Episode 225 - To Fan-service or not to fan-service
Jun 29, 2015
Today Banes and I talk about the subject of fan service in comics (and other pop-culture). This Quackcast was inspired by a newspost by HippieVan of that same title. We're helped in our discussion by the really interesting contributions of many smart people on DD... that we read out in High-larious voices! Is fan service a good thing? How do you think about it in stuff you read and see? Do you put it in your own work? Why? Why not? These were some of the things we talk about on the subject. Also, catch Gunwallace's great theme for Grueson!
Topics and Show Notes
Topics and shownotes
Featured comic:
Jabaru - http://www.theduckwebcomics.com/Jabaru/
Based on HippieVan's newspost:
Fan-service in comics - http://www.theduckwebcomics.com/news/2015/jun/25/fan-service-in-comics/
Contributions from:
MOrgan - http://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/MOrgan/
The drunkduck awards - http://theduckwebcomics.com/Drunk_Duck_Awards_2015/5486338/
Special thanks to:
Gunwallace, Soundman - http://www.virtuallycomics.com
The theme song by Gunwallace this week was for:
Grueson - http://www.theduckwebcomics.com/Grueson/ by Yan Gevuld
Episode 224 - Finding your own voice as a writer
Jun 22, 2015
For Quackcast 224 I've asked Kevin Hayman back again (KOTA's world, Mailbox Rocketship, Erant Apprentice), to regale us with his Owen Wilson stylings... But seriously, the topic is "finding your own voice in writing", i.e. learning not to imitate your hero's, move beyond that and write in your own style. Kevin is a really funny and interesting guy who's been doing webcomics for many many years since the very earliest days of Drunk Duck and he has some great insights to impart on "finding your own voice". You can also catch KOTA at the Mississippi comic con this weekend! -Enjoy Gunwallace's lovely, creepy musical take on our featured comic, Restless.
Episode 221 - Banes goes Bananas!
Jun 1, 2015
Banes is home alone in the studio this time while Ozoneocean was away gallivanting around the globe… he's joined by intrepid security guard Bravo, who saves him from a fate worse than death. Together they chat and gabble away about things and stuff, primarily inspired by the topic “Why do you do a webcomic?” Together they manage to find out. Reading the contributions of many fine DDers really helped along with that though! Gunwallace provides a great theme for Clockwork Atrium too!
Episode 208 - Testing Your Writing
Mar 1, 2015
In this Quackcast Banes and I discuss some methods for testing your writing, well mainly your characters, to see how well you really know them. We use a comedic character creation template that we have found is perfect for testing and learning more about your established characters, no matter how serious they are. It consists of four interrelated elements: Point of view; Exaggeration of the point of view; Faults; Relatability / Humanity. We also talk a little about the dreaded dangers of the Mary Sue... you never want your writing to fall in that putrid, cancerous hole of smelly excrement where your main character is perfect and all the others worship them. And lastly the very useful Bechdel test for seeing how rounded your female characters are. There are 3 rules: You have to have at least two named women; They who talk to each other; It's about something besides a man. We were both a bit sad about the death of Leonard Nimoy. R.I.P. Mister Spock.
Episode 204 - Talisman returns from exile
Feb 2, 2015
Way back in 2012 Ozone interviewed the marvellously talented and professional Barb Myers about her art and her fantastic comics. Well it's 2015 now and Barb has finally been able to put out the whole of her comic "Talisman: Return of the Exile" for sale on Amazon! So of course now was the perfect time to catch up for another chat. I first came across her lovely comic on Drunk Duck years and years ago when it was called "Return to Donelly", it was a beautiful looking piece of work and it rightly brought her to the attention of the pros. It was picked up for Keen spot and then a publisher wanted to sell it in bookshops everywhere. Well things went screwy after that and it never really reached its full potential unfortunately. It disappeared from radar totally. Well now it's BACK! You can buy this great 108 full colour fantasy comic book story for only $10 US dollars. Mine should get to me on about the 10th of February. ^_^
Episode 202 - The Lady is a Stranger
Jan 19, 2015
Howdy Pardner, is you ready fer a western adventure? For Quackcast 202 we decided to build on the experiment we started in Quackcast 201. We constructed a play quickly with four people all working together. It took us all 3 hours to write, collaborating on a Google doc and over skype to make a half hour play, and it seems to have turned out pretty nicely! This is the last for now in our writing exercises. We only really show the play here and not the 3 hours of umming and ah-ing as we worked on it, because that was too much to edit down, but if it's something people would like to hear maybe we'll make a condensed version available some time in the future. For now please enjoy our little Western romance, train and bank heist adventure! And Bane's great piano playing! Oh, and the great intro music by Gunwallace called "Solosteel"!
Episode 197 - The sidekicks take over the QC
Dec 14, 2014
Carrying on from last weeks Quackcast inspired by Kawaiidaigakusei's Thoughtful newspost article "An Ode to Sidekicks", this time the DD community weighs in on the subject and they give us their wise, educated and highly considered expert opinions on the subject of the sidekick in stories! Again Kawaii joins Banes and I, but this time she practices her amazing talent for amusing voices, so for the first time since Skoolmunkee there's someone other than Banes and I doing a voice. Rachel Maddow drops in and even Matt Foley to tell us about his VAN down by the RIVER! All in all what people have to say about the different aspects of sidekicks in fiction is really quite interesting, have a listen and see! Oh, and Gunwallace's epic theme for Harkovast is fantastic, I can't wait for a Peter Jackson Movie adaptation!
Episode 179 - Token representation in comics
Aug 11, 2014
There's no question in my opinion as to whether representation of different kinds of people in fiction matters. Having spent my childhood poring over superhero comics in which the girl's job is usually to turn invisible and press a button or something, I remember being impressed and delighted by some of the badass female characters in The Spirit. Lady-people could be cool, too?! Is it insulting when comics add token characters to their line up, or does it really make a difference? And what makes a token character anyways? -HippieVan. Banes, HippieVan and I focus on the subject of token representation in media, mainly comics. This discussion was inspired by a newspost HippieVan made in response to a new character in the Archie comic, which got a lot of interesting responses.
