I've been too busy to find words recently, so big thanks to Esoteric Scribe for getting the party started on the latest strips. He will be played by Justin Long in PVPMMS: The Movie. I will be played by Wil Wheaton. Paul Southworth will be played by himself.
I'm so late to the party these days that all I can do is agree with commenters. It may seem like a redundant exercise, but, after wondering that myself, I've decided it's worth it to make sure they opinions make it to the front page.
1. New storyline. Yaaaaaaaaay*.
2. I thought the same thing about Scratch's eyes in panels 2 and 6 -- It took a second look to make sure they were actually different. It would have helped if they weren't in such close proximity.
3. I don't really know how much more work it is to double the length of the strip, but this one felt like it needed another row of panels. The transition from 3 to 4 doesn't work for me at all.
4. Scratch's crotch needs some color.
* this is sarcasm.
52 comments:
Hey, get bent, FSM. I'm way too important to play myself.
Just super-glue a goatee and a baseball cap on Danny Devito and prop him up in front of a computer or something.
Some of us got shit to do.
ZOMG FSM IS WIL WHEATON
...
My biggest problem with the strip is there no build up to Scratch's declaration. I've narrowed it down to Panel 4 as the reason the strip doesn't flow. The first three panels remind you the cat misses Skull; also, that he and Kirby can still talk and it wasn't just a mass dream brought on by Skull. The last four panels build up to Scratch dropping the biggest cliffhanger dud since Funky Winkerbean.
The missing piece is seeing Scratch's decision to find Skull. Otherwise, all it seems is that he was getting in last minute pout time then gearing up (why does he need the goggles?)
For me, Panel 4 would have been better served as two or three panels itself. Broken down:
a) a second shot of anime-eyed Scratch
b) his eyes still wide, his pupils go back to normal, realizing what Kirby just said
c) squinty eyed look of determination
... and then the rest of the strip. The flow is too jarring as is.
...Scott Kurtz is Paul Southworth!
Too bad Don LaFontaine died this week because I would have paid good money to hear him say "and Danny Devito IS Paul Southworth!"
Unresolved storylines, lousy art, lame jokes, a bizarre slavish mentality restricting himself to emulate the newspaper strip format, 80's pop culture references for the sake of 80's pop culture references, etc.
It's all just sub-par bullshit. Always has been, always will be.
lousy art? say what you will about some writing and storyline decisions, Kurtz has evolved and improved his art more then just about anyone short of Gabe. Hell putting PvP beside something like CAD makes him look like a grand-fucking-master.
Putting a bag of feces besides CAD would make you look like a grand master, I don't know if that's the comparison you want to go with, lol.
Seems that having Kurtz over sparked a D&D themed strip from the PA boys.
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2008/9/05/
This one, compared to the week of 'nerd musical-chairs' from PvP, made me laugh.
Gabe also talks about the painting. Funnily enough, at no point do you get the impression that when he's speaking about it, little dollar signs appear in his eyes and a cartoon sound effect of 'ker-ching' can be heard.
That's because Mike (Gabe) actually gives a shit about art as a medium.
Hey all you millionaires, can I just set the record straight here and admit that I was the one who suggested to Scott that he could sell his paintings? I know you guys are real busy polishing your solid gold-plated thousand dollar bills and all, but believe it or not, Scott is not raking in Garfield money. He needs to support himself and his family just like the rest of us, and since he doesn't have originals to sell anymore, I suggested that perhaps he could sell some paintings to supplement his income. I guess no working classical artist in the history of the world actually gave a shit about art as a medium if he sold a painting.
Maybe I should be typing louder. I don't know if you guys can hear me up in your ivory towers.
I think it's less "SCOT KURZ SHULD STARVVV" and a bit more "jesus christ the guy picks up a brush for one afternoon and immediately wants/thinks it's good enough to sell it"
Paul
You forgot to add that my tower was lined with platinum :).
