How long ago was that brick thrown?

[mouser9169]

I remember somewhere Elan talking about dinosaur rides... and we finally got the payoff in this comic. But where was the original setup?

I don't think it'll be in the running for longest brick joke, but I'm guessing it's up there.

[Tebryn]

I remember somewhere Elan talking about dinosaur rides... and we finally got the payoff in this comic. But where was the original setup?

I don't think it'll be in the running for longest brick joke, but I'm guessing it's up there.

Elan rides a Dino on strip 750. So that's 173 strips. Compare that to the Black Dragon and the Momma Black Dragon...it's pretty short.

[RMS Oceanic]

Well there was also speculating back in the 690's that dinosaurs would have to be involved to access Girard's gate. Although that was more about becoming one. Funny, at the time I thought Elan may have to be polymorphed into one to help in a later fight. :smallbiggrin:

[Domino Quartz]

Compare that to the Black Dragon and the Momma Black Dragon...it's pretty short.

That wasn't really a joke, though.

[Conte_Vincero]

Surely this is the longest?
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0008.html

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0807.html

[Killer Angel]

I remember somewhere Elan talking about dinosaur rides... and we finally got the payoff in this comic. But where was the original setup?

I don't think it'll be in the running for longest brick joke, but I'm guessing it's up there.

There was a hint here (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0726.html).

[Gorm_the_DBA]

Surely this is the longest?
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0008.html

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0807.html

I'm not seeing the connection here....can you elaborate?

[Grey Watcher]

I'm not seeing the connection here....can you elaborate?

In #8, Haley stole a healing potion from Belkar, and in #807 Belkar stole a healing potion from Haley.

[Tiiba]

That's a bit of a stretch, isn't it?

[nohamotyo]

Off the top of my head, the longest brick joke to date is Vaarsuvius being half-camel. #87 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0087.html) to #683 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0683.html).

[Chronos]

The lime-green boots of speed had a pretty long run, too, but there were a couple of callbacks to them in between.

[Reddish Mage]

Off the top of my head, the longest brick joke to date is Vaarsuvius being half-camel. #87 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0087.html) to #683 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0683.html).

I think the half-camel comment would qualify as a brick joke. I don't think Elan's comment about dinosaur riding being awesome is a joke (he didn't even say so on the panels provided), it is merely a reference to something he did.

I don't think Belkar's potion swiping counts either (swiping a healing potion from Haley is not a joke either).

The dragon incident is definitely not a joke, its important to the main continuity of the comic!

[ORione]

This (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0090.html) one (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0766.html) had a longer gap.

[Reddish Mage]

This (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0090.html) one (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0766.html) had a longer gap.

Yep that was a longer brick. Though I admire the half-camel one for the fact that the reference to a particular previous comic strip was not so in-your-face.

[JBiddles]

I think the longest brick joke is this (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0065.html) one. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0789.html)

[Psyren]

The longest will be when the Order pose for their splash panel alongside Xykon's remains, the remnants of the Snarl and Belkar's ghost.

[Reddish Mage]

I think the longest brick joke is this (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0065.html) one. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0789.html)

I don't think that qualifies a "joke." As defined in tv tropes: A Brick Joke (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BrickJoke)
is a particular type of Chekhov's Gun (or its variants) for which the payoff, but not necessarily the set-up, is a joke.

Note from what I see here, you need a Chekhov's gun. Nothing we really discuss here qualifies as a setup for a joke told later. It comes off more like that incidentally we made a joke earlier, and now we can make a reference to it.

[mouser9169]

I think the longest brick joke is this (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0065.html) one. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0789.html)


It may have been surpassed - I don't know how many years the comic ran for, but I think 8 bit theater still holds the record for longest brick joke with the 'armor of invincibility'.

Although, with four years (or more) left in this comic, there's still hope :mitd:

[ti'esar]

It may have been surpassed - I don't know how many years the comic ran for, but I think 8 bit theater still holds the record for longest brick joke with the 'armor of invincibility'.

Although, with four years (or more) left in this comic, there's still hope :mitd:

8-Bit Theater arguably does have the longest brick joke in webcomic history, but it's in the strip named, well, "Longest Set Up in Webcomic History (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2010/02/20/episode-1221-longest-set-up-in-webcomic-history/)". The armor of invincibility is more like a bookend. Not that this topic was about "longest brick joke EVER" anyway...

And yes, I realize that nitpicking these terms is silly and arbitrary.

[b_jonas]

It's not really a joke, but the following is quite a long set up. In #16 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0016.html), we learn that Durkon really hates the undead. In #871 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0871.html), this becomes a significant plot element, when Durkon refuses any cooperation with Malack when he learns about Malack's condition.

