tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78684105479162812262024-03-12T19:48:52.579-07:00pes aw sayew dndtripudium propter moeror || risus propter moestitiaJaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05050713941578754388noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7868410547916281226.post-89491573760431118152011-08-24T13:17:00.000-07:002011-08-24T13:45:13.267-07:00My Humps<table cellspacing="5" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" width="100%"><tr><td><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 343px; height: 172px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tSzz62RFHL0/TlVczYc-VeI/AAAAAAAAAHg/5RFi8of4A-g/s400/08-23-11-01.png" border="0" title="In case you missed it, which is very understandable, let me point it out to you with my hands!" />(<a href="http://www.pvponline.com/2011/08/23/not-a-drop-to-drink/">Source</a>)
<br />
<br />This week in PVP, Brent spontaneously sprouts a new head from his back. You see it too, don't you? Look at that fine mop of hair, fit to make Brent's first head jealous!
<br />
<br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 343px; height: 172px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fcqcDSGj8UQ/TlVge8KKJMI/AAAAAAAAAHo/EqmQyKDgUp4/s400/08-23-11-02.png" border="0" title="Truly, it is easier to fit eyes on a camel's hump than to needle a... rich man... into... heaven? It goes something like that." />
<br />In other news, we also got to see Cole's crotch. I don't think we've ever seen it before, but I'm not going to show it here because of my delicate sensibilities. Just imagine that he now has Penny Arcade legs, and you've got it!
<br />
<br />Seriously, it was a good move to ditch the traditional, sweeping tent-pant garments that PVP's always used in the past.</td></tr></table>Jaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05050713941578754388noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7868410547916281226.post-13120712274666327162011-02-11T17:48:00.001-08:002011-02-11T18:30:54.401-08:00There's Always a Bigger Cat<table cellspacing="5" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" width="100%"><tr><td><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 339px; height: 168px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QXE0RMyMLO0/TVXm9-U81WI/AAAAAAAAAHM/9SvwYLcUkAA/s400/02-11-11-01.png" border="0" title="He looks like Kate Beaton's fat pony, except more imperious and feline (So much more!) and less goggle-eyed (So much less!)." />(<a href="http://www.pvponline.com/2011/02/08/notorious-c-a-t/">Source</a>)<br /><br />Since Scratch is the size of a 8-year-old human child, Hungry Cat's size relative to Scratch's seems to indicate that this new cat is probably some kind of panther that has fallen victim to domestication's wiles. He's either eating mud or about to <i>plaster</i> the mud all over the back of Scratch's head; either way, our introduction to Hungry Cat immediately lets us know that A) Hungry Cat is huge, and B) Hungry Cat is not to be fucked with.<br /><br />Honestly, I love Hungry Cat. What a great character design! He has a hint of Heathcliff striping to break up his broad expanses and help keep him from looking too featureless (The way Scratch usually does), a false brow (That's what I'm going to call it) that gives his face a <i>very</i> vague similarity to Felix the Cat's, and overall he just looks like a goddamn classic third-string cartoon character that you feel you're familiar with already but have never actually seen before. The kudos I give are serious and not the candy bar kind -- Hungry Cat is fantastic. For some reason I'm thinking of Shecky, now, and how much I abhor everything from his design to his character. I shouldn't have mentioned him. We're probably jinxed because of it, and will see three strips explaining how he also moved to Seattle.<br /><br />This storyline is not all Hungry Cat's, though. It's also about <s> Kevin </s> (Kevin was the child Skull mentored and sort of killed. The resemblance is vague, I suppose) Scratch's reverse-Hobbes doll! My memory tells me I didn't like what PvP did with the doll's potential the last (And first) time around, but so far? This arc is <i>very good</i>.<br /><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 339px; height: 168px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FXg3zhRocDw/TVXsJYlLj8I/AAAAAAAAAHU/c9_SxmmM03Q/s400/02-11-11-02.png" border="0" title="Show me on the human where he touched you!" />(<a href="http://www.pvponline.com/2011/02/11/pinocchi-no/">Source</a>)<br /><br />The interaction between Hungry Cat, Scratch, and the doll is a bit confusing. In the <a href="http://www.pvponline.com/2011/02/10/kit-tea-party/">previous strip</a>, Hungry Cat is apparently calling <i>himself</i> "Hungry Cat" through the doll -- but he's telling Scratch that he doesn't like that name, here? If that's not what's happening, then Scratch is continuing to put words in the doll's mouth and Hungry Cat is even now coming up with the prognosis that Scratch is afflicted by dissociative identity disorder.<br /><br />I'd call attention to Hungry Cat's sudden Marilyn Monroe beauty mark, but the obvious answer is that its just one of the thousands of specks of food that randomly dot Hungry Cat's face every week.</td></tr></table>Jaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05050713941578754388noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7868410547916281226.post-88647456735063382962011-02-09T16:31:00.000-08:002011-02-12T13:33:48.182-08:00The Plot That Wasn't There<table cellspacing="5" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" width="100%"><tr><td><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 339px; height: 168px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GXS2YrwCSic/TVXW5Vby1qI/AAAAAAAAAG0/0unzZhfQWrk/s400/02-09-11-01.png" border="0" title="If walls could talk... they would say 'Where are we? Is this the office location or a home? Why would Miranda be at either one?' Those walls had better shut up if they know what's good for them!" />(<a href="http://www.pvponline.com/2011/01/25/family-ties/">Source</a>)<br /><br />When Miranda's time came to be introduced to the Seattle storyline, I was shocked. Look at this strip! Just look at it! I finally thought to myself, "Hey asshole, look at that! PvP just amazed you <i>with its writing</i>. The New Year's promise of better writing <i>was real</i>."<br /><br />Here I sat, thinking that Miranda would only make her random appearances so that boob jokes could be made and her general stupidity could be reinforced, and I'm slammed with a deeply effective portrayal of a sister feeling betrayed, forgotten, alone and sad -- without any words! This is an A+ comic strip: The first panel showcases an excellent update on the hotel room we saw last year (Or this year, when I blogged about it while recapping last year), slumbering Cole looks great, there's a joke RIGHT off the bat that uses subtlety to drive the humor home (There isn't an onomatopoeic jumble of letters ruining Cole's snoring by trying to make it more evident while failing to encapsulate what snoring actually sounds like). The dialog smoothly moves from the joke to the dramatic final panel, and the artwork's points of view are classic and shifted to great effect. Wow! How could you not look forward to what was coming <i>next</i>, after that?<br /><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 339px; height: 168px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zhcd0xMrzsk/TVXXuo76jQI/AAAAAAAAAG8/UICTLd1orQ8/s400/02-09-11-02.png" border="0" title="An excellent point, and one that Miranda is hilariously too stupid to respond to with even the barest hint of logic." />(<a href="http://www.pvponline.com/2011/01/28/over-qualified/">Source</a>)<br /><br />But what came next were boob jokes and reinforcements of Miranda's general stupidity. I must have imagined all of the dramatic tension earlier, because not <i>once</i> over the next three strips that continue this story thread does Miranda mention anything but petty jealousy as a motive for being upset. Wow. How could I have expected something else?<br /><br />Miranda's status over at PVP Magazine was a little unclear, though. I believe she had worked both for them and then for Max's company (Powerplay) at different points in the past, culminating in being fired. Then Powerplay and PVP "merged" (Without absorbing PVP Magazine, meaning Max just bought them out or something), then separated. Miranda kept hanging around the offices (That's unclear, actually. It's nigh <i>impossible</i> to tell the difference between when PvP characters are at home and when they're at work) infrequently, for boob jokes and enjoying being kind of dumb. So this little character arc did one thing: It told us how Miranda became employed again (By Robbie, who probably owns PVP Magazine now. Does that mean she works for PVP Magazine? I can't say. It doesn't seem like it, but expect to see her around their office anyway), and justified moving her out to Seattle with the rest of the usual suspects. It was interesting that Cole pointed out that Miranda is useless as an employee, because that was goddamn stone-cold of him (And it was also true. Her worth as an employee is exactly the same as her worth as a character).<br /><br />Exposition! What would we do without it?