#16

The inevitable escalation.

Of note is the fact that Jared claims sole authorship of this strip. I'm not saying it's true, but he claims it nonetheless. He was somewhat inebriated when we worked this out and made said assertion.

Also, I'm pleased to present a bonus color edition of a previous strip, brought to you by Jared's friend Jonah. Thanks, Jonah.

#15

Stay tuned to see what happens when the Nerd rage is unleashed.

There is something about the nerd rage that "normal" people can't begin to comprehend. Nerd rage isn't about being a nerd, not entirely. It's about standards and accuracy, too. Knowing the specifics of a fictional characters powers (or in this case, lack thereof) is very much like knowing the difference between good and well. Or lay and lie. Or effect and affect. This is one reason so many nerds are often grammar Nazis. For some nerds this is merely a way to feel smugly superior to an audience who views them as merely uppity. For others, it's valuable practice. After all, it pays for doctors and engineers to be both thorough and precise, and insist that those around them are too.

Of course, there is always an element of mind-blindness to the nerd rage to consider. Nerd's often have a hard time comprehending that others don't share their passion. It's a bit like devoting your life to dogs, and having someone tell you in a conversation about dogs that they think parakeets are overrated, but that they once had a very nice slipper, without ever realizing that they were no longer talking about dogs. It's doubly enraging when an explanation to the offending party explaining their mistake is dismissed as too technical or not especially important. This may or may not be true, but from inside the nerdzone, it looks an awful lot like willful ignorance regardless. And no one like willful ignorance.*

*Some groups tolerate willful ignorance. But I'm choosing to act as though they don't exist.

#14

This, friends, is the natural progression of a combination of stupidity, cowardice, and fair skin. Looks like Jared needs to man up. Also, we've got a big plans for the next strip: Introduction of a third character. We promise not to make her as awesome as we are, because that might be too much awesome. She'll be a little awesome though.

Now moving on to gingers, I think it's important to note that, despite our weaknesses, it should be widely known that we are of superior genetic stock. If you know gingers, be sure to suck up to them, because in the coming regime we will be worshiped as god's and lord over the lesser races.

~Cory

#13

Sorry for the slow update schedule. Doing this thing was much easier when we had more free time and were in the same state. We're going to keep plugging away at it as much as we can though. Also, we're trying something a little more ambitious with this and the coming strips. This is part one in a several part story arc. Will Cory and Jared become super heroes, or will they merely grieviously injure themselves trying. Who knows? I sure don't. Or maybe I do. But I'm not telling. So stay tuned.

Anyhow, I view today's comic as a parable about good science. Just because something seems likely to be untrue doesn't mean you can rule out the possibility until you've put it to a thorough empirical test. That's why on the third Tuesday of every month I perform my comprehensive "Have I manifested superpowers this month" self-diagnostic. Because if I have super powers, I damned well better know about it. Incidentally, it's also the reason I check my shoes for spiders before I put them on. Every time.

#12

I wish to suggest an alternate narrative to the simple story we all know. Link is a hero, yes. How many times has he saved the entire world? Many, and those are to be celebrated. But one fact remains fundamentally unchanged across adventures: Link is a not a good hero, and he has absolutely no idea. It's all well and dandy when he fights Gruedo pirates or Moblin raiders that are destroying the livelihoods of nearby communities. Then, on the cusp of their recovery, he'll go in and destroy their property and loot their carefully hidden fortunes. With Gorons, he'll gladly destroy every rock in the city hoping to find the gems trapped within, thus ensuring the eventual starvation of that race of noble giants. And let's face it, there was never any serious attempt to unfreeze Zora's domain.

There is something tragic about Link, above and beyond his eternal struggle, or his accidental unleashing of the very scenario he was trying to prevent. It's that he his without remorse for the things he has done. His constant quests to save the world suggest little more concern for random passerby than his enemies unless substantial reward is offered, and in that light, his quests become a combination of Nietzschian Will-To-Power and simple self preservation. When that Old Man on the beach suggested that it was dangerous to go alone, perhaps he was wiser than we ever realized. He spoke not only of the dangers the monsters prevented, but of deeper psychological dangers. Without legitimate and unconditional concern for the innocents, Link has lost perspective, and, in playing him, we have partaken in that descent into heroism turned amoral opportunism. Maybe we've been monsters all along.