Today’s Episode: A different point of view..
Hey folks!!!
Like many people I have a Facebook page. (Waits while everyone calls him a sissy). Everyone finished? Okay.
Anyway.
About a year ago, I posted a bunch of Chippy and Loopus cartoons from the “Baby Shower” story line in a photo album entitled “My foul-mouthed comics”. Anyway, it sat there for a year without comment..until today when I recieved this one:
“Don’t you think that the language might be a little bit to offensive?”
Believe it or not, this is the first time I have ever recieved this comment. Well, that isn’t exactly so. A while ago, I did a version of the strip that was newspaper-safe in preparation for submission to newspaper syndicates. I posted one of the strips on “Storyboredom”, the blog I share with a bunch of my story artist pals. One of my freinds observed that reading a sanitized version of the strip was like watching “The Sopranos” on A&E.
One of the reasons I think that no one ver complains about the language in the strip is that anyone who is offended just clicks away.
Still, I’m curious about any thoughts you all may have on this issue.
I’m all ears!
Really, I am!
-John
February 6th, 2009 at 8:51 pm
Chippy to the rescue–John, awesome strip!!!
Far as the language goes, a great comic strip has to reflect the creator’s vision & voice. Unless King Features is offering you a contract, don’t worry about a few naughty words. Remember, this is the web..or as Captain Kirk would say..the final frontier for cartoonists.
February 6th, 2009 at 9:09 pm
Hey Larry, thanks!
I believe they’ll be serving Soft-serve ice cream in Hell before King Features or any syndicate offered me a contract, whether the strip had swear words in it or not. The concept isn’t “gettable” enough for them to sell to newspapers. They would have no idea what demographic to marked the strip to, so they wouldn’t even try. I’m not really worried about the language and whether or not I’m offending anybody, but I am fascinated by the disussion. What makes a word a dirty word? I’m fascinated by the Etymology of so called naughty words.
I’m also baffled by the fact that some feel these words have a corrupting effect, as if the words themselves were truly harmful to children.
This is the discussion I’m interested in. How about it folks?
February 7th, 2009 at 1:20 am
YES!! I love when Chippy starts kicking ass!
Also: Let the language, no matter how tame or vulgar, flow from your mouth. Your comics offer a different flavour, so just do your thing!
It’s kind of funny that someone on your Facebook left you a comment after that, since you had to accept that person as your friend. But hey, friends should be honest with one another!
Just keep doing what you do.
February 7th, 2009 at 6:18 pm
From my perspective, it’s never the word but the spirit or intent behind the word. In the real world, if a naughty word is used to deliberately inflict emotional harm on someone else, the thought behind it is at fault, not the word itself. Here, it’s just humorously punctuates your dialogue. The contrast between the cute drawings and the salty swearing provokes surprise. Surprise equals laughter. Your strip is rowdy, zany, and yes, occasionally vulgar. But so was Burlesque. So was Vaudeville. And many people thought the same thing about the early comic strips, like “The Yellow Kid”. You’re part of a long and proud tradition! Stand tall!
February 7th, 2009 at 7:00 pm
EPIC!
on the last panel i heard the “Immigrant Song” intro.
February 8th, 2009 at 12:58 am
Hey Mitch!
Yeah, the funny thing is that the album is LITERALLY named “My Foul-mouthed comics and stuff”. After seeing the title, it’s kind of silly to suggest that the cartoons might be “a little too offensive.” Thanks for the kind words of support sir.
Hey Kirk! I agree, it is the intent behind the word that truly makes it a “bad” word.
Intent, plus context. I believe that in many ways, some bad words are no longer so bad because they have been stripped or drained of their intent. Many people use the word “fuck” in place of “y’know” or “uh”. You have also reminded me that comics find their roots in the streets of New York, that it is a medium of “the people”, like rock and roll, and is thus occasionally raw and vulgar. Thank you for this, I will stand as tall as I can!