Episode 641 - Bodycast
Jun 26, 2023
Injuries, especially to the head can be extremely bad but people are hit over the bonce and knocked out in popculture all the time. In violent sports like boxing or MMA it's often a goal, it's a common thing in games too, the “KO” is a staple. In TV shows, movies and comics it's seen as a kind way to deal with an enemy, people will even do it to their very best friends to protect them from going through with some scary activity, often knocking them out and tying them up and then taking their place or something. Knocking people out has become so memed that the fantasy version has replaced the real version and it's even influenced how we think about it.
Topics and Show Notes
We do the same thing with spies (no spy mission is ever like James bond, Mission Impossible, Kingsman or Archer, which actually tackles the knockout meme realistically), the concept of losing one's virginity (no, “popping a cherry” in not a thing, hymens do not need to be broken), Ninjas (nothing at all like popculture), and the idea that anyone would ever wear a giant sword on their back to go into battle (no one ever did that because it's impossible to use).
The reality is that loss of consciousness caused by sudden force to the head is incredibly dangerous and can lead to brain damage and even death. Even “putting someone to sleep” using a sleeper hold, a pill, injection, or gas is dangerous and not to be taken lightly, unlike the moronic idea we have of its safety from pop culture.
The inspiration for this cast was my own experience with unconsciousness due to a riding accident I had last week where I fell off an cantering horse, was knocked out and then had amnesia till I came back to full awareness some time later with no memory of the incident. So we're chatting about injuries in webcomics and pop culture and how the handling of them is different from reality. i.e all those times people get shot harmlessly or dig out bullets from their shoulders… (doctors will often leave bullets inside a person and not dig them out unless there's a safety issue).
What stupid pop culture versions of injuries are you aware of or have you used yourself?
This week Gunwallace has given us a theme inspired by Conscripted - Wiry electric guitar burns into the hot desert sands with this metal meta version of the classic “Arabian Riff” (also known as “The Streets of Cairo”, “The Poor Little Country Maid”, and “the snake charmer song”). A very interesting tune popularised in the late 19th century by American Sol Bloom and has since become the characteristic sound of the middle east in pop culture. Gunwallace’s version for Conscripted is heavy, fiery and strong.
This is Gunwallace’s second take on Conscripted, the first was a more calm and contemplative piece in Quackcast 545.
Topics and shownotes
Links
Featured comic:
The sagas of Seelhoe - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/news/2023/jun/20/featured-comic-the-sagas-of-seelhoe/
Featured music:
Conscripted - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/Conscripted/ - by Dragonsong12, rated E.
Special thanks to:
Gunwallace - http://www.virtuallycomics.com
Ozoneocean - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/ozoneocean
Tantz Aerine - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/Tantz_Aerine/
Banes - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/Banes/
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Episode 640 - Aliens
Jun 19, 2023
We base our images of aliens in comics on aliens in TV shows and movies mostly, because those are the ones we all know. But movie aliens have been generally based on humans because it's less expensive, easier to come up with a costume and makeup for an actor, and it's also easier to make those aliens relatable. “Aliens” even THINK the same as we do, have the same motivations, wants, needs, prejudices, opinions… Almost 100% of the time aliens in media are US, just a weird version of us: distorted reflection.
Episode 639 - Nudity
Jun 12, 2023
Today's topic is Nudity: Nudity in comics, censorship, self censoring, what you can get away with on DD, ratings, nudity on other platforms and how it affects the reach of your work, and more!
Episode 621 - Live Laugh Love
Feb 6, 2023
Toxic positivity can take all sorts of forms, but I think it's most easily recognised by someone telling you to be happy about something when you just don't feel it. It's a really odd, nasty, weird feeling when a person tells you you're basically not allowed to be grumpy or even neutral, you MUST be happy. How many times have we all been told to “smile” by someone?
Episode 620 - losers are human too
Jan 30, 2023
My idea was to talk about social pariah characters, people who it's socially acceptable to laugh at, despise, or even hate. They can be the uncool people, the dorks, the dags, the idiots, the overweight, the ugly, the old, the out of touch, the over the hill… On the extreme end they could be monsters and criminals. Generally they're written pretty two dimensionally as a collection of cliches, but when the writing goes beyond that to lend them humanity is when it goes to the next level.
Episode 613 - 1930
Dec 12, 2022
The 1930s were quite a uniquely influential time for a number of reasons. The 1930s were the very last days of the old world before the new one was born in the apocalypse of the 1940s. Old empires, kings, colonialism- forces that had shaped the planet for decades were about to be shattered for the good, thankfully. New technologies were on a rapid rise as things were spiraling closer and closer to global war, Air travel was becoming a reality even as the old ocean liners were still the main means of transportation connecting the continents, people were building cites around the realities of car travel. Cinema had changed drastically with the advent of the talkies. and so much more!
Episode 612 - Comfort food for the brain
Dec 5, 2022
There are times when you need to give your brain a bit of a break, that's when comfort shows come in handy! Movies and TV shows you can watch again and again- you can appreciate them every time and they don't get old. The tension never gets too much for you because you already know what's going to happen. You can just relax and enjoy the familiar story, revelling in the company of characters you know and visiting their world once more. They're great for creating to as well because you don't have to worry about missing anything important.
Episode 604 - Stylised reality
Oct 10, 2022
When creating fiction we always have to stylise experience in many and various ways in order to communicate with the viewer in a way that's meaningful to them because it's usually impossible to simply show them the exact reality of something and expect that same meaning to carry through.