<br /><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 339px; height: 168px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qjGr5JVxyiU/TVXg3TszdrI/AAAAAAAAAHE/4HJiCeNIfkc/s400/02-09-11-03.png" border="0" title="I wish I could have set a picture to popup when you hover the cursor over all of those words. But instead... more words. I apologize." /><br /><br />I think that maybe the setting of PvP is changing to Seattle, guys. What do you think? We won't know for sure unless they keep unnecessarily mentioning Seattle by name and using location-specific in-jokes, though. The Fremont bit was especially confusing -- I'm familiar with Fremont, California, but I guess it's a place in Washington as well. Is it a place IN Seattle? And we were supposed to understand the "Mayor of Fremont is a hobo" thing? Anyway, the worst of all of that exposition seems to be over. If I had to compare it to something, it would be the way the <a href="http://www.redlettermedia.com/phantom_menace.html">Star Wars prequels</a> shoehorn hours of ridiculous and dry political exposition into movies that everyone thought would be fun adventures for all ages.<br /><br />Oh, and somewhere in that there was <a href="http://www.pvponline.com/2011/02/02/bring-a-pencil/">a theoretically-racy joke from Brent</a> about "not nouning her verbly enough". Is this the most awkward punchline I've ever seen? It could be. Even swapping "noun" and "verb" doesn't help. How does a noun fit into that <i>anywhere?</i> Noun<i>ing</i> is a self-contained oxymoron. Brent, you're supposed to be the clever one!</td></tr></table>Jaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05050713941578754388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7868410547916281226.post-72336230083625210682011-01-30T17:18:00.000-08:002011-01-30T18:45:15.436-08:00Standing on the Shoulders of Giants<table cellspacing="5" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" width="100%"><tr><td><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 339px; height: 168px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_75JHb7NKDSA/TUYPTRq_b3I/AAAAAAAAAGM/L76LRAmLIfo/s400/01-30-11-01.png" border="0" title="The lower-right shot of 'smarmy Skull' is probably my least-favorite thing I've seen this month." />(<a href="http://www.pvponline.com/2011/01/21/phat-lute/">Source</a>)<br /><br />I no longer look forward to seeing the familiar PVP characters dressed up for Halloween or roleplaying. Why? Because there's no visual continuity. The real Jade's shoulders are about a third as wide as those of her bardic giantess counterpart. It just doesn't feel like the same person -- because it doesn't <i>look</i> like the same person. I don't see any reason for this to be happening, but it's been the case more often than not over the past two years. And it really shines through in the shoulders and body length. Skull, of course, always looks quite recognizable -- because you can't find Skull in a Google image search of costumes to trace. The real shame is that dressing familiar characters up in new ways is one of my <b>favorite</b> things to see, and can showcase <i>real</i> depth in both the character and the artwork.<br /><br />I don't want to see <a href="http://www.pvponline.com/2009/10/29/malcontents/">familiar faces slapped atop completely unfamiliar bodies</a>. It seems... well, it seems like a lot of things. Careless, for one. Maybe thoughtless. It could be better, is what I'm saying. If you keep forcing your characters into unnatural (For them), realistic shapes, perhaps you should decide to change your characters' <i>normal</i> appearances? And if that's not what you want to do, then maybe you can go back to costumes that genuinely clothe the way you normally draw your own characters.<br /><br />The only saving grace is the element of fantasy that's involved here (And in most other cases). Still, the lack of continuity is jarring.<br /><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 339px; height: 168px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_75JHb7NKDSA/TUYTwDw93vI/AAAAAAAAAGU/capbIE15V9A/s400/01-30-11-02.png" border="0" title="Imagine the creepy photo shutter sound effect from a horror movie as you look at this." />In other news, yes: Francis definitely caught the eye disease that Jade used to have. Hell, I think he has it <i>worse!</i> Maybe after multiple years of uncomfortable irritation, he too will regain control over his eyeballs and be applauded for looking nicer.<br /><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 339px; height: 168px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_75JHb7NKDSA/TUYWGXSxNBI/AAAAAAAAAGc/0NFZOVRcyHs/s400/01-30-11-03.png" border="0" title="Just what you never thought about and didn't want to see like this: Skull's underwear." />I'm going to continue with a side-note that is comprised of a quote from the <a href="http://joshreads.com/?p=8909">Comics Curmudgeon</a>:<br /><br />"Cartoonists: I understand that there are good reasons for drawing your characters with four fingers instead of five, mostly because in the limited space you have available drawing too many fingers risks having none of those fingers be really visible. But if you’re going to go down that road, you absolutely must not depict your four-fingered characters as making distinctive hand gestures that generally rely on the full complement of digits — like, say, the devil horns/rock-n-roll symbol — or else you risk giving the impression that your characters are freakish claw-handed mutants."<br /><br />Of course, Skull isn't a human -- the humans in PVP have the correct amount of digits, these days -- but his hand really does suffer visually in that panel. Okay, side-note over.<br /><br />This strip's biggest disappointment is that it's trying to reinvent the wheel that Skull is based on. Go ahead, think up two words that sum up Skull for you. Are they "Lovable" and "Dumb"? Perhaps "Bumbling" and "Spaz"? It's not impossible that I'm too attached to the Skull of "olden" days, but this new Skull with his "fresh" lyrics and "in your face" attitude is freaking me out in a big way. I'll be honest: I hate it. That isn't who Skull used to be, and I am entrenched in the old ways. I don't like when he's given human eyes instead of beady (Cole-type) eyes. Skull's look and feel was a classic; it's one of the (Perhaps few) things I never felt was worth switching up or letting evolve in PVP. Maybe I've grown up too much, but Skull doesn't seem as big as he used to, or as dumb, or as fun. His character isn't dependable when he keeps doing "funny, cool" things like this. Do I need to move on?<br /><br />Hang on, let me post another picture of Skull...<br /><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 339px; height: 168px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_75JHb7NKDSA/TUYWIlwHqJI/AAAAAAAAAGk/1izo2X77rq4/s400/01-30-11-04.png" border="0" title="Rest assured that I was on the Internet within minutes, registering my disgust throughout the world." />OH MY GOD!<br /><br />Fourteen years ago, The Simpsons tried to warn us with one of their best-remembered episodes, The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show. But did we listen? I guess we didn't. There are too many uncomfortable parallels that can be drawn between this PVP strip and that masterful satire. The PVP strip has no point -- it's showcasing "hip Skull", in an interesting, rich role-playing environment where we <i>ought</i> to be getting treated to some sort of fireworks factory finale.<br /><br />There's nothing more I can add. If I can convince you to do anything right now, I would want it to be that you go and re-watch that classic Simpsons episode.</td></tr></table>Jaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05050713941578754388noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7868410547916281226.post-8467227786050933052011-01-29T15:12:00.000-08:002011-01-30T18:29:46.138-08:00The Great Divorce<table cellspacing="5" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" width="100%"><tr><td><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 339px; height: 168px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_75JHb7NKDSA/TUX8yl3cigI/AAAAAAAAAF0/6R8CsXRk8qc/s400/01-29-11-01.png" border="0" title="Do, not, use, commas, this, way!" />(<a href="http://www.pvponline.com/2011/01/10/breaking-up-is-hard-to-prove/">Source</a>)<br /><br />This was PVP's first noteworthy event of 2011. Was it a surprise?<br /><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 339px; height: 168px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_75JHb7NKDSA/TUX-x5u_mwI/AAAAAAAAAF8/gOMxOWBMvHQ/s400/01-29-11-02.png" border="0" title="Breaking up must be the hardest thing to do, after all!" />Well, no. Cole and Donna's "relationship" -- as portrayed at all times by Cole and his inability to express what's supposed to be wrong with it -- was always a depressing thing to see crop up. Notably because we never saw anything come of it. Granted, that is exactly what the underlying joke here is. And on that level, sure, this kind of thing is probably the best way to end it all. We will never again wonder when or if the "Cole's marriage" story will be revisited -- it won't be. That could easily have been the punchline in the last panel, as opposed to Francis' tacky nonsense.<br /><br />If there was never any apparent marriage in the first place, though, why was <i>ending</i> it so much more difficult and so much more noticeable? Not to mention drawn out. It was all wasted effort, when you can sum it up with a "We got divorced two years ago!" strip. I highly recommend reading these two <a href="http://pvpmakesmesad.blogspot.com/2008/02/wait-thats-it.html">blog</a> <a href="http://pvpmakesmesad.blogspot.com/2008/02/comment-response.html">posts</a> on the subject... from three years ago.<br /><br />Having said all of that, perhaps you feel that I loved that strip.<br /><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 339px; height: 168px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_75JHb7NKDSA/TUYEZ0DBOnI/AAAAAAAAAGE/71vasjtu3Ng/s400/01-29-11-03.png" border="0" title="This might be a low blow. The storyline where they find the DeLorean *is* pretty far-fetched, but strangely it requires less suspension of disbelief." />Not particularly. It starts off well: Francis is essentially in our shoes, and it's comically believable that his typical teenager ways caused him to miss a momentous occasion or two. That all works. Great first two panels. But the next one tells us that Cole was "stumbling drunk" for four months, which is a bit much to ask people (Both Francis, in one sense, and the actual PVP audience in another) to swallow when there was never any evidence of it.