Chapter 17 | Page 8b: Emotion-Reading Technology Backfires

Posted on February 5, 2026 by Brad Guigar

Dr. Muskiday tries to turn feelings into data. His emotion-reading technology translates emotions into glowing clouds. As the experiment spirals, it becomes clear that understanding emotions is much messier than measuring them.

Double-Dog Dare!

If you’re looking for something excellent to read, my friend Dave Kellett has a brand-new Kickstarter live right now. It’s packed with never-before-printed comics and is absolutely worth checking out! https://go.evil-inc.net/Double-D

Transcript

(Panel 1)
 Holo-Clone Miss Match: Oh, Musky! I’m so PROUD of you!
 Dr. Muskiday: You are?

(Panel 2)
 Holo-Clone Miss Match: Sure! And I’ll prove it to you.
 (She sprays Dr. Muskiday’s “Project: SMILE” mist onto her chest with a “Pft Pft Pft.”)

(Panel 3)
Holo-Clone Miss Match: That’s odd. I’m definitely experiencing a twenty-five percent increase in admiration.
 (He looks at her as she stands confidently in front of him.)

(Panel 4)
 Dr. Muskiday: (sighs) I know. I wrote your approval algorithm.
 (He buries his head in his hands.)

(Panel 5)
 Computer (stylized): Disappointment detected. Initiating emotional buoyancy protocols.
 (She stands looking at the dejected Muskiday.)

(Panel 6)
 Computer (stylized): Activating file: hold_and_squeeze_those_big_puppies.exe
 (She touches her lips in contemplation.)

(Panel 7)

(Two holographic dogs appear — Oso the Pug and Digby the Dachshund from the ‘Sheldon’ comic strip— to a now overjoyed Muskiday, who grabs and cuddles them gleefully.)

 Holo-Clone Miss Match: Well… I AM proud of you!

Alt Text

Comic strip featuring Holo-Clone Miss Match (a holographic clone of Miss Match) and Dr. Muskiday (a small, humanoid fly in a lab coat) having a humorous interaction. Miss Match tells Muskiday she’s proud of him. She sprays Dr. Muskiday’s “Project: SMILE” mist onto her chest with a “Pft Pft Pft.” It fails to trigger the expected results. She insists that her admiration has increased by 25% even though it’s not indicated by the mist. Muskiday sighs, saying he knows because he wrote her approval algorithm. Detecting his disappointment, Muskiday’s computer initiates an “emotional buoyancy protocol,” executing a file named “hold_and_squeeze_those_big_puppies.exe.” Two holographic dogs appear — Oso the Pug and Digby the Dachshund from the ‘Sheldon’ comic strip — to a now overjoyed Muskiday, who grabs and cuddles them gleefully. The dogs cameo from the "Sheldon" comic strip to promote Dave Kellett’s Kickstarter book, "Double Dog Dare," available at doubledogbook.com

Wizard World Philadelphia 2015

Posted on May 5, 2015 by Brad Guigar
Wizard World Philadelphia 2015 map Hard to believe, but Wizard World Philadelphia (May 7-10) is upon us once again! This show has been outstanding in the past, and, having talked to some of the Wizard folks over the past few months, I have nothing but excitement and anticipation for the upcoming few days. This crew has some fantastic stuff in store! So here’s a look at what you can expect from me this week.

Evil Inc: Booth 227

I’ll be just down the aisle from Burt Reynolds (try not to get confused). The one on the left is Burt Reynolds Wizard-World-PhiladelphiaI have a long list of great stuff scheduled for the weekend. Over at the Evil Inc booth, I’ll have Evil Inc graphic novels — as well as copies of the Phables collection. Plus… original art, commissions, prints and more! Stop by and say hello.

Philadelphia Daily News Keepsake Edition

My friends at the Philadelphia Daily News have a metric ton of awesome planned this week. Their coverage of the event is going to be second-to-none . The centerpiece is a tremendous Keepsake Edition planned for Wizard World, and it features a cover illustration by Your Favorite Webcartoonist — plus a beautifully written profile. If you like the illustration, stop by my booth and pick up a limited-edition glossy print. The Wizard World Special Section is in TODAY’S Daily News! (Wednesday, May 6)

Panels

Hoo boy! I’ll be offering a gangbusters panel every day of the convention. We’ll talk webcomics, workshop a few participants’ work, and even meet a couple of pint-sized podcasters. Read on…

Webcomics 101

THURS., 5 p.m.: Wanna start a webcomic? Sure. We all do. But where to start. Brad Guigar, author of “TheWebcomics Handbook,” — the popular sequel to “How To Make Webcomics” — takes you on a step-by-step tutorial of setting up a site, using social media for promotion, and making money from your work. ROOM 103A

Webcomics Roundtable

FRI., 2:30 p.m.: The world of webcomics has undergone its biggest upheaval since its inception. From ComiXology to Google’s new mobile-friendly criteria, and from Kickstarter to Patreon, there’s an awful lot to keep track of! Webcomics veteran Brad Guigar gathers a roundtable of webcomics notables to talk about these questions and much much more! ROOM 111

Webcomics Workshop —> starring… you?

SAT., 5:30 p.m.: Want to get some honest feedback on your webcomic? Webcomics.com’s Brad Guigar has been doing a daily advice-and-tutorial Web site since 2009 — in addition to teaching Sequential Art at Hussian School of Art in Philadelphia. He’ll look at your site and give you solid advice on improving it that you can use right now. To secure a spot, contact brad with your name and the URL of your comic. If time allows, we will be taking participants from the audience and projecting the sites on the big screen. ROOM 105

Kids podcast the darndest things

SUN., 12:30 p.m.: Got a wise-cracking elementary-schooler with a laundry list of opinions on everything from Pokemon to Age of Ultron? Cartoonist Brad Guigar has two of them. So he turned their morning drive to school into a recording session. The HEY COMICS… KIDS podcast has a five-star rating on iTunes and regularly updates with topics ranging from the Marvel cinematic universe to deep-catalog DragonBall Z episodes. Join Brad and junior ‘casters Alex (12) and Max (9) as they talk about what they do and how they do it. ROOM 107

Hussian School of Art

As you might know, I teach Arts Entrepreneurship and Sequential Art at Hussian School of Art — a fantastic art school in the heart of Philadelphia. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that they’ll be there to talk about their offerings at Booth 2313 — just across from the 1966 Batmobile. Stop and find out about getting a BFA degree at a high-quality, high-attention institution. And tell them that I sent you. 😉