Total Drama 2016-05-05

[AnotherFairportfan]

Sigh. This strip used to be about ancient mysteries, hidden powers and mythical energy underlying the everyday world. Now it's just Harry Potter with lesbians.

Well, you know, we won't tell anyone if you decide to stop reading it.

The comment could easily been made by the source of his username, though.

?

Also, having looked back, i find his last previous comment was complaining about Monica's power-up.

[meisdadoo]

"...graduating this year, and I don't need some glory seeking underclassman fouling up my scholarship chances"

So, after graduating from Gryphon High School, there is higher education which requires a scholarship . . .HHMMMmmmm, interesting concept.
So how much would a paranormal college cost, and what would you pay it in; blood sacrifice, souls, magic rocks, thunderbolts, gold? Certainly not US Dollars--what good would those be to entities with access to the library/portals, etc.

Because your scores with the flying team wouldn't be much use to get a scholarship at a human school--just sayin.

[Dave]

The comment could easily been made by the source of his username, though.

?

If I understand correctly, "zeebaneighba" may be a reference to the group of crocodiles who are the neighbors of the zebra character in the "Pearls Before Swine" comic strip.

If so, it's a slightly odd choice for a username. The crocks are (in general) neither intelligent nor competent. They keep coming up with absurd and grandiose schemes to kill the zebra... all of which have failed, and a number of which have resulted in the death of one of the crocks. They're the animal-kingdom equivalent of the "Hey, hold my beer and watch this!" doofus who periodically earns a Darwin Award nomination.

[eee]

Sigh. This strip used to be about ancient mysteries, hidden powers and mythical energy underlying the everyday world. Now it's just Harry Potter with lesbians.

Actually, it USED to be about an attractive, short nerd girl who had strange (but loyal) friends, some personal issues, worked at a museum, and had regular slice of life stories. Until the one day she read the inscription on the base of a diminutive statue of an Aztec god, and well, here we are.

[Akasha]

i wonder if ellen is any relation to lindsay ...

[AmriloJim]

If I understand correctly, "zeebaneighba" may be a reference to the group of crocodiles who are the neighbors of the zebra character in the "Pearls Before Swine" comic strip.

DING!
I fear this zipped right Pastis the head of AFF.

[Alkarii]

Why would you have an issue with magical lesbians?

Granted, it does seem that the comic focuses primarily on lesbian characters, but it isn't really being pushed into your face, nor are they fitting in with stereotypes. In fact, aside from a couple of them (Nadette and Heather, I think), the others were clearly shown to have an interest in males, and not one of them has been misandrist, at least as far as I can recall.

(Wow, my phone's spellchecker didn't know the word "misandrist"...)

Besides, isn't the comic described as "paranormal slice-of-life?". It doesn't indicate whose life that is.

[AnotherFairportfan]

Gee. Still nobody growling about the movie reference.

I suppose i was being subtler than i thought; or maybe it's just Not Funny anyway.

[zeebaneighba]

Sigh. This strip used to be about ancient mysteries, hidden powers and mythical energy underlying the everyday world. Now it's just Harry Potter with lesbians.

Actually, it USED to be about an attractive, short nerd girl who had strange (but loyal) friends, some personal issues, worked at a museum, and had regular slice of life stories. Until the one day she read the inscription on the base of a diminutive statue of an Aztec god, and well, here we are.

Yes, and that made it a magical, wonderful strip. Now, there's no mystery, supernatural powers are commonplace and are no big secret in the world at large, and it's all about teenage angst, which is the most overblown and tired subject matter in the world. It used to be about an obscure young woman discovering her power and having mysterious, supernatural friends; now it's just Sweet Valley High with non-demonic demons.

[zeebaneighba]

The comment could easily been made by the source of his username, though.

?

If I understand correctly, "zeebaneighba" may be a reference to the group of crocodiles who are the neighbors of the zebra character in the "Pearls Before Swine" comic strip.

