Do Electric Sheep Dream of Androids?
April 15, 2013
9:14 am
Yeeeaaahhhhh that’s pretty much the whole joke.
I hit up Monsterpalooza this weekend and took photos of some of my favourite creature sculpts, if you’re interested, mosey on over to the Monsterpalooza tag on my Tumblr! All the cool sculpts and people willing to share advice and tools of the trade inspired me to put my hands in some clay for the first time in a decade.
But it’s a good joke :D
I second that. I am very glad I work from home right now. The office would never have let me live down my guffaws.
Crazy…I am reading that book right now!
It is a good read.
In the first chapter and you can tell it’s different than the movie.
Mother of Mew they made a movie out of that? And WHERE was I?
Blade Runner. An alright movie, but not the most faithful of adaptations.
There are a surprising number of movies based off of his books… too bad he died before most of them came out.
This is true. But how many of them are good?
I really enjoyed A Scanner Darkly
I liked Total Recall.
Depends on your definition. A movie can be good, a movie can be faithful, and those two needn’t be simultaneous. I can think of a few adaptions which were unfaithful but still good (occasionally better than the source), and can think of a couple which were faithful and terrible.
When I said “good”, I meant good as a movie. Faithfulness to source material doesn’t matter much to me. I want something to be good, what makes a book (or even short story) good, are not the same things that make a movie good.
Yeah, exactly. Had the same thought recently. Saw V for Vendetta for the first time last week. Totally different from the comic, for evident reasons. I can see why Moore didn’t like it, but it stands on its own merits. Plus, I think the last scene hammers home the point better than Moore did – or could, at the time. Cynicism doesn’t show as well on a big screen as optimism. I wonder if that’s due, in part, to how many people can reasonably view them simultaneously – a comic and a film.
Mega man is a veteran jumper, and best sci fi book reference ever!
So this is what it comes to. Brain the size of a planet and I’ve become the punchline of half-baked Pokemon jokes. Call that job satisfaction? ‘Cos I don’t.
Oh shut up, Marvin.
Oh course. No one ever wants to hear me talk. I think you ought to know that right now I’m feeling very depressed.
And then of course I’ve got this terrible pain in all the diodes down my left side.
Really? I can fix those for you, you know. *Dies by cricket ball*
Eight times older than the universe, the entirety of my body has been replaced multiple times- except for the diodes down my left side.
Don’t be such a sourpuss. Lighten up! Crack a smile! Or better yet how about you make an original joke that’s funnier? Since you seem to know so much about web-comics. Make your own! Shit or get off the pot.
Ladies and gentlemen, Poe’s Law at work.
(Roge’s comment is a deliberate misquote of Marvin’s lines from the Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. http://112west.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/the_more_you_know2.jpg )
“Poe’s Law”? Is that the one that states that in any series of collectibles within a video game, there’s always going to be one or more that are just a bitch to find?
Still haven’t found all the Poes…
They were making a HitchHiker’s Guide reference. In the voice of one of the pictured androids. Chill out.
Oh apparently I missed too, sorry then.
Actually it’s a Blade runner reference pun. Since blade runners book was called “do androids dream of electric sheep”
Technically, the comic is a reference to the book “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”, which Blade Runner was based off of.
You are aware of course, that he was(somewhat)quoting Marvin(drawn as portrayed in the movie, based on the book which in turn was based on the radio show) and in doing so, provided an insider joke?
Unless you were making another reference in turn of course…
P.S. Nice night for a walk.
It makes me very sad there are people in this world who don’t understand Hitchhiker’s references. Sadder than Marvin the Paranoid Robot.
Hey, so what’s happening, man?
*Paranoid Android, actually, but whatever. No-one listens to that downer anyway, yeah?
Sure. Brain the size of a planet and I can’t figure out just what the hell I am.
I thought that the joke was a reference to Philip K. Dick’s novel ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep’?
It was, but RogeSoja was making a Hitchiker’s joke. But no one appreciates it.
