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WebComics - Because we're too cheap and too lazy for the real thing

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  • Panda4YouPanda4You Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    "Fuck you Jon"

    Also, drawing garfield as an overrisen loaf of bread, with tiny peggles for legs, is awesome.

    Panda4You on
  • cshadow42cshadow42 Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Where did all the hate for Least I Could Do / Looking For Group's author come from?

    cshadow42 on
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  • SolarSolar Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Well, least I could do is a pile of self-indulgent bullshit. I read it these days to see what new depths the author will sink to. It used to be funny... *sniff*

    Solar on
  • cshadow42cshadow42 Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    How is it self-indulgent?

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  • SolarSolar Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Because the main character is used for the author to express his own views on the world on a regular basis, he's essentially a self-insert. And of course his views are so obviously right and always resolve the situation. Also many of the characters act in what the author seems to feel to be a funny, snappy manner but actually makes them complete arseholes. Case in point, current arc, where Rayne's brother is being brought up on criminal negiligence while doing surgery and is acting like it's all a joke. It's meant to be funny but it just makes him come across as a massive tosser.

    Solar on
  • cshadow42cshadow42 Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    When I read it, nothing struck me as being much different than what most webcomics were doing.

    cshadow42 on
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  • durandal4532durandal4532 Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    The lack of comedy really struck me as oddly out of place for a comic. It may have gotten funnier since I left it, though.

    Also, basically all author-inserts are just complete dickbags.

    durandal4532 on
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  • cshadow42cshadow42 Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Doesn't every comic eventually do a self-insert?

    cshadow42 on
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  • FiarynFiaryn Omnicidal Madman Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    cshadow42 wrote: »
    Doesn't every comic eventually do a self-insert?

    No, but the awful ones always do.

    Fiaryn on
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  • cshadow42cshadow42 Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    So would you say that the more a comic does self-insertions, the more it sucks?

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  • FiarynFiaryn Omnicidal Madman Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    I would say that the presence of a self-insertion drastically increases the probability of suckage.

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  • cshadow42cshadow42 Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Some good webcomics, such as PvP and Penny Arcade, do well with self-insertions.

    And yes, I would say Megatokyo does well even with self-insertions as well. Then again, I am a sucker for the manga style used therein.

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  • FiarynFiaryn Omnicidal Madman Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Piro is probably the most unlikeable character in Mega Tokyo though. He's a whiny, unmotivated tosser with no redeeming qualities whatsoever who is nonetheless showered with attention and lusted after by like half the female cast.

    I can't really say that's a "good self-insert" :?

    Penny Arcade on the other hand regularly inflicts death and horrible trauma upon their "avatars".

    Fiaryn on
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  • cshadow42cshadow42 Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Fiaryn wrote: »
    Piro is probably the most unlikeable character in Mega Tokyo though. He's a whiny, unmotivated tosser with no redeeming qualities whatsoever who is nonetheless showered with attention and lusted after by like half the female cast.

    I can't really say that's a "good self-insert" :?

    Penny Arcade on the other hand regularly inflicts death and horrible trauma upon their "avatars".

    So self-harm = goodness?

    I'm just teasing you. I think there is no way to formulate an equation or set of cues for what a good webcomic requires.

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  • FiarynFiaryn Omnicidal Madman Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Obviously not, but while there is no set equation the actions taken in regards to a self-insert give away a lot about the authors attitude towards/the purpose of said self-insert.

    CAD and Megatokyo for example seem to be jerking their authors off. Penny Arcade is doing whatever happens to be amusing, even if it means making fun of themselves.

    However, people being people means that most authors can't resist jerking their cartoon selves. Thus why self-inserts raise the probability of suck.

    Fiaryn on
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  • cshadow42cshadow42 Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    I've seen the same kind of thing in mainstream comics. I remember the Marvel Knight's "4" series, which I thought was pretty decent until they switched authors. The very first issue, the author, whom I have never heard of, does a self-insertion, and is the focus of the story. The whole thing was boring and made me want to wretch.

