So about the whole "grimdark fetish..."

[superboyprime]

Four pages from this week's TRANSFORMERS: MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE #13...

Also: So some Transformers fans have been complaining that the MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE series uses too much humor. Some time back in a Q & A session, the writer of the series, James Roberts, addressed this complaint, sharing his views on "the grimdark fetish" and the role of humor in stories. I think his words are well worth repeating:

I could write a lot about this. Let’s just start typing and see where we go…

How do I feel about humor? I think it’s part of life, I think everyone makes jokes and laughs at jokes, and I think there’s wit and laughter to be found in the grimmest situations. I think we use humor as a coping mechanism. I think that in a story, when it’s used properly – and I’m trying to use it properly – humor can add pathos and heart and weight to the most dramatic situation. It can even make a serious situation more serious.

In saying what I’m about to say, I want to make it clear that I’m not thinking specifically of anyone on this forum, or on TF sites generally, but having lived through the late 80s and 90s I’ve been exposed to the whole Grimdark fetish, when the only way in which a story could be ‘respectable’ or adult was if no‐one ever smiled and everyone was filled with angst. Sound and fury signifying nothing, yeah? Well stuff that, because the real world is full of light and shade, and people like you and me can have good days and bad days. You can have humorless characters, sure, but it helps to surround them with a colorful/absurd cast (see Judge Dredd).

Yes, I try to make MTMTE a fun book, and I enjoy conveying character through dialog, and I like the thought of people laughing (or at least smiling) when they read an issue. I don’t know if there are that many outright jokes of the set up/punchline variety, but I am drawn to situations where a character’s reaction to something, or approach to something, is funny and – crucially – true to who that character is. My favorite comedies aren’t packed with one‐liners; the humor flows from the interaction between the characters.

I also want MTMTE to be an unusual book – not ‘kooky’ – heaven forbid – but a bit off‐beam and absurd. And it’s easier to tell off‐the‐wall stories (Rodimus & Co travelling into Ultra Magnus’ body, for example, or what you’re going to see in issue 13) if you have a sort of bedrock of gentle humor. And all the aspects of modern day fiction that interest me – the use of irony; non‐linear storytelling; meta‐narratives; and so on – seem less jarring, I think, if explored against a vaguely humorous, or at least non‐po‐faced, backdrop.

But the bottom line is this: if you laugh along with the characters, you’ll care about them all the more. And in the end, that’s what matters more than anything.

Anyway, on to issue 13...



Yesterday:



Many parts of Hedonia are designed for organic lifeforms so, in order to blend in, the visiting Lost Light crew members make use of solid holographic avatars. And they're Super-Intuitive Avatars to boot, which automatically base their appearance on the user's psyche.



Heh. Rung's pseudonym is of course a reference to the fact that he's the only member of the cast who's an original creation of the author's rather than a pre-existing character. Skids' blank ID reflects his status as an amnesiac, but I think it might also be a DOCTOR WHO reference, given his avatar's resemblance to Matt Smith's Doctor. That resemblance itself would presumably be a nod to both of them being risk-taking action scientists with a rebellious streak.

Later, after everyone's ditched the holomatter avatars and shown up in person...



Later still...

Comments

[daningram.insanejournal.com]

Ya know, this issue was funny as hell, but I don't think those scans are the best to highlight the writer's ability to weave a full story. He has humor, he has sadness, it's a well rounded issue and series, with characters with interesting contradictions.

Best example really in this series yet is a simple sentence by Swerve "You're wrong. People don't like me, they just laugh at my jokes. There's a difference."