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And That's Just Part of the Collection Harold: Did you watch the Michael Jackson funeral? I heard it was rather touching. / Aaron: #%@* that! / Aaron: Do I really need to spy in on some personal, somber event like a peeping tom? Let people grieve! Why can't the media stop prying into people's lives for once?! / [[Ferdinand enters carrying a huge load of magazines.]] / Ferdinand: Check it out! I finally completed my collection of magazines featuring Michael Jackson's death!
21st Century Cavemen, Part 1 [[ Exterior view of Aaron and Harold in a car, Harold driving.]] / <> / Harold: Do you think humans are still evolving? / Aaron: Well, a lot of the pressures for survival have been removed, so selection effects aren't as strong. / [[ Interior view of car]] / Aaron: Plus, modern humans only began 200,000 years ago. In the general scheme of things that's a split second of time-- Not nearly enough for significant changes to take place. / Harold: So what you're saying is that the people driving around me are basically all cavemen. / Aaron: Explains a lot, doesn't it? / {{alt text: A discussion about how humans haven't really evolved much in the last 10,000 years.}}
21st Century Cavemen, Part 2 [[Harold and Arron, sitting on a dock at a lake.]] / Harold: It's amazing to think that people really haven't evolved much in the last 200,000 years. / Harold: Doesn't that mean evolution has basically optimized humans for foraging for food, reproducing and avoiding being eaten by lions? / Aaron: Yup, and now these same people are expected to work 40 hour a week, sitting in front of a computer all day. / Harold: How do people cope with this? / Aaron: Drugs and therapy... / Aaron: And more drugs. / {{alt text: A discussion about how humans haven't really evolved much in the last 200,000 years, therapy, and drugs.}}
21st Century Cavemen, Part 3 [[Harold and Aaron walking in the woods. The sun is setting in the background.]] / Harold: If the human mind hasn't evolved in 200,000 years, will problems arise in society that can't be solved because of inherent intellectual limitations / Harold: Furthermore, are there fundamental truths about the universe that'll never be known because they're impossible for the mind to comprehend? / Aaron: Well, if so, people will just do what they always do when they don't know something. / Harold: What's that? / Aaron: Fake it. / {{alt text: A discussion about whether the human intellect is great enough to actually know all that it desires to know.}}
Short But Not Sweet [[Ferdinand and Harold are walking through the forest.]] / Harold: It's a soundbite society. Nobody wants details. / Harold: How will people make educated decisions if they don't take the time to learn the full inform-- / [[Ferdinand has his hand raised at Harold.]] / Ferdinand: STOP! Only 140 characters or less please!
 
Half Baked [[Ferdinand is mixing a bowl of cookie dough.]] / Harold: Wow Ferd! I didn't know you cook. What are you making? / Ferdinand: Chocolate chip cookies. / Harold: How do you make that? / Ferdinand: Let's see...flour, salt, baking soda, butter, sugar, eggs, and chocolate chips. / [[Close of up Harold.]] / Harold: What do you bake it at, like 400 degrees? / [[Ferdinand tosses a small ball of dough into his mouth.]] / Ferdinand: Bake it? You want to RUIN it?!? / {{Title text: There's one key way to ruin chocolate chip cookies: bake them.}}
Wrong Place, Wrong Time, Wrong Color [[Harold and Aaron are sitting and reading a newspaper]] / Harold: Jeez, a black Harvard professor was arrested when a white woman reported he was breaking into--his own house! / Harold: At least the police eventually dropped the charges. / Aaron: Yeah, but what happens when you're not a Harvard professor? / Harold: The cops probably send you a hand-written apology and a bouquet of flowers. / Aaron: Where? To your funeral? / {{title text: Wrong Place, Wrong Time, Wrong Color}} / {{other keywords: Henry Louis Gates Jr., race, racism}}
Mental Dental, Part 1 [Harold and Ferdinand walking outside] / Harold: This toothache is killing me! I gotta get to a dentist. / Ferdinand: Dentists are for SHMUCKS! / Ferdinand: They're goin' to charge you like two grand, and for what? Drilling a few teeth? I can do the same work for twenty bucks! / Harold: Hmm... I don't know if that's a good idea... / Ferdinand: DON'T WORRY, I'll go get my goggles. Gotta watch out for flying shards! / [Ferdinand has left the panel] / Harold: SHARDS?! / Ferdinand: OF COURSE! I'll also get my jackhammer! EVERY respectable dentist has one of THOSE!
