Thread "Good Guy" in forum "The Webcomic Review Forum for the Webcomic Review Comic on the Web"

Posted at 5:01PM, Jan. 25, 2010

Hey, Hark!

First off, as I did privately in my message reply to you, I want to apologize publicly. What for? Because I later realized that I had allowed my emotions to get the better of me, I took out of context what you said by emphasizing way too much the religion aspect, and I could have made what I said a lot more brief. Also, I didn't say this in the message I sent, but the whole thing I said about the stereotypes being funny because it's so exaggerated and far from the truth - I was guessing on that one, so I hope I got it right (maybe only Andrew knows for sure). Oh, and my apologies for not reading the above comments. It was foolish of me. I admit I would have but I was getting fatigued and had more important things to get to - things I should have done instead of write my reply to the review in the first place, I'm sure.

Anyway, I'll give some replies to some of the things you said. I'll try to be brief.

1) Captain World - Right, I understand. I think this is humorous, but CW is obviously exaggerated to the point that could be seen as discrediting people with those views, which I'm sure sometimes work (I am not up to date with world affairs and I take no sides here until I am). I'm not sure if the Good Guy series uses this to say that America should attack to solve the world's problems, but I'm certain that this is Good Guy's point of view, although Andrew tells me Good Guy is screwed up and incorrect in his views (I guess that makes him somewhat stereotypical himself?). Anyway, if you were wondering, I may perhaps be conservative politically, but I hate politics and I never expected you of being liberal or leftist or anything. I did fully recognize that Good Guy series seems to favor the right wing or whatever, and I admit that some of what is in Good Guy is not my cup of tea. I wish for it to get back to how it was back in the beginning with good ol' creepy Tickler and the Mime and whatnot. That stuff was funny and had no agenda but to be funny, you're right. Maybe focus on Good Guy's origin? Getting to the point, I now understand what you meant by xenophobic. A fear of right wingers to try what they're afraid will not work? Thank you, I simply couldn't see it until now.

2) Fashion Police - This one is easy. I agree. The FP seemed out of character in places to me too. I think I even may have commented to Andrew about that long ago that I felt this way. See above concerning the fact I never thought about anyone being "left wing." I hate politics and never talk about them. They are important, though, but I just try to keep myself away from arguments and debates. This is one the times I failed to do so, ha ha.

3) Terrorists and Islam - You're right, not all Muslims are terrorists. However I wasn't looking for this in Good Guy and never saw that all of them were presented as such. But Andrew's story wasn't about pointing out that not all Muslims are terrorists, so I'm not sure he deserves as harsh of review here. Maybe there just weren't any non-terrorists needed in the script? However if he purposely did this, then yes you're right, or otherwise I admit he walks a dangerous fine line. I remember the Seabiscuit movie. It was a great movie but the villain was always referred to as "The Christian" when in fact she wasn't acting like one. There have been plenty of those in history, however, like Adolf Hitler who was Catholic - he certainly set himself against God, but some people today still use him to attack the Christian or Catholic groups. Terrorists have been in the news for quite some time now and I don't believe it right to ignore current affairs - however you're right in that I too wished Seabiscuit had at least one quick sentence saying how it seems the villains actions are hypocritical. So, you're right. There should have been a distinction between the terrorists and non-terrorists Muslims. Andrew still has time in the future of Good Guy to introduce a good Muslim character. Oh, and last note. I did think the ignorant terrorist on the farm (he thought silos were missle silos) was uncalled for, but I also admit it was funny. Many people in the middle east, Islamic and Jewish and otherwise, are sadly ignorant in some ways of Americans are though. I'm sure we're also ignorant as to who they are however as well.

4) The Native American - Like I said above, just because there is one stereotypical character does not mean that all NA in Good Guy are this way. But, you're right, this stereotype is obviously making fun of Native Americans. But I think you're being too sensitive at many points here, not just this one. I'm sure some Native Americans have the ability to laugh at themselves and don't have to take everything so, so seriously. However I understand you're point of view. It could offend someone and making fun of people is never cool. But my point of view is that people will ALWAYS be offended at something and I don't like being so uptight. I simply would avoid anything I think goes too far in my own work. Does that make me right to not be so serious? No, but it certainly makes me less stressed out. I think some things are worth offending people over (like confronting someone over a problem they have). This Native American stereotype is obviously not one of them. Making fun of people and ethnic groups, etc? Not cool. Laughing at ourselves in a tactful way and not being too sensitive? Good. I don't think Andrew, me, or you are Native American though, so let's move on.