[Gift Jeraff]

Without official words from the author, it is difficult to distinguish between a brick joke and a callback.

EDIT: Whoa, how long have I been a Troll in the Playground? 4 years and 3 months?

[Reddish Mage]

Without official words from the author, it is difficult to distinguish between a brick joke and a callback.

EDIT: Whoa, how long have I been a Troll in the Playground? 4 years and 3 months?

At the risk of feeding the troll :smalltongue: I would say you could be right, but More research tells me the terms "callback" and "brick joke" are hopelessly confused. I was thinking of a brick joke as a special case where the author introduces an element as a set up for a gag down the road. If every callback qualifies it would be highly commonplace.

[rodneyAnonymous]

A brick joke is a joke. Like the punchline is delayed.

A callback is just a reference to something that happened earlier.

[Reddish Mage]

A brick joke is a joke. Like the punchline is delayed.

A callback is just a reference to something that happened earlier.

Exactly. The rules of posting require more characters

[Gnome Alone]

I vote we add Brick Joke to Deus Ex Machina and Chekov's Gun on the List of Consistently Misunderstood Tropes around here.

[AKA_Bait]

I don't think that qualifies a "joke." As defined in tv tropes: A Brick Joke (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BrickJoke)

Note from what I see here, you need a Chekhov's gun. Nothing we really discuss here qualifies as a setup for a joke told later. It comes off more like that incidentally we made a joke earlier, and now we can make a reference to it.

Actually, I think it counts. When I first read 65 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0065.html) my very first thought at that time was literally "but parody is protected speech (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0789.html)"!

[Reddish Mage]

Actually, I think it counts. When I first read 65 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0065.html) my very first thought at that time was literally "but parody is protected speech (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0789.html)"!

I thought the same. In most cases put up here we have a reference to what previously transpired for the sake of the funny. It's only that most of those elements were placed there for in-page jokes. If we get a callback, its a bonus.

In many of these we don't even seem to have a punch-line. From the OP (and this would be a classic brick joke) it sounds as if Elan made a passing reference to dinosaur riding which then pays off here when Elan again mentions dinosaur riding is fun. However Elan didn't make any such mention, but he did ride the dinosaurs with his father.

Still my narrow definition of "brick joke" which requires a setup in an early comic, and a punch-line only occurring in a later comic is something I only get from seeing the examples. Those examples include the joke in the name, where the reader would see a brick thrown and then see it land many pages later. Celia's petrification would be a perfect example of this one. Online, the term is used in broader ways and does sometimes get confused with a callback (which appears to be a very broad term for a reference to something said or displayed previously; perhaps limited to ancillary items that are not crucial to the plot or an individual's character).

[The Extinguisher]

Brick jokes suffer the same problem as checkov's gun, in that everything that's some kind of call back must be one and then must be listed on a website. A good point of reference is that if something was funny the first time you saw it, it's probably not a brick joke.

Checkov's gun does get it worse though, cause the original term isn't even about callbacks, its about conservation of detail.

[Reddish Mage]

Brick jokes suffer the same problem as checkov's gun, in that everything that's some kind of call back must be one and then must be listed on a website. A good point of reference is that if something was funny the first time you saw it, it's probably not a brick joke.

Checkov's gun does get it worse though, cause the original term isn't even about callbacks, its about conservation of detail.

I was thinking a partition could be made between a Chekhov's gun and a callback. Namely, a callback occurs when a reference is made to something that is (and remains after the callback) ancillary to the plot or someone's character (you expect things that are central to the plot or is a part of a character be referred to a lot; I wouldn't give it a name when you refer to Haley's thief abilities, or the Gates). Chekhov's gun is when a seemingly ancillary detail becomes a major part of the plot.

Hence Young Black Dragon's young adult status was a Chekhov's gun (edit: this would be because we expected YBD to never come up again; it is central to YBD's character in retrospect). The reference to V being part camel was a Callback.

[Grey_Wolf_c]

I was thinking a partition could be made between a Chekhov's gun and a callback. Namely, a callback occurs when a reference is made to something that is (and remains after the callback) ancillary to the plot or someone's character (you expect things that are central to the plot or is a part of a character be referred to a lot; I wouldn't give it a name when you refer to Haley's thief abilities, or the Gates). Chekhov's gun is when a seemingly ancillary detail becomes a major part of the plot.

Hence Young Black Dragon's young adult status was a Chekhov's gun (edit: this would be because we expected YBD to never come up again; it is central to YBD's character in retrospect). The reference to V being part camel was a Callback.

Good distinction. I'd simplify it to: Chekhov's gun is, per original intent, plot-building. Callback is world-building.

