Comic Discussion > QUESTIONABLE CONTENT

Why do we talk about the characters as if they were real? But then, why not?

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Is it cold in here?:
This question seems to come up in every thread about the motivations or nature of the characters. They're fictional. They're two-dimensional drawings. So why do we talk about how they feel, what's going on in their heads, and what they're like?

I say they're fictional, but not "just fictional". They're well written fiction, which means they have some depth. Being in a cartoon doesn't mean being cartoonish -- they are drawings, but they're more like real people than Dagwood ever was.

The depth shows in the apparently out of character moments and the occasional flash of self-analysis like Dora's in 293 or Faye's in 445.

They act and react like real people, as opposed to just filling a role to be funny (except Pintsize). They have problems which mostly we can relate to (though I've never had a government agent try to confiscate my computer for having an illegal laser).

That said, are we taking things too far? Their creator, who has said he's transcribing their adventures as opposed to creating them, said in the Ask Jeph thread that to him they feel like real people "on good days", in other words not all the time.

Jackie Blue:
 :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

Barmymoo:
People relate to films, books and television programmes (OH GOD TV soaps, girls at my hockey club once compared a real life event to an episode of Waterloo Road), so why not a comic? No one says "Why are we talking about Neighbours? They're fictional". I guess the difference is that Neighbours characters are acted by real people, whereas QC characters are... drawn by a real person.

Nope, sorry. Can't explain why people (who incidentally are also members of a webcomic forum) always object to analysis of the characters. We like to relate to things that represent us and are similar to aspects of our lives, I guess that's why entertainment is such a big part of people's lives.

GenericName:
People only object to it because after a bit, Jeph starts to find it creepy.

pwhodges:
It's called fantasy, and there's nowt wrong with that in moderation.  If you talk about Jane Austin's characters it's called literature.  If you talk about characters in a book written 2000 years ago it's called religion.

Paul

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