Monkey town?

Jack Masters · Post by **Jack Masters** » Tue Jun 04, 2002 1:10 pm

I think monkeytown is perhaps recieving more then its share of deconstructionary dialog and artistic critisism, eh what? There are other comics in the world to talk about, you know.

Fett101 · Post by **Fett101** » Tue Jun 04, 2002 3:24 pm

There are other comics in the world to talk about, you know.

Yes, but this does happed to be the morning improv forum. And the Monkeytown thread.

Randy · Post by **Randy** » Tue Jun 04, 2002 3:43 pm

I know that I'm amazed at what a response this thread is getting! I say that we stop monkeying around here, and start talking about other comics.

Fett101 · Post by **Fett101** » Tue Jun 04, 2002 4:23 pm

I must ask. How do you get that pic in ur sig. I tried once, and all I got was code instead of a pic.

No. Forgedabout it. Figured out to just forget about thier silly bbcode and just use good old HTML. Ye haw.

Allen · Post by **Allen** » Tue Jun 04, 2002 5:57 pm

Ooookay.....We're just about to wrap this one up, right there, Scott?

Post by **Scott McCloud** » Tue Jun 04, 2002 6:47 pm

Ooookay.....We're just about to wrap this one up, right there, Scott?

I sympathize, Guys. I really do.

But I've just got to ride this one to the end of the track.

At least it's not as long as "Meadow of the Damned". Now that one really went on forever.

--Scott

Chris Wright · Post by **Chris Wright** » Tue Jun 04, 2002 7:28 pm

So far, I count only 61 instances of the word "monkey". Almost to the halfway point.

Mr. McCloud has yet to explore alien invasions fully, and there are always sea monsters and natural problems and Monkey "A"'s long-lost evil twin....

*runs off, envisioning the stand-off between Monkey "A" and his brother*

Laimes,
Wright.

Post by **Greg Stephens** » Tue Jun 04, 2002 7:34 pm

It's interesting to see how the audience in general (though I'm sure not all parties are expressing their thoughts) will tolerate certain types of panel-transitions when they are delivered over (roughly) a 24-hour period rather than being seen all at once in a finished comic. Both "Meadow of the Damned" and "Monkeytown" make heavy use of traditional action-to-action transitions as well as being among the stronger narrative comics in the M.I. thus far. It's odd that people seem to be more accepting of shorter stories told in this sort of time-delay style than of longer ones.

Fett101 · Post by **Fett101** » Wed Jun 05, 2002 1:12 am

Anonymous wrote:Monkey "A"'s long-lost evil twin.....

That would be either Monkey Z or Monkey 1, right?

Christopher Lundgren · Wed Jun 05, 2002 5:12 am

See, giant robots. Did I not say there would be giant robots?

...Hey, you know what? I hope Monkey Town really is doomed. Maybe evil will prevail and the city will be destroyed. Or maybe they'll "save the day" only to find that the destruction wraught by the conflict has levelled Monkey Town anyway. Then it could be like a twist ending. Bum bum BUUUM!!

Or maybe... it was all just a DREEEEEAM....

...Um, a monkey dream.

Allen · Post by **Allen** » Wed Jun 05, 2002 2:14 pm

Hey, don't get me wrong, I LOVED Meadow of the Damned. I still think it's the best improv yet (and would make a hellishly funny short film). Long form good. Relying completely on throwaway jokes bad.

That's my impatience with Monkeytown. It seems to be a very loooong throwaway joke. I get it!

But who am I to tell Scott McCloud what to print on his website? Follow your muse, you big nut!

Dr. Empirical · Post by **Dr. Empirical** » Wed Jun 05, 2002 2:31 pm

This is weird.

I just got an email from a coworker who is doing a presentation tomorrow. She wanted to know if I had any good monkey clipart.

Super Professor Monkey is going to represent "Undue Haste to Publish" in a seminar on medical error.

I wouldn't be comfortable doing this for a seminar I was getting paid for, but for a one-off internal meeting I don't see the harm.

Does anyone?

Zem · Post by **Zem** » Wed Jun 05, 2002 7:25 pm

An overzealous fundamentalist, who is also a member of the NRA, could see Prof. Monkey, think he's symbolizing evolution, get very angry, and shoot you in the face.

You never know. You NEVER... KNOW.

InkAddict · Post by **InkAddict** » Wed Jun 05, 2002 7:39 pm

Hey! It's actually the first time we get a clear view at the monkey town skyline!

(...also probably the LAST time...hehehe

)

Alexander D. · Post by **Alexander D.** » Wed Jun 05, 2002 9:54 pm

Scott McCloud wrote: At least it's not as long as "Meadow of the Damned". Now that one really went on forever.

