More Alpha Flight Webcomics

[suzene]

James Duncan over at Pitabow Comics recently served up another round of Alpha Flight adventures. Let's do have a look!













Let him burn in hell, Puck. You know you wanna.

Comments

[suzene]

The artist's response.

I like the guy, but not cool, IMO. If he wanted to engage over your comment, he's known for a while where we are, and it's not hard to get a DW account. I don't know if I'm going to say anything to him on his site or just stop posting his comics here if that's going to be his reaction to a punchline being criticized.

[mad]

LOLwhat. That's bizarre.

Especially funny considering it makes it seem like I'm all "YAY GOVERNOR GENERALS ARE THE BEST!" or something. Pssh. Just because I think being thanked by the Queen's representative in Canada is a big deal, doesn't mean I don't have any criticisms of the GG office or the very concept of us having one in the first place.

Oh well, I guess I didn't realize that equating the Baldwins' fruit baskets to the GG officially thanking people = criticizing Adrienne Clarkson and how the GG spends money. Silly me!

Sheesh, I'm all for us Canadians making fun of ourselves (after all, self-deprecation is one of our main exports), but I expect something funnier.

Stupid comics, BE MORE FUNNY!

I don't know if I'm going to say anything to him on his site or just stop posting his comics here if that's going to be his reaction to a punchline being criticized.

Well, if you want to post more and other people are enjoying them, don't let this stop you. I might still be Killjoy Canuck, though, unless the quality improves.

[suzene]

Oh, it would be a matter of not wanting to post more. I'm totally for creators --- fan or pro -- coming onto the comm, even if they're objecting to our takes on their work, discussion being a good thing and all. I also don't mind if they're going to just eyeball the place respond to criticism from the comm on their own spaces in general terms.

The big issue that I have is that he was responding specifically to a single member of the comm, complete with a word for word quote so there could be no mistaking who he was addressing, without having the courtesy to actually talk to you. It's a clunky response, it's a bit cowardly, and it's even a badly set-up comic, considering that Snowbird-the-actual-owl was the only one who heard the original joke. I don't really feel like encouraging discussion of his work here if that's going to be his reaction to criticism.

[mad]

The big issue that I have is that he was responding specifically to a single member of the comm, complete with a word for word quote so there could be no mistaking who he was addressing, without having the courtesy to actually talk to you.

True. I guess I'm just not surprised by that kind of behaviour at this point.

That said, the comic quoting my comment doesn't appear to be there anymore...

[jamesduncan]

I was finally able to get an invite to dreamswidth, so that I might make a short response.

The strip was meant as a joke, nothing more nothing less, not an attack.
If feeling were hurt, I'd be sad to have caused them.
My strips have no ulterior motive, just the attempt at telling silly stories.
Courtesy or Cowardice played no part in the strip (Though my unwillingness to pay for an account on dreamswidth, and an inability to get an invite played a little on it), just a love for the characters, and a love of silly silly jokes written on my site to give me a place to relax, my own neutral world.
The strip is gone. I have never crossed any line with my work, and if this had that result, then it will not remain, as standards need to be kept.)

If you wish to remove your posting of the strips on this site, it's in your hands suzene. I do the strips because they bring me a little joy. It's nice to know that others enjoyed them, and that gives me joy as well. I know I'll never be paid for my work or remembered past a few months, and have no opinion that I am talented. The original intention of my site was a challenge by my brother to do something new everyday, and over 1000 strips later, I'm still challenging myself.
If this is indeed an open forum for sharing personal opinions, and criticism, would you begrudge me a sad joke?

As for the comment on an expectation of funny, everyone's allowed a bad day now and then.

[mad]

Hi James,

Truly, there are no hard feelings here. I just didn't enjoy the humour in that particular strip. And then it was surprising and a little weird to see my words taken out of context and put into a new strip.

If you want to put the comic back up, that's totally up to you, and I wouldn't have a problem with it. It's your comic and your site, I get no say in it.

As someone who keeps intending to start her own webcomic but has yet to get around to it, I have a lot of respect for anyone able to try it out and keep at it. I've made plenty of terrible jokes myself and will most likely continue to do so in future. Also, I did like the last strip on this post, with Wolverine and Puck.

I still don't like the GG = Baldwins joke, though, and stand by my earlier cmments. Not least because, as I said, I actually do know someone who was personally thanked by Michaelle Jean, which was a big deal to that person and I was happy for them.

Thanks for responding,
=)
Mad

[jamesduncan]

Thanks Mad,
Personally I've never really cared for politics or politicians, but I can understand something like that being important. I remember my brother winning a gov't award for teaching, and being proud for him, and happy for him, but I think I would have had the same response if he'd won an award from almost anyone.

The silly thing is, I wasn't writing about the real GG, but thinking of whatever Gov.General they would have in the Alpha Flight world. They always had a really shady Canadian government officials... heck, according to Marvel they had no problem with cutting up & experimenting on Wolverine... or kidnapping Alpha Flight members.

I'm going to keep the strip down, til maybe I can find a funnier way to use the grapes the size of timbits joke.

Webcomics are great to get into working on, but sadly if they're not for your own amusement, or fun, they become work... and work is just the devils way of making our lives suck!

[suzene]

Hi James,

Firstly, an apology for my lack of forethought. When I extended the invitation to poke your head in, I should have included the offer of a DW code along with.

I have no intention of removing the strips already posted unless you request it, but when I saw your response to Mad's comment, not posting future strips definitely seemed like an option worth thinking over. You might not have meant it as an insult or an attack, but by signaling Mad out, it did come across, at the least to me, as an intent to mock her. As I've said, I like your comics, both the fanworks and the slice-of-life's, but I've also been a member of this comm in its various incarnations for over five years now. I've known some of these people a while, and if I feel as if I'm supplying the vector for someone else to take potshots at them, then the choice to stop is a pretty easy one.

Some of did notice earlier than you'd taken the strip down, and I do appreciate that. I also really do think it's cool that you showed up here to explain your side of things and smooth things out, and I do apologize for the earlier uncharitable remarks about your character. If you have no objection to me posting your strips here, then I'll continue on with it.

Best,
Suzene

[jamesduncan]

I'd be happy to see the strips keep popping up...
Lets chalk it up to... Pre-winter brain freeze!

Also, the strip is up, with new test... it may not be as funny as the rest, but let me know what you think.

[jamesduncan]

Hehehe... I meant new text.
http://www.kaesye.com/?p=1454

[angelophile]

Punchline...? I keep waiting for them to drop.