Hmmm... I didn't really get the joke in the comic by itself. And now that I've heard the description of the humor, I still don't know as I would think it's funny. Guess I'd have to *see* it as opposed to hear about it.

One other point is that it's always confusing when you force the character on the right to speak before the character on the left. It's not how english speaking people are wired to read things.

Right, you should have written the comic in Hebrew or Arabic. Then we'd all be laughing our asses off.

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ken.kaufman@gmail.com

Funny isn't all there is in comics.

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"Jelly-belly gigglin, dancin and a-wigglin, honey that's the way I am!" Janice the Muppet

This is what is known as a 'meta-joke,' which is somewhat similar to an inside joke, but, uh, different.

Spirit guide, part 6 by NeoVid 8-03-01

Jon's enlightenment by Jesus' brother Bob continues... The worst part is having to use stolen jokes all the time. "All your base" wasn't funny then, and it's not now... Yer just thinking about it the wrong way. ...Hmm. You might have something there. How should I think about it? Well, for one thing, stolen jokes aren't stolen jokes, they're "references." And a "reference" that's been used so much it's not funny any more is called a "classic!" Moh.

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"Only things I approve of should exist." -some guy on the internet

Good point, but I'm working with what I have on this site. There is no house-with-door-on-the-right background. :)

Plus, English speakers read both top-to-bottom and left-to-right. It's my belief that a character on the right whose dialog is higher than the character on the left (significantly higher) should be read first. Unfortunately, we also can't adjust the height of the dialog boxes on this site (or the spacing / line breaks), so eh.

Of course, you also made the good point that if the joke sucks already then it's hard for a comic to save it. :)

-Z

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What is the music?

I expected this thread to be full of everyone's favourite Kajun Firefly comic.

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Dad was flammable

I also expected that except with crabby's name in place of kajun firefly.

The importance of beta testing by evil_d 1-25-01

That's a pretty impressive Human Torch suit you've got there, Jon. FLAME OFF! But I think I may have noticed a slight design flaw. You're kidding me. What? FLAME ON! Well, crap.

This is a great example of the totally unexpected punchline. Simple, yet elegant.

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...Trot and Cap'n Bill were free from anxiety and care. Button-Bright never worried about anything. The Scarecrow, not being able to sleep, looked out of the window and tried to count the stars.

That's a rad one alright! That's probably the hardest type of punchline - sensible but unexpected.

-Z

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What is the music?

I need to apologize to you all. I am no longer funny.

Maybe I will be again next year.

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ken.kaufman@gmail.com

Be Funny NOW Bitch! by Spankling 1-13-02

Spankling! GET OUT HER! Yes 'um. You worthless turd! Show me some funny! Just look at how these guys are spelling it out! Why can't you do that!?! Do I really have to read all those long posts? Stop whining and get to work!

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"Jelly-belly gigglin, dancin and a-wigglin, honey that's the way I am!" Janice the Muppet

Hey, you're a classic, Ken. You're funnier than me by a parsec or two. I know what you mean about running out of funny, though. I wrote the Tobor in Time series, won a cup, and won three contests, all the the space of a month or so, and I think I broke my funny muscle, as I haven't done anything really good since.

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This signature has performed an illegal operation and has been shut down.

quote:

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I need to apologize to you all. I am no longer funny.

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No, things are not going well for me in the rest of the world, and I feel my funny may be running on fumes. My best works may seriously be behind me. But that's probably cool, because a couple of you are really coming into your own and picking up the slack.

So while I try to save my family life and career and everything else without sacrificing too much, bear with me and humor an over-the-hill comic :-)

And who knows? Maybe I'll surprise myself and yank out a great laugh sooner or later.

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ken.kaufman@gmail.com

I'd like to make a suggestion, something
I've had to learn the hard way.

Try not to let your personal life and all
the problems you're facing keep you down.

Take those very things and use them for some
wry / dry humour, maybe some limericks, etc.

btw, I thought your latest on Microsoft of
Hell, also Gluttony, were HILARIOUS !

