I’m a Cyborg, but That’s OK
April 30, 2012
12:00 am
Hey, I almost finished a comic on time and actually have something to post on Monday for once.
Next week’s strip should be something special, I think people will enjoy it. In the meantime, let’s all speculate on an imaginary rivalry between Rain and Gackt. Would that be kind of like Justin Timberlake and David Bowie being arch nemesis or something? Rain just seemed like the most appropriate celebrity to make handsome robot clones out of.
Awesome work.
Jared will never get any EXP if he doesn’t eat his kills.
Rofl a new page right after my post. What are the odds.
Being a friend to a hard core Gackt fan, I think she’d totaly agree on the principle of a rivalry between those two. Also, d’aaaaaaawe Mr.Fish is so cute, waiting for Jared to take a piece before devouring his meal. It’s good that he has table manners ♥
Oh, wow. I see the lift between panel 2 and 3 now. Haha. Jared doesn’t look too happy.
Chimera’s a bit chewy when not cooked right.. Doesn’t stop Mr. Fish though, standard pet store aquarium food, y’know.
Mr. Fish! Chew your food!
Focus, guys, focus! :)
No Stephen Colbert to complement the Rain-ness? I am disappoint.
I’m a cyborg, and I’m okay.
I work all night and I work all day.
He’s a cyborg, and he’s okay.
He works all night and he works all day.
I knock down trees. I kick and punch.
I recharge my battery.
On Wednesdays I go shoppin’
And have buttered scones for tea.
He knocks down trees. He kicks and punch.
He recharges his battery.
On Wednesdays he goes shopping
And has buttered scones for tea.
He’s a cyborg, and he’s okay.
He works all night and he works all day.
I knock down trees. I skip and jump.
I like to press wild flowers.
I put on women’s clothing
And hang around in bars.
He knocks down trees. He skips and jumps.
He likes to press wild flowers.
He puts on women’s clothing
And hangs around in bars?!
He’s a cyborg, and he’s okay.
He works all night and he works all day.
I knock down trees. I wear high heels,
Suspendies, and a bra.
I wish I’d been a girlie,
Just like my dear Papa.
He knocks down trees. He wears high heels,
Suspendies, and a bra?!
What’s this? Wants to be a girlie?! Oh, My!
And I thought you were so rugged! Poofter!…
He’s a cyborg, and he’s okay.
He works all night and he works all day.
He’s a cyborg, and he’s okaaaaay.
He works all night and he works all day.
You have made my day XDDDD
What kind of rivalry would Rain and Gackt have?
How about the “we don’t give a shit” kind? LOL Seriously, I’m not sure the two men even care about each other in real life.
But yeah, you might want to pay attention to the Rainbots. If anything, this may call for a dance battle to win. And calling in Stephen Colbert as a finishing move.
Personally I never heard of either of these two until I started reading this comic.
I had, but only because I listen to JPop on occasion. The reality is that Rain is actually a skilled musician. Gackt … not so much.
I’ve never heard any of Rain’s stuff, but Gackt’s music is actually pretty good… so long as he doesn’t try to sing in English.
Actually GACKT can play the guitar, piano, saxophone & a lot of other things.
I feel the same. I didn’t know Gackt or Rain ever existed until I started to read this comic arc. But then, I don’t give a *sea-cucumber* about J-Pop nor K-Pop anyway.
I find it funny that those two would discuss such a matter while an army of evil robots are attacking them.
That’s what everyone would do confronting Korean rock bots
Yes thank you, Chris, that’s the joke.
… that reminds me. Would Captain Obvious ever appear in MGDMT?
That guy in new york with the megaphone?
The Commander should have brought Sub-Zero or one of the other mortal kombat characters along. They have a history of fighting cyborgs, after all.
Not to mention that he is nicked Rain…. Coincidence? I think not. That pink/purple suited ninja has to be the most bullied one of the group. Instead we get the Korean popsinger and main character actor from the movie Ninja Assassin. This could get troublesome :p
It’s funny how much I love Dragon Quest, although it’s one of the more grindy of the RPG’s out there.
But, hey, it’s not as bad as Suikoden.
aaaannnnd shit, wrong page.
Gotta watch out for that
Nice Chan-Wook Park ref in your news title. Not my favorite film of his, but great director none the less.
I think this may be the best webcomic ever. Who puts Rainbots and Overlord Gackt in such an awesome manly filled comic?! Coelasquid, and you execute it perfectly. I loved this comic to begin with, and I love it even more now. I commend you for this beautiful comic.
