Hair motifs?

[tribble]

So, Ive noticed that hair seems to be a frequent issue in OOTS. think about it:
-Nales beard is a matter of much discussion and at one point, plot importance.
-when Roy tries on the belt of transexuality, he complains that it doesnt give him hair.
-Haleys feud with Crystal started over a comment about Crystals hair.
-...which led to the rape of the lock, later.
-Vaarsuvius gained a LOT of hair under the soul splice, as well as some... ethical problems.
-afterwards, v switched to Kyrie's hairstyle, while also becoming markedly more humble.
-Haley commented that she half-expected Elan to have grown a beard.
-aside from the pallete swap, sabines hairstyle is the only difference between her and haley when we first see her.
it seems like hair is a recurring...theme-type thingy in OOTS. thoughts?

[Zanaril]

It's probably because, aside from clothes, it's the main way to tell characters apart.

[NerfTW]

Did you notice clothes are a recurring theme too?


Oh my god, and swords!

And magic!

[Starscream]

I've also noticed that there's a recurring motif involving these six guys. Well, four guys a girl and something else. One or more of them is in almost every strip.

And yet, sticks do not appear prominently at all.

[Zanaril]

Come on guys, he's made a fair point. As fun as it is, you shouldn't mock him.

[Herald Alberich]

I've also noticed that there's a recurring motif involving these six guys. Well, four guys a girl and something else. One or more of them is in almost every strip.

And yet, sticks do not appear prominently at all.

There might be an underlying theme involving some skeleton fellow and a green guy in a red towel. They're in most of the strips that none of the six people are in.

edit: Fair enough, Zanaril. Alright, then, real discussion: I agree with your point. When everyone, with rare exceptions, has the same mismatched black eyes and facial expressions, hairstyle, skin color, and clothes (in that order, since clothes change fairly often) are the main distinguishing features between characters.

[Spiryt]

-Nales beard is a matter of much discussion and at one point, plot importance.

It's apparently the only thing in their physical appearance that tells them apart so plot importance was pretty obvious...



-when Roy tries on the belt of transexuality, he complains that it doesnt give him hair.

Generally in Europe/ Asia etc so also in most fantasy settings as result bald woman is really rare sight.

So his complains were quite obvious - he needed a disguise right now.



-Haleys feud with Crystal started over a comment about Crystals hair.
-...which led to the rape of the lock, later.

It could as well start about something else...



-aside from the pallete swap, sabines hairstyle is the only difference between her and haley when we first see her.
it seems like hair is a recurring...theme-type thingy in OOTS. thoughts?

Generally, hair is always pretty recurring "theme type" thing, and in the comic where hair is sometimes only way to distinguish characters that don't have facial features among other things, it's naturally important as well.

[Liwen]

Well, you have noticed hair, but the same could be told about clothes, cars, facial expressions, acts and pretty much everything related to a character. Hair is only one of the many ways the human (and semi-humans) being is proven to be a social whore. Everything from how you smell to the way you walk a street as been labeled somewhere in human society as a clue of your internal conflicts, mood and also outgoing conscious efforts to actually try to communicate.

The above pretty long sentence can be explained with examples : Elan wanted an eye patch to have the 'mysterious look' of a bodyguard because his, somehow limited, comprehension of social conventions made him believed is was a good idea.

Now you also have Rich, who wishes to show to us, the readers, clues that two peoples are symbolically related, or that one character just had a major step forward in his development. This is why he made the Linear Guild so much alike physically to the Order of the stick. This is why V suddenly had her hair growth out (I believe is represent her decent on the chaotic maddening abyss she was slipping into, the recent adoption of her new look might symbolize a successful saving throw to avoid slipping further down and holding on to a tree root or something. And if that's the case, boy is she lucky, because we all know how much wizards fail at reflex saves)

The point is, yes you are right. Hair does has a meaning more profound than just being hair, especially in a 100% visual medium such as a webcomic. but it's only a mere piece of the puzzle, that we surprisingly still can follow. However, I believe it to be just as recurring a theme as any other socially valid method of expression found in modern society.

[Herald Alberich]

Also, when it comes to facial hair, the comic is usually riffing on established dramatic conventions. Nale has a goatee because evil twins have goatees, thanks to Mirror-Universe Spock. Kubota has a Fu Manchu mustache because Oriental villains have Fu Manchus, thanks to, well, Fu Manchu.

Edit: It's interesting, though, that the paladins Hinjo and Soon also sport said facial hair, respectively.

[NerfTW]

Come on guys, he's made a fair point.

No he didn't.

[Tass]

Edit: It's interesting, though, that the paladins Hinjo and Soon also sport said facial hair, respectively.

How dare you forget O-chul?

[Herald Alberich]

How dare you forget O-chul?

What about him? He's got a standard beard, not a goatee or a Fu Manchu.

[Susano-wo]

As has been said, hair is a part of the visual character design cue department. Different hairstyles tend to make the viewer/reader think certain things about the character. Which, especially in the departments of hair and clothes is quite well founded in what people actually look like. In other words, unlike height, body frame, gender, etc, hair and clothes can easily be changed to suit a person's tastes, and will often fall under certain parameters depending on societal norms and social expectations.
Of course, it can be taken too far, when you can tell exactly what a character is supposed to be like just based on their visual cues (I'm lookin at you, anime!)
One other thing to note: sometimes hair just follows the Rule of Cool (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RuleOfCool). V's hair getting all wild on us might be just to add "coolness" to the whole ultimate arcane power trip. (though I think the ponytail is definitely supposed to be a physical measure/cue in his new, humbler attitude (which might mean that the fiends won't cash in on that bonus to their plan)

[Darius1020]

you left out "pigtail chick"...