Do you call that quote acknowledgement? Cause I don’t.
Brain the size of a planet, can’t even get a quote acknowledged.
Nah, Marvin wouldn’t even try to jump the fence, because he’d be standing to the side & complaining about the pain running down al the diodes on his left side.
He wouldn’t have to, he would just talk with it about his life until it got so depressed it fell over.
“Shall I sit in the corner & rust, or merely fall apart where I’m standing?”
ya know, I look forward to this stuff all week, and I feel like the payoff has been lacking lately. its good, its just not “OMG WHATS HE GUNNA POST THIS WEEK!?!” anymore.
I’m working 12-20 hours a day plus weekends at my real job, it’s kind of a feat of nature I’m posting anything on this website at all.
That’s.. quite a feat. Thank you for still taking the time to put things up here, it’s appreciated.
ROGE LOVES COELA
Thank You for giving us free content.
One of these days you need a vacation :|
I appreciate the effort so much I clicked on an ad link. Stay healthy!
That’s a good idea of yours. I’ve clicked two ad links since I read that.
So? If this free entertainment isn’t up to your obviously high standards, why waste time complaining about it when the interwebs are full of other options?
I can admit, the quality I’ve been putting out lately isn’t what I’d like it to be, but I’m quite literally working myself sick so I’m pretty much doing all I can.
It may not be as good as you’d like, but isn’t that normal for authors? I still don’t see how anyone can complain about the quality or quantity of something they get for free.
I can sympathize with Coela’s dissatisfaction, but I think it’s ill placed. Many of the comics she’s unhappy with are ones I find particularly clever or charming. This week’s certainly qualifies as both.
Your point that Smitty is a complete turd is correct, though, and I don’t know why Coela gives these brats the satisfaction of acknowledging them.
I dunno… Smitty is obvs a Gunnerkrigg fan as well.
And he did say “It’s good”, he just seems to think he’s getting around 70% satisfaction compared to an average 98% from Coela’s work.
I can see how the comment more conveys a 25% satisfaction vibe, depending on how you read it, but it seems higher than that to me. More like a “I can’t wait till you’re able to produce at top quality again, but thanks for keeping me satisfied until then” post.
And Marvin is hilarious.
I can see how someone might be able to complain about something you get for free. I mock Dominic Deegan all the time, but he’s flat out said he refuses to keep improving and the writing is just horrible.
Artists benefit from constructive criticism so there is room for people saying they’re not happy even with something they get for free if they have something useful to add.
That said, Coelasquid is better than Mookie by a country mile and Smitty is being a wanker.
dude take care of your self. also great joke i recognize everyone but the fist guy
Maybe you should take a short break from Manly Guys so you don’t get burnt out. Perhaps you can run guest strips in your absence. I’d rather you take a breather than work yourself silly and post stuff you’re not fully satisfied with out of an obligation to your fans. Your well-being means more me than getting this comic on time.
BTW- You did a gag with electric sheep and Mega Man, but no Sheep Man from MM 10? You’ve been a baaaaaaaad girl, C. Squiddy!
Classic literature, classic pop culture, all woven on a loom of Pokemon… The fact that you’re able to still weave this level of reference and wit together running on the kind of schedule that Captain Bligh would call excessive is downright amazing.
Honestly, this week’s comic is excellent. Sure, I can see how you could be frustrated with what you’re left with. Minimalist comics like the last few are perfectly fine in any comic now and then, but you don’t want to be forced to rely on them. Being walled into a corner by real life’s villainy and having no other choice is NOT a fun way to get anything done, even something you love.
That said, this one honestly really, really works.
I know I’m just another random “some guy” from the faceless haze of the internet, and that my words aren’t as meaningful as they’d be coming from a fellow professional artist or even webcomic author. Still, for whatever they’re worth, you’re still one of the best I follow, even, nay, especially when life’s got you in a headlock.
Thank you Coelasquid for all that you do.
Get some good rest dude. Health is a good thing.
It’s comforting to know that your creative juices haven’t run out, at least.
