Slices of Life and Other Issues o' the Week

This week in Questionable Content: Marten realizes he must be... a townie. I'm not sure why that matters, and I came to ponder on how often QC actually does strips where Marten says he's not something and the others say he sure is.

If Jacques wanted to do something fun and new, why not go meta? The kids love meta these days. Watch an episode of Community and learn! Make fun of why Marten goes out for coffee every day. Make him question the need for such a routine. Have him pick up some new hangout and be all "Hmm, this doesn't really fit this strip". It's the lack of taking this sort of risk that makes the strip boring to me.

Edit: revising this post, I realized the strip kind of went meta with introducing the "bizarro coffee shop". Not only do the employees look like the regular cast, they also act the same. So Jacques kind of is making fun of his own concept. It was fun - for one strip. But making them regulars, which seems to be happening, kind of kills the joke.

Edit 2: flipping back through the strips to find the first bizarro coffee shop one - I realize many, many strips start with the word "so". As in, "so you really lived on a space station", "so I think Cosette will move in with me". It kind of suggests this constant stream of dialogue and events, but I suspect Jacques uses it to remind his readers of story strings he hasn't addressed in the last few months.

Slice of life must be hard, because picking the slices to present is the biggest problem. Which brings us to  American Elf: Uh, yeah, people have dreams about other people's genitals. It's just a little creepy if you dream of your kid's penis and then tell the whole world. Or is it? Kochalka seems to have this childlike innocence about genitalia, poop, and various other things that grown ups generally don't talk about. I love his childlikeness, but I guess I draw the line at these taboo topics. Should I? Am I being a prude? Why do I always question myself when I criticize Kochalka? He's not a god. Please don't show your kids' genitals in your strip, people. I know it's not meant sexually, but eww, and what if some kids from his school read it? Moving on.

After such deep and disturbing pondering, Buttersafe gives us more Robot Cat, and I really don't have more to say than - hee, so cute! He looks just like my kittywitty! *coos* (Is being a pet owner mushing up my critiquing skills?)

Marc Johns gives us 100 % natural arm hair. I... :D Johns' talent is, above all, relating random things to each other in a funny way. Not a lot of comic artists know how to do this. It must mean his brain is a little weird and jumps into weird places all of a sudden. I love that.

..while Sinfest's strength is making fun of cultural phenomena and people's silly beliefs. "I'm back. And I'm buff." is so perfect.

At Abstruse Goose, we have a very sad bee story. I love the level of detail their language has.

Question Duck finds his match: Answer Chick! Awesome. Ah, I see this is in fact a guest strip by the author of Roby's Sprites! I realize I don't know what sprites are. I'm such a comics noob. I should look into this and make a separate post. Maybe the sprite-related Question Duck gives some clue.

Sick Day Ranting.

Called in sick today, so I might as well rant about comics I haven't liked lately. Ahem.

Skipping Out the gay comic is suddenly making fun of trans...gendered people? -vestites? It's problematic on many levels. I can't tell where this is going, partially because the comic moves so slowly and you never know where it's taking us (and sometimes it just goes nowhere). There are many stereotypical things going on here already: "Kevi", the hair, the sassiness, the fact that the trans part of town is called "Trannytown" and their food is "Trannese". Schlegel may have been going for "Chinatown", but the word "N***ertown" comes to mind equally fast. Why is Skippy so horrified to go out to "Trannytown"? Are we supposed to identify with him (trans people are scary) or with the other characters (trans people are a fun and exotic other)? The comic already features a butch dyke barista who obviously hates not just men, but people in general. The main characters are gay, so they're a minority, but they are still cisgendered white men, and this privilege should be acknowledged. "Tranny" is a term reclaimed by some trans women, but I'm not sure if it's OK for cis gay men to use it just like that.

Courting Disaster! It's that comic about how men - ha ha - are so different from women! Ha ha! You see, men are nymphomaniacs and women are bimbos with giant boobs! And all of their interactions can be summed up in one-panel comics! Hahahaha, oh mercy! Somebody tell this artist it's actually 2011.

Ctrl+Alt+Del is too boring for commentary. Just saying, it's "Most popular" at the webcomics list, and has been going on forever and has a bunch of paid content but who reads it anymore? It's like it's not even trying.

Questionable Content takes us to the bar where guys leer at hot chicks and nothing happens. I tell you, this Marten/Dora breakup really perked things up. Yawn.

Not a huge fan of this Question Duck. The question is a little too "celebrity joke" to be timeless and unanswerable. But so far, it's the only Question Duck I haven't liked, so I'll forgive this.

Multiple Monday Musings

Shameless nepotism: my boyfriend Toby discusses Question Duck briefly in his tumbrl. I don't have much to add, so just linkage!

