Comic Book Resources

Brian would pick comics, wouldn't he? That rascal.

Classic!

Wow. Marissa's just a little bit pretentious.

Wow. Marissa pretty much looks like me (although MarkAndrew will have to vouch for that since he's the only person here who has seen me in person.)

Awesome.

Sounds like every conversation I have about my favourite movies. I'll even throw in something mainstream (like the Peanuts example) and the other person will look at me like I have 2 heads.

Yes, she sure is pretentious for giving recommendations of comics she likes.

Marissa echoes my sentiments on Blankets exactly. Very much overrated. (Which doesn't mean "not good," by the way).

And yeah, I get the same reaction as Marissa does at the LCS where I work when people ask me for recommendations.

She's not pretentious, actually. Look up the word.

She "pretends" to like a comics about a street ninja, a mouse with a sword, and a dog who thinks he's a flying ace.

Because those are obviously snooty art comics.

Also, is Blankets overrated. Because all I've ever really heard is people say, "it's overrated," but I haven't seen a whole lot of, well, rating.

Maybe people think it should be better because it's so thick.

I, by the way, think it's excellent, and I defy you to tell me otherwise. So there, that's my rating.

...I really liked Mouse Guard.

I didn't know I was that guy. I like Bendis too, I swear.

I liked Blankets up until the last third of the book, when the author suddenly decided that characters who had previously been portrayed as fully dimensional and complex (despite him not agreeing with them) suddenly deteriorated into flat stereotypes. Such a waste.

okay... And here I'm going to probably be ripped apart from all sides... but...
I've noticed that a large number of female Comic Book Store Staff tend to veer towards these comics... ... And Grant Morrison for some reason (don't know what the connection is there!)
Perhaps because they tend to avoid the latex brigade since the old "her breasts are bigger than her head" thing...
Guys (again, in general) tend to veer TOWARDS the latex brigade for the same reason...

This is JUST A GENERALISATION! I know I've just kicked over the tin of worms that will lead to countless messages of "I'm a guy and I love Mouse Guard"/"I'm a girl and I love Power Girl"... "...and I'm not gay!" (Those would be thier words, I'm not implying anything...)

As an aside, my taste tends towards good writing...

My library includes Fell, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Tintin, Planetary, Sandman, All-Star Squadron, Star Wars, Invaders, Owly, Fables, Calvin and Hobbes, 2000AD, Thrud... the list could go on...

And yes... I am aware that I'm now going to be attacked for liking Tintin or Sandman...

... And Power Girl...

Well, since those are all good comics, I don't think you'll find any female comic readers who are offended by the association.

I really liked Blankets, probably because the writer and I seem to share a lot of similar experiences.

Blankets is one of my favorite comics, with an emotionally-resonent story and gorgeous art, that I can recommend to non-comics readers. "Overrated?" Bah!

@ Blackjak: I'm not going to rip you apart because I thik you're partly making my point. Stereotypically women gravitate away from the latex brigade. In REAL life, though, women read superhero comics all the time. Hell. I've been reading them since 1972.

Just because we bitch about latex doesn't mean we don't read them avidly. In fact, generally, the louder we bitch the more we have emotionally invested in the subject. Marissa's list, IMO, should have included at least one spandex book.

Who's the hell is "Brian"?

Of course, you would know what the character would think better than the creator of said character.

The reason Marissa's list doesn't include any "mainstream" books is because she is an indie snob. We basically want to start with the two main characters as archetypes of comic fandom, fanboy and indie snob.

Over the course of the series their tastes may change.

That and because if she'd named any superhero comics, there wouldn't...y'know...be a joke.

That too.

I am loving this strip.

That and because if she’d named any superhero comics, there wouldn’t…y’know…be a joke.

Oh, is this a comedy?
I thought it was something you did so we could nit-pick it to shit!

I liked it - was funnier than the first, and that's a good direction to be heading!
(ie. getting funnier, not that the first was something to get away from or something).

Are the characters going to come together at some stage?

Are the characters going to come together at some stage?

Yep, but you're gonna need a major credit card to read that strip.

*rimshot*

They're actually gonna share the spotlight real soon. Strip #3 or #4; I forget which order we decided on.

Marissa’s list, IMO, should have included at least one spandex book.

I'm actually quite surprised that you want the story to change in a way that completely removes the joke - that the fellow in question considers superhero comics to be "comics," so her not mentioning any superhero comics is, to him, like not mentioning comics at all.

