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Germahn Labs is the work place of Dr. Germahn and his coworkers. It creates applied magic (or pseudo-science) products apparently deployable by people without spells of their own, including Shrink Soda and radio watches.[1] It is also involved in other work on the scientific study of magic. Dr Germahn liaises with DGB (or at least with Arthur) to plan research that furthers the goals of the US Government, and was given copies of Tedd's notes on his home studies to analyze.

Known Employees[]

The known staff of Germahn labs are: Dr Germahn, a senior scientist; Amanda, his assistant[2] who started several years ago as an intern[1] but is now paid;[3] Chika, another researcher who seems to play a supporting role in Q&As;[4] Lisa, a recently qualified lawyer who works for Germahn regularly[5] (suggesting that the effects and side-effects of Germahn's mad science products may produce a steady stream of litigation or other legal work); and Alice, the receptionist who is also Dr Germahn's niece.[3]

Chika[]

Chika is another scientist working at Germahn Labs. Dan was searching through various names when he discovered the Japanese name "Chika", which as far as he can tell, is pronounced almost exactly like the Spanish word "Chica", meaning girl. Plotting potential jokes that could play off of that, her name was chosen. She also has a watch that can redistribute shrink energy. She has "experimented" with her sexual preference, but the results are her business. She has a tendency to answer reader's questions prematurely without realizing it. She first appeared in the EGS Main Story Comic for 2010-01-26.

Alice[]

"You somehow manage to get paid for being a doofus. You've gotta respect that!"
EGS:NP Comic for 2004-08-27

Alice is Dr. Germahn's receptionist and niece. She seems apathetic towards her work and coworkers, although this may simply be the result of boredom. She "respects" Amanda for getting paid for being a klutz. She first appeared in the EGS Sketchbook Comic for 2003-02-28.

Universe / Existential Status[]

Germahn Labs has been seen as existing within Dan's Universe, defined as being between the fourth wall of the comic and real life. However, there is also increasing evidence of it in continuity.

Main Universe canon[]

Germahn Labs characters have featured in Main Universe continuity on a few occasions, mostly recently. In most cases they are linked to DGB.

Dr Germahn and Amanda appeared once as early as Painted Black, when a flashback panel appeared in a story comic showing them as the inventors of radio watch devices acquired by Tedd from Edward.[1]

A filler strip in 2004 promised that Lisa and Alice would have roles in the main continuity,[6] but this has not so far (late 2021, Balance storyline group) been fulfilled.

Germahn's first appearance in continuity in real time was in the Title Pending storyline, when he talked with Arthur about developing magic resistance for the US population.[7] Then in the Balance storyline he had Tedd's notes from his home experiments on magic[8] and was complaining to Arthur about Tedd's lack of documentation for the spell-programming glove he built.[9] Germahn's role in magical research for DGB appears to be ongoing, and to be relevant to the plot about Tedd's planned university lab and relationship with Arthur.

Between these two conversations was a single panel in which Amanda was shown outlining an elaborate theory to Germahn about the change of magic.[10]

There has been one panel in a main continuity comic showing Amanda and Lisa as high school students contemporary with the Main Cast, but the non-canon status of this fantasy panel was emphasized in the commentary.[11]

Main Universe non-canon[]

The NP storyline Respect, featuring Amanda, Lisa, Alice and Dr Germahn, is set in Moperville in the main universe,[12] and the cast stay in-character and respect the fourth wall (unless you count Germahn's self-awareness as a chaotic good mad scientist[13] as a breach). Also nothing happens that clearly contradicts canon (age transformations have only appeared in non-canon strips, but have not been ruled out as impossible for magic in canon). However, NP comics are non-canon by default, unless stated to be canon (Respect is not[14]) or referred to in the main storyline[15] (the existence of Amanda in continuity is probably not enough yet). Respect, if read in such a way, does a good amount of establishing characters and relationships.

Another Moperville-set NP storyline, Oblivious Wand-Waving, is definitely non-canon as it wreaks havoc with the personal attributes and relationships of the main cast. At the end it has two strips featuring Amanda and Lisa. Amanda is also somewhat of an alternative version of herself, as she has a proclivity for getting grown to giant size,[16] rather than shrunk as she usually does, but the visuals of the interior of Germahn Labs might be genuine.

Non-continuity universes[]

The Germahn Labs characters have made many more appearances in contexts such as Q&A sessions and non-Moperville NP stories than they have in continuity. It is in these non-continuity settings that they have fulfilled their main functions in the comic so far, which have been to present exposition and clarification that did not fit well in the main storyline, and to provide entertainment. They, especially Lisa and Amanda, have been given more license for suggestiveness than the main cast are usually allowed these days.

Their non-continuity appearances vary in the universe they are set in. Settings seen so far include

  • unidentifiable settings with little backdrop[17]
  • an 'off-camera' version of the Main Universe and perhaps adjacent 'backstage' areas where the cast are aware of the audience and Dan and can interact with them via the fourth wall and via scripts and notes provided for Q&A sessions; the cast can also interact with each other in non-canon combinations, and Alternate Universe versions of cast members may also appear[18][19]
  • Dan's Universe, which has any scenery Dan requires and in which his avatar appears on-panel[20]
  • independent fictional settings such as the RPG dungeon of Q&A 8,[21] or the Video Gaaaaaames universe/s[22]

(Note that some of these setting types may not be entirely distinct from each other and Dan's Universe in particular may intersect with any of them.)

In all of these, the Germahn Labs characters can and do comment on the comic as external observers, and this has been their main function in most of their appearances. Note that both the appearances in out-of-continuity universes and the commentary and exposition functions are also shared with the Main Cast and other characters well-established in continuity - sightings of the Germahn Labs characters here are not evidence against their existence in the main continuity.

