Often comics seem to have certain themes to them. I’m not talking about “science fiction” or “fantasy” or “urban fantasy” or any other such setting. Instead, I’m talking on a more fundamental level. Certain comics seem to focus primarily on humor, or on a storyline, or the characters. Part of this has to do with the very nature of comics as literature. When a cartoonist is limited to what may amount to 12 panels of comic a week (or less; Hopscotch for one updates maybe once a week and consists of a single panel of art) it is difficult to delve into deep character growth, an epic multi-faceted plotline, and work in the world’s history without either taking forever for anything to happen (such as the comic Freefall) or bore a reader cold.

Comics often then focus initially on one or two aspects, slowly bringing other elements into the comic if possible. This leads to an apparent evolution of comics, with humor comics slowly developing storylines (indeed, a prime example of this in the print comic world would be the Bone series by Jeff Smith; early comics are whimsical and fun, with only a little foreshadowing of the truly epic nature of the work to come) and detailed interesting character development.

Stupidity in Magic is a good example of this. Initially the comic seemed to be an urban fantasy taking a glimpse at an Institute dedicated to teaching people magic and dealing with the mistakes some well-meaning pagans who just happen to make some rather inspired mistakes. Undoubtedly, SiM could have stuck with that theme, with the Institute working almost like magically-oriented “ghost busters” who clean up after other people’s gaffs. Instead, Taylor shifted focus more to the characters.

The cast is large and varied, with a mixture of human pagans, some of whom are responsible and intelligent and others are… airheads, to say the least. There are also gods and other divine figures that “hang around” (including Jesus Christ, who is depicted as good-natured, somewhat mischievous, and a bit of a rabble-rouser) which is part of the reason I refer to SiM as an urban fantasy.

Three of the mortal cast has been the focus of the comic for the longest time, playing the part of protagonists and heroes. Willow is a bit of a free spirit, showing that you can be whimsical and carefree and yet still be responsible and skilled. Indeed, part of her carefree nature might be because she does know what she’s doing, so she can afford to dance to her own beat without risking others through ignorance or doing something dangerous to others. If there is a little of the cartoonist in Willow, well, many writers put elements of themselves into their characters. Willow isn’t a Mary-Sue type character, but rather an aspect of the cartoonist, something that holds true of most characters when you get to the heart of their creation and their creators.

Olivia is the second of the trio of protagonists. She’s more serious and down-to-earth, and very opinionated but not in a bad way. Instead, Olivia bears that most unusual of curses: she is more often than not right. She doesn’t put herself above the others. Instead, she fights for that which she believes in, or who she believes in. And while Olivia may at times be a sounding box for Taylor’s own beliefs and philosophies, that doesn’t lessen the character at the least.

Larry is the third part of the triumvirate of protagonists. He’s fairly down-to-earth for a pagan, especially one “cursed” with an appearance reminiscent of Harry Potter of Rowling’s books (something that has been used for laughs in the comic itself; Larry likewise has a scar on his forehead, but that was gotten by falling on a stick as a kid if I’m remembering correctly). He’s also the romantic interest of/for Olivia, allowing Taylor to mingle in their growing relationship as part of the character-driven philosophy of the comic.

These three alone have done a good job of carrying a lot of the comic. Sure, there are times when we have “Jesus jokes” being told by Jesus himself (hey, if you can’t laugh at yourself, you’ll end up crying) or other one-shot bits, but the majority of story-arcs inevitably concern Olivia, Larry, and Willow in some measure. The remainder of the cast, introduced early on, have either been window dressing or part-time antagonists (such as the time Loo and Tir got involved in casting love spells on Jesus and Larry). Thus I was rather pleasantly surprised at the start of the recent Thanksgiving storyline to see the focus on two other characters, Stewart (a rather conservative and antagonistic evangelist) and Eliot, a gay pagan who I can’t recall being the focus of any actual stories in the past.

(I may be mistaken there, but my current lack of high-speed internet and restrictions on when I can use dial-up have put a significant cap on my ability to just browse through a comic. Thus we might have learned some of these bits about Eliot in the past. I just don’t remember them off-hand and can’t spend the time to look up the archives.)

