Comic Discussion > QUESTIONABLE CONTENT

Comic strips and heavy topics

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sfsdfd:
My main reaction to today's topic is almost exactly the same as the bottom tagline: Goddamnit.

But my reaction isn't directed at the story arc. I mean, it's a sad development for a character that I really like, but it is plausible and legitimate, etc. Rather, it's a feeling of questioning whether we really need to go here again.

Faye's depression-fueled alcoholism crash was the subject of strips 2866 through 2889: 24 full strips, running for 8 full weeks. Then, her recovery - the aftermath of her hospital visit, and her start in AA - was the subject of strips 2902 through 2925: 24 full strips, running for another 8 full weeks. That's 16 weeks out of the last 35... i.e., very nearly half of the content, for two-thirds of a year. Yes, during both stints, we got a healthy dose of character development of Faye and her friends - but the primary topic was the consequences of alcoholism, in florid detail.

Comedic media has a long history of "very special episodes" that deal with heavy social issues. On the one hand: yes, absolutely, dark social issues need to be dragged out of the shadows and into the light for discussion, for many reasons - raising awareness, reducing stigma, etc. Claire's trans status has been handled very tastefully, as both a social issue and a character development point for both her and Marten. Along the same lines, Hyperbole and a Half has dedicated a few strips to the topic of depression, and they are some of the most accurate and effective and powerful portrayals I've seen in any media, period.

But this use of the media comes at an expense. People visit for amusing and light and interesting stories, but the promise of that material is jarringly replaced with Very Serious Topics. Overdone, this can start to feel manipulative - like late-night television shows that are 30% content and 70% advertisements. It feels like an attempt to give people just barely enough of what they want to keep force-feeding them the message that the authors really want to spread.

Of course alcoholism and depression are chronic and neverending battles. Of course the victims of both diseases backslide, and of course we should acknowledge and support the efforts of people who are struggling with it IRL. The earlier rounds of comics dealt with those topics in sufficient - even abundant - scope. But with this latest development, this is starting to become a comic that's about alcoholism and depression, front and center, as the intentional story arc of a fictional character in a formerly amusing comic strip. I really cannot fathom the purpose of this revisit in such a short span of time - nor how it can be realistically resolved without a third long, hard slog through a heavy topic.

And for the first time in something like seven continuous years of reading, I'm inclined to check out of this strip for... well, about eight weeks, I suppose.

Thrillho:
QC has existed for more than twelve years. Artists evolve, they do different things.

Take musicians as an example; compare Pink Floyd's Piper At The Gates Of Dawn to The Wall, which came out twelve years later? Or if we're being fair, maybe Saucerful Of Secrets; shorter timespan, but the personnel changed less given that Syd's barely on the latter. They grey. They evolved. They changed. They didn't want to do (deceptively sinister) whimsy any more, they had these dark, epic rock albums to make.

Any medium you'll find it.

I think the 'Very special episode' thing is denigrating to the people who write these comics, and I think that you are severely overestimating the amount of understanding that the general populace, even when reading something like QC, has for something like alcoholism or depression or any of these issues.

The number of people who were insensitive over, say, the death of Robin Williams, because how could he be sad? He had a daughter and millions of fans and millions of dollars.

Or even in this week's WCDT, where someone wasn't so much insensitive as a touch deluded, thinking that Hannelore having some kind of fit in front of Faye over her getting drunk would actually make a damn bit of difference to someone who, lest we forget, is an addict after all.

Art is a reflection of reality and sadly, it is still often necessary. People need this shit. And jeph can make QC however he wants to make it, because I think it's pretty obvious that it long ago ceased to be a joke-a-day comic and is now a comedy/drama that happens to be serialised.

sfsdfd:
Any artist is welcome to do whatever they wish with their medium. My post was strictly about my reaction to it.

Regardless of the importance of the topic or public awareness of it - if the manner in which it is discussed causes recipients to leave, the message is lost. The internet is overflowing with content that authors believe to be important, but that has no audience.

And I am not even questioning the decision to cover this topic in this medium. I am questioning the value of covering it yet again, so soon.

pwhodges:
It' s not "covering it yet again", it's a continuation of the same story - this is how such stories go in real life.  And remember that for each person who might be less interested, like you, there could perfectly well be another who is more interested; one cannot assume that one's own reaction is typical.

sfsdfd:

--- Quote from: pwhodges on 01 Jun 2015, 07:51 ---Remember that for each person who might be less interested, like you, there could perfectly well be another who is more interested; one cannot assume that one's own reaction is typical.
--- End quote ---
That's certainly true, which is why I only discussed my own response to the comic.  I have no idea how much of the reader base will have a similar reaction, but I rather doubt that it's 0%.

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