The Evil that Men Forget To Do

Random Dent · Post by **Random Dent** » Mon Sep 15, 2003 3:36 pm

Aww, don't be so hard on poor Mr. McCloud. This is his what, 21st morning improve? Cut him a bit of slack. And he did apologize, in a way.

In responce to the comment about the titles stiffling his creativity, does he pick the ten himself? Or is it an entirely random process?

Corax · Post by **Corax** » Mon Sep 15, 2003 3:49 pm

I don't have any complaints about MI except for this story. This one, IMHO, stands as the weakest of them all. Looking back on all the panels, one gets the feeling that Scott really did have no clue whatsoever on what he was going to draw next (surely this isn't true for most of the improvs?), and was hoping something would pop up as he made it more silly and fantastic. But then everything really started to stray from the title and he found himself stuck.

I think it would have made for a good story if it had gone in a different direction after Kirk burst out of the outhouse. The introduction of demon-posession was what knocked it off-track.

Sometimes the ol' Muse just doesn't put out. That's understandable. Looking foward to the neglected walrus...

wansley · Post by **wansley** » Mon Sep 15, 2003 4:03 pm

DecafSilicon wrote:Did Scott forget to do some evil?

Scott, for shame! Always remember your evil!

Perhaps Scott McCloud didn't forget his evil after all. Perhaps he realized that his "cop out" ending for "The Evil that Men Forget to Do" would be regarded as "evil" by some on the list who like to find fault with his Morning Improv comics.

I am not saying that criticism of the Morning Improv comics is out of place on this discussion board; of course it isn't. But a statement to the effect that "the later comics aren't as good as the first ones were" is really nothing more than a statement of opinion. And it is an opinon I don't share. I liked "Somnivore" as much as any of the MI comics so far. Perhaps I am alone in this opinion, but I really enjoyed "Monkey Town."

I think "The Evil that Men Forget to Do" is one of the weaker comics so far, but, as always, I am amazed by what Scott McCloud can accomplish in an hour a day. I once read that Fidel Castro claimed that he grew his famous beard because he could put the 15 minutes a day he would otherwise spend shaving to better use. I waste so much of my time (this message being a case on point) that the idea that I could could accomplish something significant with an extra 15 minutes a day is ludicrous, when applied to me. But apparenly Scott McCloud's time management skills are more in the Fidel Castro class and I am grateful that he is willing to spend an hour a day, five days a week producing comics that he is willing to share with us.

But I do wish he'd hurry up and finish the second part of The Right Number.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Sep 15, 2003 7:11 pm

Somewhere in the receses of my mind I remember a comedy troupe talking about having to "drop the cow". I can't recall if it was SNL's Not Ready for Prime Time Players, or Monty Python, and Google isn't helping.

Anyway the idea was that when they had a skit that didn't have an ending, and things were just going on and on or just getting out of hand, they would drop a plastic cow onto the set, and that would signal the end of the sketch.

I think Scott needed to Drop the Cow on Hortance.

DecafSilicon · Post by **DecafSilicon** » Mon Sep 15, 2003 8:07 pm

You all make good points, and I concede that I can't find gross fault with any other Improv. I guess I'm waiting for more genius like "Uninformed Bob," which hid its beautiful structure under a seeming bore until halfway through.

kaos_de_moria · Post by **kaos_de_moria** » Tue Sep 16, 2003 5:08 am

...i don't really get, why everyone is so excited about men eating shoes. in my personal opinion the best three MI's are somnivore, parallelograms revenge and zen dating, so we're talking about MI 20, 14 and 16. don't get me wrong, i like the early work like brad's somber mood, but the late work is really genious.

now to the point, that the other new MI's could have ended the same... now, i agree with one of the earlier posters, that this ending is exactly what the title says and in a certain irony it is evil at the same time. besides i don't know why somnivore could have ended the same, for m the ending is perfect as it is. there is nothing more to say.

looking forward to walrus...

kaos

Post by **Greg Stephens** » Tue Sep 16, 2003 11:14 am

I thought "Man-Eating Shoes" was just the point where DecafSilicon had suggested (and since retracted) that the MI had jumped the shark. Nothing more special to it than that.

As to the walrus, we all know that the walrus was Paul.

gareis · Post by **gareis** » Tue Sep 16, 2003 12:30 pm

At least we finally have a realistic image of Scott McCloud.

DecafSilicon · Post by **DecafSilicon** » Tue Sep 16, 2003 12:56 pm

I wouldn't at all say that MI went downhill from Man-Eating Shoes. Upon reflection, I think I mentally moved some of the weaker-structured comics to later dates. Should've done my homework before criticizing Scott.

For what it matters (veritably nothing), the first MI I enjoyed was "Brad's Somber Mood" -- "So, live while we may, laugh while we may, let us all grab our warm woolen coats, step into the night and merrily roll along to our doom."

My other favorites were "I am the Most Beautiful Dog in the World," "Man-Eating Shoes," "Meadow of the Damned," "Uninformed Bob," "Zen Dating," and "Scott McCloud -- I know you are reading this." I suppose I'm a meat-and-potatoes narrative fan rather than an enjoyer of the more free-flowing poetic pieces.

Maybe this all springs from my object-oriented typically masculine mind, and by reading Scott's other work, I can overcome my psychological limitation.

