blog: errata

Although we employ a rigorous team of fact-checkers at all times, who — in violation of most worldwide labor laws — don’t even get a break to go to the restroom, we have been informed by various busybodies that a few factual mistakes have crept into the occasional comic strip we published in 2013. Please find our corrections below.

#911; What Happens Alone, Part 2
There are, in fact, geese on Gax, but they devour any creature whose gaze brushes against their silky feathers, so it makes sense that Gax would not know about them.

#938; In which a Dog’s got a Mouth
The dog did not really think it was THAT bad of an idea; he just felt pressured into having a contrary opinion.

#967; In which a Star comes Home, Part 2
Technically, Jenny Simmons did not die when her train went off a cliff; she died when the train car she was sitting in hit the jagged rocks at the bottom of the cliff.

#975; In which Quality is assured
‘Lots’ of people is somewhat overstating the success of the East Valley junior high car wash.

#946; Talking, In a Manner of Speaking
The communication method speech is not the difficulty level that hard.

2012 Errata
Somebody forgot to do a 2012 errata.

Wondermark regrets the errors.

Previously: 2011 Errata / 2009 Errata / 2008 Errata

Flickr photo by Nick Webb

Once every year, my crack team of ombudsfolk compiles a humiliating list of all the factual inaccuracies in the previous twelve months’ comics. With my apologies for any confusion or distress these errors may have caused, please find corrections below.

#696; The Chilling Case of Were-Cat
The prefix “were-“, as in werewolf, is Old English for ‘man’ — so something referred to as “were-cat” would in fact be expected to be some sort of man/cat creature, and not strictly a cat (or even a cat/cat).

#690; In which a Tag is Utterly Obscured
The action performed by the subject did not, in fact, make the situation ‘much better’.

#739; Hoppily Ever After
Howard never actually made an overt promise to sweep Etta off of her feet; it was just something she assumed in the heat of the marshy, froggy makeout session.

#742; In which is dug a Passage
The final word balloon contains a typographical error. It should instead read “Only of demon-simulated porn of you”. It should then have been followed by a second, smaller word balloon reading simply “Handsome”

#733; Big News
The Bugle actually initially misidentified Iowa governor Terry Branstad as “Terry Crews”.

#771; Accounting by Network
The guy on the left in Panel 1 is supposed to look even crazier.

#776; In which Toothpaste is made
A torque wrench is a tool to measure how much rotational force is being applied, for example to a bolt or nut. Its only utility in conjunction with a vise might be to measure in foot-pounds precisely how powerfully the vise handle is being tightened. This does not unilaterally rule out its usefulness in the toothpaste scenario, but if the aim is to apply as much force as possible to the vise handle, a simple hollow pipe, used to extend the handle’s leverage, might be of even greater use.

#763; In which an Infatuation shatters
Gax has not been impersonating Amanda from the very beginning, only for the last eleven years.

Wondermark regrets the errors.

Previously:
2008 Errata
2009 Errata

During our year-end review, we have discovered a number of factual errors in comics published in 2009. Please find our corrections below.

#567; O Selfless Saviors
It is an overstatement to say that no children have ever been poisoned by Halloween treats. In 1964, a woman handed out pellets of ant poison masquerading as treats; in 1974 a father gave his son a candy straw filled with cyanide. However, the man was using Halloween as a cover to kill his child, and the woman’s treats were clearly labeled and intended as a dark comment on the treat tradition. Thus, the point stands.

#526; In which it Hardly Matters
International Crossword Standards & Practices Union rules prohibit this pattern of blank squares from appearing in a regulation puzzle.

#523; In which Vince achieves Victory
Vince’s minor repair job did not actually require a wrench. It could have been accomplished with pliers.

#510; In which Rob tries to read
Rob also reads to earn fundraising pledges in his school’s Read-A-Thon.

#509; In which a Horn is overt
Sebastian did, in fact, take a lil’ blow. Just to see what would happen.

#485; The Australian Butler
Dinner was not actually ready.

Wondermark regrets the errors.

See also: 2008 Errata

It has come to our attention that the past year’s comics contained a number of factual inaccuracies. Please find our corrections below.

#470; In which it doesn’t take Much
While the lyrics to “Good King Wenceslas” and “Yankee Doodle” share the same meter, the melodies of the songs are not identical.

#469; In which Now you Know
The character claiming a diagnosis of “a dozen different types of gout” was mistaken. His actual diagnosis was “eleven different types of gout and a severe, gout-like case of calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease.”

#463; In which the Future is Saved
Marty did not, in fact, need to come with Doc; Doc could have handled the situation just fine on his own. Doc’s schemes are elaborate excuses to spend time with friends.

#457; In which It’s All Over
The machine in the final panel is an anthropomorphized construct; “robocalls” are in fact handled by computer programs with a less-interesting outward appearance.

#449; In which ‘Food’ is placed in Quotes
In the fourth panel, the talking kabob unilaterally denies the validity of its previous argument. In fact, the increased operating cost of rental space in such environments is a valid factor in this situation, although the property owners may legitimately be accused of the same manner of price-gouging that the kabob admits that retailers engage in.

#426; In which a Tree gets the Talk
Trees cannot actually speak.

#396; In which Trade Secrets are revealed
Kinko’s ceased to exist as a separate company when it was purchased by FedEx in 2002, so at the time that this comic was published, it was technically not still in business. Additionally, the stores’ profits dropped from $100 million in 2004 to $45 million in 2007, proving that their stinking horrible business model was indeed (and justifiably) taking an economic toll on the company.

#394; That’s what Happens
Flour is not generally packaged with silica gel.

#378; In which Children suffer
The bear actually left one child terribly maimed but alive, to contemplate the horror of what he’d witnessed for the rest of his days.

Wondermark regrets the errors.