Funny Doesn't Equal Good

I'm a big fan of web comics. Weekly updated snippets from the on going stories are a good method in story telling, with some advantages to the monthly updates you might get from big name publishers like DC. It makes it easier to follow various characters in a wide range of situations. I follow something like fifteen different comics through the weeks, maybe more, and I can stay engaged with the story and characters despite the differences in genres and styles. My browsing of web comics has shown me a somewhat bothersome trait, and that is what I want to discuss today.

Funny characters and dialog do not necessarily mean deep or interesting characters.

I recently was introduced to the web comic Questionable Content. It is basically the story of the cast living life, though they encounter a broad range of strange and outlandish situations that are far from everyday life, (on the time of writing this, three of the characters are on a space station for one of the character's father's birthdays). This is a very well-written comic with witty dialogue and interesting plot twists. Yet, despite solid writing, it falls a little flat for me, and the reason for this is because of the characters. This comic has run for over 2000 panels, something like nine years. In a three day span, I read the entirety of it (a great use of time I know). And through out, I saw the art style change, the dialogue becoming stronger, and new characters added to the mix, but the characters themselves were fairly static. They go through a number of similar situations in the series, and each time they seem to react the same, either with passiveness, aggression, aloofness, or any other trait that seems to be their single point. You don't see a lot of growth from them. Sure they accomplish things in regards to work or relationships, but we see these fall apart because their basic issues are not addressed. And the worst part of it is, each of the characters see what their problem is, and some even go to therapy for it, to try and change, but it doesn't seem to do any good for most of them. Thank goodness for Hannelore, the OCD. Despite having what might be the most "crippling" flaw, we get to see her grow in leaps and bounds in a very refreshing way.

Along with that lack of real growth is the cast growth. These two seem inversely related. As the characters don't grow, the cast does. They started with a solid cast of three and added a few more in, but now there is probably some twelve characters or more, and each of them has their own connections and hobbies to keep track of. This starts to get confusing when you try to keep track of everyones' work life, romantic endeavors, as well as back stories and prior interactions. Some time a character will return after months of absence and it is easy to forget who they were in the first place, let alone what they're doing now. It seems like the author just adds another character if they have run out of ideas as to what to do with the current cast.

Again, this doesn't mean that Questionable Content is a bad comic, it just doesn't reach it's full potential. A web comic that has both character growth and wit is Between Failures. I have followed this comic for a while now, and it never ceases to get me engaged. Between Failures starts with a tight cast. There are six main characters, and about five secondary characters. These characters all have interesting personalities and quirks that make them interesting and believable. Insecurities and fears, as well as goals and ambitions, fit with the characters and you can see how they deal with them in good and bad ways. Ed is a short man with a short temper and he knows it is his Achilles heel. We see him messing up with this issue and trying to overcome it. Each character has growth and depth. The writing is just as witty as in Questionable Content, but you can feel the underlying affection that the friends have for each other. Even though you meet with them when they are already established friends, it is easy to see how they compliment each other and why their friendships are strong. There is an unwritten history between them that doesn't need to be told, the reader just knows that they are genuine.

A good story is fine, but the reader can get frustrated when the characters keep applying the same methods to the same situations and never learning. Part of the draw for web comics should be that you can trace the character's growth and look back and see how what happened in past clips affects what they are doing now. The same excuses and fears turn into whining. Characters need to be able to be witty as well as human. Humans do learn from their mistakes. We might be stupid, but even we can figure out how to be better. I would like to see Questionable Content really give their characters strength and greater depth. If their characters really started to grow and mature, I think Questionable Content could be one of the best on the web.

Except for Goblins, that guy is awesome.

Just something to chew on.