For me, that one never dragged on, though. Yes, it was longer, but it didn't feel as long. The big difference, I think (other than MotD just having more substance) is that with MotD, I got to see an new panel, and sometimes even two or three new panels, every day. Whereas Monkeytown's "build" panels drag on for me -- I don't feel like I've actually gotten my MI fix if all that's done is a little more detail on an existing panel. And when a build takes several days -- well, for me that's just as satisfying as when your server is down. I feel like nothing's happening.

Of course, I know this feeling isn't true of everyone. There's been a lot of enthusiasm for the build panels, because it gives people a peek at your process in creating the artwork. And I can certainly see the value in that. But for those of us who are just eager to see what happens next -- it gets a bit frustrating.

Another thought -- MotD was a story about tedium. It was slow-paced and idea driven. This lent itself well to the drawn out delivery. Monkeytown, on the other hand, is a fast paced comical action-adventure. The pace of the story, and the pace at which we are receiving the story, are very much at odds with each other.

Now, I'm not trying to say you should do it one way or the other. I'm just offering some insight into why some of us are losing interest in Monkeytown.

InkAddict · Post by **InkAddict** » Thu Jun 06, 2002 1:19 am

Yingo wrote:Hey! It's actually the first time we get a clear view at the monkey town skyline!

(...also probably the LAST time...hehehe )

Actually I don't feel it's dragging on at all!

I just try to reread the strip as a whole every time again and find it hilariously funny!

Problem is Monkey town seems put together from "classical" what-will-happen-next cliffhangers, so people are just anxious to see what will follow!

Yes I think the pace of the story may be something too!

All you people starting to get bored, DON'T check the morning improv with your mind set upon being amazed every time, and reread the story with an open mind and you'll see it's the best superhero spoof ever done!

It's soooooooo over the top! Damn Scott, You're proving you know the insides and outsides of Superhero comics!

...maybe all will be reduced to nothing by professor monkey's MONKEY NORMALCY MACHINE!

All monkeys with superpowers turning into regular NORMAL monkeys (oook oook oook!)

...Or the evolution Machine! Turning them into Marvel & DC heroes!

Zem · Post by **Zem** » Thu Jun 06, 2002 3:19 am

The slow pace of Monkey Town's... unveiling... doesn't really matter to me, mostly because Morning Improv's in a list of... let's see... up to 21 webcomics I read, depending on what day it is. (Monday and Friday are 21ers. The lowest is Sunday, which has only 9.)

Chris Wright · Post by **Chris Wright** » Thu Jun 06, 2002 5:30 pm

Christopher Lundgren wrote: ...Hey, you know what? I hope Monkey Town really is doomed. Maybe evil will prevail and the city will be destroyed. Or maybe they'll "save the day" only to find that the destruction wraught by the conflict has levelled Monkey Town anyway. Then it could be like a twist ending. Bum bum BUUUM!!

I hope that the MonkeyTeam turns out to be oppressive and bad. Not evil, mind. Just bad. The difference is fine, but I see a distinction that I can't exactly define.

Laimes,
Wright.

Wikkit · Post by **Wikkit** » Fri Jun 07, 2002 1:33 am

You know what would be good to end the monkey strip?

A deus ex machina.

The bad guys will be on the verge of killing the good guys, and suddenly the zookeeper will wake up the baboon that's making it up and feed him a banana. Then he'll go ponder like the one I took a picture of at the Kansas City zoo.

Christopher Lundgren · Fri Jun 07, 2002 5:39 am

I love that picture, man! You're a good photographer.

Alexander D. · Post by **Alexander D.** » Fri Jun 07, 2002 1:04 pm

Yingo wrote:
Actually I don't feel it's dragging on at all!

I just try to reread the strip as a whole every time again and find it hilariously funny!

Yes, it is very funny -- Please understand, I'm not saying I don't like Monkey Town. Taken as a whole, I find it really funny. My point is that I don't think the slow delivery does the comic itself justice -- it makes the story seem less funny than it really is.

Rip Tanion · Post by **Rip Tanion** » Mon Jun 10, 2002 2:35 pm

That is a cool pic that Wikkit took. But for the record, I believe it's an orangutan, not a babboon. And we all know you shouldn't mess with an orangutan, else he put you on trial for Scientific Heresy. For they are the "Defenders of the Faith, Guardians of the Terrible Secret"

ChastMastr · Post by **ChastMastr** » Mon Jun 10, 2002 2:56 pm

Good Lord.

It's Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Eek.

Zem · Post by **Zem** » Tue Jun 11, 2002 12:31 am

...
I have no comment at this time.

Zwol.org

Monkey town?

Lucky sig

Joke Wearing Thin Monkey

Finished?!

Re: Finished?!

Viola. Now it can end.

Re: Joke Wearing Thin Monkey

Fair Use

Re: Viola. Now it can end.

That's awesome!

I've just figured it out.

Super-colossal Ultra Hero Monkey...