<br /><br />It sounds like a funny idea when spitballing, I'm sure: "Hey, we'll have this guy reveal that he went through a CRAAAZY time and we all missed it!" But god damn, no. Smack yourself down if you get that idea and never laid any groundwork for it. It doesn't work for Cole, because he's the single most visible character in PVP. It's unbelievable. That type of joke is built to serve characters who are <b>gone</b> from center stage for long, random periods of time but always end up coming back. The PVP world certainly isn't lacking for that type of character.<br /><br />Finally, the punchline of Francis' smug satisfaction (How does it even make <i>sense</i> that his final comment is related to Cole's?) is a shame.<br /><br />Honestly? <i>Thank god that's over with.</i> This came pretty close to the mark, and I believe it was a tasteful and dignified approach to the subject matter (Without turning it dry, and still leaving room for humor). Not a perfect execution, but a big relief.</td></tr></table>Jaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05050713941578754388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7868410547916281226.post-55800198064365776002011-01-22T13:20:00.000-08:002011-01-23T02:20:58.290-08:00The Hair and Now<table cellspacing="5" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" width="100%"><tr><td><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 339px; height: 168px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_75JHb7NKDSA/TTvy5W20qLI/AAAAAAAAAFc/1MlWH7g9ja0/s400/01-23-11-01.png" border="0" title="Cole's use of the royal 'we' is only slightly embarrassing; the real hurdle was his incestuous heritage and the annexation of his kingdom." />The second noteworthy event of 2011 -- no, I haven't mentioned the first, yet -- is that Francis also got an updated look. Remember the <i>last</i> time <a href="http://www.pvponline.com/2008/05/27/innocence-lost/">that happened</a>, where he didn't actually change much (Aside from losing the Charlie Brown / Cole Richards "unibrow". The event was clearly geared towards changing <i>Marcy's</i> look, which perhaps... didn't really paid off in the long run? I'm just saying that we saw Francis a hundred times more often than Marcy, and now her character is in a position where we could, conceivably, <i>never</i> see her again)? This isn't like that time.<br /><br />Most importantly, his replica of Cole's glasses are gone. That isn't just a "good riddance", that is the <i>best</i> riddance. We've flip-flopped between seeing those things portrayed as glasses and as eyeballs, and now we don't have to wonder <i>what</i> they were -- unless Francis mentions three years from now that he used to wear glasses.<br /><br />What to make of the new Francis? Well, he has real eyes, now. The curvature of which makes his nose look like a real nose (Perhaps a coincidence! But it looks nice). The bad news? They seem to be bug eyes, received from Jade since she wasn't using them anymore. His chin doesn't look like shit anymore. Ooh, he changed his shirt...? No, sorry, the alien skull came back in the next panel. He grew shoulders! He still doesn't know how to style the back of his hair, but that's not too embarrassing if you really consider Cole's long-lasting failure in the same department. Essentially, he looks like the previous Francis' old and busted shit melded with Scott Pilgrim's new hotness.<br /><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 339px; height: 168px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_75JHb7NKDSA/TTvzLF9GPAI/AAAAAAAAAFk/DEtUlpZbAAE/s400/01-23-11-02.png" border="0" title="This under-appreciated graphic novel series is now available as an under-appreciated movie!" />Wait, Scott Pilgrim predates Francis' previous look? Well, I didn't know about it back then, so it doesn't count. Scott Pilgrim's popularity is still pretty new to me.<br /><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 339px; height: 168px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_75JHb7NKDSA/TTv5iUTNB2I/AAAAAAAAAFs/M9cDZhw9Q6w/s400/01-23-11-03.gif" border="0" title="There's a period after 'Self Reliance', where you realize you will never be truly self-reliant. That's why the other bullet points don't get periods; they last forever." />Alright, alright, I get it! There are <i>some similarities</i> going on. I'm not claiming some sort of shenanigan is happening, though; far from it. I'm just saying that this kind of thing has been <i>done before</i>, which is the saying that falls one rung above <i>done to death</i>. If everyone's aware of Scott Pilgrim now, then maybe repeating something both you and Bryan Lee O'Malley have done isn't the best way to ring in the new year's promised "better writing"? Ring in the new, wring out the old.</td></tr></table>Jaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05050713941578754388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7868410547916281226.post-64445418501074579772011-01-19T19:35:00.001-08:002011-01-20T01:26:45.177-08:00A Kinder, Gentler Tomorrow<table cellspacing="5" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td>Wait a minute, what happened to all of my posts from the year 2010?<br /><br />Just kidding -- I wasn't reading PvP regularly enough to make any. But it's been an entire year, so I should at least make the effort to recap it with PvP's <i>best moments</i>, right? We'll start by completely ignoring the first few months of 2010, and skip to the parts where I noticed landmark events taking place.<br /><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 339px; height: 168px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_75JHb7NKDSA/TTe_GhEsmUI/AAAAAAAAAD8/KR6qB_lvrWw/s400/01-19-11-01.png" border="0" title="Her eyebrows follow the contours of her head, too, I guess. For some reason, this makes her look more feminine and less like Susan Boyle." />Somewhere between July 15th and August 5th, Jade's bug eyes sank back into the recesses of her head that are known as "eye sockets". I believe I spat a beverage of some kind all over my dashboard when I noticed, since I was probably driving while browsing the internet on my phone (Guys, this is how you look cool to the ladies).<br /><br />Now, I'm not going to pretend that Jade's eyes <b>never</b> appear to be floating above her hair anymore, but they're about 99% restrained. There is hope that she won't eventually decapitate and devour Brent, after all! Looking good, Jade.<br /><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 339px; height: 168px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_75JHb7NKDSA/TTfF4X-K1pI/AAAAAAAAAEE/7ZYH8-qJZjQ/s400/01-19-11-02.png" border="0" title="Don't get cockroachy, kid." />On October 8th, there was a really funny strip. I'd already seen <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsD1prDgDGE">things</a> that used a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQ-JQ_bc9ag">similar</a> joke, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't laugh. Curiously, there is a decent amount of fodder for critiquing in that strip (All in the last panel). But I really like seeing a giant roach perched on Cole's head, and I imagine it is probably rubbing his dinner-plate-sized bald spot and whispering. Who can concentrate on speech bubble placement, a background painting, or coloring in all of Cole's fingers when there's THAT going on? Nobody!<br /><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 339px; height: 168px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_75JHb7NKDSA/TTfGFVbK9HI/AAAAAAAAAEM/Ix4Obr7OZ_Q/s400/01-19-11-03.png" border="0" title="Vinyl that isn't being used in record players or sexy Halloween costumes? I don't get it." id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564133659592291442" />Did you guys <i>see</i> these <a href="http://www.pvponline.com/2010/08/04/book-8-toys-now-on-sale/">toys</a>? Those are fantastic toys. Using one shape for three different characters -- and doing it so well -- is brilliant. It is merchandising at its finest and most clever, as far as I'm concerned. This kind of things makes me want to put on a hat so I can doff it in respect.<br /><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 339px; height: 168px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_75JHb7NKDSA/TTfcaiRlCvI/AAAAAAAAAE0/Zyvc6eg-WIc/s400/01-19-11-04.png" border="0" title="From 'Oh no' to 'Oh ho!' in barely two months flat! Three months, if you're Jesus." />Somewhere between November 22nd and January 4th, the hideous black widow markings on Cole's chest turned into something that people can recognize as a tie. Well, I mean, usually. <img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 64px; height: 64px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_75JHb7NKDSA/TTfQEN2MQ8I/AAAAAAAAAEc/u8HWz93gft4/s400/01-19-11-04a.png" border="0" title="I would weigh the choice of either loosing a tie or losing a tie very carefully." />What is that over to the right? I don't know. Tim Gunn didn't tie that Gordian Knot, is what I'm saying. In fact, the tie has a very odd single, skinny black line that winds along it diagonally -- unless that effect is just a coincidence, <b>every</b> time the tie is shown, brought about from drawing creases. I can't tell which is the case, but I'm definitely complaining about finding seeds in the delicious apples that just replaced my dinner of <i>red circles</i> at this point.<br /><br />On a sad note, this does mean that my amazing parody character "Fat Tie" is ruined. He died a warrior's death, though. Valhalla will welcome him.