Comic strips

[rowyn]

I was discussing web comics with a friend, and he mentioned that he had a subconcious bias for strips that were in color. It wasn't that he consciously looked at black and white strips and said "ew!" -- but he found that most of the strips he wound up reading were in color.

I haven't noticed this bias in myself. In fact, one of the comics I read daily -- GPF -- went to color and I didn't even notice. (Happened sometime in 2002 or 2003, I guess). Out of the 21 strips I regularly follow, nine are in color. But most of those were in b&w when I started reading them, so color didn't have an impact on my decision.

Perhaps more interestingly: I only read a handful of strips where I know the creator's sole income is from the strip. Those would be: Megatokyo, PVP, Sluggy Freelance, and User Friendly. None of those run daily color strips (though the last three do Sunday color).

But this has been on my mind, so I thought I'd do a little poll on it and a couple of questions. For variety, I'll fill out my own poll this time. :)


[Poll #245608]

Comments

Villian Worship

[kelloggs2066.livejournal.com]

"Jack"

The main character is the sin Wrath, and the angel of death,
taking the souls of the dead to judgement. I gather in life he was some sort of serial killer/rapist, and his punishment is to be the angel of Death. (Oh! But he's so *sensitive!*) It is well written, at times emotionally moving, and passably drawn. Despite that, please note that I do *not* recommend it.
It involves more psychological "issues", far beyond villian worship, than I can comfortably shake a stick at.

I only mention it because it is so popular among furry audiences.

I seem to recall *something* about Jack Salem. It's been a long time though, and I never read anything about him. I think he was supposed to be some sort of Furry Feline Nazi Mass Murderer or other?

What I have heard of the character did not interest me to pursue it further.

Re: Villian Worship

[jordangreywolf.livejournal.com]

Well, I read some of the reviews, and nothing - criticism or praise - inspired me to look at it further. Particularly since it seems that some of the highest praise for "Jack's" artist was his attention to genitalia. (As if that's not a bad enough sign....)

As for Jack Salem, I believe he was some sort of weasel or sable or some other mustelid. In the original context that I saw him, it was some distant future where genetically engineered anthropomorphs were all over, with no real reason other than "Well, we could make them, so we did." And he basically went around gleefully killing and eating people. As I heard from others, there were characters who tried to stop them, but ultimately died in the attempt. Eventually, he died ... but, as I was told, he was such a popular character amongst friends of the artist that he was resurrected from the dead, elevated to immortal status (ala "Jason" of the Halloween movies?), and every now and then I see some art of him looking nasty and tough, usually in a scene that suggests that he's about to eviscerate and devour some "helpless furry girl". (One such picture was posted to the Yerf archive recently. I didn't feel any particular sympathy for an archetypical "furry bimbo", but I don't exactly get kicks out of omnipotent murdering characters, either.) I don't think Nazis ever entered into it, but I'm hardly an expert. Who knows?

Re: Villian Worship

[kelloggs2066.livejournal.com]

}Eventually, he died ... but, as I was told, he was such a
}popular character amongst friends of the artist that he was
}resurrected from the dead, elevated to immortal status

Ooo! Malicious, Vicious Murdering Characters and Deus Ex Machina Ressurections! Oh boy! Oh Boy! Two great things that go great together! This stuff must be just terrific!

Yuck. :(

The only thing I saw of the character, I believe he was pictured wearing an SS Uniform. Oh, yeah, I just dig those Snazzy Stormtrooper Uniforms, don't you?

Gah. Phooey.

Scott