Fone Bone
Matt Zimmer
The issues with Anime Superhero and image posting have been fixed so I edited the issues that needed editing. I will also be reposting my issues one at a time in a new thread in the near future.
Since when? Don't tell me you voted for Shart Garfunkle!Hey Matt! I missed you...but my aim is getting better.
I hope you don't mind me posting in this thread. I have lots of comments and would like to respond to what you said in the Linear Notes.
First and foremost, I'm glad I'm getting to see so much of Gilda and Meek! I don't remember a lot of what you've said about them in the past, but maybe it's good I'm coming at this with fresh eyes and knowing nothing (well, bits and pieces). I don't know my Sexy Tapeworms from my Lace Doilies. Which brings me to my next point, I can give you some outside perspective. I may not get all your references or agree with your politics,
The Narrator will definitely be controversial and he IS a work in progress. But I still can't imagine the story without him. One of the reasons I have him is to make sure the reader is never misled by the characters. Him offering the opinion he does about Gilda and Gabrielle is me saying exactly what the answer is without the reader wondering. It might be a bad idea from a Narrative standpoint. But it makes sure the reader is never misled.but I can react openly and honestly to what I see. I'm glad you're not holding back, and I don't think you should. Although if you want my input for you pitching this as a maxi series...and it IS publishable, trust me...I would make some bigger suggestions to make it more reader friendly. But in the meantime, since you wrote this as your own personal passion project just for yourself...
Impressions on the first arc. I really do like your character designs and the expressions you make. Your art may not be professional or polished (although I did appreciate the extra effort you put into "Skeletons"), but I do dig how the characters look. I liked the explosion and everyone flying in the Christmas issue and the photo. I also like the humor and comedic timing.
I'm not the biggest fan of your Narrator. I do like how he points out some details to pay attention to, but I don't like how he will analyze things before I, as a reader, get the chance to read it and have it sink in (like when he debates on who is right about Augatha right after Gabrielle tells Gilda about the prophecy).
The Narrator taking the wind out of the sails of the Otterman and Piranha fight was deliberate. I hated that fight because the characters shouldn't fighting, so I wanted the reader to hate it too and for the right reasons. It wasn't supposed to be a huge personal fight for the Piranha. It was supposed to be a pointless one.Him talking during the Otterman/Piranha fight takes some of the impact out of it. This should be a huge emotional moment for the Piranha.
No. Although he is smarter than advertised his role is basically cleaning up the messes. Neither he nor Bernadette are scientists.The characters themselves are fun and have a Planet Express-like dynamic. Meek (although I feel he is the Fry) reminds me of Amy in that I'd like to see him do more as Raggleworth's assistant. Does he have an aptitude for science?
Meek definitely knows. If Bernadette didn't tell him first, Gilda did. You are probably right we should have seen Meek's reaction.Bernadette is great, though, in her role of being brutally honest. Gilda makes for a strong main character and leader of the Chosen Five. I don't get a shippy vibe from her and Meek at all, and I like their moment when she's packing up her office. It does feel platonic to me, but it's also special. Their relationship is a little more passive, in that they have all night conversations. I'd like Meek to show he knows things about Gilda the others don't simply because of how much time they spend together. I like Meek's role as big brother to someone like Bernadette, but I really wished we see his reaction to her thinking she killed someone (she confides in Gabrielle but not Meek? Does he even find out?)
The Piranha is on the cusp of pubescence but like me acts younger than he is. He is also chronologically 50 years old (PIranhas have long life spans) so there is a wisdom to him.The only character I'm not sure I get is the Piranha. I wasn't sure if he was supposed to be a pet or not, and I can't quite pin down his age/maturity level. His reaction to meeting Gilda made me think he was a toddler, but later interactions with Otterman and then going out on his own (and Raggleworth letting him) makes me think he's closer to teenage?