Whatchoo talkin' bout, Willis ?

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“It is only with the heart that one sees rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” - The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1945)

Some events carry so much weight and seem so big that it seems they will never pass – there is no way to put them behind us. But, as you’ve probably already noticed, all things pass, good or bad. You turn a bend in the path and that mountain that was blocking the sun slips to the side and the heat and brilliants catches your entire being.

You will stand in the sun again, even if this be night.

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"Jelly-belly gigglin, dancin and a-wigglin, honey that's the way I am!" Janice the Muppet

Spankling: Has become an atheist, despises G.I. Joe (what'd he ever do to you?)
and tortures tiny, helpless little ants. He was that kid with the big
magnifying glass in the movie "A bug's life", way too young to be
drinking beer. It's a good possibility that he has Dissociative Identity
Disorder (formerly know as Multiple Personality Disorder).

Ooooh, Spankling has a very sweet, kind
and tender personality. : )

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“It is only with the heart that one sees rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” - The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1945)

Multiple Personality Disorder? surely "we" take that prize?

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Come ahead then!

Just read this thread for the first time today. I have a lot of catching up to do.

I'm with the people who didn't think much of Cowboy Physics at first. It's good, but not, as some people say, the best comic on the site. But on the other hand, I won't say I'm tired of it, or of its parodies. I like the parodies for the same reason I still like Tobor, all your base, and all those skeet-shooting strips. I think running a joke into the ground is funny.

I think Dilbert is funny 'cause it's true. I'd say a good 85% of anyone who was ever employed in the '90s should be able to see people they recognize in it. Adams takes real-life stupidity and puts it into cartoon characters, who can say what we're all thinking without losing their jobs. It's an outlet for the quips and the emotion that we have to keep inside from 9 to 5.

Zapp, two things: first of all, don't be intimidated, just jump right into the contests. kramer_vs_kramer won with his first strip ever, so obviously it can happen. Besides, it's not like any of us have room to criticize sub-par contest entries.

Second, what I think is interesting about "Farmer's Daughters" is that it wouldn't be half as funny if Chuck's dialogue were spoken in full. It's the omission that makes the strip -- the fact that we know what's coming without having to see it. Figure out how to give the farmer dialogue that exploits this technique (how about: "My name is Luis, and I'm a go get my piece") and you won't need to show us his shotgun.

Fuzzyman, thanks for the nod. Back when there was a scoring system, that was one of my highest-rated. I like it a lot, but to be honest, I can't say it makes me laugh out loud. I think it's clever, but not table-poundingly funny. However, I must say that in the long run I respect cleverness more than funniness in other people's strips. Not that a strip can't be both.

Speaking of cleverness and implied violence, here's the strip that put Drexle on my favorites list:

Careful what you wish for... by Drexle 8-12-01

Yes!!! I finally made it to the chamber of the Genie! Man, it sucks that I lost my left nut to that trap... I wish I had it to do over again... Granted! Yes!!! I finally made it to the chamber of the Genie! Man, it sucks that I lost my left nut to that trap... I wish I had it to do over again... Granted! Yes!!! I finally made it to the chamber of the Genie! Man, it sucks that I lost my left nut to that trap... I wish I had it to do over again... Granted!

Now that's pure genius. I loved this when I first read it and I still do. It's funny, to be sure, but more importantly, Drexle managed to craft a coherent, sensible, humorous strip in which all three panels were identical. And that's impressive.

And speaking of back when there was a scoring system, here's one of mine that held a place on the top ten list for a long time:

Showtime at the Pluto, part 2 by evil_d 1-25-01

So Rene Descartes walks into a bar, and the bartender asks him, "The usual, Mr. Descartes?" And Descartes ponders for a moment. Then finally he says, "No, I think not" -- and vanishes! The Pluto Comedy Club: when you can't find a cane, a scythe will do. Hey, come back later, folks. The 10:30 show is completely different from the 7:30 show! You got that right.

