Take that pretentious documentary about webcomics

JeremyW · Post by **JeremyW** » Wed Jun 01, 2005 6:51 pm

http://www.penny-arcade.com/view.php3 Now who is going to lampoon the equally silly webcomic awards?

Subhuman · Post by **Subhuman** » Wed Jun 01, 2005 6:53 pm

[Slap.]

JeremyW · Post by **JeremyW** » Wed Jun 01, 2005 6:56 pm

I'm melting!

Jackhass · Post by **Jackhass** » Wed Jun 01, 2005 11:38 pm

Funny thing is, Penny Arcade has always struck me as really pretentious about the whole webcomics thing themselves...

...I guess they just like to bitch about everything.

Spriteville, USA · Post by **Spriteville, USA** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 5:49 am

I don't know if I'd really say they are pretentious about webcomics... but they are pretty opinionated about it. As they seem to be with most things. They are kind of like every other person I know really who just speaks their mind on stuff. Yeah it can come off as pretentious sometimes, but a defining factor of being pretentious (I think) is if you are horribly stubborn about it too and refuse to accept different views.

And holy shit the quotes from that trailer... This thing is going make us all look like egotystical dumbasses. All the while a few people will sing it's praises and say "amen" to it, thinking it's great that someone finally took a stab at showing their greatness.

Jim North · Post by **Jim North** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 6:42 am

Well, really the difference between pretentious and opinionated is a matter of how seriously you take the item in question.

If you give your opinion about football stuff all day - how crappy the Oilers are, what a bad call the ref made on the game last Monday, how they should change that stupid rule against tearing an opposing team member's leg off at the knee, etc. - then you're opinionated.

If you come up with wildly ludicrous claims that football is a spiritual and artistic endevour that common mortals are barely able to truly understand and should feel privileged to be allowed by the almighty football gods to watch, then you're pretentious.

The Penny Arcade fellahs are definitely the former, having spoken out for and against several of their fellow comic artists, many of the changes brought to the medium over the years, and so on. However, they still seem to view the webcomics "industry", as a whole, as simply a business for some and a hobby for others . . . it's art, but not a religious experience or anything.

However, when people start seeing themselves as being prosecuted for their work on webcomics, or start "reinventing the paradigm" of webcomics, or any of the other crap that gets shoveled out by other art designers (like that there avant-guarde set) and business executives that have their heads too far up their asses to see that they're talking complete nonsense, then they've become pretentious and really shouldn't be taken as seriously as they take themselves . . . or seriously at all, for that matter.

Warren · Post by **Warren** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 6:45 am

"It's just comics, kids!"

Subhuman · Post by **Subhuman** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 8:43 am

Indeed.

Also, I think Tycho is a genius. A sexy genius.

CJBurgandy · Post by **CJBurgandy** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 8:50 am

Jim North is so wise.... Seriously. A lot of stuff coming out of his mouth lately has been very deep.

McDuffies · Post by **McDuffies** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 8:55 am

Um... PA guys are sometimes right, sometimes not, but putting out opinions agresivelly and with sarcasm more than with arguements is a kind of writing that usually puts me off someone's opinion even if I generally disagree with them.
Like here. All I can say is "They're right, but they're still jerks".
It's not only important what you say, it's also important how you say it. PA kind of saying is ment for their oudience - people who like their stand, but outside of that circle, it hasn't got much discussion value.

The Neko · Post by **The Neko** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 8:56 am

Jim prettymuch got my thoughts on the matter right on. GET OUT OF MY HEAD!

Jim North · Post by **Jim North** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 10:40 am

cjburgandy wrote:Jim North is so wise.... Seriously. A lot of stuff coming out of his mouth lately has been very deep.

I finally got around to buying that Helm of Wisdom +3 that I'd had my eye on for the past few months.

The Neko wrote:GET OUT OF MY HEAD!

Not until I get my 30-day eviction notice!

*shakes fist*

TheGoobla · Post by **TheGoobla** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 12:06 pm

Spriteville, USA wrote:This thing is going make us all look like egotystical dumbasses.

I don't understand your complaint.

Spriteville, USA · Post by **Spriteville, USA** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 12:16 pm

TheGoobla wrote:
Spriteville, USA wrote:This thing is going make us all look like egotystical dumbasses.
I don't understand your complaint.

You know... now that I think about it I really don't care too much. I think that's what keeps people like me from becoming an egotystical dumbass: apathy.

I'm far better at just being a dumbass.

Leko · Post by **Leko** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 12:50 pm

I tend to not care what opinions PA tries to get across. I read the comic because it's funny, not because I care what their opinions are.

If I see something I disagree with, I shrug and move on. I've never seen any particular need to get angry at someone for stating an opinion, no matter how sarcastic they are about it.

Now, somebody going out of their way to insult me is another matter entirely. I don't see that here, though. And anyway, what am I supposed to do about it if somebody like Gabe or Tycho DOES insult me? Send them an angry email? Pfft.

Krug · Post by **Krug** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 2:12 pm

I guess it's the kinda webcomic that likes to provoke a reaction? The 'punchline' seemed to be pretty desperate to me. *shrug*

Mvmarcz · Post by **Mvmarcz** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 3:20 pm

Um... PA guys are sometimes right, sometimes not, but putting out opinions agresivelly and with sarcasm more than with arguements is a kind of writing that usually puts me off someone's opinion even if I generally disagree with them.
Like here. All I can say is "They're right, but they're still jerks".

Seems to be a trend lately though. Like you can get away with pushing your opinion on someone as long as it's coated heavily in sarcasm (for another example I site X-play. I don't think they've actually reviewed a game in a long while, instead they just spout sarcasm till the 3 or so minutes is up and then say It sucked or It's ok with no real argument to back it).
But I take Penny Arcade like I take X-play, I don't have to watch it. I don't have to see it. And like you said sometimes all you can say is "they're right but they're still jerks"

McDuffies · Post by **McDuffies** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 3:54 pm

[quote="M

Steverules · Post by **Steverules** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 4:05 pm

Warren wrote:"It's just comics, kids!"

Amen.

Crazy Chris · Post by **Crazy Chris** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 9:46 pm

Am I suppossed to be taking any of this seriously? Because I'm not.