The carnivore confusion stuff is deliberate. I wanted to raise the questions of the morality of eating meat in a world where animals are sentient. It's a controversy the characters don't even seem to realize is a controversy. If Otterman truly felt the proper level of guilt for killing the Piranha's family, he'd be a vegetarian. As for Otterman, the rule there is that Mutated Animals cannot understand animals like Crusty. Otterman is an exception because he used to be a proper animal himself. But he's one of the only Mutated Animals that can talk to animals.I am also having a bit of Carnivore Confusion (if that's the right term) with him, his family, the eating of those dogs, and Otterman talking to Crusty, but I will get into that later.
I know that's a Batman reference but Augatha isn't actually cowardly (although she is superstitious). And yes, Eddie is cool by design.Villains. I like how gross and vile they are (particularly Vic Puff) and Augatha is very much the "superstitious and cowardly" type. I do have to admit, though...I think Eddie Cat is kind of cool.
Squee! Chris read it! How far did you get?
Since when? Don't tell me you voted for Shart Garfunkle!
The Narrator will definitely be controversial and he IS a work in progress. But I still can't imagine the story without him. One of the reasons I have him is to make sure the reader is never misled by the characters. Him offering the opinion he does about Gilda and Gabrielle is me saying exactly what the answer is without the reader wondering. It might be a bad idea from a Narrative standpoint. But it makes sure the reader is never misled.The Narrator taking the wind out of the sails of the Otterman and Piranha fight was deliberate. I hated that fight because the characters shouldn't fighting, so I wanted the reader to hate it too and for the right reasons. It wasn't supposed to be a huge personal fight for the Piranha. It was supposed to be a pointless one.
The carnivore confusion stuff is deliberate. I wanted to raise the questions of the morality of eating meat in a world where animals are sentient. It's a controversy the characters don't even seem to realize is a controversy.
I know that's a Batman reference but Augatha isn't actually cowardly (although she is superstitious).
You may not believe this, Chris, but that describes my politics. I am VERY personally conservative which is why I vote for Democrats. They are the actual conservative party. Republicans are fascists. I'm not anti-conservative, I'm anti-Trump.This is my second read through. Errr...first and a half read through? I got past the One Shots when you returned to Gilda and Meek, but then I figured if I was going to read everything you have up and comment, I should go back and re-read the beginning since it's been a while.
Nah, I don't vote Republican. But I try to be as moderate as I can, agreeing with some views that may be considered conservative...even if I mostly lean to the left.
Speculation is fine, and there are a ton of unanswered questions coming. But speculating on stuff that is irrelevant doesn't actually help the reader, so I'm not going to mislead them. The fight in the second issue was pointless, and won't be referenced again. It is not the big deal another franchise would make it out to be.I can't imagine the story without him either, and it's good not to be misled, but at the same time, speculation can be fun. I'm not entirely sure that fight was pointless. I feel that Otterman hasn't earned his redemption (from what I've read of him anyway), and I wanted the Piranha to really express how he feels about being orphaned and take Otterman down a peg.
I sort of explain things a bit as they go along, but these are all the right questions to be asking (speculation is fun, remember?). But Humans cannot understand animals. Most (but not all) Dogs can, including Meek, Bernadette, Stella Stickyfingers, and Bill the Blue. Most Cats cannot, but the ones in the story who can are Gilda, Mitch, and Ted. Some Werewolves can sometimes understand them, usually if they have a Dog in their Infected Lineage. Piranhas can understand animals. Gragnocks can which is why despite the fact Gabrielle and Augatha are half-human, they can too. Mutated Animals cannot, although Otterman can because he was born a proper animal.That's interesting. I'll have to see how it plays out. One of the things that should be made clear is which species can understand which. I wasn't sure if Crusty and Otterman were talking to each other, and it wasn't until Sarah asked Winifred to talk to animals for her that I realized a dog could do something like that but a human can't.
Augatha doesn't do that because she's cowardly. It's because she believes she's indispensable to her mission, and doesn't want to risk getting her dumb ass killed on a routine patrol. Considering the stakes and the reasons she actually WANTS to rule the world, I agree with her reasoning.Yes, more superstitious, but she strikes me as cowardly in the way that 80's cartoon villains like Mumm-Ra or even Power Ranger Big Bads like Rita or Zedd are in that she stands back, surrounds herself with werewolf bodyguards, and sends minions and hired guns to do her dirty work, never fighting unless the good guys bring the fight to her.
