It's great when dystopic defense contractors take names from the things I love! Palmer Luckey started one called Anduril, and I just can't tell you how much I love these fucking shits co-opting Tolkien's words in their endeavors to profit on oppression and murder.
I also prefer the 2012 art to the modern style, but if Mike likes to draw the way he does now then good for him. He's clearly demonstrated his artistic prowess over the years and I'd guess wanted to make his own exaggerated style. It's definitely instantly recognizable as his
PA refers to Penny Arcade, a gaming culture webcomic that's run since '98 that's linked by Corngood up there. Tycho Brahe (besides being a 16th centure Danish astronomer) is name of one of the main characters in the comic as well as the pseudonym of it's main writer, Jerry Holkins.
The one where ISIS exists and attacked Moscow's Crocus City Hall theater in March. IIRC the Taliban and ISIS aren't best friends because ISIS sees them as resting on their laurels and wanting to stabilize their control of Afghanistan rather than expanding and building an Islamic State.
It's not meaningless, it's just evolved into signifying an aesthetic/lifestyle different from the norm. English is a living language, so many words change in meaning over time
I really wish we could go back to smaller scale rpgs that came out more frequently. Tighter, trimmer play areas with efficient stories. They don't need to have tons of side quests with mediocre at best writing. Just pare it down for shit's sake
tbh the extent of my Pauly Shore knowledge is that episode of Futurama where Fry thinks he and his former gf think they've been frozen again and it's a post-apocalyptic year 4000, but it turns out that's just what LA is like