AcmeShorts

04/23/2004 qualcomm (5): this guy is so righteous

04/23/2004 Mr. Pony: Is it possible that someone's trying to make a point here?

04/23/2004 TheBuyer (5): WANKER! My fave so far.

04/23/2004 Ewan Snow (5): He seems like a really nice guy.

04/23/2004 scoop (3):

04/23/2004 anonymous: Not sure how to interpret Pony's comment, unless he's saying he suspects this is a reaction against good technique. If so, I had no such intentions, scout's honor.

04/23/2004 qualcomm: Pony (with whose brain I am intimately familiar) thinks you were scoring a point against the mindless vulgarity displayed in much of the Acme oeuvre.

04/23/2004 anonymous: Nope. No larger point here.

04/23/2004 Benny Maniacs (5): You guys aren't gonna believe this, but I actually found myself jerking off to this wanker!

04/23/2004 Mr. Pony: My comment had more to do with the phenomenon of graphical and otherwise super-textual shorts getting higher ratings than usual because of their nature and not their content. The Lerpa's comment is, quite frankly, disturbing, since he and I were talking about this phenomenon on the telephone just last night. In fact, he is the only one I really expected to get what I was talking about. Too bad! I actually think that this short is one of very few on the site where truly mindless vulgarity really works.

04/23/2004 Mr. Pony (5): And so.

04/23/2004 qualcomm: Pony, there's no way that's what you were thinking, because those thoughts cannot be expressed in pictures.

04/23/2004 Mr. Pony: And still we haven't addressed that strangest of consequences of this particular point of yours; the idea that you think in text.

04/23/2004 qualcomm: no, we addressed it. i told you that most humans do think in text, which is why people who don't learn language early in life are permanently retardish.

04/23/2004 qualcomm: more accurately, they think in spoken text, like a book on tape read by william shatner, say, or speech.

04/23/2004 Mr. Pony: That sounds so slow! How do you get anything done?

04/23/2004 Mr. Pony: Wait, does everyone here think in spoken text? Do you hear it at regular talking speeds? How do you decide what words to use?

04/23/2004 Benny Maniacs: I think in pictures, and frankly I don't appreciate the Lerpa using the word "retardish" in that way. Both of my parents are retardish.

04/23/2004 mr.coffee (2): Scoop I'm with you. What the fuck was the point of that? Which motherfucker wrote this turd?

04/23/2004 Dylan Danko (5): This is so Viz that it must be Matza. Glorious!

04/23/2004 John Slocum (5): The truly priceless panel, in my opinion, is panel 2. Bless the soul that put in the effort to create this.

04/23/2004 John Slocum: I can't stop laughing at that panel 2. I swear it's autobiographical, that panel at least.

04/23/2004 qualcomm: yeah, slocum, that's what i been saying all day: panel 2, panel 2.

04/23/2004 John Slocum: Who hasn't seen this author stupid-drunk dancing on a wall saying EXACTLY LETTER FOR LETTER what Mr. Potato Head says in panel 2.

04/24/2004 Ferucio P. Chhretan (3): Mr. Matza, If you arent aware of, or if Mr. Pony hasn't shown you Angry Youth Comics by Johnny Ryan, I suggest you go get yourself a copy. You may find solace in that kindred spirit. Mr. Pony, do you really think the graphic shorts are getting higher ratings than usual? I think the ratings seem pretty on par with everything else. They're either a huge surge of good with a few bad, or the reverse. Occaisionally a mediocre set. But I'm still new here, so what do I know.

04/24/2004 Mr. Pony: The Lerpa and I were really just discussing that possibility. Here's what I think: With a very small number of moves, comic or graphic shorts can contain a level of exposition that would overload a textual short. Also, our mammalian readers respond, I think, to pictures (specifically of the human face, no matter how it's drawn) in such a way that they are infused with 'bonus meaning', either by the intent of the artist or otherwise. Not saying the pitchures is better--by the same token, A purely textual short can maintain a much higher level of control over the reader's impressions and emotions, and a skilled writer can evoke entire civilizations. A smart thing that the Lerpa brought up is that it's possible that some folks, at least subconsciously, see anything they can't do as some sort of magic. Most people can type, but not everyone can draw. Not that typing gets you even halfway to writing, but I think the drift is clear. The Lerpa, chime in if I've got that wrong. Anyway, now that we all know about this phenomenon, we can all avoid its pitfalls. Hooray! Fun things to think about. And Ferucio, you know I'm pretty much only reading Spider-Man. And any old Batgirl stuff I can get my hands on. Mmm. This short gets funnier every time I read it!

04/24/2004 Tiddlycove (3):

04/24/2004 Ferucio P. Chhretan: Interesting arguement you are having there Mr. Pony. I am interested in the Lerpa's notion of pictures=magic to the untrained drawer. I'm sure that must be how the cave artists survived getting their heads eaten at Tres Freres. Whenever I am asked how I draw the way I do, I always say that its all practice. I'm sure you've said that to people, Pony? And then they inevitably say; "no! It magic." Mister Matza, I am glad that you did this short. It may not be my favorite piece by you, but it brings up some interesting points. Seriously Pony and Matza, go out and get Angry Youth Comics by Johnny Ryan. You both may thank me. Or curse me, case being. And for the record I think in sock puppets.

04/25/2004 Craig Lewis (5): "Fence Guy."

04/25/2004 John Slocum: I'm sorry, I'm still cracking up at that panel 2!

04/25/2004 John Slocum: Look at the eyes - there's a totally different expression there. It's amazing what Matza accomplished with very little.

04/25/2004 Tiddlycove: The fact that there is any sentiment at all to find more humour in this than has already been found astonishes me. Can I reduce my score to 2 stars?

04/25/2004 Ferucio P. Chhretan: Tiddlycove, it seems you've never been to an art critique. Comparatively speaking, this would have been the first five minutes of an hour long discussion.

04/25/2004 John Slocum: Everytime I look at this I see something new.

04/25/2004 Mr. Pony: I've taken to giving the two-fisted multi-level middle fingers. As hard as I can.

04/26/2004 Tiddlycove: Point taken, Ferucio. Thanks.

04/26/2004 Ferucio P. Chhretan: always give the middle finger as hard as you can. There's no room for soft middle fingers!

04/28/2004 Not Lisa (5): I think this guy is my neighbor.

06/15/2004 scoop: I totally blew it on this one. Sorry, Matza.

06/16/2004 John Slocum: Does that mean Mr. Coffee blew it also?

06/1/2006 Will Disney (5):

08/16/2007 Lungclops: klassic

08/16/2007 Lungclops: urregh!

08/16/2007 Lungclops: matza, in the first panel, am i to understand that fence guy is doing some sort of "wild and crazy guy" body language? (stomach foot here.)

09/19/2008 qualcomm:

01/28/2011 qualcomm: This short was submitted to Acme on Hitler's birthday.