TBH, I’d rather see you slow down for a few days, rather than get sick enough that you have to stop altogether. Not that it would stop me from checking for updates & new comments to heckle every single day anyway…
This is the best comic you have posted. Ever. Of all time.
Piss off, it’s a lovely little tickle, and an excellent sci-fi reference. If you don’t like it go elsewhere, no one is forcing you to visit the site.
You obviously didn’t read the “Kurt Locker” strip because that is one of the funniest “Manly Guys” strips. And this Is pretty good too.
Don’t burn out on us Coelasquid! If you have to take a break I’m sure the vast majority of your readers will understand. And the others, fuck them.
*echoes sentiments of “please take a break”*
I’m in performing arts, and I have a day job, so I understand your predicament. I can barely find time to cook these days – if you have the ability to take a break, please do. I want MGDMT to be around for years to come.
It might be dorky, but this may be the most sublimely wonderful comic to date. Between this and “training my fire…” for my favorite strip.
This has to be my favorite one yet.
Sometimes the simplest jokes are the best ones. This is one of those times.
Agreed. Good, simple, one-panel joke.
And cute to boot.
^Seconded (^_^)
Definitely
So if Electric Sheep dream of Andriods what do Electric Sheep robots Dream of?
Whatever sheep dream of, but electric.
So… electric grass?
Hippies would LOVE that…”Hey wow, man, that grass is just sooo *electric*, man.”
You scare me Squidie…
I have a paper on that book due tomorrow…. I’ll take the hint and get to work. >_>;
I’m not sure about the last 2 on the left. Maybe the last one on the left is Bishop from Aliens? Completely stumped on the second from the left.
Second from the left is Ultron from Marvel Comics
You clearly aren’t an Avengers fan…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultron
Ultron from Marvel comics. Avengers villain.
…who is technically an android, but a rogue artificial intelligence. Pure robotic & dedicated to the complete eradication of all life forms…His creator, Hank Pym first.
sorry…NOT an android…
Of all the characters I hadn’t expected to see in MGDMT, Marvin the Paranoid Android was definitely pretty high on that list.
No one ever wants to see me…
That’s not true, Marvin, we just don’t enjoy your tone of voice. ;)
The one on the left is the Bionic Man from the series, I think. Could be Bishop, though.
It’s definitely Bishop. The Six Million Dollar Man is technically a cyborg, not an android, and therefore wouldn’t grace the dreams of electric sheep.
Plus the blue-grey “future boiler suit”, and Lance Henrickson face. 6mil$ Man’s iconic getup was a red track suit with white piping IIRC, and the actor ‘s face was very different.
But then I’m an old Alien(s) fan, so I can’t fault a more casual eye for not recognizing those. Still, props to Coelasquid. Likenesses are hard, so the fact that “that looks like Lance Henrickson” was the bit that made it click for me is to her credit as a cartoonist.
I don’t even know where to start, I just… I’m just laughing.
Also, we don’t see Jared interacting with Pokemon very often aside of Mr Fish, do we? This is interesting…
I do love the Mareep-Flaaffy-Ampharos line.
That…is fantastic! Absolutely awesome. I think that broke my pun generators.
Delightful. My laptop’s named Bishop, so between him and the T-800 you’ve got two of my favorite movies covered. Headcanon: Roy Batty’s next in line.
Did he ever catch any pokemon? Or was it just Mr Fish all the way? Cos I can see him as being the type of guy with a male Gardevoir and having to try and explain that to kids.
I managed to not notice the title, and thus it took me a good half minute to get the joke. But when I did, I peed a little.
Take the hint & get an iPad or laptop, so you can be ready & on the toilet before you load up this comic…
I love it, both for the reference and how (if you don’t read the title) it’s unobvious enough that it takes some thought to get, which are my favourite kind of jokes. Absolutely wonderful.
It might not have been the funniest comic I’ve seen here, but it certainly makes up for that in cuteness.
Someone had to make this one. Someone just had to.
