Topic: Damn you, Willis! (Dumbing of Age) (Read 522316 times)

Neko_Ali · « **Reply #1950 on:** 01 Jan 2016, 16:36 »

I believe they call those 'lesbians'.

sitnspin · « **Reply #1951 on:** 01 Jan 2016, 21:59 »

Quote from: Neko_Ali on 01 Jan 2016, 16:36

I believe they call those 'lesbians'.

Not necessarily, bisexuality is a thing.

Method of Madness · « **Reply #1952 on:** 02 Jan 2016, 07:14 »

Quote from: Neko_Ali on 01 Jan 2016, 06:38

A guy who sleeps with a lot of women is sexy and virile and studly. A woman who sleeps with a lot of men is slutty and not marriage material.

@sit and/or spin- Of course it is, but we're talking about people who think this is solid logic.

Kugai · « **Reply #1953 on:** 02 Jan 2016, 13:14 »

Awkwaaaaaard

chaospersonified · « **Reply #1954 on:** 03 Jan 2016, 21:29 »

Oh, Joyce, that's a little thing called 'adultery,' and the fact you're now partnered with Dorothy... Well, Becky's taught you about that, or at least introduced the concept

BenRG · « **Reply #1955 on:** 04 Jan 2016, 02:42 »

I think we've seen both Joe and Joyce as vulnerable in this arc so far. I wonder how much of Joe's outrageous behaviour stems from his apparent phobia for committed relationships?

ChaoSera · « **Reply #1956 on:** 04 Jan 2016, 05:41 »

I honestly think he just doesn't want to be partnered with Joyce.

Method of Madness · « **Reply #1957 on:** 04 Jan 2016, 09:05 »

Joce!

cesium133 · « **Reply #1958 on:** 04 Jan 2016, 09:09 »

Well, after today it's Jorothy and Walkoe.

Method of Madness · « **Reply #1959 on:** 04 Jan 2016, 11:08 »

Doyce and Woe.

chaospersonified · « **Reply #1960 on:** 04 Jan 2016, 11:50 »

Quote from: Method of Madness on 04 Jan 2016, 11:08

Doyce and Woe.

Casting my vote for this. Walky + Joe would most certainly be Woe

Kugai · « **Reply #1961 on:** 04 Jan 2016, 17:05 »

Oooh, married only five minutes and already they're at a Swingers Party!!!

ChaoSera · « **Reply #1962 on:** 05 Jan 2016, 01:59 »

You know, I usually enjoy DoA, but these past few Months have been so depressing that I'm starting to lose interest in reading. It doesn't have to be jolly and fun all the time, but damn. This is bumming me out.

BenRG · « **Reply #1963 on:** 05 Jan 2016, 02:07 »

Quote from: ChaoSera on 05 Jan 2016, 01:59

You know, I usually enjoy DoA, but these past few Months have been so depressing that I'm starting to lose interest in reading. It doesn't have to be jolly and fun all the time, but damn. This is bumming me out.

I have to agree. The sequence with Becky and Ross was a brilliantly-written action story but, in general, the air of gloom, mental illness, self-hate and depression that many of the characters practically exude from the page is a bit of a drag sometimes. Even the occasional light strip feels forced and false. I hope that DMW is okay; it would be unfortunate if his art is reflecting his current mindset.

sitnspin · « **Reply #1964 on:** 05 Jan 2016, 02:18 »

The current strips were written months ago and logically follow the situations setup from the beginning.

Kugai · « **Reply #1965 on:** 05 Jan 2016, 13:35 »

So, Joyce is the submissive femme in the relationship

Method of Madness · « **Reply #1966 on:** 05 Jan 2016, 13:40 »

I'm kind of amused how Willis can't be arsed to change his alt-text.

Also Joyce, you're the wife too, so wouldn't that apply to you as well?