If so, it's a slightly odd choice for a username. The crocks are (in general) neither intelligent nor competent. They keep coming up with absurd and grandiose schemes to kill the zebra... all of which have failed, and a number of which have resulted in the death of one of the crocks. They're the animal-kingdom equivalent of the "Hey, hold my beer and watch this!" doofus who periodically earns a Darwin Award nomination.

They're the funniest and most inspired part of Pearls. Does that make sense to you now?

[zeebaneighba]

Sigh. This strip used to be about ancient mysteries, hidden powers and mythical energy underlying the everyday world. Now it's just Harry Potter with lesbians.

I don't think you understand what this strip is about at all.

I suspect I've been reading this strip a lot longer than you have and have a very good understanding of where it came from. Now, it's just bland teen angst. And not very original. The old strip, with Monica, the Golem Girls, a demon barista and an ancient calendar machine that threatened to reset time, now THAT was original and interesting.

[jwhouk]

Mr. Pastis does a good job with his comic, but puns and hiding behind the misandry of rat doesn't make a great comic.

Yes, I'm aware - there are those who don't care much for Pablo's storytelling. "All Boobs" is the common fault, followed by "convoluted storyline." Of course, these same people who attack Wapsi's storyline are currently sobbing because Homestuck is done.

This stuff isn't everyone's cup of tea. But what is the height of arrogance is to come on here and show your disdain for Paul's work - when everyone knows that's what Tumblr is for.

[GlytchMeister]

Griping about it isn't going to change it. Paul is his own man and he's going to create his comic as he sees fit.

Nobody's making you read the comic, friend. If you really want to show Paul your distaste for his work, stop looking at it.

Seriously. The comments and the forums aren't here for him, they aren't here for feedback. They're here for us to discuss amongst ourselves. And fine, I suppose it's ok if you express an unfavorable opinion of the comic here. Not many people will agree with you, though.

If you want to have any chance of nudging Wapsi Square away from its current course, stop navigating your browser Paul's websites. Views = money (in a very general sense) for webcomics artists, and money is your best shot at having any effect on the comic at all.

Yeah, this is cutthroat and it can hurt Paul, but I have a sneaking suspicion...

*looks back at the multitudes of other happy readers of the comic, including several Wapsiholics and some recent new members to the forum*

...You packing your bags won't bankrupt Paul.

But you're welcome to cast your vote. By all means, friend... Make your decision and forever hold your peace.

Have a nice day.

[Opus the Poet]

Sigh. This strip used to be about ancient mysteries, hidden powers and mythical energy underlying the everyday world. Now it's just Harry Potter with lesbians.

Actually, it USED to be about an attractive, short nerd girl who had strange (but loyal) friends, some personal issues, worked at a museum, and had regular slice of life stories. Until the one day she read the inscription on the base of a diminutive statue of an Aztec god, and well, here we are.

Yes, and that made it a magical, wonderful strip. Now, there's no mystery, supernatural powers are commonplace and are no big secret in the world at large, and it's all about teenage angst, which is the most overblown and tired subject matter in the world. It used to be about an obscure young woman discovering her power and having mysterious, supernatural friends; now it's just Sweet Valley High with non-demonic demons.

I would remind you that the original lead character is now immortal, has the powers of a goddess, and can dimension shift between our physical world the the world of our personal demons. This makes her slightly unrelatable to most of the readers, and damned difficult for Pablo to write. Hence the shift in viewpoint. And FYI I happen to like lesbians, there are a large number of them in my personal circle of friends.

[Sgt. Howard]

Well... seriously, if it means that little to you... I am not being snarky here, but it would seem logical you might find something to read that is more to your tastes. I happen to enjoy it, as does many others here... one does not have to justify one's preferences, but also remember that applies to those who like it as well.

[oldmanmickey]

OO, we have our very own troll. It is so interesting to me to be able to observe them as they go out to forage. Notice the famous Strut of Dominance as they attempt to establish control due to their superior knowledge. Fascinating, simply fascinating.

