Dr McNinja III: You Rad Bro?

[ThirdEmperor]

I think this here is an example of Blue and Orange morality. I don't think it even occurs to Radical that the fact he'll essentially kill millions of people might be a bad thing, because he doesn't understand bad as we do, only Rad and Not-Rad.

[Anteros]

Also, he's not exactly saving them, since they are (a) surviving well enough on their own, even if their universe is not as radical as it once was and (b) not necessarily happy to be summoned to Doc's reality, as shown by Ron's reaction to the news about bad pizza.

Edit: When was it stated that people from the radical lands are dying? Sparklelord has already been banished, and all I remember are vague allusions to his corruption spreading and the radical lands are becoming less radical, not that people are dying in droves or anything like that.

Literally one page ago in the comic. Also the page before that as well.

[Psychonaut]

Literally one page ago in the comic. Also the page before that as well.

Both refer to "the radical lands" as dying. That's not the same as the residents of the radical lands dying. If I say that extreme partisanship is killing the US, I do not mean that citizens in the US are dying as a result of extreme partisanship. (Though that probably is true.)

[Jayngfet]

And by doing nothing you're still murdering a large group of innocent people. The only difference is that one group of people is objectively better than the other. I would argue that your hands are soaked with blood either way. You're just as responsible for the life you could have saved, but chose not to as you are for the life you take in my opinion.

Can you tell me that if you were in Rad's place, and everyone you ever knew and loved was going to die, but that you could save them by eliminating a group of evil people, that you wouldn't at least consider it?

Rad is obviously still the antagonist here, but I don't view him as morally reprehensible. Well...actually I do think he is morally reprehensible...but not because he wants to save the people he loves at the expense of a bunch of "bad dudes".

This of course relies on the idea that everything radical could have done meant either doing it exactly as he has now, or not at all. He could have done things a whole lot differently to make it better or worse. It's just that the way he's actually doing it is kinda reprehensible.

I mean, he's shifting a whole world here. He'll probably wind up killing like 80% of the total population, and dragging the people he's saving into a world that doesn't exactly seem that much better.

[Anteros]

Both refer to "the radical lands" as dying. That's not the same as the residents of the radical lands dying. If I say that extreme partisanship is killing the US, I do not mean that citizens in the US are dying as a result of extreme partisanship. (Though that probably is true.)

Just because it's possible to say something similar in a non literal sense doesn't mean he is doing so. It's pretty clear that he's being literal when he says that the corruption from the war is killing their lands. At least I think so.

This of course relies on the idea that everything radical could have done meant either doing it exactly as he has now, or not at all. He could have done things a whole lot differently to make it better or worse. It's just that the way he's actually doing it is kinda reprehensible.

I mean, he's shifting a whole world here. He'll probably wind up killing like 80% of the total population, and dragging the people he's saving into a world that doesn't exactly seem that much better.

It does rely on that being the only option. Is that the case? Maybe not, but Rad seems to think so. This being a fictional story, he's probably wrong...but he doesn't have the benefit of that knowledge. I'm not saying that I agree with him or his goals...just that they aren't completely reprehensible. By no stretch of the imagination am I trying to imply that he's anything other than a terrible person though.

Come to think of it...who in this comic is not a terrible person? The only one I can think of who is genuinely good and altruistic is Chuck. Gordito, Dark Smoke Puncher, and Judy are all ok...but they also associate with, and support terrible people on a regular basis. Kinda funny that the best person in the comic is the politician.

[The Glyphstone]

It's worth noting that Chuck is also a awful politician. He got elected solely because he was an astronaut, and as far as we've seen has no actual leadership skills.

[Scowling Dragon]

But he actually managed to create a zombie defense network. Id still say good politician.

Also maybe the radical lands dying just means becoming "Less Rad".

An example of the "Horrors" of them dying it was said that Ron tasted a bad Pizza.

To be honest if my reality was destroyed over bad Pizza I would be pissed.

[Tebryn]

I don't see how making a zombie defense system is politics. It's good planning but nothing political about it.

[Coidzor]

I don't see how making a zombie defense system is politics. It's good planning but nothing political about it.

Anything can be made political. ANYTHING.

[Flickerdart]

Actually depends where his loyalties lie.

If hes a morally repugnant bastard, then he would prefer to save his reality be destroying this one.

