I really do pity Nathan here. While it’s no excuse willingly act the way he did, I kind of understand how he feels here. We never asked on what we sexually feel.
I did NOT wanna say anything, but I think Sean M. put it best. It was funny having the villains in the comic be all over-the-top and go crazy at first, but it got old and predictable REALLY quickly.
@Mole204: You are really just not getting it, are you? This entire comic is dedicated to the Nineties. And one of the defining characteristics of that decade was the “rebellion against authority” counterculture, especially among teens. That’s what this strip is about, what it’s ALWAYS been about.
Yes, Jocelyn swears. Yes, she wears revealing clothes. Yes, she disrespects authority figures. And THAT’S THE WHOLE POINT! That’s what teenagers in the Nineties DID! If you can’t accept that, then do us all a favor and Just. Stop. Reading.
Also, for the love of all that is good and holy, LEARN TO SPELL HER NAME!
@jbwarner86: Well said. I don’t read comics to see a gritty, grimdark, crapsack world — we’ve already got a world like that, and it’s called “real life”. I am 100% in favor of a world like yours, where the good guys win and the bad guys lose (and get their just desserts in a satisfying and cathartic manner). So you just keep on doing what you’ve been doing, and don’t let the naysayers get to you. As far as I’m concerned, this comic is fine just the way it is.
Like I said, if I have any criticisms, it’s that you need to stop writing your villains as those “Animaniacs” antagonists who go crazy at the end of the cartoon. It was funny at first but it gets old and predictable if you do it every single time.
I certainly don’t mind at all that you’re writing Nathan as a hypocritical pervert, but him going nuts at the end is a little much.
Mole – Sexually assaulting people is worse than anything Jocelyn has ever done in this strip. Don’t be a fool. Your hate boner for Jocelyn is getting ridiculous.
“And in the five years since, I’ve come to learn just how biased the American court system is against victims of sexual harassment, especially when the accused parties are high profile individuals with a lot of power.”
But instead of a good informative debate that made points like that, you humiliated Nathan repeatedly. Not a single bias was felt by the other side.
“What would you rather have me do?”
Tough question after all the fixes you’ve already done.
1- Drop the swearing. Just write better. Joscelyn’s wince-inducing lines are much better than swearing that just weakens her.
2- Write a little smarter. That was a Debate Club. There is no way that Joscelyn fits in there, and she should have been on the back foot from the first casual question that she couldn’t answer. Instead the whole room is very primed to destroy Nathan, from the attendees experiences with him, to the objects in peoples pockets. Sure, that might happen. Yes, they might have been heartily sick of sitting there while he lectures. Yes, it was a little funny. But what we get is a game of dominoes that hits every humiliation awaiting there. But Nathan hasn’t done anything that Joscelyn had done, and worse, and longer. Louder, I don’t know.
3- I don’t know. Nathan could have unloaded on Joscelyn without losing his mind, and every bit of cool he had (both scraps of them). What if it had been an actual debate instead of a series of personal attacks? Joscelyn can’t swear her way out of every situation.
4- If you make an unlikable character, he or she doesn’t have to be an absolute monster. The girl from the Silence of the Lambs story was someone I sort of rooted for, while Lindsey and several others were someone who I sort of rooted for being hit by a truck.
“I thought maybe it’d be nice and cathartic for folks to read a series where people like that get their just desserts.”
But that wasn’t what made it to print. “This” was a little weeny getting destroyed for being a pompous git. “That” was the Lindsey vs Keven parking lot fight.
Also, this is the Joel and Aaron Show, wasn’t it? Joscelin is just really good at getting all the attention.
@JBWarner: Keep doing what you’re doing. I think this story has exposed all these naysayers as being not worth paying any real attention to. And if they keep trying to make you hear them, we’ll keep shouting them down.
Jesse, I’d rather you keep doing what you do best. Write your stories for YOU. As is also fairly common in the real world, the ones complaining the most are in the minority.
Seriously, this is a comic strip, not a novel. Piece of shit villains like Nathan in this arc don’t need to be allowed to go for a long period of time without any kind of comeuppance.
For what it’s worth, the reason I rewrote this story the way I did is because I didn’t do enough research into the Clarence Thomas thing last time. By casting Nathan as the accuser and having him bring up flimsy accusations against Jocelyn that weren’t based on reality, it felt to me like I’d inadvertently sent the message that victims of sexual abuse are just griping over nothing. And at the time, I was like “Well, I know Clarence Thomas was found not guilty, so I guess that means those accusations really were false?” And in the five years since, I’ve come to learn just how biased the American court system is against victims of sexual harassment, especially when the accused parties are high profile individuals with a lot of power. Hell, one of those accused parties got elected President of the United States while that original story was running back in 2016.