Field-dressing is the coolest thing ever. I miss hunting with my step-dad and field-dressing deer and pigs with mum and dad. This makes me want to go out and kill a squirrel from the trees outside our apartment…
Hmm, I’ve never heard of Rain before. I’m not sure which one would equate to David Bowie. I’d really prefer Bowie, however. Timberlake is ehh.
With all this grinding, Mr. Fish should get some pretty snazzy moves.
Relevant:
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/156555/may-05-2008/rain-dance-off
YOU! It is your fault that not only do I know which person Rain IS, but now I think he’s gorgeous instead of merely another pretty face!
Yay, a Mother 3 reference! That game doesn’t get half the recognition it deserves.
… Although that’s probably because it wasn’t officially released in english, but still.
I thought the Ultimate Chimera was supposed to be untouchable o.o how did Commander even survi….nah, I’m not even going to question what I already know the answer to 0_0
Waiting the day until Mr. Fish uses hyperbeam :D
Yeah, but then he’d be recharging and unable to move for his next turn, and who knows how long that would last? Not like the Commander can pick Mr. Fish up and lug him along… at least not his current form. And I really don’t think Jared would allow them to leave Mr. Fish behind… that could get ugly!
Yesss fucking love that Jonesy’s butchering the meat.
….that might be because she’s an assistant butcher? So she probably knows what she’s doing better than either of the guys.
I guess the Rain bots possess the power of distracting their enemies into discussion.
Talking is not a Free Action here.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TalkingIsAFreeAction
As short sentence limited to around 6 words is a free action in D&D4e. This is generally limited to a quick back and forth between party members or one-liners.
Now, strategical talk or kibitzing takes longer and would fall under the “assist other” action which is a minor action. Jonesy and the Commander blew most of their round on 2 minor actions a piece. Better use that move action guys!
Better not: with the Rainbots surrounding them, the amount of attacks of opportunity generated by a move action would be deadly.
You can use a move action to attack, or did that get changed in version four?
I guess in the Manlyverse, talking isn’t a free action.
Rainbots don’t seem as fearsome as Bowiebots, in my opinion. This is all rooted in the fact Bowie is king of the goblin people, and he’ll eat your kids.
False
As the goblin king he kidnapped a child to be the heir to his goblin throne and share flirty subtext with its sister.
Except it’s all a trick to teach the sister a lesson about being whiny and spoiled.
Huh I guess that makes sense
Mr. Fish! Time for your iron supplement! =D
Look’s like Mr. Fish is about to get an insane defense boost.
Coelasquid don’t sweat the timing of the comics, the amount of effort that goes into the art and writing is amazing I’m surprised you manage to do one a week as it is. Thanks for the entertainment.
-Crazydangerous
P.S. did you used to do art for ugly americans? I swear I red that somewhere.
Yes, she’s done work for Ugly Americans. You can even see what parts she did if you pay attention.
Bowiebots sound more fun, though.
My local Beatles tribute band is also called Rain. You can imagine my confusion.
I believe the Japanese Beatles tribute band is called Field of View. (If you’d seen and listened to their Memorial Best album, you’d know where I was coming from)
OMG, I’m a Cyborg was an awesome movie XDDDDDD
I love that movie too, totally LOL’d when I saw it as the comment title :D
You got a li’l something something on your face there, Jonesy.
I want to believe there’s a rivalry between them.
There are going to be a lot of shirtless Rain-bots soon.
After watching Bunraku, Gackt just seems way too perfect as the nemesis for The Commander.
Stop that, updating when your schedule says you do is for chumps.
Truly, get it up when you get it done to your satisfaction. Perfection is not to be rushed! :D
Ok, I was listening to Mr. Roboto when I started reading this comic, how fitting.
Well, considering that David Bowie IS The Soverign, the most evil person in the world and undisputed ruler of the Guild of Calamitous Intent, I would think it’d be natural for someone like Timberlake to fight him. After all, Timberlake is a redeemed hero of justice.
I think Timberlake would probably fail, though. No one in the Venture Brothers universe – even those with power – ever wins or succeeds. The entire show is a documentary on failure.
Heh I love the face of the lion head in its first panel, and also love that they became so wrapped up in their discussion as to forget about the bots for a second XD It’s one of those moments I always want to see but few take advantage of the comedy potential
Damn, Mr . Fish is propably the coolest comic book character ever
So they’re android versions of a person so interesting that the ensuing conversation will make every attack an ambush? Brilliant!
Just so long as it’s not that weird guy from the Dos Equis commercials… :P
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiPIY9yHCsg
Well, I mean, we already had reference just a bit ago..
He’s not always creepy, but when he’s creeping out kestrel he drinks Dos Equis.
congratulations on getting an update on day, and a nice one.