Honestly, from what we've seen of Ron, it's pretty clear what his priorities are. Right now he's torn between the command of his king, and condemning not only himself but everyone rad that he knows to a lousy un-rad universe. He doesn't care about McNinja's universe at all except insofar as he wants to make sure no citizens of Radical Land have to live in it. If he decides to oppose Radical's plan, it won't be because of compassion (because compassion isn't cool) but rather because it will make his life suck more in the short run.

[smuchmuch]

Well you'd have to get in office in the first place (so election campaign) then stay in the seat long enough for it to be completed (so probaly re-elections), not to mention having to pitch to get the budget for the thing and facing down the national rain eating lobby and zombie rights associations.

[The Glyphstone]

He's an astronaut. It's a little-known secret that astronauts can get elected to any political office they want. So the election/re-election bits are taken care of...and we're discussing a man who could not turn on the zombie defense system because there was one elderly, shriveled zombie in his way, after coming from a future where zombies had overrun the entire world. I doubt he's got the spine to stand up to lobbyists anyways. The budget was probably small because it was all NASA surplus.

[Scowling Dragon]

Thats to do with his Zombaphobia. Hes a badass.

Id still prefer Chuck over most anybody else to be the mayor of my city.

[Anteros]

He's an astronaut. It's a little-known secret that astronauts can get elected to any political office they want. So the election/re-election bits are taken care of...and we're discussing a man who could not turn on the zombie defense system because there was one elderly, shriveled zombie in his way, after coming from a future where zombies had overrun the entire world. I doubt he's got the spine to stand up to lobbyists anyways. The budget was probably small because it was all NASA surplus.

He's also an astronaut time traveler. Considering that the other version of him did things like ride a dead dinosaur like a hang-glider, and leading an army of Paul Bunyuns against an army of dinosaurs, he probably can't be considered spineless. He's just not super human like everyone else in the Mcninja world is.

[Squark]

As I've interpreted his character, at least, Chuck was really, really hoping that after he solved the [whatever it is he needed to solve this time] problem, that he could then kick back and have a normal life, without the Zombie invasions, Radical Mobsters breaking into his home, averting Space Dinosaur takeovers of the planet, and the knowledge that this isn't going to stop any time soon is getting to him.

[Giggling Ghast]

I would note that tinkering with reality often results in destroying it.

[Radar]

As I've interpreted his character, at least, Chuck was really, really hoping that after he solved the [whatever it is he needed to solve this time] problem, that he could then kick back and have a normal life, without the Zombie invasions, Radical Mobsters breaking into his home, averting Space Dinosaur takeovers of the planet, and the knowledge that this isn't going to stop any time soon is getting to him.

So very much this. Add in the fact, that consecutive versions of Chuck keep coming to stop yet another world-scale disaster and whom do they ask for help?

I'm still curious, when will this happen if ever.

[Jimorian]

Boy, I'm sure glad our world isn't as lame as the one King Radical is talking about.

[dogmac]

Boy, I'm sure glad our world isn't as lame as the one King Radical is talking about.

Aah foolish Jimor,

You don't see the truth... It is obvious that Dr McNinja isn't ACTUALLY set on our world. It is set in a world somewhere between our world and the radical world. So, in short, our world IS the lame world he is talking about.

You have NEVER HAD GOOD PIZZA.

[Radar]

Aah foolish Jimor,

You don't see the truth... It is obvious that Dr McNinja isn't ACTUALLY set on our world. It is set in a world somewhere between our world and the radical world. So, in short, our world IS the lame world he is talking about.

You have NEVER HAD GOOD PIZZA.

Objection! I did have good pizza on quite a few occasions.

[Sigmund]

I'm going to go out on a limb here: for story-telling reasons, I believe King Radical's plot is going to succeed and some subsequent issue is going to explore the implications.

Why? Destroying the robot now would create a hollow victory, as the robot hasn't done anything "bad" enough yet, and we generally haven't seen enough negative results of King Radical's plans for Dr McNinja's spite to be vindicated. Yes, the pizza guys had a bad time, and Radical smushed some of his own scientists by accident, but that's not enough to make King Radical a true villain.

To make stopping Radical a satisfying conclusion, he has to harm someone the readers care about.

Franz Raynor had to kidnap Gordito, kill Franklin, and kill DrMcninja (once) before receiving his comeuppance. Dracula had to threaten to kill DrMcNinja, sic the ghost wizard on Smoke Puncher, and banish Franklin to the cosmos. The dinosaurs killed most everyone DrMcNinja cared about (in an alternate reality). All these events made McNinja's final victory a satisfying storytelling event.