<img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 261px; height: 399px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_75JHb7NKDSA/TTfkqbXRHnI/AAAAAAAAAFE/635yoRipdgI/s400/01-19-11-04b.png" border="0" title="Fat Tie -- get it? -- is married to Donna Tie. Again, get it? You'd better, I've said 'get it?' three times now!" /><br /><br />Hey, you know who else didn't show up for PvP for a year?<br /><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 339px; height: 168px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_75JHb7NKDSA/TTfWNn8mOQI/AAAAAAAAAEk/Ccet9V7cKgI/s400/01-19-11-05.png" border="0" title="He probably started up a company named 'PAX Mowers' in the interim -- a self-referential arc of Penny Arcade-related strips that we thankfully missed out on." />We last saw Max Powers on Hell I-don't-know-whenth, 2009, when he ran a game company and dispensed business advice for rich entrepreneurs, and he returned last April 5th so he could stop doing that and join PvP Magazine's sitcom instead. Which is almost an exact depiction of events, according to the strip. Awkward, and self-referential humor like what we saw there is PvP's weakest link in a chain of humor and story-telling... but damn, he looks good. He also has Brent's hair color. Brent better watch his ass, if Max grows his hair a couple of inches longer.<br /><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 339px; height: 168px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_75JHb7NKDSA/TTfaSFzUUzI/AAAAAAAAAEs/LUpqYhoWqiM/s400/01-19-11-06.png" border="0" title="No, wait -- it's just Skull missing his legs again." />Also, Scratch's constant, radiation-induced growth finally got him within spitting distance of Skull's height, at which point Scratch pulled one of Skull's arms out of its socket.<br /><br />Happy New Year! This post is for our one subscriber, as well as Creatorian, who left a kind message that I greatly appreciated.</td></tr></tbody></table>Jaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05050713941578754388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7868410547916281226.post-69193892259770300632009-12-21T06:37:00.001-08:002010-01-25T16:05:10.110-08:00New Thread<table cellspacing="5" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td>Hey, I am still alive. On the other hand, my computer did not successfully make the trip to Boston. So that was unfortunate. I honestly haven't read a PvP strip in about two weeks, and am woefully unprepared to make any comments. I should have a laptop by Christmas; until then I can try and put up some new threads when appropriate.<br /><br />Happy Holidays!</td></tr></tbody></table>R.W.McGeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06509063502719145043noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7868410547916281226.post-44232828162544535302009-10-28T12:50:00.000-07:002009-10-28T17:38:16.919-07:00Leaving, on a jet plane.<table cellspacing="5" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td>Hey, I'm moving from Minneapolis to Boston as of tomorrow morning. I will return when I get settled/internet connected. I'm guessing that will be first week of November (no, I'm not taking a wagon east, but a lot of my stuff is following behind me) So, until then, you are in Jai's capable hands.<br /><br />Don't get into too much trouble, Jai. ;)</td></tr></tbody></table>R.W.McGeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06509063502719145043noreply@blogger.com38tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7868410547916281226.post-83117260555693068472009-10-25T11:41:00.000-07:002009-10-26T17:01:25.311-07:00More Non-PvP Weekend Stuff<table cellspacing="5" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td>Yesterday I was nice, today; cruel. <a href="http://www.ctrlaltdel-online.com/comic.php?d=20091023">This</a> is what happens when you project into your creative work. (Hint: Brother is a metaphor!)</td></tr></tbody></table>R.W.McGeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06509063502719145043noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7868410547916281226.post-15420378634067708672009-10-23T14:31:00.000-07:002009-10-26T17:00:09.407-07:00Erfworld 2: Love is a Battlefield<table cellspacing="5" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td>In non-PvP news; I was extremely excited to read yesterday that the second volume of Erfworld is launching on October 28th and can be found <a href="http://www.erfworld.com/">here</a>.<br /><br />There will be several changes from the first book, not the least of which is that Erfworld now has it's own website, and will no longer be hosted by The Order of the Stick. The other major change is that Jamie Noguchi, the extremely talented artist who illustrated book 1 is leaving to pursue other projects. This is really too bad, his work was evocative and really created a unique setting for the Erfworld story to be told in.<br /><br />However, Xin Ye has stepped in, and from what I've seen of her work so far, she should be able to ably fill Jamie's roll. Of course, the real test will be her ability to duplicate Jamie's very striking characters. As long as she can keep everybody recognizable, and maintain Erfworld's crazy surrealist style, the comic shouldn't suffer.<br /><br />Rob Balder is really telling an interesting story. It is wrapped in a cotton candy setting of clever worldplay and internet memes...but it also deals with very serious philosophical issues. The main character, Parson Gotti, has been deliberating over the summer on whether it's right to use his talent for warfare when he knows it will likely cause the deaths of Erfworld's denizens. If you have a true talent for something, should you pursue it at all costs, even when it hurts others? And the oldest question of all; do the ends ever really justify the means?<br /><br />Erfworld returns next Wednesday, and will update on a regular Wednesday/Saturday schedule following that. If a very original mixture of fantasy and comedy is your thing I highly recommend you check it out.</td></tr></tbody></table>R.W.McGeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06509063502719145043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7868410547916281226.post-72748771991036110182009-10-23T14:05:00.000-07:002009-10-26T16:59:58.953-07:00LOLBAT is Butler! Butler is Rex Roffle! Rex Roffle is LOLBAT! Continuity is for losers!<table cellspacing="5" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td>Since Kurtz probably doesn't want to hear it from me, I'll hand the floor to astute reader<br /><b><br />Taylortails:<br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; line-height: 19px; font-family:tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', lucida, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:14px;"><blockquote><i>"I do think it's a shame that Scott chose to do the ridiculous "Lolbat as Kent" strip, since it takes away from the reveal to have Lolbat have two secret identities. Plus, frankly, the Tick did that gag better years ago."</i></blockquote><br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">All I want to know is what kind of hours do Rex Roffle and Butler work to pull that off!</span><br /></b></span></span></b></td></tr></tbody></table>R.W.McGeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06509063502719145043noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7868410547916281226.post-69122723843807733912009-10-16T11:43:00.000-07:002009-10-26T16:57:55.253-07:00Zombies Ghosts and Ghouls<table cellspacing="5" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td>It must be Halloween!<br /><br />The last few weeks of PvP have left me in a bit of a bind comment-wise. I was not enthralled with the Bone-Burglar/Skull dynamic, but then I really enjoyed the zombie apocalypse story. Probably as much as I have enjoyed any PvP recently. The art was excellent, especially the subtle touches of zombification on Jade after she turned. The story was tightly plotted satire. It's nice to know that when Kurtz is forced to, he is able to begin and end an arc. I couldn't comment because, well, it wasn't making me sad.<br /><br />Then we got the John Hughes/Cole montage which alternated between too soon and too boring. I'm the kind of guy, as my friends can attest, who will occasionally plunge through a 400 page book in one day because I don't have anything better to do. So when I tell you that a comic strip was not able to maintain my interest for an entire five panels, well, let's just say by panel two of 'Planes Trains and Get the Hell Out of My Kitchen' I had nodded off.<br /><br />The Kubrick throw-away the next day was clever, but so soon after a 'good' storyline, the John Hughes/Cole bit seemed more lazy than anything else.<br /><br /><br />So, I apologize. I know I'm supposed to be churning up interesting topics in the tradition of FSM, but I have been largely uninspired to post recently.<br /><br />Hopefully as we return to more 'regular' plot-lines we can pick up the thread again here, as well.<br /><br />Enjoy your weekend!</td></tr></tbody></table>R.W.McGeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06509063502719145043noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7868410547916281226.post-88020080453692915152009-10-02T10:22:00.000-07:002009-10-14T14:19:29.361-07:00Grating On MY Nerves<table width="100%" bgcolor="#ffffff" cellspacing="5"><tbody><tr><td>Yes it is. And by 'it' I mean the use of 'Die Hard(ed)' as a verb. I'm not sure that I can tell you why it annoys me so much, only that every time Brent let it fly, I shuddered a little bit. But I quibble, and it turns out that I have come not to bury PvP this week, but to praise it. Because, lo' did Kurtz find a storyline that actually, sort of works, and lo' he has apparently discovered that low-key humor can be just as effective as Panda sex and people crashing through walls.