|
Cartilage Head is about the inevitability of death and Roast Beef's special connection with nihilism as contrasted to Ray's jolly denial of consequences. I always thought that worked pretty well, it speaks to some of Achewood's core subtext. Like one of the best lines in the whole strip theme-wise is, "You even think for a minute there's some better way to play it?", and that's not about marriage being an unalloyed good thing, it's Ray saying that marriage is one of few acceptable pathways to the grave. Beef focuses on the grave, Ray focuses on the diversion of the journey. They are both aware that they will one day die. Cartilage Head just simmers up that subtext and makes them sit in it.
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2020 15:02
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 25, 2024 17:44 |
|
|
I've been wondering this too, the Cartilage Head and Loomis Edison stuff, is there some genre of film or fiction or something that stuff is pulled from?
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2020 15:14
|
|
|
No, not really. I mean, it has influences? It's gothic, it's surreal, it's magical realism, it's horror. But it's not a reference to anything if that's what you mean.
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2020 15:21
|
|
|
The Lash of Thanatos arc isn't great in general, IMHO. The weakest parts of late Achewood are when Onstad tries to redo successful arcs of the past and ends up with diminished returns; Cartilage Head worked once, especially as an extended prank on Ray, but he loses his impact the second time around.
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2020 15:45
|
|
|
I've voiced this before, but it fits with the 'it was fine when it was that ONE time', theme in the last few posts, Mexican magical realism worked great as a one and done strip about Ray waiting for his one true love in a weird crossroads because he bought a made in Mexico cell phone, even the camera arc was great because it gave us more rock hard cat dick, but suddenly -everything- was made in Mexico. And then North Korean stuff 'worked' the same way.
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2020 15:55
|
|
|
Ok Comboomer posted:Like a lot of serialized media, Achewood has a fairly consistent problem with its endings. The beginnings and middles of arcs are usually very strong in terms of things like story/concept and set/setting but then they just kind of peter out. 
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2020 15:58
|
|
|
(from the OSHA thread) OOOOOOOH SHIIIIIIIIIIT 
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2020 16:43
|
|
|
Zefiel posted:North Korean stuff 'worked' the same way. now North Korean Magical Realism, THAT was a joke he made exactly once and it worked on that basis I like the Loomis Edison stuff pretty well, though I usually intentionally forget that it starts with an explanation of how Mexican Magical Realism stuff is created, and just focus on the fun esoteric nonsense, the beer label with Todd on it, and the final downfall of Bensington Butters. (I think MMR started out as a reference to a certain style of literature but repeatedly calling it Mexican always left a weird taste in my mouth) I similarly enjoy CH's weirdness, even if it makes Ray look like a little bitch moreso than most of the strip. I've always thought Beef's ending was kind of ambiguous in a good movie way - why did he go back to bed instead of letting the machine finish him off? maybe he's not even sure why, but it's definitely what he does CH is allowed, by the strip, to be weird pretentious performance art, and is taken totally seriously and at face value by all observers. nothing makes fun of him in a way to suggest that he isn't what he's made out to be. that's very anomalous for achewood
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2020 16:59
|
|
|
LordSaturn posted:I similarly enjoy CH's weirdness, even if it makes Ray look like a little bitch moreso than most of the strip. Seriously when men see your car-parking technique they go "I bet I have no chance with a bitch as nasty as that" But when you get out of the car the men go huh I guess it was no bitch at all just a bitchy-bitch bitch man.
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2020 17:44
|
|
|
Zefiel posted:(from the OSHA thread) Seven seconds? drat, are you supposed to fling it at people?
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2020 20:02
|
|
|
davidspackage posted:Seven seconds? drat, are you supposed to fling it at people? Drop it from a plane, I'd guess.
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2020 20:11
|
|
|
Schwarzwald posted:Drop it from a plane, I'd guess. There's no way in hell that chocolate bar contains enough explosive to do anything useful if you're just hucking it out the window of a goddamn Piper Cub in the general direction of your target.
