Wapsi Square Forum

I don't know about anyone else, but I would like to see a little more of the "normal" or mundane characters. Especially in regards to the changes everyone else is undergoing. How does Kevin feel about Monica? Has Shelley confronted her dad about her Shinziness and where it comes from? When do we get to see Dietzel again? I feel like all of these once-important parts of the story are just sitting around in Darren's Bar.
Does anyone else feel like this?

davids4250 wrote:I don't know about anyone else, but I would like to see a little more of the "normal" or mundane characters. Especially in regards to the changes everyone else is undergoing. How does Kevin feel about Monica? Has Shelley confronted her dad about her Shinziness and where it comes from? When do we get to see Dietzel again? I feel like all of these once-important parts of the story are just sitting around in Darren's Bar.
Does anyone else feel like this?

I do wonder about the characters we don't see in the storyline, but knowing the medium it's a thing you just have to deal with. There is only so much 'panel time' everyday and it's better used to move the main story along. We are lucky enough to be wrapped up in a strip that get five a week updates, the once a weeks seem to move at a glacial pace, to me.
Keeping this pace is one of the things that make me happy that Wapsi is my favoritest web comic, I can't imagine trying to make five strips a week.
Just for fun, try making a single strip. Base it on the cliffhanger from this Friday and produce it all the way. The art doesn't have to be up to Paul's standards (Lord knows how few there are of that caliber) but make a good faith attempt at it. It's harder than you think.
Then think about how Paul was hit with an unexpected bill right here at Christmas and consider donating to the cause. If each of the Wapsi fans were to donate as little as $10,000, we'd never hear from Paul in his walled compound in Belize again...

Oh, heck, I'm WELL aware of how hard it is to come up with a comic.

Seriously, I do.

And, for more information on how this happened, check out this thread on the QC Forums.

I know that making a strip, especially five times per week, is very difficult! I admire Paul for the hard work he puts in. I just miss some of the other characters.

davids4250 wrote:I know that making a strip, especially five times per week, is very difficult! I admire Paul for the hard work he puts in. I just miss some of the other characters.

I think a lot of us do...which is why Paul occasionally drops a pin-up or one-pager showing excerpts of the lives of other characters (like that really adorable one we got to see a long while back of Owen and Lakshmi).

As much as I'd like to see characters that don't get much screen time, Paul's writing style kind of precludes it. He uses a tight narrative to tell you what you need to know, and nothing more. And the strip has evolved. One of the genius parts of the storytelling was establishing what Monica and Shelly's mundane lives were like at the begining of the strip. We got to see them as they were as "muggles", before we, or they, even knew the supernatural existed. Monica's romance with Kevin, Shelly's "will they or won't they" with Heather, and the interaction with all thier friends established who these women were before the weirdness insinuated itself into thier lives. I think we kept seeing thier mundane relationships as the supernatural took center stage to emphasise the contrast. Monica and company save the world, then M watches Ghost Hunters with Amanda. Shelly becomes a frikkin Sphinx then immediatly seeks out a normal touchstone in Heather as she tries to come to grips with what she has become. Monica pulls Amanda into the crazy because she dosn't want to keep her in the dark or leave her behind.

Paul was showing how M and Shelly had changed and grown since this began, and having them come to terms with it. Both of them appear to have finally accepted thier new place in the supernatural order of things, which means they'll both be taking a more active role in the MiB and other goings on. We can assume that they'll still interact with the muggles in thier lives, but we may not see much of it "on camera" unless it relates directly to the story. That's what I like about Wapsi. It hasn't gotten stale, nothing is predictable and the characters keep growing and learning, which is why I'm still reading it when I've dropped most of the webcomics I was still reading even a couple of years ago. The same old jokes and same old situations get old after awhile. After ten years (four or so for me) Wapsi Square is still fresh, still dynamic, and still keeps me coming back.

And just remember, nothing is random in Wapsi Square. Shelly tosses and engine Block, random rule of funny moment? Nope, forshadowing that she is actually a Titan. Monica's aspect darkening when she's mad at Shelly, artistic license to emphasise her mood? Nope, forshadowing of her powers as a Jaguar Girl. Katherine talking to her fish while he has an episode of lactose intolerance, funny interlude at a serious moment in the story? Not sure yet, but all signs point to, NOPE.

Boxilar wrote:And just remember, nothing is random in Wapsi Square. Shelly tosses and engine Block, random rule of funny moment? Nope, forshadowing that she is actually a Titan. Monica's aspect darkening when she's mad at Shelly, artistic license to emphasise her mood? Nope, forshadowing of her powers as a Jaguar Girl. Katherine talking to her fish while he has an episode of lactose intolerance, funny interlude at a serious moment in the story? Not sure yet, but all signs point to, NOPE.

Interesting analysis.

We'll have to keep an eye on this one... err, I mean, on that aspect of the story... yeah, that's it...

I just assume Dietzel and Darren are hanging out doing guy stuff.

Oh, no...

Monica is eyeing Oscar!

RUN OSCAR! RUN!!

Quick, distract her with the laser pointer!

Noticed this thread and have been wondering the same thing. And also wondering at this point, given the others' evolution, should the 'norms' still be listed, or would it be better to write them out onto their own lives just to get closure instead of wondering if they'll ever make another appearance. I adore Katherine, and would miss her terribly, but at least I would know what happened instead of wondering if she's just faded out with no explanation. Same for Amanda. But that's just me.

Locuran wrote:Noticed this thread and have been wondering the same thing. And also wondering at this point, given the others' evolution, should the 'norms' still be listed, or would it be better to write them out onto their own lives just to get closure instead of wondering if they'll ever make another appearance. I adore Katherine, and would miss her terribly, but at least I would know what happened instead of wondering if she's just faded out with no explanation. Same for Amanda. But that's just me.

I have serious doubts that Katherine is a baseline "normal" human. Her eyes and teeth are different enough that I think she has some non-human blood in her ancestry. Some have speculated that she related to one of the mythical spider dieties, like Anansi. My pet hypothisis is that her origins are more...marine. Her features seem a bit shark like and I have a feeling that her conversations with Oscar aren't one sided. And as someone pointed out in another thread, Mermaids of myth were actually quite terrifying. Her "hearing voices" may well be supernatural abilities that she mistakes for mental issues.

Gee, I wonder who in the cast might be good at determining THOSE characteristics?

(Just watch it when she lets her hair down, Kath...)

jwhouk wrote:Gee, I wonder who in the cast might be good at determining THOSE characteristics?

(Just watch it when she lets her hair down, Kath...)

I can just see that strip:
Kath: Who are you??
Euryale: Well, I'm kinda your great great grandma.
Kath: Yea, and Oscar is my familiar.
Oscar: Bloop bloop bloop
Kath: What do you mean you are my familiar??????