I always have the pop-star droid theory but maybe you really get a point there.
btw, I wonder what it taste the chimera meat.
:)
They must have been grinding for AGES to get up to chimera level… I wonder if the Commander even remembers what he used to look like? D:
Also, what is that thing that Jonesy’s butchering?
I don’t think we want to know.
all that field dressing doesn’t do much for a girl’s complexion! to the spa!
i think mr. fish is about “full” as hecan be… also, do you eat the ‘bots, or make something else out of thm?
Smelt the resulting metal and use it to upgrade your weapons for the final battle!
I take it Mr. Fishes level is higher than Jareds badge control ability type thing. Because otherwise these battles would be much much shorter.
Exposition and deep, critical thinking will get you killed every time.
Unless talkings a free action
Third panel, that chimera looks like Nina from FMA. D’:
I want to steal Yuugi’s card and de-polimerize the shit out of that chimera!!
NIIIIIINAAAAAA! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
I have scrolled through so many comments to find someone else who noticed it. Such an awesome Easter egg but no one noticed!
This is the kind of thing that would happen to me and my friends.
Get so caught up in working out a ridiculous-but-ultimately-unimportant detail that we forget that there might actually be something more important going on.
Great reference to a great movie! Nice.
Justin Timberlake and David Bowie being archnemeses? I would watch that movie. I would probably watch that movie multiple times.
Only if Bowie beats him with a Nerf Bat before he can start Emoting. I swear anything Timberlake is in get’s the enjoyment sucked out of it by him. He’s like an entertainment vampire, and those usually only exist in Twilight.
Now I want to see David Bowie join the fight against Gackt. Thanks a lot. :C
Does bowie have an army of goblins?
He did, but he fired them when they failed to stop four little (and not so little) intruders. Incompetent armies :(
Thank allah they weren’t union
I for one prefer J-pop over K-pop. One reason, Korea doesn’t have Miku-san!
I GOT THE TITLE REFERENCE! +10 HIPSTER CRED!
not to be rude but this is gonna be over soon right? the “new” commander look is becomin an eye sore…
The first thing that came to mind when I saw the crowd of Rain-bots was that Indian sci-fi action flick, “Robot”.
The one where they all turn into a big sentient blob of robots and form things like giant snakes. YOUTUBE THAT SHIT.
Oooh! Is that the one also called Endhiran? That was insane.
If it’s this one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yBnl_krN_U
Then yeah, it’s indian robot endhiran.
Thank you so much for this, I need to get the whole movie.
I’m a Cyborg, but that’s OK, I sleep all night and I work all day,
Cut down trees, where high heels, suspenders and a bra
I wish I were a girlie, just like my dear Papa!
Wear
In my defense, 9:21 AM is still early for me.
I dig Mr. Fish’s table manners.
He’s like the dog that eats the vegetables for the kid under the table.
IMHO, It would be like Sephirot vs Cloud. Or maybe Conan vs. The Evil Sorcerer(c) a la Frank Frazzeta.
I have to look at the site header to remember who is actually talking now, lol
Taken out of context and without coloring, reading this strip while disregarding the first three panels… a wholly different situation is being implied …that maybe the Rainbots were interrupting something >:D
…something private between Commander Badass and Jonesy *wink-wink* *nudge-nudge*
…
I’m sorry.
Got your shipping goggles a little too tight there, buddy. At best I can imagine them having a friendly conversation. :b
They’re an official couple they probably weren’t doing anything to serious with Jared 10 feet away but they could have been making out or something.
Is it sad the only reason I knew who Rain was, was because of his dance off with Stephan Colbert?
I haven’t done a search yet, Eve, so I STILL don’t have a clue who Rain is.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rain_(singer)
There. There you go. The best part is that Rani being a robot actually fits in his first album’s title – I’m a Cyborg and I’m Okay With That.
Wait… so this comic’s title is a reference to Rain’s first album?
Actually, scratch that. Apparently his first movie is “I’m a Cyborg, But That’s OK” (2006)
Actually, I did know who he is, sort of, because his picture graced the bottle of chewing gum I’d bought. I pay those things very little mind, but after I double-took and noted the reference to his real name, then I said “Oh yes, the kid on the bottle.” hoohoo
I like Jared and Mr.Fish better than Ash and Pikachu.
Uh-oh. I think I’m having inappropriate feels again.
Rule 34 this and… well I was going to threaten death upon you but that might be funny to see
Until this one I didn’t realise Gackt was a real person. I thought he was a villain you made up.
I don’t comment here often, so I apologize if this has already been discussed…
Why did Commander only bring Jared and Jonesey when he has a whole agency full of folks effected by Nomura Syndrome who didn’t look all that happy about it?