Stewart has been used frequently as a minor antagonist. If he’s not being scandalized by Jesus walking around wearing a “I Kiss Boys” t-shirt, then he’s handing out Jack Chick comics (rather offensive little comics that if I’ve the concept right basically warn you that if you aren’t Christian and straight and follow exactly their precepts, you’re going to burn in Hell for all of eternity; I’ve been to funerals that were of the same general theme) or being such a pest to poor Jesus that the poor chap is using Willow’s help to hide from him. His encounter with Eliot starts on a similar antagonistic note, with Stewart asking if Eliot is still courting the devil and all that, and Eliot bemusedly asking Stewart if he’s still denying any opinion but his is valid. It’s after the initial round of insults are traded off that we are hit with the bombshell: Stewart tells Eliot that their mom expects Eliot home for Thanksgiving.

Yes, that’s right. Stewart is the brother of a heretical homosexual (technically, Eliot is a Christian mystic rather than Wiccan). And I’ve known of families like that; part Christian and part pagan, with the Christians often sure their loved ones will be roasting in Hell forever for the sin of not believing in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Oddly enough, I don’t usually hear the pagan saying the same about their Christian family members. (Not that the prejudice doesn’t exist in reverse. Some pagans are quite prejudiced about Christians, seeing the worse in a faith that embraces love and brotherhood. The truth is that there are good and bad people in all faiths, be it Christianity, the pagan paths, Islam, Judaism, and even Buddhism. This is why prejudice is a dangerous thing; by painting everyone with a broad brush, you risk alienating those who could be your friends.)

Further, it’s only Stewart who seems disapproving of Eliot. Their father warns Stewart that if he disrupts this Thanksgiving that Stewart wouldn’t live to regret it. This of course is an interesting glimpse at the family itself; for Stewart to be warned not to disrupt this Thanksgiving suggests he has disrupted holidays past. Eliot’s other brother and his parents approve of his lifestyle and beliefs. The only one with issues is Stewart himself.

What’s more, Stewart’s current issues (the fact that Eliot brought a “guest” to dinner, the mischievous and charming Ergi who likewise hasn’t been central to any past stories that I recall) can be laid on his own doorstep. If Stewart hadn’t insisted Eliot not bring a date then it’s probable he wouldn’t. The mere fact he brought it up not only led Eliot to ask Ergi, but was what convinced Ergi to come; Ergi even admits that he’d come even if he had had plans.

In a scene that is reminiscent of CRfH’s Blue visiting Dave’s family during the Holidays Too storyline, Ergi is the perfect gentleman. He’s charming, he’s witty, he doesn’t lash out at Stewart’s slanders but instead responds with amusement… in short, he’s the perfect gentleman. Thus we end up at Thanksgiving with Ergi asked to say grace, and he does so with style and panache. And it infuriates Stewart. How dare this… heathen show up and sully this household, and corrupt his family! How dare his brother even bring him, after Stewart went out of his way to tell him not to! How dare them do so and make Stewart out to look like a fool, perhaps?

Of course, Stewart was going to be made out to be a fool and idiot, no matter what. He’s the antagonist here, and I don’t recall him ever having a valid point. He’s not designed to be right, and as antagonist he can’t be allowed to grow, to mature out of this point of view. I mean, if our hateful evangelist were to realize he was wrong… who would go around antagonizing Jesus or pestering the pagans?

Which is a bit of a shame. SiM isn’t a plot-heavy comic. It often goes for the joke rather than focusing on story. The character growth has been focused on our protagonists (though Tir did show some signs of growth after the whole “love spell” nonsense; then again, she’s not a full-time antagonist but more of an incidental “type” character). It would be interesting to see Stewart mature a bit, to mellow perhaps. Indeed, it might be fascinating to see him subject to some of the hatred and prejudices of other hate-centered Christians who see his “accepting” his brother or the pagans as a violation of the faith itself.

But that might be hard to pull off with three panels an update, and with a comic that as often focuses on the humor of the moment as the characters and story.