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Yes, this voting incentive is inspired by Ghost in the Shell! The anime! Or the manga! NOT the Hollywood movie! Because … I haven’t seen that one! And remember, this voting incentive was chosen by special fans who donate $5 or more a month! If you want to join their controlling ranks, HEAD ON OVER TO PATREON and join the select club!
VOTE BECAUSE MASAMUNE SHIROW IS RAD!!!
Also...
For those who are interested, there’s an alternate version of this very comic up on my Patreon feed right now featuring a totally different joke. (The alternate rendition may or may not be funnier than this one. I can't tell.)
As for this comic…
This right here is a fairly accurate representation of my actual surgical oncologist. The first time I met him, I swear he was wearing a snappy suit just like this. And my first thought when I saw the guy was Colin's observation in panel four. Though I didn't share that thought with him.
Surgeons really are an interesting breed: insanely smart individuals who work in a high stakes environment and mostly interact with patients when they're unconscious and cut open. They're ... odd. That said, I can honestly say that in the year or two after initially meeting my surgeon, I actually got to know him and form a sort of bond with him. He's a great surgeon, and also he's a good guy. And I owe him my life. So how do I repay him? By presenting him in an exaggerated light inside a comic strip without his permission, that's how!
Puck 403
AUGUST VOTING INCENTIVE!!! ANIME-TYPE FUN!!!
Yes, this voting incentive is inspired by Ghost in the Shell! The anime! Or the manga! NOT the Hollywood movie! Because … I haven’t seen that one! And remember, this voting incentive was chosen by special fans who donate $5 or more a month! If you want to join their controlling ranks, HEAD ON OVER TO PATREON and join the select club!
VOTE BECAUSE MASAMUNE SHIROW IS RAD!!!
Also...
For those who are interested, there’s an alternate version of this very comic up on my Patreon feed right now featuring a totally different joke. (The alternate rendition may or may not be funnier than this one. I can't tell.)
As for this comic…
This right here is a fairly accurate representation of my actual surgical oncologist. The first time I met him, I swear he was wearing a snappy suit just like this. And my first thought when I saw the guy was Colin's observation in panel four. Though I didn't share that thought with him.
Surgeons really are an interesting breed: insanely smart individuals who work in a high stakes environment and mostly interact with patients when they're unconscious and cut open. They're ... odd. That said, I can honestly say that in the year or two after initially meeting my surgeon, I actually got to know him and form a sort of bond with him. He's a great surgeon, and also he's a good guy. And I owe him my life. So how do I repay him? By presenting him in an exaggerated light inside a comic strip without his permission, that's how!
I never noticed Colin was left-handed before. Is that how lefties greet each, with the left-hand shake? I have no idea why the idea of a secret left-hand shake amuses me. Like I’m being subtly tipped off about some Illuminati-like organization.
Colin might not be left-handed. The truth of the matter is that I’m left-handed, and like a lot of left-handed people, I don’t share that natural right-handed bias. It’s not that I automatically draw lefties; it’s more that I automatically draw ambidextrous people who don’t seem to prefer one hand over the other. It’s weird.
I was born left-handed then changed at some point in my youth without prompting. So I’m right-handed with left-handed tendencies. When I try to pick up new skills, like being horrible at guitar or working a speed-handle, my instinct is to do it left handed first.
Almost all left-handed people are actually ambidextrous. I play a lot of sports right-handed, but I write and draw with my left hand. Though I do most computer-based art with a mouse, and I use my right hand for that.
I’m right-handed, but my dad’s a southpaw. He plays sports right-handed, and I play sports (hockey, golf, batting in baseball) left-handed. Everything else is right-handed…
I’d call you ambidextrous, then!
Lefty here, and the only thing I do right handed is use my mouse, because that’s how I initially learned how to use one. Mostly because I had to share the computers I used back then with right handed people, and I’d have to go in and change a setting every time I’d want to use a mouse, then change it back when I was done, and I never thought it was worth it.
Everything else, from sports to writing to using scissors, are done with my left hand. Which makes me pretty bad at baseball, since I can only catch and throw with my left hand, and basketball, which requires coordination in both hands. 🙁
Yeah, I started using a mouse right-handed only because that was where the mouse was, and I didn’t want to annoy people by constantly switching the mouse over.
Lefties are sinister.
Literally, in Latin.
