Warbot 13: Checkers

[Meister]

A twist! (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2010/02/03/warbot_13-checkers/)

[Corel]

They're trying to make something positive out of this.

Don't let it fool you, it's a trap!

[Viridis]

I punched the air at the last panel. Woo, dexterity. Corel's right, though. We're going to have a homeless, jobless Warbot roaming the streets.

[A Zarkin' Frood]

Maybe it's one of those 13 Episode shows with no happy ending. And there won't be a second season. Ever.

[psiryu]

Maybe it's one of those 13 Episode shows with no happy ending. And there won't be a second season. Ever.

Yeah, and it properly won't be lucky enough to get a movie even thought it will get a very strong DVD sale.

Anyway, I liked the Gir poster in Warbot's cubical, Gir is good.

[Zack Finfrock]

Is it a bad thing that that happiest moment so far in the comic is Warbot picking up a checkers piece?

[Bard The 5th LW]

Warbot volunteers there regularly? That makes his constant sorrow and failure all the more depressing.

He means well. More so than most, only he doesn't do well.

[Ggolbez]

It's the small victories in life that make it worth living.

[Green Spanner]

OH SHIT MORE CONTINUITY!

This is an important first step for Warbot. Soon he'll be able to type things on a keyboard!

Other than his name and age I mean.

[Zeryo]

The evil bastards hopefully will not end it like this, otherwise the comic will come down as the best worst comic ever, in the sick demented variety though. I suppose that would be alright, although it would mock the lives of visible minorities for all of eternity. I wonder if any warbot has better luck than that.

[Doc ock rokc]

Is it a bad thing that that happiest moment so far in the comic is Warbot picking up a checkers piece?
Well its the first Happy moment in the comic so far.

[Wigmund]

So if Warbot gets fired from Accounting will the title of the comic change?

Maybe it's one of those 13 Episode shows with no happy ending. And there won't be a second season. Ever.

This isn't depressing enough to be the final Warbot comic. I'm expecting the end of Warbot to make the End of Evangelion look like a romp through Candyland.

[CRAB BATTLE]

this wasn't as sad, awkward, or funny as the rest of earlier strips. i'm so conflicted right now.

[Great Cartoonist]

Oh and guys, is it wrong for us to be looking forward to seeing someone suffer undeservedly until the end of time?

[tshadowdrag]

You know guys something seriously is wrong here. The fact that Brian's powers must really be slipping. The fact this week we had HIKYM, 8 bit and Warbot all in a row. Warbot might get canned and living on the street to end his one season run of the worst show ever.

We're at doomsday if there's another comic next wednesday. Zack, go make some more Emerson stat!

[entrando2]

I found this one of the saddest so far.
All that effort and that epic success is worth nothing for the rest of the people. They even get angry at it.

The night panel is one of the most lonely parts. You can almost feel all the calculations and the machinery strain it had to endure to do something we see very easy.

[TimeSpaceMage]

So if Warbot gets fired from Accounting will the title of the comic change?
"Warbot: NOT In Accounting."

[Ti-Phil]

Warbot : In the street

[Viridis]

This comic is so depressing that picking up that checker has been listed as the comic's Crowning Moment of Awesome on TVTropes.

It's all relative, huh?

[Kurosen]

This comic is so depressing that picking up that checker has been listed as the comic's Crowning Moment of Awesome on TVTropes.
Wow. Mission Accomplished.

[Domestibot]

GIR in Warbots office? no wonder he could never succeed. :P Look at all of Zim's failures on account of the little doggy/robot.

[Link_991]

Don't mind me just thinking out loud.

If they fire Warbot due to his him being a warbot and the handicaps that go along with that, couldn't he sue the hell out of them. I'm sure he could communicate the issue to a lawyer off-panel similar to how he tells his troubles to his therapist.

Also what's up with his coworkers calling him "Warbot" all the time instead of X-017, It's like calling an African coworker "The Black Guy" all the time. This is clearly a hostile work enviornment.

[Kurosen]

They wouldn't fire him due to his handicaps. They'd fire him because he's not doing his job. He screwed up the Yutani account after all. (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/07/07/warbot_009-the-yutani-account/)

[Mirai Gen]

I'm sure if Warbot tried to hire a lawyer to claim prejudice got him fired he'd probably get another job that was even worse with the company.

Then the lawyer would lose his firm or something.

[Bob The Mercenary]

That...

That was like a paraplegic getting up and walking for the first time.

I cried.

[Aldurin]

The first 13 editions of Warbot have been more depressing than the combined effect of the endings of Brave New World and 1984 and watching Obama bow to leaders of other countries.

Warbot is the saddest possible case you can think of, he can't talk, he's lonely but every date ended up a disaster (even accidentally killing one of them (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/06/12/warbot_008-kristin/)). He failed at making a robot child, even failed at suicide and his biggest accomplishment is picking up a checker piece (I could hear the trumpets blowing in my mind in that epic you-accomplished-something tune).

At least it could be used as an anti-suicide campaign, with the catch-phrase "At least you aren't Warbot. He's so sad he can't even kill himself."

The worst part of all of this is that the funniest thing in the whole series was panel 3 of this comic. (http://http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/06/03/warbot_007-sophia/) That is epic depressing. Yet I somehow can't get enough (this must be how soap operas stay in business.)

[Aklyon]

"Warbot"
a hostile work environment
Isn't that what he was made for?

[Astrobot7000]

I don't get this one.
I just don't get it.

[Kurosen]

Warbot wants to connect to the lonely old man.

Warbot's efforts are terrible and the old man rebuffs him.

Warbot works super extra hard to be able to pick up a checker without destroying the board.

Warbot appears to be neglecting his real job because he's trying so hard to connect with the old man.

I'm not sure there's anything to get. There usually isn't.

[Astrobot7000]

Ahh.
I see. I thought there was some subtle tragedy (other than his coworker's being annoyed and his tenable position in accounting) to be found here. I suppose that is a tragedy in and of itself though. I guess I was looking to deep to find it. Now that I get that, I 'get' the comic.

And Brian, there is a lot of 'getting' in warbot. It's just usually rather overt. Ahh, I love this comic! Is a book deal readily approaching?

[BootOnFace]

I've noticed a recurring theme for warbot is people talking about how good a machine is when it does what it's designed to do. Sounds like pretty ominous foreshadowing to me.

[Krylo]

I think it's just making Warbot feel even worse, because he CAN'T do what he was designed to do.

[GrandMasterPlanetEater]

I don't care if he gets fired and goes on a homicidal rampage. He picked up a checker! Without smashing anything! Look how big and excited his eye is!

This changes everything. Our cruel overlord can't inflict the pain quite like he used to anymore. Because now no matter what, I can always still think, "Yeah, but dammit, he picked up that checker."

[Funka Genocide]

it kind of weirded me out that there was a recurring character in this one, and also a reference to a prior comic (that whole Yutani account thing.)

I guess this is the part of the comic where you go from extremely clever little snippets and move towards a more organized, continuum based story?

I have to say that this has been by far my favorite work by the author, but I can't figure out whether transitioning from a very basic premise to an actual plot will hurt or help the series. I think it speaks well of the concept that I am willing to find out.

I think Warbot has the stuff to take it to the next level, bring on the seasonal story arcs, love interests, arch nemesis's's and various other traipsings of comic reality, he shall endure!

(or I guess just keep beating on the poor fellow until he destroys the city, that'd work too.)

[BattyAsHell]

Second to last panel, Red Mage and Elan popped in my head shouting "Dun dun DUNNNNNN!"