Thank you thank you thank you THANK YOU for all the comments and help with the last commentary, guys! This is not stuff I’m familiar with and knowing about it makes me more smarter every day. I wish Blogger had a comment reply system so I could thank all of you without it looking weird. Special shouting out to Shawn for his continuing support 8D
Also, sorry for my lateness. Thursday was a mess, but hey, at least it’s still Friday!
Anyway, back on to Penny Arcade! When we last left our heroes, their existences revolved around playing video games, violently reacting to video games, and hating one another. Do I expect much different? No! But if they can keep being fresh with it and Mike and Jerry can still profit off the concept (which they clearly do) I am in no position to do too much complaining. Not that I will. The early strips are just hard to understand as always.
I will attempt to do as much research as I can, though. Wow, this opening seems pretty underwhelming compared to the last, but that’s really all that needs to be said. Click http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/1999/12/3/ and follow the magic “next” button to get the ball rolling!
101. So I DID attempt some research on this one, and found that the Quake series is produced by id Software. Why they would want to flood the homes of twentysomething gamers with gamma rays I do not know, but Tycho Knows Best™!
102. In many, many cases, Penny Arcade makes its distaste for a game very clear. Or else, the split between one man’s dislike for a game and one man’s tolerance for it. Perhaps Turok is like Kryptonite in that it only kills Tycho!
103. WHY DO I FEEL A SUDDEN AND ACUTE DESIRE TO BE BEST FRIENDS WITH A GUY WHO LOOKS LIKE THAT. MAYBE I’M CRAZY. Dunno what S.T.A.R.S. means but it does not sound friendly…maybe if Tycho was nice to me, Geoff would also be nice to me?
104. I have to say I giggled at Panel 1, where Gabe is making faces with that really ugly child…it’s so cute. Except that child is still pretty ugly. And yurp, abuse of stereotypes! I find myself wondering if Tycho knew all along it was the wrong line, and just wanted to screw with peoples’ minds. C:
105. Okay, #101 makes a lot more sense now – Gabe likes Quake, Tycho does not! If that is humour. The third panel, though, is undiluted awesome.
Gabe: So is God.
I think Tycho got told. OH SNAP
106. Huh, a double comic for #106! This one up top just seems a little too simple and game-based, unless I’m supposed to be laughing at this fellow’s retardation, which I will because it’s so unrealistic. And on the bottom, we see stronger evidence of their love for Tribes, which I hear is an older shooter. LOL at his longing for Romero. Did you know he cut his hair? It’s true.
107. Edutainment…I don’t hate the genre (actually as a seven or eight year old I was quite addicted to those Reader Rabbit games), just the high-and-mighty feel of the word. Also, WHY WOULD YOU LET TYCHO AND/OR GABE BABYSIT ANY CHILD WITHOUT ANY REAL AWARENESS OF WHAT THEYWOULD LET HIM PLAY? If you want that, awesome, if you don’t, NO.
108. Ah, early importation. OPEN IT, OPEN IT WITH YOUR TEETH. I LOL’D at that, especially with the contents. Considering how offers like that can fool someone, Gabe is very lucky he did not get worse. Or, you know, get his bank accounts drained.
109. Another double comic! One, is that really how muscle relaxants work? Probably not. Two, obvious parody of Unreal Tournament even though I have no idea how that works. Either that or it’s another Tycho is crazy comic!
110. Thresh? I’m sure Shawn’s going to beat me senseless for not knowing who he is…so let’s look him up. Apparently, Dennis “Thresh” Fong is a celebrity gamer who made a lot of chat clients. He is also not Gabe. Though Mike and Jerry are both now celebrity gamers, and probably more well known nowadays than Thresh. FORESHADOWING.