@EG
That’s what I’m sayin’
(cat hides under bed)
THIS is what Left-Handed Witches do to their Fluffy Widdle Familiars.
And yet, that witch is doing it with her *right* hand.
@Buggle
And I think you need glasses !
(snicker)
Actually, I say that all “lefties” are, at the very least, a little ambidextrous. Me? I say if it requires coordination, I do it left handed, if it requires strength, I do it right handed. That said, I’m also right footed. I throw with my left hand and kick with my right foot. Go figure. LOL.
That sounds pretty typical for a ‘lefty’.
Gun-Owners (such as Susan), who are right-handed, could tell you that most right-handers are also RIGHT-EYED !
Left-Eyed folk can have a terrible time time with many firearms, as the spent casings eject from the “wrong” side – directly into their faces !
Fortunately cats with their claws have no such issues.
(it’s good to be a member of a superior species)
I can totally imagine Colin strapped to a table in the basement with a laser moving up to his crotch. Without anesthesia.
Fortunately, in real life, it’s probably as simple as cutting the cords off. Maybe with lasers. That would still be cool.
And, nine months later, the baby was born.
It’s not that simple, unfortunately. We’ll find out more about the actual procedure, but it’s pretty crazy and complicated and awful.
And I guarantee that it won’t be nearly as graphic as my mind just made it based on your words. 🙁
I bet you it’s worse than your mind just made it. It’s bad.
You were fully under, right? Not just local anesthesia?
Yes. I was. But it’s more from a recovery standpoint. The way they do it means that it takes a while to recover.
Ah. My mother was under local anesthesia when she had me (caesarian section) and they had a curtain – but there was a mirror on the ceiling, so she ended up seeing the whole thing.
So I was just wondering…
Actually, in the novel, it was a metal-cutting buzz saw.
Well, that also gets the job done.
yay for the goldfinger reference – and for me to get the reference for once!
though the doc reminds me more of sigismund then a james bond villain, probably cause he doesn´t have a white cat on his arm 😉
Yeah, the white cat is missing. Though I don’t think they usually let those inside hospitals.
@EG
So to work for a Super-Villain you have to be a WHITE Cat ?
(sigh)
So THAT’S why TRACEEE let me go.
(it’s ok. i can still
STALKadmire her from afar.Well, a black cat with grey stripes would also suffice, a la Dr. Claw. Or a hairless cat, a la Dr. Evil.
I would probably have asked if he was the Grim Reaper.
A snazzy-dressing Grim Reaper? Possible, I suppose.
To go with Satan, the 600-year-old fairy, and the dog furry!
That sounds like a crowded house to me.
But funny!
Colin …. Antagonizing the person who is likely to be operating on your procreation-&-entertainment-department?
NOT A GOOD IDEA. >_<;
No, he’s serious! That’s a legitimate question!
I ask everyone this question after they do the finger pyramid of evil.
Smart man.
@Marduk
Technically this is usually referred to as FINGER-TENTING or STEEPLING.
I’m curious what kind of Cancer treatment Colin will get at this place.
Enh, the usual kind.
1) Staging 2) Orchiectomy 3) (possible) irradiation (depending on results of #1) 4) (possible) chemotherapy (depending on results of #1). Oncologists are weird birds, for sure. I’ve never met one I considered normal, though I liked a couple of them
That sums it up, for sure. On treatment AND oncologists.
Not gonna lie, a bit disappointed that you didn’t ask if he was a James Bond villain, EG.
Also disappointed he’s not gonna use a laser.
Eh, nothing to do about it.
Not gonna lie, I find this arc to be quite interesting, given how it’s mostly about Colin (who is in fact NOT the titular character but rather the titular character’s… Boyfriend? I think?)
I might also be slightly biased in the regards I quite like Colin.
He’s the titular character’s “husband in all the aspects that matter, but without the paperwork.” Though, given how cancer changes a person’s priorities, that’s likely going to change in a future storyline.
Yeah, that sounds about right. Thanks, Hitokiri.
This arc is interesting for me too. I have to say that this is probably the longest stretch I’ve ever gone in this comic where I haven’t needed to draw any of the main female characters. It feels weird.
Shouldn’t Dr. Plessner give his full name if there are initial questions?
He has one of those full names that really just don’t need to be shared. Like Slartibartfast.
His real name is Snake Plissner (from “Escape from New York.”)
At least he’s very self-aware.