I was just so bitter and furious at the injustice of it all that I knew this was one of the ones I had to rewrite from top to bottom. Nathan, like most of my antagonists, represents a kind of person I hate with all my heart – swaggering pushy knuckle-dragging brutes who delight in stomping on people they perceive as weak and trying to pass themselves off as the good guy for it. I would love to live in a world where people like this are publicly exposed for the wretched monsters they are, their true despicable intentions laid bare to the world, brought down by the people they tried to suppress. Stories like this are the most personally satisfying for me to write, but every time they go up, I get dragged so hard from people saying “These antagonists are too over-the-top to take seriously!” Well, read the news, dammit. Monsters like this run the whole world, and everyone knows what fuckshits they are and they just let them get away with their garbage anyway. I thought maybe it’d be nice and cathartic for folks to read a series where people like that get their just desserts. What would you rather have me do?
One of the things I enjoyed the most about how the OG version of this arc played out, and the old run in general was how grounded and realistic it stayed and how authentic and in-touch with the decade it was set in it felt, even though it was made in 2016. The same cannot be said regarding this version. All of it reads like a Twitter Me Too exposé thread.
It’s very unlikely that Nathan will become a recurring character after this since he already went kooky-bananas in his debut arc. What’s Jesse gonna use him for now, background filler at large crowds shots? I just wish that characters like Nathan wouldn’t get their comeuppance right away ’cause it feels like such a cop out. He was just supposed to be a prudish, popish Young Republican. A pretty easy target, I’ll concede, but one that is harder to develop and flesh out than just making him a serial harassing creep and a horndog.
Jesus F Christ, just stop Jesse. We get it. People who grope people are bad. This isn’t confusing to most of us. This arc hasn’t had a funny joke or interesting take in ages, it’s just repeating the same “‘kooky” dialogue over and over and over. Legitimately, I think this has been 11 strips of nothing but “Nathan says something sexist, Jocelyn either punches him or says something pithy”. Get a new joke. Get better villains. Or at least make the jokes and villains last less than a week so we can move onto other things.
In another instance of “what I picture their voice”, I kinda see Kyle from South Park for Nathan. I dunno, I can sorta picture Kyle’s voice spouting off such stuck up pretentious BS.
It’s not often I feel bad for Mr. Tucker, considering this is the BS he has to put up with constantly XD (Not to mention the original implied he endured a rather nasty divorce).
I really do pity Nathan here. While it’s no excuse willingly act the way he did, I kind of understand how he feels here. We never asked on what we sexually feel.
I did NOT wanna say anything, but I think Sean M. put it best. It was funny having the villains in the comic be all over-the-top and go crazy at first, but it got old and predictable REALLY quickly.
@Mole204: You are really just not getting it, are you? This entire comic is dedicated to the Nineties. And one of the defining characteristics of that decade was the “rebellion against authority” counterculture, especially among teens. That’s what this strip is about, what it’s ALWAYS been about.
Yes, Jocelyn swears. Yes, she wears revealing clothes. Yes, she disrespects authority figures. And THAT’S THE WHOLE POINT! That’s what teenagers in the Nineties DID! If you can’t accept that, then do us all a favor and Just. Stop. Reading.
Also, for the love of all that is good and holy, LEARN TO SPELL HER NAME!
@jbwarner86: Well said. I don’t read comics to see a gritty, grimdark, crapsack world — we’ve already got a world like that, and it’s called “real life”. I am 100% in favor of a world like yours, where the good guys win and the bad guys lose (and get their just desserts in a satisfying and cathartic manner). So you just keep on doing what you’ve been doing, and don’t let the naysayers get to you. As far as I’m concerned, this comic is fine just the way it is.
Like I said, if I have any criticisms, it’s that you need to stop writing your villains as those “Animaniacs” antagonists who go crazy at the end of the cartoon. It was funny at first but it gets old and predictable if you do it every single time.
I certainly don’t mind at all that you’re writing Nathan as a hypocritical pervert, but him going nuts at the end is a little much.
Mole – Sexually assaulting people is worse than anything Jocelyn has ever done in this strip. Don’t be a fool. Your hate boner for Jocelyn is getting ridiculous.
“And in the five years since, I’ve come to learn just how biased the American court system is against victims of sexual harassment, especially when the accused parties are high profile individuals with a lot of power.”
But instead of a good informative debate that made points like that, you humiliated Nathan repeatedly. Not a single bias was felt by the other side.
“What would you rather have me do?”
Tough question after all the fixes you’ve already done.
1- Drop the swearing. Just write better. Joscelyn’s wince-inducing lines are much better than swearing that just weakens her.
2- Write a little smarter. That was a Debate Club. There is no way that Joscelyn fits in there, and she should have been on the back foot from the first casual question that she couldn’t answer. Instead the whole room is very primed to destroy Nathan, from the attendees experiences with him, to the objects in peoples pockets. Sure, that might happen. Yes, they might have been heartily sick of sitting there while he lectures. Yes, it was a little funny. But what we get is a game of dominoes that hits every humiliation awaiting there. But Nathan hasn’t done anything that Joscelyn had done, and worse, and longer. Louder, I don’t know.
3- I don’t know. Nathan could have unloaded on Joscelyn without losing his mind, and every bit of cool he had (both scraps of them). What if it had been an actual debate instead of a series of personal attacks? Joscelyn can’t swear her way out of every situation.
