Work, Swork
One of the biggest criticisms of the hit show Friends was the fact that they never seemed to work. They lived in two large, two bedroom New York apartments – even with rent control, it was hard to believe that they could afford things if they never worked. It is, in fact, a common criticism of television shows, the idea that the characters don’t live realistic lives. Not all shows can take place on a deserted island.
Webcomics are, by their very nature, a little bit ridiculous. I haven’t run into a drama yet, at least one that isn’t also a fantasy (and also adventure-y), and so we get little episodes of absurdism that probably don’t happen anywhere in real life. I think that slipstream as a literary movement is probably dominated by webcomics. The academics just don’t know it yet.
Rob and Elliot aren’t quite the same kind of ensemble cast as Friends. In fact, it’s just the two of them living in their apartment, and they’re not too terribly fond of their neighbors. In fact, they don’t often notice that they’re there, and when they do they’re often in some sort of argument.
And Rob clearly has a job. He works as teacher of English as a second language, and his work crush (and his failings at acting on it!) forms a rather large plot. Of course, work is only interesting when you’re teaching English to foreigners using 90s television shows.
Work is only interesting when you have a cool job, like writing the music for porn. (It’s a real job, guys. Enough to get news articles written about it. Scarily enough.) And to be fair to the characters of Friends, they did have jobs – we just didn’t see them often enough, because even if they had trouble with their bosses, none were quite as creepy as the Dean of Rob’s school.
ETA: [5:37 pm EDT] It was brought to my attention in an email from a Mr. T Campbell who has informed me that there is an online directory of webcomics, which shows that there are plenty of webcomics that are dramas, and not fantasies. I just haven’t read any of them.
Just and FYI. Elliot is the one who is the teacher. Rob sells his bodily fluids.
By Ghostcat on 05.22.06 12:13 pm
[…] Kate Okay, considering my own faux pauxs in the past, I’m assuming that the current Rob and Elliot is aimed at me. Maybe not directly at me, I’m not that egotistical, but… at least people like me, who blog about the comic and mix up the characters. (Are there many others like me? Other Haggard Wordbeasts excluded.) […]
By Fleen: Written by bitter, haggard wordbeasts » I Am Wearing A Kate Hat on 09.04.06 5:45 pm
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