It's like saying "Lucy is portrayed too negatively, IMO, you should have her let Charlie Brown kick the ball."

The art doesn't make this joke terribly clear. Since what the customer is reaching for looks identical to every other book on the shelf, there's no way to know whether the gag is that he could only recognize stuff with superheroes or if he was just one of those people who don't know what the actual name of Charlie Brown and Snoopy's strip is. I mean, for all I know, dude is reaching for a Garfield collection. I took it as a joke about how people are stupid and can't recognize comics until they see something that is clearly a comic, myself, and then found the comments extremely confusing.

Lynxara,

The main joke is that Marissa listed a bunch of indie comics (as well as a comic strip collection) as her recommendations and the customer didn't know that those were comics.

I’m actually quite surprised that you want the story to change in a way that completely removes the joke - that the fellow in question considers superhero comics to be “comics,” so her not mentioning any superhero comics is, to him, like not mentioning comics at all.

This reminds me with an interview I saw with the two writers/actors from the British comedy show 'The Mighty Boosh'.
One is the free and easy cool guy, and the other plays an uptight wannabe intellectual, who also wants to be cool.
Apparently they always gets asked by people who apparently love the show, why he doesn't make his character more hip and cool, and has to keep explaining that if he did, there wouldn't be a joke - they then wonder how if people don't understand that that is where the humour comes from, how can they be fans of the show.

See, that's what I understood the joke to be! But then others were acting like the joke was that she didn't mention any superhero books. Which would make some sense if the setting was a comic shop, but I never see anyone (in my experience) buying superhero stuff at a bookstore setting like the comic's in more significant quantity than manga or indies. I am glad to know you were making the joke I thought you were making, and not the joke everyone else thought you were making!

The Peanuts gag in that context is actually quite sly; I've always been staggered by the sheer number of people who never understood that Snoopy does not appear in a comic strip called Snoopy. Kudos. (Also, Mouse Guard r0x-- my budget for comics has gone all to hell, but I still buy Mouse Guard in hardcover. Glad to see a shout-out to it alongside Blankets, of all things.)

I'd actually consider disabling comments, guys... seeing you having to explain the joke actually hurts my soul.
But then again, I'm pretty sure if you run out of ideas, you'll find some material here - and if you don't take it, me an Apodaca will start up 'The comic critics critics comics' - a strip devoted to two comic critics readers criticizing the comic critics!

That might be good for at least one strip.

Can you also explain all the Family Circus jokes for us too, guys?

Also, don't you think the Far Side has too many ugly characters? Everyone in that strip should be drawn more attractively, IMO.

No - good for no strips. You both know it.

I think Funky Green is right, you need to disable comments for this feature. Or you guys need to be strong and not reply to any comments. The strip either stands or falls on it's own merits, and so far I'd say it stands. Leave it at that.

Oh, don't worry. I have no intention to make any webcomics. They're REALLY hard to pull off.

I was just kidding with you, anyway.

I for one like the comments. It gives us feedback to improve.

This was more than a little stereotypical in such a way as to make neither character particularly sympathetic. Neither the "indie snob gets comeuppance" nor "d'oh those customers" jokes were made clear, and by trying to split the difference it just falls flat.

Marissa did something that deserves comeuppance? Interesting...

I'm starting to feel like Norman Lear. Half the audience likes the show because they want to see Archie Bunker fall on his face, and the other half sympathizes with him.

That might be good for at least one strip.

I dunno, if this is the response from a pretty straightforward joke, imagine if they get complex or obscure.

I'll take the flak. It's not like I could be any less popular.

[...] This comment amused me more than the webcomic that started the thread: okay… And here I’m going to probably be ripped apart from all sides… but… I’ve noticed that a large number of female Comic Book Store Staff tend to veer towards these comics… … And Grant Morrison for some reason (don’t know what the connection is there!) Perhaps because they tend to avoid the latex brigade since the old “her breasts are bigger than her head” thing… Guys (again, in general) tend to veer TOWARDS the latex brigade for the same reason… [...]

When The Rack disabled its comments, I remember thinking, 'wow, isn't that a bit extreme?'

Clearly, no. No, it wasn't.

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Blankets sucks. Too thick, too whiny. (I don't like Chris Ware either.)
This strip is good.