This has been my favorite webcomic for the past year, and I’m always amazed by how many difference references you can put together and have it be clever, witty cohesive, and also adorable.
And apparently on top of working constantly. Wow. I need to go do something with my life now…
Sorry for asking this, but is duke nukem an android?
Please tell me you’re kidding. That’s the Terminator.
Which makes just as much sense, really. The T-800 series are infiltration *cyborgs*, not androids.
That’s actually what I came here to find out: who the hell that’s supposed to be.
I don’t consider it a cyborg if the fleshy parts aren’t vital to its function. If there isn’t a human brain in there somewhere it’s an android with a sweet Halloween costume.
Highway systems are cyborgs. So are non-human being with cybernetics.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyborg
I work in cybernetics, this is a very common misconception.
Further, even by your own argument, wouldn’t the T-800’s intended function of “lack of detection” to prevent alternate timelines be somewhat vital? Isn’t that why it was sent, specifically?
Sometimes people leave comments on my site and the only thing I can picture in my head is the Simpsons comic book guy
That’s probably the most disheartening thing I’ve heard this week…
I know you’re an artist, and it’s a joke (and it’s funny), but I’ve had my external cybernetics for almost five years, and I get so many Borg and Terminator jokes that I really wish people’d stop thinking they’re clever, already. I apologize for being sensitive.
(Also, as a bit of a side-note, my roomie read my comment an informed me that the T-800 is called a cyborg in his universe, specifically, when the T-1000 and T-1001 are called androids (among others… in related news, he does look a bit like CBG >__>)
Actually…..
http://terminator.wikia.com/wiki/Cyborg#Definition
The T-800 are androids. They’re only considered cyborgs, and loosely at that, if they’re wearing their “skins.”
I’m…preeeeetty sure lack of knowledge about the distinction between androids and cyborgs has nothing to do with people making dumb jokes at you.
“An android is a robot or synthetic organism designed to look and act like a human, especially one with a body having a flesh-like resemblance.”
Literally the first line on the android page on wiki.
Would you consider a cybernetically enhanced human (or a human with a cybernetic prostheses) to be a cyborg instead of a human, or a cyborg as well as a human?
If, say, a man with a cybernetic prosthetic arm or eye (to name a few real world experimental/developmental examples) is still considered a human, then the Terminator can be considered in the same sense both an android and a cyborg.
I would consider him a human cyborg, just as I’d consider the T800 a human cyborg.
Had to think about that for a moment. I’m guessing you’re treating the organic tissue as the base component regardless of what’s been added to what in what proportion or for what function.
Seems inconsistent to me. The living tissue in a T-800 is the additive component, not the base component. It’s not a human skin using a robot, it’s a robot using a human skin. It’s a machine cyborg, not a human cyborg, because “cyborg” is a conceptual modifier to the base category.
Your definitions as stated only follow if you’re making dualistic assumptions about the definition of “organism”. All the more so when dealing with fiction.
These are the definitions used in the field itself. As a researcher, these are how the words are used.
Organism has a different definition in cybernetics, and is only partially related to the biologic definition.
The reason that you refer to the biologic components is because it is more descriptive. Cybernetics are universally technological in nature, thus any cyborg is “part machine”. Description of the “type” of cyborg is therefore classes by what parts aren’t, because the cybernetics can take a hugely different form without affecting whether or not the being is a cyborg (A man with an Eyeborg, me with my eyetap, and a guy with scoops instead of legs are all cyborgs, even though the function, invasiveness, and purpose of our cybernetics vary wildly (internal/augmentative(“Equivilance”, or giving back something that wasn’t “lost”, specifically, like giving a cochlear implant to a child who was born deaf), external/augmentative (Benefit and non-invasive/removable), and internal/restorative (Replacing something that was one had but lost), respectively).
I came here to post about the T-800 being a cyborg too and now I feel bad :(
No, but he’s occasionally been replaced by one.
I think the original marvin from the TV series was better, he had more personality.