This is also one of my favorites of my own strips. Sometimes I'm not sure why it works. My feeling is, it again uses the implied violence principle, and it tells a joke that's kind of funny but that we feel dumb for actually laughing at (or at least that's my opinion). Any other thoughts?

Something that I wanted to post in fpd's sin thread, but couldn't articulate to my satisfaction. It's been my observation that successful humor needs to have at least one element from a very short list. This list includes things like violence, stupidity, and embarrassment, or a threat or hint of same. What do you folks think about that? Can you add to the list? Can you point to humor that succeeds despite being dissimilar to any items from the list?

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The what mentioned above is total fiction. Please don't take it seriously!

Plus, you've always got an easy "blame the judge" excuse if you're an also-ran.

quote:

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And speaking of back when there was a scoring system, here's one of mine that held a place on the top ten list for a long time:

Showtime at the Pluto, part 2 by evil_d 1-25-01

So Rene Descartes walks into a bar, and the bartender asks him, "The usual, Mr. Descartes?" And Descartes ponders for a moment. Then finally he says, "No, I think not" -- and vanishes! The Pluto Comedy Club: when you can't find a cane, a scythe will do. Hey, come back later, folks. The 10:30 show is completely different from the 7:30 show! You got that right.

This is also one of my favorites of my own strips. Sometimes I'm not sure why it works. My feeling is, it again uses the implied violence principle, and it tells a joke that's kind of funny but that we feel dumb for actually laughing at (or at least that's my opinion). Any other thoughts?

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Apokelypse Now by kaufman 8-16-01

We have defeated all the other Pokemon on earth. We are victorious. Are you sure you took care of Pokemoon? Special power: METEOR! Bonzai!

There's a good example of misdirection. I think the key to that one is that we consider Pokemons to be essentially harmless. But here we have one destroying an entire city, if not civilization.

Of course, Kaufman's intended point could be about the Pokemoon pun... but I hope not.

These strips use misdirection of a different sort, where we take a common phrase and make it mean something you weren't expecting in the last frame. There's also a liberal dash of insult humor thrown in.

TOBOR IN CHAINS! - Episode 19 by fuzzyman 1-08-02

Tobor! RICHARD GERE? TOBOR'S CREATOR! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? You're in jail! I came as soon as I heard! TOBOR HAS BEEN IN JAIL FOR WEEKS! WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG? No, no, you misunderstand me. The thought of you in jail gave me an instant orgasm. MUST REMOVE THIS PICTURE FROM TOBOR'S MEMORY BANKS...

TOBOR IN CHAINS! - Episode 23 by fuzzyman 1-08-02

*YAWN* I hear that you're planning to break outta this joint! Now, you're gonna bring your buddy Jeremiah T. Fogg along, aren't you? We'd make a great team, you and I! TOBOR DOESN'T THINK SO. YOUR JACKET CLASHES WITH TOBOR'S EYES. Hey, what do you mean? My jacket is yellow and so are your eyes! NO, NO, YOU MISUNDERSTAND. TOBOR MEANS THAT YOUR JACKET IS DIFFICULT TO LOOK AT. Man, are you dissing the treads again? Shee!

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...Trot and Cap'n Bill were free from anxiety and care. Button-Bright never worried about anything. The Scarecrow, not being able to sleep, looked out of the window and tried to count the stars.

quote:

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There's a good example of misdirection. I think the key to that one is that we consider Pokemons to be essentially harmless. But here we have one destroying an entire city, if not civilization.

Of course, Kaufman's intended point could be about the Pokemoon pun... but I hope not.

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quote:

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So yeah, the thing was sort of centered around "Pokemoon," but as you say, just doing that would be a big pile of arse, so I tried to weave an amusing strip around it. Looks like I succeeded.

The moon thing was just an anchor around which I built the comic.

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The Decepticons would never let Tobor join them.

Maybe the Autobots? I imagine Tobor transforming into the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile.

Not much of a disguise.

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...Trot and Cap'n Bill were free from anxiety and care. Button-Bright never worried about anything. The Scarecrow, not being able to sleep, looked out of the window and tried to count the stars.