thread of bad: user's guide version

[Bamyasi]

AKA How not to do things (write, art, etc.)

ITT: Post things you think are bad and explain why you think they're bad.



Shirow Masamune is a great artist but his early work definitely suffers from Tim Buckley syndrome (could partially be the translator's fault). Nobody talks like this. Who has time for all this expository dialogue that says absolutely nothing and doesn't drive the narrative forward at all? My eyes glaze over.



This on the other hand is good comic writing on one of the most word-heavy pages in the book. You could literally find this volume after the apocalypse with all previous pages missing and get the gist of what was going on (also true for every single other page). I'm two and a half volumes deep into Appleseed and I still couldn't sum up the story if asked.

[Jon]

sometimes i feel like a heavy amount of words is kind of just an excuse to mask the fact that you dont really know how to get a scene across simply. or maybe the scene just needs to be revised to be more interesting, if its that much of a strain on the reader. i dunno. i feel like a sense of brevity or playfulness would help it. i dunno. i feel like you're better at this than me.




i have a hard time understanding what this webcomic is trying to get across. this dude used to make comics that had kind of a get-in get-out style with the characters and the plots. but when it gets all wordy and conceptual like this, i feel like i'm reading a rough draft of what could be more interesting thoughts. i don't know. i feel like the appeal is lost on me because of how it's trying to explain it so hard. i feel like there's no levity or re-explaining of the ideas. i can't feel what the characters are doing.

i defenitely feel a little disillusioned by this guy. i have a hard time explaining the mediocrity of this comic (at least that's my opinion)

[Bamyasi]

Yeah a lot of amateurs in that medium tend to tell rather than show. Words should assist the images not the other way around. That amount of exposition dump is only acceptable for setting tone imo, not telling a story (Oshii's way better at this than Shirow I've noticed revisiting their work).

KC Green isn't an amateur but I can't say it's easy telling what he's trying to convey there either. I mean I guess it's supposed to be funny that a crazy ant is discussing divergent universes with an acorn but I've never been much in the way of goon humor.

[rtil]

the lowest form of exposition is when characters explain out loud what they already know just for the sake of the audience because the author has no other way of delivering it

this is part of why i don't undersatnd why people love jojo as much as they do. to me it's enjoyable in its absurdity, and i think that's the point, but from a distance the fandom seems to treat it as a literary masterpiece. yet characters constantly stop and explain things out loud at almost any opportunity with no regard to the frame of time they have to actually do it. it's done so often it seems an even worse offender than dbz, a capstone of this trope. it gets a little tiresome when literally every piece of important information is explained to the audience in this way. when there's no subtlety or nuance in your narrative, it's hard to keep it interesting because everything becomes predictable and mundane.

[Bamyasi]

In defense of Jojo I think a lot of the terribly overwrought exposition enhances the absurd tone as you mentioned. It does get grating but at least it's mostly propelled by action. Supplements the story with dumb, flawed narration instead of outright replacing it like in the Appleseed page I posted.

[Bamyasi]

Too late I already saw it.

>bam is finally reading dorohedoro after bitching at me for not watching anime he recc'd me therefore ruining reciprocity

I Don't recommend things because I personally want people to read them, I RECOMMEND THINGS BECAUSE THEY'RE FUCKING GREAT BITCH

You got me I only recommended you things to engage in power play not because I legitimately think they're good and wanted to discuss them with you.

[Jon]

i read this for school twice

this book made me want to kill myself. it makes all the worst most cynical assumptions about young people and technology and god it's so YOUNG ADULT and MYSTERIOUS and WE'RE ALL JUST DRONES DUDE! FACEBOOK IS MIND CONTROLLING U DUDE YOURE LIKE A CHIMP THAT DOES EVERYTHING ON COMMAND IN FRONT OF UR COMPUTER UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[Bamyasi]

I got like a few sentences into that book before literally throwing it across the movie truck where I was supposed to be working.

[Yvonne]

You should try out for ultimate frisbee.

[SrsSam77]

is a movie truck more akin to a shaved ice or taco truck or is it more like a rape van?

[Bamyasi]

We need a lot of space for all the raping of muses and selling of tacos we do in the industry.

Also Jon post a passage so we can revel in Dave Eggers' hackitude.

[Jon]

not enough bad things to be say bad things about presently

[Bamyasi]

What about that game Lost in the Woods.

That seems like something you would hate.

[Jon]

It looks like something I'd like probably enjoy but idk really it looks "relatable" and I guess that's ok but

Idk you play it. it looks so emo!

[Bamyasi]

Stop calling me a homo.

[Jon]

i like u

[ExBerian]

This has truly become the tread of bad








: user's guide version

[BluPhoenix]

This has truly become the tread of bad








: user's guide version

[Bamyasi]

This is from the actual show.

[rtil]