[Xesirin]

*ahem* (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ImportantHaircut) :smalltongue:

[Kallisti]

So, Ive noticed that hair seems to be a frequent issue in OOTS. think about it:
-Nales beard is a matter of much discussion and at one point, plot importance.
-when Roy tries on the belt of transexuality, he complains that it doesnt give him hair.
-Haleys feud with Crystal started over a comment about Crystals hair.
-...which led to the rape of the lock, later.
-Vaarsuvius gained a LOT of hair under the soul splice, as well as some... ethical problems.
-afterwards, v switched to Kyrie's hairstyle, while also becoming markedly more humble.
-Haley commented that she half-expected Elan to have grown a beard.
-aside from the pallete swap, sabines hairstyle is the only difference between her and haley when we first see her.
it seems like hair is a recurring...theme-type thingy in OOTS. thoughts?

In a stick comic, hair and clothes are pretty much how we tell characters apart. You could make the same point with clothes, because in a stick comic, "hair and clothes" sums up a character's appearance. So when Rich changes a character's appearance, he changes their hair.

I think the motifs are more about appearance then hair (although it would amuse me to believe that Rich has some sort of weird thing about hair).

Although, Rich has invoked the rule that anyone with a goatee is evil, so maybe you're onto something...

[Puns de León]

-aside from the pallete swap, sabines hairstyle is the only difference between her and haley when we first see her.

For the record, Sabine also has a different top, a different weapon (which, incidentally, seems to be just for show, since I don't think we've seen her use it once), and wears a gold bracelet. It would seem overly strange if another random adventurer she had just met had the same hairstyle and hairtype as Haley did, so it's just another distinguishing feature. It's not as if she's got an easily replicable and common hairstyle like Roy; there's not much variation on bald, and if there is variation, it is really miniscule and forgivable. We've seen several ponytails thus far (Haley, Sabine and V, let's say), but each has had different hair (straight, curly, and slightly tousled, respectively).


Mirror Universe Spock has more of a Van Dyke.
I'd say the inspiration for the goatee=evil link comes from popular interpretations of the devil, though you're probably right about Spock's double being responsible for the goatee=evil twin subclass.

[Watcher]

...It would seem overly strange if another random adventurer she had just met had the same hairstyle and hairtype as Haley did, so it's just another distinguishing feature. It's not as if she's got an easily replicable and common hairstyle...

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0618.html, first flanker.
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0621.html, girl carrying Crystal.
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0193.html, good outsider.

[Puns de León]

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0618.html, first flanker.
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0621.html, girl carrying Crystal.
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0193.html, good outsider.

We don't ever see the flanker's ponytail, though, which is where much of the distinction lies. The upper part that Haley's got does indeed seem to be fairly common.

The hairstyle of the girl in #621 is closer to Inkyrius'. Compare. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0642.html)

Even if both of those characters had an exact Haley hairstyle, however, we could forgive Rich for using it after 600 strips. If you consider the number of characters we've seen over the course of OOTS, what with all the extras, not seeing some repetition would be nothing short of a miracle. My point is that you won't see two main characters with the same hairstyle, unless it is ordained by plot, or unless they're bald, as a lot of males in the story seem to be.

The outsider in #193 and Haley admittedly have very similar hairstyles (though the outsider's is much longer), but that was drawn at a time when Rich wasn't quite as meticulous about his art as he is now, and, hell, it's an angel. There are plenty of other things about her that distinguish her from Haley, like the fact that she has wings.

[tribble]

It could as well start about something else...


you mean the boots?

[Omergideon]

Comic 647, panel 2. That is all I need to know about the changing hair styles of the order.

In all seriousness it is probably the fact that with stick figures things like clothing and hair are the only real way to distinguish between characters. It seems to be Rich's first point of call if he wants to visualise character development. That and clothing changes. It's quick, simple and in a visual medium like a comic it is definately effective.

[Kaytara]

I think you're looking too much into it... Yes, it's a way of telling the characters apart and all, but the way I see it...

Hair is not a running motif specifically in OotS.

Hair is a running motif in real life.

Because, just as with comic characters, hair is a great part of what makes up a person's image and, depending on the time and place, may reflect qualities ranging from personality, tastes and interests to hygiene, lifestyle, profession, political views, honour, social and marital status, etc.

OotS just accurately reflects our pre-existing cultural bias towards hair.

[Forbiddenwar]

In real life, a radical change in hair usually means a radical change in life or personality. So the changes in hair, like in haley are indicative of changing mental states, like the permanent change of clothes like elan had.

Also, when it comes to facial hair, the comic is usually riffing on established dramatic conventions. Nale has a goatee because evil twins have goatees, thanks to Mirror-Universe Spock.
On a side note, it would be funny if this was true, since "evil" mirror universe spock, wasn't evil.

[Cerrakoth]

No he didn't.

Do you have to be so rude to the guy? He made a point, if you don't like it don't comment.

[warrl]

In real life, a radical change in hair usually means a radical change in life or personality.

For some people.

For others, hair is slightly more difficult to change than shirts.