<br /><br />What did I like? The first panel of <span style="font-style: italic;">Vent Sienna</span> was good. I always like it when an artist can use body language to effectively convey a situation...and if you removed the dialogue bubbles from that panel I think it's still pretty clear that Brent is 'on a mission' and that Francis is having his patience tested by Brent. It's a nice clear and unusually dynamic set up for the strip.<br /><br />Then there are two panels; one in <span style="font-style: italic;">Vent Sienna</span> and one in <span style="font-style: italic;">Grating Nerves</span> that deserve special mention. I call them the 'appendage panels' and they are the sort of artistic departure that I would really like to see a lot more of from Kurtz. If you imagine the PvP strip as being shot by a camera, most of the shots are coming from a fair distance with a 3/4 angle. These are a little more 'hand held'<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_T93sOhgM5jo/SsY6xb9vNnI/AAAAAAAAAGc/r-3jYx80dLU/s1600-h/Brentilated.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 174px; height: 262px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_T93sOhgM5jo/SsY6xb9vNnI/AAAAAAAAAGc/r-3jYx80dLU/s320/Brentilated.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388058625190082162" border="0" /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_T93sOhgM5jo/SsY69r9Hi6I/AAAAAAAAAGk/cS3c-Ju6hoM/s1600-h/pvpfootsie.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 184px; height: 274px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_T93sOhgM5jo/SsY69r9Hi6I/AAAAAAAAAGk/cS3c-Ju6hoM/s320/pvpfootsie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388058835640880034" border="0" /></a><br />I also appreciate that Kurtz has focused on toes and fingers in these two panels; not traditionally his strongest suit. I would also praise the design of the 'through the grate' shot in <span style="font-style: italic;">Vent Sienna</span>, although in most mediums when you use that sort of PoV, it generally indicates that an antagonist is viewing the characters through the grate...which is not the case here. (Unless it is being used to play up the paranoia of Brent, in which case, kudos.)<br /><br />In any case, as somebody who has been less than enthused, both by the recent one-offs, and by the plot lines dealing with Cole's family life...I'm pleased to see the strip return to what it does well; an ad-mixture of strange cultural references and office hi-jinks.<br /><br /><br />Now, if you really want to please me, Kurtz...I hope the Germans have a devious plan...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>R.W.McGeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06509063502719145043noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7868410547916281226.post-78637302545217748152009-09-28T22:22:00.000-07:002009-10-14T14:18:48.334-07:00I Know A Little German. He's Right Over There<table cellspacing="5" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" width="100%"><tr><td><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 69px; height: 112px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_75JHb7NKDSA/SsGZtRoa_EI/AAAAAAAAADE/vwFOJ8jiPK0/s400/09-28-09-01.gif" border="0" title="Evil-doers cower in the shadows and regale each other with tales of Cole's shirt -- the White Silhouette, they call it" />(<a href="http://www.pvponline.com/2009/09/28/schaden-fraud/">Source</a>)<br /><br />I wonder if Germans make up names like "Xylophone Veröffentlichen" for American companies that want to translate and publish German gaming magazines. Nein? Well, even if they do then it's still silly (Which is not a bad thing. This is a comic strip, after all) to think Glockenspiels have anything to do with A) publishing, and B) PVP Magazine. It reinforces the "faking German" theme of this strip, at least.<br /><br />Oh, right, point #1, panel #1: Is Cole standing? He can't possibly be only a little taller than a sitting Francis. He's not close enough to the table for his arm or loose sheaf of papers to overlap it, but the perspective of the foreground is such that Cole's supposed height must decrease as the supposed distance between himself and the table grows.<br /><br /><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 69px; height: 112px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_75JHb7NKDSA/SsGZsj3OhKI/AAAAAAAAAC8/9YPTDftIw18/s400/09-28-09-02.gif" border="0" title="If you aren't spitting, you aren't speaking German" />This is a strange, fish-eye view of Brent -- but it's growing on me. It makes him look very expressive and cartoony, which is a <i>good</i> thing. Even so, his chin (Which, more than anything else, made this panel look strange) probably angles upward (Back towards his neck) too sharply. If it weren't for that, after all, Brent would look more "posed dramatically" than "seen through fish-eye lens".<br /><br /><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 69px; height: 112px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_75JHb7NKDSA/SsGZsTbvCoI/AAAAAAAAAC0/4gUSro5UsD4/s400/09-28-09-03.gif" border="0" title="Sort of looks like they're sitting in a boat" />What is that little angled bit coming out the back of Francis' chair? If Francis just scooted all the way over to Brent's side (Yes, go check their relative positions again) -- which is a pretty funny idea -- there should be some action lines to indicate it, and maybe a little pseudo-onomatopoeia action as well.<br /><br />The biggest problem is the table, and this problem is in nearly every panel: It comes up to <b>armpit</b> height. That's just crazy! <i>Silliness</i> I can handle, but not this. In the last panel, you could completely remove the table without removing the impression that the characters are still seated around one. The third panel is in a similar position. If it weren't for Brent's mighty fist (And the fact that we know better), we could start cracking jokes about how the all-concealing table is a result of the artist's <a href="http://www.chainsawsuit.com/20090825.shtml">poorly-disguised inability</a> to draw hands and arms.</td></tr></table>Jaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05050713941578754388noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7868410547916281226.post-25456469216296834482009-09-24T20:03:00.000-07:002009-09-24T20:27:07.937-07:00No, Seriously, I Don't Get It<table cellspacing="5" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" width="100%"><tr><td><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 69px; height: 112px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_75JHb7NKDSA/SrwzNYukQuI/AAAAAAAAACs/3gMcdiTznL8/s400/09-24-09-01.gif" border="0" title="Putting something I love so close to something I hate causes an atom in my heart to divide and explode" />(<a href="http://www.pvponline.com/2009/09/24/on-the-rocks/">Source</a>)<br /><br />What. What! What? <i>What?!</i><br /><br />I am doing what I can to keep my knee from jerking, but I don't know how long that can possibly last. So. One question:<br /><br />What IS this strip about and why is SHECKY -- no, wait, that would be two questions.<br /><br />Oh, to hell with it! More questions: Is this strip <i>supposed</i> to seem antagonistic towards Berkeley Breathed? What's the joke? What percentage of SK's readership is supposed to understand ANY of this strip? Why is there no editorial comment for this strip? Isn't this the kind of strip that needs an attached news post the MOST? Is there going to be an Opus movie? Is this supposed to be about Breathed's "Mars Needs Moms!" picture book that's being filmed as a movie? Is this just... I don't know, a "Poor Berkeley Breathed, I feel bad for him these days" strip? Why Shecky -- oh God, <i>why?</i> Is it irony? Is this strip funny (Or does it provide some kind of meaningful commentary) to anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Is Berkeley Breathed "on the rocks"? What comparison are we to assume SK is making by pairing <i>Shecky</i> with Opus?<br /><br />That was not my knee jerking, that was me trying to keep it from doing so. Because I clearly have no idea what this strip is on about.</td></tr></table>Jaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05050713941578754388noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7868410547916281226.post-90291445689077462032009-09-22T02:30:00.000-07:002009-09-22T03:28:21.896-07:00Batroom Humor<table cellspacing="5" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" width="100%"><tr><td>Bat-tastic! It's another Batman: Arkham Asylum strip!<br /><br /><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 69px; height: 112px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_75JHb7NKDSA/Sriac5QA2fI/AAAAAAAAACk/pRV-4SLWFbs/s400/09-21-09-01.gif" border="0" title="His ears are burning -- Joker must be talking about him on the PA system again" />(<a href="http://www.pvponline.com/2009/09/21/bat-a-hang/">Source</a>)<br /><br />The thug's ear is a strange color, but this panel is arranged very well. Batman looks like he's sort of high up and a little ways off; the thug looks like a thug (Although he looks as if he may be wearing a medieval tunic). SK doesn't REALLY cut loose with posing Batman, however -- such as showing only his head in the frame (Rene Engström uses that sort of thing to tremendous effect), or showing him from different distances or angles ("Angles" is not much of a real suggestion, it's merely one of the possibilities. Repetition of the same angle can help to drive the jokes home, in much the same way as the repetition of Batman's stoic expression does). In fact, Batman is hanging so low in the 3rd and 4th panels that those jokes are vaguely diminished.