There was no real good place for The Pontue Legacy. You needed to get that info dump when you did. But to be blunt, I felt comfortable interrupting Gilda and Meek after only eight issues for The Pontue Legacy and then One-Shots for a very interesting reason, that I suspected at the time, but wasn't sure until much later. Those first 8 issues of Gilda and Meek are unlike all of the others. They are mostly self-contained, and rarely deal with character development. The closest issue to the tone of regular Gilda And Meek is Skeletons. And that's not because the rest of Gilda And Meek is as dark and scary as Skeletons. It's because it's as focused on characters and mythology as that was. I also put The Pontue Legacy so early because the first eight issues are more or less self-contained, while the rest of the issues are more or less serialized. It's probably too soon for the prequel. But it will feel like less of a major interruption before we've gotten to the good stuff.Which brings me to my next point, I finished the Pontue Legacy. Augatha has more depth and growth than I thought she would get. And I'm glad you said that since you're spending so much time with her, you had to put more effort into her characterization.
Backing up a little, I feel like the Pontue Legacy came too early. I am reading this and picturing each issue comes out once a month, which would mean 6 months with new characters when we were just getting to know the old ones. Krac and Winifred are Meek and Bernadette's ancestors, but I feel like I don't know Meek and Bernadette well enough to think it's a fun connection and try and see if any traits got passed down.
You are asking the right questions about the Dragons. Their relationship to the Gragnocks will not be explicitly stated, but you'll understand it by the end of Gilda and Meek. Unfortunately that is all stuff that I won't be posting online. You'll have to wait until if and when I find a publisher and another artist to redraw things to look more professional.I almost want these to be back-ups to a main adventure, something like one of the five reading Gabrielle's journals and reacting to the story. Almost. I do think this story is perfectly paced and it works as is. Best use of the Narrator, particularly the beginning with the backstory and world building (there are still bits of him I don't like, for example his commentary on Pedro's line about the Springer show, which I thought was fine).
But like I said, really like the world building and lore in the beginning, I'm still a little lost on the concept of Mutated Animals, and I wasn't sure what the deal with the Dragons were (an off shoot race of Gragnocks who didn't leave with them?). I do like bits that clearly tie into the present day story, like the Blessed Child and Bob and probably other things I don't realize yet. I definitely cared about the new characters you introduced here, and I love that we got to see a complete story for them, even an epilogue.
Speculation is fine, and there are a ton of unanswered questions coming. But speculating on stuff that is irrelevant doesn't actually help the reader, so I'm not going to mislead them. The fight in the second issue was pointless, and won't be referenced again. It is not the big deal another franchise would make it out to be. I sort of explain things a bit as they go along, but these are all the right questions to be asking (speculation is fun, remember?).
Mutated Animals
Mutated Animals are the names for people whose birth is unexplained and not following Muppet Rules. No one knows WHY some people are born as a different species but the truth is that I find the Un-Iverse more amusing with talking monkeys, giraffes, lions, elephants, birds, camels and ducks. If a Mutated Animal breeds with a Cat, Dog, Human, or different species of Mutated Animal, Muppet Rules still apply
As for your idea of making the Pontue Legacy flashbacks in Gilda And Meek, I hate to say it, Chris, but that's an outright terrible idea. You haven't read my reviews in awhile, but I have lost all patience for flashbacks, and think they are a lazy way for a show to not have to tell their actual story in the here and now. I feel like they are put into shows to string the viewer along with the main plot for weeks on end. Filler is what I think they are, and I'm not doing that to Gilda And Meek. That would weaken that book
Wow, Chris, you've really got me thinking about some stuff, and the stuff you got me thinking about is stuff that I believe makes the project stronger.
You have a lot of questions about the rules of who can understand animals, and what the history of Mutated Animals are, and are frustrated that you aren't getting those answers in real-time.
