The Adventures of Dr. McNinja

Last-Name Basis.

Fake first name? I mean, your true name doesn't need to be the only one you use.

Also, does this cause previous depictions of his name to vanish? I'm imagining a government office trying to figure out why they have a birth certificate for "_______ McNinja"

As Lord Vetinari will tell you, you've mastered Stealth Class if the instructor docks you for being absent.

—R.J.

I'd figure a master of Stealth Class would be one who no one even remembers being there. Or would that be a master thief?

"AIAIO"? "IOAIA"?

edited 8th Mar '15 10:41:19 PM by ShadowHog

http://drmcninja.com/archives/comic/29p53/

ghost wizard statues and possible heart attacks. Whoops on that second one.

Well, you kind of had to see that coming, although Grandpa dying of a heart attack makes the ambiguity implied by Dan later a bit difficult to reconcile.

Unless Doc never specifies what it was, out of shame of having been responsible

Or Dan just can't fully believe that such a thing could kill a McNinja who is also a wizard.

Or Death Is Cheap.

The way I understood it was that when McNinja die there's always the possibility they'll be back.

I'm hoping baby mcninja's proto-med skills will kick in and he'll save his grandpa as a way of embarking on his long journey to medicine.

Dude he didn't want to practice Medicine in University. He just wanted Batman knowledge.

Yes he wanted the maximum Batman, but the original was still going for medical education.

But he undoubtedly has a natural gift for medicine.

Just because he's having a heart attack doesn't mean the body will be here when they come back - if they come back at all.

I doubt Doc's going to be able to lug Grandpa out of here, so either he goes for help, or he leaves when it's too late to help. Either way, it's possible that either a) the cavern will collapse, or b) it won't and he'll just be gone when they return.

The timing and location of Grandpa's heart attack makes it easy for them to have simply Never Found the Body.

EDIT: He may not have wanted to practice medicine until later, but Grandpa's heart attack might still motivate him to study it. Kids learn all sorts of things they don't intend to apply to their career choices.

edited 11th Mar '15 8:56:19 AM by TobiasDrake

So, the riddle of Doc's name may be answered: say it and a furious wizard reawakens, possibly mid-spell?

I wonder if Doc could take the Ghost Wizard nowadays though.

Prolly not.

Why do I feel that this will be important in the future?

Be pretty awesome if it immediately segued from the (apparent) death of Pappy McNinja to Doc singing his name to the Ghostbusters theme as he finally kills the ghost.

So, Terry Pratchett passed away.

...The resemblance is uncanny.

edited 13th Mar '15 4:17:54 AM by Pyrite

Why do I get the feeling Doc's Ninja name is Doctor.

Well we know it's not Judas.

This is a good play on the mystery and intrigue of the wizard's curse. In the end, after all the twists and bends, it's pretty much exactly what it sounded like when he brought it up the first time: he can't tell anyone his name or the wizard's curse will get him - but not because that's part of the wizard's curse. Rather, it's because the Ghost Wizard will be liberated from his imprisonment and be able to finish the curse.

It's sufficiently different to be surprising and compelling without completely pulling the rug out from under the audience and going, "Whoop! Everything you know is wrong!" This is a good way to write a prequel.

I really want to see Mcninja beat the ghost up now, cause that would be wicked.