to follow her curiosity and creativity without thought for morality, which is kind of chaotic.
(I really do think Dr Lee is a great study in how scientists can and do end up in very murky waters, less from malice than from a kind of lethal innocence.)
What you’re describing is a good leaning Lawful Neutral
Ah. I see UNITY is *not* of the super-intelligent-therefore-enlightened-therefore-pacifist type. That’s… good to know. (And makes sense, given her source material. I wanted to say genetic heritage, but I’m not sure that applies.)
Tip, you’re part of a bureaucracy. By definition, best-case scenario, you’re not good. Occasionally good occurs because of your acts, but that doesn’t make you one of the angels. The most you can hope for is to be one of the modrons.
(I invite all jokes regarding Nick being halfway there already.)
Nick is not some FUNKING glorified dice bag.
Oh, I’m sure he has some 20-sided dice rolling around the cabin somewhere.
I keep copies of them all, just ask. 🙂
Dangit, why don’t these things indent properly? That was intended for TuiteyFruity.
Well actually Tip, you did just confirm in your last misadventure that you *aren’t* the good guys…