Comic Transcripts

CALVIN: The Internet is the GREAT CONNECTOR!
ISAAC: The Internet is the great POLARIZER.

CALVIN: Here’s an example. JOE-BLOW WEIRDO had a traumatic childhood. Saw too many “Leprechaun” movies in strange contexts and now he’s got a mild fetish for DWARVES IN HORROR MAKEUP.
Before the Internet, he’s alone and miserable…but NOW he’s on a message-board FULL of friendly, like-minded freaks reassuring each other that they don’t need to conform to some marketing-driven farce of “NORMALITY” to be HAPPY!
ISAAC: That’s JUST the danger! Before, his “mild fetish” might have ATROPHIED as he was forced to interact with society at large.
But instead, a chorus of encouragement from other lunatics STROKES his quirk into an OBSESSION that TAKES OVER his identity!

JOE: It’s very RUDE talkin’ about someone who ain’t PART of the CONVERSATION!
ISAAC: Joe we are just using you as an EXAMPLE.

{{Header: find your place at WONDERMARK.COM}}
{{Alt-text: Wrote this comic first, then went looking for images…found this one right away and was all like ‘YESSSSSSSS’}}

#461; All are Shaped by Circumstance transcribed by in

CALVIN: The Internet is the GREAT CONNECTOR!
ISAAC: The Internet is the great POLARIZER.

CALVIN: Here's an example. JOE-BLOW WEIRDO had a traumatic childhood. Saw too many "Leprechaun" movies in strange contexts and now he's got a mild fetish for DWARVES IN HORROR MAKEUP.
Before the Internet, he's alone and miserable...but NOW he's on a message-board FULL of friendly, like-minded freaks reassuring each other that they don't need to conform to some marketing-driven farce of "NORMALITY" to be HAPPY!
ISAAC: That's JUST the danger! Before, his "mild fetish" might have ATROPHIED as he was forced to interact with society at large.
But instead, a chorus of encouragement from other lunatics STROKES his quirk into an OBSESSION that TAKES OVER his identity!

JOE: It's very RUDE talkin' about someone who ain't PART of the CONVERSATION!
ISAAC: Joe we are just using you as an EXAMPLE.

{{Header: find your place at WONDERMARK.COM}}
{{Alt-text: Wrote this comic first, then went looking for images...found this one right away and was all like 'YESSSSSSSS'}}

Wrote this comic first, then went looking for images...found this one right away and was all like 'YESSSSSSSS'

#461; All are Shaped by Circumstance

  — November 14th, 2008

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Applications open for Genius Northwest – an IRL gaming competition

May 8, 2026 by David Malki !

Last year, I participated in Genius Northwest, a gaming competition inspired by the Korean gameshow The Genius and its ilk.

It’s a reality show without the cameras — a 3-day, all-inclusive weekend retreat structured around a series of challenges and puzzles, in which personalities and dealmaking matter as much as playing games.

It’s truly a remarkable thing. I came in dead last in the competition, but I still had a great time participating.

The event is held annually in the Pacific Northwest (hence the name) and applications are now open to participate in the 2026 competition!

Learn more — and apply — at GeniusNW.com.


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