This was a concept that I returned to multiple times over the course of the strip: Satan as president of McNiven University. It was a light-hearted stab at Peter George, president of McMaster University, who in actual fact is a really nice guy. These gags, of course, always play upon those irritating little elements of campus life that are so infuriating, they must be designed by Old Scratch himself. The hot, dry air and broken drinking fountains were a noted problem at McMaster, but really, what large institutional buildings don’t have dry air and broken drinking fountains? The joke is universal in that regard. I always tried to straddle the line between jokes that related directly to McMaster and jokes that almost everyone would get. I think I generally managed that balancing act well. (I had plans for broader distribution that never really panned out, unfortunately.)
Satan’s shadowy presence is an obvious nod to Dr. Claw and a host of other 80’s cartoon show bad guys. You never do see his face in this strip – as it should be.
Reading this strip now, I realize that Satan was never really into locusts; that was more an old-school, Exodus-type Jehovah kind of plague. I’m mixing up God and Satan, I think. Oh well. A non-religious type like me can get away with that. Who knows? Maybe Satan was into locusts too. Perhaps God hired Satan to send the locusts, like a plague sub-contractor! What’s that, you say? God and Satan working together? Well it’s true, and biblically sound! Read Job 1:12.
The water fountains were always broken back when I was in school. Some of them had barely had any water flow, other would just taste bad. One of them always gave reddish water for some reason…
The reddish water’s the good stuff. Enriched with iron!
really enjoying this comic, mostly for the nastolga bits.
my e-mail used to be via Idirect (ony left whgen they stoped being residential ISP
and back in the day I had a number of frends in Hamilton (some of which were McMaster students
Well then, the first 80 comics will provide you with lots of nostalgia. I never really knew what happened to Internet Direct, but the fact that the free site I set up with them a bajillion years ago is still going astounds me. And yeah, lots of McMaster. If you get those refs, you’ll hopefully enjoy.
I often see these fountains in TV or Cinema from US. Is it really that common? I never saw that in my place. The water from all taps are potable unless the few cases it is found unsuitable.
Also I know the annoying helicopter parents but the Management usually gives a #$%@ since Schools are free and Universities only take a symbolic 500 per Semester if they take any money at all.
When the complains have some substance of course thats another case.
All water is drinkable here too, at least in cities, but drinking fountains allow you to drink without a cup. They spray the water up in a drinkable arc. They’re good. They’re also sort of going out of fashion over here, because now everyone loves bottled water. I will never, ever understand the desire to buy water for $2.00 when you can get it from the tap for free.
Hmm. So Canada Satan was based on the villian from Inspector Gadget. I was more of a Danger Mouse watcher myself. I thought Greenback had a cool voice. On the other hand Penny was probably the first crush of any guy old enough to have watched those shows.
“Job”, the story, was less a deal with the devil, and more a challenge God gave to to him, just to prove how strong a devoted follower could be.
But I’m glad you don’t see it as God making a follower suffer for the heck of it, like some people.
(Also, I’m sorry my first comment here is a bit on the negative side, but there are at least 384 strips left, so I’m sure I’ll say good things about this great comic!)
Yeah, the story of Job is one of those biblical tales that can be read many ways, and has been read many ways by various wings of the various religions that hold it sacred. Being a heathen, I won’t wade into that.
Alternatively:
“We have expensive cars all over campus, your high darkness.”
“Wait, what?”
“You asked for a plague of Lotuses?”
“I said LOCUSTS, you idiot!”
“They are parked in very awkward spots, and the ones around the residence halls have alarms that go off randomly.”
“Well…at least we can salvage something out of this.”
😛
Hmm, I wonder what Satan is smoking in his cigar there. (Heh, heh.)
Tobacco: it’s the evilest thing you can put in a cigar.