700: Complexion

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Complexion

Title text: Why do all my attempts at science end with me being punched by Batman? (P.S. benzoyl peroxide soap works great.)

Explanation

In this strip, a young man, like many other teenagers, suffers from acne. Also like many other teenagers, he uses skin care products designed to treat acne. Unlike most other teenagers, he undergoes a controlled trial by using them on only one half of his face and measuring the effects; the blemishes on the treated half of his face are noticeably diminished, while the untreated half remains the same, allowing him to isolate the effects of the cream versus the effects of time.

He convinces his friends to try the same experiment with different treatments so they can find out which works the best. In order to properly randomize the trials, he flips a coin. However, because half of his face is "scarred" (with acne blemishes) and he's flipping a coin, he's mistaken for the Batman villain Two-Face, and is subsequently punched by Batman; the title-text implies this has happened before.

Salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide are both chemicals known for their skin care effects (salicylic acid in particular is also used to treat psoriasis).

Transcript

I get frustrated trying to judge whether acne creams are having any effect. In the spirit of a controlled trial, I used one on just half my face for a few weeks.

[A graph shows pimples vs. time, with two lines--one remains one steady, and one is declining.]

It was cool seeing the effects so clearly, so I got some friends to try different treatments in an impromptu study.

[The narrator looks in a mirror, sees a half-pimpled face, and applies a treatment.]

[The narrator is talking to a blonde and brunette friend, each with some pimples also.]

Narrator: Okay, you try the salicylic acid first.

Blonde: Wait, we should randomize the trials. Got a coin?

Narrator: Okay, call it. Heads, she gets the--

(Off-panel): YOU!

[Batman runs into frame and punches the narrator. The coin goes flying.]

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Discussion

I'm not sure, and I don't have the free time to check, but isn't "Heads, she gets the--" the beginning of what Dent said? --Athang (talk) 04:06, 20 March 2014 (UTC)

"Two Face" is also standing next to one girl with light hair, and one with dark hair. Sugar and Spice? 199.27.128.184 04:04, 11 September 2015 (UTC)JubileeJones