I was going to do another Newspaper article this week, but I got a better idea.
Since I started this blog, I had a thought of trying to describe a concept I nicknamed the "Dramatic Downshift." It's a play on an old Civilization act where you change to a Democracy in order to grow faster in the future while sacrificing growth in the nearterm.
The Dramatic Downshift refers to act of shifting a comedic strip into a dramatic strip. Websnark, when he still talked about webcomics (it's been a while) called this the Cerebus Syndrome, a concept I don't disagree with, but don't think holds true always. The idea is that drama and comedy are at odds with each other and when you try to switch between the two, or do both at the same time, it can ruin a comic. That's the part I disagree with, by the way, it does work, but it takes effort, and a good foundation.
The foundation is important. Without a good foundation, the Cerebus Syndrome functions at full effect, ripping the comic down. After all, a character that was spouting puns in one strip and then giving a serious soliloquy the next isn't likely to be a very good comic. So until the shift can occur outright, some depth has to be added to the characters, spiking their normal humorous play with a bit of drama every now and then.
The best example of this is actually General Protection Fault, on two fronts. Now, it has been YEARS since I read GPF, so all this stuff is old opinions, but valid ones. The story where this worked was one I remember as The Flood (I don't remember the original name and I'm not going to look). In it a flash flood hit the town GPF takes place in and caused all sorts of mayhem.
The Flood story was designed to do two things. First, it was a "change of venue" story, where the characters, who had gotten comfortable in their current situation, are forced out and into the world (the company they worked for was flooded out). This is good for comedy adventure comics like GPF because it allows new jokes and situations to arise. Sluggy Freelance does this VERY frequently and the results are almost always positive.
The next purpose was character development. It was a big story for the time, and drew on some smaller steps that had happened earlier. This is what I am calling a Natural Drama. It helped expand the characters a bit, transforming generally two dimensional comedy characters into something more. It didn't do a lot, of course, but it did add to the story. This is what a Natural Drama does and it makes it an important tool in a Dramatic Downshift. Typically, Natural Dramas should be small, building up to a "defining" moment story, which solidifies the gains up to that point and help set up even greater stories. Sluggy does this constantly and frequently so when the great confrontation of the book takes place, the characters are tuned up and ready for it.
The Flood story worked on both these fronts, if it was a bit heavy, but it worked well and I remember thinking how good it was at the time. The problem is that there was actually a third purpose to the story, to set up Serendipitous Machines.
I've complained about that story before, and it was THE reason I stopped reading GPF, and why? Because it was a Artificial Trauma. Essentially, it was the same kind of thing as a Natural Drama, a character expanding story. The issue is that it's bigger, and much heavier. The term "heavy handed" only begins to describe what's going on here.
Instead of merely expanding the character, they're blown up into massive edifices of CHARACTER that must be watched. Or, at least they must be because the artist/author says so. Instead of the characters naturally evolving into their new forms, they're mutated into what the artist wants them to be. It's not that these characters didn't have the potential to be these new creatures, they did, but the artist is in a hurry and wants to tell the "grand epic" now rather than waiting another year of development. Like cranking up the oven to cook something faster, the result is a blackened mess only a few crazy people like.
College Roomies from Hell suffered the same problems as it kept going. It managed to avoid the Trauma side of the line for a long time, but as it went on, the Dramas became much more traumatic to the characters, and far less natural. Often it felt completely forced and about then I stopped reading it.
Sluggy, on the other hand, has managed to stay out of the trap, somehow. I suppose the constant shifting between drama and comedy that it does has helped, but also that there are frequent minor stories that help mold the characters between the big fights that keep any one of them from being overpowering.
How to avoid Artificial Traumas? Think and take your time. Unless your whole comic is written around a story, there's no reason why you can't delay your epic masterpieces a few months or years to get the characters in position to make the big jump. And if you really can't wait, scale back on the epic or break it apart. Odds are good you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Next week, I hope to cover that Newspaper Comic article I promised last week.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Friday, April 9, 2010
Wild Webcomic Reviews 86 - 90
Here's another batch of old reviews. Slowly building up to comic 100, but still a couple updates behind. Probably won't catch up completely for a while though, so let's go.
September 26, 2006
86. Schoolbooks and Brimstone - Another comic with someone turning into a demon? Am I crazy? Yeah, probably, but this one is far more lighthearted than Zebra Girl. It's also shorter, and apparently dead. Which is quite a shame honestly, as it could have been quite fun. The story doesn't even really get started before it stops. So sad when comics die prematurely.
TODAY - The original site vanished, no idea where it went. The version I have linked up there is different than the one I read the first time, so it might be worth the effort to read, but at the same time, it's just as dead. Great idea, but no staying power.
October 3, 2006
87. Templar, Arizona - It starts with a man screaming the loveliest string of curses and insults over phone that I have ever seen, and then pulls out a sculpture of Jimmy Carter as a Greek god. After that things get weird. This comic is like something I would want to write. It's real in a way that isn't real, but manages to not make itself seem too serious despite being real but not real at the same time. Make sense? No? Just go read it, you might understand. Maybe.