I also think King Radical will survive and will learn from his failures. He is too developed a character to throw away, and his future version was a much more empathetic individual. I do NOT see this King Radical willing to sacrifice thirty years of his life to save the world - to save many of the common, un-rad people he'd be willing to wipe from existence in the present, I might add.

Yes, baseless speculation. But that means this comic was fun enough - despite its flaws - to encourage such speculation. Props to the author.

[Scowling Dragon]

I'm going to go out on a limb here: for story-telling reasons, I believe King Radical's plot is going to succeed and some subsequent issue is going to explore the implications.

Why? Destroying the robot now would create a hollow victory, as the robot hasn't done anything "bad" enough yet, and we generally haven't seen enough negative results of King Radical's plans for Dr McNinja's spite to be vindicated. Yes, the pizza guys had a bad time, and Radical smushed some of his own scientists by accident, but that's not enough to make King Radical a true villain.

To make stopping Radical a satisfying conclusion, he has to harm someone the readers care about.

Franz Raynor had to kidnap Gordito, kill Franklin, and kill DrMcninja (once) before receiving his comeuppance. Dracula had to threaten to kill DrMcNinja, sic the ghost wizard on Smoke Puncher, and banish Franklin to the cosmos. The dinosaurs killed most everyone DrMcNinja cared about (in an alternate reality). All these events made McNinja's final victory a satisfying storytelling event.

I also think King Radical will survive and will learn from his failures. He is too developed a character to throw away, and his future version was a much more empathetic individual. I do NOT see this King Radical willing to sacrifice thirty years of his life to save the world - to save many of the common, un-rad people he'd be willing to wipe from existence in the present, I might add.

Yes, baseless speculation. But that means this comic was fun enough - despite its flaws - to encourage such speculation. Props to the author.

No no no no no.

This is really good speculation based on the common rules of writing. This is something that I would prefer to happen.

[Giggling Ghast]

Objection! I did have good pizza on quite a few occasions.

The pizza was only good by mundane standards. Not Radical ones.

[Flickerdart]

Does the robot have any "do something" functionality? I can't imagine that a mecha made of houses would be especially mobile, and being composed of the only thing around doesn't leave much to shoot at.

[Squark]

Well... On the one hand, a mecha made of houses that didn't do anything would be significantly less rad than one that did. On the other hand, King Radical's plan was basically


1) Turn Cumberland into giant Battle-bot
2) World becomes infused with Radical Energies
3) Mission Accomplished


So, it kind of makes sense that the robot hasn't done anything yet. King Radical didn't consider that a whole lot more would be required to make the McNinja-verse sufficinetly rad.

[Giggling Ghast]

I guess that answers the question of whether Ron is on board with all this.

Perhaps Doc could get Old on his side by informing him of why he broke up with Hortense in the first place?

Does the robot have any "do something" functionality? I can't imagine that a mecha made of houses would be especially mobile, and being composed of the only thing around doesn't leave much to shoot at.

Keep in mind it's a giant robot powered by ghosts, and that soon it will have the Army to fight.

[Scowling Dragon]

This has me thinking of How horrible Old and Hortense are as people. Doc is nuts, but I think being a Doctor has done some good for the guy.

I mean, city mech is cool for the guys piloting it, but everybody else suffers.

I mean a Tank attack is going to have people dying inside their houses.

[NEO|Phyte]

So we know George Washington 2000 is out, do you think that Mount Crushmore got finished?

Spoiler

Show

[Mando Knight]

You don't see the truth... It is obvious that Dr McNinja isn't ACTUALLY set on our world. It is set in a world somewhere between our world and the radical world. So, in short, our world IS the lame world he is talking about.

Unless the even lamer world he's talking about isn't ours...

...It's Parson Gotti's.

The pizza was only good by mundane standards. Not Radical ones.

By the way, Radical pizza would BLOW YOUR MIND (emphasis necessary).

[Coidzor]

This has me thinking of How horrible Old and Hortense are as people. Doc is nuts, but I think being a Doctor has done some good for the guy.

Well, Old McNinja did turn on Radical when Doc told him about what he thought Radical's plan was.

And his expression when King Radical revealed his real plan was pretty darn conflicted.

So I wouldn't say he was exactly a horrible person.