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2020 20:25
|
|
|
LordSaturn posted:I think MMR started out as a reference to a certain style of literature but repeatedly calling it Mexican always left a weird taste in my mouth Magical realism as a genre is deeply tied to the Latin American literature scene, but yeah, every time a gadget doesn't work the way the characters expect it to, and they reveal that little "Hecho en Mexico" sticker, it comes off as unnecessarily mean-spirited davidspackage posted:Seven seconds? drat, are you supposed to fling it at people? Offer Hitler a chocolate
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2020 20:42
|
|
|
cartilage heads supposed to be like klaus nomi + eraserhead or something. i dont care that much for it but i like how roast beef is all like "gently caress that guy" when he tries his routine on him
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2020 21:20
|
|
|
I still don’t know what the last page or two of the lash of Thanatos arc even was. I was signing up for a HAZWOPER class online and it made me think of this strip. So good. http://achewood.com/index.php?date=02102005
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2020 21:24
|
|
|
Ugly In The Morning posted:I still don’t know what the last page or two of the lash of Thanatos arc even was. a couple days later is the strip with the panel of ray going "Oh neat! Fifty bucks!" and that is an important part of the achewood experience
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2020 21:33
|
|
|
World War Mammories posted:a couple days later is the strip with the panel of ray going "Oh neat! Fifty bucks!" and that is an important part of the achewood experience It's the end of The Second Party, which is the party I always think of as The Party despite it being The Second Party. Like, I don't remember much from the original party, but this one's got Ray throwing a party just because his toilet bowl is so blue. It's got Pat's loving carob prunes and Todd's shank artistry, it's got "Your activities are so poorly conveyed" and Teodor paying Little Nephew way too much for pot, it's got Ray Gets Sort Of Stoned. It is one of the months of the comic that is densest with Achewood.
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2020 22:00
|
|
|
Phy posted:It's got Pat's loving carob prunes and Todd's shank artistry, it's got "Your activities are so poorly conveyed" and Teodor paying Little Nephew way too much for pot, it's got Ray Gets Sort Of Stoned. $150 still isn't terrible for a half o at all, assuming it's quality. Pretty sure LN circa 2005 isn't carrying any fire tree tho
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2020 22:09
|
|
|
The only fault with The Second Party is that Ultra Peanut is in it and like every time she shows up past her debut she drags the comic down due to being a terrible character
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2020 22:20
|
|
|
Ok Comboomer posted:$150 still isn't terrible for a half o at all, assuming it's quality. Pretty sure LN circa 2005 isn't carrying any fire tree tho That works out to two hundo in today's money, though. I could go down the road and get a half ounce of some truly insane stuff for less than that right now. Even less with my medical card! Though that's a weird confulence of price and "weed is legal now" that doesn't really map to 2005 ditch weed.
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2020 22:21
|
|
|
Ugly In The Morning posted:That works out to two hundo in today's money, though. I could go down the road and get a half ounce of some truly insane stuff for less than that right now. Even less with my medical card! Though that's a weird confulence of price and "weed is legal now" that doesn't really map to 2005 ditch weed. well yeah, if we're talking inflation. Any top shelf half in my neck of the woods sold recreationally is gonna be like $180-$190 including a heavy tax, substantially less medicinally. and with dispensary prices like that the dealers don't really have an incentive to go below, like, $140 for the same quality-- and that's like "friend prices", more likely you're looking at $150-160 a half, and it's been that way since I became aware of those things in 2012. I can't imagine that $150 for a half of "whatever weed you could get your hands on in 2005, but probably pretty solid since Achewood is supposed to be in California and medicinal's already been a thing"- quality is that far off the mark for the time.
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2020 22:28
|
|
|
LordSaturn posted:I similarly enjoy CH's weirdness, even if it makes Ray look like a little bitch moreso than most of the strip. I've always thought Beef's ending was kind of ambiguous in a good movie way - why did he go back to bed instead of letting the machine finish him off? maybe he's not even sure why, but it's definitely what he does
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2020 22:35
|
|
|
Pham Nuwen posted:There's no way in hell that chocolate bar contains enough explosive to do anything useful if you're just hucking it out the window of a goddamn Piper Cub in the general direction of your target. The print doesn't have measurements! Each "square" of the chocolate bar could be 2 ft square, for all we know, and with an equivalent payload.
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2020 22:40
|
|
|
Schwarzwald posted:The print doesn't have measurements! Each "square" of the chocolate bar could be 2 ft square, for all we know, and with an equivalent payload. It's one of those 5 or 10 pound novelty candy bars You just casually show up with it to whatever place you intend to covertly destroy. "I won a raffle!"
