^ 33 Comments...

1. sFCRetired
   November 4th, 2012 at 4:12 pm

   We never think about it, but, to someone from a non-technological society like Erogenia, a cell phone would be magic.

2. descartes
   November 4th, 2012 at 4:14 pm

   A Sunday posting!?

   What will they do when they see television?

3. SamuraiDemonPuppy
   November 4th, 2012 at 4:28 pm

   I’ve been waiting for the “whoa” reaction to the technology all around. Did Nan drive them around in a car from club to club? And they have been posed in a bunch of pictures already. Did they ever see the results and what was the reaction then? What WAS their reaction to automobiles, anyway?

4. AdamZero
   November 4th, 2012 at 6:38 pm

   retired. Very poor magick. Once the battery ran down it’d be just a hunk of plastic.

5. Dakeion
   November 4th, 2012 at 7:24 pm

   Where does it say that magic dosen’t need batteries too?

6. John Savard
   November 4th, 2012 at 8:02 pm

   It is true that even fancy modern cell phones with Voice Control are not sufficiently advanced to be indistinguishable from magic… but that doesn’t mean the quote wasn’t highly appropriate to the situation as a whole.

7. Soulworker
   November 4th, 2012 at 8:10 pm

   So perhaps they will start calling him Michael?

8. Jean
   November 4th, 2012 at 10:59 pm

   “Any sufficiently studied magic is indistinguishable from science!” ~Agatha, er, Cinderagatha, Girl Genius

9. zaraya
   November 5th, 2012 at 12:34 am

   Does’t splitting up to have sex presage bad things in thriller and horror movies?

   -Z

10. Doccer
    November 5th, 2012 at 1:15 am

    Hey I know this is probably waaaaaay late but how do you properly pronounce “Mentl” particularly with the “TL” at the end there? and how do you get a nickname or shorten version or what ever from Michael to Mentl?
    Sorry but it gets easy to forget things like this with it is all verbaly like how Order of the Stick talked about made a joke about prepareing for some place with windy in its name and thought the air blew around alot and prepared for that and when they got there the place was actually a twisted maze and one of them said how if they actually spoke the word instead of useing speak bubbles they never would have made this misstake. or something like that.

11. Sleepinin
    November 5th, 2012 at 1:26 am

    Well.

    This can’t possibly end badly.

    

12. Jean
    November 5th, 2012 at 4:32 am

    I’m pretty sure it’s pronounced “Mental” as in the accusation “You’re mental!” (”You’re nuts!”) When you think about it, that pretty much fits Mentl’s low self-esteem back during the start of this.

    *has just–evilly–sent several of you all the way back to the beginnings of the archive, and is chuckling because you’re doomed–dooooomed, I say!–to re-read this wonderful webcomic from scratch, bwahahahaha!*

13. vrwhammer
    November 5th, 2012 at 5:36 am

    …and now there is another ell phone addict in the world

14. vrwhammer
    November 5th, 2012 at 5:37 am

    cell

15. Debi
    November 5th, 2012 at 7:38 am

    I may be a little slow.. but I just realized Rachel was named after Mentl’s mom. Nice touch!

16. Elfguy
    November 5th, 2012 at 9:59 am

    a shame there are no cell towers in Zona’s homeworld…

17. Doctorzuber
    November 5th, 2012 at 1:02 pm

    His name is Michael.

18. John Savard
    November 5th, 2012 at 9:35 pm

    It rhymes with Yentl.

19. Jan Jansen
    November 6th, 2012 at 7:25 am

    Comic may contain product placement

20. NytSky
    November 6th, 2012 at 6:49 pm

    Too bad it is not an I phone 5 with Siri; it would be fun to see Tula’s expression; and yes Jan, now there “is” product placement

21. Lora
    November 6th, 2012 at 7:31 pm

    “Any sufficiently studied magic is indistinguishable from science!” ~Agatha, er, Cinderagatha, Girl Genius

    Well, glad I’m not the only one who had that thought.

    Hope everyone have a good night.
    Must admit I’m a bit disappointed in the iPhone; it just doesn’t seem like something an older woman would have had.

