Egg Head

The scientist is an “egghead”, a derogatory name for a smart person, which later became “nerd”. Egghead is full of references to science and human behavior. The scientist appears to be having an anxiety attack (sweating) while controlling the robot who is playing tic-tac-toe with the women who are having a good time. The robot is named Oxie Robut; a machine whose purpose is to play a game with women while the egghead works in the background.

The art is full of puns, typical for much of Roy Parker’s work. There are comic labels on the monitor: “electronic confuser”, “statoshere” (a gauge to measure status, but sounds like stratosphere?). The scientist’s lab coat says Quiet! genus (genius) at work. A computer in the background is labelled UNIPAC, similar to the real computer UNIVAC (Universal Automatic Computer, 1951) the first commercially produced digital computer. New trons, old trons and used trons are labels on UNIPAC.

To top it off, a figure of Mercury, the Roman god known for speed runs with a lightning bolt in hand. On Mercury’s sash is PDQ meaning pretty darn quick. His pedestal is labelled “mercury switches” a new invention at the time used in the UNIVAC. Computers made it possible to run programs faster and faster.