Comic Genesis Forums

Hello. <P>Let me begin by saying that I have been lurking about reading your strips from time to time. I thought there was a lot of potential in your work in the beginning, but I was disappointed in the fact that you lacked continuity and the writing was/is sub par. I

Ah, I see. A troll masquerading as an enlightened critiquer. They've gotten devious lately. This is my first post to Glych's board. Figures it'd be in response to a flame.<P>First off, I'd be the first to admit that Glych's grammar isn't always perfect. Hell, I teased Damonk (an English major) about the lack of parallel structure in the ad for the Four Toon Tellers.<P>However, grammar is not the heart of the comic. Glych's <I>writing,</I> on the other hand, is excellent. Her characters are believable. Have you ever tried to write a believable character? Mine often turn out as archetypes, sadly enough, but I've had enough practice to be able to recognize good characters. Glych has them.<P>Finally, part of the charm of the strip is that we do not always know what's going on. Some of us like strips that leaving us wondering what in blazes is going on. Now, if you don't like that kind of thing, then that's perfectly understandable. But it's no reason to flame Glych. She has enough problems as it is.<P>Edited because, after all, I <I>am</I> a grammar nut.<P>------------------
"Don't take life so serious, son. It ain't nohow permanent." -Walt Kelly's Porkypine
It's my mini-award! Creative suit manga at <A HREF="http://www.darkbolt.com" TARGET=_blank>Darkbolt.</A><p>[This message has been edited by Derakon (edited 07-02-2001).]

Hmm. Well, I think this calls for a serious reply instead of a flame or something silly.<P>Okay, it'll be difficult to resist going silly, but that's just my nature.<P>What attracted me to No Stereotypes? To be honest, I started reading it because of the crossover with Framed! so I could figure out more of what was going on. *smile* It was Glych's daaaa-monk song that hooked me. I found it cute and funny. So I started at the beginning.<P>And the beginning, yes, has potential. You have to wonder, just what is with this Atom chap, and what is his grief with Spons? And what *is* Spons?<P>It took some odd twists from there, with the shattering of the fourth wall. But the truth of the matter was, I had grown interested in the characters of Atom, Jody and Kat by this time and accepted Glych as a character.<P>There are parts of No Stereotypes I don't like as much. I'll admit I didn't bother reading the Star Wars parody because it was taking forever to load with a 56K modem and I was interested in the storyline. And once the crossover with Framed! was over, the story started going back on track.<P>The truth of No Stereotypes is that it's not a story about *something*. It's a story about *people*. As such it's not as plot-driven as other stories. But then again, when you compare it to Framed!, there is much more story to it. <IMG SRC="http://www.keenspace.com/forums/wink.gif"> And yet people rave over Framed! and rather enjoy it (and hell, I enjoy it as well!).<P>Can No Stereotypes use some improvements? Sure. I mean, any web comic can. College Roomies From Hell, my personal favorite, started out fairly rough in terms of artwork and wondering what was going on. The current storyline, The Adversary, is one of her best (and definitely the longest), her artistic style has vastly improved, and people are so in love with her characters that we have clans on the forum boards quarrelling over who Dave (one of the characters) should be dating.<P>No Stereotypes has that potential.<P>I've quit web comics that just... lost themselves. Cool Cat Studios is one example, when the characters started popping into bed with each other and the shrink started stalking his secretary, I said "Hell with this" and got out.<P>No Stereotypes never lost itself. Because it's always been about the characters, and they have remained true to themselves. Without becoming caricatures, oddly enough.<P>For instance. Kat was laid out to be a villain at the beginning. In a fit of jealousy she decided to kill Jody and steal Atom's power (or that was what it appeared to be at least). She ends up helping the gang back into their own universe, and willingly gives up Glych's power to return to her old world. And even tries to kill herself when it appears Atom has lost interest in her.<P>Atom. Atom is an enigma, and one that is continuing to grow. We are learning about him... and yet just get more questions about him as well. And this is good, because if we knew *everything* there was about him, then there would be no potential for him to grow, or for Glych to examine his character further.<P>And as for Glych herself... her revealing her dating history was a way of apologizing for the lateness of her comic strip I think. Or in other words instead of just stating "I was being stalked by my exboyfriend and it creeped me out so I didn't get any drawing done, sorry" she explained how she has a history of making some illsuited choices in her relationships. Nor did I see her comments on Debera as nasty toward her. Instead, more of the futility of suicide and how she wishes Debera hadn't done it. As in the end, it did no good.<P>It was also a comment on how stereotypes harmed this girl. Resulting in a death, unfortunately.<P>Perhaps what you should do is instead of being critical toward Glych, look at what she's done in her stories that are good and that you liked... and see if she's improved in those areas. And give suggestions on how she might continue on those pathways.<P>Otherwise all you did was gripe for nothing, especially as you feel everyone here will just take her side.<P>------------------
Xellos
The Mysterious Priest

