Right. QC has been following the same tired formula for years now. Its art quality and interest level are inversely correlated (the best strips were horribly drawn), and I stopped caring for it a long time ago. For rhinohelix to give up on it now can only be for one reason, a non-heteronormative relationship being portrayed in a positive light. I applaud QC for taking that step, which is the first positive thing I’ve said about them in a long time.
You’re either a terrible psychic or a shitty detective. I don’t care how they show the relationship; trans folks are people, too. It really seems to be very much part of a deliberate strategy to have all of the bases covered: There is a gay relationship, an interracial relationship, and cis/normal whatever relationship in the narrative forefront in the strip already. I don’t care one way or the other about those relationships, and if that’s the story he wants to write, more power to him. I am happy that folks can find stories and characters that resonate with them. It’s that I don’t care about the relationships in the strip now that’s the issue, regardless of who is dating whom.
Its a marginal comic for me that isn’t great for all the reasons you describe (although he does update every day) that has radically changed over the years, probably with the author’s life, and this feels very much like the “Here Comes A Baby” or whatever from TV Tropes. It just doesn’t do it for me anymore. This just changes it from 0.005 to -0.005 on my interest meter. I am not going to not read it, sitting in my room and making a pouty face because a guy in a webcomic is dating someone who’s trans; I am just not going to bother anymore. If this makes it a comic that finds a new audience because of this change, so be it and hurray: That day no fucks were given. If Jeph is trying to make a statement, he isn’t talking to me. As Black Isis says, I won’t be missed.
I only mentioned it here because I only started reading it from this thread. /Shrug. Now that you and your mental powers have outed me as a whatever-phobe transgressor (wha-wha-whaaaa) of the political crime du jour, back to your regularly scheduled viewing.
Edit: I also change the channel when the U.S. version of “Queer as Folk” comes on. Does that mean I am not going to Progressive Diversity Heaven?
We’re supposed to believe that you just happen to pick the day QC shows the protagonist kissing a trans character as the day you decide it’s gone one covered base too far? That all the other bases were buildup to this tipping point and this one is no more important than the rest? I’m not buying it, rhino. I’ve been critical of the strip for a long time, and there have been years’ worth of reasons to drop it. This series of strips doesn’t qualify unless the subject matter itself bothers you. As a story, it seems better than most of what he’s done this decade, though I’m not an expert on his work anymore and maybe there have been some improvements that I missed.
Well, the first thing you’re going to have to get over, Phoenix Wright, is that I don’t care what “you’re buying”. I explained myself as much as I am going to, so feel free to convene the Star Chamber and try me in abstentia. I am still not reading the comic and don’t care who does, and who likes it and who doesn’t.
And furthermore, if it did bother me, so what? Would I get double-secret probation from the LGBT police? The only person whose loss that would be is mine.
Edit: You ninja edited out the “when did you develop these tyranical impulses, Dave?” line that ended your last post, so I’m adding it back in here so mine makes sense.
That would be never, rhino. Disagreeing with someone isn’t at all the same as imposing your will on them by force. And if you read back through this thread, you’ll see that I’m not alone in coming to the conclusion I did. You’re say that conclusion is incorrect, but your initial post gave that impression and no other. If you actually approve of trans relationships and don’t mind them being depicted in various media, you should rethink your approach to saying “I’m not reading this any more” when one suddenly becomes part of an ongoing story. Occam’s Razor is going to lead everyone to the same destination I arrived at.
It wasn’t a ninja-edit; I posted it and re-read, as I do every post, and it wasn’t making the point I wanted to, so I removed it. It must have been up for all of 45 sec, so grats on catching me in that, Javert. Also, I posted my reasoning, which only tangentially had to do with the nature of the folks in the relationship. But hey! Someone might have had an impure thought! So there; you have made the internet safe for another day.
The comic here is funny…
…but the blurb below it about Texas is hilarious.
Concealed weapons laws? In Texas? Sorry, I momentarily forgot about the sign that welcomes you into our great state: “Welcome to Texas. Please help yourself to one of our complimentary assault rifles. Due to new state regulations, you may not enter Texas with more than 4oz of gay in your carry on bag.” And they SAY you can give them your extra gay and they’ll mail it back to you, but you KNOW they just sell it on eBay.
Thanks for that, ineffablebob!
Pretty neat
Anyone else mouse over the first comic out of habit?
All of them, my friend. All of them.
Kill Six Billion Demons has just come to my attention. If forced to posit a Mendelian analogy, I’d say it’s like a cross between Girl Genius, Curvy, Forming, and/or Dante’s Inferno, with the update schedule of Dresden Codak.
Well anyway the art is pretty amazing, and the writer puts a hell of a lot of effort into the worldbuilding.
Thanks, Zylon. I’ll check that out.
In other news, Dr. McNinja ended.
I am having to get my Chris Hastings fix by buying actual comics, in this case, he’s authoring Gwenpool. So I’m buying all the Gwenpools.
Arguably, this could have also gone in any number of P&R threads. But it’s at least ostensibly a webcomic, so this seemed the best spot for it. In any case, well worth the read. It lines up nicely with the things Arlie Hochschild says in “Stangers in Their Own Land” about the deep story that influences people at a fundamental level.
The Oatmeal’s content would be better in a blog.
No it wouldn’t.