Monthly Archives: November 2008

Webcomic Beacon Podcast

This week the Webcomic Beacon has reached its first anniversary of production, though I am hesitant in using the term “production” considering the amateur quality of the podcast. Don’t get me wrong, I must applaud Fes, Tanya, and his other cohorts in putting out a weekly podcast that focus on webcomics and webcomic topics without missing a single week (though some of those weeks were, in Fes’s own words, spectacular failures). Unfortunately, the WB has not climbed out of its amateur roots and often strays off topic and into inanity. It often feels like Fes doesn’t have a significant plan in mind when each new podcast starts, and instead hopes that his guests will mention something that the podcast can focus on. When it doesn’t, listeners get to hear awkward silences and nervous giggles from co-host Tanya as Fes struggles to find a topic that gets a dialog started.

This is unfortunately a common trait among a number of amateur podcasts (and indeed, WB is better than a number of these hackneyed attempts at creating a podcast). At its roots, a podcast is much like the radio programs of old, such as the Larry Glick radio show from the 70s to early 90s. Glick’s show was eclectic and had an immense variety of content and discussions, something that a number of podcasts have attempted unsuccessfully to recapture. However, Glick did not always have an eclectic show, and he has his roots in traditional radio broadcasting. I remember a story Glick once told on how when he first started in radio, his show was random and fragmented and ended with his being fired. Afterward he focused on traditional radio broadcasting and only gradually evolved his show into the phenomenon it became. While I doubt many of my younger readers will know of Glick, other popular radio talk show hosts likewise have a firm foundation in traditional radio broadcasting which they in turn evolved into their current programs.

This is a lesson that podcasters should take to heart. Rather than start out quirky and random, podcasters should strive for a level of professionalism and then let their podcasts evolve and find its own voice. And professionalism can take several forms. One thing I’ve heard Fes complain about in WB is his hatred of editing the program. This is unfortunate as it is this editing and compacting of material that can help turn a mediocre podcast into something good. A combination of possessing a basic outline and sticking to it, having backup questions to ask guests so the podcast doesn’t devolve into awkward silences and random silliness, and editing out silences and errors in recording the podcast could turn the Webcomic Beacon into one of the better podcasts out there, and one that helps to showcase webcomics as a significant media deserving of attention and interest. What’s more, the WB could more effectively focus on topics that prove useful for cartoonists and fans alike. Without that extra effort, I can only recommend it as a curiosity to listen to if a topic catches the listener’s attention. Even then, the WB will be hit-or-miss in whether you’ll find gems hidden among the dross.

Order of the Stick

Originally I planned on talking about Belkar of Order of the Stick later in more depth, but the latest update left me needing to laugh in enjoyment over this one short (no pun intended) bit: Belkar is a sexy shoeless god of war! Yes, Belkar’s back in the game (and no longer suffering from the Mark of Judgment), looking for trouble, and leaving the girls breathless in his wake. (No wonder Varsuvius was so worried about Belkar possibly being attracted to V after the kiss on New Year’s.) And I must admit that the “passcode” for the Curse Belkar was under proved most amusing: Evolve or die.

One of the greatest flaws of Belkar’s character was that he has been a two-trick pony for the longest time. He was a violent comedic foil who had no social graces, no interest in blending in, and whose solution for everything was “stick a knife in it until it’s dead.” And it was getting old and boring. What’s worse, it was hurting the rest of the comic as well. The rest of the cast have undergone character growth and have had some truly intriguing stories behind them. Belkar? Outside of killing things, he was useless. The visitation of Lord Shojo (whether it was Shojo’s spirit, a manifestation of the curse Belkar was under, or even just a hallucination) ended up providing Belkar with a chance (and a reason) to grow, while staying fundamentally who and what he is.

Thus Belkar is going to pretend to have character growth. Yet I must wonder… in pretending, and while playing the same game everyone else is, some of that faked character growth may actually rub off. In the meanwhile, watching Belkar slaughter his way through a horde of low-level thieves, leaving the one girl alive after kissing her breathless, has actually become amusing again. What’s more, he may actually get to play the part of hero once again, and enjoy himself immensely while doing so. And while he is fated to die (according to the Oracle, whose death activated Belkar’s Mark of Justice to begin with), I can’t help but wonder if maybe he’ll gain a measure of redemption in the process… or at the very least enter into the Abyss ready to kick butt and chew bubblegum.