TODAY - Still one of the odder comics on the net today, and yet it's still pretty good. I kind of wish he would focus more on the original main character, but I think this comic is more about Templar, Arizona than any one character, and that makes it fun as well.
88. No Stereotypes - A man is cursed with immortality. Hey, that sounds familiar, I wonder if anyone here can relate to that . It has gods, magic, time travel, a purple cat with a big smile and a ziggurat, which doesn't exactly make it unique, but the elements all come together to form a strange combination that you really have to just read to enjoy. I know I do.
TODAY - The main site went belly up some time ago, and so the comic also vanished into the ether, but not quite as I did find a bit of the original still floating around at the link above. But the comic is dead and most of the later chapters are gone. A shame as I remember it being pretty enjoyable.
89. Gun Street Girl - No, your eyes don't deceive you, this comic is on the same site as No Stereotypes, but this is completely, totally different. There are guns and violence, magic and mystery, and another pair of lesbians. Shit, did it again. Well fuck, if you're going to wonder off every time I say that word, I'll just sing a little. Or not. This isn't a strip, and there are no long story arcs, just short little pieces written more like mini-comic books than anything else. So don't let the style turn you off, or you'll miss the fun.
TODAY - Vanished for a time when No Stereotypes did, but it has it's own site so you can still enjoy it. I'm glad for that, but I haven't had the time or energy to flip through the rest of it (I think there's more than what I originally read, I'd basically have to start over at this point) or any of the other comics on the site.
90. Return to Sender - It has a concept, a mystery, and it follows it for a bit, then stops. The comic died something like 2 years ago, which is sad, as the very idea of it is just damn interesting. But since it dies, we never see it get much beyond damn interesting into good territory. Worth the read to see what could have been, if nothing else.
TODAY - Still dead, but at least you can still read it.
Two quasi MIAs in one update. Bleh. Next batch isn't much better I'm afraid. Anyway, next week, another edition of Newspaper Comics, until then kiddies.
September 26, 2006
86. Schoolbooks and Brimstone - Another comic with someone turning into a demon? Am I crazy? Yeah, probably, but this one is far more lighthearted than Zebra Girl. It's also shorter, and apparently dead. Which is quite a shame honestly, as it could have been quite fun. The story doesn't even really get started before it stops. So sad when comics die prematurely.
TODAY - The original site vanished, no idea where it went. The version I have linked up there is different than the one I read the first time, so it might be worth the effort to read, but at the same time, it's just as dead. Great idea, but no staying power.
October 3, 2006
87. Templar, Arizona - It starts with a man screaming the loveliest string of curses and insults over phone that I have ever seen, and then pulls out a sculpture of Jimmy Carter as a Greek god. After that things get weird. This comic is like something I would want to write. It's real in a way that isn't real, but manages to not make itself seem too serious despite being real but not real at the same time. Make sense? No? Just go read it, you might understand. Maybe.
TODAY - Still one of the odder comics on the net today, and yet it's still pretty good. I kind of wish he would focus more on the original main character, but I think this comic is more about Templar, Arizona than any one character, and that makes it fun as well.
88. No Stereotypes - A man is cursed with immortality. Hey, that sounds familiar, I wonder if anyone here can relate to that . It has gods, magic, time travel, a purple cat with a big smile and a ziggurat, which doesn't exactly make it unique, but the elements all come together to form a strange combination that you really have to just read to enjoy. I know I do.
TODAY - The main site went belly up some time ago, and so the comic also vanished into the ether, but not quite as I did find a bit of the original still floating around at the link above. But the comic is dead and most of the later chapters are gone. A shame as I remember it being pretty enjoyable.
89. Gun Street Girl - No, your eyes don't deceive you, this comic is on the same site as No Stereotypes, but this is completely, totally different. There are guns and violence, magic and mystery, and another pair of lesbians. Shit, did it again. Well fuck, if you're going to wonder off every time I say that word, I'll just sing a little. Or not. This isn't a strip, and there are no long story arcs, just short little pieces written more like mini-comic books than anything else. So don't let the style turn you off, or you'll miss the fun.
TODAY - Vanished for a time when No Stereotypes did, but it has it's own site so you can still enjoy it. I'm glad for that, but I haven't had the time or energy to flip through the rest of it (I think there's more than what I originally read, I'd basically have to start over at this point) or any of the other comics on the site.
90. Return to Sender - It has a concept, a mystery, and it follows it for a bit, then stops. The comic died something like 2 years ago, which is sad, as the very idea of it is just damn interesting. But since it dies, we never see it get much beyond damn interesting into good territory. Worth the read to see what could have been, if nothing else.
TODAY - Still dead, but at least you can still read it.
Two quasi MIAs in one update. Bleh. Next batch isn't much better I'm afraid. Anyway, next week, another edition of Newspaper Comics, until then kiddies.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Touching Base #3
And back with another edition of Touching Base. Starting with me. I got surprised with another temp job on Tuesday. I started Thursday. I'd tell you how it went, but I'm writing this on Wednesday. Looks like it's 40 hours, so I'll be sticking to the weekly schedule for a while. Good thing, I need time to generate some ideas for articles. Only have a couple on hand at the moment and neither really "worked."
