Saturday, January 10, 2009

Open Thread - Other Webcomics

Yo guys,
On weekends I'll try to post something small on weekends to start a discussion. So what are some other webcomics that have interesting things going on right now?

My candidates:
1) Anders Loves Maria - I love the storyline that is going on and a recent decision by Anders to NOT sleep with someone saved it from being too ridiculous. The strip has been plagued by technical difficulties and she has kids so that is important (I guess :) ) so the amount of strips has slowed recently. Still it’s a great story with great art.

2) XKCD - I don't get every joke of every strip but it makes me laugh more often then not. The most recent strip includes Microsoft Windows Beta 7, Hitler, and a dig at Vista and got an audible laugh for this guy.

3) Penny Arcade - Always great and the last 2-3 weeks have been great.

Also, while not technically a comic I look forward to every Wednesday for a new episode of Zero Punctuation. Yahtzee is called too negative by some people but I think he's just consistently funny. Even for games I liked (GTA IV) he points out things that are funny and very true (the dark dark dark grittiness that overtakes the game.)

PS - To Scott, the poster not the author (if they are one in the same, oh well), all I have to say is you have you get what you give from this site. Your anger/disdain/contempt from your posts has been palpable for a long while; it shouldn't be a surprise that people bringing negativity back to you, it's just a matter of common sense. Sure some psots on here have been ridiculous, but your responses don't really inspire the same images of Ghandi and MLK.

17 comments:

Manu said...

Girls with Slingshots is SO made of pure, unaltered win:

http://www.girlswithslingshots.com

jsiebels said...

To Scott, all I have to say is you have you get what you give from this site. Your anger/disdain/contempt from your posts has been palpable for a long while; it shouldn't be a surprise that people bringing negativity back to you, it's just a matter of common sense.

I would expand that to you get what you give to your fans and other creators. Your petty fueds, belittling other creators or showing your petty jealousy when others have success but become infuriated when the same level of scrutiny is thrust back on you. And the ways you've treated the fanbase is legendary from killing forums to your behavior at cons to some of your fans to your "dedication to customer service" when they purchase items. PvP is a mere shell of it's once greatness and not many people root for Scott the artist to have success. You were at the top of the mountain but you still have insecurities and issues that you need to deal with (which is evident at how you react toward criticism and how you treat your fanbase). Sinfest creator has it right. It's about his strip not about him. You could learn from him a few things.

Hourglass Keeper said...

Scott should probably just blog about the state of webcomics and the artists within them, as that's what he seems to be passionate right now.

My vote for best webcomic is XKCD.com. It's topical, thought-provoking, and interesting. Most of all, I appreciate the artist's creativity. He doesn't have to worry about art for art's sake as the drawings are mostly stick figures. It's the message and delivery that's important.

Scott said...

I'm not running for office, I'm a cartoonist. I don't have to follow some arbitrary set of rules that this board sets up to determine if I'm performing my civil duties.

I provide art on my own terms and offer it to my audience for them to enjoy if they so wish.

What I object to is this boards sense of entitlement, their pretentious assumption that they know better how I should run my life and my business, and the charade of collegiate critique that you all try to hide under.

Setitie said...

Since your running a "business" remember that the customer is always right.

Brett Schiller (Sage) said...

I was answering your basic questioning of why we were negative towards you. It's fairly obvious why that feeling exists.

You do provide something for the public, but you don't choose how we enjoy it. Some people give your strip 30 seconds and move on; we here decide to discuss it and who else really cares about that? I haven't sent you one email, twitter, or calledyou, the only way you know about the "negative, entitled" opinions is to actively search them out.

I hope you enjoy what you do; I hope you learn to do it to just to make yourself happy and those emails you cite as enjoying your work. There are many examples where you fly off the handle at any real or percieved dig (it's easy use google) my question is why? Has it ever quieted your critics or turned around any of the people with your method of seek and "destroy" rebuttal?

R.W.McGee said...

"I haven't sent you one email, twitter, or calledyou, the only way you know about the "negative, entitled" opinions is to actively search them out."


Bingo, you can rage all you want about our presumption and arrogance, etc. etc.

But the fact is...you sought US out. You choose to come here time and again and preform what I would call 'reverse P.R.'

Reader said...

Blank It deserves a mention here. The writing is very unique and the art is quite good as well.