5) Feminator - I have to admit, I just don't get this joke. So I have nothing to say about it. I like the Terminator pop-culture joke though. Wee! You can have this one, Hark. I have no disagreements, really.

6) The Evil Council - Nazis are also stereotypical and could have been brought in on this one. Does that make it wrong? Not all Germans are Nazis, but it would have been funny. I think things like the Evil Council are only wrong if the author is purposely attacking these groups instead of just using the stereotypes for comedy. But I understand your point of view and I understand why this can be seen as wrong. If this, and the other stereotypes, could have been pulled off by Andrew in a much better way but stayed funny, do you think you would have disapproved slightly less?

7) Preachy and Lecturing Against Racism and etc -
You're right, I hate things that feel like I'm being lectured to (is this also the same as preaching, technically, except to one person?). I've been working on this concept for a comic and I asked someone to help me, but I'm afraid the scripts he might write will come off as lecturing instead of going with the flow of the story. Anyway, with the racism lecturing, I think you kind of have to lecture about important things sometimes. We hate lecturing because we hate being told what to do, but sometimes we HAVE to be told what to do. In a web-comic? Maybe not, but I didn't feel lectured to personally by Andrew. Parents? Yes, parents HAVE to lecture to their kids. No drinking, no drugs, pick your clothes up, do your homework… Don't you just hate that? But sometimes it has to be done. I didn't think Andrew's "Jesus is great" lecture was too awfully preachy or over the top. Yes, unexpected, true, but it could have felt wrong, but to me it didn't. It didn't feel too much or out of place to me. It didn't feel forced, I mean. Certainly not what I was expecting from Good Guy, as I believe you felt also, but handled well in my opinion. As compared to what? Jack Chick. I believe this is a step up from some of Chick's work, personally. But thank you for bringing this buffoon up. Yes, maybe I shouldn't call him names, but he is sometimes misguided in his tracts and we can both agree on that, although it's possible we have different problems with him and his work.

I was asked a few years ago by a Jewish Christian to create a replacement comic for his ministry because he felt that Jack Chick's track that they commissioned him to make - the "Rabbi Waxman" tract - felt Antisemitic. Being interested in the Jewish culture, I read this quite some time earlier and also felt it was Antisemitic (sadly, I was unable to create a new tract for him). Another Jack Chick tract I read was even worse, I thought, because his research was extremely incorrect. He claimed that Catholics are not Christians because they have IHS on their tombstones and offering plates and that, according to this one book he read, IHS stands for Isis, Horus, and Seb, meaning that the Catholics must secretly worship Egyptian gods - oh my! But I know for a fact that IHS is Latin for Jesus. Jack Chick should have done his research more carefully.

Anyway, just letting you know that I feel strongly against Jack Chick's work as well. I actually approve of and like some of his tracts, but I am extremely cautious whenever he has anything to say other than "Jesus is great." Anyway, getting back on topic, I'm almost done. The "Jesus is great" line, while not being funny and is a step away from the comedy of early Good Guy comics, isn't wrong in my opinion and, like I was trying to say above, I didn't feel that the page was forced. Lecturing or preachy, yes, but not forced. This page's joke is actually probably only funny to Christians. Let me explain. Many Christians feel that they are being preached to death like a beating. So although Good Guy has something good to say, it seems to me that Andrew is also using this page to crack an inside joke about these overzealous preachers that smack us around with the good book. It might not be funny to many people, but I got the joke there. And now you understand where he's coming from. This one page is better than an entire series devoted to preaching, however one would expect that fictional series to follow as so, but not Good Guy.

Thanks, man, for the debate. I probably should have left well enough alone, but oh well. It was kind of fun in the end. Ciao.