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[[caption-width:250:Antihero protagonist Dr. Herville Schtein]]

-> "The disastrous rise of a supervillain superstar."

A webcomic about the life of Dr. Herville Schtein, an abnormal scientist who descends into a life of supervillainy. Think if a StartOfDarkness was the first book in a series that you read, and it starred someone who was a JerkassWoobie scientist, and you've got the right idea.

Set in an alternate timeline in the 2057-2060s where the Cuban missile crisis was never averted, the world in String Theory is recovering from a major war which split the world between capitalist and communist super powers--with the scale tipped a little in the USSR's favor.

It updates Wednesdays and can be found [[http://stringtheorycomic.com/ here]].

Also, while String Theory is not R rated, it nevertheless contains adult concepts and is written for adult sensibilities.

Now has [[Characters/StringTheory a character page.]]

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!!This webcomic provides examples of:

* AbsentMindedProfessor: Osgood, somewhat.
* AbusiveParents: Schtein's mother, both mentally and physically. She believed showing your children affection gave them unrealistic expectations of the adult world. Might not be so far from the truth considering [[CrapsackWorld what kind of world]] they live in.
--> '''Marcus''': Hey, did you know Dr. Schtein can dislocate his shoulder really easily? It's 'cause his mom pulled his arm out of its socket so many times!
* TheAlcoholic: One of Schtein's many, many problems.
* AllThereInTheManual: Schtein has a [[http://www.formspring.me/drschtein formspring account]], where he discusses a lot of his past including [[spoiler: his divorce with Janet and relationship with Alice]], weeks before it was really talked about in the main comic.
* ArtEvolution: Of the usually dramatic kind as the creator gets better. Perhaps most noticeably, however, is the change in Phineas, who goes from [[http://www.stringtheorycomic.com/comics/chaptertwo/page-twenty-five/ scrawny]] to [[http://www.stringtheorycomic.com/comics/chapter-three/page-fiftytwo-2/ quite buff]]. Perhaps he's simply been working out in prison?
* BlackEyesOfCrazy: Actually, they're just prosthetics. Foreshadowing though, maybe?
* BlondGuysAreEvil: Phineas. (And even Schtein before he went grey!)
* BreakoutCharacter: Marcus was first intended to be one-time-only, but fans liked him so much the artist decided to make him a recurring character.
* BriefcaseFullOfMoney: [[http://www.stringtheorycomic.com/comics/chapter-five/chp5-page-5/ Here.]]
* BuffySpeak: Schtein, surprisingly enough, is quite prone to this when excited or [[{{Angrish}} upset]].
* CastOfSnowflakes
* DaysOfFuturePast: It's set in the 2050's, yet society is that of the 1950's.
* DirtyCommunists: How everyone views the USSR. We haven't actually seen any yet, but considering the above trope...
* DisappearedDad: [[spoiler:Dr. Schtein has an estranged daughter named Alice.]] Schtein's father also died soon after he was born.
* DividedStatesOfAmerica
* DrJerk: Schtein, though he's NotThatKindOfDoctor.
* ElectronicEyes: Dr. Herville Schtein
* EvilGenius: Schtein's future. At the moment he's just on the 'genius' side.
* EyeScream: The comic starts shortly after an accident that resulted in Schtein's eyes ''melting out of his head''. Laurence had an eye gouged out by a so far unseen character.
* FlatWhat: Schtein's reaction when he's been told that he's been assigned to the garbage duty at the prison.
* FoeYay: Dr. Schtein and Dr. Benjamin Langstrom have this in spades. Even as a [[spoiler: delirium tremens-induced hallucination]], Langstrom has a tendency to address Schtein as 'Hervy' and 'darling'.
** Given that it has been revealed that [[spoiler:Langstrom was secretly homosexual, the subtext is probably intentional.]]
** Schtein's interactions with Aryan thug Drew [=MacManus=] have a bit of this as well; both get very handsy with each other, even the germaphobic Schtein. Schtein even straddles him [[spoiler:[[http://www.stringtheorycomic.com/comics/chapter-three/page-twelve-2/ right before the stabbing begins]].]]
--> '''[=MacManus=]''': You disrespected me, so I'm not really content with merely beating your ass, boy. I'm pretty much gonna have to break you. By the time I'm done, you'll be begging for more beatings.
** Not to mention, WordOfGod says that Langstrom had an odd attraction to Schtein.
* FootFocus: Schtein's bare feet show up quite frequently.
* ForeShadowing: Schtein slowly obtaining, by natural and unrelated events, the hallmarks of a stereotypical mad scientist. The gloves, through his phobia. The cat, through the stupidity. The eyes, through the accident. Also foreshadowed with his controversial political opinions.