This week's QC has involved some new backgrounds, a singing fairy princess, and a café populated by dark-skinned doppelgangers. I'm really not sure what to say. In one way, it's a change of pace; it shows Jacques wants to develop the strip, and he's clearly worked hard on this. I may gripe about the stories, but I'll never claim he just doesn't bother with the strip. The backgrounds look alive and colorful, there's something new to look at, which is enjoyable. On the other hand, although I laughed at the fairy princess, I'm still not sure if this takes the comic far enough in a new direction.

xkcd is being awesome: The world according to Americans, and the nananana chart. I love how Finland is a part of "Scandanavia" on the map. The nanana chart reminds me of how xkcd introduced me to Katamari Damacy and its amusing, cheerful Japanese pop soundtrack.

Sinfest did a silent Sunday, which I always love. There's quite a lot going on, though, so it took me a while to get. I love today's strip even more; right-wing Christian militia madness and Sarah Palin. I sometimes wonder if Tatsuya Ishida is really vehemently against Christianity, or just approaches it with this intellectual, yet warm irony. The strip can be read both ways.

On the subject of religion: don't apply way too much logic or your head will explode. Also on Kinoko Fry: the good dog, the bad dog and the ugly dog. :D

Finally, Buttersafe ponders on the moth's attraction to a flame. I found the philosophical pondering fascinating, more so than the silly punchline. I recently had a conversation with someone about how elks walk under cars because they can't comprehend how fast a car moves. The ones who learn how fast cars move tend to die. So it's impossible for them to warn the other elks. Maybe this is also true of moths?

Cute Overload.

Question Duck, why must you be so cute?

Popping a CD in the microwave brings much excitement.

Bath time with a gleeful dog/ship toy. And squinting at "brushie brushie". Stop, I'll melt!!

And as if that weren't cute enough, Kinoko Fry wishes us happy new year by doing the tiger dance. But remember: don't try things at home! Especially the sex bit. Rabbits - cute but lame? Not sure if I agree. Tigers are more fierce, I must admit. This strip reminds me of Calvin and Hobbes. I recall Hobbes had the praise song for tigers - maybe several versions? - and a general belief that tigers are more fierce and handsome than any other creature on Earth, especially compared to humans.

Other cuties of the week:
I love how James Kochalka draws the ladies at Eli's school as colorful groupie creatures. They're all staring at him like they have a huge crush on him!

Dog comforts owner over at Sinfest. Note that the cat, who caused his misery, couldn't care less. The dog is even willing to give up his bally. For a little while.

...And then I looked at Buttersafe. The perfect antidote to overly cutesy feelings. I must say, the new year's comic there is even more depressing than usual. Yet somehow brilliant. I haven't seen this idea before. That's why I love Buttersafe.

Utterly Random Notes.

QC this week: OK, Marten's mother's reaction to Dora is surprising. But since I always find something to criticize - Dora's physique is very odd. Firstly, her breasts seem to vary in size; they look much bigger than they should in panel 3. She's almost two-dimensional in panel 2, so there's no way her breasts would be that large. Also, if the shirt is long on her, as it is in the other panels, it should not rise that high in panel 1.

Question Duck, on the other hand, continues to be adorable. Goldfish crackers! And - what is polyester made of? I love the duck's smile in panel 2, like he doesn't care if his master is dozing off at the computer. He's there, ergo, a question might be asked! It's the attitude of every pet. "Oh, you're here? Good. FEED ME." Only Question Duck feeds on questions.

Pets may also cyber-embarrass you, like on yesterday's and today's Sinfest.

I feel like I should think of more to criticize and not just bash QC all the time. Frankly, I do think Sinfest's four-panel style is a bit small and cramped for a webcomic. Webcomics can break form, because they don't have to be confined by the newspaper strip space. But the stories have been consistently good again lately, after a short slump, so I don't really want to complain.

The girl in this comic is just like my boyfriend. He will have no under 192 kbps. No wonder he often identifies with xkcd. I'm becoming nerdier because of him, though; as soon as he showed me this strip, I knew what they were talking about. I like the signs saying "Sale!!!" "Sale!" and "Sale?" I feel like there might be a hidden mathematical joke there - something about them being decreasing or.. hmm? Maybe I'm overthinking this. (like a true nerd might!)

We are the red umbrella. This Marc Johns reminds me slightly of Russian children's books my mother would read to me (no, she's not Russian, she just knows Russians). If you haven't seen any, think of "Worker and Parasite" on the Simpsons. Just about that jolly and cheerful illustrations. So - negative connotations, but the red umbrella is really pretty awesome in its randomness. Except that now I'm relating it to the Soviet Union, and Worker and Parasite, and it seems to really make sense why it's a red umbrella, and why there's the we spirit. Oh dear! I don't mean to ruin the comic for everyone.

In a similar vein, Kinoko Fry continues to amaze and confuse me. There's Submameen and... an octopus with Rubik's Cubes and an eyepatch with an eye... You can click on "random" below, but every strip seems equally random and genius. This is like something out of my dreams. (Not that my dreams are genius.) (Well, why be modest? They are. Holy mental fireworks, Batman.)

The Usual Suspects.