No i said PVP is like Kiss, good solid band that does A LOT of marketing, which you can't fault because we can see in Gene's show that his lifestyle is pretty damn good.
I have other issues with the man, but trying to make a living is not one of them.
Paul
Could I also suggest that he do something like Renee did at Anders Loves Maria with a donation drive? Im telling you because you he hates us :).
I know his fan base is much larger so he can limit it to the first whatever number he wants so his wrist doesn't fall off. Also, he can probably put the price a little higher to get original sketches because his audience is higher. Im sure he would make a fair bit of money and his fans would love to get something like that from him. After all i can't wait until Renee ships me my stuff :)
So wait, in your mind doing a donation drive is better than working hard on a painting and selling it for what it's worth? Zuh?
Scott could never do a donation drive, because he runs one of the most popular webcomics on the planet, and it's likely that all his readers perceive him as many time more well off than they, even thought that might not be the case? If you saw a dude in a $900 suit begging for change on the street, would you give him any?
And PvP is most certainly NOT like KISS. PEANUTS did ten billion times more marketing and licensing than PvP; would you ever think to compare Charles Schulz to Gene Simmons?
I think most of us have no problem with Scott's paintings.
A. Just because it's his first time doesn't mean his fans won't want to buy it.
B. Fans will buy anything. (even achewood's crappy paintings)
And yes, I would think to compare Schultz and Simmons: Both of them made a lot of money licensing out their intellectual property.
It's not a bad comparison; they're both huge success stories.
Gene Simmons is a powerful and attractive man.
Why wouldn't you want to be compared to him?
@Paul
First off my only comment about the painting was the Kiss one I made, and that its his right to merchandise and get whatever money he can.
Well the last response you made to us was that we shouldnt have a problem with selling the panting is because this is his job and he needs to support himself. Scott has even said he is thankful that he can do something to support himself and commented he makes about 50-60K as I remember. We all know he ain't rollin' in a benz.
Also, I remember he asked for donations to buy himself a Mac in January of 05 (from an article on cinemablend I found the date) because people were telling to buy him a Mac. So its not like hes never done it before.
In this case I meant a sketch-a-thon as Renee did, where different levels of donation leads to different levels of sketch. I don't think its a bum begging for money more like the guys at beach who do caricatures and you give them 10-20 bucks. With the bum hes asking for money for nothing in reutrn, but at least in this case theres quid pro quo. You could even send the painting to the highest bidder (like Renee did and it got a >$500 donatio). He's not doing anything wrong with the way he's doing it now, but I thought something like that would work with Scott and a loyal audience, as ALM's made over 5K with a smaller audience.
Also, in terms of Schultz v. Simmons, peronality wise no they are not similar (even though a book just suggested Schultz was a depressed man and that theme ran through peanuts) However, yes they are/were both VERY successful in there money/liscensing that made them a lot more money than there peers in there field(they both even had cartoons!). And many other people have success to varying degrees, like Jim Davies, Seth MacFarlane, Matt Groening (along with the other Simpsons guys), etc. They just know what the heck theyre doing, theyre not sellouts. Plus Schultz and Simmons got HUGE amounts of tail (jk)
@Jaap - pretty much spot on, yeah.
I guess no working classical artist in the history of the world actually gave a shit about art as a medium if he sold a painting.
LOL, web cartoonists as classical artists. Although the following thought did cross my mind when I read that:
The Pope: The Sistine Chapel Ceiling is Late!
Kurtzelangelo: It's late because FUCK YOU
First of all, for the love of God: it's SCHULZ. Sorry, it just... bugs me.
Secondly, there's absolutely nothing wrong with a donation drive, but I just find some people are uncomfortable with it, and would rather sell a product instead. I know Scott took donations for his Mac, but that seemed like a one-time thing, not something to make a habit out of. I'm one of those people who doesn't feel totally comfortable asking for donations, and if I made a painting, I'd sell it in a second. That's what we all want to do: get aid to draw. Comments like R.W.. McGee's about Scott "not giving a shit about his art" because he wants to sell it really jumps up my ass.