Mental Dental, Part 2 [[Ferdinand approaches Alp who is working on his inventions at this workbench in Alp's lab.]] / Ferdinand: Hey Alp, do you have a welding torch? / Alp: Is this for the dental work you're doing on Harold? / Ferdinand: That's right! I'm goin' to save him a ton of money he would have wasted on some crock dentist! / Alp: But is that a good idea? Is it safe? / Ferdinand: Of course it's safe! I'm an expert! / Alp: I didn't even know you used to be a pert.
Mental Dental, Part 3 [[Harold sits in a dental chair while Ferdinand probes at him with instruments.]] / Ferdinand: Harold, you're smart to let me do your dental work. This'll save you a bundle! / Ferdinand: I'm almost done, and then -- OOPS!! / Harold: Oops?! What do you mean oops?! / Ferdinand: Hmm ... These are your baby teeth, right? / Harold: Baby teeth?!? I'm a full grown adult!!! / Ferdinand: Then maybe you can grow them back, you know, like a shark... / Harold: FERD?!!
 
Mental Dental, Part 4 [[Harold has a metal brace around his head]] / Harold: Some hentist ya ah! Ih coss ee $5000 to hix ahl the hamage ya hid! (Some dentist you are! It cost me $5000 to fix all the damage you did!) / Ferdinand: Hey, it's not my fault you can't stay still when I'm using a bandsaw! / Ferdinand: Besides, I got screwed over by our dental arrangement too! / Harold: Why's thad? / Ferdinand: You never paid me my twenty bucks! / [[Ferdinand is chased out of the room. You can just see Harold's arms trying to wring Ferdinand's neck.]]
Beauty is T-Shirt Deep Harold: Aaron, I don't understand why you're always so cynical about people. / Harold: At the end of the day we all share the same values and everyone basically has a good heart. / [[Two people walk by. One wears a shirt that reads "Free Sperm Samples" and has an arrow pointing down to his groin. The other wears a shirt that says "Shut Up You're Stupid."]] / Aaron: You were saying?... / Harold: Maybe they can't read English?!?
It's Essentially the Same Experience [[Aaron stands next to a man trying to feed money to a scratcher machine].] / Man: This darn machine won't take my money. / Aaron: Here, let me help you with that. / Man: Thanks kind sir. / [[Aaron rips the dollar into shreds and walks away]] / Aaron: See, wasn't that more satisfying than a scratcher? / {{other keywords: lottery, gambling, waste of money}}
Media is the Opiate of the People [[Aaron and Ferdinand walk along a tropical beach.]] / Ferdinand: Blogs, podcasts, satellite TV, radio, and more -- isn't the 21st century fantastic? / Ferdinand: There's so much media, no matter where I go, I can find a niche that reinforces my beliefs! / Ferdinand: I'll never have on of my thoughts challenged! I'll never have to feel bad for my prejudices! / Aaron: So it's basically the intellectual equivalent of eating ice cream for every meal, every day. / Ferdinand: Gimme another scoop!!
It's Always Sad When They Go So Young [[Aaron sits on a park bench next to a man and his child, who sits on his father's lap. The man holds a large book.]] / Man: Hey little guy, let's read a story together. / Man: 6,000 years ago, there was no Earth or sky. Then God said "Let there be light!" and it was good. / [[Aaron leans over and talks to the child.]] / Aaron: Sorry kid, you never really stood a chance. / {{other keywords: religion, creationism, evolution, bible, literalist}}
 
Don't Be Sick [[Ferdinand and Harold are walking through the woods]] / Harold: The health care debate sure is getting heated. / Ferdinand: Well, for a good reason! / Ferdinand: It's socialist to let the government dictate our docters. Not to mention the death panels and mandatory euthanasia for everyone over 60! / Harold: Ferd, those are lies propagated to trick people into irrationally fighting much needed reform. / Ferdinand: Really? That's disappointing. / Ferdinand: I was hoping old people could be a good substitute for pork if the swine flu gets out of control.
Guest Comic by David Wilborn {{Guest comic by David Wilborn.}} / Alp: I've finally done it, Ferd -- my ultimate invention! / Ferdinand: Oh, yeah? / Alp: Behold -- the baconator! I can transform anything into bacon with the press of a button! / Ferdinand: Fire it up! / <> / [[Alp is obscured by a cloud of smoke.]] / [[Alp has been turned into a pig, and the baconator has vanished (presumably into the now gone cloud of smoke. Ferdinand is now holding a knife and fork.]] / Alp: Well -- that's not good. / Ferdinand: I'll miss you.