111. Haha…Y2K. You know, that thing that never happened when we were all kids? Ah, 1999.
Funnily enough, there is no comic for December 31, 1999, though there is a space for one. I wonder if Mike was too busy cowering in his basement 8D
112. HAPPY 2000, EVERYONE! Don’t you love how much our society has not collapsed from the Y2K bug in the last ten years? Anyway, ah, nerd love. Or rather, loving a nerd. Mention long words and you get lots of kisses. C: (Also, I find it a bit of a travesty that neither Tycho nor Gabe have glasses. Though Jerry, I believe, has glasses in real life.)
113. Huh, the girlfriends are in this story more than usual. Looks like Gabe’s dreams of being Tresh have been foiled once again. Though his dreams of being Gabe will be fulfilled in good time.
114. I kind of don’t get this comic. Making fun of the news? Most likely.
115. This game is a lot older than I thought it was! And yet it still remains both creepy and respected. But also a vehicle to make fun of Tycho! How lovely.
116. After reading this comic, the second thing I thought, right after “boys will be boys,” was “wait, why the hell is he reaching out in front of him?” I wonder if this actually was a project plan at some point – if it was, Gabe is lovingly showing us how it can be abused. Poor Kara.
117. CTHULU! Yep, it’s the hat. Totally the hat. I can’t tell if the game they’re promoting is one they like or not, but hey, IT’S CTHULU! I don’t even want to know what the black goat would be ͚̜̐̂͑͛ͦͪ͐̿H̞̰̭̮͚͔̱̯̀ͩͮ̿͂͆̿̀e̮̩̩̿̒̾͌̋ͪ ̡͉ͨ͊ͥͦ̍̀̀w̼̮̗̪̭̮ͭ̆ͣ̽h̪̘̲̦̹͔̙ͯ͠ȍ̳̞̻̥̦͈̻͔̩̄̍̍̚͟͢͠ ̱̳͓͔̥̤̐W̧͚͍̝̻̠̱͚̑ͅa̙̠ͮ̄ͣ̂ͤ̚̕͘ͅi̷̷̻͔̜̼̞͈̰̼ͪͯ̃̉̎̎͂͢t̸̖͖͇̂ͮͪ͒ͤ̃͞s̶̨͓͔̰̙̼̭͓͚͋͑̍ͬ̅ͤ̿ͮͅ ̖͚̯͊͋̎̄̈́ͨ͢ͅB̩͍̫̝̮̤̀͗ͧ̇ͫe͛h͋̊̿̔͋́͝҉̞̭͍̭ĭ̶̠͐ͨͨͦ̊̀ñ̶̔͛ͨ̔ͪ͟͏̬̠͇͈̬d̠̠̫̰̱̳̼̑ͦͮ́͑͢͡ ̢̟͚͚̖̎ͮ̆̔͘T̡̩͍̿͊h̐ͨͮͤ͐͌҉͏͏̬̗͓̭̬͙̬e̸̮̝̥̩͇̰̱̦̒͑̑̉̌̾̔ͮ ̨̝̬̳̘̲͙̹͑͋̾̅͘͢W̠̲͓̫̺̟̲̱ͩͩ̀͡á̫͙̬̳̹̽̒̽ͤͫ͂̊͢͞l̶̋̏ͮ̆͏̩̥̜̺͚̝l̻̙̫͎̦ͭ.̵̡̆́͏͉̻̥͇̠̳
118. Uh oh, why the sudden JPEG fragmentation? This is not a very promising sign, this is 2000, comic makers! This reminds me of Airplane! except not as cheesy. And there’s only one joke. 8P
I only have one thing to say to Gabe. I just wanted to tell you good luck, we’re all counting on you. *closes door*
119. Maybe I would understand this more if I knew who these two guys were. Is the third guy from the left Chuck? We haven’t seen him in a while…nah, too little Apple paraphernalia. And LOL, the days of registering domain names. That’s so January 2000. (It’s weird. When these guys were playing these games, I was almost seven and my youngest sister wasn’t even conceived.)
