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  1. - Top - End - #1
    Pixie in the Playground
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    Mar 2007

    Default Literary References

    This is a topic that I brought up in the Erfworld 38 thread that I thought warrented its own thread.

    I'm wondering what elements of other works you've noticed in the writing (and drawing) of this comic.

    My original comments were:

    "This reflective piece has really driven home how similar this story is to The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever. A great series about an outcast (he's literally a leper) who is magically summoned to another world where he is suddenly healthy and master of a mythical power, but since his exit from our world was in the form of a trauma he's never certain whether he is dreaming.

    The biggest difference is that Thomas refuses to accept that anything is real out of fear of letting his carefully maintained guard down, a defensive mechanism that is equal parts essential safety precaution and psychological damage. Parson, in contrast, seems very comfortable. Despite his lip service to the idea that this might not be real, he is perfectly happy to play along and jumps headfirst into learning the rules of the 'game.'
    "

    To which fangthane responded:

    "To the contrary, I believe this helps contrast him with Covenant. I also think it's about the best way Rob and Jamie could've devised to get a little more plot exposition (even basic world-design exposition) to us as readers; the only thing which frustrated me more, at first, than the stupid Orly references, was the fact that we needed more information about the world and that the narrative boxes weren't providing. I'm glad they managed to work things out in a manner which doesn't occlude ever-increasing sections of artwork behind narrative boxes though.

    I'll go out on a limb and say that I also don't think Rob and Jamie have quite the same sort of philosophical undercurrents running through things as did [Stephen R.] Donaldson. While superficially Covenant's struggle was all about his physical needs (and state) balanced with his perception, there was a lot more going on.

    Still, I'm a hell of a lot more impressed with where the comic appears to be headed than I was when it looked more likely to be a succession of lame internet memes, puns and in-jokes.
    "

    I tend to agree with fangthane, I don't think that Erfworld is trying to make any broad social or philosophical statements. But hopefully this does mark the end to the superficial introductary narrative that we've seen so far.

  2. - Top - End - #2
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Scientivore's Avatar

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    Default Re: Literary References

    There were the Princess Bride quotes in 29, of course; Parson pointed them out himself. Someone here pointed out a visual homage to Sandman somewhere but I don't remember because I didn't recognize it myself. The dragon summoning in 31 was visually presented and paced like every "Power Up!" scene in every heroic anime ever (and their live-action equivalents, such as The Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers). The Perfect Warlord spellcasting in 17 used Tron imagery. There was Star Trek imagery in at least two places: the transporter pad in the background of 13:8 after portalling back from the Magic Kingdom and the uncroaked Red Shirt warlord in 27:4. One of the skulls in 27:2 appears to be the iconic Shadowrun troll skull. The three chained Lookamancers in 24:9 metaphorically remind me of the precogs in Minority Report.

    That's enough for now, I might remember more later.

    Edited later: Alright. In 16:1 you can see that the player in the glasses is wearing a Watchmen smiley yarmulke (which I didn't recognize on my own). Wanda's ridiculously oversized sword in 7:4 is reminiscent of some guy from some video game. One of Ansom's cloth golems in 25:4 looks like a Care Bear and with that reference I have beaten, tortured and mangled the term "literary" out of all recognition.
    Last edited by Scientivore; 2007-03-31 at 10:26 PM.
    My avatar is a remix that I made of Prince Ansom. Resource credit:
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    Snag some Erfworld avatars and backgrounds, make some lolerfs and motivators (or demotivators), read my Erfworld fanmix, or check out my latest spotlight on an under-discussed webcomic: Head Trip (Scilight #13)!

  3. - Top - End - #3
    Magnificent Boop in the Playground
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    Default Re: Literary References

    Quote Originally Posted by Scientivore View Post
    Someone here pointed out a visual homage to Sandman somewhere but I don't remember because I didn't recognize it myself.
    I take it you're referring to this post (and a few others in the same vein) about page 36:

    Quote Originally Posted by mhoram View Post
    One thing that really excited me about this page was that the first frame with Wanda vividly evoked one of my favorite scenes from Sandman. The light and shadow, the camera angle, the eye glint, and even the hair were dead ringers for a shot from at least one of the comics. I believe it might have been near the end of Season of Mists, the "Oh, Azazel." Panel from the showdown at the end of that storyline. Maybe not. But unless the Sandman shot was itself derived, it's a clear homage to one of the Sandman artists.
    Last edited by SteveMB; 2007-03-31 at 11:45 PM.

  4. - Top - End - #4
    Dwarf in the Playground
     
    benthehater's Avatar

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    Default Re: Literary References

    Quote Originally Posted by Etaan84 View Post
    I tend to agree with fangthane, I don't think that Erfworld is trying to make any broad social or philosophical statements. But hopefully this does mark the end to the superficial introductary narrative that we've seen so far.
    Well, I think there's at least something significant in terms of a statement that's being made. The way that a gamer like Parson lives. His ordinary life, how he obsesses on a different world, with different rules, etc. http://www.giantitp.com/comics/erf0016.html

    Now he's there. I've not familiar with the work by the referenced author, but the immersion into the other world makes me think of a bleaker darker Narnia, where the right and wrong arn't so simple, cute doesn't equal good, you had to go to war and you might have won and yet you probably feel like you lost, where you thought you made friends but all you really were was a tool of a Tool of the Titans, and you don't get to go back home restored to the way you were moments before you left.

    What I keep asking myself is, should Parson ever return home after his jaunt in Erfworld, is he ever going to game again? If he could go back, would he still want to?

    (Oh, Neverwhere references otherworld immersion too.)
    might just play the wall with this mean look on my grill
    act like i'm the hater that hates you from hateville
    -
    Though I may not appear to be an actual hater, I assure you, my quiet hate for the stupid is very real, and I do have both authentic hater cred and a ballpeen hammer."

  5. - Top - End - #5
    Dwarf in the Playground
     
    BlackDragon

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    Default Re: Literary References

    Quote Originally Posted by SteveMB View Post
    I take it you're referring to this post (and a few others in the same vein) about page 36:
    Oh, I meant to address this before. It's not a tribute to Sandman, although I'm flattered that someone thought so. It's a nod to Jae Lee who's been one of my favorite artists ever! When I do those black and white panels, Jae Lee and Frank Miller are my main inspirations. They play with light extremely well with just black and white.
    Jamie Noguchi, artist and co-creator of Erfworld and evil monkey responsible for Angry Zen Master.

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