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DecafSilicon
Consistant Poster
Joined: 29 Aug 2003
Posts: 169
Location: Grove City College, PA, USA
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| Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2004 4:29 pm Post subject: Whose mind is it anyway? |
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Clearly, we have another political allegory. It is autumn, a time of questioning (Are the kids ready for school? Can we pay the heating bill? Didn't Ed borrow the leaf blower?). The biggest questions arise with the small. We wonder if our minds are going, if our minds are even our own.
I hesitate to bring up the obvious allusion to the October (the center of autumn) Revolution, but it ties in with the less obvious symbolism of the leaf overing above "anyway," a star-shaped leaf that symbolizes the star of Chinese communism, a peasant revolution that was inevitable, that would have happened "anyway." The star demonstrates inevitability because it is a thing of nature, the light of which has traveled millions of years to reach us, just as the effects of the grand burning star of communism will impact the world for ages to come.
All this in a shade of red, both the red of communism and the red of blood, but muted. This is a softer red, a compassionate communism, the blood already dried and scabbed over.
Finally, the elegant typography brings to mind the aristocracy that will die in this revolution. McCloud reminds us of the past that will die in this very present event, appropriately titled in the present tense (and thus possibly making a semiotic pun on "tense," as Chomsky would note). |
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Greg Stephens
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Joined: 14 Apr 2001
Posts: 3869
Location: Los Angeles, California, USA
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| Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2004 4:38 pm Post subject: |
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Oh.
I thought it was going to be about Ronald Reagan.
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Rip Tanion
Reinvents understanding
Joined: 12 Apr 2002
Posts: 635
Location: The Riptania Sky-Palace in da beauuuuuutiful Bronx.
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| Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2004 5:09 pm Post subject: Re: Whose mind is it anyway? |
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| DecafSilicon wrote: | | Clearly, we have another political allegory. It is autumn, a time of questioning... I hesitate to bring up the obvious allusion to the October (the center of autumn) Revolution. |
Actually, the October Revolution was in early November. Back in 1917, the Russians were still using the old Julian calendar (which was behind the western Gregorian calendar by 11 days, I think), so they considered it late October. Of course, early November is also when the U.S. holds national elections this year (the entire House of Representitives, one-third of the Senate, and this year, the Presidency.)
However, I think it's much too early to tell if this Improv will be political. If it is, hold on to your hats again, boys and girls, and let's get ready to rumble again.
Personally, I associate October with the World Series (which my Yankees seem to go to almost every year, nowadays), and I've been very fortunate to have attended several post-season games at Yankee Stadium in the past nine years, including five W.S. games (and the Yanks won all five of those games.)
| Greg S. wrote: | | I thought it was going to be about Ronald Reagan. |
Or "Uncle Chuck".
It's MY mind, and I'll think what I want.
(apologies to Eric Burdon)
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Greg Stephens
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Joined: 14 Apr 2001
Posts: 3869
Location: Los Angeles, California, USA
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| Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2004 5:52 pm Post subject: Re: Whose mind is it anyway? |
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| Rip Tanion wrote: | | Or "Uncle Chuck". |
Don't think I didn't think it.
Or the version starring both Reagan AND Heston subtitled "Bedtime for the Omega Men": Two once-powerful and eloquent old men share an incurable disease which is regressing their minds back toward childhood. There's a secret government plot, a woman in red and in the end they save the world without the public ever knowing of their noble efforts. Frankly, they don't remember their noble efforts either, but that only makes the moral even more poignant: "What a terrible thing to have lost one's mind. Or not to have a mind at all." How true that is.
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Rip Tanion
Reinvents understanding
Joined: 12 Apr 2002
Posts: 635
Location: The Riptania Sky-Palace in da beauuuuuutiful Bronx.
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| Posted: Thu Jan 15, 2004 4:46 pm Post subject: Re: Whose mind is it anyway? |
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To tell you the truth, I'd rather see a an Improv about spring time, not autumn. It's freezing here in the Northeast, with the wind and the snow. The mercury in Central Park is supposed to go down to 0?F tomorrow. Global Warming, my ass! Hell, I WISH I could warm my ass! Brrrrrrrrrrr! I know Greg and Scott are laughing at us, over there in sunny So Cal.
| Greg Stephens wrote: | | "What a terrible thing to have lost one's mind. Or not to have a mind at all." |
Hey, now! No need to pick on poor Dan Quayle. Everybody gets a bit befuddled, now and then. OK, so Danny boy got befuddled more often than most. Hey, he was no John Kennedy  .
