Pun translations

[CrossP]

Many of the characters in the preview seem to have jokes built into their names. I imagine this trend will continue into the comic as well. I figured we could make a thread for spotting them.

So far I have...

Jillian Zamussels - Jillions of muscles

Prince Ansom - Prince handsome

Wanda Firebaugh - Wanna fireball

Has anyone else picked up any more of these?

[EdgarVerona]

Manpower the Temporary was a HILLARIOUS reference!

(For those who don't know, Manpower is one of the largest Temp Agencies in the U.S. It was utterly appropriate and I almost fell out of my chair when I realized the reference =) )

[Death, your friend the Reaper]

There was a easy reference to msn or a instant messaging with the book there, a reference to the singer Elvis at the beginning, a dwagon is like a dragon but with a little spelling mistake. Most likely for the cuteness factor.

Well, that's all references I got so far. Just getting the easy ones before anyone else does though.

[Heads_or_Tails]

Wanda Firebaugh - Wanna fireball

Hmm... I actually saw that one as "Wand of Fireball."

Also, there's Bogroll, as in toilet paper.

[Shhalahr Windrider]

Also, there's Bogroll, as in toilet paper.

Certainly explains the last panel of page 6, then, doesn't it?

[Ashes]

Hmm... I actually saw that one as "Wand of Fireball."

Also, there's Bogroll, as in toilet paper.

I agree with you on the "Wand of" pun. God, that was hilarious.

[cuchulainshound]

(Do you really think a "dwagon" is a reference to a "dragon"??? Hmmmm, I dunno...) :P

There are at least 3 more going on, and I doubt we've seen the end of them (and that's a good thing!)

In the Cast List, there's Sizemore Rockwell, the dirtomancer, and I'm guessing that Sizemore is a spin off of "seismic", tho' we'll have to see.

Stanley's counterpart is King Slately, of the Jetstone tribe, and slate is a dark stone, so... also, it echoes of "stately"- but again, we'll have to see him to know for sure.

But the most obvious is in the series name itself, "Gobwin Knob". With the "cutesie" baby language going on (dwagons, spidews, erfworld*), that's Goblin's Knob, which is the smallest of the small challenges in one of the greatest timewasters on the internet, The Kingdom of Loathing. (In which "key lime pie" also plays a very, very small part.) (And we won't go into what a Knob Goblin is, ahem.)

(* erfworld = earthworld (and/or possibly "elfworld"), btw, in case anyone is still working at the "dwagons = dragons" level. Right, then.)

Lord Stanley the Plaid, of the Plaid tribe - I wanna believe that there's gotta be something there, but I'm just not seeing it if there is.

Certainly explains the last panel of page 6, then, doesn't it?

Yup! We were told (specifically!) that some of the jokes would take many panels to play out. I'm still thinking there's something going on with the Arkenhammer (Arm & Hammer? or just a Norse/Tolkienian spin?), what it looks like (a baby's squeeky toy) and the pigeons, but I'm just not sure.

[The Hammer of Thor]

I want to know what the caster's names all mean. They're sort of like puns I guess. I take it Croakamancer=Necromancer, but I get a bit lost after that.

[Shhalahr Windrider]

In the Cast List, there's Sizemore Rockwell, the dirtomancer, and I'm guessing that Sizemore is a spin off of "seismic", tho' we'll have to see.

According to info in another thread, it's a reference to some band I've never heard of.

I want to know what the caster's names all mean. They're sort of like puns I guess. I take it Croakamancer=Necromancer, but I get a bit lost after that.

Well, we have Findamancers. Obviously, they find things.

And then there are Predictamancers. They predict things.

So, for the D&D inclined, they're two different flavors of Diviners.

[cuchulainshound]

(For real???

Findomancers "find" things.
Predictomancers "predict" things.
Dirtomancers... um, do stuff with "dirt".

If I'm going too fast or my vocabulary too technical, just ask specific questions, we can go back over it one item at a time.)

Okey dokey...

There's one more "pun" that's going on - actually a double entendre, technically. (was going to edit it in the above, but...)

It's in Lord Plaid's explanation of why he's using the Arkenhammer for such a mundane purpose. But, since the reference is in the same category as Knob Goblin, I'll just say that there's more than one way to bust a nut.

[Beleriphon]

Stanley's counterpart is King Slately, of the Jetstone tribe, and slate is a dark stone, so... also, it echoes of "stately"- but again, we'll have to see him to know for sure.

Its an oblique reference to the Jetsons and the Flintstones. Georege Jetson's boss was Spacely and Fred Flintstone's boss was Slate.

[squeakyreaper]

I want to know what the caster's names all mean. They're sort of like puns I guess. I take it Croakamancer=Necromancer, but I get a bit lost after that.

Croak... Cockroach or possible 'croak' reference, because when someone dies they 'croak'.

[cuchulainshound]

Its an oblique reference to the Jetsons and the Flintstones. Georege Jetson's boss was Spacely and Fred Flintstone's boss was Slate.

I... would say that's quite plausible, and convincing. Nice catch! I expect similar ones throughout (from the artists, that is, not necessarily from you, Bel'), it's just a matter of finding them.
;)

[Grey Knight]

But the most obvious is in the series name itself, "Gobwin Knob". With the "cutesie" baby language going on (dwagons, spidews, erfworld*), that's Goblin's Knob, which is the smallest of the small challenges in one of the greatest timewasters on the internet, The Kingdom of Loathing. (In which "key lime pie" also plays a very, very small part.) (And we won't go into what a Knob Goblin is, ahem.)