120. Disclaimer: Something Webcomic Related was not paid to review a comic that greatly promotes Snickers. Though I will admit Snickers are awesome. Whoo, these boys are getting intense! Panel 2 seems passable, Panel 3, not so much. Wait, kill as in kill? D8
121. DIAL-UP, IT IS A DISEASE. My very first Internet connection, when I discovered the internet at age six, was dial-up. Oh do I remember it well. My mom wouldn’t let me use it. But I used it anyway. C:
122. I think if Answertrons actually did talk this way to me, I’d trust them a whole lot more. Because they’d be honest fellows then. And also ridiculously smart robots and that would be super awesome. (It would be awesome if computers were intelligent but also nice.)
He’s right, you know.
123. I don’t understand what Tycho said either! Thanks, Gabe! And I suppose the hate-mail is from people who are Linux/opensource nerds? Which I suppose Tycho and Gabe are not? How wonderfully obvs.
124. Panel 1 is probably the funniest thing I’ve read in about ten comics. Introverted AND socially inept! 8D Thing is, though, I don’t get the rest of the comic. I did look it up, and Graeme Devine is a game designer, but whatever he did to piss these two off is lost to history…
125. D8!! *gives Zombie Boy a hug* As much as I love the zombie survival genre, this zombie I have to make an exception for…
126. I think I vaguely remember this. This reminds me of what would happen in 8-Bit Theater with that other guy. If you’ve read it you know what I’m saying, if not I’m not going to spoil it. Anyway, yep. Bona fide criminal thar. Because Penny Arcade told us he is.
127. All three of these panels seem like they could stand alone perfectly well. How very odd. And once again, potshots at a particular company without any other humor. I hope they get creative soon. Because trust me, they do! Really!
128. Woah! Is it just me, or did the art improve? Also, whatever Duke Nukem info Gabe got, it probably isn’t current anymore. xD Also, this comic cements it. Gabe is a shameless exhibitionist.
129. UUUUUHHHHH. For the record, I had no idea this comic was coming next. xD That’s a PSOne, right? Either way, this Kara is very possessive. Stay calm, Kara…just keep thinking of comic #19…
130. Am I supposed to get what’s going on here? Because other than “turn-of-the-century anime” I do not.
131. I have to admit, what Tycho says is not a promising way to start conversations, but that is a pretty neat question! It’d be like mind-reading, except for EVERYONE. Ohman, I can name at least five people I do not want reading my thoughts when I’m looking at them. Also, why does Romero look like a dork in those pics? He looked good on Wikipedia…
Ah, the old days when PA used actual pictures when they were beyond its drawing capacities.
132. I don’t really get what’s going on here either but RADIOACTIVE SCORPIONS HOW AWESOME IS THAT
133. How many John Gabriels does it take to change a lightbulb? One, but he’ll die in the process. Is it appropriate to giggle? (Also, black widows are a horrible fear of mine. Good thing the symptoms of a bite are fairly obvious…)
134. Ugh! These guys look sadly awful when drawn from the front. D8 Also, it’s an ADMITTEDLY rare couch comic! And Tycho, dear, it’s called Crazy Taxi. I don’t know if that’s a game where you want to be predictable.
135. I can’t tell how much of this comic is sarcastic. I’m going to take a stab in the dark and say none of it is.
136. Everyone knows that everyone’s a critic, but this puts it in perspective.
137. Yeah, Tycho still looks bad from the front. Why would a bad episode of X-Files drive someone to suicide? I’d like the details. Panel 2 is sweet. Then Panel 3 defects back to the average hatred.
138. I think this one was only made because Tycho or Gabe was either really out of inspiration, really hungry, or really wanted to make this joke. Good thing it works, then! 8D
139. Even though this comic was made nine years before the beauty that is Plants vs. Zombies, this thing looks like the plant and the zombie all rolled into one! Despite it ate Gabe, it’s AWESOMESAUCE! I’m going to call it Kevin.
