Shock Value

Skatologist

Choke On Your Nazi Cookies
Jan 25, 2014
628
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MarsAtlas said:
Lightknight said:
You know if you just watch Grey's twitter feed, most of the jokes can be seen there before they're made into a comic. Most of the jokes made into strips don't even really attract any attention. The only time his tweets get more than a dozen favourites are when he says something about the industry, eg "I've seen libertarians defend the sale of heroin, but never one ever defend Dungeon Keeper Mobile", so you can't even really say he's testing the waters for how the jokes will be received. They're pretty much just whatever jokes he thinks can fit into comic form.
Speaking of twitter, I think senpai noticed someone:

[tweet t=https://twitter.com/GreyTheTick/status/582946823515480064]

[tweet t=https://twitter.com/GreyTheTick/status/582946942625304576]

[tweet t=https://twitter.com/GreyTheTick/status/582961311300132864]


Note: I actually don't necessarily agree with these condescending sentiments made by Grey on twitter. I am however favoriting all of them while simultaneously thinking such a view seems heavily conspiratorial
 

BlackIronGuardian

New member
Dec 26, 2008
409
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Colour Scientist said:
BlackIronGuardian said:
Is Anal Death **** a band?
If it isn't, I call dibs.

We're gonna be a ukelele folk ensemble.
Ah, I really wanted to use it for my college acapella team. It's been a while since we've been to regionals, but a new year and a new name could have really made a difference.
 

Lightknight

Mugwamp Supreme
Nov 26, 2008
4,860
0
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Skatologist said:
MarsAtlas said:
Lightknight said:
You know if you just watch Grey's twitter feed, most of the jokes can be seen there before they're made into a comic. Most of the jokes made into strips don't even really attract any attention. The only time his tweets get more than a dozen favourites are when he says something about the industry, eg "I've seen libertarians defend the sale of heroin, but never one ever defend Dungeon Keeper Mobile", so you can't even really say he's testing the waters for how the jokes will be received. They're pretty much just whatever jokes he thinks can fit into comic form.
Speaking of twitter, I think senpai noticed someone:



[tweet t=https://twitter.com/GreyTheTick/status/582946823515480064]

[tweet t=https://twitter.com/GreyTheTick/status/582946942625304576]

[tweet t=https://twitter.com/GreyTheTick/status/582961311300132864]


Note: I actually don't necessarily agree with these condescending sentiments made by Grey on twitter. I am however favoriting all of them while simultaneously thinking such a view seems heavily conspiratorial
I don't think Grey was being condescending at all. He had the courtesy to comment on what I admitted was an easily dismissible idea (but I didn't have any information to dismiss it) and he did so generally politely considering the epic burn tools at his disposal. He didn't owe me any kind of response and yet he did comment on it and now I know thanks to him.

So he's saying that the Escapist is paying them enough to make Critical Miss their priority. If that's true then that tanks the theory altogether so long as EDA isn't intended to replace revenue should they leave. But they are only looking for $1,500 per month on Patreon which isn't much to live on for two people. Honestly, if they made a ton more and were able to do their own things more regularly then that would only give us more of the content we've come to look forward to.

Also, like stated, the controversy they're generating on Critical Miss with these is more likely to generate more views of these comics at least in the short term. I've got to assume that long time fans of the series are similar to me, in that getting burned once or twice by the comic is just part of the relationship they've created and well worth it. So the readership composition may not be as elastic with change as other industries present.

So maybe they're pulling out the big guns as a means to draw in readership and also advertise EDA at the same time. In that interpretation, The Escapist, Critical Miss, and EDA all win. It's not unlike the practice of click bait title in the industry as far as bringing in views but in this case its art and in a far more agreeable place than mere misleading and provocative title wording. Maybe this is actually an example of them trusting their fans to not get all butt hurt. That's a nice thought.

Hmm, that is the more likely and far less conspiracy theorist option. So that's my go to at the moment. The timing of the Patreon in addition to the other goings on at the Escapist (like with so many other sites right now) just had me worried that I was about to lose a comic I enjoy even if I see other people hating it. Hopefully I didn't offend the content creators with the theory I was presenting. It seems like I more perplexed them.
 

Lightknight

Mugwamp Supreme
Nov 26, 2008
4,860
0
0
josemlopes said:
Lightknight said:
Andy Shandy said:
Let me get this straight, if I've read this correctly you honestly believe that Grey and Cory are purposely tanking their successful comic as some sort of pseudo-promotion of their new comic?

I mean, this wasn't my favourite CM, but come on.
I'm talking about the last few weeks, not today's specifically but as a series of direct attempts to rile up their standard audience. People against school shooting [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comicsandcosplay/comics/critical-miss/13596-New-Xbox-One-Controller-Comic] Their attempt to offend has grown significantly beyond anything I recall in the past. This is why I'm asking if this range of offense is typical. I've heard of some pretty legendary pieces they've run that got people all hot and bothered but from what I understand, there is usually a buffering between them.
Its called having a sense of humor.