    Self-insertion in comics has always taken me out of the story. An example of this was "The Trial of Galactus" trade, which was pretty good (Reed Richards put on trial for saving Galactus). But the addition of the author just took me out of the story every time he appeared.

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  • wwtMaskwwtMask Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Fiaryn wrote: »
    Piro is probably the most unlikeable character in Mega Tokyo though. He's a whiny, unmotivated tosser with no redeeming qualities whatsoever who is nonetheless showered with attention and lusted after by like half the female cast.

    You just described, almost perfectly, the premise of many harem manga/anime. MT has always been something of an homage\parody exploration of that particular anime trope. The fact that Piro happens to be very much like the creator isn't that odd, seeing how people like him gravitate towards that type of anime in the first place.

    wwtMask on
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  • cshadow42cshadow42 Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    The author of Megatokyo acknowledges to a great extent that his fan base, otaku, are shy, unmotivated, whiny, and at times downright creepy.

    And whats wrong with being showered with attention by the opposite sex? Seems to be a major theme in the more popular mangas (Ranma, Fruits Basket, Tenchi Muyo, etc.)

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  • wwtMaskwwtMask Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    In both Ranma and Tenchi, the protagonist is at least neither whiny nor shy and are fairly awesome in their own right. They're more or less deserving of the attention they get from girls.

    wwtMask on
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  • cshadow42cshadow42 Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    I'll agree with you on Tenchi, but Ranma is rather egotistical and disrespectful.

    cshadow42 on
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  • wwtMaskwwtMask Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Yes, but he's also a bad ass and goes out of his way to save the girls when they're in trouble. He has some things going for him that girls might like.

    wwtMask on
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  • durandal4532durandal4532 Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Girl-harem anime is creepy.

    PA works because the author-inserts are only author-inserts in the vaguest of senses. They exist to tell jokes, not to reflect the authors.

    durandal4532 on
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  • TexiKenTexiKen Dammit! That fish really got me!Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    That's a good point that distinguishes PA from other author inserts. It could be any characters really (like the Bayonetta tits strip), it just allows for better flow having two characters (who just happen to be the creators) be the focal point for most strips.

    TexiKen on
  • FiarynFiaryn Omnicidal Madman Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    wwtMask wrote: »
    Fiaryn wrote: »
    Piro is probably the most unlikeable character in Mega Tokyo though. He's a whiny, unmotivated tosser with no redeeming qualities whatsoever who is nonetheless showered with attention and lusted after by like half the female cast.

    You just described, almost perfectly, the premise of many harem manga/anime. MT has always been something of an homage\parody exploration of that particular anime trope. The fact that Piro happens to be very much like the creator isn't that odd, seeing how people like him gravitate towards that type of anime in the first place.

    You'll notice that nowhere did I suggest that harem manga/anime is worthy of respect either.

    In fact I'd say it's worthy of some mixture of disdain and pity.

    Fiaryn on
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  • john fechonjohn fechon Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Someone mentioned Giant in the Playground (Erfworld) and I'll second that one.

    Its about a table top gaming nerd who ends up in a turn based strategy world. It started out being drawn, then it switched to text-based while in between chapters. Now it updates every couple of days, alternating between the two styles.

    john fechon on
  • VirralVirral Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    I just finished the MSPaint Adventures Problem Sleuth, and it blew my mind.

    Virral on
    2vlp7o9.jpg
  • Mr FuzzbuttMr Fuzzbutt Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    I hope you have plenty of spare minds for when you get started on Homestuck.

    Probably a good idea to lay down a tarp.

    Mr Fuzzbutt on
    broken image link
  • TheySlashThemTheySlashThem Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    cshadow42 wrote: »
    Doesn't every comic eventually do a self-insert?
    cshadow42 wrote: »
    When I read it, nothing struck me as being much different than what most webcomics were doing.

    you have to bear in mind that the vast, vast majority of webcomics are absolutely terrible

    if anything, being something that most webcomics do is enough reason not to do something, in and of itself

    TheySlashThem on
  • cshadow42cshadow42 Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    What is 'Homestuck'?

