Like the New Websnark, Except with Actual Snark
by Joey Manley
I haven’t seen a blog about webcomics get as much attention as quickly as this one has since the early days of Websnark. Maybe it’s the title. Maybe it’s the sharp, rhythmic, clever writing. I dunno. So far, I’ve seen few comics I actually read on the review list (many of them I’ve never even heard of — though they’re apparently popular, per the massive fannish outcry the blog is generating). After a while, the relentless negativity may wear thin. But for now, given the mindless pollyannaism of webcomics critique these days, “Your Webcomic is Bad and You Should Feel Bad” feels like a much-needed corrective. Or maybe not. Maybe it’s more like a massive pile-up on the interstate, a beautiful, bloody, violent pile-up on the interstate, where nobody actually dies. Except maybe a little bit. Inside. For now: I love it!
June 28th, 2007 at 10:37 am
I totally want him to tell me why I suck!
June 28th, 2007 at 11:39 am
I have to say, I’m really enjoying this new blog. I’m kinda hoping he’ll do my comic sometime actually! This guy is good at what he does.
June 28th, 2007 at 2:37 pm
It’s like a car crash…i can’t look away. Being unemployed, this will make for some fun summer reading. I will admit that I’ve probably harbored similar thoughts about a majority of comics on the web myself but never saw the benefits of slamming someone’s joy. I do enough of that to myself anyway. But, I’m only human and I will continue to tune in to this blog until I get bored. I just have to get use to being this entertained by a car crash without the names, Joey Manley or DJ Coffman appearing in the tag-line.
June 28th, 2007 at 3:29 pm
The thing is brilliant in a kinda perverted way. And it is nice to see somebody call out a webcomic on offensive rape storylines.
June 28th, 2007 at 3:55 pm
I dunno, this blog is pretty much an extension of the Something Awful forum’s webcomics thread. It’s the same basic (hostile) tone, the same vocabulary (”faggotry”, etc.)
June 28th, 2007 at 6:18 pm
Yeah, the casual pseudohomophobia bothers me, too — but not enough to stop reading!
June 28th, 2007 at 6:49 pm
I recently (and probably ill-advisedly) made a comment to a guy on a train who was making racist comments to a couple of guys (who were probably of Indian or Pakistani descent). I called him a “racist jerk” – whick kind of slipped out before I had time to realise he was drunk, surly and potentially violent. Anyway he took exception to being called a “jerk” first and “racist” second and started berating me, wanting to smash a bottle against my face for having the audacity to stand up for a couple of “Paki’s”. The fact that I was the same race/colour/creed as him meant that he couldn’t resort to racial slurs so instead he decided he’d call me “a faggot who obviously wanted to suck off the ‘Pakis’”… and on it went. At which point I disengaged with him, thanked athiest God that his druggie girlfriend was there calm him down and was glad that he got off at the next station without me actually being assaulted. Anyway, my point is that the sick feeling I got from dealing with this guy, who obviously had a lot of rage and hate against the world for things that may or may not be his own fault, is exactly what I get from reading some of that blog. “I hate someone so I’m going to call them a cock sucker”… so very mature.
June 28th, 2007 at 8:41 pm
Advice on banging your head against a brick wall from an old hand at it:
The brick wall is too stupid to realize it’s in the way of progress and will refuse to budge because that’s simply it’s nature.
All you’ll end up with is a mangled face, and a blinding headache. And the harder you hit, the worse off you’re going to be for it. It’s not something I’d suggest you attempt just for shits and giggles.
Best of luck, John Solomon
June 28th, 2007 at 11:37 pm
You know what I hate? I hate bloggers who think that in order to be interesting they need to cram as much shocking language and f-words into each sentence as is humanly possible. I hate people who will impugn other people’s motives, just to be nasty. I hate people who do this just because they hate the fact that everyone else is actually civilized and nice in their own discourse. The author of this blog is no better than some kind of deranged psychopathic tabloid journalist. I invite him to boil his head. I will provide the cauldron if he does not have one of his own.
June 29th, 2007 at 12:21 am
William, I suspect that Solomon’s goals are not the same as yours were.
Joey, the writing has its MOMENTS, but I think you and others are turning a blind eye toward its weaknesses just because, well, ANY honest-to-God criticism of webcomics is like water in a desert at this point. Then again, people winked at Websnark’s early excesses too.