Actually, the location in KoL is called "Cobb's Knob", inhabited by Knob Goblins. And it's not so small once you get to a high-enough level to open the rest of the area up.

[CrossP]

I'm guessing dirtomancers are genereic earth elementalists. I'd be willing to bet we'll see burnomancers, wetomancers, and... wind ones in the near future.

This is getting amusing. It's like a Where's Waldo for jokes.

[cuchulainshound]

If you say so, probably. I haven't had the time to waste there in a long time, but remember it was the place small characters started.

[LordOfNarf]

Croak... Cockroach or possible 'croak' reference, because when someone dies they 'croak'.

its obvious that they mean death, with the refrence to gathering all the non-croaked soldiers. It seems that they are making the death bit anthropomorphised (I don't think thats the right word) to go along with the childish feel

[hewhosaysfish]

its obvious that they mean death, with the refrence to gathering all the non-croaked soldiers. It seems that they are making the death bit anthropomorphised (I don't think thats the right word) to go along with the childish feel

If "euphemised" is actually a word then I think that's the word you're looking for. As in, they're glossing over it with a euphemism (although in the context of the setting, it appears to be the the actual correct term) . "Anthropomorphised" would mean that death is being treated as if it were a person/character/entity.

[Shhalahr Windrider]

If "euphemised" is actually a word...

Hey, it's in my dictionary. (Oxford American, if you must know.)

[Vargtass]

Marbits (first comic) = tiny marshmallows bit found in cereal... I don't see where the axemen come in, though...

[Shhalahr Windrider]

1. An Elvis-titan loses one of his gems.
2. Marbits find big honkin' Elvis-gem.
   
3. Marbits get rich from gem.
   
4. Proceeds from Elvis-gem go to outfittng and maintaining an extra squad of axemen in the Marbit military.
   
5. Extra squad of axemen give Marbit army enough oomph to break through Manpower the Temporary's defensive line.
6. Manpower is left exposed and gets croaked.
7. Wanda mus now deal with replacing Manpower.

[RandomNPC]

i find this comic to be quite punny, it makes me laugh on the inside.

[cuchulainshound]

Marbits (first comic) = tiny marshmallows bit found in cereal... I don't see where the axemen come in, though...

Really?! That seems highly appropriate- what cereal?

[battleburn]

Keep this thread going please. Since English is not my first language it is a bit harder to see where certain words come from.
Rest assured though, I did see what's funny about Dwagons and Findomancers.
Funny that the Giants/(Titans) brought that toyhammer to the playground and forgot it there. And for the little toy creatures that hammer suddenly is really mighty and coïncidentally able to make pidgeons out of nuts. (Not all nuts I hope)

[robinmotion]

I'm guessing that the reason for the "cutesy" baby talk, the fact that Stanley is so short and childlike, and the reason the Arkenhammer looks like it is (and the reason Wanda looks like she does, for that matter . . . who knew a chick with a head bigger than her torso could look hot?), is because it's all some kid's home campaign world. Presumably Stanley is the GM, or world designer, or something.

[cuchulainshound]

Keep this thread going please. Since English is not my first language it is a bit harder to see where certain words come from.
Rest assured though, I did see what's funny about Dwagons and Findomancers.

Seeing the humour in wordplay in a second language is extremely difficult, so Respect for that! It's hard enough to recognize a word, but to see the parallels with another word or similar construction, that's when you "know" the language!

re the X-omancer magic, that rang a bell right away. From bad martial arts movies (and good oriental-genre games), we use "X-ajitsu" or "X-fu" all the time:

Mouse-ajitsu - the ability to use a mouse on a computer, accurately and quickly, (especially in real time shooting gallery type games.)

Bike-fu - the skill that fails when you fall off a bike.
Coffee-fu - the ability to make a really (no, REALLY) good cup of coffee.

Maybe we can find some Punomancers (or a rare Doublentendromancer!) to help us figure out some of the other bits, like the pigeons and such, if our Omancer-jitsu is strong enough.

[Learnedguy]

I liked the titans. Anyone who have overweight Elvises as creatorraces has a special place in my book.

[Vargtass]

Really?! That seems highly appropriate- what cereal?

I have no idea... I found the info on the web, where else...

And on the other point, on where the axemen come in, I completely follow how they fit in the logic of the story, but fail to grasp if they have some connection to the pun, i.e. marshmallows in cereal.

[cuchulainshound]

It can't all be connected.

(Altho', if it had been a squad armed with Bohemian ear-spoons (eawspoons?), that would have worked. But better I guess if you're attacking Marbits. To attack spidews... hmmm... flyswattos?)

Now, "the battle of Warchalking"... hmmmm. Shades of the white cliffs of Dover... (Where's a punomancer when you need one...)

[Khantalas]

Seeing the humour in wordplay in a second language is extremely difficult, so Respect for that! It's hard enough to recognize a word, but to see the parallels with another word or similar construction, that's when you "know" the language!

re the X-omancer magic, that rang a bell right away. From bad martial arts movies (and good oriental-genre games), we use "X-ajitsu" or "X-fu" all the time:

Mouse-ajitsu - the ability to use a mouse on a computer, accurately and quickly, (especially in real time shooting gallery type games.)

Bike-fu - the skill that fails when you fall off a bike.
Coffee-fu - the ability to make a really (no, REALLY) good cup of coffee.

Maybe we can find some Punomancers (or a rare Doublentendromancer!) to help us figure out some of the other bits, like the pigeons and such, if our Omancer-jitsu is strong enough.

Of course, Japanese isn't your native language.

It's not -ajitsu that means "a collection of techniques about", it's -jutsu. Yes, Japanese isn't my native language, either.