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2020 22:56
|
|
|
Phy posted:It's the end of The Second Party, which is the party I always think of as The Party despite it being The Second Party. Like, I don't remember much from the original party, but this one's got Ray throwing a party just because his toilet bowl is so blue. It's got Pat's loving carob prunes and Todd's shank artistry, it's got "Your activities are so poorly conveyed" and Teodor paying Little Nephew way too much for pot, it's got Ray Gets Sort Of Stoned. It is one of the months of the comic that is densest with Achewood. "bless the baby angel who is in charge of days like today" is an important part of my personal lexicon I can see why people wouldn't be into it but I'm still a fan of that achewood test footage and a big part of it is the delivery of ray's lines during the toilet party sequence now that I'm at it, also whenever I eat some I think "peanut butter has much tasty calories"
|
|
#
?
Nov 11, 2020 00:27
|
|
|
The Lash of Thanatos arc may dribble to a stop but there are gems in there around the margins. The lesbian erotica contest is solid, especially Paul Williams or whatever busting on Teodor all "Buck up you worm, show me how to microwave a bowl of pizza or whatever." And the scene where OnStar digitally determines that Ray and Beef are high on meth and automatically starts playing some Sirius Rawdog FM to calm them down is hilarious.
|
|
#
?
Nov 11, 2020 00:28
|
|
|
I still believe The Badass Games arc was trying to recapture the magic of the Great Outdoor Fight.
|
|
#
?
Nov 11, 2020 00:30
|
|
|
Pentaro posted:I still believe The Badass Games arc was trying to recapture the magic of the Great Outdoor Fight. The Badass Games did give us "you folded with a focus and intensity normally seen only in successes," which is one of my favorite Achewoodisms, though, so it's good in my book.
|
|
#
?
Nov 11, 2020 00:35
|
|
|
Magnus Intactus
|
|
#
?
Nov 11, 2020 00:38
|
|
|
Am I crazy, or was there originally an entire arc about how Corenelius got his bar?
|
|
#
?
Nov 11, 2020 00:39
|
|
|
Gnoman posted:Am I crazy, or was there originally an entire arc about how Corenelius got his bar? No that happened. I don’t remember it, but I remember Ray and Beef talking about how the Dude was good for Connie, and how they were happy that he had a place to go and spend his time It’s not the Badass Games tho. He got a (really dumb) bus for winning those
|
|
#
?
Nov 11, 2020 00:41
|
|
|
Ok Comboomer posted:Magnus Intactus Miami's never-remarked-upon obsession with salad Pakled posted:The Badass Games did give us "you folded with a focus and intensity normally seen only in successes," which is one of my favorite Achewoodisms, though, so it's good in my book. One of the few Achewood lines I've seen in the wild, ie shorn of any reference to Onstad and also not on this forum
|
|
#
?
Nov 11, 2020 00:43
|
|
|
Gnoman posted:Am I crazy, or was there originally an entire arc about how Corenelius got his bar? That was in the blogs. Starts here. May be some crossovers with other characters.
|
|
#
?
Nov 11, 2020 00:44
|
|
|
Ok Comboomer posted:He got a (really dumb) bus for winning those Ray was like "THE MAN PREPARED REMARKS, HE IS SO OLD SCHOOL HE DRIVES A YELLOW BUS WITH GOTHIC ARCH WINDOWS" and then the very next panel of the very next comic, Ray has bought Connie that bus Which, let's be real, is an extremely Ray thing to do
|
|
#
?
Nov 11, 2020 00:45
|
|
|
drrockso20 posted:The only fault with The Second Party is that Ultra Peanut is in it and like every time she shows up past her debut she drags the comic down due to being a terrible character jeremy parish had a chinese g/f who went by "ultra potato" roughly contemporaneously with the ultra peanut strips and I always wonder if there's a connection
|
|
#
?
Nov 11, 2020 02:01
|
|
|
|
|
#
?
Nov 11, 2020 03:48
|
|
|
Pakled posted:That was in the blogs. Starts here. May be some crossovers with other characters. I'm remembering it in comic form. Probably a false memory or conflation.
|
|
#
?
Nov 11, 2020 03:51
|
|
|
Phy posted:Magical realism as a genre is deeply tied to the Latin American literature scene, but yeah, every time a gadget doesn't work the way the characters expect it to, and they reveal that little "Hecho en Mexico" sticker, it comes off as unnecessarily mean-spirited What about the stuff with the stones in this one: Did he just come up with that or is it a reference to something?
|
|
#
?
Nov 11, 2020 04:16
|
|
|
Grenadine is everywhere in Mexico, Lonis. You just haven't looked in the right places.
|
|
#
?
Nov 11, 2020 05:04
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 25, 2024 17:44 |
|
|
 :|
|
|
#
?
Nov 11, 2020 05:06
|
|