Please get out of my ass, McGee.
The Pope: The Sistine Chapel Ceiling is Late!
Kurtzelangelo: It's late because FUCK YOU
I'd be willing to bet a year's salary that this conversation actually took place.
hey i read a rumor on some forums that this blog was actually scott kurtz playing a hoax. is it true?
It is true that everyone on this blog is Scott Kurtz. Even Paul Southworth.
A donation drive with sketchs aren't really the way to go; Scott wants to paint, not sketch. Auction off the (original) pieces, then sell 8x12 (or whatever) prints to anyone who wants one of those.
Paul
Yeah i can understand a straight donation drive as you can easily feel you are just begging you audience for money. When you said he was out of original art to sell (which I would have wanted a few months ago but again oh well.) That reminded of Renee's sketch-a-thon, which i mislabeled as a donation drive :).
That way you can produce original art specifically for people, limit to a number you want to do, and get that extra cheddar (i don't actually say that in real life). Doesn't he draw sketches in the books he sells? (i remember him mentioning tuat as well) Im sure the part of his audience that cant get to cons would like to get something like that.
Oh well I think thatll be the end of my LONG responses and we'll agree to disagree and we'll agree we'll get Metallica's album on 9/12.
I don't really like the man, but he is good at what he does and I do wish him the best in what he does. Now back to my ivory and platinum tower where I can see Paul with RW up his arse!
Donation drives were fine when the internet bubble burst and everybody was desperately trying to keep their sites running, but now they're bad karma for all but the hokiest shindigs. You can't just ask for money when you're well known. The internet would be outraged.
Uh-oh, I feel myself wanting to critique SK's lolbat painting (Despite his several clear "I rushed this and it's crappy" warnings. I don't want to comment on the actual paint, just on the merits of it as a drawing). I don't think I'll let this bait get the better of me, though. Maybe after he sells it, I'll bring it back up.
We knew since the posting of his first painting that he'd try to sell the next one (And I thought it was super-fine that he wanted to create and sell his own artwork). I'm not sure why he's making an excuse, now ("I don't want this crap hanging around in my house reminding me of how badly I painted it" - not a direct quote, but it was something close). Possibly, he's seriously that upset about what he's been able to do with paint? It sounds like he's NOT ever going to go back to it (Since he apparently gave up on the lolbat one until Mike talked him back into it, and is now thinking he'll keep at it "but" at his "own pace". Sounds like the beginnings of "Eh, I'll get around to it, maybe. Probably not"). That would be a shame, I was genuinely excited by him taking these new steps and I hope he won't give up his artistic explorations.
"Now back to my ivory and platinum tower where I can see Paul with RW up his arse!"
I'm building a castle in there, with a tiny moat. It's not ideal, but once I jump somewhere I won't leave without a fight.
He thinks it's tat but he's selling it anyway? Either he knows how sheeplike his fanboys and he's fine with exploiting that or he's fishing for compliments. Neither are particularly attractive qualities.
Re: Lolbat painting
It's possible this is self-deprecation on Kurtz's part."I think it's terrible but maybe a fan will want it anyway."
You may have a point. Kurtz is known for his humility and open-mindedness.
I don't know, I read what he said and it sounded more like "It should suck because I wasn't in the mood to do it and it was rushed and my second painting, blah blah blah, but LOOK! It's awesome anyway!" At least that's how I read it.
Where are you guys hearing about him selling his paintings? i'm looking at the last couple news posts on the PVP site, and while I see info about his paintings, I don't see anything about the sale of them...
You might want to polish up your reading skills...
"Once I get back and settled in, I’ll put it up on eBay. Just think. You could be the first person to own one of these horrible little experiments."
Nah, my reading skills are fine. I was just skimming the posts, looking for an ebay link or something a little wordier about ebay. No need to be a douchebag when someone is simply asking for help.