On to the comics! At the top of the list is Gods and Undergrads which, as I mentioned last time, shifted it's entire archive to book form. It also went black and white and, um, didn't really go anywhere. I've decided to cease reading it. One of the older strips on my read lists, I had to think carefully before pulling it, and it's time. I've got enough comics that update far more frequently and are better than this one.
The Wotch is frighteningly quiet after the conclusion of it's guest story arc. It's only been a month or so, which isn't terribly long compared to a lot of comics I read, but it makes me wonder if it is coming back. Just have to keep my eyes peeled.
Charliehorse went on hiatus while Krazy Krow works on his new comic, Spinnerette. I'm probably not going to review Spinnerette for a bit, but so far it has the same sense of humor as the rest of the Krakow group, though the main character comes off as far more innocent than I've seen before. Nice change of pace.
Lowroad went on a hiatus. No real reason given, but either he's switching to yet another storyline (it's on the third one now) or just needs a break from it all. At least he said something.
Parallel Dementia is still on hiatus, though it sounds like he hopes to get back to it as soon as possible. I hope so, I really like this comic.
Nobody Scores! is also on hiatus, blamed on idea burn out. That's a lot of comic on hiatus. I'm laying odds that one of them does not come back.
Count Your Sheep finally added another character, Squeak, er, Anthony. Of course, for some reason it took far, FAR longer than it should have to crank it out. The randomness of the strip's updates annoy me far more than it probably should.
And that's about it. Next week will be another batch of old reviews and then probably another newspaper article. Until then kiddies.
On to the comics! At the top of the list is Gods and Undergrads which, as I mentioned last time, shifted it's entire archive to book form. It also went black and white and, um, didn't really go anywhere. I've decided to cease reading it. One of the older strips on my read lists, I had to think carefully before pulling it, and it's time. I've got enough comics that update far more frequently and are better than this one.
The Wotch is frighteningly quiet after the conclusion of it's guest story arc. It's only been a month or so, which isn't terribly long compared to a lot of comics I read, but it makes me wonder if it is coming back. Just have to keep my eyes peeled.
Charliehorse went on hiatus while Krazy Krow works on his new comic, Spinnerette. I'm probably not going to review Spinnerette for a bit, but so far it has the same sense of humor as the rest of the Krakow group, though the main character comes off as far more innocent than I've seen before. Nice change of pace.
Lowroad went on a hiatus. No real reason given, but either he's switching to yet another storyline (it's on the third one now) or just needs a break from it all. At least he said something.
Parallel Dementia is still on hiatus, though it sounds like he hopes to get back to it as soon as possible. I hope so, I really like this comic.
Nobody Scores! is also on hiatus, blamed on idea burn out. That's a lot of comic on hiatus. I'm laying odds that one of them does not come back.
Count Your Sheep finally added another character, Squeak, er, Anthony. Of course, for some reason it took far, FAR longer than it should have to crank it out. The randomness of the strip's updates annoy me far more than it probably should.
And that's about it. Next week will be another batch of old reviews and then probably another newspaper article. Until then kiddies.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Newspaper Comics #3
When I got the idea to do these articles, a few comics in particular stood out as needing to be described. Peanuts and Garfield were obviously first, and I've got a couple others that are probably more influential on webcomics than even those two. But today I'm going to cover a comic whose influence is probably greater than either Peanuts or Garfield, probably because it influenced those comics and the entire industry itself. I'm talking about Blondie.
Wait, what? How's that influential? There's nothing special about it, just a sitcom type comic seems to be in every paper. Of course, the reason it becomes a subject is a little fact about it most people don't know:
It was started in 1930.
1930. That's 80 YEARS ago. Peanuts didn't start until the 50's, and Blondie was already 20 some years old. It's likely Schultz grew up reading Blondie. Perhaps the greatest comic of all time might have been influenced by Blondie.
1930. The age of flappers and prohibition. In fact, Blondie herself started life as a flapper. Dagwood's laziness and eating habits were formed when he grew up in a family of wealthy industrialists. Who then promptly disowned him for marrying Blondie (wonder if they've ever thought about healing those wounds, it has been 80 YEARS). The company he now works for is a CONSTRUCTION company? Who knew that? I sure as hell didn't. I had to look it up on the wiki page.
1930. A daily comic, printed everyday, including Sunday, for 80 years. I complain when there's a couple thousand strips in a webcomic archive. Blondie has over 29,000 strips. AND a movie series AND a radio drama series. There was also a sandwich shop chain, but I think it went under.
1930. The original artist is dead, of course. And the comic didn't stop aging until the 60's, but even then there have been changes. Blondie started her own business at one point. Family Circus (a comic I'll cover another time) had exactly one major change since it's debut in 1960: They changed the mom's hair style.
