So I sat in on a little comic podcast called Comics Coast To Coast last night (It should be airing sometime early next week…I’ll pimp the link). And let me tell you, it is the greatest comic podcast moment ever recorded in the history of man. Sure, I may be over-exaggerating. But then again, I may not. I’m pretty sure we spent more time talking about stuff NOT related to comics (Amish pie, animal testicles, British dental work). I must say, I think I failed in bringing comic-related infotainment to the podcast. Brian is blacklisting me as we speak.
But one of the comic-related topics we DID talk about was the use of “edgy” material. I mention this in the podcast, but I’ve always tried to aim Pinkerton towards a censorship level of PG-13 or a better example: Prime Time Television. That’s not to say I’m a prude. I really don’t feel any responsibility to protect your children from the fouls of man. No offense, but that’s your job. And, If done well, crass humor can go a long way. Heck, look at South Park. Say what you want about the show but it’s definitely made it’s mark outside the boundaries of acceptable public humor.
It’s fairly evident to any comic fan that off-color humor will never appear in print (aka newspapers). It’s the sad state and (some say) the downfall of the media. It’s the plight of the syndicated cartoonist to stay within the guidelines of 1950′s era censorship and still be relevant and compelling.
But some would argue that this is where the charm lies. This is what separates the writer from the regurgitater.
Some of my favorite strips hover on the line of inappropriateness, threatening to topple over into the blue zone at any moment. It brings a certain tension that makes a reader hold his/her breath. Artists have honed their ability to get their word across without actually saying the word they WANT to say. Their use of colorful symbols ($%@^!) in place of said swear word has become near-tactical. Others have mastered the art of visual suggestiveness. Both are a craft that I believe gets lost on the “anything goes” freedom of a web cartoonist.
Taking the high road and making the reader connect the dots is an art form. Specially when we’re talking about edgy material. One could say it’s an integral part of being a cartoonist…or at a broader level, a media-based humorist.
We’ve become so used to a certain amount of censorship in the papers and on TV that when we hear a beloved character mutter a foul word it almost pulls the humor out of the gag. Personally, I think I find the censor “bleep” ads to the gag…but what do I know? That could just be years of programmed servitude to the censors watching over us.
I have always felt that one of the great things the internet gives us is a wider variety of choices for our comics needs. I’ve always been all over the map with this; I grew up with “Peanuts” and “Garfield” collections, Spider-Man and Iron Man comics, and Heavy Metal and National Lampoon. I love ‘em all. “Chippy and Loopus” and “Cock and Bull” were and are two of my faves, and I think it’s great that there are more avenues for people to express themselves how they want. I’m not necessarily an edge-pusher myself, but I love watching those who are. As we’ve discussed many times, it’s not about the shock value, and cursing or sex for it’s own sake gets boring really fast, but when well placed, a curse word or a boob can have great impact.
EXACTLY my point, Tom. When it fits the joke or it works in the dialog that’s great. One example that we talked about last night (and I am pretty sure it was during the break) was Ren & Stimpy. Easily one of my favorite cartoons on television because of it’s shock value and sickness. But yet, it stayed within the realm of censorship. Well, I don’t know how many folks remember but Ren & Stimpy came back a few years ago on one of the cable networks. Said network gave them the keys and said do whatever you want.
And they did….
And it just didn’t feel natural. It felt like “hey, look we’re gonna force this shocking junk down your throat and watch you cringe.”
Well said. I always thought the 1950s-style censorship in comics would be their downfall, but it has lead to some creative ways of getting around things that are very distinct to the comic strip form. #@$! wouldn’t mean anything if it weren’t for comics.
What I love about webcomics is that it is up to the individual creator or reader. In the 80s, one of my favorite independent comics was Omaha the Cat Dancer, where “funny animals” had soap opera type lives and casual sex. It was very well done. The writer for the series also wrote for Disney. I didn’t think stuff like that would ever be the norm, but it kind of is today.
The downside is that your audience will wind up telling you where they draw the line. During the heat wave, I drew a strip about a guy’s air conditioner being out and he was naked. People let me know right away that they didn’t like the pixelated crotch. But if the name of my comic was Pixelated Crotch it would be perfectly anticipated and acceptable.
“Pixelated Crotch” goes on my list of possible band names.
I once had a drunken, one-night-stand & ended up with a nasty case of pixelated crotch.
I’ve tried to keep my strip in the PG-13 range, as well. Although, that’s not to say I won’t stop myself from drawing a cartoon about Gumby’s wang; I just try to do it tastefully. I figure there are plenty of cartoons on the web that fill the R+ material niche.
However, from time-to-time I’ll come up with a raunchy gag & usually I’ll let the guys over at “Morning Squirtz” draw it up, or post it. Raunchy gags are pretty much their Raison d’être, & their audience expects that type of humor; it would be much more jarring mixed in with my normal stuff.
(Sorry for all the links in this post, Wit. Hope this doesn’t get swept up as spam.)
It did land in the spam bin but I fished it out…and then washed my hands.
I think a great case of a “beep” adding to the humour is the Chasers (The Chasers are an Australian comedy troop)
*I meant to hyper-link the words “Eulogy Song”