140. DAMN YOU, PENNY ARCADE! NOW I’M AFRAID OF WAFFLES. But strangely not dogs. Make Shit-ade, huh? Seems witter than anything C:
141. What, what’s the problem? It came out the right door.
142. They had those ads back in 2000, too? Neat! Also, the third panel is probably the funniest thing I have seen in the comic thus far. That’s not sarcasm or anything mean like that. It really is.
143. Why are these kids all done up like this in March? I seem to remember they’re in Seattle, that might be why. Hah, their girlfriends have thrice the balls they do. I dunno, though…them rabbits can murder a man.
144. For some reason I find myself thinking of that one fluffy Diablo 3 picture. I don’t know why Tycho and Gabe hang out with each other, they clearly despise one another. Maybe they’re each secretly attracted to each other and just don’t want to admit it.
145. OOH, DEM MUSCLES. Street Fighter? Panel 3, lol. The girlfriends are right on it. Is it just me or are they showing up a lot more now? To my knowledge they aren’t in it THIS much later in.
146. “This X-Box thing”? Shawn would be disappoint.
Tycho: If it had a toaster, I would just sell the rest of my stuff.
I kind of want to use this line someday.
147. Joke: Dave Grossman is disliked. Moving on…
148. Yeah, neither the title nor Tycho’s fake summary make any sense except as an attempt to pander to Brenna. Also, the copy-paste is very obvious here. I’m really happy it’s done away with in later strips.
149. This is what is known as Mike Didn’t Want To Draw Shit Day! Though I must admit, playing Yume Nikki in the dark is the FREAKIEST thing you will ever do. Hands down.
150. Huh, extreme and temporary art change! Is this a guest comic or just an experiment? Either way, it’s HILARIOUS! I don’t know who the clown is and only have half an idea about Ultraman, but I love the dynamic.
151. Funnily enough, I smell barbecue right now. Boys will be boys, and Gabe will hate Tycho.
152. I don’t know who this guy is, but he has a good point! Frankly I’m surprised these boys still know what life is. Or that they were even able to go to a rave earlier in the comic.
153. You know, Gabe, Metroid: Other M just came out. You need not protest any longer! But I must say I like this one. Tycho actually LIKES him in it!
154. A STORY ARC? I don’t think there’s been a single Penny Arcade yet that’s had a plot last longer than a strip! What a novel concept, Gabe and Tycho! What will happen to Miyamoto-san? Will Tycho ever take Gabe seriously? Find out next on The Metroid Saga!
155. And then I guess this is the end. Fortunately Miyamoto-san does not appear to be adversely affected. If he was the world would burn, Gabe.
156. I didn’t understand this. So I looked up UFmedia, and found that the domain name was for sale. So it looks like Tycho’s tennis racket and Gabe’s golf club got the job done, kids!
157. You know what, Kara’s logic is VERY valid! Actually, all of this logic is. I really, really love this comic. It’s so cute. I wouldn’t be able to stay mad at Gabe…
158. I don’t understand this comic, but I do know that I like that latter option a little more.
159. ...Tycho has a shrine to John Romero?
…
…
*falls down in a massive giggle fit*
160. *still in a massive giggle fit*
Rome- rome- PFFHAHAHAHA
161. I suppose if Gabe couldn’t leave Tycho a snake, he had to kill him some other way. Poor Tycho. His love for John Romero will never be requited. D8
Man I want to make a love lair to someone and have it not be creepy…
162. Huh, Tycho’s looking a little better face-forward! Too Damn Late…that’s a funny name for a late night talk show. BRUCE CAMPBELL? I know a lot of people love him, never seen his movies, but oh dear. Also neat about this one is that almost everyone is a different drawing each time.
163. Oh, is that what a Conker is? I know The Mighty Poo song, but nothing else much about the game. The only thing I think I know is that making him “more accessible” is something of a fallacy.