<br /><br /><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 69px; height: 112px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_75JHb7NKDSA/SriacAnTYOI/AAAAAAAAACc/3tSPhEjKVVE/s400/09-21-09-02.gif" border="0" title="Listening to 'It's Raining Men' by the Weather Gargoyles, no doubt" />Seeing the earbuds set in the top of the bat-cowl really cracked me up! That was a lovely touch, even though it's pretty obvious that there's nowhere else to put them unless you want to slip them under the mask. The little musical notes have something odd going on with them, but it's probably just because they were drawn too small for the finished product's scale on the internet (So they'd look fine in the "buy a print" version or the eventual published book).<br /><br /><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 69px; height: 112px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_75JHb7NKDSA/Sriabi8e5vI/AAAAAAAAACU/_wD-Jmon7m0/s400/09-21-09-03.gif" border="0" title="And then he gargoyles mouthwash upside-down" />That is not mustard. I thought it was mustard when I saw it peripherally, and I think that helped ruin my taste for this joke. This might be a "less is more" occasion, where the less obvious the joke is the funnier it would be. Seeing pee rain down is not <i>really</i> quite as funny as imagining it (Yet you could remove either Batman or the urine from the panel to give it more punch), although mileage <b>will</b> vary from person to person. Personally, it reminds me of an awful scene from the movie <i>Year One</i>. I don't want to SEE people peeing -- not even Batman (And I think he'd have better aim!) -- but I think that the concept is really funny.<br /><br />Still, we got three punchlines, good (And varied) scenery, solid artwork, and it was all video game-related! This was a fun strip, although the more I look at the urine (The way it's just being <i>waved all around</i>, augh) the grosser it seems.</td></tr></table>Jaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05050713941578754388noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7868410547916281226.post-17283122375271794172009-09-10T14:10:00.001-07:002009-09-10T18:31:37.836-07:00How to be Subversive<table width="100%" bgcolor="#ffffff" cellspacing="5"><tbody><tr><td>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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />A very good job by Mr. Southworth, in my opinion.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>R.W.McGeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06509063502719145043noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7868410547916281226.post-22249600019470391222009-09-09T19:13:00.001-07:002009-09-22T03:30:19.030-07:00For The Lulls<table cellspacing="5" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" width="100%"><tr><td>Join me, please, as we <i>travel back through time</i>. No, wait; sorry! I meant, "as we <i>retread old ground.</i>" Or, maybe, "as we <i>see that I apparently thought about updating within the past week, yet didn't</i>." Exciting! Sorry for the long entry, but it's a numbered list -- if that helps.<br /><br />I'm not even going to render more than a single sentence on my thoughts regarding <a href="http://www.pvponline.com/2009/09/03/like-father-no-fun/">September 3rd's strip</a>. It was abominable, reveals that father and son are both shamelessly self-centered bastards, and finally destroys the last vestiges of any purpose behind their having <i>actually gone to a convention</i>.<br /><br /><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 69px; height: 112px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_75JHb7NKDSA/SqhhHIhS8HI/AAAAAAAAABM/zcW-4THdp7Q/s400/09-09-09-01.gif" border="0" title="Yes, Cole, your rudeness WAS pointless. Oh, you were talking about something else, already" />(<a href="http://www.pvponline.com/2009/09/04/you-slay-me/">Source</a>)<br /><br />The next strip was emotionally-driven (I hope), so the lack of any actual joke is... well, it's something to read if learning more about the characters interests you. However, the dialog is boggling. Cole caves right in to his father's "TV is a time-waster" statement (Which is being used to support the fashion in which Cole dispatched <i>a fan of Mr. Richards</i>, as well as whatever unfathomable motive he had for doing so) with the supporting argument of "I guess it all does seem pointless on the surface." So, Cole's saying... what, exactly? He doesn't want to admit that the show his father was in was a waste of everyone's time, unless he couches it within the fuddy-duddy-honored tradition of declaring television to be devoid of intellectual stimulus? But, wait! He's couched even THAT admission behind an "I guess"! So what does Cole <i>really</i> think of the whole thing, what does he <i>really</i> want to say, and how has he forgotten so quickly that they're <i>really</i> talking about why it was justified for them to both lash out at a fan? We'll never know, so it's time to move on and conceal this part with a throw rug.<br /><br /><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 69px; height: 112px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_75JHb7NKDSA/SqhhHh7Dc5I/AAAAAAAAABU/F-FyvnB6KyU/s400/09-09-09-02.gif" border="0" title="First they came for the Dracula, and I did not care, for I was not Dracula" />Next, the humorous reveal: Mr. Richards never misses an episode of Buffy.<br /><br />Wait, what? Present tense?<br /><br />Buffy hasn't been on the air in six years! Maybe we <i>are</i> going back in time? Did Mr. Richards mean that he never misses a repeat? Does he not know he's watching repeats, meaning we now have further evidence for the emotionally-scarring existence of his rapidly-deteriorating mind? Cole doesn't help us out by chasing this appealing rabbit, but he does seem surprised when he clarifies that Mr. Richards is talking about Buffy. We don't KNOW that his surprise isn't because there are no episodes of Buffy that Mr. Richards could "miss". Still (And I'm just joking; clearly Cole is just surprised that his father watches a popular and vapid television program), he leaves well enough alone and drops the subject.<br /><br /><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 69px; height: 112px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_75JHb7NKDSA/SqhhH35f1JI/AAAAAAAAABc/BcAA4djUG5E/s400/09-09-09-03.gif" border="0" title="This reminds me of the graffiti inside Joker's cell" />And then they laugh. Oh, how they laugh! I've gotta say, the silhouette always proves to be visually appealing at the price of <i>reduced</i> artistic effort. It's a great tool among the arsenal of an artist.<br /><br />I've also gotta say this: This was ABSOLUTELY the wrong panel to choose to silhouette. Of the five panels, <i>only this one</i> would have showcased the biggest possible emotional payoff in Cole and Mr. Richards' expressions. It's the dramatic equivalent of an action scene where two badasses harass each other until the situation escalates into a fight that you KNOW is gonna be sweet -- and then the big double doors slam shut in front of the camera, and you get to stare at a doorknob as you are treated to some interesting sound effects that teabag your ears with all of the glorious visual payoff <i>that you were denied</i>. Frustrating? You betcha.<br /><br /><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 69px; height: 112px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_75JHb7NKDSA/SqhiaRd5ebI/AAAAAAAAACE/SFHdWO12FJQ/s400/09-09-09-04.gif" border="0" title="Remember the good times, Cole... all ten seconds of them" />And then, the final line: "We should do this again, sometime." It's baffling. It has nothing to do with their situation, because Mr. Richards can't possibly mean any such thing. Their experience was absolute hell for them both, apparently, right up until the previous ten seconds. Is it a form of the "Sure... I'll, uh, I'll write you" footnote to the typical ends-in-disappointment relationship? On the surface, it seems like a form of hope for their future. But it's impossible that the words genuinely mean, "We should spend time laughing together again, sometime" -- the words can only mean, "Well, enough of that." And Cole's expression, plus Mr. Richards' turned-away face, reinforce the tragic truth of their relationship. This is the worst happy ending ever. Is it supposed to be? I have no way of knowing! The events that just transpired are too subtle and too screwball for me to believe I really know how they were <i>intended</i>.<br /><br /><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 69px; height: 112px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_75JHb7NKDSA/SqhiZwVHuUI/AAAAAAAAAB8/LSoMgZojb6A/s400/09-09-09-05.gif" border="0" title="You know what they say about men with tall eyes" />(<a href="http://www.pvponline.com/2009/09/07/making-amends/">Source</a>)<br /><br />The next strip is happier, even if you interpret the previous strip <i>as</i> happy. So, take a moment to ponder Cole's eyelids. It's an existential problem, so don't bother taking it too seriously.<br /><br />When we see Cole's eyes from an angle that doesn't place his glasses between them and us, they are (And this is where the problems begin: They are not <i>always</i>) solid black ovals. Near-ovals, anyway; they tend to resemble the top bits of exclamation marks. No whites to them (Except when Cole's eyes are widened -- apparently, "wide, completely black eyes" was much too creepy). The frames of his glasses have traditionally stood in for his sclera, and when they aren't around his real eyes must fend for themselves. But to circle back to the point, what, then, is the meaning of the "eyelids" we see through his glasses? Will they show up without the glasses there? If they are squinched cheeks, why doesn't Cole have cheeks when he's seen from behind (And why do they... run directly into each other)? Your father is wise in the way of the cheeks, Cole. Learn much from him, you can.