I could easily and rightly defend Glych here, but most everyone else seems to be doing, will continue to do a good job. <P>I on the other hand will defend myself and the other fans of Glych's comic.<P>First of all, who the hell are you to come dancing in here and make assumptions about us. I am quite insulted that you would think that our being nice to Glych is some 'geeked-out love' fantasy. You don't know me, nor anyone else here and you have no right to make assumptions about that. I like No Stereotypes becuase I LIKE it, and I don't have to justify that to anyone. If you don't like it, fine. Leave. You don't have to come rolling into the message board and portraying your own opinions as if they were the gospel truth. To just say on the board that you didn't like the comic was fine, but there was no need to go on with all the BS that you did. So please don't come in here, all high and mighty and assuming that there must be something 'wrong' with the people who like the comic just because you don't.<P>Thank you, and fuck off.<p>[This message has been edited by SpoonyBard2k (edited 07-02-2001).]

Well SB...<P>I'm glad you took my advice. Next time you compare me to a white-trash guy like him, pour a tub of acid on yourself, because that's basically the same thing.<P>------------------
RPGClassics.com - We have what other RPG sites have, at about the same price.

Okay... that was odd.<P>------------------
Xellos
The Mysterious Priest

LOL!
Glych don't take it to hard.
"This strip is unreadable."
Yeah, I understand.
But we didn't all flunk out of first grade, my friend!<P>------------------
<A HREF="http://glickglidewell.keenspace.com" TARGET=_blank>Glick Glidewell</A>
Featuring time traveling teenagers not played by Michael J. Fox.<P><A HREF="http://romeocomic.keenspace.com" TARGET=_blank>Romeo & Juliet</A>
Set in the future! In comic form!

reader#2173, I'm an expert in frivolous lawsuits.
The next time you slice your finger open with a stapler or something, call me.
We'll set those bastards straight!<P>------------------
This post is a work of fiction. Any similarity to other posts, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Personally, I would be honored that this person registered a keenspace account just to spout his misunderstanding of the strip. Yes, NS has changed direction a bit from when I first discovered it, but I have never had the feeling that anything is unresolved. Recentl storylines are hinting at and slowely revealing the backstory, and doing a damn fine job of it at times. I wont go on a rant, personally I dont have the energy right now, but I will say that, follower or no, you are telling an excellent story here, and I look forward to each new development. Keep up the good work.

<B>Hello.
Let me begin by saying that I have been lurking about reading your strips from time to time.</B>
"Time to time," of course, referring to once, and now.
<B>I thought there was a lot of potential in your work in the beginning, but I was disappointed in the fact that you lacked continuity and the writing was/is sub par.</B>
Speaking as a published writer, Glych's writing is some of the best I've seen, grammer be damned. I've never seen such a well developed mystery plot.
<B>I