Post by **Scott McCloud** » Tue Sep 16, 2003 5:39 pm

Thanks for sticking with me through "Evil", Guys. I did kind of slide off the rails that time.

A few notes:

Please don't ever hesitate to tell me when an Improv blows. Ivy and I enjoy reading the brickbats every bit as much as the bouquets.

"Dropping the Cow" is pretty much what I did. Good term for it.

The Right Number 2, sadly, has been slow in coming due to repetitive strain problems in my right hand. It'll be a few more weeks at least, I'm afraid.

The Ten candidates are picked randomly, but the 600 or so that they're picked *from* were chosen from the 3000+ that we've received over the years.

Greg is right that some Improvs come to me more fully formed than others.

I'm pretty confident that the better Improvs are scattered about, some recent, some not. I particularly liked Somnivore and MonkeyTown, for example. Of course, that's all subjective.

And finally, just in case there was any confusion on this point:
*I* am Sparticus.

Random Dent · Post by **Random Dent** » Tue Sep 16, 2003 8:12 pm

DecafSilicon wrote: For what it matters (veritably nothing), the first MI I enjoyed was "Brad's Somber Mood" -- "So, live while we may, laugh while we may, let us all grab our warm woolen coats, step into the night and merrily roll along to our doom."
.

Well, Brad's somber mood has always been one of my favorites, and possibly, favorite, and was made more so when my high school did "Merrily We Roll Along" which is a very, very depressing play (well, we did the muscial version, but it's even more depressing, perhaps, the ending scene being about as inspirational and uplifting as possible), for those who didn't know otherwise, and that fact made me appreciate it even more.

Alex Duncan · Post by **Alex Duncan** » Sun Sep 21, 2003 4:21 am

I'm pretty sure I submitted this one. I shotgunned in a bunch of titles around the end of 2001, IIRC, and this one feels pretty familiar.

I used to follow the morning improv every day until it went on hiatus-- I only just this week saw that it was back. Sorry the title sort of thwarted you there at the end, Scott!

Post by **Scott McCloud** » Sun Sep 21, 2003 1:03 pm

Oh, I think we can all agree that I thwarted *myself* with that one, Alex. The title was great.

Anyway, welcome back!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Oct 14, 2003 5:36 pm

This is semi-old, but . . .

Is there a professor of Helenic Mythology in the house?

Nope, but I can tell you that Cronus, told his son would overthrow him, tried to avert destiny by swallowing all his kids as soon as they were born, without even checking for gender differences! His wife Rhea, understandably distressed, changed a rock for her son Zeus and gave it to Cronus to eat. Then Cronus threw up Hera, Hades, Poseidon, Demeter, and Hestia.
And on the subject of Athena, Zeus was also told his son would overthrow him, and also tried to avert destiny by swallowing something. This time, however, it was his pregnant wife, whose name I cannot remember, only that she was later divorced and Zeus remarried Hera. Somehow he got his then wife to turn into a fly then swallowed her. She went up his nose or something and ended up in his empty head (can we deduce something about Zeus's intelligence?). Zeus's wife knew she was having a girl, and set about beating out some armor to protect her daughter. Zeus suffered evil headaches, and got his son, Hephaestus, god of smiths, to split open his head (Zeus's, not Hephaestus's). Athena sprung, full grown and wearing her armor, from her father's head. My book doesn't say anything about Zeus's wife. Did she die in there, I wonder?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Oct 14, 2003 5:47 pm

Yeah, Scott should have picked up Kirk Douglas' tommy-gun, and filled that demon full of hot, merciless lead, and then made off with the girl, and taught her to understand comics.

Not altogether a bad idea.

Hortense needs to get together with Brad from "Brad's Somber Mood." They would make a great couple.

But this is a much better idea.
Also, to the person who posted:

And I am Miles Gloriousus. Actually, I'm not, but my friend is.

Zeus is Philia. Same empty head. And I'm Pseudalus, only female and under 18. Back, back I say! *holds up chair*

Edit: Greg edited to fix quotes

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Oct 14, 2003 5:49 pm

Ick! Sorry! I screwed up the quotes bad! Everything in that last post that's quoted is me, and everything not quoted, should be.

Edit: Greg edits to say that I think I made it better.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Oct 15, 2003 5:31 pm

Yes, Greg made it better. Thanks Greg!

Lord Morgue · Post by **Lord Morgue** » Sun Dec 07, 2003 9:02 am

Mmmmyes, Christina Ricci is the kind of woman that makes a man want to strip naked, cover himself in a thin layer of German potato salad, run down the street, and sing, sing, sing!

Post by **Greg Stephens** » Sun Dec 07, 2003 11:41 am

Luckily, we almost never see that type of behavior around here.

Rip Tanion · Post by **Rip Tanion** » Sun Dec 07, 2003 5:40 pm

All I can say is "Thank God I don't live in Lord Morgue's neighborhood!"

Of course if L.M. DID live in MY neighborhood, he'd catch pneumonia pulling a stunt like that...that is if the homies didn't kick the potato salad out of him first.

Though I could see how Christina would have that kind of an effect on a guy. "Hubba, hubba", as they used to say in the old country.

Zwol.org

The Evil that Men Forget To Do

The Evil That Scott Didn't Forgot to Do?

Drop The Cow

hmm...

Source of the Title

Why do bad girls make me feel so good?