Neko_Ali · « **Reply #1967 on:** 05 Jan 2016, 14:01 »

That was actually her point... She was putting Dorothy in the role of the husband. That bible verse is about wives being subservient to their husbands, and Joyce was saying 'Do whatever you like and I'll go along with it'.

Method of Madness · « **Reply #1968 on:** 05 Jan 2016, 14:09 »

Ahhhh

Loki · « **Reply #1969 on:** 05 Jan 2016, 15:39 »

I read it as "well, the Bible doesn't say anything on roles in a woman-woman relationship, so I am drawing a blank. You got anything?"

CrowFairy · « **Reply #1970 on:** 05 Jan 2016, 19:10 »

I kinda saw it as being dismissive, like in the sense of the activity not mattering in the long run or being otherwise pointless. After all the crap she's been through, especially with seeing people go from good to horrible in the blink of an eye, this seems pretty insignificant.

But looking back at it and thinking about Joyce's expression, it seems like she has a lot on her mind and knows that Dorothy will take care of everything since she's an overachiever-type like me.

Quote from: ChaoSera on 05 Jan 2016, 01:59

You know, I usually enjoy DoA, but these past few Months have been so depressing that I'm starting to lose interest in reading. It doesn't have to be jolly and fun all the time, but damn. This is bumming me out.

Same. That's why I've been trying to quit. Morbid curiosity keeps bringing me back after a few days. But I don't feel like I'm getting anything of value from reading it. It's just aggressively sad without any happy endings in sight. Just about everything is going downhill. The only person in a good position is Becky, because she has a chance to start over. But that's after the horrifying Toe-Dad plot, so I'm not sure Becky's situation counts for much here.

It feels like "I had a crappy experience, so everyone needs to have a crappy experience equal to or worse than mine. Everyone must suffer. Every little bit of light must be extinguished." And I don't mean that in the "laughing maniacally sense"--I mean it in the sense of a sullen Willis curled over his drawing as he thinks about how miserable he was growing up.

ChaoSera · « **Reply #1971 on:** 06 Jan 2016, 02:31 »

Quote from: sitnspin on 05 Jan 2016, 02:18

The current strips were written months ago and logically follow the situations setup from the beginning.

I never said it wasn't logical or not believable. It absolutely is. But, honestly, that makes it worse, because I know that this is a fairly realistic situation that real people somewhere are going through right now.

sitnspin · « **Reply #1972 on:** 06 Jan 2016, 02:40 »

Quote from: LoliButt on 05 Jan 2016, 19:10

It feels like "I had a crappy experience, so everyone needs to have a crappy experience equal to or worse than mine. Everyone must suffer. Every little bit of light must be extinguished." And I don't mean that in the "laughing maniacally sense"--I mean it in the sense of a sullen Willis curled over his drawing as he thinks about how miserable he was growing up.

Or maybe he's just telling an important story about important issues that real people go through.

94ssd · « **Reply #1973 on:** 06 Jan 2016, 08:27 »

Quote from: LoliButt on 05 Jan 2016, 19:10

I kinda saw it as being dismissive, like in the sense of the activity not mattering in the long run or being otherwise pointless. After all the crap she's been through, especially with seeing people go from good to horrible in the blink of an eye, this seems pretty insignificant.

But looking back at it and thinking about Joyce's expression, it seems like she has a lot on her mind and knows that Dorothy will take care of everything since she's an overachiever-type like me.

Quote from: ChaoSera on 05 Jan 2016, 01:59
You know, I usually enjoy DoA, but these past few Months have been so depressing that I'm starting to lose interest in reading. It doesn't have to be jolly and fun all the time, but damn. This is bumming me out.
Same. That's why I've been trying to quit. Morbid curiosity keeps bringing me back after a few days. But I don't feel like I'm getting anything of value from reading it. It's just aggressively sad without any happy endings in sight. Just about everything is going downhill. The only person in a good position is Becky, because she has a chance to start over. But that's after the horrifying Toe-Dad plot, so I'm not sure Becky's situation counts for much here.