<br /><br />His glasses are also better. And his collars. Sorry, Cole, your dad is just cooler than you.<br /><br /><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 69px; height: 112px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_75JHb7NKDSA/SqhiZgf-w1I/AAAAAAAAAB0/OTIuGpjeLtE/s400/09-09-09-06.gif" border="0" title="I wish I could quit you, starch" />I've wanted to point out this aspect of Cole's design for a while, now, so here it is: The shots of Cole's collar that make it look like he has a stiff, white rectangle jutting into midair above his shoulder are not good. Sometimes it only <i>barely</i> juts out, in which case I can easily imagine that there's a barely-hidden curve to it that goes behind Cole's neck. Sometimes it's a plank hanging over an abyss that Cole's tie could go take a long walk off of, and it's way too obvious that there is no curve hidden behind its structure. Nothing new, but it helps get the mind off of his tie.<br /><br /><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 69px; height: 112px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_75JHb7NKDSA/SqhiZGvB6tI/AAAAAAAAABs/iGbBx62VUbI/s400/09-09-09-07.gif" border="0" title="Incidentally, it's nice to see that Cole's looking at a picture... not a blank page" />Now, Cole is surprised and dismayed to see that Bill Amend (<3) has written "Colt". Oh, Cole, you inattentive gadabout!<br /><br />Plus, I don't think he really looks like a horse.<br /><br />Don't worry, though, Cole! I'll fix that right up for you! Trust me, this is even better than if Amend hadn't misinterpreted your very-normal name as a fairly-unusual name: <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 28px; height: 33px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_75JHb7NKDSA/Sqh1PLOKwvI/AAAAAAAAACM/5t12z9VOjAA/s400/09-09-09-07b.gif" border="0" title="It's just a, uh, flourish! That Bill Amend, always putting crazy flourishes on his capital letters! Haha, ah, what a guy." /><br /><br />No, nothing serious here. Just some bad jokes.<br /><br /><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 69px; height: 112px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_75JHb7NKDSA/SqhiYzVCg-I/AAAAAAAAABk/WZlk281Rxm0/s400/09-09-09-08.gif" border="0" title="Brent, you did NOT just compare Jade to Yoko Ono" />(<a href="http://www.pvponline.com/2009/09/09/guest-strip-by-chris-eliopoulos-2/">Source</a>)<br /><br />On a final note, here's the first of several (?) guest strips. How do you hide a ponytail? It's very interesting to see Brent without one, though (And that it's for a video game! Lots of video game references when the guest artists come out, it seems. Are they trying to send a message?).<br /><br />Also, how is the blind guy (Reggie) going to be the drummer (Ringo) for Rock Band? I think that they're setting themselves up for disappointment, there.</td></tr></table>Jaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05050713941578754388noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7868410547916281226.post-38522583308150479662009-09-09T17:26:00.000-07:002009-09-09T17:29:50.814-07:00PAX Plague!<table width="100%" bgcolor="#ffffff" cellspacing="5"><tbody><tr><td>Sooo...it looks like this week is going to be guest strip heavy for a bunch of different web comics. My best wishes for a speedy recovery to all those afflicted by the PAX Pandemic.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>R.W.McGeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06509063502719145043noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7868410547916281226.post-78947289148956963372009-09-08T13:52:00.000-07:002009-09-08T14:00:28.536-07:00LOLbat!<table width="100%" bgcolor="#ffffff" cellspacing="5"><tbody><tr><td>Hey folks, sorry about the lull in coverage. I have to admit that I sort of checked out of the strip while Scott reiterated the same exact joke about Cole Sr. being a cantankerous old guy three times running. Hey, I liked Buffy the Vampire Slayer too...but I don't think such an extended build up was required to pay off that joke.<br /><br />I will give Mr. Kurtz the benefit of the doubt because it was PAX week(end) and I imagine he had a few extra balls to juggle...and also because his "You caused my father to quit drinking!" line in the PA/PVP/WW podcast was comedy gold. (MORE OF THAT IN COMIC STRIP, PLEASE.) Overall, however, last week seemed uninspired.<br /><br />Tuesday's strip is a nice treat, the LOLbat art is always good, and Kurtz did a nice job drawing Croc Pot. When it comes to mouths, strangely, I think the hinged jaw of the crocodile is more in Kurtz' wheelhouse than the human jaw. The last panel of the strip provides a nice contrast; which do you think looks more realistic?<br /><br />I'm assuming this will be a one-off, so there should be a new storyline this Wednesday to follow, and hopefully that will give Jai and me (<--correctly used, shouldn't be I, look it up.) a little more meat to sink our teeth into.<br /><br />Until then.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>R.W.McGeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06509063502719145043noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7868410547916281226.post-42073455663366922352009-09-01T11:42:00.000-07:002009-09-01T18:32:27.929-07:00Con-stipated<table cellspacing="5" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" width="100%"><tr><td>(<a HREF="http://www.pvponline.com/2009/09/01/con-spiracy-theory/">Source</a>)<br /><br />This week is really washing the taste of last week out of my mouth... although, it simultaneously has affirmed that last week was a lot of nonsense, story-wise. Cole (And he doesn't seem to have fallen far from the Richards tree, judging by last week) is not a smart man -- but, hey, neither was Forrest Gump.<br /><br />The story this week picks up an ambiguous period of time later than last week. The devil is in the details, and they've been awfully sparse: Seemingly, Mr. Richards has literally no idea as to what's going on. But for them to have a booth and to have booked his appearance (Both at what seems like a really fair-sized, if not huge, convention. And he's the top draw, according to last week's flyer! Was that a home-brewed ad from Cole?), Cole has had <i>plenty</i> of time to teach his father about the pros of cons. And hasn't -- or else he has, but his dad has Alzheimer's (Which would explain a lot, but would also suck the humor right out of everything). I don't really want either of those to be the case.<br /><br />Panel 2: "heh! They saw you coming from a mile away." -- I'm stumped. I have no idea what Mr. Richards is talking about, which enforces the impression of senility I'm getting from him.<br /><br />Panel 4: "This is <b><I>why</b></I> were [sic] here." The emphasis is odd and the sentence makes it seem like Cole took Mr. Richards to the con without any kind of warning or explanation (Yet he seems exasperated, so that's doubtful). Why not, "This is why we're <b><I>here</b></I>, remember?" Also, Mr. Richards' cheek lines don't look as good when they're seen from the side and go all the way down to the collar -- it makes his mouth look like a marionette's, or a nutcracker's.<br /><br />So, right, my point is that the jokes are really decent this week... but the setup is lacking something. A little half-flashback-of-advice and half-current-disregarding-of-said-advice would have made Cole look more sympathetic, for instance. This week is bringing good ideas (Unless you are really tired of "let's imagine an old guy who doesn't 'get it' talking about nerd stuff" scenarios. That does bring a certain PVP "character" to mind), but they're not flowing smoothly.</td></tr></table>Jaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05050713941578754388noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7868410547916281226.post-76801470903196564572009-08-30T08:29:00.000-07:002009-08-30T23:46:03.553-07:00This Week in PvP...<table bg="" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" width="100%" cellspacing="5"><tbody><tr><td><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">How did the week begin? </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">"If you'd bothered to call ahead I would have put on a pot of coffee."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">And how did it end?</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">"Glee!"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">What did we learn in-between?</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Cole has daddy issues to go along with his myriad of other issues. Brent Sienna has an insatiable appetite for Cole Sr.'s ice-cream sandwiches. Cole's dad was the super space cadet, and he enjoys a little time with the ole' pipe. Finally, it was COLE who broke the Hummel figurines, wrapping up an obscure plot point from the beta season of PvP Online, and Brent suspects that Cole Sr.'s kitchen is magical. An investigation by Skull may be pending.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">What's Up Next Week?</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The BanthaCon, inevitable disappointment for both Cole and his father, shenanigans involving Brent and Jade. Francis discovers he has a clone?</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">__________</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">In semi-PvP news</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">;</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">check out the PA/PVP/WW DND podcast (Wow that's a lot of initials) which you can find right here:</span><br /><br /><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" href="http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/4pod/20090828">Listen And Learn From It.