1930, wow. Oh, there are older comics (Gasoline Alley has been around since 1919), but I doubt any of them has held the sheer popularity and ubiquitousness of Blondie. And the best part? Blondie's still pretty good. Oh, it's not great, few of the "legacy" comics are, but it's reasonably funny and worth my time to read.
There isn't a single comic on the internet that can compare to the sheer scope of Blondie, and I seriously doubt any will ever even match it. I'd lay odds that Blondie will eventually become a webcomic itself, produced past the theoretical end of newspapers (I don't think they're going away anytime soon) and lasting 150+ years at this rate. And it's influence? Blondie has probably created the modern daily comic, becoming what newspapers expect out of their comics and that is probably enough. It's not the greatest comic, but it is THE comic, leaving others to pick up the pieces.
Wait, what? How's that influential? There's nothing special about it, just a sitcom type comic seems to be in every paper. Of course, the reason it becomes a subject is a little fact about it most people don't know:
It was started in 1930.
1930. That's 80 YEARS ago. Peanuts didn't start until the 50's, and Blondie was already 20 some years old. It's likely Schultz grew up reading Blondie. Perhaps the greatest comic of all time might have been influenced by Blondie.
1930. The age of flappers and prohibition. In fact, Blondie herself started life as a flapper. Dagwood's laziness and eating habits were formed when he grew up in a family of wealthy industrialists. Who then promptly disowned him for marrying Blondie (wonder if they've ever thought about healing those wounds, it has been 80 YEARS). The company he now works for is a CONSTRUCTION company? Who knew that? I sure as hell didn't. I had to look it up on the wiki page.
1930. A daily comic, printed everyday, including Sunday, for 80 years. I complain when there's a couple thousand strips in a webcomic archive. Blondie has over 29,000 strips. AND a movie series AND a radio drama series. There was also a sandwich shop chain, but I think it went under.
1930. The original artist is dead, of course. And the comic didn't stop aging until the 60's, but even then there have been changes. Blondie started her own business at one point. Family Circus (a comic I'll cover another time) had exactly one major change since it's debut in 1960: They changed the mom's hair style.
1930, wow. Oh, there are older comics (Gasoline Alley has been around since 1919), but I doubt any of them has held the sheer popularity and ubiquitousness of Blondie. And the best part? Blondie's still pretty good. Oh, it's not great, few of the "legacy" comics are, but it's reasonably funny and worth my time to read.
There isn't a single comic on the internet that can compare to the sheer scope of Blondie, and I seriously doubt any will ever even match it. I'd lay odds that Blondie will eventually become a webcomic itself, produced past the theoretical end of newspapers (I don't think they're going away anytime soon) and lasting 150+ years at this rate. And it's influence? Blondie has probably created the modern daily comic, becoming what newspapers expect out of their comics and that is probably enough. It's not the greatest comic, but it is THE comic, leaving others to pick up the pieces.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Wild Webcomic Reviews 81 - 85
Wow, this week has been odd. I lost my temp job, but interviewed for another, and I likely won't be returning to my full time job and, well, I've hit a bit of writers block on webcomic articles. I mean, I can do a lot of Newspaper and Touching Base ones, but more generic articles are escaping me. So for the moment, I'll stick to a weekly schedule until I get a second wind. With that said, let's go through another batch of old reviews.
September 26, 2006
81. Zebra Girl - This is a story of a young woman who turns into a demon. Which wouldn't be so bad, I suppose, except she looks like a zebra (hence the name) and sweats acid. The flying, pyrokinesis, and demonic strength are all positives as far as I'm concerned. This comic is about how she deals with it and the misadventures she has because of it. This also means that it's a fairly dramatic comic, where it starts as a rather humorous comic. I kind of miss the humor, which isn't completely gone but fairly subdued, but the comic is good otherwise.
TODAY - Still pretty dramatic, but updating is slow as mud. And despite that, probably one of the best comics on the internet. Oh, there are still a few out there that can and do beat it, but it remains a favorite read of mine.
82. Count Your Sheep - This comic has a level of sweetness that could rot your teeth if you're not careful. It's also blue, for the most part, with a few dashes of purple. If you'll read it, you'll get it. It actually does something different in that it puts a bit of a twist on the old childhood imaginary friend shtick. Be aware that the early part of the archives are a bit of a mess. Oh, you'll get through them okay, but you won't always get just the strips for the comic. Incidentally, this is by the same guy who did No Room For Magic, but this one is superior to it in everyway, including updates.
TODAY - Continues to be sweet and fun, and I anticipate it's updates everyday, though I don't often get them. One of the better daily strips (when it is daily) out there and worth the time to read.
83. Gunnerkrigg Court - I wish I went to a school like this, simply for the chance to run into some of the weird things the comic's heroine does. The fact that she does so in such a calm way is, well, weird. No screaming fits, no panic, hardly even a sarcastic quip. It's not normal for webcomics, which probably gives this one something that you won't find elsewhere. It is worth reading if only for that.
