Working Daze - Magic

Magic

A fantasy bent, subtle during the Noel strips, blossomed into a regular feature during Miller's time, and continues in the Roberts drawn strips. Characters developed superhuman powers, especially Dana, who could punish co-workers, Rita included, in a number of ways. These included transformation, feats of great strength, encasing them in ice, and other awesome powers. She has worked on restraining these abilities, but, as the most overworked and undervalued member of the staff, it's sometimes hard to contain them. Medusa, as mentioned, can turn people to stone, but Dana seems to be able to do this too. Rita occasionally picks up powers, like turning anything she touches to dirt, or transforming people who annoy her into monkeys. She can also bore an entire roomful of people into potatoes. Often, when Rita gets going, she gets out of control, and it falls on Dana to keep her in check. Roy has mastered both the Vulcan nerve pinch and the Jedi Mind Trick. He made the big mistake of teaching the nerve pinch to Rita once, and she could not be stopped until Dana petrified her with a hypnotic glare. She forgot to release her and Rita stayed in place over the weekend. Kathy can also use the pinch, and Roy was distressed to discover that Carolina too has learned it, although he was flattered to find that she learned it from observing him. Many fans enjoy the magical aspect of the strip. No doubt there's some wish fulfillment for real life office workers.