Narbonic The Mad Science Webcomic by Shaenon K. Garrity

Narbonic is a celebrated webcomic written and illustrated by Shaenon K. Garrity. Running from July 31, 2000, to December 31, 2006, the series blends science fiction, comedy, and surrealism to tell the story of the chaotic environment within the fictional Narbonic Labs.

The Premise and Style

Presented in the style of a traditional American four-panel newspaper strip, Narbonic is drawn entirely by hand. The plot centers on the misadventures of the staff at Narbonic Labs, the domain of the eccentric and "definitionally insane" mad scientist Helen Narbon. The series utilizes the "Mad Scientist" trope as its core premise, imagining a world where mad science is a legitimate profession and henchmen are members of a union.

Core Characters

• Helen B. Narbon: The optimistic yet unstable head of the lab. A clone of her mother, Helen is obsessed with gerbils and the biological nature of genius.
• Dave Davenport: A cynical computer programmer and the strip's primary protagonist. As the "normal" person in a world of chaos, Dave frequently suffers extreme misfortunes, including being sent to Hell and shot to the Moon.
• Mell W. Kelly: The evil intern who evolves from a simple enthusiast of weaponry into a sophisticated villainess skilled in law and politics.
• RT-5478 ("Artie"): A superintelligent gerbil who contributes to the lab's various experiments and mishaps.

Themes and Allusions

The comic is known for its eclectic array of allusions, drawing from Victorian-era science fiction, cult cinema, and literary classics. While these references add depth for observant readers, they are not required to understand the plot. Interestingly, Narbonic rarely references other webcomics, though it does so in a few notable instances, such as the "The End" story arc and crossovers with Sluggy Freelance and 1/0.

Publication History

After its initial run, Garrity launched the "Director's Cut" on January 1, 2007, providing an annotated replay of the original series. The comic was hosted on the subscription-based Modern Tales website for several years before moving to Webcomics Nation in July 2006, where it returned to a free-to-read format. It is also a member of the The Nice comics collective.