TODAY - If Zebra Girl is one of the best comics, Gunnerkrigg Court is damn near the absolute best. This comic is everything a good webcomic can and should be and deserves to be read. WHY AREN'T YOU READING IT ALREADY?!
84. The Wotch - That's not a misspelling, it's actually spelled Wotch. This comic, well, appeals more to a certain mindset than others. Yes, it is funny, it has interesting stories, is well written, well drawn, and I actually enjoyed it, but it is aimed at a certain group. You'll get it pretty quickly, even if you just read the most current strip. It doesn't make it bad, nor is it as creepy as Jack was, but you'll notice it. If you can look past it, it's a damn good strip.
TODAY - The Wotch ran out of a lot of steam recently, the stories toned down and seemed to lose their punch. So much so that even the artist took a break from the comic, running a guest story that just wrapped up last week. Hopefully this signals that the comic has gotten it's second wind and is ready for more wacky adventures.
85. Girly - Speaking of "certain mindsets," Girly fits in an oblong way. Lots of talk of sex in this strip kids. Not really for the younger crowd, and they don't really say the word, only lots of implying it by dancing through the fields (I'm not kidding). The point is that it's a fun, silly comic about the relationship of two people and those they've come across. Oh, and they're lesbians. Gee, I bet you're not reading this any more. I suppose I should have saved this strip for last. Oh well.
TODAY - This was originally a 6 comic update, that's why the last line sounds odd. Girly is still one of those strips I enjoy reading, the story is reasonably original and manages to keep me hooked. I think it might be winding down to a grand end, but it's hard to say for sure with this comic. Ask me again in a couple months.
Well what do you know, all five not only still update, but I still read them too! I like these updates, makes me feel good about my choices.
September 26, 2006
81. Zebra Girl - This is a story of a young woman who turns into a demon. Which wouldn't be so bad, I suppose, except she looks like a zebra (hence the name) and sweats acid. The flying, pyrokinesis, and demonic strength are all positives as far as I'm concerned. This comic is about how she deals with it and the misadventures she has because of it. This also means that it's a fairly dramatic comic, where it starts as a rather humorous comic. I kind of miss the humor, which isn't completely gone but fairly subdued, but the comic is good otherwise.
TODAY - Still pretty dramatic, but updating is slow as mud. And despite that, probably one of the best comics on the internet. Oh, there are still a few out there that can and do beat it, but it remains a favorite read of mine.
82. Count Your Sheep - This comic has a level of sweetness that could rot your teeth if you're not careful. It's also blue, for the most part, with a few dashes of purple. If you'll read it, you'll get it. It actually does something different in that it puts a bit of a twist on the old childhood imaginary friend shtick. Be aware that the early part of the archives are a bit of a mess. Oh, you'll get through them okay, but you won't always get just the strips for the comic. Incidentally, this is by the same guy who did No Room For Magic, but this one is superior to it in everyway, including updates.
TODAY - Continues to be sweet and fun, and I anticipate it's updates everyday, though I don't often get them. One of the better daily strips (when it is daily) out there and worth the time to read.
83. Gunnerkrigg Court - I wish I went to a school like this, simply for the chance to run into some of the weird things the comic's heroine does. The fact that she does so in such a calm way is, well, weird. No screaming fits, no panic, hardly even a sarcastic quip. It's not normal for webcomics, which probably gives this one something that you won't find elsewhere. It is worth reading if only for that.
TODAY - If Zebra Girl is one of the best comics, Gunnerkrigg Court is damn near the absolute best. This comic is everything a good webcomic can and should be and deserves to be read. WHY AREN'T YOU READING IT ALREADY?!
84. The Wotch - That's not a misspelling, it's actually spelled Wotch. This comic, well, appeals more to a certain mindset than others. Yes, it is funny, it has interesting stories, is well written, well drawn, and I actually enjoyed it, but it is aimed at a certain group. You'll get it pretty quickly, even if you just read the most current strip. It doesn't make it bad, nor is it as creepy as Jack was, but you'll notice it. If you can look past it, it's a damn good strip.
TODAY - The Wotch ran out of a lot of steam recently, the stories toned down and seemed to lose their punch. So much so that even the artist took a break from the comic, running a guest story that just wrapped up last week. Hopefully this signals that the comic has gotten it's second wind and is ready for more wacky adventures.
85. Girly - Speaking of "certain mindsets," Girly fits in an oblong way. Lots of talk of sex in this strip kids. Not really for the younger crowd, and they don't really say the word, only lots of implying it by dancing through the fields (I'm not kidding). The point is that it's a fun, silly comic about the relationship of two people and those they've come across. Oh, and they're lesbians. Gee, I bet you're not reading this any more. I suppose I should have saved this strip for last. Oh well.
TODAY - This was originally a 6 comic update, that's why the last line sounds odd. Girly is still one of those strips I enjoy reading, the story is reasonably original and manages to keep me hooked. I think it might be winding down to a grand end, but it's hard to say for sure with this comic. Ask me again in a couple months.