Guest Comic by Audra Furuichi {{Guest comic by Audra Furuichi and Scott Yoshinaga.}} / [[Harold and Aaron sit at a table reading newpapers.]] / Harold: This woman claims her dog saved her life. She says the dog told her to get out of the house because there was a gas leak. / Aaron: Heh! / Aaron: Ridiculous! You can't believe everything you read, Harold! / Aaron: We both know that animals can't really talk! / Harold: Heh heh heh!
Guest Comic by Jeff Schuetze {{Guest comic by Jeff Schuetze, creator of the geek and video game webcomic JEFbot}} / [[Alp sits reading a book with Ferdinand looking over his shoulder, while Harold, Aaron, and Raymond are playing cards]] / Ferdinand: I was thinking: if those mini copies of Aaron and I could combine to form a fearsome, Voltronesque sword-wielding giant, imagine how awesome it would be if the five of us combined! / Alp: Not happening. / Ferdinand: C'mon guys, let's assemble! / Harold: Uh-uh. / Aaron: Bad idea. / Raymond: Sounds dirty. / [[Ferdinand is in midair with lightning behind him]] / Ferdinand: ASSEMBLE! / [[All five are in a figure consisting of Harold, Ferdinand, and Alp as the body, and Raymond and Aaron as the arms. Harold is holding a spork.]] / Ferdinand: Not exactly what I had in mind. / Harold: I formed the head! / Aaron: Not awesome. / Raymond: I think we formed a tree. / Alp: Awkward.
Comic Strip Syndication [[Ferd in a seat, is handed a "Congrats!" document]] / hander: Congratulations! You're out winner! / Ferd: What?! What's this? / Ferd: I've won a comic strip syndication contract?! I've hit the jackpot! / [[View pulls back, Ferd is riding in a train car]] / Ferd: I've finally made it! I'm on the fast track to success!! / [[View pulls back. Train is heading off the edge of a cliff]] / {{alt text: Ferd is offered the ultimate prize: comic strip syndication. Unfortunately, this is like winning a ticket on the Titanic.}} / {{other keywords: comic strip superstar contest, amazon, universal syndicate}}
 
Galileo's Finger, Part 1 [[Aaron is holding a box.]] / Aaron: Harold, I just got a strange package from Florence. / Harold: I wonder what it could be. / Aaron: Oh my God! Do your know what this is? It's *Galileo's middle finger!* / Harold: His middle finger is preserved in a glass egg? / Aaron: The History of Science museum in Florence must have sent it by mistake. / Harold: Wow, Galileo has been giving man the finger for 400 years! / Aaron: <> / Harold: What's the matter Aaron? Are you... crying? / Arron: It's... just... so... *beautiful!* / {{alt text: In honor of the 400th anniversary of Galileo's invention of the telescope, a story line about Galileo's middle finger from the Museo di Storia del Scienza in Florence, Italy.}} / {{keywords: astronomy, religion}}
Galileo's Finger, Part 2 [[Aaron is holding Galileo's middle finger in a glass egg.]] / Harold: It's amazing to thing the Catholic Church fought so hard against the heliocentric viewpoint. At least those days are behind us. / Aaron: Actually, as recently as 1990, Cardinal Ratzinger said the church was "rational and just" in punishing Galileo. / Harold: But that's just some random Cardinal, right? What's the big deal? / Aaron: Actually, he's Pope Benedict XVI now. / Harold: Well, at least that's his only crazy belief. / Aaron: He also thinks condoms cause AIDs. / racoon?: Don't worry, there are *only* one billion Catholics. / {{alt text: A comic about Galileo's middle finger, Cardinal Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI, condoms, AIDS, and one billion Catholics.}} / {{keywords: astronomy, religion}}
Galileo's Finger, Part 3 Harold: Do you think Aaron's spending a little too much time with Galileo's middle finger? / Alp: What makes you say that? / [[Aaron driving in a car, the finger strapped in in the passenger seat.]] / [[Aaron in a restaurant, candle-lit dinner with the finger.]] / [[Aaron in bed, snuggling the finger.]] / {{alt text: Aaron's relationship with Galileo's middle finger starts to get serious.}} / {{keywords: astronomy, religion}}
