Two and a half years after creating this one, I notice there was no comment giving context. I don't remember where I was psychologically, but it's clearly yet another shout out-to the futility of it all, or, at least, to the futility of making sense from sources of inspiration. Using the Oblique Strategies cards as a guiderail for one's life is not how they were intended to be used, and so 'results may vary'. Still, the uselessness I feel conversely always feels somewhat practical. No forward progress? Go backward. Rock the car out of the rut.
I've recently renewed an interest in creating vertical comics (latentnarratives) and have been poring over archived pages of newspaper comics, and see that many of the most popular mainstream strips are often mediocre efforts. I don't know how it could be otherwise. I mean, this is what makes standout artists stand out. Most of us do what we can, and what we can is, by and large, average.
This particular strip is not bad: it's very clean and the lines and text are legible and unrushed. The color is well considered, and the complaint and response is honest, and reasonable, and on-brand.
I've just noticed something else with this strip that I think was unintentional. The oblique strategy that begins the first frame ("Don't break the silence") is immediately violated by Guy, who has a complaint that the advice doesn't help us forward. This ends up in the final frame with the oblique strategy advising Guy to 'reverse'. Which seems at first unhelpful (as they always do seem), but on second glance it actually works as a time-loop because Art is suggesting Guy refer to the first directive: Don't break the silence. Which again starts the loop.
Again, I don't know if this is what I had intended in writing this strip, but it works perfectly as a comment on my attempt at giving up expectations. I try to be in the moment, but I get pulled forward or backward by my judgement. And the process starts again. And I judge that process to be indicative of lack of progress.
So, I'd think it turns out that the strip is actually more functional and true that I initially believed, which is also what is reflected - in a meta sense - by Guy's experience of his relationship with Art within the story of the strip itself. So it's actually my own ego and my inner critic that is mediocre, and not the comic itself. Which is humbling and satisfying.
Two and a half years after creating this one, I notice there was no comment giving context. I don't remember where I was psychologically, but it's clearly yet another shout out-to the futility of it all, or, at least, to the futility of making sense from sources of inspiration. Using the Oblique Strategies cards as a guiderail for one's life is not how they were intended to be used, and so 'results may vary'. Still, the uselessness I feel conversely always feels somewhat practical. No forward progress? Go backward. Rock the car out of the rut.
ReplyDeleteI've recently renewed an interest in creating vertical comics (latentnarratives) and have been poring over archived pages of newspaper comics, and see that many of the most popular mainstream strips are often mediocre efforts. I don't know how it could be otherwise. I mean, this is what makes standout artists stand out. Most of us do what we can, and what we can is, by and large, average.
This particular strip is not bad: it's very clean and the lines and text are legible and unrushed. The color is well considered, and the complaint and response is honest, and reasonable, and on-brand.
I've just noticed something else with this strip that I think was unintentional. The oblique strategy that begins the first frame ("Don't break the silence") is immediately violated by Guy, who has a complaint that the advice doesn't help us forward. This ends up in the final frame with the oblique strategy advising Guy to 'reverse'. Which seems at first unhelpful (as they always do seem), but on second glance it actually works as a time-loop because Art is suggesting Guy refer to the first directive: Don't break the silence. Which again starts the loop.
Again, I don't know if this is what I had intended in writing this strip, but it works perfectly as a comment on my attempt at giving up expectations. I try to be in the moment, but I get pulled forward or backward by my judgement. And the process starts again. And I judge that process to be indicative of lack of progress.
So, I'd think it turns out that the strip is actually more functional and true that I initially believed, which is also what is reflected - in a meta sense - by Guy's experience of his relationship with Art within the story of the strip itself. So it's actually my own ego and my inner critic that is mediocre, and not the comic itself. Which is humbling and satisfying.
What a moron.