History Webcomic / Narbonic

* GenerationXerox: Not only is Helen a literal "[[CloningBlues xerox]]" of her mother, but her life and personal tastes parallel hers in several ways, occasionally to her angst.

* CloningBlues: [[spoiler: Helen was scarred by growing as the subject of experimentation by her mother on the heritability of Mad Genius, and worries that she's turning out just as bad. These worries become especially relevant both in her experiments on Dave's nascent madness and her bringing out a clone of Dave after their breakup. The Dave clone is killed by Dave as part of his VillainousBreakdown.]]

* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Helen's ReunionRevenge one fizzles out. [[spoiler: Dave's is stopped by an explosively great kiss.]]

* HalfHumanHybrid: [[spoiler:Zeta Vincent.]] It's a mad science kind of thing.

** Note that, of the scientists who mentioned the settings and casualties of their initial freakouts, [[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass Helens was the most destructive]] [[DaylightHorror while in the most innocuous setting.]]

* NoDoubtTheYearsHaveChangedMe: Parodied when [[spoiler:the hologram of Future Dave says something to this effect, then interrupts himself so he can use the "hologram" part for a [[StarWars Princess Leia]] impression.]]

* SlapstickKnowsNoGender: Helen and Mell are not immune to slapping with sticks. In particular, [[LaserGuidedKarma Helen is the only character mangled by her ur-gerbils on page]].

'''Dave''': "No, Br'er Narbon! Don't toss me in that briar patch!"

** Although less prominent in the comic, also Seth. His date [[spoiler: [[GenderBender turns into a man]] ''and'' dumps him before the movie even starts]], he gets invited to a Valentine's Day party only [[spoiler: to be [[DraggedOffToHell dragged down to Hell]] (and dumped post-mortem by his new date for the demon indirectly responsible for it)]], and even [[spoiler: when he [[EscapedFromHell comes back]] as a demon-slayer]], nobody gives him any respect. Plus, if [[WordOfGod the writer's notes]] are to be considered canon, he winds up becoming housemates with [[MonsterRoommate aforementioned fallen angel]]. Although the epilogue does suggest that [[spoiler: some [[HornyDevils cute devil girls]] at least find his axe-skills impressive.]]

** Although less prominent in the comic, also [[{{Nerd}} Seth]]. His date [[spoiler: [[GenderBender turns into a man]] ''and'' dumps him before the movie even starts]], he gets invited to a Valentine's Day party only [[spoiler: to be [[DraggedOffToHell dragged down to Hell]] (and dumped post-mortem by his new date for the demon indirectly responsible for it)]], and even [[spoiler: when he [[EscapedFromHell comes back]] as a demon-slayer]], nobody gives him any respect. Plus, if [[WordOfGod the writer's notes]] are to be considered canon, he winds up becoming housemates with [[MonsterRoommate aforementioned fallen angel]]. Although the epilogue does suggest that [[spoiler: some [[HornyDevils cute devil girls]] at least find his axe-skills impressive.]]

* NewTechIsNotCheap: UpToEleven, as physical time travel machine uses up the whole energy of a universe for one trip.

* CuteKitten: Sir Pounce, a regular kitten, deliberately chosen to deal with human-intelligence gerbils by means of CutenessProximity (as in, they go "awww!", he goes "chomp!"). An almost flawless MadScientist solution to a MadScientist created problem.

* FilkSong: This has become a running feature in the comments section of the "Director's Cut" re-runs. For example, one reader was inspired to compose "In The Dungeon We'll Rot" to the tune of "You're The One That I Want" from the movie version of "Grease".
** [[spoiler:[[http://seananmcguire.com/index.php Seanan McGuire's]] [[http://seananmcguire.com/songbook.php?id=112 "Oh Helen"]], sung by [[http://www.vixyandtony.com/ Tony]], is about Dave's love for...[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Helen]].]]

* DreamingOfThingsToCome: Every year on the [[SundayStrip Sunday]] nearest December 31st, ''Narbonic'' did a "Dave in Slumberland" strip, which, in addition to being a ''ComicStrip/LittleNemo'' parody, foreshadowed the following year of the story in a symbolic form. It also [[WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue ended on that day of the year]], with a suggestion that Dave's PropheticDreams were caused by subconciously created [[{{Franchise/Foundation}} psychohistory]] algorithms.

%% ? * NotSoHarmlessVillain: Helen comes across as a slightly goofy, hopelessly inept mad scientist playing to all the tropes (and a HollywoodNerd). [[spoiler: Turns out this is a persona she wears at all times to be able to interact with people on our level. When she has to go up against another newly-gone-mad mad scientist, she warns the rest of the cast that she will be too busy to play nice.]]

** Very subtly, the hologram that Dave talks to in [[spoiler: the bad future]], said to be just an [[TheTapeKnewYouWouldSayThat interactive recording of future Dave, may actually be [[spoiler:a copy of Dave's consciousness still in the computer at the new Narbonic Labs/former Madblood Labs after the events of the final arc, talking to him directly via the same holoprojector shown in that arc. (Thankfully he no longer looks like Jennifer Connelly.) Or unthankfully, considering he looks just like sad old Dave.]]

* CrapsackWorld: The BadFuture. [[spoiler: A thermonuclear war caused by a MadScientist FreakOut will do that.]]

* TheAnnotatedEdition: The comic has a rerun with strip-by-strip commentary, which started when the strip itself ended.

* ChekhovsBoomerang: Many plot points are first established as jokes, then returned to several times, as confessed by the WordOfGod. Special mentions:

* ColdBloodedTorture: PlayedForLaughs: [[spoiler: Artie in his human form dangles Helen B. at her ankle upside down to know what the hell is it with "Dave", a short-haired, [[WeirdnessCensor oblivious to weirdness]], not-hot-for-Helen-at-all and utterly alien to them. After she's supposedly broken up with and fired him. A little "jiggling" and Helen tells him and Mell that Dave currently puttering around the lab is a clone and she's slipping her experimental cure for ScienceRelatedMemeticDisorder into his coffee.]].

* CrapsackWorld: The BadFuture. [[spoiler: A termonuclear war caused by a MadScientist FreakOut will do that.]]

* DeathIsCheap: The Henchman's Union has a benefits plan for frequent revivals. Dave might be elligible.
* DeathRay: Fixed [[spoiler: actually, created]] by Dave, a source of much amusement, mostly to dr. Narbon.

* DestructoNookie: [[spoiler: When Helen and Dave get together for the first time, the lab is trashed. NoodleImplements are scattered everywhere.]]