Erfworld 30 The Shark Has Been Jumped

[Daedalus73]

I imagine that most people who just flat don't like Erfworld *don't* post here. I'm seeing people (including the one in the mirror) who do like it, but don't like the turn it took, and care enough to give the creators feedback.

So very true.

[Panda So Angry]

Sorry, you missed the mark. At least with me. I have no problem liking fictional villians who do bad bad things. It's the excessive and blatant fanservice that I don't like.

Is it "fanservice"? Could just be all you little deviants are reading more into it than is really there. You can certainly make the case for some of the things suggested in the forum, and it is possible that had some minor influence on how some of the panels ultimately turned out. But it seems to me that the writing was on the wall and some of the fans jumped what seemed to be the logical conclusion, at the very least a probable one.

I personally believe that the comics are colored in part by what's said on the forum, but really don't have an impact on the original intent of the creators. That they already have the roadmap of the comic and so you'll find tidbits here and there, where they don't impact the storyline, that are thrown in for the fans. I make this point because I think a comic that has no direction would stoop to "fanservice" as a gimmick to keep readers.

'Sides, I don't think we've seen the full scope of what is really going on between Wanda and Jillian to chalk their interaction up to "fanservice".

[Vonriel]

I'm gonna argue against the fact that it was simlpy 'fanservice'. That term implies that there was absolutely nothing to be gained other than a bit of eye candy. In all honesty, I can agree that maybe portions of it were unnecessary. Maybe. In fact, the only part I'd agree on that with is Wanda's choice of costume, which could've been less revealing. But hey, it's not my place to judge what the artist wanted to draw, since it is partially his comic.

As for why I argue my point. The only hint of sexual innuendo in there was Jillian's response to Wanda assuming she'd have to torture her. I assume that Jillian has been captured enough by now to become tired with always having to be hurt and humiliated by Wanda, and decided to try a different approach. Wanda realized it for what it was and in turn gave the prisoner a lashing with what appeared to be a cat o' nine tails. Damn nasty things, if you ask me. As for what Wanda said, maybe Jillian has a habit of trying to seduce Wanda, and Wanda has decided to keep things as Mistress (Purely the feminine form of master, by the way, and it came about long before any sort of .. well, I'm going to say 'odd' so as not to offend anyone, so.. odd sexual play came into being) and Prisoner, much the way a tyrant wanting to dehumanize someone else will refer to them as something akin to "Subject <#>" or "Prisoner <#>" and having them constantly refer to the tyrant as 'master' or 'lord'. It's a way to continually reinforce that they are nothing, and that the tyrant is their superior in every possible way.

Could this have been done in a different way? Maybe, but then the relationship between the two wouldn't have wound up as developed as it is.

[Rawhide]

Aha! I coincidentally just discovered pclips' own litmus test for webcomic shark-jumping: making fart jokes and breaking the fourth wall. Nice to know what to not expect.

Am I too late to point out that the follow on strip is also related and highly amusing
http://www.partiallyclips.com/index.php?id=1092&c=1

[Stormthorn]

Aha! I coincidentally just discovered pclips' own litmus test for webcomic shark-jumping: making fart jokes and breaking the fourth wall. Nice to know what to not expect.

Well, I dont know what to say about fart jokes, but one of the best comics I ever read was 1/0, and in that, the fourth wall was a personal perspective that a few characters had.

[Dark]

I don't really get the concept of "fanservice", or why it would be bad. If a comic is not designed to appeal to its fans, then... who should it appeal to? Is there an audience of non-fans that is more significant? I guess that would be the dreaded "critics". Screw them, I say.

In any case, I enjoyed the hints of a sexual relationship between Wanda and Jillian. There are hints about lots of things in that strip, and figuring out what's really going on between them is a tantalizing puzzle. Why did Wanda change outfits? Especially to white, which easily stains? What exactly was the "easy way"?

I see people calling out the sexual aspects and evaluating whether they're "gratuitous", but to me that seems like admiring a painting and then saying "You know... the artist didn't really need any blue in this". Indeed, presumably the painting could have been made without the color blue. It would have been a different painting, though. And why would you have to justify the use of one color among many?

I notice that no-one complained about gratuitous violence :)

[Stormthorn]

I see people calling out the sexual aspects and evaluating whether they're "gratuitous", but to me that seems like admiring a painting and then saying "You know... the artist didn't really need any blue in this". Indeed, presumably the painting could have been made without the color blue. It would have been a different painting, though. And why would you have to justify the use of one color among many?

Brava!!


(added this for minumum characters needed)

[Scientivore]

I notice that no-one complained about gratuitous violence :)

That cultural double standard is a pet peeve of mine, however I deleted the following rant because I'm not sure if it might break the forum rules.

[ArkhamPatient]

It's just another story arc, and one that can keep us guessing and hoping for a while. That is a good thing, not a shark jumping.