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Narbonic #1
Narbonic
Mutant gerbils. Orbital death rays. Evil coffee. All in a day's work at Narbonic Labs. Helen Narbon is a mad scientist with an unexplained fondness for gerbils. Along with her evil intern Mell Kelly and hapless computer guy Dave Davenport, she'll do battle with Antonio Forensic Linguist, win the heart of Prof. Lupin Madblood, quell a rebellion of superintelligent rodents, and face the greatest evil of all... her mother.
128 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
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October 23, 2014Man, this has been on my to-read list for years, and now it just got referenced by one of my fave authors. How come you not at library, cool book? Shouldn't we be, like, encouraging girls to do science n stuff?
Fiiiine, I'll read it online. http://www.narbonic.com/
But I still think the library should get it. For Teh Children.
Fiiiine, I'll read it online. http://www.narbonic.com/
But I still think the library should get it. For Teh Children.
January 27, 2008
With the unbridled fun of a newspaper comic strip, the intellect of a high-brow graphic novel, and the kinds of pop-culture/nerd-culture references only the Internet can generate, Narbonic is Shaenon Garrity's magnum opus. Originally a webcomic that ran seven days a week for six and a half years, it is now available in a series of print volumes. But that doesn't preclude reading the strip in its original format, and with only about two-thirds of the series in print, it's the only way, for the moment, you'll get to read it to the end.
Narbonic's premise is simple: a cynical computer science graduate is coerced into working in the lab of a happily-unhinged mad scientists and her trigger-happy mad intern. The scenarios are hilariously ridiculous, the situational comedy excellent, and the overall narrative surprisingly complex. All in all, everything a comic strip needs to work.
Normally, I'd agree that reading a webcomic, even one available in print, is something of a cop-out in a "books challenge." After all, one would presume it to be fairly light reading. However, two things push Narbonic into the realm of worthy material: its length, and its writing.
Running for over 2,300 strips (including full-page and multi-page Sunday specials), Narbonic is massive, running longer than some syndicated comic strips. The strip places an emphasis on dialog, making it heftier than many of its contemporaries even individually. This gives the strip ample room to build character and construct situational humor. Additionally, the writing is excellent. The subject matter is unmistakably silly, but it's silliness with a purpose. Like a good serial, the story constantly builds on its previous material (rather than relying on a static universe, as most comic strips do), upping the ante of absurdity by regular ticks. As an added bonus, the strip is peppered with references, from Shakespeare's most obscure plays to the ins and outs of technology. Narbonic is silly in a way that is decidedly rare: it doesn't insult the reader's intelligence.
Narbonic isn't perfect, by any means. As Garrity's first dedicated attempt at a long-running comic strip, its early years have an apprenticeship quality to them, noticeably inferior in both writing, pacing, and artwork to her later accomplishments. Even at her peak, Garrity is a writer first and an illustrator second, and the art, while charming, is hardly ground-breaking. The comparative weakness of the early days of the strip sadly deters the reader from pressing on to the really good stuff that comes later on.
On the other hand, comic strips that don't evolve often also fail to achieve any degree of greatness, and Narbonic steadily improves, starting with admirable effort, sustaining its humor throughout its run, and finishing in a spectacular fashion. Free of the crippling prudishness that hobbles most syndicated comic strips, Narbonic shows exactly the way in which grown adults should cut loose and recapture the pleasures of childhood: with a solid storytelling that doesn't treat them like children.
Narbonic's premise is simple: a cynical computer science graduate is coerced into working in the lab of a happily-unhinged mad scientists and her trigger-happy mad intern. The scenarios are hilariously ridiculous, the situational comedy excellent, and the overall narrative surprisingly complex. All in all, everything a comic strip needs to work.
Normally, I'd agree that reading a webcomic, even one available in print, is something of a cop-out in a "books challenge." After all, one would presume it to be fairly light reading. However, two things push Narbonic into the realm of worthy material: its length, and its writing.