It feels like "I had a crappy experience, so everyone needs to have a crappy experience equal to or worse than mine. Everyone must suffer. Every little bit of light must be extinguished." And I don't mean that in the "laughing maniacally sense"--I mean it in the sense of a sullen Willis curled over his drawing as he thinks about how miserable he was growing up.

One of the things about slice of life comics that go one strip a day is that, from an overall storytelling perspective, it's just been a week of shitty things happening but from our perspective it's been months. If this was a novel, these past couple months would only be a few pages in the middle somewhere. It is a bummer currently, but presumably only to develop the characters, especially Joyce, more in the overall story. And as someone who has dealt with familial rejection (although not involving violence) I'm actually really, really interested in where Becky goes from here.

CrowFairy · « **Reply #1974 on:** 06 Jan 2016, 11:05 »

Quote from: sitnspin on 06 Jan 2016, 02:40

Quote from: LoliButt on 05 Jan 2016, 19:10

It feels like "I had a crappy experience, so everyone needs to have a crappy experience equal to or worse than mine. Everyone must suffer. Every little bit of light must be extinguished." And I don't mean that in the "laughing maniacally sense"--I mean it in the sense of a sullen Willis curled over his drawing as he thinks about how miserable he was growing up.

Or maybe he's just telling an important story about important issues that real people go through.

That much is true! I think it could stand to be spaced out a bit more. It kinda sucks, in a general sense, that this much bad stuff is happening all at once. It's exhausting for me as a reader, and I'm not sure that this grueling awfulness is okay for me as a reader. It's not that the things can't and shouldn't happen--it's that they deserve a short break between terrible things.

Plus, Willis actively thrives on the miserableness of his readers. He's made it pretty clear that he loves it when his readers are distressed about the direction his comics are going.

sitnspin · « **Reply #1975 on:** 06 Jan 2016, 11:38 »

If it is stressing you out, I strongly recommend taking a break. You should look after your own mental health first and foremost.

Kugai · « **Reply #1976 on:** 06 Jan 2016, 12:33 »

It's a thought, but this could be part of Joyce's breakaway from the steriotyped roles she's been brought up to and taught to expect. I get the feeling that with everything thats happened, Joyce is really beginning to question things and how she's expected to act.

BenRG · « **Reply #1977 on:** 07 Jan 2016, 01:54 »

Joyce's fantasy in today's strip (7/1) makes me wonder what animé she secretly used to watch with Becky. Robotech/Macross maybe?

sitnspin · « **Reply #1978 on:** 07 Jan 2016, 01:59 »

I, for one, would love to have Dorthy and fighter pilot Joyce in the White House. A female president married to a female fighter pilot would be awesome, best First Couple ever.

Method of Madness · « **Reply #1979 on:** 07 Jan 2016, 05:34 »

Joyce seems a bit happier

Welu · « **Reply #1980 on:** 07 Jan 2016, 12:12 »

This is an interesting happening. Joyce initially tried to rely on her religion for the assignment, then on her plan of being a traditional housewife, and now is going into new imagination terrority without foundation. It small symbolic steps further distancing her from her life before university.

Kugai · « **Reply #1981 on:** 07 Jan 2016, 13:46 »

But what would be her Callsign?

BenRG · « **Reply #1982 on:** 07 Jan 2016, 13:47 »

Quote from: Kugai on 07 Jan 2016, 13:46

But what would be her Callsign?

Angel, of course!

/wingcommanderfanboy

Kugai · « **Reply #1983 on:** 08 Jan 2016, 13:29 »

Dammit Joyce!!!

Welu · « **Reply #1984 on:** 08 Jan 2016, 14:38 »

I found today's strip especially amusing after my post from yesterday.
I know these comics are made months in advance but sometimes it feels like Willis is directly responding to comments. He seems to be very good at anticipating people's feelings and how to proceed to catch us off.

hedgie · « **Reply #1985 on:** 08 Jan 2016, 15:25 »

He more than likely does react to a subset of readers to some degree. He does occasionally change comics from what he has posted on Patreon the night before (generally just bits of dialogue).

