ok, from my perspective, as one of the people where the sugary Marten/Claire strips did nothing for them, it wasn't about drama, or a need for the characters to suffer, or anything like that. It simply is that I like to have a strip that interests me in some way. Either a joke, plot progression, something moving.
Jephs depiction of Marten and Claire's first date just felt like a repeat of the same strip, over and over, with small changes.
I've liked the last two strips because they are something DIFFERENT, something interesting. When Marten asked Claire out, that was interesting.
I think it was the 'Ice cream kisses!' comic that made me roll my eyes so hard that I nearly gave my optic nerves torsion damage. It seemed... ridiculously juvenile, more in line with what a junior high relationship would be. Then again, I despise PDAs (they weird me out, big time), and it's likely a side effect of me being well on my way to being an old cat lady.
Agreed, I found it just a bit too sappy. From a narrative standpoint, there wasn't much said or done across the breadth of those strips that couldn't have been done in two or three, tops. To me it kind of felt like padding or filler, just cutesy imagery instead of engaging storytelling.
Frankly, I feel like this point of view is being harshly misrepresented or misinterpreted, with these exaggerated accusations of us being crybabies who don't want to see the characters happy, "do you hate puppies", and other such rhetoric. It's not about that at all; it's about feeliing engaged with the story and interested in the proceedings. It's about personal taste when it comes to cuteness; mileage will vary from reader to reader as to how much is too much before it's sappy and off-putting. It's the same as anyone who feels that Pintsize's antics are more annoying than amusing, or everyone's individual threshold for tolerating the more divisive character traits that Dora and Faye display. Personal taste and preference.
As TRVA said, for some of us, the cute imagery wasn't enough, it wasn't gripping. You could compare it to Dora and Tai's first date, in which there were cute and heartwarming moments, but also story, backstory, witty lines, jokes...stuff happening. Some of us would've liked to have seen more of that happening in Marten and Claire's date, especially because Claire is being elevated in the cast and needs to be expanded as a character. I don't think anyone is suggesting they want to see the characters unhappy all the time, or nothing but drama and conflict all the time; some of us just wanted a bit more storytelling and character exploration, something beyond moments that had - for some of us - become too sappy and saccharine. Because once again, mileage may vary.
On the subject of fiction being better than reality...I'm not against that, I think there's a need for that. I do think that we as readers, viewers, and so forth can get too wrapped up in the idea that "dark and gritty" is better, when it can obviously be as trite and cliche as the other extreme. At the same time though, there needs to be balance. A work without any kind of conflict or complication - even a comedic complication, where the characters are put in a funny situation and react to it in an amusing way - will get boring after a while, because nothing's happening. Make things too perfect, and the work runs the risk of being difficult to relate to.
The other issue you potentially run into if your story and setting is too utopian is that it can end up coming off a bit preachy. If everyone in the work shares the views and politics of the author and most of the audience, and everything runs smoothly as a result, it can come off as being a bit smug. That's why, despite being a filthy left-wing atheist myself, I sometimes find Bill Maher off-putting; "clappy humour" doesn't really appeal to me, because of the smugness that's usually involved and the joke being more about "let's laugh at those people who are clearly idiots because they don't hold the same views". Fortunately, QC is
nothing like that, I'm just saying that it can become an issue when it comes to a work having a certain political slant, and the setting, characters, and storylines feel too perfect.
That's what I really liked about the latest strip. For the sake of full disclosure, I'm a white, heterosexual, cisgender male, so I want to tread very carefully because I don't have insight into the realism of the situation, and it's obviously not a trigger for me if there are any issues. However, this I do know: because ignorance and bigotry still exists, when you choose to introduce a character who belongs to a group who is discriminated against and portray them positively, you are making a statement, whether you intend to or not. And I think that's important, and all the better when the message isn't obnoxiously shoved in the audience's face. Obviously, I'm not qualified to say whether Claire is a good representative of people who are trans or of trans issues, but given my politics, her positive portrayal, and the generally positive reaction from readers who are trans, I'll hazard a guess and suggest that she is, and that her story is being told respectfully and tastefully.
Of course, given the situation, there are aspects of the story that Jeph understandably doesn't want to get into too much, out of respect for trans individuals in his audience, and the subject matter at large. At the same time, if it's completely glossed over, if the elephant in the room is completely ignored, then the underlying statement is less powerful, and Claire becomes more of a token character; a way of confronting or acknowledging an issue in society without really getting into it. By touching on some of the issues in a way that is respectful and tasteful, without crossing any lines or being offensive - as I believe the latest strip achieved - Claire remains a proper character, and a powerful, positive statement is made in a way that isn't heavy handed or preachy. It did what the more sugary strips did not (at least in my view), advancing the plot, exploring the characters, and touching on certain issues as much as they need to be touched upon, while still being genuinely sweet and heartwarming.
As for where Claire and Marten go from here...well, it certainly doesn't need to be straight to drama and conflict. By all means, they should be happy, and the relationship should continue to be explored. However, I also want to see meaningful and engaging story arcs, funny moments, witty punchlines, character exploration, comedic mishaps, GLORIOUS PUNS...more than just cute moments and imagery.
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41 (37.6%)
Author
Topic: WCDT 2887-2891 (2-6 February 2015) (Read 157394 times)