Running for over 2,300 strips (including full-page and multi-page Sunday specials), Narbonic is massive, running longer than some syndicated comic strips. The strip places an emphasis on dialog, making it heftier than many of its contemporaries even individually. This gives the strip ample room to build character and construct situational humor. Additionally, the writing is excellent. The subject matter is unmistakably silly, but it's silliness with a purpose. Like a good serial, the story constantly builds on its previous material (rather than relying on a static universe, as most comic strips do), upping the ante of absurdity by regular ticks. As an added bonus, the strip is peppered with references, from Shakespeare's most obscure plays to the ins and outs of technology. Narbonic is silly in a way that is decidedly rare: it doesn't insult the reader's intelligence.
Narbonic isn't perfect, by any means. As Garrity's first dedicated attempt at a long-running comic strip, its early years have an apprenticeship quality to them, noticeably inferior in both writing, pacing, and artwork to her later accomplishments. Even at her peak, Garrity is a writer first and an illustrator second, and the art, while charming, is hardly ground-breaking. The comparative weakness of the early days of the strip sadly deters the reader from pressing on to the really good stuff that comes later on.
On the other hand, comic strips that don't evolve often also fail to achieve any degree of greatness, and Narbonic steadily improves, starting with admirable effort, sustaining its humor throughout its run, and finishing in a spectacular fashion. Free of the crippling prudishness that hobbles most syndicated comic strips, Narbonic shows exactly the way in which grown adults should cut loose and recapture the pleasures of childhood: with a solid storytelling that doesn't treat them like children.
January 15, 2024
Narbonic is the early-2000s webcomic that convinced me there was still life in the gag-a-day comic strip form. I decided to re-read it for the first time in almost 20 years, but I was a little worried about how it would hold up. Also, that early art looked so messy!
I didn't need to worry. The opening story arc is great. Even if the art wasn't fully formed yet, the comic flow is solid. It did weaken a bit after that first storyline - some of the middle stuff felt like it dragged, and a lot of the individual strips started with an explanation of what had happened the previous day or slightly contradicted the earlier strip. But volume 1 also ends on a strong note, especially with the bonus story that reminded me of how much stronger it would get in the later years.
I didn't need to worry. The opening story arc is great. Even if the art wasn't fully formed yet, the comic flow is solid. It did weaken a bit after that first storyline - some of the middle stuff felt like it dragged, and a lot of the individual strips started with an explanation of what had happened the previous day or slightly contradicted the earlier strip. But volume 1 also ends on a strong note, especially with the bonus story that reminded me of how much stronger it would get in the later years.
books-i-cannot-quite-finish
February 14, 2021I really enjoyed this but I couldn’t handle the format. Online reading in the age of pandemic is really difficult. So it’s shelved for now. Usually I rate shelved books with a single star but since this shelf move isn’t based on boredom with the content I’m leaving it unrated. Hopefully I can get back to it.
June 5, 2007
Excellent mad scientist comic from an artist and storyteller I have admired since we were in college. The Sunday strips are special treats, and there is plenty of humor to go around in the main storyline.
The comic recently ended its run online, but continues with new author commentary. I *adore* commentary tracks on DVDs, and apparently comics are no exception.
Also, Shaenon once let me sit in her dorm room and read all her Sandman comics, thus introducing me to the magical world of graphic storytelling. Thanks, Shaenon!
The comic recently ended its run online, but continues with new author commentary. I *adore* commentary tracks on DVDs, and apparently comics are no exception.
Also, Shaenon once let me sit in her dorm room and read all her Sandman comics, thus introducing me to the magical world of graphic storytelling. Thanks, Shaenon!
March 27, 2008
Shaenon Garrity is one of the most creative, hard-working personalities on the web. Her characters are full of life and foibles and endearing traits. An expert borrower of ideas in the tradition of Shakespeare and Twain, she weaves a compelling story of a mad scientist, a computer programmer, a homicidal gun-toting girl, and a super-intelligent gerbil.
July 24, 2010
I love Narbonic, and Shaenon Garrity's sense of humor and her amazingly likable characters. The only issue I have with this volume is that it had to be printed using fairly low-quality processes, so it probably won't stand up to too many more readings. But I am a huge fan of print collections for online comics, so even a low-quality book makes me super happy!
June 5, 2007
Mad Science is AWESOME!
July 2, 2013
I want to warn you against reading this in a library or on an airplane. Some of these strips made me laugh out loud for long enough that I started irritating the people around me.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews