Dr McNinja III: You Rad Bro?

[ObadiahtheSlim]

Well that was short and anti-climatic. I think Dr. Hastings is trying to pull something on us.

[Tectonic Robot]

Well, that storyline ended a touch abruptly!

[The Glyphstone]

Yeah. I'm not buying it until we see McNinja's Final Thoughts.

[Giggling Ghast]

That did end rather anti-climatically, but to borrow Hastings' own parlance, I suspect he just told us that story so he could tell us another one. After all, we don't know who targeted the President with the killing pheromones (IT WAS TOTES RAYNER YOU GUYZ).

[The Glyphstone]

I think the problem is less the anticlimax, and more the short length. We've gotten spoiled by 50+ page story arcs, this one just feels over too quickly.

[Nerd-o-rama]

I think it's an intentional effort to scale back the story and take a breather after the last couple of massive epics. Subverting the idea of serial escalation, taking a break, that sort of thing.

We were given something that sounded like a huge, important conflict that got resolved straight off with very little fanfare, just to make it different from previous breather episodes that were things like Judy and Yoshi fighting over a kitten.

[Flickerdart]

We were given something that sounded like a huge, important conflict

It didn't really - the Doc wasn't worried about it even a little bit, and it was always presented as a "get serum, break into a relatively small building, deliver serum" mission.

[The Glyphstone]

It didn't really - the Doc wasn't worried about it even a little bit, and it was always presented as a "get serum, break into a relatively small building, deliver serum" mission.

Maybe not to Doc, but considering we'd just met the President in All The King's Dirtbikes and thoroughly established her badass credentials, having her in trouble and needing the Doc's help (plus the obvious DragonNinja reference) led the reader to believe this was a serious issue.

[Duck999]

Maybe it was a science experiment gone wrong or a magical spell, and he was turned to a child. Hastings is just trying to fool us. This isn't the end!

[Giggling Ghast]

Or maybe the "McNinja child" arc is also short, so Hastings decided to throw together the Presidential assassination story to fill out a book.

[banthesun]

Maybe it was a science experiment gone wrong or a magical spell, and he was turned to a child. Hastings is just trying to fool us. This isn't the end!

The real question is, was that joke inspired by this comic of Anthony's or was it the other way round?

[Radar]

Or maybe we will get to know the deal with the wizard and doctor's name mentioned quite a few times?

[Kornaki]

It didn't really - the Doc wasn't worried about it even a little bit, and it was always presented as a "get serum, break into a relatively small building, deliver serum" mission.

Even the titular character complained in-story about how abruptly it ended.

[ObadiahtheSlim]

Perhaps the Doc never go out of the Negazone. He's still trapped and needs to get out.

[Kornaki]

Perhaps the Doc never go out of the Negazone. He's still trapped and needs to get out.

I'm a fan. I still think the last 880 strips of OOTS have been in an illusion.

[Dienekes]

I'm a fan. I still think the last 880 strips of OOTS have been in an illusion.

You thought Belkar needing to go to the bathroom caused an illusion that spanned several continents?

[Anteros]

I think it was basically something to prevent us from moving immediately from one flashback arc to another. It also potentially sets up future arcs and also reestablishes the presence of a Chuck. I have no problem with this arc as long as something eventually comes from it. Hastings has earned the benefit of the doubt from me.

[GAAD]

You thought Belkar needing to go to the bathroom caused an illusion that spanned several continents?

That is AWESOME.

[Duck999]

I think it was basically something to prevent us from moving immediately from one flashback arc to another. It also potentially sets up future arcs and also reestablishes the presence of a Chuck. I have no problem with this arc as long as something eventually comes from it. Hastings has earned the benefit of the doubt from me.

The arc may have been to establish the president as an established character. If the next arc is a flashback arc, then establishing the presence of Chuck in the present isn't doing anything.

[Kornaki]

You thought Belkar needing to go to the bathroom caused an illusion that spanned several continents?

I was guesstimating; the runes in this comic
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0094.html

are clearly the same purple illusion runes as we see in Girard's gate. Everything after that panel is an illusion.

[Duck999]

Well, I was expecting the end of the strip to be a little different, but along the same lines. As soon as he was told to get armed, I immediately thought "it's not a real threat".

[The Glyphstone]

Well, I was expecting the end of the strip to be a little different, but along the same lines. As soon as he was told to get armed, I immediately thought "it's not a real threat".

Depends on which side of the family Grandpa is from. Remember that Mitzi would try to murder Doc and Sean every day when they came home from school, just to keep them sharp and trained. She got that from somewhere, so if this is Doc's maternal grandfather, I'm expecting an outright sociopath, augmented by the incredibly badass mustache/beard that all old men inevitably produce.

[Kornaki]

I agree, Dan and Mitzi wouldn't be freaking out like this if there wasn't actual danger of some sort.

[Squark]

I don't know, it'd fit for either side of the family, honestly. Although if I recall correctly Mitzi was self-taught, so I'm leaning toward Granpa Mcninja, myself.

EDIT: Mitzi has no family, actually.

[The Glyphstone]

Well, jury is out on the sociopath bit, but I totally called the Beard of Badass.

[Kornaki]

I think there's a non-zero chance that he's just a sweet old guy and Dan is simply a total psychopath all on his own. Remember, he's been our sole source of information as to what the "McNinja" way is (everyone else is telling it second hand from Dan).

[tonberrian]

Doc what did you do.

[The Glyphstone]

Got hit with Grandpa's Eye Stare, it seems.

[Duck999]

I feel like maybe they all hate him, and actually try to kill him. Maybe he just wants to visit with his wonderful grandchildren. Who knows?

[Anteros]

Remember, this is the family where Mcninja's mom tries to kill him every time he visits and enters the cave. Trying to kill each other is how they bond.