A Penny Arcade strip you like and why

anaqer · 2010-11-19T06:29:25.000Z

Pogo:

There were comments earlier in this board that showed the same confusion. It seems natural to assume that “Tycho” is the name of the guy with the Pac-Man shirt on. I think it’s certainly common enough, not the majority of course.

You must be joking. (Or trolling, in which case I must commend you on your choice of topic. Carry on.)

Gus_Smedstad1 · 2010-11-19T08:52:48.000Z

The Harlan Ellison story is a good one. He’s always come across as a egomaniac troll, even from people who like him. I’m thinking of Asimov’s autobiography here, which is where the “what would you say to a little fuck” story comes from.

Rimbo · 2010-11-19T10:32:50.000Z

I didn’t even know Asimov had an autobiography. I’m thinking I really, really need to read this.

…apparently, he has at least three autobiographies.

Gendal · 2010-11-19T10:42:07.000Z

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I think Gabe tried to get a little artsy here with the colors and it back fired on him. He could have used a wider gamut which would have made it easier to pick out the individual characters in the pile. While I got the joke quickly, I still spent time trying to figure out who was who in Mt. Doom to confirm my theory. Which of course ruined the punchline.

Quitch · 2010-11-19T10:51:14.000Z

Rimbo:

I didn’t even know Asimov had an autobiography. I’m thinking I really, really need to read this.

…apparently, he has at least three autobiographies.

From what I’ve read you’re best just getting the condensed version by his second wife “It’s been a good life”. And by “from what I’ve read” I mean over the course of the last ten minutes when that same quote sent me looking :)

Gus_Smedstad1 · 2010-11-19T11:03:35.000Z

I’ve got the first two volumes of the full version, “In memory yet green” and “In joy still felt.” Yes, they’re long winded, since he takes 700 pages just to cover the first 34 years of his life. However, if you like Asimov’s nonfiction writing at all, they’re worth reading. It’s been a long time since I read them, but I never felt like they dragged.

zengonzo · 2010-11-19T11:13:30.000Z

Rimbo:

…apparently, he has at least three autobiographies.

Appropriate.

Rimbo · 2010-11-19T11:14:39.000Z

I always liked the “About the Author” snippets he would write at the end of his novels. :)

malkav11 · 2010-11-19T16:28:55.000Z

LesJarvis:

If by “even vaguely aware of the current events in gaming” you mean “with specific knowledge of Kinect shovelware” then I agree. I didn’t know there was a volleyball game included with Kinect Sports, and their posture in the first panel did not immediately suggest volleyball to me, though they were obviously playing a Kinect game. With that in mind the narrative of the strip becomes clear.

Frankly, I’m not sure that knowing that would have helped me. I mean, of course I know the Kinect is out and flailing is involved, but not only did I not parse them as playing Kinect volleyball, I did not parse them as playing Kinect anything, or indeed playing. It looked to me like Gabe was…I dunno, boosting Tycho up to futz with the chandelier for some reason, and tragedy ensued when Tycho fell.

Jason_McCullough · 2010-11-19T16:56:46.000Z

That’s because it’s not very good art. I mean it’s servicable for dick jokes and gamer humor that make me laugh, but that’s a low bar to clear.

Sebmojo · 2010-11-19T17:23:52.000Z

Jason McCullough:

That’s because it’s not very good art. I mean it’s servicable for dick jokes and gamer humor that make me laugh, but that’s a low bar to clear.

Really? A 1600 post thread of counterexamples is a strange place to put that contention. I mean just randomly:

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Jason_McCullough · 2010-11-19T18:44:07.000Z

I’m not an expert in anything in this field, but by comic standards it looks amateurish and clunky to me, and not intentionally so as a consistent design approach either. The backgrounds and “camera perspective” stuff is interesting sometimes, but the people themselves are just shoddily drawn. Ok, maybe “shoddy” is too strong; “workmanlike, passable” is probably a better description. You can see this in things like, oh, a joke relying on body perspective and motion being unrecognizable to a non-trivial number of people in the target audience who should immediately get it.

I’ve read the entire thread, I’ve laughed at most of them, I just don’t think the art is that good. God knows it laps the rest of the gamer comics out there, like, say, VG Cats, but that’s not saying much.

Rimbo · 2010-11-19T19:22:49.000Z

I think your objection is more stylistic than anything. What makes a comic strip’s art good is different from what makes a comic book or graphic novel’s art good; what makes those good differs from what makes a painting good.

I got the Kinect/chandelier joke right away, but I read a lot of comic strips and have done so since I was very little, and I knew the context immediately. I’d say that a good comic needs you to understand that they’re playing Kinect and hitting a chandelier on accident without having someone explain it to you, or three and a half decades’ worth of intense comic-strip-reading experience.

Jason_McCullough · 2010-11-19T19:29:10.000Z

The style is fine; I just think the people look like blobs with faces. There’s a lot of things I’d expect around body stance, limb motion, and what have to indicate things like, oh, Kinect usage I just don’t see at all.

Rimbo · 2010-11-19T20:33:40.000Z

Jason McCullough:

The style is fine; I just think the people look like blobs with faces. There’s a lot of things I’d expect around body stance, limb motion, and what have to indicate things like, oh, Kinect usage I just don’t see at all.

Yeah, welcome to the comics page. :)

Stepsongrapes · 2010-11-19T20:43:34.000Z

Jason McCullough:

The style is fine; I just think the people look like blobs with faces. There’s a lot of things I’d expect around body stance, limb motion, and what have to indicate things like, oh, Kinect usage I just don’t see at all.

What comic strip are you comparing PA to? Can you provide an example or two of a strip that you feel is more than workmanlike?

anaqer · 2010-11-20T05:17:29.000Z

You can see this in things like, oh, a joke relying on body perspective and motion being unrecognizable to a non-trivial number of people in the target audience who should immediately get it.

They should, but look around in real life and you’ll find that a non-trivial number of people can be pretty daft. Just sayin’.

Jason_McCullough · 2010-11-20T11:10:44.000Z

Stepsongrapes:

What comic strip are you comparing PA to? Can you provide an example or two of a strip that you feel is more than workmanlike?

The immediate one that comes to mind is Bill Watterson. I know picking one of the best comics ever isn’t fair, but it illustrates what I mean; I’ve never thought “man that’s a strange looking body” or “what the hell are they doing.”

Rimbo · 2010-11-20T11:51:48.000Z

Yeah, that isn’t fair. :)

Stepsongrapes · 2010-11-20T12:29:13.000Z

Jason McCullough:

The immediate one that comes to mind is Bill Watterson. I know picking one of the best comics ever isn’t fair, but it illustrates what I mean; I’ve never thought “man that’s a strange looking body” or “what the hell are they doing.”

I find PA art to be well-above the average as compared to Sunday paper comics or webcomics. I admittedly don’t read a lot of either, but I’ve never thought of PA as below the curve.