A Penny Arcade strip you like and why

OrfBC · 2011-11-16T14:10:37.000Z

I must be some kind of genius because I basically understood the joke even without having it meticulously explained to me within the strip.

salwon · 2011-11-16T14:15:29.000Z

Tycho’s post on the topic was top shelf as well:

After being eased into Super Mario Land 3D with a series of levels which are not horrifying, the punishment can and will begin in earnest. Defeating these while also collecting their three star coins will test you. Indeed, upon missing that same jump that you missed many times previously, you may find that a magical leaf has been provided. This leaf is a kind of Super Tanooki Suit, which transforms you into a kind of sparkling megaraccoon which cannot be harmed. You don’t have to take it. You can just leave it there and continue to fail again and again, as you have so miserably. But the strong implication is that you need this leaf very badly.

You will most likely accept it, but you won’t like it; you’ll resent the leaf. You’ll feel the leer of a Koopa Troopa hot on your neck, its beak curled in disgust. You’ll get to the end, you’ll get the flag; you’ll tick your adventure forward one Standard Destiny Unit (SDU). But a taste will accompany the proceedings.

This taste will be bitter.

Valentine · 2011-11-16T17:39:40.000Z

He’s doing a “Zelda: Skyward Sword” comic

His head is on backwards

sinnick · 2011-11-16T18:16:10.000Z

Nah, the Zelda drawing isn’t worth complaining about. It’s fine.

Jamie_Madigan · 2011-11-16T18:18:49.000Z

It was also already mentioned up thread.

Dave_Perkins · 2011-11-16T18:27:36.000Z

But was it complained about.

Rasputin · 2011-11-16T20:22:24.000Z

FUCKING NOSE.

RepoMan · 2011-11-16T21:06:33.000Z

Yeah, I have to say that the fucking noses are liable to drive even me off PA, and I love those guys.

Dave_Perkins · 2011-11-17T06:06:18.000Z

Take a deep breath, everyone. The last thing this thread needs is for everyone who doesn’t like Penny Arcade to take off.

Ben_Sones · 2011-11-17T08:54:51.000Z

I really miss when this was the “Penny Arcade strip that you like” thread, and not the “Let’s bitch about Gabe’s hands and crotch gaps three times a week” thread.

Gus_Smedstad1 · 2011-11-17T09:58:38.000Z

It’s like this.

If the strip were as good as it has been in the past, people would be talking about that. It’s not, so people talk about the shortcomings instead. Which is really more about the writing than Gabe’s shortcomings as an artists, which have always been there.

Bahimiron · 2011-11-17T09:59:58.000Z

I donno, there still seems to be plenty of people who continue to enjoy the strip these days. Heck, I think the latest strip is actually pretty great. I love the goombahs making fun of Mario in the second panel. It’s just a whole lot more fun to bitch about things, though.

RepoMan · 2011-11-17T12:22:25.000Z

I love everything except the orange noses. I am fine with the Kricfalusi shit, I like Tycho’s blowhardiness… but the noses… the noses. Still I will put up with them, it might be just a phase, lord knows Gabe’s had phases before.

Editer · 2011-11-17T12:43:24.000Z

The strip is as good as it was in the past. It’s just been around so long that people are used to it. And they have rose-colored memories of the good/bad ratio of past strips.

It’s like when people think ST:TNG was a good show, because they only think back to the 20-ish good episodes.

Gus_Smedstad1 · 2011-11-17T12:48:32.000Z

Editer:

It’s like when people think ST:TNG was a good show, because they only think back to the 20-ish good episodes.

Good point. I get fond memories of ST:TNG periodically, and then I’ll watch an episode at random when it’s playing on the-channel-formerly-known-as-SciFi, and I’ll get disenchanted again.

Gordon_Cameron · 2011-11-17T13:17:38.000Z

It’s like when people think ST:TNG was a good show, because they only think back to the 20-ish good episodes.

For my money, any series that produces 20 good episodes is a good show, but I’m a half-full kinda guy I suppose.

Sebmojo · 2011-11-17T14:59:13.000Z

Gus_Smedstad:

It’s like this.

If the strip were as good as it has been in the past, people would be talking about that. It’s not, so people talk about the shortcomings instead. Which is really more about the writing than Gabe’s shortcomings as an artists, which have always been there.

It’s always been hit and miss. That’s its strength, in a funny way - they’re trying to make something that’s ‘good enough’ so they can always hit their three a week target. If they were striving for ABSOLUTE QUALITY then they would have burnt out years ago.

So there’s an important role for a thread that picks out good strips and lets people say why they like them so you can see the strips that stand above the mildly amusing median.

Just for eg.

Quitch · 2011-11-18T04:12:59.000Z

Gus_Smedstad:

It’s like this.

If the strip were as good as it has been in the past, people would be talking about that. It’s not, so people talk about the shortcomings instead. Which is really more about the writing than Gabe’s shortcomings as an artists, which have always been there.

I think it’s far more likely that we ploughed the archives faster than they produce new material.

Gus_Smedstad1 · 2011-11-18T05:49:50.000Z

Quitch:

I think it’s far more likely that we ploughed the archives faster than they produce new material.

That’s still consistent with Sebmojo’s point. There are strips that are generally consistently good enough that there’s a daily discussion of the strip on the related forum.

BlueJackalope · 2011-11-18T09:08:07.000Z

i-gBkTwC3-X2.jpg746×960

The whole second paragraph (stanza?).