I suppose I could have the Narrator explain this as it goes along, and to be fair, he does explain some of it pretty well (the Muppet rules are detailed pretty well in the fifth One-Shot's Stella Stickyfingers story) but I don't have him do that on a regular basis, or even every time an unanswered question comes up. Because the Narrator is already annoying, and little of him goes a long way. I lean into him pretty heavily in the early issues, but if I keep doing that, the reader is going to get frustrated by him constantly bringing things to a screeching halt, the way you thought he did to Pedro's statement in The Pontue Legacy.
I don't want you or the reader to think Otterman and the Piranha will wind up archenemies.
I love Lost too and the flashbacks on that show WERE great. But Arrow and especially Once Upon A Time's flashbacks sucked all of the air out of the room. It's an example of franchises mimicking a great thing from a previous show, without writers talented enough to understand why that thing was great in the first place.I disagree completely about flashbacks. Lost is one of my favorite shows of all time, and it proved that telling stories in the past side by side with stories that take place in the present can create a juxtaposition that reveals character, creates anticipation, builds mystery, and broadens up the whole world. Lots of other shows, while not as successful at is as Lost, like Once Upon a Time or Arrow, also had great uses of flashback.
I have to pick my battles with the Narrator.I agree with that, I wouldn't want the Narrator to halt the story and take the reader into "classroom time".
Which is the precise reason the Narrator is an annoying jackass. I don't want the reader to expect anything else big coming.That's definitely a good thing to spell out.
The One-Shots characters, specifically Narf-Narf and Chirp, The Humans, Unkie Matty and Stella Stickyfingers will wind up back-up stories in Gilda And Meek from this point forward. Howler will appear in his own issues from time to time featuring back-up stories with Gilda and Meek.Okay, so on to the One-Shots. They're a definite mixed bag and a drop in quality from the initial Gilda and Meek stories and the Pontue Legacy, but I think you already knew that. I really wanted to get back to the main characters in a significant way, although at the same time, I did love the more slice of life, child friendly comic strip-like stories. While reading the One-Shots (because there are so many), I wondered if it would work better as back-ups to the main story. After all, that's how Action Comics started. It'd be sort of like how an episode of Garfield and Friends has a Garfield segment, then US Acres, then back to Garfield, and then some short gags thrown in. Actually, maybe it's easier if I just do this by segment:
I can't spoil why they are so important, but I REALLY want to. I can probably do it by PM because I trust you that much, but I cannot tell you that in this public thread itself.-The Humans are easily the weakest and the worst of the bunch. At first I thought they were funnier than you were giving them credit for (and the Tigger comparison is apt), but they wore on my patience and they kept coming and coming. You said they are intentionally bad and you don't want to put much effort or research into them because of how stupid they are. I'm sure this will all make sense later (Terran Wars sounds VERY far off), but it doesn't make sense now.
The fact that Narf-Narf has Humanoid aka Terran facets is me exploring the controversy of the idea of animals having no rights in The Un-Iverse. If it seems confusing, that is by design. Because I want the reader to wonder why it is Narf-Narf can do the human seeming things he can do, and still be considered a second class citizen. These are all questions I want to raise, and I want to puzzle the reader with. Confusion on this issue is the reader understanding the question of the scenario as intended.-I liked Narf-Narf and Chirp a lot. I enjoyed seeing Vic Puff in it because of how things tie together in a good "shared universe" sort of way. I think they are fun characters, and when you shifted the focus to Stella Stickyfingers, the stories actually gained heart. As I mentioned, though, Narf-Narf is the character who confused me the most. He had earlier cameos (like at Vic Puff's wedding), and while he is smaller than sentient Cats and doesn't war clothes, I was still wondering if he was a Cat like Gilda. He walks around on two legs and holds things with his hands. It isn't until the visit to the vet and the poker game when he feels like an actual cat.