I think the original-er Marvin from the books was even better. :P
You mean from the radio plays that the first two Hitchhikers were before they were books?
The books are ‘original-er’ than the TV series, even though the radio series is original-er than them.
The order, to the best of my recollection:
The first radio series.
The first book.
The second radio series.
The second book.
The TV series.
The rest of the Adams-penned books.
The movie.
The third radio series.
The last book.
I love the logic at play here. Also nice to see Marvin.
Yay! A joke I actually get! being not familiar with most of the games this comic tends to reference the one off gags tend to sail over my head but I finally got one! (:
I love this comic almost as much as I love Blade Runner!
Surprised not to see Data, he’s the character I think most people would instantly think of when they hear ‘android’.
Not manly enough. Also, limited space.
Marvin’s manly?
well he DID get shot in the head in the HHGttG film and keep on truckin’ (and complaining) afterward like like it was nothing IIRC
I’d say conversing an A.I. tank to its doom qualifies.
This comic just made my life. I am so happy now, I’ve even transcended the need for allcaps to emphasize my statements.
I don’t want to sound rude or anything, but since you’re tired, why not take a break from webcomicking for a bit? With all the free content you’ve already given us, you surely deserve some form of sabbatical.
Robocop would have been there, but he’s way in the back since he can’t run or jump.
Play Robocop Vs The Terminator(Genesis version). He runs and jumps there plenty. And also shoots things.
This is off topi, but is there any information you can give on the state of “Ugly Americans”? I am a big fan of that show, and remember you do/did some kind of work on it. Sorry to bother you, but this seemed like the easiest way to find out “whats up”. Thanks kindly.
I haven’t worked on Ugly Americans since like 2010, I’ve been in LA since the first season ended.
Oh, that I did not know. Sorry for my assumption. Sorry to have bothered you. I hope I did not offend you with my questions.
I’m not offended, animators can only work on a show for so many months a year, so when a contract is up you need to find a new job unless the studio you work for has another project in development to push you onto. Ugly Americans season one wrapped up and I got a new job offer before season two started development.
I didn’t know that, well any of that actually. Sorry for my ignorance on the subject.
It’s fine, it’s not a super common field so there’s no reason to expect people to be familiar with how it works.
Huh. Well, I hadn’t known about the show before… So reading this conversation has alerted me to a show I should check out at some point. Ugly Americans… is that the one with a … succubus on one of the season-compilation-covers?
So what -are- you currently working on?
I would have been supremely impressed to see the anne-droid in that gang…
http://www.thiel-a-vision.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/annedroid.jpg
So, your comic is good enough that I stay up till 12:37 the night before the test that I finished making a 5 page single-spaced study guide for three hours ago. Congrats!! I think I want to have the Commander come and sub at my school sometime.
whoops. *stayed* up
Love that I had to think about it to get this one without reading the title– Marvin having ‘android’ in his name tipped me off. Great concept and nice execution with the Pokemon. And Jared’s expression. Oh, everything really. Thank you! <3
Those sheep are so cute I can hardly stand it. I want to pet them.
I’d advised wearing a grounding strap first…
Poor Marvin. There he is, brain the size of a planet and he’s stuck hopping fences…
That is one sinister looking Megaman…
I lol’d.
I saw this on Pokememes, and I freaked out because “I SHOULD HAVE CHECKED MGDMT FIRST!” It’s just more sacred that way than seeing it on another sight.
I love how you drew Jared’s smushed up face.
I want that comic on a shirt. Pretty please?
Clearly I need to play more Pokemon, because I had to read the blog post title before I got the joke. But then I laughed heartily.
@ Coelasquid:
Can I paypal you some money for a hi-res version of this so I can print it off as a poster?
Nice, Coela. I wondered how many would trip up on the Bishop visual reference. It hit me instantly though. I was like, “woah, its more Lance Henriksen than Lance Henriksen is!” Considering you can ninja that character visually, with only a jumpsuit & haircut to use, and not change your drawing style, shows some mad illustrator skills indeed!
