| I just wanted to make a quick note about today's PVP guest strip by Paul Southworth. First off, the artwork was excellent. Southworth is able to fit a lot of expression into four small boxes, and the way he used background to convey mood while also setting up location was extremely effective. Even more interesting, however, was the way he subverted LOLbat's character. This LOLbat isn't a two-dimensional internet meme factory. No, this is a true crime fighter who has been pigeon-holed by his alter-ego; a two-dimensional internet meme factory. He doesn't want to put on the act anymore, he doesn't want to don the disguise...he just wants to go out and fight crime, but he can't...everybody wants their favorite meme. Not only does this create a deeper character, but it cleverly satirizes how quickly we fall out of love with our own catch-phrases and pop-culture, and how some people hold onto it longer than others. A very good job by Mr. Southworth, in my opinion. |
Thursday, September 10
How to be Subversive
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
It also seems to be a nod to the premise of the Batman: Arkham Asylum game, which is cool.
ReplyDeleteI didn't think that the Commish was (In any way at all, actually) a fan of the LOLbat, so more than one of my expectations went awry... but everything you said is spot-on.
A Bella and Butler children's book? Isn't that kind of like making prints of a painting of your newborn baby and expecting people to be interested in buying them?
ReplyDeleteYes. But it helps, somewhat, that the painter is enormously talented. Then, hopefully, the focus will just be on the great artwork and cute story. Otherwise, the extremely narrow appeal of "oooh look at my little angels aren't they soooo cute oh my god daddy loves them so much" is not going to do much.
ReplyDeleteThe "Skull is an ice cream cone being eaten" guest strip looked good and was trippy, but I felt like it was missing a fourth panel. With, you know, the punchline. It could really just have had Skull saying something soon-to-be-made-ironic in the first panel -- anything would be better than wondering what the point or joke is supposed to be.
Surely she has better things to do than help some guy put a more literal definition to the term "pet project." A story about a cat and a troll who ride about on dogs has would be a much better basis for collaboration.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the ice cream needed a punchline. The quick visual gag was sufficient.
Does anyone here enjoy editorial comics about comics? Anyone...?
ReplyDelete(insert cricket noises here)
(more cricket noises, somewhere in the distance somebody is using a lawnmower.)
ReplyDelete(a tumbleweed whispers past, going largely unheard against the more vibrant sounds created by the crickets)
ReplyDeleteSeriously, now. Seriously. Look at this:
ReplyDelete"They say an artist is never truly free until both his parents have died. I guess this also applies to guest artists." - Scott Kurtz
What? Maybe his dad doesn't read the little notes on the comments, then? Or is wishing your parents would hurry up and die so you can be free (And your guest artists, with you) not as inappropriate as a nude woman? Does he really not have a problem with nudity -- he just has these parents, you see, that stifle him so -- or is this an excuse? I mean, he clearly likes Anders Loves Maria and he's linked to it more than once. But if you're gonna keep griping "humorously" about how your dad "would give me an earful" and that's why you're going out of your way to cater to him, maybe you should try loosening up those parental apron strings and inserting your own will. This is what "growing up" is about (And so, somewhat ironically, is being respectful. That can be a tightrope to walk when your parents do not feel the need or are not able to respect your choices, but... HOW old is he, now? Yikes). This real-life situation is hilarious, sad, embarrassing and disturbing all at once. Even if you believe the most innocent explanation: that SK just doesn't want to admit that he feels there's no place in PVP for nudity.
After all, I thought his dad didn't think much of fart jokes, either. We certainly got a horribly-explicit guest strip about that. I prefer the nudity and imagination of Herbert & Salvi's strip, thanks.
And, here I was just thinking that Herbert & Salvi's rendition of Jade makes it look like she only has one breast in the center of her chest.
ReplyDeleteuni-boob!
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's pretty weak, btw. Somebody does you the favor of sending in a guest strip, and you censor it because you're afraid your dad might see it and be offended?
listen, dad...all our dads...know the facts of life. And if he's listened to any of the DND pod-casts he will hear plenty of vulgar material. This is a very strange decision in my book.
If you yourself didn't feel the material was appropriate...so be it. Don't try hanging it on your parent.
Guys, you're being a little unfair here.
ReplyDeleteI think this was a totally reasonable decision on Scott's part. PvP is his baby, and if he doesn't want boobs in the comic, that's his business. He's totally within his rights to make any kind of call he likes about the content, including filtering for the tastes of any audience that matters to him -- and yes, that includes his dad and stepmother.
Scott's choice not to do nudity in PvP doesn't mean that he's got a bug up his butt about nudity -- his appreciation and support of comics like Anders Loves Maria and Octopus Pie proves that. He's making a creative decision based on what he thinks is right for PvP. I personally would skew towards more boobs and fewer farts, but it's his comic and his call.
And okay, yeah: He's probably over-thinking how his Dad would react to a little Jade boob mixed in with the morning reading. But y'know, caring a lot about what your father thinks falls within my definition of "ways reasonable adults can disagree" not "loser who needs to man up".
Finally, let's not forget that this was an unsolicited guest comic, done by a couple of guys who -- while I'm sure they genuinely like PvP and wanted to help Scott out -- also must be hoping this will goose their own readership. It's not like it's a one-sided favour they're doing him. He essentially gave them a free ad and an endorsement. It's totally fair for him to ask them to adjust the content to fit what he thinks is right for PvP.
Here is the thing, Stephen. You're certainly right about it being a two-way street when it comes to guest comics submitted by artists/authors who have a smaller readership. And you are also right inasmuch as Scott should have total executive control over his own webcomic. Maybe I was a little out of line talking about censoring; Points conceded.
ReplyDeleteStill...I think the only reason this even got mentioned is the last paragraph in his comic notes. It's not Scott saying; hey, I'm making this call because this is my website and I want my audience to see the product I want to produce. That would be taking ownership.
This seemed to be saying; 'hey, I'd have been happy to run the comic as it was sent in, but shucks, my parents are still alive and are readers...so I guess we will have to censor it.'
That's NOT taking ownership, and on the face of it...it's sort of a strange statement to boot.
I mean, I've written some short stories in the horror genre in my time. Nothing really grisly, but sometimes with a bit of unpleasantness. My father and step-sister are people I trust to proof my stuff (not for grammer, but for content) and yeah, sometimes I hand over stuff that's a little out there. And if they wanted to talk to me about how I came up with it, that's cool. But I think you have to be true to your art first. I think honesty with your creativity, and with people, adds to any endeavor.
That's just my 2 cents, and I think it was that disconnect that caught our attention, although I won't speak for Jai. Anyway, maybe I'm just reading way too much into a single paragraph...but sometimes that happens on the internet. =)
So, in the original version, was she just wearing and iPhone and iPod, strategically?
ReplyDeleteRW would have been exactly right if he HAD been speaking for me, too, so that's all right. :)
ReplyDeleteNo new guest strip yet, today (Only unusual because the others have been put up -- automatically? -- at the stroke of midnight, as far as I can tell)? Hm, I wonder how SK's health is. He does seem to have done an unusually large amount of typing on PVPonline.com this week (Without mentioning the flu since the initial news post after PAX), so I assume he's surviving fairly well?
I do wonder about the monoboob... I want to get ahold of the original, so I know what was going on there. You know... for science.
ReplyDeleteOh, there it is. Ramon is amazing, so this was a great way to wrap up Impromptu Guest Week. His depiction of the panda attack makes me think of nothing but Bill Waterson's style. Excessively cool.
ReplyDelete