Kugai · « **Reply #1986 on:** 09 Jan 2016, 13:33 »

I suppose Joyce has a point about 'Facing the music' after what happened. One hopes her parents are not as doolally as Ross was though.

Walky, I think you're getting too far into the Role Playing here.

Neko_Ali · « **Reply #1987 on:** 09 Jan 2016, 20:41 »

Unfortunately, that doesn't seem likely. When Joyce finally did talk to her mom on the phone after the incident, her mom was all "Oh, what Mr McIntyre did was horrible. But I would have done the same thing", basically.

Kugai · « **Reply #1988 on:** 10 Jan 2016, 14:08 »

Yeah, but I'm hoping her father is a bit more grounded than she sounded in that call.

Kugai · « **Reply #1989 on:** 11 Jan 2016, 11:29 »

Text Therapy?

BenRG · « **Reply #1990 on:** 12 Jan 2016, 03:53 »

I do hope that Danny can reach Amber through her self-loathing and the shield of the Amazi-Girl persona. I'm an old romantic but I can really see this ending with Danny assuring Amazi-Girl that he won't leave her, no matter how much he is falling for Amber. "I really want us all to be together."

"All three of us?"

"All three of us."

Having Danny in common and having Amazi-Girl working with him to make Amber feel better about herself might help heal the growing schism between her two personalities.

Meanwhile, hot from Jeph's Tumblr...

Warning! Possible Ultra-Massive World-Ending Spoiler!

(click to show/hide)

Kugai · « **Reply #1991 on:** 12 Jan 2016, 14:00 »

Could this be the beginning of the merge of personalities that is needed?

And hang in there Danny, it's not easy but it's gonna be worth it when you end up with two girlfriends

Method of Madness · « **Reply #1992 on:** 12 Jan 2016, 22:35 »

@Benergy - Wait, Jeph's posting DoA spoilers? Or are you just being obnoxious and posting non-spoilers in spoiler tags?

BenRG · « **Reply #1993 on:** 12 Jan 2016, 23:12 »

I'm being conscientious. It might be a spoiler, so I decided to be careful rather than reckless lest others whine about untagged spoilers.

sitnspin · « **Reply #1994 on:** 12 Jan 2016, 23:25 »

Becky and Amazi-Girl are both immune to criticism, but for different reasons. AG represses any hurt she feels and shunts it into Amber. Becky just recognizes how awesome she is.

Kugai · « **Reply #1995 on:** 13 Jan 2016, 15:11 »

Hmmmm

Timing of Becky and Dina showing up might have been a bit better - say if they'd not shown up for another five comics

Method of Madness · « **Reply #1996 on:** 13 Jan 2016, 15:44 »

Quote from: BenRG on 12 Jan 2016, 23:12

I'm being conscientious. It might be a spoiler, so I decided to be careful rather than reckless lest others whine about untagged spoilers.

Why do you always act like it's unreasonable to not want to be spoiled?

Kugai · « **Reply #1997 on:** 13 Jan 2016, 21:42 »

Finding a balance is never easy.

Way to put Ruth off the scent there Dina.

CrowFairy · « **Reply #1998 on:** 13 Jan 2016, 22:43 »

Gentle reminder that Willis does commissions, and most of them end up being characters kissing each other. I feel fairly certain that this is one of those cases.

BenRG · « **Reply #1999 on:** 14 Jan 2016, 01:20 »

Ruth Lessick is a woman with a few simple desires that are all she needs to make her content - A job that doesn't require too much work, the morbid fear of those who are placed under her charge and nightly alcohol-fuelled oblivion. If she gets all these things, she considers the day complete.

She'd totally deny it but I'm quite sure that the presence of Billie in her life is increasingly included on that list.

THESE FORUMS NOW CLOSED (read only)

Author Topic: Damn you, Willis! (Dumbing of Age) (Read 522316 times)