Editing 160: Penny Arcade Parody

{{comic
| number    = 160
| date      = September 20, 2006
| title     = Penny Arcade Parody
| image     = penny arcade parody.png
| titletext = No one show this to Tycho's wife, okay?
}}

==Explanation==
''{{w|Penny Arcade}}'' is a {{w|webcomic}}, primarily about video games and the culture surrounding them. It is written by {{w|Jerry Holkins}} and illustrated by {{w|Mike Krahulik}}, though they are better known as their comic alter-egos: Tycho Brahe and Jonathan "Gabe" Gabriel.

This strip begins as a parody of the ''Penny Arcade'' strip, which makes fun of Sony for providing a lack-luster selection of PS3 games available on the console's launch date. However, it quickly turns into the narrator's fantasy of what might happen if Tycho discovered his spoof.

The enormous wall of text in the second and third panels may be a reference to the Penny Arcade strip [http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2006/04/10/ "I Hope You Like Text."]

The cardboard tube references one of Gabe's alternate characters, {{w|List_of_Penny_Arcade_characters#Cardboard_Tube_Samurai|Cardboard Tube Samurai}}.

==Transcript==
:[The first panel uses the art style of Penny Arcade.]
:Gabe: What? Sony has plenty of launch titles lined up that aren't lame sequels.
:Tycho: Name one. And furthermore, they... I... uh...
 
:[The art style is dropped.  The next two panels are just text.]
:I can't do this. I can't parody Penny Arcade. I've got nothing on those guys. They're a class act, they know their audience, they know exactly what they're doing. Gabe experiments with his art, always bold and fresh without trying to perform. Tycho's writing continues to astound day after day. I can just see him, reading my uncultured swill masquerading as his florid prose.
 
:[The panel is bottomless, and the text escapes the panel.]
:But he's not angry, no. He's sitting at his desk smiling that condescending half-smile, the corner of his mouth belying the self-assurance of a writer who never misplaces a word. His firm hands rest easily on the keyboard, his right thumb caressing the space bar gently, as I enter the room. He knows I'm there without turning around, and I'm too nervous to speak. But I don't have to; he understands, I can see it in the way his eyes play over me, reading my fears and doubts in a glance and washing them away with a knowing smile. Then he's on his feet, he's in front of me, and I don't feel the electric jolt I expected as our hands meet. It's just warm, warm and right: As I sink into his eyes I feel a hand on my shoulder, and I see Tycho smile at someone behind me. Gabe is standing there, grinning that mischievous grin, and twirling his beloved cardboard tube between his fingers.

:The night has just begun.
 
{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Romance]]
[[Category:Video games]]