Burn Baby Burn!
Okay. Here it is, the last in this particular run of Single Strip Appreciation Week (TM). Today we are revisiting one of the strips that really turned web comics into a social thing for me. I used to just sit and read Sluggy Freelance in my room and really not bother anyone about it because they had no freaking clue what I was talking about. Penny Arcade; now that was different. The strip in question was a real hit with my friends. We’re the type of kind supportive brethren that constantly dash each others hopes and dreams, and laugh maniacally while doing so.
As you may expect, this issue of PA was a milestone for us. If someone asked you whether you wanted to go to the shop at like 4 A.M, all you really had to do was mention the word “re-burn” and their spirits were immediately crushed. For Penny Arcade, I really think this strip is a land mark. The writing is scathing, funny, smart and memorable all at the same time and the art style has settled into a nice groove; nice enough for us not to have to look past bad drawings to see the funny joke. That’s pretty much what good web comicing is all about. PA has developed leaps and bounds since this six year old strip. It has become influential. Be that as it may, any time you come round here with your crazy ideas about a truck load of shrimp and a performance art installation, you know exactly how you’re going to get served.
Next week I will return you to your regular programming, but I’ve had a lot of fun taking a look at my favourite instances in web comics. I hope you have too!
Er. I hate love to be a pedant, but by “instances” do you mean “instants”?
By Andrew Nagy on 06.24.06 12:24 am
^ Strikethrough tag on “hate” was spelled wrong. That’s my fault for not reading, but I also vigorously complain about the lack of a preview button.
MORAL: The “contact” page is probably a less obnoxious way to make corrections?
By Andrew Nagy on 06.24.06 12:28 am
Yeah, I totally agree. Penny Arcade, more than any other comic, is one that I’ll chatter about with my friends.
It isn’t the only one – we’ll talk about plot developments in this or that, new art styles, etc. But in general, only a few friends read any one comic I might read, so there is much less opportunity for such discourse.
But Penny Arcade… everyone reads Penny Arcade. And the way the humor is packaged, in this witty, clever little lines… well, it makes it very easy to reference.
So, this one time, I was at a convention. It was, in fact, a gaming convention. As me and mine were all poor, destitute college students, we had some 6 or 7 of us sharing a room, some having claimed the beds, others scattered across the floor, and even one unfortunate soul wedged into a small 6″ space between a bed and the wall.
We were settling down, lights were out, getting ready to refresh ourselves for another day of gaming tomorrow.
Suddenly someone whispered… “Claw Shrimp.”
A round of laughter followed, then a few more moments of silence.
Then someone else speaks… “The monkey watches.”
… for the next hour and a half, we quoted Penny Arcade, non-stop.
I don’t think there is any other comic where I can see that happening.
By Mr Myth on 06.24.06 3:44 pm
in·stance n.
2. A case or an occurrence
Fun story by the way, Myth. That’s what this week was about for me; bringing back all the great memories we associate with our favourite web comics!
By PJ Hart on 06.25.06 1:03 pm
I’ve always heard it used to mean a case or occurrence *of* something.
By Andrew Nagy on 06.26.06 12:16 pm
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