I have a confession to make.
I didn't read Idiot #47's post all the way through, as it caused my eyes to bleed uncontrolably.
The Roscoe's Commentary Version (like a DVD!) was closer to readable, as long as I kept an eye-towel handy (for blood, you would have to be a lot more intelligent to warrant tears!).
A few things I'd like to add:
1. I personally enjoyed No Stereotypes before I knew who the hell glych was. But let's, for the sake of argument, assume you are right. Let's pretend the strip is illegible garbage and we're all here because we're madly in love with glych. What's wrong with that?
The format works.
There probably are folks who read the strip for that reason alone. More power to 'em! It doesn't matter <I>why</I> we like it, so much as <I>that</I> we like it.
Unless of course you're some evil fellow trying to find out why people like strips so you can launch your own. I doubt it. I don't think you're that creative.<P>2. Most of what you say is a matter of opinion, but in some cases you just ignore hard facts.
"Is No Stereotypes so acclaimed by its peers, that to receive an award from a half assed comic strip creator is an HONOR?!"
Obviously it is. You commented on her "followers" youself. The following cartoonists enjoy her work:
1. Scott McCloud
2. Pete Abrams
3. Me (I know I'm not famous, but I am a comic strip creator).
4. Roscoe Mathieu
5. BOB THE LORD OF EVIL FOR GOD'S SAKE!
6. The Perfect Limit People whose names I can't remember, except Ali-Sama.<P>Your opinion is not nessesarily irrelevant, but no matter how much you believe in it, that doesn't make everyone agree with you automatically.
I spent months trying to get a Spons Award. I finally did the month before last.
Doesn't that make me a follower? Sure, why -not? But followers are not some sort of sub-human creature whose opinions don't count. We're followers because Amber produces a quality product.<P>3. "Seriously, a poll on which character the reader would like to see nude, with you listed?"
That was originally a poll saying "Who's Your Favorite Character?". It was hacked.
Once again, if glych does like being the center of attention, and we like paying attention, what's the harm? Everybody's happy.<P>4. "Are you looking for that kind of attention? Why not just do a web cam or post pictures of you doing what it is you do in your normal life."
BECAUSE SHE'S A FUCKING CARTOONIST!
(that's a interjection/adjective, not a verb/adjective)
What's to explain? I wouldn't go to the site if it was just some teenage girl rambling about her day. It's interesting <I>because</I> she's a cartoonist.<P>5. "By the looks of your 'news' postings you should do it. I don

First off, to everyone who "defended me", Thanks, but I'm a big girl...ANd he's right, other than Tangent, none of you really talked about what you liked about the strip. I'd really like to know, personally.<P>But-again, I hope you stick around for a while, and after this storyline i hope to "hear" an update om your cretique. i will try to focus this storyline, and those to come a little more, and stick with my, now, written down ideas.<P>But, one bit of curiosity, I wouldn't mind a list of your favorite comic strips, so I can see what I'm (compared with)/(up against).<P>And as for killing my characters. Well, after Holy Glych- you'll see why I can. <IMG SRC="http://www.keenspace.com/forums/wink.gif"><P>-glych<P>------------------
-glych
<B>"God is love,
love is blind,
Ray Charles is blind;
God is Ray Charles???"</B><P><A HREF="http://glych.keenspace.com" TARGET=_blank>No Stereotypes</A>

And I admire you for posting again despite our pressure to excorcize you. And you didn't insult the rest of the readership, despite the collective intelligence acting childish.<P>Congrats, you held your head.
*clap clap clap clap*

<h4>Hey, guys? Let's butt out of this. We're just making jackasses of ourselves, and as glych said, she's a big girl, so I think we should leave it be between her and reader.<P>Turn on the lurking, ok? We're not helping anybody.</h4><p>[This message has been edited by Roscoe (edited 07-03-2001).]