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"Park the beers, and grab the smiles. It's flight time." - LtCdr. J. Robert "Bobby" Stone, USN (R.I.P.) |
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zerofoks
Frequent Poster
Joined: 07 Jul 2002
Posts: 74
Location: Germany
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| Posted: Thu Jan 15, 2004 6:51 pm Post subject: |
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Clearly this Improv will be about losing one's sanity, providing a good example of what I have turned into, since I was pretty sure that it was me who suggested that title... 
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Greg Stephens
Forum Founder
Joined: 14 Apr 2001
Posts: 3869
Location: Los Angeles, California, USA
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| Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2004 1:53 pm Post subject: |
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Technical note- The table cells are resizing with my browser, so that the first four panels don't line up neatly with the title panel unless I size my browser window appropriately. Doesn't affect comprehension any, but I'm pretty sure that the intent was to have them line up nicely.
On the other hand, in a comic about losing (or perhaps sharing) one's mind, maybe this disjointedness is intentional.
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jturner
Regular Poster
Joined: 16 Apr 2001
Posts: 29
Location: Canada
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| Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2004 2:27 pm Post subject: |
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| Strangely... I agree with Rip! Spring would be lovely. It is damned cold up here in Toronto as well. What we refer to as "nosehair cracklin' cold". |
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Rip Tanion
Reinvents understanding
Joined: 12 Apr 2002
Posts: 635
Location: The Riptania Sky-Palace in da beauuuuuutiful Bronx.
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| Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2004 3:43 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | Yeah? So dress warmah, ya pansy. I like this time o' yee-ah! |
I'm not sure if Scott is trying to convey a New York or New England accent heeya. Are we in Central Park, or Boston Common?
And can we assume this Lincolnesque figure is talking to himself?
| Greg Stephens wrote: | | Technical note- The table cells are resizing with my browser, so that the first four panels don't line up neatly with the title panel unless I size my browser window appropriately. |
Another reason the cry should go out loud and clear for Browser Universality (if that's a word.) Scott probably woked hard so this would look good in his browser, only to have it cockeyed in someone elses.
When will the techies deliver?
| jturner wrote: | | Strangely... I agree with Rip! Spring would be lovely. It is damned cold up here in Toronto as well. What we refer to as "nosehair cracklin' cold". |
I spent a weekend in Toronto (actually I was staying in Mississauga) several winters ago. I remember snow, snow, and more snow. So much snow, that it seemed like forever driving into Toronto (we were going to the old Maple Leaf Gardens to see the Rangers@the Leafs). I hear where you're coming from, eh.
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"Park the beers, and grab the smiles. It's flight time." - LtCdr. J. Robert "Bobby" Stone, USN (R.I.P.) |
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Guest
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| Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2004 3:55 pm Post subject: Re: Whose mind is it anyway? |
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| Rip Tanion wrote: |
Personally, I associate October with the World Series |
Billy Bragg pointed out that the World Series is all about the USA playing with itself. If you want a world-wide series, you'd talk about the World Cup Soccer. |
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Rip Tanion
Reinvents understanding
Joined: 12 Apr 2002
Posts: 635
Location: The Riptania Sky-Palace in da beauuuuuutiful Bronx.
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| Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2004 5:24 pm Post subject: Re: Whose mind is it anyway? |
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| Anonymous wrote: | | Rip Tanion wrote: |
Personally, I associate October with the World Series |
Billy Bragg pointed out that the World Series is all about the USA playing with itself. If you want a world-wide series, you'd talk about the World Cup Soccer. |
Hey, it's one thing to insult the good ol' US of A. It's entirely another thing to insult the great past-time of Baseball. Now I'm REALLY steamed   . I've gotten into many a drunken arguments with Englishmen and Irishmen about baseball vs. "kicky-ball". I'll tell you what I told them. I'll tell you why it is indeed the World Series.
OK, I'll admit, baseball isn't played in as many countries as soccer. Don't ask me why. I think soccer is an utter bore. However, baseball IS played through-out North America, Latin America (it's probably the most popular sport in both Cuba and the Dominican), and parts of the Far East (Babe Ruth is a Shinto god in Japan.)
