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| ==Explanation== | | ==Explanation== |
− | This comic is essentially a set up for a pun: "Underground" can mean "under the ground" (buried in the dirt) or "non-mainstream." In this case, [[Ponytail]] is whining that she had been doing paleontology before ''{{w|Jurassic Park}}'' kicked paleontology into the mainstream with living reproductions of dinosaurs, thus apparently undermining the hard work paleontologists had done. In other words, this comic is also poking fun at hipsters. | + | This comic is essentially a set up for a pun: 'underground' can mean 'under the ground' ('buried in the dirt') or 'non-mainstream.' In this case, [[Ponytail]] is whining that she had been doing paleontology before {{w|Jurassic Park}} kicked Paleontology into the mainstream with living reproductions of dinosaurs, thus apparently undermining the hard word paleontologists had done. In other words, this comic is also poking fun at 'hipsters.' |
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− | Of note is the fact that {{w|Acrocanthosaurus}} is misspelled in the third panel as "'''arco'''canthosaur." Assuming this isn't merely a spelling mistake on [[Randall]]'s part, Ponytail's incorrect pronunciation further undermines her self-proclaimed superiority over all the ''Jurassic Park''-inspired "bandwagon" paleontologists.
| + | The title texts refers to both the phenomenon called '{{w|jumping the shark}}' and the controversy having the Brontosaurus's name changed to '{{w|Apatosaurus}},' despite the 'Brontosaurus' already having made a name for himself in the mainstream. |
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− | The title text refers to the controversy of calling the ''{{w|Brontosaurus}}'' by its newer, correct (at the time) {{w|Binomial nomenclature|generic name}} of ''{{w|Apatosaurus}}'', despite its previous name still being in mainstream use long after its {{w|Taxonomy (biology)|taxonomic}} redefinition in 1903. (As of 2015, ''Brontosaurus'' is once again the correct generic name, as it has been reclassified as a distinct {{w|Genus|genus}}.) The title text claims that this renaming has "jumped the ichthyosaur," which is a play on the idiom "{{w|jumping the shark}}" — i.e. that the subject of dinosaurs has reached a point of declining relevance, and ''Brontosaurus'' has been renamed as a publicity stunt to compensate. The "{{w|Shark|shark}}" in the idiom has been replaced by an "''{{w|Ichthyosaur}}''," which was a marine reptile that resembled a shark or dolphin and lived alongside dinosaurs during the {{w|Mesozoic}} era (although sharks also lived during that time). [[636: Brontosaurus]] also references the ''Brontosaurus'' name change. A ''Brontosaurus'' also appears in [[15: Just Alerting You]] and an ''Apatosaurus'' in [[650: Nowhere]]. | |
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| ==Transcript== | | ==Transcript== |
− | :[Cueball and Ponytail in a museum, near a reconstructed dinosaur fossil and a display cabinet.]
| + | [Cueball and Ponytail in a museum, near a reconstructed dinosaur fossil.] |
− | :Ponytail: Man, paleontology sucks these days.
| + | Ponytail: Man, paleontology sucks these days. |
− | :Cueball: Why?
| + | Cueball: Why? |
− | :Ponytail: ''Jurassic Park'' came out 15 years ago.
| + | Ponytail: Jurassic Park came out 15 years ago. |
− | :Cueball: So?
| + | Cueball: So? |
− | :Ponytail: Today's grad students got into dinosaurs after seeing it as kids. They don't care about fossils. Brats.
| + | Ponytail: Today's grad students got into dinosaurs after seeing it as kids. They don't care about fossils. Brats. |
− | :[A woman in a hat exploring a barren landscape.]
| + | [A woman in a hat exploring a barren landscape.] |
− | :Ponytail: Before they had living dinosaurs handed to them by Hollywood, I was out in Texas digging up Arcocanthosaur teeth.
| + | Ponytail: Before they had living dinosaurs handed to them by Hollywood, I was out in Texas digging up Arcocanthosaur teeth. |
− | :Cueball: So, you were into dinosaurs when they were still underground?
| + | Cueball: So, you were into dinosaurs when they were still underground? |
− | :Ponytail: Exactly!
| + | Ponytail: Exactly! |
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| {{comic discussion}} | | {{comic discussion}} |
− | [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] | + | [[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]][[Category: Comics featuring Ponytail]] |
− | [[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]] | |
− | [[Category:Apatosaurus]]
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− | [[Category:Dinosaurs]]
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− | [[Category:Puns]]
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− | [[Category:Kids]]
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