Okay, this is what I like about No Stereotypes:<P>1) The characters. They are believable and distinct, performing as I would expect normal people to perform. Jody especially is a good example of this. More than anything else, No Stereotypes is a character study, from what I've seen so far. This is by no means a bad thing.<P>2) The artwork. I've seen comics that work well without good art - Boxjam's Doodle is one of them. But <I>bad</I> art - messy, unclear, cluttered, or inconsistent - detracts from the comic experience. Glych's art is consistently clear, clean, and beautiful.<P>3) The fourth wall, or lack thereof. Very few comics are capable of breaking the fourth wall while retaining even a shred of dignity (look to FRAMED for an example of a fourth-wall based comic with no dignity <IMG SRC="http://www.keenspace.com/forums/wink.gif">). Glych has managed an admirable job of the creator-meets-creation story, and there's some extra drama involved, for me at least, when "her" character gets in dangerous situations. I am rarely more worried about a character than I was when Glych was wounded in the Star Wars parody (which is really a little silly - what would happen if Glych "died?" Still.).<P>4) Glych herself. She is an admirable person, not egotistical (in fact, rather in the other direction), kind, but able to look at the world straight-on. There are very few people like this in the world, and I am happy to "know" one of them.<P>------------------
"Don't take life so serious, son. It ain't nohow permanent." -Walt Kelly's Porkypine
It's my mini-award! Creative suit manga at <A HREF="http://www.darkbolt.com" TARGET=_blank>Darkbolt.</A>

Well, it's been a while since I was drawn to post in this forum. Forgive me if I'm a bit rusty.<P>A little background: I found No Stereotypes in a comic strip list somewhere back when I was only reading Sluggy, User Friendly and Real Life. I found Framed from here, and have gone on to read 85 comics regularly, and have read another 15 that have stopped writing, and probably another 20 or so that I didn't like enough to keep reading.<P>No Stereotypes and Framed actually convinced me to draw my own comic, which, despite it's flaws, has managed to entertain my friends and myself, and that's enough for me. I would like to thank Glych and Damonk for inspiring me to dedicate myself to comics as I've never dedicated myself to anything before.<P>But you wanted to know why I like the strip. Okay.<P>I want to know what's happening next. There are very few strips that do this to me. I'll read PvP for the jokes, Sinfest for the art, and several others just to be entertained by the situations the characters get into.<P>There are very few strips where I actually care about how the characters themselves develop and grow. No Stereotypes is definately one. College Roomies from Hell is another. Sluggy Freelance used to be one, during some of the storylines. These are comics that I'll frantically hit the refresh button when it comes to their update time so that I can get to see what happens. I get a chill when the guy walks in and asks Kat to betray Atom, and cheer when she tells him to go to hell. I cry at the framed/no stereotypes finale. I worry every time Spons comes near something that I think might hurt somebody.<P>So what did this? How did these characters get inside my heart? I have no clue. If I did, I'd be a better cartoonist.<P>But even if that's not enough for you, here's more. I read strips for the timing, more often then not. The pace at which the lines come and match the turning of heads or movement in the art. The balance between panels and point of view. I think that's the true mark of a great comic artist. And I believe that No Stereotypes has that. The half-face of Atom on Nov. 16, 2000 with the lightning crash. The odd pacing on Nov. 19, 2000, that only works because of animation. The panic on Atom's face on Nov. 23, 2000 and the resulting rush to the store which we just know is going to happen. And yes, I grabbed these just from the first two weeks of the archives. I could list hundreds more. But that'd take too long. I think I've said enough.<P>Respectfully,
Brian Roney
Zane314 <A HREF="http://braven.keenspace.com" TARGET=_blank>http://braven.keenspace.com</A>