He is that.
Seems he is asked this question often.
Do he and Satan know each other? They dress alike.
Unlikely. You don’t have to be aligned with evil in order to wear suits! It’s just that dudes in suits are often aligned with evil. But it’s not a guaranteed thing.
It’d be cool if so.
Are you going to have an episode with Puck and Colin talking to Hot Dog Guy?
I don’t think so. It seems like it would be breaking a rule, somehow.
Puck *is* the only main cast member to interact with Hot Dog Guy so far…
@Buggle
That may be because “Hot Dog Guy” is merely a figment of Robin’s twisted psyche.
(he doesn’t really exist. it’s just an image her mind presents when she’s actually visiting WhiteChapel)
It’s often enough that, when I see someone in a suit, even in real life, I automatically assume they’re evil, and thus, not to be trusted.
It’s the sort of assumption where you can only be PLEASANTLY surprised.
Sadly, that hasn’t happened yet.
@EG
Please tell me your Oncologist does not own a hideous mustard shirt.
That’s not mustard; that’s yellow. Mustard is (contrary to the cheap variety put on hot dogs), when talking about colors, a slightly brown or slightly orange hue of yellow. This is pure yellow – the purest you can get.
@EG
Oh you Canadians !
THIS is MUSTARD !!
And in fashion, THIS is mustard. Notice the subtle difference. And French’s CANADIAN mustard is 100% Canadian in Canada. In fact, I buy French’s ketchup too, because there were thousands of tomato farmers that were basically left high and dry when Heinz decided to shutter their ketchup factory out Leamington way (about a three hour drive from me), and French’s came to the rescue. The farmers bought the plant, and were wondering what they would do with the ketchup. Then French’s came in and said, ‘Hey, it’s about time we got into the ketchup game.’ And you know what? It’s awesome ketchup.
@EG
“America’s Favourite Mustard” !!
Says so right on the bottle. And bottles don’t lie.
@EG
Now I’m getting hungry, thanks to you.
How will I ever maintain my svelte and trim figure ?
@EG
Now that’s some MIGHTY FINE mustard !!
You win this round !!
PPPURRRRRRRRRRRRRR
“Doctor Plessner” is an anagram for “Censors droplets” “Reports coldness” and “Portends Closer” – let’s hope that’s not meaningful!
@rewinn
O M G
(frightened – scurries under bed – hides face with paws – one eye open – only)
Is there an anagram app that you can use for that? Or are you just a super genius?
My only genius is in finding apps to make me look smarter than I really am, e.g. https://wordsmith.org/anagram/
Why do all doctors in your universe steeple their fingers?
Do they? I hadn’t noticed. It’s probably some weird visual shorthand I have. I’m always looking for things that characters can do with their hands. And I guess it conveys a certain air of knowing arrogance that befits a doctor.
At least you don’t signal they are doctors by drawing them with one of those anachronistic head mirrors. That does drive doctors so wild. They were only used by ENTs, in this century and the last, anyway. Nowadays they all use fiber-optics.
Those are classic. Just like prisoners in black-and-white stripes.
I confess I had to google to discover why Treebeard was an otolaryngologist
Nice! James Bond villains also bite. Well, the lackeys do.
Ooh, maybe there’s a nurse somewhere with metal teeth!
Am I the only creature here that has been having an awful time reaching https://puckcomics.com ?
I have to reload mebe five times just to get a live display. (been happening for like two weeks).
Why is it I have some much trubble with my favourite site ? Yet all the crummy ones load instantly ?
Murphy’s Law, cat. Like, why girls like Tracee end up divorced and broke in Moline 😛
Fwiw, I have had some diff in posting comments, but not with the site loading
@Susan
“Fwiw, I have had some diff in posting comments, but not with the site loading”
They were probably awful comments that would hurt sweet, dear TRACEEE’s feelings, anyways.
Tracee’s feelings are all located (and originate) between her umbilicus and her knees. 😛
@Susan
Her who-ziz and what-ziz ?
Since everything I know, I have gleaned from reading the sides of Tuna Cans, I have never encountered some of the no doubt erudite terminology you use in regards to my favorite GAL.
Which is probably a good thing.
Ignorance is Bliss – and I’m pretty happy !
I’d actually dispute that. If her feelings originated down below, I really don’t think she’d be farming older rich guys. Greed is often seen as a baser motivator, but it’s entirely brain-based. And I actually think that there’s more to Tracee than that.
