Recommended For Ages Youngling to Padawan

That actually was my name in KOTOR. Call me a heretic but I didn’t enjoy it. Turn based combat just doesn’t make any sense to me. The story was enthralling (certainly better than the prequels) but the game play fell flat for me.

Two toys debuted at CES ’09 that let you get all levitatey with your brain powers. Despite actually carrying the Jedi seal of approval, the Force Trainer seems the weaker of the two. My money is on the Mattel Mind Flex. Instead of just using your brain waves to float a ping pong ball to different heights, you have to navigate it through a series of obstacles.

I’m sure any kid (or adult) that gets one of these will be bored with it after a week. At that point the kids will start trying to levitate other things with it, like hamsters, bullets, poison or medical waste. Adults will (if they haven’t already) find a way to have sex with it. You just can’t say “ping pong balls” and “plastic tube” without conjuring images of deviant acts. You can? Well I can’t. I’m terrible.

UPDATE:

For any new readers that don’t know, Josh is gay. If I use the word “gay” in a comic, I actually mean “homosexual.” I know it’s hard to believe that a COMIC on the INTERNET could actually say “gay” without meaning “lame” or “LOL!!111FAGZ,” but that is indeed the case with HE.

I should also probably mention that Eli is a Mexican.

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101 Comments

  5. I love this! My roommates and I just saw a DVD of Darkwing Duck episodes last week (sadly, not as good as I remembered it).

    Joel seriously needs some moisturizer.

    I love seeing the evolution of the comic–Josh and Eli's expressions are so animated. Great work, sir. Great freakin' work.

  6. Truly excellent art in this one, especially if you did that lettering yourself (which I kinda doubt, but still, awesome).

    Edit: just really noticed Eli's expression in panel dos. Excellente.

  9. We moved back to the States from Puerto Rico before I turned four, and I can distinctly remember an extremely vivid dream I had where my friends and I were running around our communal front yards with lightsabers. I was chanting to myself, "Please let it be real, please let it be real, please let it be real…" before I opened my eyes.

    It wasn't real. =(

  10. [waking with a start] Did someone say "gay sex toy?"

    Of course, now folks googling that phrase will end up at this comic. Could be a good thing, though.

  11. It's all fun and games until someone loses all their limbs. And slips into a pool of lava. And catches fire.

    I will second (third, fourth, whatever) that the artwork is excellent in this.

  12. [Darque Wyngduk] *I* Am Your Father!
    [Eli] THAT’s not TRUE! THAT’s…likely to be genetically impossible? Unless…
    [Darque Wyngduk] *I* &%$#ed Your Mother!
    [Eli] NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

  13. [Darque Wyngduk] *I* Am Your Father!
    [Eli] That's not true! That's…highly unlikely…unless…
    [Darque Wyngduk] *I* %$@#ed Your Mother!
    [Eli] NOOOOOOOOOOOO-*gasp*-OOOOOOOOO!

  17. In what way Gay Sex Toy does KOTOR Gay Sex Toy have turn-based Gay Sexy Toy combat? It's Gay Sex Toy real-time Gay Sex Toy with pause Gay Sex Toy! DuhhhGAYSEXTOY!!!

    • I probably got the terminology wrong, but you know what I mean. I want to fight in a game. Not pull up my list of possible actions, string them into a combo then hit "go" and hope that it works out. Its just boring to me that way.

  19. I've been following this comic for about three months now, but I'm not after today.

    If you're going to do gay jokes, there is one all-important thing you must know: be funny and all is forgiven. "That's gay! Der her her!" isn't clever or interesting, reveals nothing about your characters except that they're idiots (which is where a large majority of your jokes originate anyways), and perhaps most importantly, it's boring – which is even more offensive than slanging around idiotic gay jokes in the first place.

    Good luck with your comic.

    • Josh is gay. Was that not clear. Not "Gay" as in "LAMEGAYINTERNETLOL!!!111." But "Gay" as in "a homosexual." I agree ""That's gay! Der her her!" isn't funny and thats why there has never been such a joke in this comic.

      Seems like you are the one jumping to internet stereotypes. Was it so improbable that one of my characters is actually gay? Re-read the comic with that in mind and it might make more sense. Its still a dumb joke, but its not offensive.

      Also, if you enjoy something for 3 months, then you misconstrue or misinterpret one installment, how is that a reason to give up on it? Do as you will, but that doesnt speak much for you tolerance level. I might read an article in Wired that I dont agree with from time to time but Im not canceling my subscription. Thats a pretty knee jerk reaction.

      All the best,

      Joel

    • But on a more serious note, this comic is reflective of real life. The conversation contained therein reminds me so much of me and my friends (as do most of the comics on this site) that it is scary. Joel isn't even using the word gay in the way that you are implying. He didn't say the toy was gay in the slang sense of meaning stupid, silly, or effeminate. He was saying that the the new force toy reminds him of a homosexual's erotic device, hence, gay sex toy. If you can't see that comparison as a valid one, then I believe your problems run much deeper than an under-developed sense of humor.

      • My point exactly. Some people are gay and some of those gay people use sex toys. How else am I supposed to make that point? Im certainly not going to tip toe around subject matter to keep from offending people. I think it's more offensive to assume that "gay" is an insult. Im not Eminem (is that even a relevant reference any more?).

    • If you had in fact been following the comic for three months I think you would have picked up on the fact that not only is Josh gay but that a good portion of the fancy bastards are as well.
      In fact if you listen to the podcast the person who most uses the word gay to me lame is actually Josh, the big hairy bear of a bacon loving gay porn camera weilding 100% gay man.
      The fact that the use of a word has evolved and been reclaimed from the little sniggering kiddies should be looked on as a good thing.
      BTW Do I need to remind you that gay used to mean happy until the damn homos got hold of it.

  21. Love the update. However, when you say Eli is Mexican, are you saying that he loves tacos? Because, as a fellow taco-lover, I would find that offensive.

  24. Just wondering… if it was gay in the derogatory 'that was so gay' way, how would 'gay sex toy' even make sense? I mean, if I know my offensive slang, 'gay' in that way is stupid or bad. So it's a stupid sex toy? Horrible sex toy? Wouldn't like a rusted torn coke can be like that instead?

  27. Simply having a gay character does not immunize this comic strip from presenting bad jokes. There is a difference between "tip toeing" around the issue of referencing gay sex toys in a situation where they're clearly not relevant and finding some other way to get to the completely non-sex toy-related punch line.

    I sent a (longer) reply email to Joel, but I won't respond here anymore because, as I realized when I emailed him, I've become the annoying person who chimes in to say he doesn't want to read something anymore, and I always hated that guy.

  28. While I personally still feel that you're missing the point of the joke (and most of the gay jokes in Joel's awesome comic), I can respect you for voicing your opinion and sticking around to defend yourself, rather than trolling.

    Best to you.

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