Well what do you know, all five not only still update, but I still read them too! I like these updates, makes me feel good about my choices.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Newspaper Comics #2
Well, I'm back again for another edition of Newspaper Comics. Last time, I covered Peanuts, one of my all time favorites and probably one of the most popular comics ever produced. So what shall I cover next? How about one of the few comics that ever directly challenged Peanuts for the top spot of all time: Garfield.
There was a time, not all that long ago, that I was a massive Garfield fan. Of course, I also lived overseas at the time and there wasn't much else to read, but still, I had Garfield and I enjoyed the hell out of it. I've got several books, editions of the Garfield Magazine and at least one poster on my wall featuring the fat orange cat. I still read the comic, though I'm not nearly as much into it as I once was.
The differences between Peanuts and Garfield are pretty obvious. Garfield went for the gut laughs, sarcasm of the funniest kind and eating lots and lots of food, while Peanuts was frequently more subdued. So in a way, they really never competed with each other. Still, Peanuts gets the accolades, and what does Garfield get?
Merchandising! The amount of stuff with Garfield's name and face on it is insane and grows all the time. Peanuts, despite it's long life and high popularity, never even covered a fraction of the territory the cat has. While Peanuts will always get the accolades, Garfield will have to make do with the money.
Jim Davis is one of the other great newspaper comic artists, and at one time I think there were at least 3 comics in papers with his name: Garfield, US Acres and some Mr. Potato head comic that I never read. I think US Acres died off a long time ago (could be wrong), and to be honest, Garfield nearly did too. For a bit there in the late 90's and early 00's, the comic was abysmal. At least one paper actually stopped printing it. For a comic built on mass consumption, this was a bad sign.
So what happened? A change in direction that utterly backfired. Through most of the 80's Garfield grew a substantial cast of characters, nearly all of which were pushed into the merchandising market. None surpassed Garfield himself, except maybe Odie (but Odie had been the first), but none did particularly well either. The change was apparent quickly: The characters vanished. When was the last time you saw Nermal in the comic? It's been so long I don't remember it, and the bulk of the rest of the cast was dumped and the focus was drawn back to mostly Garfield and his owner Jon.
It failed. The comic became dull and lifeless. Weird when you think about it, since this was what made Garfield popular in the first place, right? Well, yes and no. Yes, the interactions between cat and owner were the core of the comic, but it built up from there, because honestly, you can only do so much with it. Breaking up the monotony by throwing in a cute rival for Garfield keep the jokes "fresh," as did the many other characters that dotted the comic. Change was good, and when the change ceased to be, the comic became worse than even the most terrible zombie comic in the paper today.
Many webcomics fall into the same trap, changing what shouldn't be changed because they missed the point. The absolute best example is Sluggy Freelance's Ocean's Unmoving story, which removed all but one normal character and tried to tell a different story. As a stand alone, Ocean's Unmoving worked, as a Sluggy Freelance story, it bombed. Garfield's change was just as dramatic, cutting away the ability to spread out the bachelor jokes so they didn't become stale and uninteresting.
The fix Sluggy was simply to go back to where the main characters were. For Garfield, it was giving Jon a girlfriend. Wow, Garfield is such a different comic than it was only a couple years ago because of that. It's more interesting, funnier and overall better. Is it as good as it was? Oh hell no, but it's not nearly as BAD as it was, and I'll take that any day.
I would have to say that the webcomic that most wants to be, and probably is the closest to the goal of being Garfield is Penny Arcade (still no link). I don't like the comic, I really don't, but it's ubiquity, the money that simply pours into it, the fact that they have a boxed, published GAME, probably says more about the cash generating powers it has that only Garfield itself can easily outdo (with at least one terrible NES game, several movies and countless TV specials).
More intriguing is the string of comics that are edits of original Garfield strips. Garfield minus Garfield, Silent Garfield and the Random Garfield Generator. Davis himself was so amazed at Garfield minus Garfield that he published it! That's a hell of an effect.
I still like Garfield. The poster on my wall has followed me to college and every place I've lived since I got it. It's Garfield's version of "Foot prints on the sands of time." Of course, it says pawprints and has a picture of the fat orange cat himself. Garfield will likely have those paw prints in the newspapers as long as they exist, and all the way out into the web itself. I don't think I mind that so much.
Alright, next time I'll see about posting an actual webcomic article. Or it'll be old reviews. Whichever comes first. Until then kiddies.
There was a time, not all that long ago, that I was a massive Garfield fan. Of course, I also lived overseas at the time and there wasn't much else to read, but still, I had Garfield and I enjoyed the hell out of it. I've got several books, editions of the Garfield Magazine and at least one poster on my wall featuring the fat orange cat. I still read the comic, though I'm not nearly as much into it as I once was.
The differences between Peanuts and Garfield are pretty obvious. Garfield went for the gut laughs, sarcasm of the funniest kind and eating lots and lots of food, while Peanuts was frequently more subdued. So in a way, they really never competed with each other. Still, Peanuts gets the accolades, and what does Garfield get?