@EG
Did Satan meet TRACEEE at Howlers ?
Likely.
To be honest, the problem is likely on my end. I’ve really been dissatisfied with my server for a long time, but I don’t quite know what to do about it. I brought to the host’s attention, but they basically said the problem must be with my site. Which makes no sense.
Try another Host ?
(yes, easier said than done. my brain is, after all, the size of a walnut)
Hey, don’t sell yourself short. In the cat I dissected, the brain was more the size of a lime
@Susan
That was my MOM !!
(cringe)
No, no. Milt Nakamura dissected the pregnant female. My kat had a Boy. And the boys. And the little spines on the Boy that all women are really glad that guys don’t have.
@Susan
Are you saying that Colin’s Surgeon was a school chum of yours ?
And his name was Milt Nakamura, MD ?
And – the good doctor became skilled at dissecting by putting my relatives to the BLADE ?
Well, I am fair, if not much else.
If the untimely deaths of my (sniff) Auntie and Unkie (sniff), will save Colin’s life – well, I’m down with that.
(damn me to hell)
We were talking feelings, here. True, greed is a motivation and emotion rather than a feeling, and it doubtless originates in the brain. Trouble is, Tracee’s brain is located in the area of the Organ of Zuckerkandl
… she’s more interested in the Organ of Krugerrands?
She’s sure not interested in her brain. Or anybody else’s.
ANNOUNCEMENT: Some people (and one cat) have accused me of being too hard on Tracee. I wish to state at this time that the following comic characters are more annoying than Tracee: Mamet from “Deflocked”, Jeri from “Preteena”, Jason from “Foxtrot,” Norman from “Drabble,” and Andy Capp. Jeremy from “Zits” is purely despicable, and I am trying to line him up for a date with Daffy.
You’re not too hard on Tracee. I’d say your criticism is perfectly balanced. And I sort of hate Jeremy from “Zits” too. It’s a comic that presents a self-centered, smug and emotionally manipulative white teen upper-middle boy, which could potentially be interesting satirical fodder, and it kinda wanders into that territory, but I get the firm sense that we’re supposed to find his behavior ‘endearing’ or, dare I say it, ‘lovable’. I don’t.
Now I guess one could argue that I pull the same stunt in this comic all the time, but I try to crank up the satire dial and I try to be a bit more up front with the fact that these are flawed characters. So I guess it’s the tone of ‘Zits’ I dislike rather than the content. And the fact that Jeremy’s mom and dad always have flashbacks to their teen years in the very early 70’s, which would put them in their sixties. When they’re obviously not in their sixties. But that’s an issue of time frame with all long-running fiction, I guess. I mean, hell, I’m running into that with Puck. Daphne was, according to the dates of the comic, born in the early 90’s, but she’s still a junior in high school. No one born in the early 90’s is still in high school.
I think your critique of “Zits” is spot on, EG, and deeper than I have ever delved into it. +1
I no longer read it, but my fave was when “Boy”head, Jeremy, was moaning to his mom about why it would be impossible for him to ask The Girl out, she turns to Te Girl and simply says, “Would you like to go out with my son?”
She answers, “Sure,” proving herself as a very poor judge of boys. I’m still working on getting him and Daffy together.
You people are SICK !
There IS no comic but PUCK !
(Ok, ARIEL51 and AMPHIBIAN are pretty cool. But that’s IT !!!)
That does it. I’m setting up a date between YOU and “Peekaboo,” the most annoying cat in the comics (from “Rose Is Rose”). It can be a double date!
@Susan
Is she … um … Easy ?
If so, I’m GAME !!
As you should know, with cats (and dogs), it is more about “when” you ask, not how.
@Susan
Well, then I’ll just
begask every moment of every day !That couldn’t get annoying.
We have to wait and see what treatment Colin will get.
heh heh actually I thought he was an evil opportunist from a David Cronenberg film. 😀
Well, that would work too. Quite nicely.
My surgeon was nice too, but I didn’t stay in touch. Different percedure, you understand.
I had to keep going back to visit that surgeon for a decade. It was interesting. During and after the operation, I got to know him quite well.
That makes sense.
My guy was a Russian-speaking Ukranian who was educated in Germany and Latinized his name using the French model. I knew him for a short time, but it was an interesting time. It’s too bad I was so distracted.