Because their part in the saga is far too brief to make their arc believable. If you count this four parter as one story, the Howlers and their cast only appear in around four others. And the problem is that Howler's arc goes by far too quickly to be credible. In this four-parter, he's merely a loving family man navigating his place in the world, and by the last couple of issues of Gilda And Meek, he's basically Spartacus leading a revolution. And that fact embarrasses me. Walter White didn't go from Mr. Chips to Scarface in five episodes. But if I did Howler's arc properly, he'd have 20 issues of character development to get him where he needs to be. But the saga's not actually about him, and I'm not going to add 20 issues of padding for him. I like Howler enough to include him. But not enough to rewrite my entire story for him. Which is why he underwhelms me.-Howler is another interesting character that contributes to your shared universe because of we know about Augatha and her werewolf guards. I am not familiar with the Talisman, but I do like the lore of the Borns and Infecteds. I also like that there's a clear beginning, middle, and end to this arc. You mentioned in the Linear notes you don't like Howler or Audrey, and I'm curious as to why.
The Unkie Matty stories wound up so disturbing to me as they went along that I was frightened by myself, especially because the psycho main character shares my freaking name. It was a humbling and harrowing experience. Stephen King was famously appalled at himself for writing something as horrifying as Pet Sematary, and that's how I view myself and Unkie Matty. I deeply regret writing the stories. That being said, Willis as a character is far more surprising in the future by having that specific dark past. I kept the stories for Willis's sake, and as much as I regret them, they still make his arc stronger. The final Unkie Matty story isn't even a comedy. It's basically a post mortem dramatic tragedy with the surviving characters discussing why the stories didn't work in a pseudo meta way, without breaking the fourth or knowing they are fictional. Unkie Matty is my biggest failure and regret so far in The Un-Iverse. And yet, like all of the One-Shots, stuff will seem better later on for these stories existing. I just completely freaked myself out by writing them.-Unky Mattie's Wacky Funhouse is disturbing, has too many characters, and I'm not sure what's important here (or at least I wouldn't if I didn't read what you wrote about Willis).
I love Lost too and the flashbacks on that show WERE great. But Arrow and especially Once Upon A Time's flashbacks sucked all of the air out of the room. It's an example of franchises mimicking a great thing from a previous show, without writers talented enough to understand why that thing was great in the first place.
And maybe it sucks that I won't be posting the thing that makes them great on Toon Zone itself, but I can't blow my entire wad if I ever want to get the rest of the saga published. As of now, you will have to trust me that these stupid stories are actually significant and tightly plotted, and will seem so after the fact.
I can't spoil why they are so important, but I REALLY want to. I can probably do it by PM because I trust you that much, but I cannot tell you that in this public thread itself.
The fact that Narf-Narf has Humanoid aka Terran facets is me exploring the controversy of the idea of animals having no rights in The Un-Iverse. If it seems confusing, that is by design. Because I want the reader to wonder why it is Narf-Narf can do the human seeming things he can do, and still be considered a second class citizen. These are all questions I want to raise, and I want to puzzle the reader with. Confusion on this issue is the reader understanding the question of the scenario as intended.
Because their part in the saga is far too brief to make their arc believable. If you count this four parter as one story, the Howlers and their cast only appear in around four others. And the problem is that Howler's arc goes by far too quickly to be credible. In this four-parter, he's merely a loving family man navigating his place in the world, and by the last couple of issues of Gilda And Meek, he's basically Spartacus leading a revolution. And that fact embarrasses me. Walter White didn't go from Mr. Chips to Scarface in five episodes. But if I did Howler's arc properly, he'd have 20 issues of character development to get him where he needs to be. But the saga's not actually about him, and I'm not going to add 20 issues of padding for him. I like Howler enough to include him. But not enough to rewrite my entire story for him. Which is why he underwhelms me.
One more thing about the placement of the One-Shots. Now we're actually done with them. Outside of a few back-up stories the pain is pretty much over, and we can finally get down to business. One of the reasons I suspect The Un-Iverse is unpublishable is because I deliberately deliver some outright bad issues early on, and I kind of think publishers (admittedly rightly) would see it as me screwing around with nonsense and driving off potential readers at a crucial early stage. But that again ties into the fact that The Un-Iverse isn't structured like a comic book, but a novel, and some chapters are set-up, and some are pay-off. That doesn't make the set-up chapters any more fun, but The One-Shots are me paying my dues now so the reader will have an amazing time later on. The Un-Iverse was designed for people with patience, who don't actually mind sitting through a apparently bad issue or two just to see where things go. It rewards people who stick with it.