Oh, and don’t work too hard, Coela. You spoil us fans enough as it is =)
…This made my day in so many ways. Just. So, so many ways.
As someone who has named every single Mareep I’ve ever caught some variation of a joke on this (“Do they?,” “DroidDream,” “They Do,” etc.) I feel this comic is made for me.
I want you to know that you are my favourite. :)
Cybernetic organisms are not androids.
I think “cyborg” isn’t so much a thing distinct from human or robot as it is a conceptual modifier. The six Million Dollar Man (or Adam Jensen, Motoko Kusanagi, etc.) aren’t considered cyborgs [i]instead[/i] of humans, but rather cyborgs [i]as well as[/i] humans (yes, I know contention over that plays a big part within their stories, but which side the authors are on is usually pretty clear), so the same logic would apply to a robot-based cyborg IMO. The Terminator is an android who is also a cyborg, rather than cyborg instead of an android.
That said, it did bug the CRAP out of me when T2 came out, and all the promo material kept referring to the T-1000 as a cyborg, despite it having no organic parts and thus being just a straight-up robot.
T-800 is still a human cyborg. The adaptation depends on the biological part, not the controlling part. Non-living cybernetics are named for the biological-like entity, even if there’s no living entity (Highway systems, for example).
Well that seems a bit silly. The T-800 is about 99% machine. It only has organic skin/flesh, blood vessels and possibly eyeballs. It’s a machine with a human disguise. To call it a cyborg seems a little misleading somehow.
But the T-1000 isn’t a cyborg at all. It’s entirely made of metal.
I think there’s a significant distinction between a T-800 & an actual cyborg that (perhaps) needs a new sub-category for its own sake. The operations of a “normal” cyborg are at least partially dependent on the organic tissues used within the configuration; The T-800 *does* incorporate living tissue, but it can continue to operate *without* any organic tissue at all…The organics are *cosmetic only* for the purposes of disguise & infiltration.
I have to admit though, in the movie when Schwartzenegger pulled his “eye” out of the socket, I couldn’t help but wince…
Most people I know would not consider anything that obviously looked robotic to be an android. Which means Marvin from the movie wouldn’t qualify as one. Rockman is kind of iffy.
Besides, android is more of a description, not a definition on its own. So is cyborg. I wouldn’t call the T-800 cyborgs – they aren’t dependent on organic systems for anything, and function just fine without them.
Of course, if we want to totally blow people’s minds, in the play that brought us the word “robot”, they weren’t mechanical – they were organic artificial humans.
Just discovered your site yesterday via girlswithslingshots – and just couldn’t stop reading / laughing – thihihi. Your comic is awesome.
greetings from Germany :)
You’ve… scene’d things we peepers wouldn’t leave be…. Attached scripts unfired off the armpit of a wry one. I’ve watched B-dreams… littering the dark beer the tan Hauserhoph gait. All fleece mow mints we’ll be lust entomb, lack tiers unreined.
Time too dye.
Oopsie, that should be “Thyme too dye.”
What, no Android OS? Still, awesome job.
Hmmm…Would android sheep actually have the kind of (Artificially Intelligenent) mind that it takes to conceive of a smartphone with legs AND the motivation to jump a fence?
Hmmm…Would android sheep actually have the kind of (Artificially Intelligent) mind that it takes to conceive of a smartphone with legs AND the motivation to jump a fence?
That’s gotta be the fattest-looking Flaafy I’ve ever seen.
I love it xD
Ahaha. Marvin from the horibly bastardized version of The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy. Oh well the book is still awesome. Megaman from the 90s show it looks like, and an older version of Duke Nukem. I dunno the other two lol
I’m still ridiculously proud of myself for getting this before reading the title, despite only being able to name two of the androids.
I appreciate this page so much. It’s great. The joke is fantastic.
I know this is an old page, but I’ve just realised that they used a version of this joke in the teamfourstar DBZA thing.
This makes me deeply happy.