Love Potion Number 3

[Clankenbeard]

Octafish is the only one who is even slightly on target. We have a whole web site full of people who never heard "Love Potion No. 9"? Really? Am I such a dinosaur?

I think most people are familiar with the song Love Potion Number 9. And I think most people have properly extrapolated to recognize it as the base for this joke. Don't worry. You are not a dinosaur.

I don't think that Love Potion Number 9 tied in with The Nutty Professor movie. Professor Julius Kelp made a serum to turn himself charismatic (Buddy Love). The song is about a guy taking the potion and then kissing everyone in sight until he kisses a cop (who breaks his bottle of love potion).

 

[Nick Lerman]

Am I such a dinosaur?

Welcome to dinosaurhood! Our fossilization is nearly complete.
Soon our cultural knowledge will fade like the dying light from a distant star.

]Fair enough. For starters, here is Nick's description of how he buddied up with The Escapist: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/6.833207-Brush-Your-Teeth-Sophia#20367925
Here is my previous explanation of why I enjoy Fraught with Peril:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/6.836360-Organic-Holiday-Gift-Suggestions#20499333

Now, to answer your question. No. I do not find this particular comic funny. It is neither "ha ha" nor "heh" funny. In all honesty it is kinda gross. Nick's art style is decidedly (and I am betting intentionally) basic. He supposedly borrows his daughter's colored pencils to produce his art. And that story lends to some of the charm. If Nick weren't present to respond each Wednesday, I would likely have lost interest in this series. Yeah. I said it. His art is creepy. (I think Garbage Pail Kids are just one-pun grossness with none of the higher level cleverness that Nick injects. And for some reason, they found a mainstream following.)

But each "comic" turns into a "jumping off point" for discussion amongst a demented subset of Escapist patrons. Folks chime in with their own twisted humor and the thread turns into something well worth reading. Some of these responses have been hillarious. (I fondly recall a "vegetarian ceiling fan myth busted" as one of my favorites.) Some weeks, I don't find inspiration in Nick's illustration and I don't comment. But, it all plays out kind of like an inside joke--which tends to be more funny to the people who are "in on it".

Nick posts disturbia. We all comment and build a thread with our own attempts at humor. Nick responds with more craziness to fan the fire a bit. We all get it out of our system in 2-3 days. Repeat next week. It is like an Amish barn raising raising razing.

Thank you for your explanation and for the historic links. I think I understand now, or at least, I can comprehend why this is a thing and why people like it.

I'll be sure to check the threads from now on for supplementary material.

I do appreciate the civilized discourse on my inner workings and place in this establishment.
By internet standards The Escapist has been very kind to me and my odd product.
I will endeavor to repay this kindness with macabre acts of pencil and crayon.
Perhaps I will charm Houseman and others when they least expect it!
Unless they are expecting it on Wednesday in the morning.