22. NytSky
    November 6th, 2012 at 8:01 pm

    Hi Lora; not sure what you are indicating with the comment “Must admit I’m a bit disappointed in the iPhone; it just doesn’t seem like something an older woman would have had.” was that comment directed at me?
    Thanks;
    NytSky

23. Lora
    November 7th, 2012 at 8:15 am

    Na, NytSky, more of a general statement. It doesn’t feel like it fits in, not to me anyway.

24. Jean
    November 7th, 2012 at 8:29 am

    Lora, even my mother knows how to text. She learned a good 7-8 years ago. *hangs head in shame* I only learned just this last year…but then I freely admit I’m ever so slightly cellphonephobic.

25. Metroknight
    November 7th, 2012 at 11:33 am

    I could picture an older lady having an IPhone. My mom is in her late 60’s and she has been texting for years. I got her hooked on the computer and internet over 10 yrs ago also. While she is not that tech savy, she does know how to text and use the computer to IM, email, and occasionally FB. My niece and I are working on getting her to start video calling also. I told my family back in 84 that computers are the future not a fad like they thought.

26. Debi
    November 7th, 2012 at 6:06 pm

    My husband’s 80+ year old father recently got an iPhone. He loves it. I am over 50, and quite happy with mine as well.

27. Prairie Son
    November 7th, 2012 at 7:26 pm

    Skype is flipping wonderful, especially given that my family is spread out across the whole planet.

    And if my 93 years young grandmother can figure out e-mail, texting and Skype, I see no reason to be shocked that Michael’s sixty-something mother was hooked up.

28. Calisto
    November 8th, 2012 at 5:28 am

    Anyone else see a call for Mentl’s mother coming? As far as the tech looking like magic bit, many of the things we have would look like magic to Zona or anyone else from her world. Room to dark? wave your hand and flameless torches light the room. Want to here music but don’t have a bard handy, wave your hand and the music comes out of the walls. There are so many examples zona even gave us an example, the magic boxes that take pictures. Even running water could be taken as magic. Cell phones would easily be magical never mind a smartphone that can show you video or be a compass or any of a thousand other things.
    I know this comment is a page late but I must say it is nice to see Mentl is still just as quick on the uptake.

29. Lora
    November 8th, 2012 at 6:18 am

    It’s not the cellphone. It’s the brand. XD I don’t know any older persons who would care enough about the brand of their cellphone to spend the money on an iPhone. Those things are ridiculously expensive. It’s the kind of thing the younger and middle aged generation do. Hence why it doesn’t feel right to me in this context.

30. John Savard
    November 8th, 2012 at 6:56 am

    But an older person who isn’t computer savvy, and is rich enough so that the money for a small thing like that wouldn’t matter, might well pick the most recognized brand, or the one easiest to use, or the one recommended by a friend. After all, issues like the limits of the App Store and the relative freedom provided by Android wouldn’t matter to such a person.

31. Jan Jansen
    November 8th, 2012 at 9:34 pm

    I’d never buy this crud, but it does seem to get shoved down peoples throats as presents. Sorry, my old 10 buck mp3 got switched to a generation 6 nano and it is the most annoyingly impractical gadget ever. No buttons, touchscreen turns randomly, so it is sideways or upside down 95% of the time. No playlist option, instead there is a shake it (or just jump or make an erratic move) and the song changes and the list goes to random from all. Sound quality worse than on a 10 $ mp3, and I live in Eastern Europe - it would probably cost 2$ in the US. It is such a hateful piece of goshdarned touchscreen-button-jumping equipment. Just buy someone a postcard - actually a handmade bottle of flower or herb and honey hooch is quite swell. Sorry for the bile folks. Guess I’m not a fruit fan anymore.

32. Lora
    November 9th, 2012 at 8:02 am

    Ha, don’t worry, Jan. I’ve never been a fruit fan. It’s so hyped.

33. Shyster
    November 9th, 2012 at 12:01 pm

    @John Savard and Lora - Who says she was old? His mom probably died in her fifties (assuming she didn’t have Mental later then age 33, because I guess his age to be about 27 at the most), and it was implied to be a heart attack or heart complication from a pre existing condition. I don’t think that is too old to be able to pick your own smart phone.

    Or maybe someone younger like Mental or his sister recomended it to her.

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