View Full Version : Its the little things that make the difference...
Lucid_Archon
2007-01-13, 12:57 AM
Erfworld has a lot of little sight gags and goodies hidden in its pages, and you be missing out if you overlooked them. So here is a far from coprehensive list of visual gags.
Issue 2, Panel 1: Lord Manpower's breastplate has a large bulleye on it.
Issue 2, Panel 1:Lord Manpower the Temporary is a reference to Manpower Professional - a professional temporary service company.
Issue 2, Panel 6: The arrow has penetrated all the way through Manpower's head. It is poking through the other side.
Issue 3, Panel 2: Lord Manpower now sports an eyepatch, and an unhealthy green complextion.
Issue 4, Panel 2: Wanda makes the sound effect 'balk', which is exactly what she does in the next panel.
Issue 4, Panel 6: Stanley's desk, throne, and guest chair are all hideous faces.
Issue 5, Panel 7: The doorway to Stanley's throneroom is also a face.
Issue 4, Panel 10: The Arkenhammer looks much like a child's toy rattle.
Issue 5, Panel 2: The nut coos when swept off the desk.
Issue 7, Panel 3: Ansom's tent bears a strong resemblance to a radish. There is also a radish on his breastplate.
Issue 8, Panel 10: That is a spork. Not that Jillian would use it...
Issue 10, Panel 9: The command word "Hoffa" seems to be a reference to Jimmy Hoffa.
Issue 10, Panel 11:The command word is "Livingston" appears to be a reference Dr. David Livingston.
Issue 11, Panel 1: The magical Kingdom's colors expand onto the sea around them.
Issue 13, Panel 1: Sizemore stands in a circle of light in the otherwise dark forest.
Issue 13, Panel 5: There is a mexican wrestler in front of the blue portal.
Issue 13, Panel 8: The area in front of the portal looks like the teleporter from Star Trek.
Issue 14, Panel 1-3: There is a poster of Hamstard on the wall. Neat.
Issue 14, Panel 4: The song playing in Parson's car is "Re: Your Brains" by Jonathan Coulton.
Issue 14, Panel 4: "Jesus saves, he takes half damage." says the bumper sticker on Parson's car.
Issue 14, Panel 5: The check engine light is on.
Issue 14, Panel 5: Parson has one of those calculator watches. Nifty.
Issue 14, Panel 6: Parson is reading an issue of Dragon magazine.
Issue 14, Panel 6: Parson is wearing a Kinko's shirt across from Kinko's
Issue 14, Panel 7: Parson's room contains the following interesting items:
A PS2, with two controlers.
An object that looks like a Nintendo Wii, but is not.
A Hamstard poster
The hex grid for his strategy game.
A large circular stain
A Dunny
A bust of a ZakuIssue 15, Panel 5: The yarmulke worn by the guy with the grey shirt and glasses is the bloodied smiley face from Watchmen. It is much easier to see in the next issue.
Issue 15, Panel 7: The second guy from the right bears a striking resemblance to "Applegeeks" character Hawk.
Issue 15, Panel 8: Parson's eyebrows are set indentically to Hamstard's.
Issue 17, Panel 1: The scene is a referance to the movie Tron.
Issue 17, Panel 8: The command word, "Scruby" seems to be refering to Jack Scruby (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Scruby).
Issue 17, Panel 9: The 'plot' sound effect is styled in the fashion of the movie Tron.
Issue 18, Panel 4: Parson speaks with a different text than the erfworlders.
Issue 21, Panel 9: The Eager elves are almost exact duplicates of Link, for the Legend of Zelda series.
Issue 22, Panel 1: The creature on the ground is in fact a literal battering ram. A ram (male goat) used for battering.
Please note that I am aware this is almost completely pointless, and that I have made glaring mistakes, in grammar, spelling, and content. Feel free to state anything I missed, misspelled, or was mistaken about.
The_Old_Fox
2007-01-13, 04:24 AM
nice list, it shows you, have attention to detail as well as the comic artist.
It is stuff like this that makes me like this comic more and more.
Issue 4, Panel 6: Stanley's desk, throne, and guest chair are all hideous faces.Now that is well spotted. Erfworld is certainly a webcomic that rewards numerous reads.
Maurog
2007-01-13, 09:31 AM
Parson's room does not contain A Nintendo Wii.
Xaspian
2007-01-13, 09:49 AM
It really does...
Madalin
2007-01-13, 10:23 AM
I believe the artist has stated that is not a wii. I may be remembering wrong though.
Xaspian
2007-01-13, 10:43 AM
I can see what I assume is a PS2. But is that white blob a Wii?
Indeed and indeed!
Erm, wish I had noticed that. If it is, we've got a continuity problem. :smallredface:
Ah poop! I mean, Wii? What Wii? I see no Wii here!
That's how it went. So it was probably originally intended to be a Wii, but now is and undefined blob/console with some wii-like qualities. But definately not a wii in the slightest.
Heh, to be totally truthful, it was a Wii. But that wouldn't fit with the timeline we're working with so it's not a Wii. When we got to publish the thing in dead tree form, I'll probably make it magically disappear and replace it with something.