    Heh, it'd be funny to see PA do a harem strip just for the fun of it

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  • FiarynFiaryn Omnicidal Madman Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Homestuck is the current story on MS Paint Adventures. It's awesome.

    Fiaryn on
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  • cshadow42cshadow42 Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    So, a friend of mine has launched a webcomic of his own:
    retailgods.net

    Honestly? I don't get it. And all his characters' eyes look like...breasts. But..at least they're highly variable breasts...which, um...isn't exactly a great thing I suppose.

    So, in the event that you click on it, can someone tell me if its good or not? Because when I look at it, I get the impression that its likability is on a different level than me...

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  • FiarynFiaryn Omnicidal Madman Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Eyes definitely look like tits. What the hell.

    Fiaryn on
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  • durandal4532durandal4532 Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    It's pretty bad, but it looks like it could be one of those things where the artist starts out awful and steadily improves, which is always worthwhile. Of course, it could also be one of those things where the artist starts out awful and grows belligerent.

    durandal4532 on
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  • Mace1370Mace1370 Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    I'm a big fan of Cyanide and Happiness. The facial expressions definitely make most of the jokes. Some others:

    1. I red LFG for a good bit, but lost interest after I missed a few weeks worth of comics and the plot line became rather convoluted.

    2. VGCats is amazing, when he actually updates it.

    3. http://www.wtfcomics.com/ is one I don't see many people mentioning. It is a comic set in the Everquest universe, with a few twists.

    Edit: And of course my webcomic, which is super amazing.

    Mace1370 on
  • SolarSolar Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Girl-harem anime is creepy.

    All anime is creepy.

    Solar on
  • DouglasDangerDouglasDanger PennsylvaniaRegistered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Solar wrote: »
    Girl-harem anime is creepy.

    All anime is creepy.

    This is a stupid thing to say. "Anime" is animation from Japan. It is a medium, not a genre. Dismissing an entire medium is beyond moronic.

    DouglasDanger on
  • SolarSolar Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    And the medium, due to the artistic portrayal of people and animals etc, creeps me out, with the big eyes and stuff. What's your problem dude?

    Solar on
  • DouglasDangerDouglasDanger PennsylvaniaRegistered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Solar wrote: »
    And the medium, due to the artistic portrayal of people and animals etc, creeps me out, with the big eyes and stuff. What's your problem dude?

    That is a popular trend, but it hardly applies to all manga. There is good manga out there, but you probably won't find it in a bookstore. Pluto, for example, is really good. 20th Century Boys is really good. I've heard good things about Akira and Monster, but I haven't read those yet. Blame! and Biomega were really awesome and really uniquely styled. Sexy Voice and Robo is supposed to be really great too.

    And the sort of manga Scott Pilgrim is one of the greatest things ever.

    DouglasDanger on
  • slacktronslacktron Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Servo wrote: »
    EDIT: speaking of Garfield

    garfieldfinal.png

    oh my goodness i laughed

    I may be a week late on this one, but my love for Beaton springs eternal.
    How would this work with another great Garfield meme? I wonder...
    garfieldwogffinal.jpg

    slacktron on
    slacktron_zombie_fighter_sig.jpg
  • SolarSolar Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    That is a popular trend, but it hardly applies to all manga. There is good manga out there, but you probably won't find it in a bookstore. Pluto, for example, is really good. 20th Century Boys is really good. I've heard good things about Akira and Monster, but I haven't read those yet. Blame! and Biomega were really awesome and really uniquely styled. Sexy Voice and Robo is supposed to be really great too.

    I'm not saying that the stories etc are poor, though I dislike some Japanese storytelling conventions (how women are often represented especially) but that I don't at all like the art style which creeps me out. For example, Devil May Cry as a game series I loved, a bit over the top in places but DMC3 especially was great with cool cutscenes and characters. But when it came out as an anime I found the art style unpleasant to look at.

    Solar on
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