Also, this one wasnt about school shooting, or about people against school shooting, in the last panel for the joke to work ("I'm running out of things to get pierced, Dave") it had to be them doing something shocking to drive the point of the rest of the comic home. It doesnt matter what it is and in no way is it about standing against something, it could be a variety of things as long as it was something that could be considered shocking (and as most comments in here show, this isnt even shocking in a webcomic, we are already like the dad in the comic).

So yeah, it seems like the lack of sense of humor blurs the point of the actual joke, something that also recently happened with Pillars of Eternity where the joke was at the expense of the "Hero in bed" and yet some people thought that the transgender was the one being mocked.
For sure, it is just a joke. You know it and I know it.

My theory (now disregarded) was regarding the reception of the larger audience that seems to take vocal offense at anything that's offensive. I couldn't care less if the comic literally was about school shootings. They're artists and it's their prerogative. Something being a joke about any group of people doesn't discredit it's legitimacy. Being included in jokes really just makes you part of the group depending on whether or not there is also mutual respect when it isn't a joke.

But people taking offense about something? So fucking what? I'm sure you'll agree with that sentiment and the commonly posted meme below.

http://www.titaniumteddybear.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/stephen-fry-on-being-offended.jpg

So please understand. My theory wasn't by any means to say that the writers and artists are doing anything wrong. Far from it. Just theorizing about the business behind such things in light of how they may make the general reader feel. It all could have happened organically as part of the creative process or it could have any one of several motivations behind it. We'd never know unless they tell us and artists don't really owe us a single explanation about anything.
 

Tarfeather

New member
May 1, 2013
128
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Wow, that is some really great artwork for the dad. Clashes fantastically with the inane things he's saying, well done! (No irony, that's what makes the joke funny for me)
 

Lightspeaker

New member
Dec 31, 2011
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MarsAtlas said:
Skatologist said:
You know, not to go all doom and gloom or anything, but suppose a certain trilby wearing content creator on this site wanted to go independent.
I would assume that Yahtzee owns ZP, since IIRC he ran it before he was a part of The Escapist.
To be honest I'd almost say its not worth the Escapist owning the rights to ZP. Because ZP basically IS Yahtzee. So if Yahtzee were to leave I'm not sure that having the rights to the show would do them any good at all; I don't think they can just replace the content creator in that particular case.
 

Tarfeather

New member
May 1, 2013
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Lightspeaker said:
MarsAtlas said:
To be honest I'd almost say its not worth the Escapist owning the rights to ZP. Because ZP basically IS Yahtzee. So if Yahtzee were to leave I'm not sure that having the rights to the show would do them any good at all; I don't think they can just replace the content creator in that particular case.
It's more about whether he could leave the Escapist and continue ZP. Generally that seems to be why The Escapist reserves the rights to anything: So the valuable/iconic content creators can't just leave the site and make profits off their iconic stuff (which did admittedly get promoted and supported by the escapist) elsewhere.
 

Toilet

New member
Feb 22, 2012
401
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VanQ said:
Three japanese ladies shitting into the mouth of a fourth puts that newfa-friend off his breakfast?

Guess he's never been to /d/.
That's the least it takes for me to get a half chub.
 

SweetShark

Shark Girls are my Waifus
Jan 9, 2012
5,147
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"I am from The Internet My Boy" is maybe one of the greatest quote I ever heared recently.
All the future parents around the world must memorise this to use it to their children.
 

Ohlookit'sMatty

New member
Sep 11, 2008
951
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Man, this one got dark at the end, & if you're running out of placces to get pierced you're just nothing thinking creatively enough

-M
 

JamesStone

If it ain't broken, get to work
Jun 9, 2010
888
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I found this unironically funny.

Nothing more to say really, just thought I'd say something different for once
 

Lazule

New member
Oct 11, 2013
131
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LOL! This is the darkest blackest humor comic you will ever see in Critical Miss. Nice hahahahahahahah.
 

Eggsnham

New member
Apr 29, 2009
4,054
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And thus, I awaken from my hibernation:

Was funny. Don't even care about the sociopolitical implications, it made me laugh, as is most often the point with humor.
 

Edl01

New member
Apr 11, 2012
255
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Mister K said:
erttheking said:
That's...um. That's...it's...something.

I guess I get the joke...kinda.

What's this about again?
I think it's about a theory (or a fact, I dunno) that teens do many things to shock and/or get attention of their parents.
Actually I'm pretty sure the comic is mocking the fact that because of how much time we on the Escapist have spent on the internet we are no longer offended by the final panel. It's quite Meta.
Ironically I think people who are offended have kinda missed the joke...