Merchandising! The amount of stuff with Garfield's name and face on it is insane and grows all the time. Peanuts, despite it's long life and high popularity, never even covered a fraction of the territory the cat has. While Peanuts will always get the accolades, Garfield will have to make do with the money.
Jim Davis is one of the other great newspaper comic artists, and at one time I think there were at least 3 comics in papers with his name: Garfield, US Acres and some Mr. Potato head comic that I never read. I think US Acres died off a long time ago (could be wrong), and to be honest, Garfield nearly did too. For a bit there in the late 90's and early 00's, the comic was abysmal. At least one paper actually stopped printing it. For a comic built on mass consumption, this was a bad sign.
So what happened? A change in direction that utterly backfired. Through most of the 80's Garfield grew a substantial cast of characters, nearly all of which were pushed into the merchandising market. None surpassed Garfield himself, except maybe Odie (but Odie had been the first), but none did particularly well either. The change was apparent quickly: The characters vanished. When was the last time you saw Nermal in the comic? It's been so long I don't remember it, and the bulk of the rest of the cast was dumped and the focus was drawn back to mostly Garfield and his owner Jon.
It failed. The comic became dull and lifeless. Weird when you think about it, since this was what made Garfield popular in the first place, right? Well, yes and no. Yes, the interactions between cat and owner were the core of the comic, but it built up from there, because honestly, you can only do so much with it. Breaking up the monotony by throwing in a cute rival for Garfield keep the jokes "fresh," as did the many other characters that dotted the comic. Change was good, and when the change ceased to be, the comic became worse than even the most terrible zombie comic in the paper today.
Many webcomics fall into the same trap, changing what shouldn't be changed because they missed the point. The absolute best example is Sluggy Freelance's Ocean's Unmoving story, which removed all but one normal character and tried to tell a different story. As a stand alone, Ocean's Unmoving worked, as a Sluggy Freelance story, it bombed. Garfield's change was just as dramatic, cutting away the ability to spread out the bachelor jokes so they didn't become stale and uninteresting.
The fix Sluggy was simply to go back to where the main characters were. For Garfield, it was giving Jon a girlfriend. Wow, Garfield is such a different comic than it was only a couple years ago because of that. It's more interesting, funnier and overall better. Is it as good as it was? Oh hell no, but it's not nearly as BAD as it was, and I'll take that any day.
I would have to say that the webcomic that most wants to be, and probably is the closest to the goal of being Garfield is Penny Arcade (still no link). I don't like the comic, I really don't, but it's ubiquity, the money that simply pours into it, the fact that they have a boxed, published GAME, probably says more about the cash generating powers it has that only Garfield itself can easily outdo (with at least one terrible NES game, several movies and countless TV specials).
More intriguing is the string of comics that are edits of original Garfield strips. Garfield minus Garfield, Silent Garfield and the Random Garfield Generator. Davis himself was so amazed at Garfield minus Garfield that he published it! That's a hell of an effect.
I still like Garfield. The poster on my wall has followed me to college and every place I've lived since I got it. It's Garfield's version of "Foot prints on the sands of time." Of course, it says pawprints and has a picture of the fat orange cat himself. Garfield will likely have those paw prints in the newspapers as long as they exist, and all the way out into the web itself. I don't think I mind that so much.
Alright, next time I'll see about posting an actual webcomic article. Or it'll be old reviews. Whichever comes first. Until then kiddies.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Wild Webcomic Reviews 76 - 80
Hey, hope you didn't forget I was going to a once a week schedule. I know I didn't, though it would be better if I actually returned to my full time job. If I don't start back there by April, I'll go back to 2 times a week. In the meantime, I've got 5 more old reviews to post. Are you ready? Here we go!
August 24, 2006
76. Parallel Dementia - Another dark and terrible comic that's far more epic in nature than you would expect. Expect violence, because there will be quite a bit. Don't let it turn you off, it's too good for that.
TODAY - Wow, has this comic come a long, LONG way. Comparing the first pages to the more recent ones is like comparing two different comics. It's still epic, and it's still dark, but it's probably one of the better comics I read. He's currently on a hiatus as the most recent cross over with Emergency Exit has just wrapped up, but when he gets back, I expect more awesome things. GO READ IT!
77. Porridge Cooling Darkly - He's on a mission. A mission for a perfect bowl of porridge. And his hat. It looks serious, but after a bit you'll come to understand that the seriousness is merely a mask. It's fun in that way.
TODAY - The date of this review is August 24, 2006. The last update for this comic is August 13, 2006. Can I pick dead comics or what? Yeah, it's dead as a doornail, and that makes me sad as it was kind of interesting and fun. Ah well.
78. Resident Dysentery - It's a Resident Evil parody. Not a half bad one either. Its fun, light, references a lot of things that I don't quite get (never played any of the games), but has all the standard zombie cliches. There's only one problem with it: the artist doesn't like Resident Evil 4. Yeah, he's one of those. Doesn't hurt the comic, honestly, and he may have changed his opinion after he did the strip, but it does make you think. Make sure you watch the flash intro films he did, those are fun.