This is the internet! Douchebaggery is a requirement to even sign on! Who let you in here??
He's got a point.
That's all he can stands (Sorry about the penmanship). Most of it has already been mentioned, but I thought I'd try a new format out.
It's part of a forehead, not a nose.
@'anon 7:57' - "Nah, my reading skills are fine. I was just skimming the posts, looking for an ebay link or something a little wordier about ebay. No need to be a douchebag when someone is simply asking for help."
Oh, come on - "...I don't see anything about the sale of them..."! If that's not someone in desperate need of glasses, I don't know what is. And Douchebag? What kind of sheltered existence have you been leading? That was remarkably mellow for what could (should?) have been said.
@'anon 1:52' - That part of the forehead appears to have a nostril in it. Either way, it's a lot of detail that wasn't in the first panel (unless, you believe SK is drawing the nose, that is).
Wow. Kurtz painted art and now he wants to sell it. What a son-of-a-bitch.
It's like he thinks he's an artist or something.
Asshole. I can't believe he would want to sell the art he makes, at a profit even. What a douche. I guess it's all about him making art and then selling that art to make a living. What a cock-muncher.
Doesn't he know that artists just create art, then walk away from it fulfilled and never do anything else with it but explore the truth of the piece?
What a nazi, this guy with the selling of his art.
Hey dude, that whooshing sound you hear is the point as it sails past you.
Wait, anonymous 4:57, your argument doesn't make sense. First you say he thinks he's an artist as though such a title could not be applied to him, then later on you hold him up to the standard of an artist when giving reasons why his paintings should not be sold. Maybe you should reconsider your position and try to achieve some degree of consistency?
it's called sarcasm.
There's nothing wrong with Kurtz making paintings with the express purpose of selling them.
Lots of people do this. It's called making a living as an artist.
It must make Kurtz feel kind of warm inside to know such scrutiny is being applied to every line he makes. The power he has over you guys is incredible! Perhaps even more than he has over his actual fans.
Astounding!
I don't think of te guy for more than two minutes of reading and making the post, its a discussion site about PVP and we're discussing it.
Outside of here work, mortgage, wedding, fiancee, family, Phillies, Eagles, fantasy sports, reading, the election, the environment, those funny little hula thing in people cars, the weather, Philadelphia's crime rate, property taxs, cute monkey's, youtube, professional wrestling, and cooking are above anything that Kurtz can muster
Late AGAIN!
@ iron dookie - it certainly gives me a warm feeling to know the power I have to cause you to write about me. It's a thrill know I'm such an impact on your life.
...or maybe it's just some people talking guff on an internet site and you're desperately trying to look down your nose at them by blowing this waffle out of all proportion. Guess it didn't work.
Re: late
Didn't the guy travel halfway across the country this weekend? Give'm a damn break once in a while. BTW, a new Ding! (finally...)
Re: donation drive for strips
I think he's done that before, too. And it isn't any different than selling custom strips at the comicons for people who ask for them. So, Paul, your point in this respect just doesn't make sense.
Re: paintings/selling
I think it's brilliant that he's even tried painting. And painting PvP really "upscale"s the comic. I know it'll never happen, but a large (2'x3') hand-painted 4-panel strip would be amazing. And could rightly sell for thousands. A small series possibly could buy him a house, if it's auctioned properly.
It annoys me that others seem to think he should abandon painting.
If you want to talk art, you have to understand that art is only the relationship between the artist and a/any medium. If he wants to try a new medium, even better. He'll grow as an artist. Which is what SK has been trying to do for years now.
But, you can NOT call a cartoonist an artist, and then put him down for picking up a paint brush. (Someone did that last week. I don't remember who.) After all, how many painters consider cartoonists to be artists?
"It annoys me that others seem to think he should abandon painting."
They have? I must have missed that but I admit I've not exactly been concentrating on the comments a great deal.
So, anonymous 5:57, you've changed your mind entirely now? You should probably settle on an opinion before shooting your mouth off.
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