Writing a ?review? of Penny Arcade is pointless, as no opinion, either good or bad, could do a damn thing to dent their traffic. As well summing up exactly what Penny Arcade consists of is a similar exercise in frivolity. Hence this is basically an opinion piece, my thoughts on how Penny Arcade moved beyond being a simple web-comic about gaming to an international sensation, which still keeps videogames firmly in its heart but has grown into an exercise in creative madness.
I will start with, in my opinion, the most recent affirmation of what Penny Arcade has become. ?Paint the Line? a long, dreaded continuity storyline revolving around an imagined action movie from the 80?s based entirely around Ping Pong, or table tennis, or whatever. The results are amusing, hilarious and truly telling of how far Penny Arcade has come as a web-comic. A ping pong showdown atop a nuclear submarine which ends in victory by default due to Orca intervention, the flames of passion atop a rocket, and a final showdown in a space station, all with tongue planted firmly in cheek and evoking whole heartedly the spirit of all those anti-soviet action movies produced in the 80?s. The artwork is dynamic, colorful and the writing clever though heavy on the exposition. Furthermore amusing phrases like ?Lenin?s Daughters? or ?The Experimental ?Peoples Grip?? hammer home the entertainment for me.
My second choice for telling Penny Arcade features that set it above the pack is the under appreciated Twisp & Catsby stories (I call them underappreciated because apparently people would rather have more Div than these two? idiots). A small devil and a giant cat whom speak in non sequiturs and wander around their truly strange world having mad adventure after mad adventure, it?s a far more amusing diversion than CAD?s attempt at bizarro humor, the random and non-that-funny Chef Brian. Rarely, in any form of media, is blatant surrealism so well expressed and the Twisp and Catsby stories are well drawn, creative, confusing, surreal and endlessly entertaining all at the same time, and I wait earnestly every year for when they will put out another one of these gems.
The list does go on however, Card Board Tube Samurai, The Last Christmas, The Saga of the Deep Crow are excellent examples of the creative talent behind this comic, something that frequently pushes the comic beyond its somewhat formulaic, and occasionally bland blend of profanity and violence laced gaming and pop-culture humor. This in addition to the constantly improving artwork and writing is the reason I keep checking back every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and continually hit refresh until a new comic has been posted.
I will start with, in my opinion, the most recent affirmation of what Penny Arcade has become. ?Paint the Line? a long, dreaded continuity storyline revolving around an imagined action movie from the 80?s based entirely around Ping Pong, or table tennis, or whatever. The results are amusing, hilarious and truly telling of how far Penny Arcade has come as a web-comic. A ping pong showdown atop a nuclear submarine which ends in victory by default due to Orca intervention, the flames of passion atop a rocket, and a final showdown in a space station, all with tongue planted firmly in cheek and evoking whole heartedly the spirit of all those anti-soviet action movies produced in the 80?s. The artwork is dynamic, colorful and the writing clever though heavy on the exposition. Furthermore amusing phrases like ?Lenin?s Daughters? or ?The Experimental ?Peoples Grip?? hammer home the entertainment for me.
My second choice for telling Penny Arcade features that set it above the pack is the under appreciated Twisp & Catsby stories (I call them underappreciated because apparently people would rather have more Div than these two? idiots). A small devil and a giant cat whom speak in non sequiturs and wander around their truly strange world having mad adventure after mad adventure, it?s a far more amusing diversion than CAD?s attempt at bizarro humor, the random and non-that-funny Chef Brian. Rarely, in any form of media, is blatant surrealism so well expressed and the Twisp and Catsby stories are well drawn, creative, confusing, surreal and endlessly entertaining all at the same time, and I wait earnestly every year for when they will put out another one of these gems.
The list does go on however, Card Board Tube Samurai, The Last Christmas, The Saga of the Deep Crow are excellent examples of the creative talent behind this comic, something that frequently pushes the comic beyond its somewhat formulaic, and occasionally bland blend of profanity and violence laced gaming and pop-culture humor. This in addition to the constantly improving artwork and writing is the reason I keep checking back every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and continually hit refresh until a new comic has been posted.