I think he said the others were all to psychologically damaged by what had happened to be reliable in a combat situation.
I was gonna say this comic explains it.
But then I realised it didn’t. xD
Really the only reason I can come up with is For Shits and Giggles. Aaaand that’s good enough for me.
Cyborgs?! Archer would be flipping out right about now.
I just lost the story. With the exception of the main characters and that “Shut the fuck up” guy, I don’t know who every character is from the last or this comic, nor do I know what this is getting at with this random grinding. I thought the Commander wanted to get his body back (I know he still is), so where the hell is he going?
Not to say that this is bad, it’s great, just that I lack enough knowledge of pop culture to get a grip on the story.
Here comes the Hallyu (Korean wave)! Wheeee!
“I DON’T FOLLOW EITHER GENRE VERY CLOSE.”
“RAIN IS LIKE NINE YEARS YOUNGER, STARRING IN DOSMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL FILMS, STARTING HIS OWN RECORDING COMPANY, ONE OF PEOPLE MAGAZINE’S “MOST BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE” OF 2007.”
COMMANDER, PLZ. :D
Commander is a Rain fan? I guess we all have our pleasures.
The last one could be explainable but before that its ridiculous
THIS LOL
Chimaeras, tasty tri-flavoured meal. Hope they understand on time that dragons’ flesh is poisonous if not chopped and cooked the right way *has a “The Simpson” flashback about the fubu fish*.
I just dribbled an entire mouthful of coffee down my shirt. I hope you’re happy.
Bowiebots would be frightening but completely fabulous.
On the other hand, seeing that many Rains together would throw me into a fit of Hulk-esque rage. I hate Rain. He is the bane of my existence, ever since language school, six years ago. Being subjected to him on a regular basis in Korea enrages me to no end.
Made me think of this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yBnl_krN_U&feature=related
XD Never knew you were on tumblr
I don’t know if this was on purpose-I hope it was-but that chimera looks suspiciously like how Mystic Quest on the SNES portrayed them…
The hell happen’d to this comic?!
Dont get me wrong I usually wait for awhile before rechecking any given comic but this really went to hell > from canadian lumberjacks and whining nukem to yaoi…
wtf did the author smoke and where can I get some?
and now all i can see is Justin Timberlake and David Bowie going at Kung Fu style…or sissy slapfight style. yeah, that works.
I gotta ask, why does the Commander know so much about Rain? Seems awfully out of character to me – sure, he’s not exactly ‘roid-raging as he put it, but he’s not a teenager either. Did he really read that article in People magazine and commit it to heart, is this the nomura syndrome somehow speaking or does the Commander have a casual interest into j-pop?
(That’s the joke)
Why does it take me so long to notice when Jared changes his shirt? It took me two weeks to realize it this time.
Commander is biased really. True about RAIN but, lbr, it’s not like GACKT hasn’t starred in a Hollywood movie or hasn’t done voice work for various Anime or didn’t do a World Tour or isn’t the only Japanese Male singer with the Top 10 singles. That & they are in completely different countries & genre.
Where is Sam “Serious” Stone when you need him?
The fact that Rain was a pop star really ruined ninja assassin for me…lol
Quick somebody call Kim Jong Kook, because th only way to fight K-pop is more K-pop
In all honestly, in a fight of Rain vs. Gackt, Gackt would win simply because he’s Japanese and all the weeaboos would get all over him.
I’ve reread these archives about four times now but I always find myself wanting to skip this arc.
I feel like I have to share something with you, Kelly. This whole thing is a message just to you, ok?
I feel like the entire story here was created as an “F-you” to all the people complaining that skinny, pretty men can be manly or something of that ilk, and I’m on the receiving end of that even though I never said a word.
It’s kinda like being given detention in school for being loud in the cafeteria or somethin’, even though you never said anything but the kid next to ya did and the teacher can’t tell who was being loud and who wasn’t and just punishes everybody. Get what I’m sayin? I love yer comic, but this whole arc feels a little mean spirited.
I get that you wrote it most likely in irritation over people buggin ya, but I think ya should know it feels like you’re flipping off all your readers who never did that at the same time. It’s rather off-putting to read even though I know it’s not directed at me.
(Although I do agree that twiggy guys can be manly, I also agree that Kuja does not belong anywhere in this comic, hehehe. And the giant sword thing is SO true, they really are useless. Then again, in defense of Final Fantasy, when you take the chibi art style into account and have a good look at him, Zidane is actually really muscular! And those bladed polearms aren’t nearly as bad as most of the crap that franchise has come out with, hehehe. But I digress. O.O I’m not gonna get on your case for who you wanna write or how ya wanna draw.)