I suppose I should do my reading credentials. <IMG SRC="http://www.keenspace.com/forums/wink.gif"> I'm not as much a Keenspacer as a Keenspotter with my comic reading... but that's just because I started in the Spot. <IMG SRC="http://www.keenspace.com/forums/wink.gif"><P>1. College Roomies From Hell
2. Clan of the Cat
3. Avalon
4. Acid Reflux
5. Alice!
6. Elf Life
7. Pocket
8. It's Walky!
9. No Stereotypes
10. Framed!!!<P>And I read Exploitation Now while it had the storyline about Jordan, now that he's probably going back to his old stories with lots of flesh and sex, I'll probably only glance at it occasionally.<P>That being said, now I'm going to comment on Glych's comments today.<P>Amber, you're being entirely too hard on yourself. I should know, I'm my own worse enemy as well. I think we all are. Even those who are full of themselves still have that little voice inside that says "You're worthless! And it's all your fault!"<P>Okay, sometimes that voice is your parents yelling at you. <IMG SRC="http://www.keenspace.com/forums/rolleyes.gif"> But you get the gist of what I'm saying.<P>Now, we've only heard one "critique" from this chap with no response. And we did talk about it over on #crfh (Maritza said that you (Amber) talking about your dating life was possibly too much, but other than that had nothing bad to say. And this is Maritza, who's Cult of Goddess Worshippers makes the Cult of Glych look... well... small. <IMG SRC="http://www.keenspace.com/forums/biggrin.gif"> )<P>I'd like to see Mr. Critique return and respond to some of the less flamistic replies to his little commentary. Derakon had several good points (basically saying in half as many words what I said in the post right below).<P>Oh, and as for the eternal battle of Planned Storytelling vs. Spontanious Storytelling... I tend to plan out my stories ahead of time. And even then it's not that far ahead of time but just a general knowledge that the story will follow this basic guideline. But hell, this is a comic strip! Not a book. There is no *need* to be more explicit in detailing how it goes until you get to that point! It's not written fiction, but drawn!
Almost half a year ago I was writing a story for CRFH, <I>Deus Ex Liber</I>. And I had plotted out a lot of the story. But it wasn't working, something was flawed. By breaking out of the mold I had created, changing one of the characters and how the story was going to end for him, suddenly the story was vastly improved.
Yes, I know, planning a story out in advanced does not mean you have to stick with that format. But far too many people do. Because it's written down. Because *that* is the course the story has to take. They get stuck in a rut in their head.
Amber doesn't worry nearly as much about this. She goes where her whims take her. And if sometimes we are left wondering "what the hell just happened?" well... life is that way. And it's actually fun watching the *lives* of Jody, Kat, Atom and Spons. Well, Alice too but I'd still shove her out an airlock. <IMG SRC="http://www.keenspace.com/forums/wink.gif"> <IMG SRC="http://www.keenspace.com/forums/biggrin.gif"><P>And as for everyone else... sit back, take a few breaths, and don't flame this "critiquer" because that's what he wants, so he can claim "See? They don't listen to me, they're just panting over Amber instead and worshipping her, the blind fools" (well, okay, Damonk *is* a blind fool panting over her, but that's just Damonk. Hey Damonk, what are you doing with that baseball bat... oh, this pretty lady next to you is your fiance? Why are you giving the bat to *her*... ACK!!! *picture of a writer being beaten repeatedly by a wifflebat with Damonk cheering on his fiance*)<P>Silliness aside... Amber, don't be so hard on yourself. You know far more about your own situation than Mr. Critique does. <P>Take care of yourself, Amber.<P>--------------
Robert A. Howard

yes, glych, you ARE a big girl, which is why i didn't respond to all of the queries...<P>but you already KNOW what i think of your comic, which is why i feel no need to defend you or explain myself to reader #2173...<P>I will ALWAYS have my own opinons regardless of your own, and that's all good...<P>in my book, it's simple as this -- keep drawing and writing, and eventually what you WANT to say will come out how you WANT it to...
<P>------------------
You say you're <I>feeling</I> blue?
Well, <A HREF="http://boxjam.keenspace.com/" TARGET=_blank><I>this</I> guy</A> has to
live in it every single day!!!<P><A HREF="http://framed.keenspace.com/" TARGET=_blank>Framed! The Comic!</A>
(Now with more MANGA!??)

--------------------------
<B>It

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by reader#2173:
<B>
You all praise her now, but there might come a time you come in with torches and ready to crucify her--because she did/said something not to your liking (yes, this has happened).
</B><HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>Huh? Someone has already crucified glych? I think I see what you're saying, but even Bob L of E hasn't acted rudely to anything glych said. I think you're overreacting.<P>You're trying (quite well) to sound civil now with comments like, "Perhaps, 'unreadable' was too strong a title for this post, 'lacking' might have fit more precisely," but need I remind everyone this person previously said, "I can