Would you read OOTS as a novel?

[Eerie]

I was thinking... suppose OOTS was a serious fantasy book. Without fourth wall breakings and endless D&D references.

Would you read it? Would the plot and characters of OOTS alone be enough for it to be interesting?

[Silverraptor]

Well I'd read it because I'm a big fan; But I wouldn't expect it to be that great.

[Gamiress]

Nah. Most of the humor in OotS is sight gags, which don't work in a non visual medium, and wordplay, which works on an entirely different level in novels.

Not to mention, English is gender specific, so it would be impossible to keep up the "V is androgynous" gag without making the writing horribly stilted.

[Eerie]

Well I'd read it because I'm a big fan; But I wouldn't expect it to be that great.

The idea actually makes me want to write the "novel" version myself... :smallamused:

[Silverraptor]

Well you'll have to get the rights from Rich. But good luck because he won't fork over any of them.

[LurkerInPlayground]

I was thinking... suppose OOTS was a serious fantasy book. Without fourth wall breakings and endless D&D references.

Would you read it? Would the plot and characters of OOTS alone be enough for it to be interesting?
Only if Terry Pratchet wrote it.

[VeisuItaTyhjyys]

Nah. Most of the humor in OotS is sight gags, which don't work in a non visual medium, and wordplay, which works on an entirely different level in novels.

Not to mention, English is gender specific, so it would be impossible to keep up the "V is androgynous" gag without making the writing horribly stilted.

That is surprisingly easy to get around.

[King of Nowhere]

Only if Terry Pratchet wrote it.

I was going to say something on the line of "it would be nice, but in comic is better", but I stay corrected.
The overall plot is good for a novel. If only we could keep the humor...

[Pronounceable]

OotS doesn't work as a novel. But the main story and characterizations does. If a fantasy epic with identical main plot and sameish characters minus all things webcomic was written, it'd work well. But it wouldn't BE OotS then.

[TheSummoner]

Rich writes amazingly in the webcomic format. If he (or whoever he got to do it) could produce a novel of the same quality, I would read it without a doubt.

[Janmorel]

An OotS novel without the 4th wall-breaking and D&D references would be incredibly disappointing to me. It just wouldn't be OotS. But it would be interesting to read a novel based on the comic that actually kept the character of the strip.

If Rich wrote a serious fantasy-adventure novel, I'd probably read it. But I would probably like it better if I didn't expect it to be Order of the Stick.

[David Argall]

You want to convert a comic to a serious story? Are you serious?

As a comedy, you might be able to switch mediums. Doubling the difficulty by changing the tone too is just asking for failure.

Moreover, the OOTS plot is seriously inferior. That is no problem for a comedy. The plot is just there to give you a frame to hang the gags on. You hear a comedy praised for its plot, you are hearing your blind date being praised for her personality.
As a serious plot, OOTS is scatter and overly dramatic, not to mention seriously stretched logic.

You keep it a comedy, and I will fork over. You try to make it serious and I will keep my cash.

[Greyskull]

Probably not. As others have said, OOTS relies upon the visual medium as part of its success which would be lost if it stuck solely to the written word.

[NerfTW]

The plot to OOTS, while interesting, is highly linear, predictable, and cliched beyond all belief. Not to mention frequently there simply for the punchline at the end of the strip.

This happens a lot. People like something, and they grab one part of it that must be the thing that makes it good, ignoring the fact that as one part of the whole, it's inferior.

Dough is an important part of pizza, but that doesn't mean you can make one without the other toppings.

[Lissou]

If the webcomic hadn't existed and it had been a novel right away, I probably wouldn't have been interested in it.

Now, knowing the comic and enjoying it, it would be a bit different. However, I don't think turning it into a "serious story" is a good idea. I mean, The Order of the Stick is so good, so emotionally involving, because it has such a broad range. Comedy, tragedy, love, hate, friendship...
I would want the novel to reflect that.

Right now, although I don't think the general story should be turned into a novel, I would probably buy novels that are official prequel-life material, non essential but giving some insight on the story. I would buy such a book only if it was written by Rich Burlew, with possible edits by someone else.

The visual jokes and the whole "stick" thing would be lost, though. It wouldn't be the same, really. Like a movie adaptation, it would lose the reason for the title. But it could be done, I guess.

[shapechange]

As a comic, most of the jokes are visual. But...if they made a comic book... That would be awesome.:smallbiggrin::smallsmile:

[aorta]

Moreover, the OOTS plot is seriously inferior. That is no problem for a comedy. The plot is just there to give you a frame to hang the gags on. You hear a comedy praised for its plot, you are hearing your blind date being praised for her personality.
As a serious plot, OOTS is scatter and overly dramatic, not to mention seriously stretched logic.I like this comparison, in that I disagree with your preferences in the exact same way on each part.

