« Coffee tastes different with a half-numb tongue. | Main | I admit it. This is 2,100 words of sheer geek, distilled and set forth. »
Eric: All I know is, Sweetheart's allegedly Canadian but has never eaten Kraft Dinner or even *mentioned* Poutine. What kind of monster has science wrought?
(From Skin Horse. Click on the thumbnail for full sized skritchies!)
One thing I have yet to discuss directly here on the ol' blog is Skin Horse. Skin Horse, for those who don't know, is Shaenon Garrity's new six day a week webcomic (with bonus material of various sorts on Sundays), co-written by Jeffery Wells. While not technically a sequel to Garrity's most famous and celebrated work -- Narbonic, naturally -- Skin Horse is a thematic sequel. We're back into the world of mad science or mad occultry, ancient powers and worldwide conspiracies.
Only this time, it's the government. Project Skin Horse is an underfunded overworked government agency dedicated to serving America's nonhuman and transhuman citizens and residents. It's led by a sentient swarm of bees. Its receptionist is a spring powered steampunk era thinking machine who hasn't quite kept up on 'current events' like Theodore Roosevelt's death. Its field team consists of a crossdressing psychologist, a cheerful and psychotic science zombie, and a Canadian golden retriever. It has existential talking lions and adorable toddler cobras and front desk security men who get mindwiped several times a day, and is just plain fun.
Today's a good sample strip to get you going. See, Sweetheart (the golden retriever) finally got around to having her Rampage -- an important rite of passage for any godless abomination of science. Her ravage took the form of spilling a cup of coffee on someone's lawn, whereupon she was picked up by the humane society.
Then, a talking bear and a grunting panda in overcoats show up -- they're representatives of the Chimeric Anti-Defamation League. They're there to censure Sweetheart, who had been an upstanding member, for her wanted destruction, disregard for property, and setting back of human/chimeric relations.
Yes, over spilling the coffee.
Then, the zombie broke in with a pickaxe. The panda tore her arm off. She started to beat him with it. All the humane society animals were set free. You know. The way it happens. And finally, the fire department arrives. And of course, meet a talking bear in an overcoat. First, they panic, then....
Well, it's a talking bear. In a hat and an overcoat. Naturally, a fireman's thoughts, once he knows he won't be killed, turn to belly skritching.
To me, that's the essence of Skin Horse. There is overreaction, in part because the transgenic entities are generally all too human. Then the government steps in, and everything gets much worse. Finally, humanity succumbs to death or the cute -- and there is some issue as to which is considered more important.
It's good to have this Shaenon Garrity back, and Jeffrey Wells adds zest to the mix. While they sometimes go a bit... long with their storylines... the journey is a hell of a lot of fun.
Posted by Eric Burns-White at August 21, 2008 10:09 AM
Comments
Comment from: LurkerWithout ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.websnark.com/nav-commenters.gif)
posted at August 21, 2008 12:18 PM
You know, looking back, its quite possible the cobras were meant ENTIRELY FOR YOU.
I mean, "Long words scare me. Hug me!" C'mon, thats all about the Eric and his need for hugs from cobras...
Comment from: Channing posted at August 21, 2008 2:25 PM
Whee! I done been Snarked! This is so cool!
Comment from: Doug Wykstra posted at August 21, 2008 6:19 PM
Glad to see this finally get a mention; it's been deserving. Although you're right about the storylines being a bit too long. It's like Garrity and Channing have a bunch of good ideas, and can't bring themselves to cut some for the sake of expediency. Although now that I'm going through Narbonic from the start, rather than reading through the first five years in five days, that seems a little overlong in parts as well. Ah well, I guess this is just one of those comics, like Octopus Pie, that reads really well in book collections.
Comment from: Pseudowolf posted at August 21, 2008 11:50 PM
Eric, I don't know whether to thank you for letting me know of such a wonderful comic, or to curse you for getting me hooked on YET ANOTHER comic.
I mean Italian Silverfish and *Amish* Centipedes?!? Who could resist?
Comment from: Prodigal posted at August 22, 2008 1:18 AM
Huggable cobras, man. Wow.
Comment from: Chaomancer Omega posted at August 22, 2008 8:01 AM
You know, I don't recall if they said what breed Sweetheart is, but I'm thinking it's probably not golden retriever (at least, not purebred, and she certainly has a purebred name). Golden retrievers have floppy hound ears; Sweetheart's are of the pointed variety.
Admittedly, she's a genetically engineered dog, so I suppose it's possible her creator wanted pointy-eared golden retrievers for some reason... who am I to argue with mad science?
Comment from: Channing posted at August 22, 2008 8:32 AM
I know it's hard to tell with monochrome cartoons; Sweetheart is white, for the information of anyone who cares.
Comment from: Pseudowolf posted at August 22, 2008 10:15 AM
I always thought Sweetheart was a husky.
Comment from: miyaa posted at August 22, 2008 10:48 AM
Amish Termites I could understand. Not centipedes, though.
Comment from: miyaa posted at August 22, 2008 10:49 AM
Amish Termites I could understand. Not centipedes, though.
Comment from: Danalog posted at August 23, 2008 2:44 PM
How the hell did I manage to miss this comic's existence! I've been reading the commentaried Narbonics since that started, but apparently completely didn't notice this comic.
Even after four years, I still find new great comics here... somehow or other =P
Comment from: Robert Hutchinson posted at August 23, 2008 4:58 PM
While they sometimes go a bit... long with their storylines...
I'm so glad to know I wasn't alone on this. I love the strip to death, but the menagerie of mutants felt like it lasted about 2 years.
Comment from: Shaenon posted at August 24, 2008 3:43 PM
I think having two writers has lengthened the storylines because neither of us can bear to cut the other one's stuff. Although the basement storyline was mostly me trying to see how long I could keep the chain of mutants going before totally pissing off the readership.
Comment from: Dave Van Domelen posted at August 24, 2008 9:26 PM
http://www.dvandom.com/kitbash/skinhorseminis.JPG were made with extensive color consultation (translation: I kept bugging Shaenon and J. for references).
Comment from: gwalla posted at August 27, 2008 1:43 PM
s/wanted/wanton/, Eric
Also, Skin Horse rules. But I want more FunSmithson!
Comment from: gwalla posted at August 27, 2008 1:45 PM
dammit, where'd my strikethrough go?
Comment from: Paul A. posted at September 8, 2008 7:53 AM
For the record, it turns out Sweetheart is a "Samoyed mix".
Mixed with what, Garrity doesn't say. (And I for one am just as happy not knowing.)
Comment from: Paul A. posted at September 8, 2008 8:02 AM
For the record, it turns out that Sweetheart is a "Samoyed mix".
Mixed with what, Garrity doesn't say. (And I for one am just as happy not knowing.)
Comment from: 32_footsteps posted at September 8, 2008 9:21 AM
Well, that would explain the nature of the rampage. I used to own two Samoyeds. I've never seen a sweeter dog breed in my life. Their idea of rampage was to find a loaf of bread, tear it apart, and eat everything but the wrapping. It was like an incredibly lame use of hunting skills.
Post a comment
Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)
(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)