The World Series is played between the champions of the National League and American League. The A.L. has 13 teams from the U.S., and one from Canada. The N.L. has 15 teams from the U.S., and one from Canada (though the fate of the Montreal Expos is still in the air)
The BEST baseball players from ALL around the baseball playing world are playing in the Major Leagues. Take the last World Series, the New York Yankees vs. the Florida Marlins. The Yankees had a catcher and a center-fielder from Puerto Rico (ok, I know technically that's the U.S., but geographically it's the Caribbean), a secondbaseman and a utility infielder from from the Domincan, a right-fielder from Mexico, a leftfielder from Japan, a pitcher from Cuba, and a closer (the best in the game) from Panama. The Marlins also had several players from Latin America. A key to the Yankees WS victories in '96 and '98, was a lefty relief specialist, Graeme Lloyd from Australia. And every Yankee fan loved utility infielder Luis Sojo from Venezuela, who was the hero of Game 5 of the 2000 Subway Series. So don't tell me the World Series is just for the U.S. Looks pretty international to me.
BTW, who the hell is Billy Bragg?
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"Park the beers, and grab the smiles. It's flight time." - LtCdr. J. Robert "Bobby" Stone, USN (R.I.P.) |
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Alexander D.
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Joined: 15 Feb 2002
Posts: 177
Location: MA
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alphacomp
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| Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2004 8:32 pm Post subject: |
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His (Bostonian?) accent makes me think of "Cut Your Hair" by Brian Dewan, oddly.
That, and "Wicked Little Critta". |
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Haze
Regular Poster
Joined: 22 Jun 2003
Posts: 34
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| Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2004 9:51 pm Post subject: |
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I enjoy reading manga about sports but that's about it. KAME-HAME-HOMERUN-SWING-HA!
I like the funny font. and the cold atmosphere. in my opinion, it doesn't get cold enough around here.
what's a "Chiffahrobe"? ...I'm from the south, you see. |
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Christopher Lundgren
Frequent Poster
Joined: 04 Apr 2002
Posts: 76
Location: Portland, Oregon
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| Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2004 10:49 pm Post subject: |
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| I thought perhaps that was a "chiffon robe," but the guy is just mumbly. |
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jturner
Regular Poster
Joined: 16 Apr 2001
Posts: 29
Location: Canada
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| Posted: Sat Jan 17, 2004 10:19 am Post subject: Re: Whose mind is it anyway? |
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| Rip Tanion wrote: |
BTW, who the hell is Billy Bragg? |
Okay here is the problem with a message board, it is hard to tell when someone's being serious, or when they're joking. Do you really not know who Billy Bragg is? British folky communist singer (right up your alley, I'm sure!) who recently did a couple of albums of songs of Woody Guthrie with the band Wilco. Really nice albums actually. |
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Greg Stephens
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Joined: 14 Apr 2001
Posts: 3869
Location: Los Angeles, California, USA
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| Posted: Sat Jan 17, 2004 2:12 pm Post subject: Re: Whose mind is it anyway? |
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| jturner wrote: | | Okay here is the problem with a message board, it is hard to tell when someone's being serious, or when they're joking. |
Or when they're just not using Google. I mean, I didn't know who Billy Bragg was (though I've heard the name), but now I do.
Conversations, debates, arguments and fights on the 'net really can take an entirely different shape than those that happen face-to-face, but not everybody takes advantage of that. We're used to the fact that if you're talking to somebody while you're out at a restaurant or riding in a car, or out for a walk in a park, it's acceptable to not know the answers or specific facts relating to many things. But if you're posting on the web, you're only a few clicks away from all the answers you'll ever need, so there's no excuse to not know anything.
Having said that, I expect that Rip was being facetious. I mean, his post was FULL of links about baseball, but he couldn't be bothered to fill in the gap in his knowledge about Billy Bragg? More likely (doing some reading between the lines, as well as some mind-reading, here) Rip's point was, "faced with this evidence, what does Billy Bragg's opinion matter?"
Having said that: It's clear, choosing between the World Series and the World Cup, which one is more global in nature (and it's not the one having anything to do with the New York Yankees).
Moving on: None of what I've posted above has anything to do with the current M.I. comic, so this thread (and other recents ones) has led me to wonder if maybe some more tightly-moderated efforts would be appreciated in order to keep topics on-topic. Don't reply here. Reply here.
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kaos_de_moria
Consistant Poster
Joined: 22 Aug 2003
Posts: 162
Location: Switzerland
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| Posted: Sat Jan 17, 2004 2:48 pm Post subject: congratulations decaf |
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you're starting post is one of the funniest web forum posts i've read for a long time. thanks
kaos |
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Scott McCloud
Making "Making Comics"
Joined: 23 May 2001
Posts: 299
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| Posted: Sat Jan 17, 2004 3:47 pm Post subject: |
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alphacomp may already know this, but Brian Dewan and his Brother Ted are my oldest friends on the planet, so yes, the resemblence was inevitable!