164. …do they really? Somehow now I’m happy that the only males in my house are my dad and my dog…
165. Oh man, the girlfriends are great! But also totally unable to understand their boyfriends. Clothes? Those are those things you wear and then wash once a week, right?
166. Seeing as it’s May, must be time for E3 once more! Ah, look at those boats they have for computers! No comment about the sex thing. On to the sketch…wow, them’s a lot of hats. I hope it’s the Cat in the Hat.
167. Looks like the boys like Metal Gear Solid 2! But are they gawking at the game or at Solid Snake? 8P It doesn’t look like they have the same sentiment for…Dukes of Hazzard 2? The hell?
168. Uuuuhhhhhh. You can’t have so many nerds in one place, can you…
169. Considering one of the six colleges I might want to go to are in Canada I have to respect these guys. CANADA IS AWESOME. TYCHO AND GABE HAVE STOLEN FROM CANADA AND MUST BE PUNISHED.
170. This isn’t real, is it?
It can’t be. Really, no. I won’t say pass me the Kool-Aid, but do at least hit me with this wet noodle.
171. I can get the thing about Sony, even if the material is outdated! I mean, people NOT liking the PS2? That’s a mite old! Still, I seem to recall Sony making their own support…
172. Huh, is it just me, or did the art improve a little again? They’re looking a little more…elongated. And football? That’s the one with the black and white ball, girls. You’re playing handegg.
173. Wait, is this the one that Megatokyo got that one joke for that one strip from? Even still I’m on the floor laughing. It’s just the serious way he says it. I’m really, really sorry, people who respect mature jokes.
174. I don’t know who Looking Glass was, but a) huh, their room’s looking a little more complex and b) I WANT A WALRUS TOO, GABE. WHY ARE YOU BEING SO GREEDY. YOU’VE GOT SPIDERMAN AND A WALRUS, AND I WANT ONE OR THE OTHER.
175. Moral: Blair Witch Project’s art sucks. Am I right? Am I right? Very likely!
176. …they sell guns at K-mart?
THEY SELL GUNS AT K-MART?
Cannot comment on rest of comic. Mind blown.
177. Call it a hunch, but I don’t think the PA boys liked Sony in 2000.
178. Zerg? Evil Emperor Zurg, sworn enemy of the Galactic Alliance? (Yes I have that line memorized~) One woman’s monster is another man’s treasure, it would appear.
179. The first two comics tell us to check the news post. Unfortunately, whatever news posts there were before 2002 (and I’m fairly sure there were news posts before 2002, considering Megatokyo’s popularity came from a Penny Arcade link) have been wiped. So let’s look at Parts 3-5. For Part 3, I have never seen that machine! I suppose then that I am not funny! Part 4, eh? Part 5, all of this, I can attest, is absolutely correct.
180. Awwwww, Gabe’s Dreamcast died. *hug* To be fair, this is about when the PS2 came out and the Dreamcast fundamentally died anyway. And I think this is the first time we see Div drinking. I doubt he’s drawn a sober breath since.
181. $55? Were those games really that expensive? I think I got my hands on TF2 for $10 when it was on sale…and forget it, Tycho. Plans involving gerbils ALWAYS win. Just ask Beast Boy!
182. Oh Gabe, you tosser. Or rather, oh, pronunciation rules, you tossers. I liked Panel 2 for some reason I can’t fathom.
183. I like how one of the Bungie boys is wearing a Penny Arcade sweater. It’s like PA is telling the future in a jerkish manner. :P Oh, Microsoft. They do not appear to be liked, either. Does PA like anyone?
184. OH! Bungie made Halo! (As the lovely Ben told me, it was just a trailer at this point, but came out in 2001. That sounds about right.) I want to say Panel 2 to someone in jest. Poor Chuck. Poor Mac users. I feel like I pity too many people sarcastically.