[Atomic]

He has a point. The development of the series into Monica's growth and discovery has matured, and has moved on to other characters in that previously hidden world. Yes, it's easy to dismiss Lesbians! as a "Me Too" comics feature as well, and the Teen Drama genre is all over the place. That said, PW is known for his long setups for interesting, even amazing payoffs, and cartoon time takes months or even years to develop. Consider the Calendar Machine arc, which paid off in having Her Best Friend not quite murder her! Betrayal as Duty vs Leap of Faith, anyone? How often does that story structure appear? I doubt it's even listed in TV Tropes anywhere. Leap of Faith is listed, but not the first, nor the combination. So there. I looked. Nyah

So, OK, OK, things are a bit "standard" for webcomicdom at the moment. I've no doubt we're in for a ride. All of this is world establishment, and it happens to take a Teen Drama format. Tune in this time next year, and we'll see where we're going, and appreciate where we've been!

And I'm damn sure it won't be anything like the Magic Sparkle Pouty Girls that occupy soooo many webcomics. Bleah.

[Dave]

So, OK, OK, things are a bit "standard" for webcomicdom at the moment. I've no doubt we're in for a ride. All of this is world establishment, and it happens to take a Teen Drama format. Tune in this time next year, and we'll see where we're going, and appreciate where we've been!

Well said!

Although I wasn't a reader back when the Golem Girls were introduced, I've heard that some fans of the strip back then were quite unhappy with their appearance, feeling that they changed the whole focus of the story, that they were silly character, and that Wapsi Square had "jumped the shark" and was headed downhill.

I think we know, now, how much depth and power was added to the tale through Bud, Brandi, Jin, and the whole structure of the Lanthis back-story. It took plenty of time to develop... some of the little Chekhov's Guns didn't fire for years (and some are probably still hanging fire somewhere over Stage Left). It wasn't so much that the story changed, but rather that the existing story and characters were seen to be part of a bigger story, being played out on a much larger stage.

Paul made it explicit, on both sides of the Fourth Wall, that the focus of the strip was moving away from Monica. Phix told Monica as much, in a conversation in the Library. And, as you say, Paul is taking the opportunity to do a bunch of world establishment and elaboration now. A lot of what we've seen (through the eyes of Atsali and her crew) is about the "sociology of the mythic" - the nature of, and relationship between, the various paranormal races who populate our mythology and shape our relationship with the cosmos.

I have a feeling that we'll realize, in time, that Paul has once again managed to scatter around a whole pillaged armory's worth of Chekhov's Guns. Poseidon's niece?!? The Lilith? The Good People? And, of course, there are plenty of existing story elements which are still simmering, just outside of field of view... Tina and the changes she's going through, for example.

He's enlarging the stage again... and there's a lot of "show, don't tell" in his approach.

This won't be to everyone's taste, quite obviously. That's OK.

But, I strongly suspect that patience will be rewarded.

[Just Old Al]

Well... seriously, if it means that little to you... I am not being snarky here, but it would seem logical you might find something to read that is more to your tastes. I happen to enjoy it, as does many others here... one does not have to justify one's preferences, but also remember that applies to those who like it as well.

What the Sarge said. In spades.

[illiad]

Sigh. This strip used to be about ancient mysteries, hidden powers and mythical energy underlying the everyday world. Now it's just Harry Potter with lesbians.

I don't think you understand what this strip is about at all.

I suspect I've been reading this strip a lot longer than you have and have a very good understanding of where it came from. Now, it's just bland teen angst. And not very original. The old strip, with Monica, the Golem Girls, a demon barista and an ancient calendar machine that threatened to reset time, now THAT was original and interesting.

well that was about TEN years ago, and then REAL LIFE stepped in, Pablo has a much older kid to take care of, had to move to another state, and most likely had to get a proper job, to afford all that entails... :/

and have you TRIED searching for a 'guy meets girl' strip?? not that many about... plenty of 'man meets man' ones, and a lot of others that are definitely NSFW, over 18 content...

'thedevilspanties' may qualify, but that is only a daily thing, no background story...