Question Duck is truly touched by a film about ducks. (I'd say it's Nils Holgersson's travels with the ducks, but I don't know if that's known outside of Scandinavia.) Some strips ago, the comic broke form. The question is answered, the answer is simple, and the duck says something in return that isn't a question. I think I've finally figured out what this comic has been doing: they travel all over the world, the duck's owner was doing some humanitarian aid project, etc. and the duck is always there, unfazed by the circumstances, and asks an unrelated question. Perhaps the questions are related, after all - there could be more here that I've been missing. It's a very fascinating comic with a unique voice.

What's wrong with America, and what's right about Sinfest, all in one Sunday strip. Awesome.

Sometimes I worry about James Kochalka. But then I have those nightmares/feelings in sleep too. I think.

Nothing at all has happened in the past week of Questionable Content. We know Marten's mother is coming because it was pointlessly foreshadowed a week from Friday, but after that there's just been drinking. Marten and Dora broke up, and it seems to have made the strip duller. Kind of like Ethan getting married on Ctrl+Alt+Del made the strip even tireder. Not sure about this filler strip. The thing is, I love Randy. He's hilarious random and awesome. But Yelling Bird is just a cheap bird who screams obscenities, and I think that joke got old a long time ago. Randy is fresh and new. Lose Yelling Bird.

There's something really sad and touching about this Buttersafe. It's a morbid comic, but morbid and beautiful sometimes go together.

A Completely Regular Post.

(No, this is not a Thanksgiving special. Finland doesn't celebrate thanksgiving, so I refuse to give thanks for anything and will just resume as usual.)

For some reason, I can't see the last few days' American Elf. Maybe it's taking a hiatus or just acting up for me. But I keep seeing this strip and I love it so much. Oliver is now three. He thinks - or jokes - that this will make him a Daddy. As if all "big boys" are Daddies. So cute! Also, I've been reading the strip about since Oliver's birth or a bit before. I think the pregnancy and birth were a part of what sucked me in, actually. It's strange to see him grow, because it marks how time passes. Yet it's such a short time and that's his whole life. I have these same feelings about relatives' kids, but it's strange I feel the same about a child I've seen in pictures maybe twice. Yet I've watched him grow. I feel like I know James and Amy, Eli and Oliver, but I may not recognize them if I saw them somewhere in person. What an odd feeling.

Dora and Marten broke up. It might or might not be permanent. To be honest, I don't feel much. Marten and Dora - meh. Marten and Faye - meh. Marten and Hannelore? Now that would be something! I just think the girls on the strip are habitually mean, dominating, and hard on him. Hannelore may be the only one who's truly kind. Marten deserves better than Dora. OMG, I'm talking like I actually care about these people. Maybe my cold, hard QC hater's heart is actually red hot lava from the inside?
..Nah. Moving on.

I loved this Abstruse Goose, but it bugs me that the dogs look so much like Dogbert. Is that intentional?

Ascension 3000 Cross Jetpack. Sinfest is usually fun, but when it gets truly blasphemous, it's amazing.

Question Duck reminds us that even while doing charitable work, there's room for questions. (Also, I like that one of the charity people is black. It's not like "white man helps poor black people.)

I'm confused by Selkie. Apparently it's a girl who's alos some kind of animal who was adopted by a human vegetarian. But she doesn't eat any plants and only eats meat. Hmmm. I flicked back quite a few strips and still not sure what I think. I'ts a very intriguing idea. I find Selkie's way of talking a bits annoyings, because ofs everys words endings withs s. It stops being cute after one strip. But I'm not sure if it's meant to be cute. An interesting strip.

Wombania: like the art, very cute. Besides that - jokes that fall flat, fat jokes... Sigh. What's the point of cool art if you're just going to do general three-panel pun stuff?

What You Don't See: another mixed review. Beautiful. Sooo cute. Huh? And the latest one - kinda forced dialogue. I tend to prefer dialogue where there are silences and things you don't say. I didn't get a very good feel of the characters on a quick flick, but this might be a good thing. Will check it again.

Tweep. Looked at several strips, didn't get it. It seems like it might be a cool, creative strip. But I'm not SURE. It seems to deal exclusively in snapshots, with no text at all. Intriguing.

Why Is This so Awesome?

Question Duck. OK, this is honestly just... wow.

This strip looks amazing. Every drawing looks detailed and the color ones are just... I was reminded of Calvin and Hobbes, that's how good it looks. Take this strip for example. (It may actually be a conscious nod to C&H, because they're sitting under a similar tree thinking philosophically.)

In each strip, the boy and his duck go to some place and then the duck asks a seemingly unrelated question. I can't really explain why this is so great. It's just a very novel idea and it's rendered beautifully. Not sure if it's meant to be "funny ha ha" - I didn't laugh at any strips, but I greatly enjoyed them. Especially the duck's gleeful expression when asking a puzzling question.

Found, once again, thru the webcomics list. Many strips have funny names but are disappointing when you see them, and then there are these little masterpieces. I will keep looking for more.