4- If you make an unlikable character, he or she doesn’t have to be an absolute monster. The girl from the Silence of the Lambs story was someone I sort of rooted for, while Lindsey and several others were someone who I sort of rooted for being hit by a truck.
“I thought maybe it’d be nice and cathartic for folks to read a series where people like that get their just desserts.”
But that wasn’t what made it to print. “This” was a little weeny getting destroyed for being a pompous git. “That” was the Lindsey vs Keven parking lot fight.
Also, this is the Joel and Aaron Show, wasn’t it? Joscelin is just really good at getting all the attention.
@JBWarner: Keep doing what you’re doing. I think this story has exposed all these naysayers as being not worth paying any real attention to. And if they keep trying to make you hear them, we’ll keep shouting them down.
Jesse, I’d rather you keep doing what you do best. Write your stories for YOU. As is also fairly common in the real world, the ones complaining the most are in the minority.
Seriously, this is a comic strip, not a novel. Piece of shit villains like Nathan in this arc don’t need to be allowed to go for a long period of time without any kind of comeuppance.
For what it’s worth, the reason I rewrote this story the way I did is because I didn’t do enough research into the Clarence Thomas thing last time. By casting Nathan as the accuser and having him bring up flimsy accusations against Jocelyn that weren’t based on reality, it felt to me like I’d inadvertently sent the message that victims of sexual abuse are just griping over nothing. And at the time, I was like “Well, I know Clarence Thomas was found not guilty, so I guess that means those accusations really were false?” And in the five years since, I’ve come to learn just how biased the American court system is against victims of sexual harassment, especially when the accused parties are high profile individuals with a lot of power. Hell, one of those accused parties got elected President of the United States while that original story was running back in 2016.
I was just so bitter and furious at the injustice of it all that I knew this was one of the ones I had to rewrite from top to bottom. Nathan, like most of my antagonists, represents a kind of person I hate with all my heart – swaggering pushy knuckle-dragging brutes who delight in stomping on people they perceive as weak and trying to pass themselves off as the good guy for it. I would love to live in a world where people like this are publicly exposed for the wretched monsters they are, their true despicable intentions laid bare to the world, brought down by the people they tried to suppress. Stories like this are the most personally satisfying for me to write, but every time they go up, I get dragged so hard from people saying “These antagonists are too over-the-top to take seriously!” Well, read the news, dammit. Monsters like this run the whole world, and everyone knows what fuckshits they are and they just let them get away with their garbage anyway. I thought maybe it’d be nice and cathartic for folks to read a series where people like that get their just desserts. What would you rather have me do?
One of the things I enjoyed the most about how the OG version of this arc played out, and the old run in general was how grounded and realistic it stayed and how authentic and in-touch with the decade it was set in it felt, even though it was made in 2016. The same cannot be said regarding this version. All of it reads like a Twitter Me Too exposé thread.
It’s very unlikely that Nathan will become a recurring character after this since he already went kooky-bananas in his debut arc. What’s Jesse gonna use him for now, background filler at large crowds shots? I just wish that characters like Nathan wouldn’t get their comeuppance right away ’cause it feels like such a cop out. He was just supposed to be a prudish, popish Young Republican. A pretty easy target, I’ll concede, but one that is harder to develop and flesh out than just making him a serial harassing creep and a horndog.
@Alex: This arc is pretty weak I’ll admit but it’s almost over. Just two more strips to go.
@Alex: Then find some other comic.
Jesus F Christ, just stop Jesse. We get it. People who grope people are bad. This isn’t confusing to most of us. This arc hasn’t had a funny joke or interesting take in ages, it’s just repeating the same “‘kooky” dialogue over and over and over. Legitimately, I think this has been 11 strips of nothing but “Nathan says something sexist, Jocelyn either punches him or says something pithy”. Get a new joke. Get better villains. Or at least make the jokes and villains last less than a week so we can move onto other things.
@Zach Kenny — funny enough, I had him sounding like Gregory from the SP movie.
Guaranteed Jocelyn’s breasts would taste better than your vitriolic venom, Mole.
Yeesh. I know the temptation to punch is strong, but this kid needs therapy.
It’s just amusing how cartoonishly over-the-top Nathan turned out to be compared to his original incarnation
I hope every girl in the room kicks him in the dick after this
Hey, he asked permission! He’s improving! 😜
Otis Oracle’s long lost son lol
Poor Nathan, his tiny little mind’s snapped like a tiny little twig. Joscelin might be the worst tasting woman in the room, though.
In another instance of “what I picture their voice”, I kinda see Kyle from South Park for Nathan. I dunno, I can sorta picture Kyle’s voice spouting off such stuck up pretentious BS.
Hypocrisy has been exposed. Time to take out the trash.
So much for purging those desires of yours, Nathan.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand the truth comes out. He’s no better than any OTHER average high-school male.
It’s not often I feel bad for Mr. Tucker, considering this is the BS he has to put up with constantly XD (Not to mention the original implied he endured a rather nasty divorce).