Editing 2478: Alien Visitors 2

In the return of the aliens from the [[2477: Alien Visitors|previous comic]], they show more "advanced" inventions that are less efficient or more harmful than their current forms, and most have been invented by humans and replaced.

A {{w|blimp}} is a lighter than air aircraft with no internal structure. The point raised about hydrogen would be because it is highly flammable and dangerous. The {{w|Hindenburg disaster}} was a famous explosion of a hydrogen airship, although zeppelin airships are not blimps because they have an internal structural framework and they're called rigid airships in contrast to blimps that just rely on the internal pressure of their lifting gas to maintain their shape. Blimps are still used today, but use helium, and are typically used for advertising or for aerial photography/videography. Various modern {{w|Zeppelin_NT|semi-rigid}} and {{w|Hybrid_Air_Vehicles_Airlander_10|cable-rigid}} designs have been redeveloped in recent years to service possibly niche roles such as tourist cruising and heavy-lift capabilities, among others.

{{w|Tetraethyllead}} ((CH₃ CH₂)₄Pb) is a chemical added to gasoline (mostly from the 1920s to the 1990s — although some countries [https://web.archive.org/web/20171115235249/http://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/17542/MapWorldLead_March2017.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y still use it to this day]) to prevent {{w|engine knocking}}, until it was revealed to have highly toxic effects. (Its removal from use is why all gasoline sold in the United States is labelled "unleaded".) The aliens seem unaware of these toxic effects (it is unclear whether the chemical hurts aliens as well, or whether it doesn't hurt them but they don't realize the toxic effects on humans), and indeed quite concerned by them, implying they might be using leaded gasoline themselves.

{{w|Juicero}} was a juicer known for its absurd inefficiency and greedy business model: {{Citation needed}} the machine would only work on the company's proprietary branded single-serving bags of pulped fruit sold for $7-10 each, and more juice could be extracted from the bags by hand than by the press. Basically, they were selling $10 bags of chopped fruit and a $700 machine to squeeze them into a cup for you. The title text alludes to the notion that this was a terrible product whose time should be in the past.

After the latest showing of unimpressive "inventions", the humans start questioning how "advanced" the aliens really are, asking if they built the flying saucer themselves and suggesting that it might be wise to avoid standing directly beneath it in case it suddenly crashes to Earth.

:[A flying saucer is hovering high above Ponytail, White Hat, Cueball and Megan, drawn very small standing on the ground beneath it. The aliens inside speak to them from inside their saucer, indicated with zigzag lines between it and the text. Ponytail approaches the others on the ground from the left.]

:[Zoom in on the flying saucer which has two beams below it, the left showing an outline of a biplane and the right is showing an outline of a blimp. Cueball replies off-panel.]

:(off-panel voice 1): A biplane?  

:(off-panel voice 1): Aren't monoplanes more efficient?

:(off-panel voice 2): Does that blimp use hydrogen?

:[Zoom in on the 4 humans looking up, the Aliens reply from above the panel. There is a chemical formula in an outline from the alien flying saucer:]

:Aliens: (CH₃ CH₂)₄ Pb

:[Zoom back out, as in first panel. The flying saucer has a beam showing an outline of a juice machine]