The other-universe appearances have contributed to the development of the Germahn Labs characters and their relationships (and in Chika's case are the only evidence for her existence), so it is a pertinent but unanswered question how much of this character understanding is true in continuity.

Dynamics within Germahn Labs[]

This section discusses out-of-continuity interactions as if they contribute to our understanding of the characters in general.

Germahn - Amanda[]

Germahn initially took advantage of Amanda, testing magical substances and devices on her without her full awareness.[23][24] (She did know in general terms what she was letting herself in for, she wasn't harmed and she didn't really mind that much, but still.)

Amanda sought to gain Germahn's respect for her scientific work,[25] with limited success.[26] However, their interactions have not been shown on panel recently and Amanda has been playing a more prominent role in Germahn Labs' comic appearances, so maybe she succeeded.

There appears to be no romance or attraction between Germahn and Amanda, although their alternates are in a relationship in another universe. Amanda appeared to express distaste at this prospect.[27]

Amanda - Lisa[]

Lisa and Amanda are friends and roommates,[28] and appear to be about the same age and at similar points in their careers (Amanda having gone from intern[1] to assistant scientist[2] in the years before the comic started, and Lisa having qualified as a lawyer during the comic's run[5]). They were pleased to work together when Lisa also got a job with Germahn Labs.[5] They form a double act in Q&A sessions.

In her earlier appearances, Lisa had a crush on Amanda, which Amanda appeared to be unaware of. Lisa would come up with comically unsubtle schemes to get Amanda undressed, in bed, FV5 transformed or suchlike and Amanda would act oblivious.[5][29][30][31] Amanda indeed seemed interested in men rather than women,[32] and Lisa helped her get a non-continuity date with Adrian.[33] The running gag was laid to rest in Q&A 6, with Amanda making it clear that she knew Lisa liked women, and Lisa's specific interest in Amanda being apparently forgotten.[34] In Q&A 8 Amanda accepted a back rub from Lisa[35] but nothing more was made of it.

Amanda - Lisa - Chika[]

Chika is another scientist at Germahn Labs, probably relatively young like Amanda. She seems to deputize for Amanda in Q&As[36] (which are the only strips she has appeared in) so she may be more of a researcher and less comfortable presenting, or she may be more junior all-round.

Chika seems to be the sensible one out of the three, and projects a slightly disdainful tolerance of Amanda and Lisa's crazier antics. She has been known to take charge and instruct them to act like grown-ups.[37]

Chika keeps her feelings generally quiet. She volunteered at one point that she had experimented with both men and women, but that her results (despite Lisa's evident interest) were her own business.[38] There has been one panel where Lisa appeared to throw her arms round Chika, to the latter's discomfort.[39]

Germahn - Alice[]

Alice is Dr Germahn's niece and receptionist, which two facts are presumably connected.[3] She and he have barely been shown interacting on-panel.

Alice - Amanda[]

Amanda asked Alice if she respected her. Alice replied that Amanda was a doofus, but that she respected the fact that she managed to get paid for being a doofus.[3]


References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 EGS Main Story Comic for 2003-12-31
  2. 2.0 2.1 EGS Main Story Comic for 2002-01-26 ("If You Take Offense it's Your Own Dirty Mind's Fault")
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 EGS:NP Comic for 2004-08-27
  4. EGS Main Story Comic for 2010-02-04 ("Trying Too Hard To Realize the Camera's Stll Rolling")
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 EGS Main Story Comic for 2005-05-23 ("Grace's Birthday Party, Part 1 - Arrivals and Presents: Let's Get This Matter Out of the Way, Shall We?")
  6. EGS Sketchbook Comic for 2004-10-06
  7. EGS Main Story Comic for 2020-07-01
  8. EGS Main Story Comic for 2021-10-13
  9. EGS Main Story Comic for 2021-10-15
  10. EGS Main Story Comic for 2021-04-30
  11. EGS Main Story Comic for 2008-08-19
  12. EGS:NP Comic for 2004-08-25
  13. EGS:NP Comic for 2004-09-21
  14. EGS Main Story Comic for 2016-06-24
  15. EGS:NP Comic for 2004-06-22
  16. EGS:NP Comic for 2008-10-11
  17. EGS:NP Comic for 2006-10-23
  18. EGS Main Story Comic for 2004-07-19
  19. EGS:NP Comic for 2010-01-26
  20. EGS:NP Comic for 2003-07-06
  21. EGS Main Story Comic for 2019-03-11
  22. EGS:NP Comic for 2016-07-06
  23. EGS Main Story Comic for 2002-03-12
  24. EGS:NP Comic for 2004-08-29
  25. EGS:NP Comic for 2004-08-31
  26. EGS:NP Comic for 2004-09-07
  27. EGS Sketchbook Comic for 2002-07-28
  28. EGS:NP Comic for 2004-09-10
  29. EGS:NP Comic for 2004-09-25
  30. EGS Main Story Comic for 2010-02-09
  31. EGS Main Story Comic for 2013-09-16
  32. EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-07-04
  33. EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-07-28
  34. EGS Main Story Comic for 2013-10-04
  35. EGS Main Story Comic for 2018-03-19
  36. EGS Main Story Comic for 2010-02-04
  37. EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-07-11
  38. EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-07-25
  39. EGS Main Story Comic for 2011-07-29
Minor Characters This page is based on content that was originally added to the minor characters page and deleted in revision 62499.

Contributors, per the terms of the CC-BY-SA license, are attributed in the edit history of that page.


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