The Wotch

One thing that a number of Transformation comics fail to dwell on is the horrific elements of having a person’s gender swapped. Of all the Transformation comics, perhaps Misfile best touches upon the slow slide into the mindset of the new gender, but even this comic treats Transformations as more a subject of angst and woe than actual horror. Other comics, such as El Goonish Shive and The Wotch often gloss over the unnatural state of being a gender you’re not supposed to be. Indeed, The Wotch has had characters often accept their change in gender without pause.

Thus I’ve been watching with fascinating as cartoonist Anne Onymous is actually delving into the psychological horror of three tertiary characters who are unwillingly being transformed into the opposite gender after one of them, Ivan, triggered a curse put on them by the Wotch’s mentor, Miranda. Normally with The Wotch, the transformed individual either instantly enjoys their new gender or comes to terms with it fairly quickly. The twist in this case is that the transformation is gradual, starting with the hair length of the characters… and then other changes. Of the three suffering through the transformation, it is the girl (Julie) who is showing the most distress over this gradual curse.

We’ve also been given another glimpse into the dark side of Miranda here. This woman transformed one of Anne’s foes into a plush doll rather than let her wander free. Indeed, the only reason Ivan escaped a plushie fate is because Miranda recognized him as being one of Anne’s schoolmates. So, how would Anne react if she learned what Miranda did to protect her? It is a literary trope for the skilled mentor to die or vanish, forcing the protagonist to go it alone against their enemies. But rather than the traditional death that often happens to the mentors, might Miranda end up alienating Anne through her militant attempts to protect her?

Ultimately, while Anne may abandon Miranda, Miranda may very well take it on herself to watch over Anne despite her wishes. Another often-used trope in literature is the theme of redemption… a path which often leads to the death of the character seeking redemption. The glimpses we’ve had of Miranda’s past reveals two friends, and hints at a tragic end for them. Death may very well be a release… and a reunion for a woman who blames herself for not having been talented enough to protect those she loved. This self-blame may even explain her actions against Ivan, as she strives to protect Anne, no matter what the cost.

And what of Ivan, Julie, and Scott? While they may end up the catalyst to drive Anne away from Miranda (and leading to Miranda’s efforts to achieve redemption), I must admit doubts that they will overcome their curse. This gradual transformation into the opposite gender, a transformation no one else even notices thanks to the curse’s nature, is going to leave these three with no one but each other to cling to. There is little reason for Miranda to simply remove the curse (unless of course Ivan uses the threat of using it to change more and more of the town as a weapon against Miranda). And I must admit I’d love to see more of the horror-aspect of Transformations in The Wotch, and of characters forced to live with the consequences of their actions.

Girly

I’ve long had a tremendous fondness for Warner Bros. Looney Tunes. Indeed, I grew up watching Looney Tunes (as well as Tom and Jerry and other comics of its era), long before Cartoon Network started airing them nonstop for customers of cable television. And while the comics present a number of politically-incorrect themes and cartoon violence, I’ve always felt a bit of nostalgia when I see DVDs of Looney Tunes for sale in stores.

Cartoonists can be nostalgic as well, and many of the older webcartoonists grew up on the same cartoons I long enjoyed. But while these old classics will influence a cartoonist’s work, it can be difficult to pay homage to these classics, especially in the static medium that is a webcomic. Josh Lesnick has managed to do this in the latest episode of his surreal comic Girly. Watching as Winter and the not-so-faceless executive of HappyCo. do a classic Daffy Duck/Bugs Bunny routine and pull it off without a hitch is truly impressive. Of course, Girly thrives on the surreal and unusual.

Unfortunately, it has stumbled a bit as it has grown older. The initial blush of adventure and love (and the tease of hinted nudity and sex) found in those early strips has mostly vanished. Instead it feels almost like marriage, where the cast doesn’t need to try as hard to keep the audience because they’re established and you’ve already invested this much time in the comic. At times I’ve even considered putting it into my “read later” pile (which I need to go through someday). But then Lesnick manages to pull out a strip like today’s that reminds me of just why I started reading it in the first place: wacky and funny hijinks. And while it might not have the blush of the first comics, it is strips like this that remind me of why I read, and why Lesnick is at the top of his game.

Apologies for the delay in reviews…

I’m afraid I was sick with the flu last week, and have been fighting off a cold this week. This not only delayed new reviews, but also put a hold to the archive restoration. I do have a review partly-written, and will be continuing with the archive restoration this weekend.

Thank you for your patience.

Addendum: Work on the archives has resumed with work commencing on December of 2007 and a previous Secant of Dresden Codak from a couple months prior; as I’d linked to that previous review, I figured it would be a good idea to have a proper link to it, thus the out-of-order review.