by William G.
Okay, everyone who was down with "Bill Nye The Science Guy" back in the '90s, throw your hands up. I know, we all were into it. It was less about frantic science explanations, like "Beakman's World," and more into a sly, self-aware, smirky science explanations. And if sly, self-aware, smirky science is your thing, then this is the comic for you: Reasoned Cognition by Ryan Kolter.
The premise is pretty simple: An amorphous ball of light (ABOL) takes you by the hand and explains some science to you in a sly, self-aware, and smirky manner. The ABOL is there because the artist, inserting himself as a god-like being into the proceedings, claims to not be able to draw people. Personally, I think it's an ABOL -- and not a person -- simply because an ABOL is more sciencey than a guy in a lab coat.
Think of the glowing balls in old science fiction like "Star Trek" for a second.
They were pretty smart, right?
Exactly, very sciencey.
The use of the ABOL was a great idea that has worked wonderfully for Kolter thus far because, like the explanations we're given, it makes perfect sense. For example, take the comic of December 5, 2003. The question posed is "Explain the Bernoulli Effect." The reply then comes in three easy panels: "The Bernoulli Effect is caused by... MAGIC SKY PIXIES!" It's very off-beat, very logical, and makes a lot of sense to me now that I've given it some thought.
[Editor's Note: We have been informed that the "Magic Sky Pixies"
gag was a guest strip. Bill apologises for the confusion and curses
the magic sky pixies for their magic.]
The ABOL is there to act as a bridge between the reader and the information given. And, being a big fan of TV science, I'm going to have to say that the explanations are very solid. A look at the convenient drop-down menu gives us such topics as "Do Other Universes Exist?", "Why Do Some Metals React Explosively With Water?" and "How Far Will A Bullet Shot In Space Go?" All of them have answers that are both interesting and amusing.
Since this is a comic that is based on words rather than the conventional comic stylings where the weight is on the image, telling you what works about this strip would amount to giving the strips away. There is really little art to speak of, but what's there does the job it's supposed to do, and that is to make you a little smarter than you were a few seconds before. That alone makes it a unique standout in the webcomics world.
But, if that's not enough to get you clicking on the link, ponder this information for a second: ABOL shows us why slugs melt when you pour salt on them.
Now, that's science!