SmartAlec
2007-01-13, 02:34 PM
A couple more 'little things':
The Arkenhammer (most clearly seen, page 4, panel 10) does look rather like a baby's soft hammer for hammering coloured shaped bricks through identically-shaped holes.
Page 4, panel 2, the effects of Wanda's walking are 'walk, walk, walk, balk' - to balk is to 'to stop, as at an obstacle, and refuse to proceed or to do something specified', which is exactly what Wanda does.
The 'radish' seems to be something of a symbol - it's on Ansom's chest, Sir Webinar's chest and the chest of a cloth golem (page 10, panel 13)
Lucid_Archon
2007-01-13, 06:54 PM
Added SmartAlec's suggestions and changed the text regarding the Wii. Thanks for the input, everybody!
I haven't seen any others, yet... not all of these are easter eggs of course; the Kinko's shirt, I assume, is there to show he works at Kinko's. That would certainly be a job that felt like an endless training video.
I have a squeaky hammer toy exactly like the Arkenhammer. I use it in my classes (I'm an English as a Second Language teacher) for games. Luckily I don't hit my students with it; presumably I would have converted 20% of them to pigeons by now. The wrinkles are there so that when you smack something it accordions in, pushing air through a whistle so it makes a squeaky toy sound.
Also, I notice that one view of Parson's room - the one facing inward from the door towards the game consoles - shows a messy disaster area (e16p4) while the other side (e16p10) is totally empty, and not even all that dirty (well, we can't see the floor, but the walls are not too bad). It gives an interesting artistic effect: when Parson vanishes from the room we get a sudden extremely empty view of the room. He really filled it up, both physically and mentally.
Clearly the guy doesn't care about anything in the room but the console-corner.
Estelindis
2007-01-15, 07:29 PM
Never noticed the radish thing before. Good spotting! The little details really make this comic stand out. :smallsmile:
5tephen
2007-01-15, 10:25 PM
Wow! Thanks for all these!
Vaniel
2007-01-15, 11:40 PM
Probably everyone was noticed this
Issue 12: Panel four
OMGWTFBBQ: Oh my God What the **** BBQ :D
SmartAlec
2007-01-16, 01:22 AM
Another one I spotted -
Comic 2, Panels 3 and 4. Lord Manpower the Temporary's chest insignia is, quite clearly, a bullseye.
No wonder someone shot him.
And not really a sight gag but a detail that only just 'clicked' for me now: The thing on page 2 panel 7 and the scenery on page 3, panel 3 - it's the mountain on Parson's game map, clealry seen on page 16, panel 6.
I knew that was gobwin's knob but i hadn't gone through to see if there was a good from-erfworld view of it yet. Good spotting Alec
xv bones
2007-01-16, 02:02 AM
Issue 15, Panel 5: The hat worn by the guy with the grey shirt and glasses is the bloodied smiley face from Watchmen. It is much easier to see in the next issue.
That's not precisely a hat, it's a yarmulke, which makes it even more infinitely badass.
I wish I had a Comedian Smiley Face yarmulke back when I was a kid.
Mr Wizard
2007-01-16, 03:55 PM
Very Little thing:
In the last panel of this comic (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/erf0015.html) Parson and Hamstards eyebrows are set the exact same way, enhancing his resemblence to the hamster.
Compare his face to the one in the background or the one on his shirt.
Rolaran
2007-01-16, 04:35 PM
A couple more...
Page 14: The song playing in Parson's car is "Re: Your Brains" by Jonathan Coulton.
Page 15: The second guy from the right bears a striking resemblance to "Applegeeks" character Hawk, who is himself an in-comic representation of artist Mohammed Haque (same bandana and skintone).
penguinreich
2007-01-16, 04:47 PM
alot of things in the game are toys or households things. Examples
The martbits in comic one are latter revelaed to be the marshmellows from lucky charms
The gwiffon is a peep, it loses it's head the same way the one parson eats does.
Weibinars troops in page 10 are all stuffed animals, one might be a sock puppet.
chionophile
2007-01-16, 04:56 PM
Actually, four of Webby's troops in that panel are stuffed (the two bears, the giraffe and the elephant - cloth golems), two are made of glass (the unicorn and the cat - the tcochtkes), and one is a sourmander which I am assuming is flesh and blood.
TheAnimal
2007-01-16, 05:21 PM
Very Little thing:
In the last panel of this comic (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/erf0015.html) Parson and Hamstards eyebrows are set the exact same way, enhancing his resemblence to the hamster.
Compare his face to the one in the background or the one on his shirt.
Long live Hamstard the Warlord! ::smallbiggrin:
Got to love these little visual gags. There sure is a lot of fun in this comic - if you keep an eye out for it. :smallsmile:
Lucid_Archon
2007-01-16, 10:10 PM
Added in the 17th page, a few things there. Also added in everything that you guys caught. There is an amazing amount of support for this list.:smallbiggrin:
Page 14: The song playing in Parson's car is "Re: Your Brains" by Jonathan Coulton.