I just wanted to point out something that’s been buggin me about this particular story in your comic, it rubbed me the wrong way. Did you get backlash from the comic where ya made fun of Kuja and Sesshomaru?
I have a hard time believing Kuja could EVER qualify as “manly” as even in the game he’s from, he’s portrayed as a physically weak character who relies entirely on magical abilities, and incredibly insecure yet power-mad to boot (Then again, that last bit DOES seem to fit a lot of your cast, hahaha). And while I personally don’t dislike Sesh, his fangirls are ANNOYING.
You know they finished Inuyasha? Finally? The show cut off randomly at the end of a season because it had deviated from the manga juuuust enough that the ending the manga had used would no longer work, and it took them a flipping decade to work something out that’d give the story a satasfying ending. I watched the 29-episode arc just to get some closure to an anime I liked as a little girl. Best part of the entire thing? In the last episode, seeing Sesh’s FACE when Kagome calls him “big brother”. HAH!
I’m kind of just rambling at this point, I have no idea if you even really watch anime, let alone the kind aimed at the 14-year-old fantasy-obsessed demographic.
Have you played any final fantasy games? Just wondering. If I had to recommend one, 9 would be it, and it just got a remake on Steam that solves its notorious lag problem that made the game so unpopular for the series.
The arc wasn’t written to bash people who like anime and JRPGs, I made it because I played a ton of JRPG and watched a ton of anime when I was a teenageer and wanted to make jokes about that genre the same way I make jokes about other genres I like. I’ve played way more JRPGs than shooty action games. I make fun of silly genre tropes, and wanted to make fun of these silly genre tropes too.
Moreover it’s also poking fun at the tendency in fanwork and adaptations to characterize the chosen subject in the story in ways so completely divorced from the original source material you have to wonder why they chose that subject. For example, a fanfiction about Guile from Street Fighter. Except instead of being huge and muscular, he’s described as small and slender. And instead of being in the Air Force or having any hand to hand combat experience, he’s a figure skater. And instead of any characteristics typical to Guile’s personality, he’s shy about trying to get Vega to come skate with him in the snow so they can go make out at the side of the lake. At that point you wonder “why did this person choose to write this story about Guile? What about Guile do they enjoy that isn’t his aesthetic, personality, or backstory?” That’s not hypothetical, by the way, that’s a real fanfic I found when I was a teenage girl who read fanfics that other teenage girls wrote.
I have no problem with people making those things, I want everyone to do whatever makes them happy. But I wanted to poke fun at it because I think it’s silly and it makes me laugh. And it’s something I grew up with as someone who used to be a teenage girl with teenage girl fandom experiences. For the record I made fun of it when it goes the other direction as well, the American cover art of Japanese games where they turned canonically androgynous blue-haired teenagers into roided-out vascular Schwarzeneggers to try to make them appeal more to what they thought American audiences wanted. I’d do more with that but alas, the tendency of fandom is to create content that makes aggressive men approachable and non-threatening, it rarely goes the other direction with the exception of art intended to make fun of how silly it would be if well-known decidedly not-macho characters WERE giant grizzled action movie bodybuilders.
tl;dr; it’s a comic about my personal experiences with fandoms echo-chambering characters into humerously out-of-character versions of themselves.
Also, For the record, the comic wasn’t “bashing Kuja and Sesshoumaru” for being pretty, it was acting on a comment that clearly missed the entire point of the comic, which is lampooning toxic masculinity. They said those characters should be classified as “manlier” because they have bigger swords/more fangirls/more mental instability/etc, and that kind of insecure performative one-upsmanship is exactly the kind of thing this comic portrays in a negative light. It wasn’t making fun of Sesshoumaru for being pretty, it was making fun of the idea that a legion of fangirls drawing uncomfortable art should be a metric of a person’s worth. It wasn’t making fun of Vincent for being pretty, it was making fun of the idea that untreated mental illness makes someone more radical. It wasn’t making fun of Dante and Kuja for being pretty, it was making fun of basing your personal self worth on a sword or article of clothing. The person who asked for it obviously missed the entire point of this comic and basically tucked a request for free art of their favourite characters into a pretty cut and dry example of toxic masculinity.
I do think if I tried to do something like this arc now with the person I am now, the media I consume now, the new perspectives I’ve gained in the past five and a half years I’d handle it different, but as it was, it was a comic I wanted to make at the time as someone who played a lot of JRPGs and watched a lot of anime and interacted with a lot of livejournal fandom growing up.
Again, tl;dr: I make fun of things I like.