To elaborate: Chekhov's gun refers to the general stylistic preference of only including details that are relevant to the plot ("if there is a gun on the wal in act 1, it must be fired by act 3"). It applies mostly to theater, where space is a premium (you can't clutter the stage), but in general, it is considered good practice to limit the amount of extraneous detail you add to a plot, so that the reader can absorb it.

A callback, on the other hand, is a way to demonstrate that each segment of a story is not happening in isolation, that the story as a whole is still relevant, and just because it has been 200 pages since X last was mentioned, that doesn't mean that the characters have forgotten. Stylistically, it is the opposite to Chekhov's recommendation, in that it is a detail added to remind of the past, rather than point to the future, and overdone would be contrary to Chekhov's advice.

Grey Wolf

[skim172]

It may have been surpassed - I don't know how many years the comic ran for, but I think 8 bit theater still holds the record for longest brick joke with the 'armor of invincibility'.

Although, with four years (or more) left in this comic, there's still hope :mitd:

The 8-Bit Theater set-up wasn't the Armor of Invincibility - that was more of a running gag that was continually referenced throughout the series. The set-up was way back in Strip 7, in which Black Mage is reading a Nintendo Power Guide, saying "Four White Mages? That'll never work."

And then in Strip 1221, lo and behold, four White Mages defeat the final boss. :smallbiggrin:



A classic brick joke runs something like this:

"A brickbuilder decided to build a house with 99 bricks. But he ended up with exactly one brick left. So he threw that brick UP IN THE AIR!!!!!"

"A man complained about a woman's dog on a plane. She complained about his cigarette. So they agreed - he'd throw his cigarette out of the plane if she threw out her dog. At the count of three, they opened the door - she threw out her dog and he threw out her cigarette. But she pulled the dog back in using her leash! AND HE HAD A BRICK IN HIS MOUTH!!!!!"

I've simplified it, but you get the gist. The idea is that there are two seemingly unrelated jokes - the first leaves you without a punchline (or a sucky punchline) that is, unexpectedly and almost randomly, referenced in the punchline of the second.

It tends to work best in standup comedy routines. "How you all doing tonight! So the other day, I kicked a kitten off a bridge. Moving on..."
Fifteen minutes later, at the end of the routine - "And so now my mother-in-law is naked at the beach, sitting on a cactus, AND THEN MY KITTEN LANDS ON HER! GOOD NIGHT, CLEVELAND!"

The importance here is that (a) it's a punchline that stretches across two seemingly unrelated jokes, and (b) there is no context for the punchline in the second without having been referred to in the first. The randomness of the callback is a major part of the humor.

So, no, the "dinosaur ride" line isn't a brick joke. It's just a callback to a memorable moment earlier in the story. (Personally, I think most brick jokes are kinda stupid, since it's really just non sequitur humor with a setup.) :smallannoyed:


Chekhov's Gun is less about a callback and more about foreshadowing. The perspective is actually the exact opposite of a callback - a callback looks back to an earlier moment, while a Chekhov's Gun is deliberately planted looking forward to a later point in the plot.

When two characters in a cop drama have a serious conversation about how much they love salmon, the audience expects that this will become important later because of how much attention is paid to it. And they're vindicated when one of the characters is later revealed to be a bear in disguise. That's Chekhov's Gun - every element of the narrative must be plot-relevant somehow.


A callback goes, "Hey, remember this?"
Chekhov's Gun goes, "This will become important later."
A brick joke goes, "Hey. Banana! ......
......................................
......................................
......................................
......................................
......................................
......................................
......................................
......................................

..... BANANA AGAIN! HAHAHA!"

[Bulldog Psion]

Have there been any brick jokes in the comic, given the actual definition thereof?

[Cerlis]

That's a bit of a stretch, isn't it?

except he is directly referencing it.

Unless you mean the dinosaur one.

[Reddish Mage]

Have there been any brick jokes in the comic, given the actual definition thereof?

Given the restricted definition we are using (there must be a set-up with a punch-line only occurring in a later comic) I can only think of one brick joke Celia's: petrification and falling:

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0053.html
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0069.html

[Reddish Mage]

A callback goes, "Hey, remember this?"
Chekhov's Gun goes, "This will become important later."
A brick joke goes, "Hey. Banana! ......
......................................
......................................
......................................
......................................
......................................
......................................
......................................
......................................

..... BANANA AGAIN! HAHAHA!"

Chekhov's Gun elements are about foreshadowing, but it is worth mentioning that they are not necessarily obvious bits of foreshadowing. It can be a fairly innocuous looking bit of background, perhaps mentioned in passing. What makes it important is the role the Chekhov's Gun plays later in the story.