| Pausing a moment to groan at the title of the strip. (A play on 'Father Knows Best' for those who were mercifully unaware.) Ok, surprisingly little to talk about here; this is a very 'bubble' heavy strip. Lots of two heads talking, a little arm movement (count the many ways the picture is held! One, two, three!) And Cole once again being run down by a family member. This makes wife and father now. If Brent is the only healthy relationship Cole has, the poor man could use some serious therapy. Story-wise I feel like we're still in a holding pattern waiting to see what develops. Where exactly is Cole's dad going to fit into the larger strip? If he must indeed admit to being more like Cole than he pretends, will that draw the two together? This could presage some character movement for Cole that I think would be nice, especially after the non-resolution of his conflict with his wife. (Side-note: Where is Brent? He knocked on the door with Cole in the last strip...did he just stay outside on the front step? Cole's dad seems totally unaware of his presence, certainly.) This strips artwork is very interesting, and in tribute to Mr. Kurtz, really shows how far he has progressed. In fact, he may have to do a Marcy/Francis type art update with Cole, because Cole's aesthetic no longer seems to belong to the strip as a whole. Cole's mouth is especially egregious when compared to newer character models. A final note would be to reiterate what Jai posted down below about the graying out of the photograph. It would be very easy to photo-shop an actual picture into that space...and the lack of a picture is somewhat glaring. That's it for me, what do y'all think? |
Monday, August 24
Father Knows Less
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Once upon a time Scott did reboot PvP and redesign all the characters. It might be interesting to see that happen again.
ReplyDeleteHummel Pie -
ReplyDeleteWhile Brent is in the kitchen, I don't think it was really necessary to show the text bubble tail behind his head. It comes off as a poor attempt to show motion.
I would also like to know what happened to the arm of the chair Cole is sitting in. It disappears after the first panel.
And, I do agree with you, R.W., in that Cole is starting to look like a Peanuts character by comparison to the surrounding cast.
As far as the story is progressing...
If all Mr. Richards Sr. has to offer if obstinate denial and childish grudges, I could be finished with him right now. And, I'm losing my fondness for his bunny-ears hairstyle. But, there's still a lot of potential, here. Scott could unearth of small piece of comic gold or pyrite.
Here are some of the things I liked about the strip.
Background - I think the color palette may just say "widower". The color of the wall vs. the color of the chair was I nice choice. I know it's not much, but it stood out to me.
Mr. Richards Sr. - Excellently renditioned gut. This is a guy who sits on his butt all day, yelling at the tv of the kids on his lawn. Notice the warped shirt collars. They don't just mirror Cole's, they go the next step in aged unkempt.
And, that's one big-ass ice cream sandwich. I need to shop where he does.
Yeah...my first thought after reading that strip was; 'I could go for an ice-cream sandwich about now.'
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to see Brent wasn't shut out on the doorstep, but is instead lurking ninja-like about the house liberating frozen goods. Much more Brent-like.
I don't know if it was oversight, laziness or astute intent on Scott's part, but I couldn't help but notice the absence of family photos on the walls in "Hummel Pie". In "Father Knows Less", there is what appears to be an empty picture frame on the wall behind Cole's right shoulder in panel 1. [It can't be the door, as it has no glass other than the peep hole.] Also, I couldn't really make out the outlining behind "Sr." in Daddy Issues, as to whether those were pictures or an entertainment center.
ReplyDeleteThe lack of memorabilia in this latest strip could be very telling of "Sr."'s character. It would sure help to clarify the issue if there was a picture in the other frame.
While checking for today's strip, I noticed something about the armchair. It's drawn fresh for each panel. You can tell by the cushion at Sr's head. Also, there's a subtle perspective change that's really only evident if you look at the armchair.
ReplyDeleteI think credit has to be given to Scott by all the copy/paste critics out there, since this is the one element in this strip where he could have gotten away with just about any shortcut.
... just a thought.
[I'll bet your hunting through old strips to find the armchair.]
ReplyDeleteThis strip didn't really move things forward much in my opinion except to paint Cole and his father as dicks. Don't you think there would be some humor (in a rarely visiting childhood friend exhibiting the same behavior he did as a child) that would be evident to Cole's father? No, he just decides to whine about it. So he'll give coffee to the boys but gets upset about the ice cream? Kind of weak. Also didn't need Brent to talk with his mouth full.
ReplyDeleteStrip seemed like a filler, move forward please.
I think the point was more just to get the two of them in a side-by-side shot. This way, you can see how many small details that were mirrored, yet changed.
ReplyDelete- the rabbit-ear hair
- the glasses
- the wrinkled brow
- the collars
- the ears and cheeks
This also gives us a glimpse of what his mom might look like, just by comparing the differences in the two (the eyes, mouth, and cranium.)
This also combines with a title that pulls a nice double entendre. "Fridge" describes the coldness of their connection, while emphasizing that a connection does exist. And, we can see that connection throughout the strip. They are so much the same that they just can't communicate with each other. Yet, they can see eye-to-eye in regards to Brent. Don't be too surprised of the next Bulldog and Cooch is parodied with the dads.
Although, you're right in that it's not as if we didn't see something like this coming. It's still relevant if one considers the younger end of Scott's target audience.
When you already know what to expect, impatience comes easy.
That last panel is definitely a money shot.
ReplyDeleteAs for the "Fridge to Nowhere" strip... it's just filler that Kurtz came up with yesterday, when he got the audience suggestion that Brent should be eating an ice cream sandwich. So we're not advancing the story, here, we're just fleshing out a slice of Brent's new background. Since the funniest part of the strip is the title and the exposition is meaningless (Why is Cole suggesting the Brent go to the store, as if Brent STILL comes here all the time to steal ice cream? Or is the suggestion that Brent should leave Cole here while he picks up ice cream sandwiches, although there are already ice cream sandwiches there? A friendlier suggestion would have been nice, considering their relationship. Maybe, I don't know, "We could have just picked up some ice cream sandwiches on our way back..."), it was sort of a waste of time. Even though I really like the money shot.