First of all, OotS's plot is very good. Not a literary masterpiece, but it holds the whole site up, I and many others would not read the story for pure jokes.

Saying a comedy doesn't really need any plot is rather ridiculous. Obviously, a comedy with a good plot and poor jokes is inferior to a comedy with no plot and good jokes, but only slightly.

And the reason I like the comparison, dub in blind date for the word comedy, plot for personality, and jokes for looks, and you have basically another true statement in my mind. It works :smallbiggrin:.

[Nimrod's Son]

Would you read it? Would the plot and characters of OOTS alone be enough for it to be interesting?
It'd be better than Eragon, that's for damn sure.

But otherwise... hmm. As a novelisation of the comic, probably not. If the comic didn't exist and it was a standalone novel, it can imagine it being a reasonably decent fantasy adventure. But really, without the art and the in-jokes it wouldn't be anywhere near as special.


Not to mention, English is gender specific, so it would be impossible to keep up the "V is androgynous" gag without making the writing horribly stilted.
To be fair, the novel could take a "Trainspotting"-style approach and have each chapter narrated by a different character.

[Optimystik]

Well you'll have to get the rights from Rich. But good luck because he won't fork over any of them.

Only if you plan to distribute said novel; For personal use, you can write just about anything you want.

@ OP: Novels don't have to be serious, so I don't see why you threw that extra complication in. See also: Xanth and Myth series.

[olthar]

I like this comparison, in that I disagree with your preferences in the exact same way on each part.

First of all, OotS's plot is very good. Not a literary masterpiece, but it holds the whole site up, I and many others would not read the story for pure jokes.

Saying a comedy doesn't really need any plot is rather ridiculous. Obviously, a comedy with a good plot and poor jokes is inferior to a comedy with no plot and good jokes, but only slightly.

I must respectfully disagree. Many comics have very good plots, watchmen for instance is a well written comic with a plot that could translate into other forms relatively well (though I predict a flop).

OOTS, were it written as a novel, would not work. As many others have stated, much of its humor relies on the ability to see the pictures. Taking that out would majorly hurt the story. However, even with that out, all of OOTS written might fill 4 or 5 medium length chapters.

Think of the number of plot events that occur in your average fantasy book, especially minor events. In the first 100 or so strips they walk, talk, make a few jokes, go to sleep, get a plot point (eugene), meet the linear guild (plot point) get betrayed (plot point) walk, talk, sleep, find xykon (plot point). It would take a lot of extra additions to make that into a coherent written story, as it is the three or four minor plot points we have are mostly introductory and would maybe make a chapter. Without major embellishment the getting captured by bandits, hex witch, dragon, and meeting miko barely would be another chapter.

Basically my point is that to turn this into a novel it would need to be rewritten to the point that it would barely be recognizable as what it was. Novels require much more detail to stay interesting. Its why when a book becomes a movie so much material is cut out, or why a very short novella can be made into a good 2 hour movie. Comics translate relatively well to movies (they both require the visual elements) but like movies translate poorly into book form.

I am not saying I do not like the plot of OOTS or that it is poor, quite the opposite. OOTS has a very fun(ny) plot, for a comic or movie. However, it would not be enough for a novel.

[Enlong]

It'd be better than Eragon, that's for damn sure.

aaaaand the quota has been met.

[Ichneumon]

No, I wouldn't. Although I read graphic novels such as Watchmen and V for Vendetta as serious novels and enjoyed them, I think the webcomic one-page joke nature of OotS makes me unable to read it like a "serious" novel. However I would still enjoy reading it of course.

[NerfTW]

As a comic, most of the jokes are visual. But...if they made a comic book... That would be awesome.:smallbiggrin::smallsmile:

Uh, what do you think the trade paperbacks are?

[Myou]

Eww, no. xD

[Athaniar]

Of course. The "Order of the Scribble" adventures would be an interesting period to cover.

[Optimystik]

Of course. The "Order of the Scribble" adventures would be an interesting period to cover.

Yes, and an excellent way to lampoon the Epic rules. :smallbiggrin:

We can even get some more insight into The Plan, because in SoD The Scribble are shown killing one of the Crimson Mantle's previous bearers, and Soon's paladins are shown killing a subsequent bearer.

[Morgan Wick]

Moreover, the OOTS plot is seriously inferior.

PISTOLS AT DAWN!