TODAY - As I said in my previous Touching Base article, this comic is gone, vanished without a trace. Initially I thought they just forgot to pay their bills, but now the site is completely MIA. While the comic had the update frequency of a Presidential election in a Central American dictatorship, when it did update it was a fun read. Of course, you probably won't ever know that because the comic is gone, long gone.
79. Strange Case - The description at the top of the page may be accurate, at some point in the future. So far, it isn't. Which isn't to say that's a bad thing. It's still good, interesting and, well, a touch violent. Even has a warning you'll see when you click the link. If it updated with any regularity (last update in June), I would say this is one to watch, but I don't even know if it'll be updated. If you hadn't noticed, I was in a dark, horror mood with this update, and this comic fills that role well.
TODAY - Another one that died RIGHT before I reviewed it, though this one was closer to a month earlier. Yeah, it's dead, 27 strips in and it died. Disappointing.
80. Zombie Commandos from Hell - Yet another comic about zombies, but not nearly as cute as Kristy Vs the Zombie Army, but potentially more bloody. I say potentially because, like most of the others, it's a very young comic. It's also very odd in that it needs flash to work, and is actually part of a proper comic book, shown one small strip a day. The news page does suggest he'll post a page a day, possibly, if people are interested, but he just put that up today, so I don't know when it'll happen. Is it good? Well, it is interesting looking, but so far there aren't any real characters. I'll keep you updated.
TODAY - This comic taught me that flash comic interfaces SUCK. It also showed if you're going to do full page comics, POST THE FULL PAGE IN ONE GO! I grew tired of it pretty quickly, and though I don't know for sure, I have a feeling it hasn't updated in a couple of years.
Well, that's pretty depressing, 4 dead/MIA comics. At least there's Parallel Dementia.
Next week, Newspaper Comics #2. See you then kiddies.
August 24, 2006
76. Parallel Dementia - Another dark and terrible comic that's far more epic in nature than you would expect. Expect violence, because there will be quite a bit. Don't let it turn you off, it's too good for that.
TODAY - Wow, has this comic come a long, LONG way. Comparing the first pages to the more recent ones is like comparing two different comics. It's still epic, and it's still dark, but it's probably one of the better comics I read. He's currently on a hiatus as the most recent cross over with Emergency Exit has just wrapped up, but when he gets back, I expect more awesome things. GO READ IT!
77. Porridge Cooling Darkly - He's on a mission. A mission for a perfect bowl of porridge. And his hat. It looks serious, but after a bit you'll come to understand that the seriousness is merely a mask. It's fun in that way.
TODAY - The date of this review is August 24, 2006. The last update for this comic is August 13, 2006. Can I pick dead comics or what? Yeah, it's dead as a doornail, and that makes me sad as it was kind of interesting and fun. Ah well.
78. Resident Dysentery - It's a Resident Evil parody. Not a half bad one either. Its fun, light, references a lot of things that I don't quite get (never played any of the games), but has all the standard zombie cliches. There's only one problem with it: the artist doesn't like Resident Evil 4. Yeah, he's one of those. Doesn't hurt the comic, honestly, and he may have changed his opinion after he did the strip, but it does make you think. Make sure you watch the flash intro films he did, those are fun.
TODAY - As I said in my previous Touching Base article, this comic is gone, vanished without a trace. Initially I thought they just forgot to pay their bills, but now the site is completely MIA. While the comic had the update frequency of a Presidential election in a Central American dictatorship, when it did update it was a fun read. Of course, you probably won't ever know that because the comic is gone, long gone.
79. Strange Case - The description at the top of the page may be accurate, at some point in the future. So far, it isn't. Which isn't to say that's a bad thing. It's still good, interesting and, well, a touch violent. Even has a warning you'll see when you click the link. If it updated with any regularity (last update in June), I would say this is one to watch, but I don't even know if it'll be updated. If you hadn't noticed, I was in a dark, horror mood with this update, and this comic fills that role well.
TODAY - Another one that died RIGHT before I reviewed it, though this one was closer to a month earlier. Yeah, it's dead, 27 strips in and it died. Disappointing.
80. Zombie Commandos from Hell - Yet another comic about zombies, but not nearly as cute as Kristy Vs the Zombie Army, but potentially more bloody. I say potentially because, like most of the others, it's a very young comic. It's also very odd in that it needs flash to work, and is actually part of a proper comic book, shown one small strip a day. The news page does suggest he'll post a page a day, possibly, if people are interested, but he just put that up today, so I don't know when it'll happen. Is it good? Well, it is interesting looking, but so far there aren't any real characters. I'll keep you updated.
TODAY - This comic taught me that flash comic interfaces SUCK. It also showed if you're going to do full page comics, POST THE FULL PAGE IN ONE GO! I grew tired of it pretty quickly, and though I don't know for sure, I have a feeling it hasn't updated in a couple of years.
Well, that's pretty depressing, 4 dead/MIA comics. At least there's Parallel Dementia.
Next week, Newspaper Comics #2. See you then kiddies.
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