Comic Transcripts

HUBERT: BEHOLD MY INVENTION!
HERMES: You cannot call a PLUNGER that you BOUGHT an “invention.”
HUBERT: I have modified it slightly!
HERMES: Oh, you always DO!

HERMES: Let me guess. You bought an angle vise and some torx screws and a twenty-piece Dremel kit.
A jeweler’s hammer, a magnifying work lamp and digital calipers in a leather case.
And you set to WORK.

HERMES: Should I APPLAUD your aimless tinkering? What PROBLEM did you solve?
How is the world BETTER OFF now that you’ve UNLEASHED yourself upon a PERFECTLY GOOD plunger?

[[HUBERT has stuck the plunger on HERMES’ face.]]
HERMES: …modified it slightly, you say?
HUBERT: Filled it with glue!

{{Header: make use of WONDERMARK.COM}}
{{Alt-text: To be fair, most of his projects don’t get quite this advanced.}}

#555; In which a Tool is improved transcribed by in

HUBERT: BEHOLD MY INVENTION!
HERMES: You cannot call a PLUNGER that you BOUGHT an “invention.”
HUBERT: I have modified it slightly!
HERMES: Oh, you always DO!

HERMES: Let me guess. You bought an angle vise and some torx screws and a twenty-piece Dremel kit.
A jeweler’s hammer, a magnifying work lamp and digital calipers in a leather case.
And you set to WORK.

HERMES: Should I APPLAUD your aimless tinkering? What PROBLEM did you solve?
How is the world BETTER OFF now that you’ve UNLEASHED yourself upon a PERFECTLY GOOD plunger?

[[HUBERT has stuck the plunger on HERMES’ face.]]
HERMES: …modified it slightly, you say?
HUBERT: Filled it with glue!

{{Header: make use of WONDERMARK.COM}}
{{Alt-text: To be fair, most of his projects don’t get quite this advanced.}}

#555; In which a Tool is improved transcribed by in

HUBERT: BEHOLD MY INVENTION!
HERMES: You cannot call a PLUNGER that you BOUGHT an "invention."
HUBERT: I have modified it slightly!
HERMES: Oh, you always DO!

HERMES: Let me guess. You bought an angle vise and some torx screws and a twenty-piece Dremel kit.
A jeweler's hammer, a magnifying work lamp and digital calipers in a leather case.
And you set to WORK.

HERMES: Should I APPLAUD your aimless tinkering? What PROBLEM did you solve?
How is the world BETTER OFF now that you've UNLEASHED yourself upon a PERFECTLY GOOD plunger?

[[HUBERT has stuck the plunger on HERMES' face.]]
HERMES: ...modified it slightly, you say?
HUBERT: Filled it with glue!

{{Header: make use of WONDERMARK.COM}}
{{Alt-text: To be fair, most of his projects don't get quite this advanced.}}

To be fair, most of his projects don't get quite this advanced.

#555; In which a Tool is improved

  — September 25th, 2009

[ Tags: , , , ]       Permalink: https://wondermark.com/c/555/

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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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