Webcomic / Orbit

Looks like the gang's all here!

Orbit is a webcomic by Johnny Lin about the adventures of the planets, moons, and other objects in space, all of which are anthropomorphized.

Except Earth is starting to get a little stir crazy. With such a huge universe out there, why does he have to be stuck in this puny solar system? There has to be more to life than just spinning around in circles... right?

Meanwhile, Nix is dealing with Pluto's 'issues' after his demotion the way a supportive moon should... which means, essentially, trying to find someone, anyone else who'll let him tag along with them. And oh yeah, Mercury's planning to coup, the dwarf planets want more respect, Comet is stopping by from Andromeda... Maybe Earth has a bit more to pay attention to than he's giving credit to.

It's essentially an abandoned comic now, after the author said that he wanted to draw something more challenging than circles to improve his art skills.

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Orbit provides examples of:

• Alt Text: The later comics have it.
• Big Man on Campus: Pluto was, back when he was a planet.
• Call-Forward: Mixed with Tempting Fate. Someone offscreen yells in a flashback to Pluto that he'll be a planet forever. Yeah...
• Chekhov's Gunman: Nix, who Earth briefly ran into while looking for moon, reappears as a focus character than ten strips later.
• Cut and Paste Comic: Admitted by the author himself: "Now here’s a bombshell for you: Orbit is a lot of copy/paste. I know, my legs are wobbly too."
• Cloudcuckoolander's Minder: Charon (however reluctant he is about it sometimes) tries his best to keep Pluto out of trouble and encourages his other moons and the dwarf planets to give him a chance.
• Description Cut: Often used for comedy. Some examples:
  • Earth commenting that "The universe isn't that great." cuts straight to Comet racing through the galaxy, exclaiming how great it is.
  Haumea: Planets... ugh. So obvious to our situation, probably out there having the time of their lives...
  [cuts to Earth, Mars, and Moon]
  Earth: ...And some days I'm less sad, but then some days I'm more sad...
• The Ditz: Moon, who makes everyone else look like a genius by comparison.
• Finishing Each Other's Sentences: Jupiter's moons do, which is used to emphasize how creepy they are.
• Gilligan Cut: Used often to complete a gag set up in the first three panels.
• Go Mad from the Revelation: The shock of being demoted from planet drove Pluto mad.
• Halloween Episode: Of 2009; Mars takes the opportunity to dress up as Earth to mock him.
• Hero's Journey: Invoked by Haumea and then immediately subverted.
  "Gentlemen, steel yourselves for a journey that will test you to your very core and forever change your lives. [Beat] Oh, they're right there. Never mind."
• It's All About Me: Most of Saturn's inquiries about why Earth is bummed boil down to "Are you upset that you aren't as great as me?"
• Incredibly Lame Pun: The planets make quite a few "jokes" with these.
• I Have to Go Iron My Dog: Hyra's excuses when Nix tries to get him and Charon to hang around Pluto more. Charon fails to catch on.
  Hyrda: We have that thing to go to, right Charon?
  Charon: What? No. We're completely free, dude.
• Irritation Is the Sincerest Form of Flattery: Moon is so impressed by Comet he starts dressing as him.
• Lame Pun Reaction: Mars' response to Earth's pun: silently staring him down.
  Mars: Moon. He was just there, but now he's gone.
  Earth: Oh. I'm sure he'll turn up lunar or later.
  [Beat]
  Earth: I should go look for him.
• Literal Metaphor: Lately, my life just feels like it's been going in one big circle... It probably wasn't the best thing to say to a group of planets.
• Never My Fault: Theia manages to somehow interpret him running into Earth and breaking off a chunk of Earth's head into somehow making him the victim.
• No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Venus sticking up for Neptune only led to him being creepy to her.
• No-Respect Guy: The dwarf planets, at least in Haumea's point of view. That's why he's trying to gather them all together, so that they can band their strength and finally get the respect they deserve.
• No Sense of Personal Space: Neptune. Which is why everyone finds him incredibly creepy.
  Earth: You're, uh, kind of close again...
  Neptune: Oh, I am?
• Non-Standard Character Design: Neptune's eyes are bigger than the other characters', and always have distinct pupils instead of being Black Bead Eyes.
• Oblivious to Love: Venus is utterly blind to the fact that Mars is head over heels for her.
• Orphaned Series: It hasn't been updated since 2010, and the artist outright said that he doesn't plan to continue it. This leaves most of the plot threads (Asteroid following Earth around, Mercury's plot against Mars, Earth's continuing unhappiness, Nix's struggles with Pluto..) permanently unresolved.
• Poke the Poodle: "Good only knows the kind of evil they're committing..." (cut to Mercury, Asteroid, and Ceres doing the same trust fall the dwarf planets are doing).
• The Pollyanna: Earth used to be one, and has a flashback arc to it when Mars asks him what changed. Moon still is one, mostly because he's too stupid to be unhappy about anything.
• Right Behind Me: Mercury plans Mars' demise to his lackeys, but was announcing it right in front of him and Earth.
  "I, uh... I wanted you to hear."
  • Moon inadvertently started talking smack about Jupiter's moons... while they were floating right behind him.
• Romantic Wingman: Mars tries to get Moon to help him with talking to Venus, but Moon isn't very good at it.
• Rugged Scar: Ceres has one over his left eye.
• Sarcastic Confession: Neptune pulled one when Earth first met him.
  Earth: Whoa, I didn't see you back there.
  Neptune: That's because I was stalking you.
  Earth: ...What?
  Neptune: I'm just joshin' ya, buddy!
  Earth: Oh! Hah, you got me!
• The Smurfette Principle: Venus is the only female planet.
• Stalker without a Crush: Neptune follows this trope to a T.
  "I've been watching you guys."
• Sudden Anatomy: Invoked and lampshaded.
  Theia: He broke my neck!
  Mars: Then you should try— Wait, your what?
• Take Our Word for It: All we get to see is Moon's reaction to Earth's story of how he was created. Lampshaded by The Rant:
  "If only we returned to the flashback just one.. panel.. earlier.. We'd have the answers to life."
• Talking to Themself: Pluto, who alternates brief flashes of lucidity with screaming to himself about being so ugly that no one will look at him.
• Tethercat Principle: Venus was stuck listening to Neptune from 31 to when we cut back to her seven comics later at 38.
• That's No Moon: Turns out that when Comet was showing a slideshow of his travels...
  Jupiter: DID I SAY YOU COULD USE ME AS A SCREEN?
• Unknown Rival: Mercury considers Mars to be far more important to him than Mars considers him.
  "Mars?! My sworn enemy!? The bane of my existence!?"
• The Voice: The sun talks to Earth, but never appears onscreen.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: The sun appeared in the second and third comics and was never seen or mentioned again.
  • The pair of tourists who wander through. Who are they, where are they from, where are they going? No idea.
• What He Said: When Mercury is trying to confirm his minions' loyalty.
  Asteroid: I guess I'm pretty loyal...
  Ceres: I was blind and you opened my eyes to the truth! Now I live my life to serve your purpose. My allegiance is ironclad, my lord.
  Asteroid: Actually, you know what? The ironclad thing goes for me too. Cuz that's what I meant.

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