Episode 598 - 2D or not 2D!
Aug 29, 2022
What makes a character two dimensional? What makes them three dimensional? Does it matter that they only have two dimensions to them? This was an idea that GeekyGami posed and so we thought we'd explore it in the cast. My own theory is that a character that is purely archetypal, tropeish, or cliche, with everything about them flowing from that archetype, and they never go beyond their archetypal traits- that makes them 2D.
Topics and Show Notes
An example for this could be a “nerd” character who has their trousers pulled up too high, a pocket protector, short sleeved collard shirt tucked into their undies, thick rimmed glasses with tape in the middle, slicked down dorky short hair, pimples and greasy skin. They can't talk to girls, they're super smart, they're arrogant to anyone who they see as less intelligent in math or the sciences, they can't do sports, they're uncoordinated, they're often bullied, asthmatic, easily injured and talk in a high pitched voice. They only like Scifi and fantasy and they play dungeons and dragons all the time… etc. That's a moronic cliche, but it's often used. If they stay perfectly true to that no mater what happens or changes around them physically or socially then in my opinion they're 2D.
2D characters are not always a negative thing though. Not every side character needs to have more to them. Even primary characters can get by as simple 2D cutouts if the story needs them to be that way. You always do what's right for the story rather than sticking to rules or biases about what you should or shouldn't do with characters… Intention is the main thing! You don't want to inadvertently make a 2D character when they're not meant to be that way.
What do you think makes a 2D character?
This week Gunwallace has given us a theme to Scorned - In the words of the man himself: Went for a Sex in the City meets the Underworld kind of vibe. I would say it’s a cheeky salsa rhythm that drives you to shake and dance, which then takes a terrifying leap into a gothic baroque circus of doom!
Topics and shownotes
Links
Forum post - Hawk and Flo Ice Cream Truck of Doom part 1 - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/forum/topic/179142/
Featured comic:
Hawk and Flo Ice Cream Truck of Doom part 1 - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/news/2022/aug/23/featured-comic-hawk-and-flo-ice-cream-truck-of-doom-part-1/
Featured music:
Scorned - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/Scorned/ - by Damehelsing, rated M.
Special thanks to:
Gunwallace - http://www.virtuallycomics.com
Ozoneocean - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/ozoneocean
Banes - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/Banes/
Tantz Aerine - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/Tantz_Aerine/
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Episode 595 - Oversold to the Moon!
Aug 8, 2022
How do you describe your work to sell it to people? Writing blurbs is a real skill! You generally have to avoid doing these four things: Underselling, Overselling, Selling the wrong story, or Revealing too much. It's quite a tricky balance to master. I've been writing feature blurbs for comics here on DD for many years now (about 16), so I've developed a technique but even I haven't mastered it!
Episode 594 - Grow up! Or don't...
Jul 31, 2022
The Manchild can be a fun character or they can be pathetic. They're a staple of comedies because they're an adult that gets to act immature and childish, without the restraint and responsibilities imposed by adulthood. This can make a great contrast; “The adult man acting like an immature child”, John C Riley and Will Farrel have always done that extremely well, as did Chris Farley back in the 90s. It can be be portrayed as pathetic and sad when the person can't seem to be able grow up or take on any responsibilities. They're often characterised by people with “childish” interests, like the cast of the Big Bang Theory, or with a childlike love of something like sports like Kevin in Kevin can F Himself.
Episode 593 - Risky Business
Jul 25, 2022
The risks of online creative success We live in a wonderful time where you're able to turn your creative passion into a job that can support you just by using freely available online services like YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Patreon, Ebay, Paypal, Etsy, Webtoons etc. You can start with nothing more than your computer or phone and end up with a thriving business based on your passion project. It's not easy, achieving enough success where you can quit your day job still tends to take a lot of work, but once you get there it can be amazing. However, that's not the end of the story unfortunately.
Episode 592 - Back in MY day!
Jul 18, 2022
History is happening faster now. With the growth of universal high speed communication and cheap world travel, culture and technology move at unprecedented speeds. Because of these factors the rate of change is different to what it was at any time in the past. This is an objective and verifiable truth rather than subjective perception: the current speed and quality of global communication has never been possible before and that has ramifications for how the world changes.
Episode 591 - Superhero types?
Jul 11, 2022
The Superhero movie cast last week was popular, I wanted to chat to Tantz about different types of superheroes. We all know that the same kinds of superheroes seem to popup and reoccur in multiple forms all the time, even within the same worlds, i.e god-like superheros like Superman, Captain Marvel, Omni-man, Homelander, or Magical types like Doctor Strange, Zatana etc. It was a fun chat about all the categories and subcategories we could think about!
Episode 590 - Fave Superhero Movies?
Jul 4, 2022
I wanted to do an easy and fun one this week and just chat about our fave superhero movies, starting with our firsts! For me and Banes it was Superman with Christopher Reeve. It's a real classic, full of positivity, hope, and optimism, all with bright colours and classic iconic imagery… In that way it's a bit like many of the Marvel films and the more popular DC offerings like Aquaman and WonderWoman, but without the overbuilt and over-defined muscles!
Episode 588 - Revisiting Old Ideas
Jun 20, 2022
Sometimes it's worth revisiting old ideas because you can do them better or explore them deeper. This could be in the form of a full reboot, or it could be as simple as reusing a pose in a panel or using the same theme again like Pixar does with 90% of their output i.e. “coming of age”. Like them you don't need to feel obligated to always do something totally original, revisiting old ideas is a great way to refine them, create better work, or explore different aspects of them you hadn't considered before and put new and interesting spins on things. Consider that Pixar's Turning Red, Encanto, Moana, Coco, The Incredibles 2, Ratatouille, Inside Out, Brave, Onward, and Luca all share the same “coming of age/childhood independence” theme and yet all do it in unique and original ways, exploring different aspects of the idea from all sorts of angles.