It's only a few months old, so you have a chance to get into it at the beginning. Right now it updates Mondays and Thursdays, but they're going to increase that to three times a week if they get enough pageviews.

Here's a link to the first strip:

http://blankitcomics.com/2008/06/08/blankit-0001/

Unknown said...

"Since your running a "business" remember that the customer is always right."

Actually that's bad business practice. It's not is the customer is always right. It's is this customer right for you?

Anyways it seems more that you guys just like baiting Kurtz. And to that good job, that was tough. He's like the easiest guy to bait and get him to respond.

I personally really like where PvP has become and yes certain storylines I'll admit I hate, but I love it.

The problem is I'm not nearly as vocal as these guys, and positive feedback never is.

Well then you can say, gee, then why does Kurtz come here then? If its gonna piss him off?

Duh, its because this strip is near and dear to him, and hell i bet Ding is too. And if you made entire site based around how much you hate this thing he created and loves then of course you're gonna bait him to get pissed about it.

Its also that you guys present it too. I've already seen another fat joke about Kurtz posted in these comments.

Also the passive aggressive nature of this site is pretty bad too.

"Kurtz I don't know why you come, I mean I say why I dislike your strip and say how boring and medicore its become but I hope that you do love what you do, even if its garbage."

Even if you don't mean to come off like this, and I wonder, you do and that's too damn bad cause its obvious that's what Kurtz takes it as (well that's how it looks I won't put words in Kurtz's mouth).

So? Its my blog I'll do what I want.

See that's the thing too. Its a double bladed sword. If Kurtz is accountable for his behavior and site, then you are too.

Anyways this message is for you Kurtz, keep doing what your doing cause I enjoy it. You gotta stop doing this outbursts though cause you're much funnier and better to listening to on Webcomics Weekly and on your UStreams.

THAT'S MY TWO CENTS.

I also hope you PvP Makes Me Sad will take this post seriously and not write it off as a Kurtz fanboy.

paulsouthworth said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Brett Schiller (Sage) said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Brett Schiller (Sage) said...

So Perry . . .
First of all I hope you take this as a response in a discussion not some PVP hater (I've read PVP consistently for 7 years and generally like it, also this is the only site, forum, I ever go to in regards to PVP)

I understand WHY Scott (if it's the real Kurtz or not) would want to come discuss things since it is his baby. If they had Physicaltheapiststhatsuck.com and I was on there I would do the same. However, IN YOUR OWN WORDS, he is prone to outbursts that rarely lead to anything then a muddled mass of flame war on this site. It is rarely discussion it's "PVP is egotistical and you suck" then the response is "Scott you suck for being an angry man who yells"

I would rather post a subject every day and have only 3-5 comments then the 10-30 comments that are generated when Scott or Kurtz post. I would LIKE to erase any comments they make too but, hey, I don’t want to devolve into a forums from their own forums. :)

Perry, if you've read my posts at least, besides minor story and art tweaks, I haven't railed against anything major in PVP as bad or horrible, yet these things still pop up. It is frustrating because I am trying to have discussion and PVP hate is not my goal. I don’t think I've used the word suck in any of my main page posts where am I out of line?

Also, it's a double-edged sword. It means something that has positive and negative aspects. In battle terms in means it can cut with a "forehand" or "backhand" stroke. A double-bladed sword has two blades facing the same way, there is more area to cut, but it can only cut one way (the direction the blades are sharpened)

(also notice that the words: moron, idiot, you suck, douche or any other negative word is in this post. I think discussion and debate are a lost art and we can disagree without thinking the other is nefarious)


Btw I accidentaly deleted pausouthworth who said

*slow clap* to Perry's post

Hourglass Keeper said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Hourglass Keeper said...

Perry, if you're looking for a treasure trove of negative comments about Kurtz, just go to the Ding! site and read the reader comments.

paulsouthworth said...

Sure. "Accidentally".

I WILL NOT BE OPPRESSED :)

Brett Schiller (Sage) said...

U will be oppressed and like it! For I am the blogmaster! :)

Sko said...

"I also hope you PvP Makes Me Sad will take this post seriously and not write it off as a Kurtz fanboy."

If you're just going to generalise everyone here as 'haters' and the site as being specifically set up for such, are you seriously asking not to be tarred in the same fashion?

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