And man, oh man, is TMBG's "Wicked Little Critta" dead on target. |
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Rip Tanion
Reinvents understanding
Joined: 12 Apr 2002
Posts: 635
Location: The Riptania Sky-Palace in da beauuuuuutiful Bronx.
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| Posted: Sat Jan 17, 2004 4:36 pm Post subject: |
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OK, Mr. Shoppingcart is either talking to himself, or someone (or some thing in the bag.
| Mr. Shoppingcart wrote: | | I nevah gettin' my gov'mint job back... |
Heh, I once had a job for the State of New York once. I'm glad I don't have it anyomore. I wonder what kind of job this geezer had? If he was a postal worker, I'll bet there's an assault rifle in that shopping cart (Thanx Uncle Chuck  )
| Mr. Shoppingcart wrote: | | Stupid Bush |
Hey, Scott, at least you are identifying who the Bush haters are.
Rambling Rippy: Sorry about my verbosity and digressiveness (is those words?) in my preceding post. Someone went Rippy baiting for a change, and like a prize sucker, I bit. As the French say, "tuchas!" 
Hey, I wasn't trying to defend baseball as a game so much as I was trying to devalidate (is that a word?)a statement denying it's international appeal. I don't give a flying foo if any of you out there likes baseball or not. I wasn't to make you all fans, or disparage any other sports (though I still, for life of me, don't get soccer or golf).
Greg makes a valid point with the Google thing, but for those of us still stuck in the hell of a dial-up modem (I do all my "surfing" and posting when I'm home), looking up stuff all over the web can be a long and royal pain. It just so happens I had most of the baseball links cached on my hard-drive already, so it wasn't a big deal to put them in.
Yeah, I've been an incorrigible rascal of late; but you needn't worry. I'll be back working, Monday, and I'll have a lot less time to be stupid.
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"Park the beers, and grab the smiles. It's flight time." - LtCdr. J. Robert "Bobby" Stone, USN (R.I.P.) |
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DecafSilicon
Consistant Poster
Joined: 29 Aug 2003
Posts: 169
Location: Grove City College, PA, USA
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| Posted: Sat Jan 17, 2004 5:06 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for the compliment. I amused myself greatly writing that.
Rip, as pissed as I've felt at your recent political diatribes, it's still been a lot of fun.
Good point about the modem cramping your style. Still, Google is quick. If you're getting slow loads, ditch IE and use Mozilla Firebird.
*sigh* I can't find a decent MMORPG that my college's firewall doesn't block. I'm on the Gaia RPG forum, but that's too free-form to be a real game. |
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Rip Tanion
Reinvents understanding
Joined: 12 Apr 2002
Posts: 635
Location: The Riptania Sky-Palace in da beauuuuuutiful Bronx.
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| Posted: Sat Jan 17, 2004 5:12 pm Post subject: |
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| DecafSilicon wrote: | | Thanks for the compliment. I amused myself greatly writing that. |
Your chocolate Exlax is in the mail.
Oh, and by the way, I also forgot to mention that I'm a lousy typist.
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"Park the beers, and grab the smiles. It's flight time." - LtCdr. J. Robert "Bobby" Stone, USN (R.I.P.) |
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mecherath
Forum Member
Joined: 13 Dec 2003
Posts: 9
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| Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2004 2:02 pm Post subject: |
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| DecafSilicon wrote: | | *sigh* I can't find a decent MMORPG that my college's firewall doesn't block. I'm on the Gaia RPG forum, but that's too free-form to be a real game. |
I'd like to take this moment to pimp Rubies of Eventide. It's small, and not quite finished, but it's got great developers and a great community. Plus there's a free download and non-credit card trial.
Now, um... back to rambling old men! |
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Jimmy Ho
Forum Member
Joined: 30 Nov 2003
Posts: 14
Location: Paris, France
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| Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2004 2:16 pm Post subject: |
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Were Scott an European artist, I would have safely assumed a Hugo Pratt influence for the drawing style and the colors, but I'm really not sure if Corto Maltese ever had any success in the US.
That said because it always amuses me to find out the style(s) every new Improv is pastiching (when this is the case). However, it took me way too long to figure out how "Doonesburyish" that one ("Scott McCloud ? I know you are reading this. Choose one of the many titles I have submitted.") is. My only excuse is that I was exclusively a Boondocks reader back then. |
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