Galileo's Finger, Part 4 Aaron: I've decided to return Galileo's middle finger back to the History of Science museum in Florence. / Harold: Good for you! That's really where it belongs. / Aaron: Yeah, with all the crap the Catholic Church put him through, Galileo deserves to have his finger appreciated by everyone! / Harold: Wait, where is the finger? / [[Aaron points to the mantle off panel.]] / Aaron: I had it on the mantle-- someone must have stole it. / Harold: But *who?!* / [[Ferd driving in traffic, signals another driver with Galileo's middle finger in a glass egg.]] / Ferd: *UP YOURS!!!* / {{alt text: What better way to say screw you than using a 400 year old middle finger from Galileo?}} / {{keywords: astronomy, religion}}
Galileo's Finger, Part 5 [[Harold and Arron at a park. Harold is pointing off in the distance.]] / Harold: Hey look, there's Ferd! / Aaron: That bastard! I can't believe he stole Galileo's middle finger from me! / Aaron: Hey Ferd, give me the finger! *GIVE ME THE FINGER!!* / [[Everyone stops and stares at Aaron.]] / Aaron: What the #@*% are all you lookin' at?! / [[Harold hides his face.]] / {{alt text: Aaron and Harold try to get Galileo's middle finger back from Ferdinand.}} / {{keywords: astronomy, religion}}
 
Galileo's Finger, Part 6 Raymond: Aaron returned Galileo's middle finger this morning. / Ferdinand: Too bad. There's nothing better to say #@*% you, than using a 400 year old finger. / Ferdinand: Well, at least I still have this. / [[Ferdinand holds up a glass encased finger]] / Raymond: What?! How do you still have the finger? / Ferdinand: I had an exact replica made. In fact, you can have one too for only $19.95! / Raymond: Is nothing sacred anymore? / Ferdinand: Order now and I'll throw in Tycho Brahe's severed nose. You can even pick it with Galileo's finger! / {{alt text: Galileo's middle finger and Tycho Brahe's nose. The perfect pair.}} / {{keywords: astronomy, religion}}
Tetrachromatic Dreams [[Ferdinand and Raymond are sitting in a field. The sun is setting in the background.]] / Raymond: Most people are trichromatic. They use three different cone cells to perceive color. / Raymond: But a mutation can give some women an extra cone, making them tetrachromatic. They may actually see completely new colors! / Ferdinand: I wish I had six types of cone cells. / Raymond: Is that so you could see an even greater variety of colors? / Ferdinand: No, I want people to call me sexachromatic! / Raymond: Actually, "tri" and "tetra" are Greek. "Sexa" is Latin. / Ferdinand: Okay, then I'll be a Latin sexachromatic!
Tetrachromatic Women [[Raymond and Aaron it on a swing in a tree. They are both reading books. The tree has red autumn leaves.]] / Raymond: It's fun to think that some women have a mutation that makes them tetrachromats. I wonder if they see entirely new colors... / Raymond: ...or if they are just better at distinguishing between similar colors. / Aaron: Either way, I think it's pretty unfair that women have this ability and not men. / Raymond: Why's that? / Aaron: Women are already criticizing their significant other's clothing. / Aaron: These tetrachromats can now criticize clothing colors even men can't see!
Drunken Personalities [[Harold and Aaron are walking on beach at night.]] / Harold: Why do certain people always become aggressive when they drink? Is it purely due to the alcohol?... / Harold: ...Or does it reflect some real aspect of the person that only shows through once they have been released from their inhibitions? / Aaron: If it's the latter, I wonder what we could learn about our friends by getting them drunk? / Harold: Yeah, I wonder... / [[Ferdinand is obviously drunk, surrounded by empty beer bottles and reading from a book.]] / Ferdinand: For every w-consistent recursive class K of formulas, there are recursive class signs (symbol for root), such that neither V gen (symbol for root) nor neg (Vgen(symbol for root)) belong to FLG(K). *HIC*
The 21st Century Experience [[Ferdinand and Aaron are standing in front of the kitchen counter. Aaron is cutting some chicken thighs. Some tomatoes also sit on the counter.]] / Ferdinand: Ew! why's that chicken bloody? / Aaron: It's raw meat! Sometimes there's blood. What do you expect? / Ferdinand: Well, I don't like it! It reminds me that the meat is from a living, breathing animal. I don't want my food to make me feel bad. / Ferdinand: As a member of the 21st century, I demand the sanitized, guilt-free experience that I'm entitled to! / Aaron: Kinda how America likes its wars, huh? / Ferdinand: There's a war going on?
 

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