Isn't it though? I often use tropes I hate if they service the story.I think we've beaten the flashback subject to death by now...but it's kind of funny the next issue I read opens with a flashback of Raggleworth and Gabrielle.
The fact that he lives in a tree with a bird in the first issue is another clue. I also say that the owner of the warehouse he stores his sore throat spray in is a Terran Dog and can understand his requests, clearly saying that Narf-Narf is an animal. Now, I hadn't yet made the distinction between Terrans and animals yet, but I did set up Narf-Narf was an animal in his very first appearance. Another thing to say the best reading of The Un-Iverse is the second, not the first.Those questions are good. I only caution making Narf-Narf look so Cat-like that readers don't realize that he's not another Terran Cat like Gilda. Some of the appearances just show him as short and naked but not any other differences.
And not all of The Un-Iverse has that. When a novelist writes a book, they don't stop and worry about which of the earlier chapters are not as exciting as the climax. The earlier chapter's entire design is to make the climax itself exciting. And I don't think modern audiences understand that or have the patience to stick with something that they don't think is 100% amazing 100% of the time. And The Un-Iverse WILL wind up an amazing story. But people without patience will never know it. And I suspect that is most people who would read it, especially men and fanboys.Makes sense, and I've been going back and forth as to if the Un-Iverse is publishable or not. The answer is, of course it is, but the question is, will you be able to create enough good will in the readers that they will want to keep coming back for more? No one's going to re-read it if they won't finish reading it a first time. Each issue or chapter should have something that will make the reader go "Oh, that's good, I want to know what's next!"
I kind of resent Louise Belcher because I created Bernadette first, but Louise hit pop culture before Bernadette did so Bernadette will have less of an impact. Bernadette is also smarter than Louise and has a conscience whereas Louise is usually just a sociopath.I feel like I know the group better now and what they do. They talk about fighting demons and stuff like it's a regular thing, that's cool. The parent/teacher meeting with Meek and Gilda and Bernadette's teacher is interesting. I get that Meek is the older brother and responsible one, but I never thought about Gilda taking such an active role (I'd expect it to be Raggleworth since he's known her longer and has been providing for her), but it makes sense that Meek considers her family. Gilda's relationship with Bernadette isn't exactly healthy because Gilda forgets Bernadette is still just a kid and doesn't properly filter herself around her. I think before you described Bernadette as Lisa Simpson meets Eric Cartman, I kind of see some Louise Belcher in her too.
Then the scene works as intended. I'm glad. I used far too much blood for her to believably survive, but I wanted it to land as big as possible.Bernadette getting hit by that brick is HORRIFYING! She is mature for her age, but she's still a kid and got in over her head. I really feel bad for her. And you're right, she does need to be a Christian for this plot to work.
One of the things I am very careful to show with Gilda is that she never commits violence against a person she never intended to. She will never grab Bernadette's wrist in anger and let go horrified when Bernadette yells "Gilda, stop! You're hurting me!" Gilda often has poor impulse control in what comes out of her mouth. But as far as hurting other people go, every times she does it she is in firm control of her actions.And speaking of horrifying, man, Dark Gilda. At first I thought she was driven by anger and acting blindly when she went to attack Puff like that, but her whistling and then holding back and sparing him because she needs something is...well, it shows she is more calculating about it. I kind of wanted her to take him out then and there, and Eddie Cat too. For a second I was thinking if Gilda has enough dirt to take down Eddie Cat, she should because of how much damage he is capable of causing, but I'm glad you pointed out that she's bluffing.
You should wonder about the Golden Hammer, but not the Elephantom or Ted. Both of those two are 100% nuisances and nothing more.Hmmm, introducing Ted and supervillains/Elephantom plus that line from Meek about fighting them gives me kind of a Venture Bros vibe, where costumed heroes and villains with powers were always kind of there but didn't become relevant until later. Definitely makes me wonder about the Golden Hammer.