June 29th, 2007 at 12:31 am
You can’t take stuff like this too seriously. If it makes you uncomfortable, ignore it, change the channel…don’t feed the monster under your bed. Like a lot of radio shock jocks and those ego inflated, politically disguised, news shows, they get old and tired quickly. After the shock and awe wears off and there’s no talent or methods to the madness hiding behind the curtain, they all just fade into obscurity. Until then, I’ll tune in to this guys diatribe. I’m finding it entertaining…at the moment. For the record, I’m a fan of Howard Stern and Bill Mahr. I like someone who stirs the pot. But sooner than later, you have to show me something.
June 29th, 2007 at 4:51 am
[...] Your webcomics is bad and you should feel bad. (Link via Joey Manley.) [...]
June 29th, 2007 at 6:14 am
I think/hope this guy is dialing up the crazy for effect. He actually makes decent points, in between the vitrolic over the top hatred. I don’t think he was fair or kind to Mookie, but their isn’t alot he criticized Dominic Deegan for that I wouldn’t say. We need more reviewers who speak the truth. Even if it has to be dressed up in some kind of bizarre theatre.
I agree with some of the other people here though that more than the language or meanness the homophobia makes me uncomfortable.
June 29th, 2007 at 4:18 pm
I read this blog. I love this blog. And I’m not afraid to admit it.
Until he makes fun of me. Then FUCK THAT GUY, HE NOT FUNNY AT ALL. >:(
June 29th, 2007 at 4:25 pm
Thanks Spike, I really needed that chuckle today.
June 29th, 2007 at 6:45 pm
“Boo hoo hoo, a mean guy said swears on the internet.” Grow the hell up. Just because some artists and their fans seem to think that the world of webcomics is basically like kindergarten doesn’t mean you morons have to think that way too.
The mean face on this blog is there for effect. If you can get over yourself and look past that, you’ll see that he makes some good points. Some of the artists who have responded have been unable to do that, as Mookie went off to cry in a corner about being dumped by his girlfriend and JDR posted a huge tirade about anonymity. Neither is willing to step back and admit the fact that their comic, their creation, their precious little baby might have some actual flaws in it. Meanwhile a good artist who actually seeks to improve would look past all those mean, bad words and see the heart of the matter; “Oh yeah, I guess trying to rationalize rape was a pretty bad idea.” or “I suppose I do put my ridiculous gender bias into everything I’ve ever written.”
It’s like a sieve to separate the artists and fans who are intelligent and mature from the rest, and you people are getting caught in it, clogging all the little holes with your “This guy isn’t very funny. He’s just doing all this for the shock factor, like he’s trying to be Maddox or something.”
June 29th, 2007 at 7:55 pm
Well, that was certainly… filled with words.
June 29th, 2007 at 10:17 pm
This blog is shocking and cruelly entertaining!
June 30th, 2007 at 5:05 am
Well that’s evidence that “Your webcomic is bad and you should feel bad” is getting popular, it has its own fanboys who go out to other blogs to defend it.
June 30th, 2007 at 9:32 am
Who is Maddox?
June 30th, 2007 at 3:43 pm
Tommy Maddox was the star QB for the Los Angeles Xtreme in the short-lived XFL football league.
You may have his poster on your bedroom wall because he was the league MVP in the inaugural and final season after leading the Xtreme in their crushing victory over the San Francisco Demons in the championship game otherwise known as “The Big Game At The End.” Or, like me, you may have just found all that shit on the internet somewhere.
Or maybe you mean Jamie Madrox, “The Multiple Man” from Marvel’s X-books? Who had the mutant power to clone himself in order to make masturbarion really awkward?
Also, it’s OK for everybody to use naughty words as long as you’re over twelve.
July 1st, 2007 at 7:57 am
Last week, I called my 11-year-old nephew a “dickhead” when he killed me in Halo 2. I guess I’ve been reading too many webcomics blogs and comment threads. He giggled uncontrollably when I called him this. Goody two-shoes. Hogging the energy sword. What a dickhead.
July 1st, 2007 at 11:44 am
Damn, I’ll revise my statement: It’s OK for everybody to use naughty words as long as you’re over twelve. For those between nine and twelve swearing isn’t just OK, it’s also hilarious.
July 9th, 2007 at 1:56 pm
“Your Webcomic is Bad and You Should Feel Bad”. See, the very name puts me off reading it. Websnark is *intelligent* about its criticism. This is just spewing bile at any and all available targets.
July 9th, 2007 at 5:01 pm
Maddox in this context refers to George “Maddox” Ouzounian, of http://maddox.xmission.com fame.