185. Oh, finally! After only two appearances, I guess they wanted to make a recurring character of Chuck, but didn’t like his original design. Is it a potshot at Mac users still, or…I don’t even know. Anyway, meet Charles! That becomes a bit of a catchphrase for him, somewhat.
186. I kind of don’t understand the context of this comic, or even really who Dr. Dre is (a rapper, right?) but I can see that neither Tycho nor Jerry take them very seriously at all. Especially not Eminem. 83
187. Huh, another story arc! And still the boys are becoming elongated and simpler in design as Mike’s art evolves. Anyway, time to like things, hate things, and go hate some more things!
188. Tycho’s got some non-sequitors going thar! Still, I have to love those odd things on the elevator sign. And, oh my. Looks like you’re either going to have to sleep with each other or eat each other.
189. I remember when I first read this one – I think I was probably on the floor laughing for a bit. Now I’m not doing that, but that might be because I’m in class. HOLY POP CULTURE REFERENCE, BATMAN! I think you’re going to have some more luck talking to the guy who doesn’t have his head in his ass. But, watch out. His neck’s starting to bend.
190. Awww, that’s so cute. I find that there are many extremes in PA’s opinions about stuff. If they hate a company, they want to kill it. If they love a company, they want to take it out to dinner and stammer sweet-nothings to it while looking to the side.
191. Oh man, I hope the tech guys at my school cannot see what I am seeing on my Internet. Because this is BAAAD. But also hilarious.
192. For some reason, the only thing I can think of here is video game hypnosis; that he’s gotten so lost in the game that he can’t comprehend anything else. Even the existence of deadly giant squid. OR Gabe knows about the squid and he’s shitting him. Oh comics with predictable plots.
193. Penny Arcade is not, as far as I know, actually owned by Sony. Maybe they were buying a lot of companies they liked and they were not happy. AIBO! I remember those! They were supposed to be the next big thing and then they weren’t.
194. If this actually is real (and I don’t doubt it is) the boys know one thing – if there’s one place where there will be directions to these kinds of games, it will be Indiana. I wonder if Brenna and Kara know where they’re going…
195. This “Red and Blue” becomes a bit of a recurring plot in Penny Arcade. I don’t know if it’s a takeoff on a specific game or just games with Red and Blue teams, but, HAH, is this EVER awkward. Though slightly offensive to female social circles. They did, for instance, forget to mention that these two women hate each other.
196. I wonder, now in their thirties with at least two kids each, if Mike and Jerry ever think to make these kinds of jokes anymore. Of course they do what am I saying? Panel 3 is beautiful, by the way.
Also, is it just me or is this the first time that Tycho’s head starts to go into it’s iconic shape? I think it is!
197. I REMEMBER THESE COMMERCIALS. By the way, I completely believe Tycho. Also, aren’t these comics where there are no video games required to understand them awesome?
198. Can’t really understand this because I don’t know what that is. So I shall join Gabe in laughing at Garfield.
199. You know what, I don’t think they liked this game.
200. Even before it loads, that title has my eyebrow raised. LOL, PINK TUTU. Again, I am jealous of Gabe’s drawing board. Like super amounts of jealousy here.
And there you have it, 100 more strips of Penny Arcade! The art’s improved by leaps and bounds, the jokes are improving slowly but surely, and the comic’s popularity is taking off. I hope you enjoyed my naïve nonknowledge of their subject matter, and that you forgive me for posting this far later than usual.
Once again, donate to Child’s Play because it is a super lovely and awesome thing to do. Then, if you have any money left, check out some quality merchandise! There are of course the books, but if you look even more closely you will find a Child’s Play tee, a tee of the Konami Code, a Heartris tee, and two of those three in women’s sizes. Finally, there is a poster that explains my predicament perfectly.
Next week, it’s back to Gunnerkrigg Court to finish out Year 7! I hope you all are wonderfully addicted to that comic as I really want to have Gunnerkrigg parties with everyone in the world.
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