I couldn't tell that story earlier. It's TOO raunchy. I had to build up some credibility and goodwill with the reader first, especially since I'm mostly targeting women with the story. Putting that in an earlier issue, especially one without Gilda or Bernadette would drive off a great chunk of my target audience.Whoa, Un-Comics getting raunchy with that reality show! The thing about Humans, Mutated Animals, Terran Animals, and Proper Animals really comes into light here, with Narf-Narf and Chirp not having dialogue or even being called by their actual names. This is the kind of story I wanted to see earlier. I can see the logic of them being second class citizens.
The subtext IS there, it's just not open. It is completely subversive that in an issue where Gilda is proving her confidence and faith in Meek, their relationship is secretly falling apart with her being in denial about it. And this goes on for a few issues.So I kind of like the adventure that Meek gets to lead, and the ending makes sense after Meek knows what Gilda did, but I wanted there to be more of a subtext throughout the whole thing of fear, mistrust, and the growing distance between the two of them. If it weren't for that ending, I feel like this adventure could've come at any time.
For some reason, that strikes me as even worse. 70's trump the 80's in cartoon suckiness every time.Holy crap, Unkie Matty pulled an Itchy and Scratchy! What was up with those 80's cartoons, anyway? I remember one episode of Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm (I guess this was a little before the time period you're talking about) where the boys are arrogant jerks and race the girls. The boys almost win, but at the last minute, Bamm-Bamm stops the car in a "Ladies First" Gentleman-type move so the girls can win.
And not all of The Un-Iverse has that. When a novelist writes a book, they don't stop and worry about which of the earlier chapters are not as exciting as the climax. The earlier chapter's entire design is to make the climax itself exciting. And I don't think modern audiences understand that or have the patience to stick with something that they don't think is 100% amazing 100% of the time. And The Un-Iverse WILL wind up an amazing story. But people without patience will never know it. And I suspect that is most people who would read it, especially men and fanboys.
I kind of resent Louise Belcher because I created Bernadette first, but Louise hit pop culture before Bernadette did so Bernadette will have less of an impact. Bernadette is also smarter than Louise and has a conscience whereas Louise is usually just a sociopath.
As for Dr. Raggleworth, he doesn't take an active role in Bernadette's care because he doesn't love her, at least not as a parent does. Gilda being given such a huge role is done to show how much Meek trusts her too.
I couldn't tell that story earlier. It's TOO raunchy. I had to build up some credibility and goodwill with the reader first, especially since I'm mostly targeting women with the story.
I understand that, but that would require being a better writer than I am for all different kinds of stories. Still, as it is now, I don't personally object to the story's "Get all of the nonsense out of the way early on" approach. The first season of Buffy The Vampire Slayer was outright terrible. But because of the foundation it laid (especially with Miss Calendar) the rest of the series wasn't. I take after Joss Whedon in doing the slow boil. Right now, the kind of storytelling that is popular is like J.J. Abrams and starting off with the exploding plane on the beach. I am more slow and steady with my arcs.I agree with that, 100% amazing all the time can't work. I just meant kind of a bit of a "leaving them wanting more" moment in each issue. Like how a good book is referred to as a "page turner" because you're going to keep reading to get to the next page and the next and the next.
Yeah, my target audience is mostly now females and people who as a rule dislike comic books. So I'm basically screwed demographics wise on the latter thing.Mostly targeting women, eh? I feel like you've wondered about what demographic you were appealing to before, have you begun narrowing that down?
Holy crap! You're right! I'm gonna have to fix that. I'll probably do it later tonight.I'm not trying to give editing notes or anything, but on page 40 of issue #23, I think you have the word balloons backwards on Gilda and Augatha.
A few years before, in fact. What did you think of the Return Of Jafar reference? It's one of the funniest jokes I've ever written, and I said to myself sadly "Nobody will actually get it. Except Chris. This joke is basically for him."The traitor reveal is hilarious because OF COURSE it's Bernadette and OF COURSE she's trolling Augatha. Uh, you wrote this before the Last Jedi came out, right?