</a><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Or, learn why Scott Kurtz would rather you didn't do spec work here:</span><br /><br /><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" href="http://www.webcomics.com/home/2009/8/26/no-spec-for-you.html">Angry Comments!</a><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">___________</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Comic of the Week</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">:</span><br /><br /><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" href="http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/8/28/">Circle of Life</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>R.W.McGeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06509063502719145043noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7868410547916281226.post-55229256753784756152009-08-28T13:13:00.001-07:002009-08-28T13:51:06.611-07:00Misty Watercolor<table width="100%" bgcolor="#ffffff" cellspacing="5"><tbody><tr><td>So, I was going to wait for the Friday comic to be posted, but I'm heading out for Friday night in a bit and I wanted to comment on Thursday's opus at least.<br /><br />Let's start with the beginning, where Cole's father sets up the strip with a little exposition. It's clear that Scott has the voice of Cole's dad well in hand. Curmudgeonly, indignant, a bit old fashioned with the 'silly-boy' it's in character and it sets up the realization in the fourth panel quite well. The artwork in panels one and four seems well-executed as well.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_T93sOhgM5jo/SphB8fQGv0I/AAAAAAAAAGU/aRSrZfBcDBs/s1600-h/Mistywatercolors2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 215px; height: 284px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_T93sOhgM5jo/SphB8fQGv0I/AAAAAAAAAGU/aRSrZfBcDBs/s320/Mistywatercolors2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375118662703693634" border="0" /></a><br />We had some discussion about word-bubbles earlier in the week, and Scott seems to have rebounded nicely, especially with the triple bubble in the first panel. It looks good, especially the '<span style="font-weight: bold;">Hmph!</span>' and it's out of the way, not distracting from the action of Cole's dad packing his pipe.<br /><br />The fourth panel is also well executed. It's a subtle pull away of the pipe from the mouth, but Kurtz' new mouth art, as well as the dialogue, serve to create an aura of surprised realization without any overly dramatic action, such as the character leaping from his chair or gesticulating wildly.<br /><br />Unfortunately, we must now come to panels two and three.<br /><br />I'm going to say panel two is filler. OK, maybe Scott wants to show the guy sucking on the pipe a bit; a moment of reflection before the big realization...fair enough. It's still dull. Nobody reading that strip let their eyes linger on panel two for more than a second. This isn't a mortal sin, but it seems a little lazy.<br /><br />Panel three is the real offender. I would be super-interested to hear what Scott was going for with the artwork in this panel. The face lighting up? Ok, I mean you <span style="font-style: italic;">are</span> writing a comic strip, so absolutely...take a little license with reality. We expect that. The three little exclamation points over the fathers' head are also fine. Common, even, and probably would have been enough.<br /><br />When your internal thought process manages to also light up your chair, sweater, and pipe, a line in the sand must be drawn.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_T93sOhgM5jo/Spg-gmc1ZfI/AAAAAAAAAGM/TkQ_zE8WfNk/s1600-h/Mistywatercolors1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 215px; height: 263px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_T93sOhgM5jo/Spg-gmc1ZfI/AAAAAAAAAGM/TkQ_zE8WfNk/s320/Mistywatercolors1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375114885064910322" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />I don't want to go nuts here, so let's just list some obvious problems:<br /><br />The light thrown by the lamp remains consistent on the wall, however...the <span style="font-style: italic;">lamp itself</span><a style="font-style: italic;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_T93sOhgM5jo/Spg-gmc1ZfI/AAAAAAAAAGM/TkQ_zE8WfNk/s1600-h/Mistywatercolors1.jpg"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></a><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span> is lit up by the force of the father's (this guy really needs a name) epiphany. Even if I was willing to grant that the exterior of the lamp's shade could be further lit, there is NO WAY that the stem of the lamp could brighten further. If anything, I suppose, the top part of it would be SHADED by the lamp shade. (This assuming that Cole's father is the source of the new light...which is indicated by the luminescence of his skin but contradicted by the way his arms are shaded.)<br /><br />The smoke is under-lit, along with one of the sleeves, but the chair the other sleeve and the father's face are all illuminated from above.<br /><br />The desk top appears to be lit, (Again, this should fall under the purview of the lamp) but the white coffee cup is unaffected.<br /><br />The shading in this third panel is, to be generous, a mess.<br /><br />It doesn't ruin the strip, because truly the first and fourth panels are the setup and punch, but it's certainly an unfortunate distraction. I don't want to be too cruel about taking Scott to task when he is experimenting or taking risks with his art, but I am very curious to know what he was trying.<br /><br />If I had to guess, I would say he was trying to make 'illumination' a literal concept. And that's fine, clever if done well. In this case, unfortunately, I think the lamp and poor attention to detail doomed the effort.<br /><br />(As an interesting aside, the smoke is somewhat detailed in the second panel, then extremely detailed in panel three...before it loses all detail in the final panel. Strange.)<br /><br />Book (or blog) keeping note:<br /><br />I'm assuming a Friday strip will show up at some point, but my next post will be Saturday when I do the 'weekly recap' of PvP and talk about a few other webcomics...which I promise I will only do on the weekends.<br /><br />Until then, enjoy your Friday evenings!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>R.W.McGeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06509063502719145043noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7868410547916281226.post-65246675412481714702009-08-26T13:57:00.001-07:002009-08-26T14:51:31.517-07:00Hummel Suggestions<table cellspacing="5" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 246px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_75JHb7NKDSA/SpWiNltPaxI/AAAAAAAAAAs/wAYUJ3y8XMA/s400/hummelpie.gif" border="0" title="You gonna squawk all day, old man, or are ya gonna crow" />(<a href="http://www.pvponline.com/2009/08/25/hummel-pie/">Source</a>)<br /><br />Cole's father has an amazing bit of "huge old man crotch" on display, here. I love it! However, his rooster hair got really out of control and part of it doubled in size. It's the sort of detail that... sticks out.<br /><br /><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 246px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_75JHb7NKDSA/SpWsUFGIh_I/AAAAAAAAABE/-RYQ7U92R1Q/s400/hummelpie2.gif" border="0" title="Nom nom om" />His hair does a bit of a repeat in this panel, due to being drawn in a size that doesn't seem to scale with the rest of his head. So, while it still looks wrong (Compared to the other instances we've seen of it), it's only subtly so. Also of note, Cole's speech balloon doesn't need to wrap behind Brent's head. When you place speech balloons behind physical objects in your strip, you'd better have a gag-related reason for it -- because it makes your speech bubbles <i>also</i> look like physical objects.<br /><br />God, the drawing of Brent blissfully going to town on an ice cream sandwich is just delicious. It may have been funnier if we'd also been given his "emotional sunglasses" look, but it's already great. Oh, do take note of how there is a distinct separation between the collar of Cole's dad's shirt and his cardigan.<br /><br /><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 247px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_75JHb7NKDSA/SpWkkJhBEuI/AAAAAAAAAA8/uwWKPycOpR4/s400/hummelpie3.gif" border="0" title="The right time to stick your chin out" />You see, drawing a single line to imply the edges of both articles of clothing <i>works</i>... but it looks sloppier and lazier. I also attempted to put some definition behind how the collar is bent, because the "bent, yet pointed at the viewer" angle is leaving most of the work to the viewer's imagination. It should, of course, be noted that Cole's father's collars (I seriously need a name for this guy. "Father's brother's half-cousin's former roommate's" syndrome. Mr. Richards, then, unless he doesn't share Cole's last name. I'm starting to suspect that he doesn't share Cole's <i>first</i> name...) are still a much-improved version of Cole's own collars.<br /><br />The other alterations are another "Bring the speech balloons to the foreground" issue, and then a little chin job to show that Mr. Richards' head is not entirely confined by his collar. Nothing big, nothing fancy. Just trying to show some practical and possibly-useful edits.<br /><br />To wrap things up, though, the punchline here is a little odd. Mr. Richards responds to the allegation that he may have forgotten details from his own youth with the rejoinder that he still remembers what COLE did as a child. Sorry, Mr. Richards, but what relevance does that have to your OWN childhood? Just how young <i>were</i> you when Cole was five?</td></tr></tbody></table>Jaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05050713941578754388noreply@blogger.com12