* GeekyTurnOn: Schtein falls for Delia the moment she suggests a way to improve the station's plasma fusion generator.
* GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke: Parodied when a forced evolutionary virus creates "man-kitty-things" that get into everything. Schtein also keeps one as an adorable pet.
* [[BathroomStallOfOverheardInsults Hallway Of Overheard Insults]]: [[http://www.stringtheorycomic.com/comics/chapterone/page-thirty-nine/ Complete]] [[http://www.stringtheorycomic.com/comics/chapterone/page-forty/ with]] EvilPlan {{Exposition}} via ExactEavesdropping.
* HatesBeingTouched: Schtein
* HiddenSupplies: Phineas gives Schtein a weapon to defend himself against the other prisoners, and tells Schtein to hide it inside his [[http://www.stringtheorycomic.com/comics/chaptertwo/page-fortytwo/ mattress]].
* HotScientist: Osgood. Schtein for some.
* InsufferableGenius: Schtein and Langstrom
* JerkAss: Benjamin Langstrom and Schtein.
** It should be noted that Langstrom was civil (even cloyingly ''nice'') to Schtein when they first met, until [[http://evilengine9.deviantart.com/art/Who-s-the-first-jerk-152399796 Schtein pissed him off]]. Schtein is definitely a JerkAss to everyone he meets; that's probably not the case for Langstrom.
** Drew [=MacManus=]. After pages of him beating and otherwise tormenting Schtein that lead up to [[spoiler:a very disturbing rape threat]], readers are actually rooting for Schtein to kill him.
* LicensedSexist: Schtein.
* LikableVillain: Schtein, though he hasn't reached the villain bit yet.
* MistakenForGay: [[http://www.stringtheorycomic.com/comics/chaptertwo/page-fortyone/ Phineas]].
-->'''Phineas''': No, no, no. Don't. Be. Dense. I know you, Dr. Herville Albert Schtein.
-->'''Schtein''': Oh God. You've got a weird crush on me, don't you?
* MixAndMatchCritters: The man-kitties.
* TheMole: [[http://www.stringtheorycomic.com/comics/chapter-three/page-fiftyone-2/]]
* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: Osgood.
* OhCrap: Schtein's face when he hears the name [[spoiler: Warden '''Langstrom.''']]
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Osgood is horrified by Schtein's [[http://www.stringtheorycomic.com/comics/pagetwentytwo/ opinions]].
* PrisonRape: [[http://www.stringtheorycomic.com/comics/chapter-three/page-five-2/ Narrowly avoided, to Schtein's relief.]]
** Panel four is [[http://www.stringtheorycomic.com/comics/chapter-three/page-three-2/ highly suggestive]] of rape.
* PuppyDogEyes: Schtein uses it on Krow, one of Drew's men. Krow [[DontLookAtMe doesn't react]] [[KickThemWhileTheyAreDown well]].
* RedEyesTakeWarning: The irises of Schtein's new eyes. Foreshadowing?
* RightHandCat: Marcus.
* TheRival: Langstrom, to Schtein.
* RivalScienceTeams: The U.S. Government intentionally sets this up, thinking it will make the scientists work faster. It [[IncrediblyLamePun backfires]].
** Schtein's attempt to sabotage Langstrom's team jump-starts the plot.
* SceneryPorn: The artist really likes to go all out on backgrounds.
* ShoePhone: When Schtein sarcastically asks Phineas how he communicates with his employers.
-->'''Schtein''': How, exactly, are you contacting them? Telepathic waves? Cloned messenger pigeons? Secret phone in your shoe?
* ShoutOut: You can see [[TheWalkingDead Andrea]] working as a prison guard and [[KimPossible Dr. Drakken]] in a prison outfit in the first panel of [[http://www.stringtheorycomic.com/comics/chaptertwo/page-fortyseven/ page 47]].
** Schtein has framed posters for [[http://www.stringtheorycomic.com/uncategorized/page-twenty-two/ Casablanca]] and [[http://www.stringtheorycomic.com/uncategorized/page-twenty-three/ Doctor Zhivago]] in his apartment.
** Early in his career Schtein was found shoving kittens into the [[VideoGame/{{Fallout}} Forced Evolutionary Virus]] injection chamber.
* SinisterSchnoz: Schtein.
* SlasherSmile: Mostly used by Phineas.
** [[http://www.stringtheorycomic.com/comics/chapter-three/page-thirtyseven-2/ "Remember that time I drove a bunch of nails into your legs?"]]
* StartOfDarkness: The comic is billed as "The disastrous rise of a supervillain superstar," so this really shouldn't be a surprise.
* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: [[http://www.stringtheorycomic.com/comics/chapter-three/page-fiftyeight/ First panel.]]
* TalkingAnimal: Marcus, the result of a genetic engineering experiment.
* TeleportersAndTransporters: Schtein (and Langstrom's rival division) is trying to build a functioning matter teleportation device. So far he has gone through a lot of guinea pigs.
* VillainProtagonist: Schtein
* YoungerThanTheyLook: Schtein is thirty-four.