That's exactly what the line means.The line that says the "masks the rest of the world wear are our own" does sort of make sense, if it's interpreted to mean something like "the secrets of the world are the masks that protect us".
I have Gilda and Bernadette pick on Augatha unfairly because it's subversive. I'm basically making Gilda and Bernadette the bad guys in their relationship which is provocative. At one point I was like "You know what, this might be a bad idea because it makes them both look so bad." But after awhile I was like "I am perfectly willing to make Gilda and Bernadette look bad." They are NOT perfect characters, and I'm not going to water down or gussy up their personalities to make the reader like them more. It's totally in character they both suck about this one thing.I didn't really react to that previous Narf-Narf and Chirp "Look at the way he runs" line from a few issues ago. I just thought it was a joke that didn't land until I read your comments. I had that in the back of my head when you talked about Gilda and Bernadette being the "mean girls" to Augatha. You said you're doing that to emphasize the "evil is mundane" theme, but is it worth it to have main characters become bullies who hit below the belt?
Correction: I will ATTEMPT to make it epic. Whether it will actually be or not in my lousy art style is still a huge upcoming question mark.Holding off on Gilda and Augatha fighting makes sense for a 90 book epic, as does making not many life or death fights for Gilda. When they do happen, I bet they will be epic.
Good question! Actual answer: It's a coincidence.Is there an intentional pink theme going on in Chiller Theatre?
The sitting around and watching TV elements of The Un-Iverse are just as integral to the franchise as the so-called adventures. I would argue they are even MORE relevant, because despite their jokey nature, they are where the actual character development can be seen. Comic book fans are NOT The Un-Iverse's target audience and nowhere is that more clear than the fact that half of The Un-Iverse is basically the characters farting around with each other.While it's cool to see the characters in space alongside these crazy alien designs, I don't love the structure of the Bug Aliens arc. The nightmares in the beginning set the tone of there being something big out there and you've got this shadowy dude, but then there's a lot of sitting around and watching TV before we get to the adventure.
I don't think she's like Cubert either because Cubert is intentionally designed to annoy the audience and the other characters. That's never been Bernadette's deal with me or her friends.You're right about kids and fiction, but Bernadette is nothing like Wesley for the reasons you list. If anything she is like Cubert from Futurama (who was there to point out all the logic flaws and whatnot), and the problems with having a Cubert-like character is that they tend to be obnoxious arrogant know-it-alls. I never saw Bernadette as the Mary Sue character, I like her because of her honesty and the fact that she brings out a side of Gilda and Meek no other character could.
Another good question! Answer: Never. The Un-Iverse does not as a rule engage in tropes where characters switch bodies or temporarily get into situations like that that have to be put right by the end of the issue like Gilda becoming a Dog. All of the characters are in their set personas and situations throughout the entire series' run (although I WILL be using the power switching trope for ONE issue in Lace Doilies). Mostly it's for the characters to always be responsible for their own actions.I like reading about the Cat and Dog differences in Linear Notes, and it's interesting you're debating characters wondering what things would be like if Gilda were a dog. Will we be seeing anything like this in the story?
This is the problem with each issue being a chapter. The Piranha DOES ask the Man in Pajamas the Riddle soon enough, and there is actual fall-out from that. Because there is fall-out from that character being asked, it was the wrong place for the Piranha to ask it. And the real reason he doesn't ask is the same reason he can fly the spaceship. He can SENSE there is fall-out coming, and isn't ready to deal with it. It's easier for him to randomly ask the Riddle of people he can guess they don't know it. On some very real level, he doesn't actually want to know the answer. The thing he wants most is also the thing he wants least.This was kind of my least favorite Gilda. I guess she's out of her element, and that's why she keeps forgetting about the replicator rules and her bargaining and planning was so risky. And then everyone is just tired at the end, which kind of hurts the Piranha's arc. I don't like the Piranha not asking his riddle here. I get him not asking Otterman earlier, being out on his own and over his head had him forget to ask the Mystery Lady, and Augatha taunted him about it, but the reason for him not asking on this adventure is kind of weak. It presents the unfortunate problem, if the Piranha doesn't care about it anymore, why should the reader?