Page 15: The second guy from the right bears a striking resemblance to "Applegeeks" character Hawk, who is himself an in-comic representation of artist Mohammed Haque (same bandana and skintone).
Very Little thing:
In the last panel of this comic (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/erf0015.html) Parson and Hamstards eyebrows are set the exact same way, enhancing his resemblence to the hamster.
Compare his face to the one in the background or the one on his shirt.
Wow, nice catches, both of you. Added 'em in.
That's not precisely a hat, it's a yarmulke, which makes it even more infinitely badass.
I wish I had a Comedian Smiley Face yarmulke back when I was a kid.
Thanks, couldn't spell yarmulke. :smallsmile:
Mr Wizard
2007-01-17, 03:08 AM
I only noticed this when the frame was blown up:
In this blow up frame from episode 14 (http://www.partiallyclips.com/erfworld/blowups/BLOWUP_apartment_1200.jpg) You can see a poster on the wall of a woman wearing something that looks a lot like Jillian's costume. She also seems to be on something serpentine, possibly a dragon. I have no clue where this poster comes from. Anyone have any ideas?
charles
2007-01-17, 06:32 AM
It's a poster Jami did some time ago. Here:
http://www.jamihn.com/artdump/displayimage.php?album=lastup&cat=4&pos=4
Cloud Watching "Audrey and Fahlc check out some clouds. WHEEE!"
"This piece was accepted into the 13th Annual IC Exhibition in Washington, D.C."
BTW: love your new avatar/symbol Mr Wizard
Scatha
2007-01-17, 07:43 AM
The little extinct volcano on Parson's game board resembles Lord Stanley's headquarters a lot.
I got another one. The "magic kingdom", with it's different colored zones and castle in the middle, Greatly resemble Dinay's "Magic kingdom" theme park in Florida.
Also when Wanda and Stanley are talking with the books, Stanley is using AOL speak, as the books simuate the famed Instant Messenger
Oh and Hamstard.com really exists. No wonder nobody looks at it, though. It's bad.
InaVegt
2007-01-17, 03:06 PM
Not to mention it's way newer than the dates imply, it's made in late 2006. (I'm talking about hamstard.com)
Mr Wizard
2007-01-17, 04:25 PM
It's a poster Jami did some time ago. Here:
http://www.jamihn.com/artdump/displayimage.php?album=lastup&cat=4&pos=4
Cloud Watching "Audrey and Fahlc check out some clouds. WHEEE!"
"This piece was accepted into the 13th Annual IC Exhibition in Washington, D.C."
BTW: love your new avatar/symbol Mr Wizard
Thanks, for both the explanation and compliment.:smallwink:
Tephlon
2007-01-18, 08:40 AM
Issue 14 panel 7/Issue 16 panel 4 : The red and white bunny on the bookcase is called a "Dunny" and is a so called "Designer Toy".
http://www.tokyotoystore.co.uk/designer-toys/vinyl/dunny-8-inch/cat_30.html
One "little thing that would make a difference" would be to have a page where you can see the latest comic. Like http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/GiantITP/ootscript for the Order of the Stick.
But maybe that's just me.
Sereno
2007-01-18, 09:08 AM
I haven't seen any others, yet... not all of these are easter eggs of course; the Kinko's shirt, I assume, is there to show he works at Kinko's. That would certainly be a job that felt like an endless training video.
That's not a Kinko's T-shirt Parson's wearing ... it's an apron. You can just barely see the shoulder straps on either side of the Dragon magazine he's reading.
He definitely works at Kinko's. His T-shirt is more of a cyan-blue, you can see the sleeves....
Issue 14 panel 7/Issue 16 panel 4 : The red and white bunny on the bookcase is called a "Dunny" and is a so called "Designer Toy".
http://www.tokyotoystore.co.uk/designer-toys/vinyl/dunny-8-inch/cat_30.html
Yessir! They're made by Kidrobot (http://www.kidrobot.com) and I absolutely love them. I have a small collection of them. Someday, I hope to be able to design a few toys for Kidrobot and other designer toy (or "urban vinyl") companies.
Radar
2007-01-18, 11:49 AM
One more rather obvious thing:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O_RLY%3F
One more: On the first panel of the first page there already is a dwagon flying - it is a really ancient race.
TinSoldier
2007-01-18, 05:30 PM
I just noticed in panel 6 of page 2 you can see the arrowhead sticking out of the back of Manpower's head. Meaning that it went all the way through.
Wow. How did I miss that before?
Xaspian
2007-01-18, 05:53 PM
New one - Someone in the discussion thread pointed out that Parson speaks in a slightly different font to the Erfworlders. At least in 18 he does...
pclips
2007-01-18, 06:04 PM
New one - Someone in the discussion thread pointed out that Parson speaks in a slightly different font to the Erfworlders. At least in 18 he does...
Yeah, and it's a pain in the boop to letter. :smallfrown:
PlugNPlay
2007-01-18, 09:33 PM
I'm enjoying this thread, thanks LA and everyone.
Need a new font, pclips? Don't you be delaying our Erfworld or there will be a ravenous crowd. Wavenous?
Lucid_Archon
2007-01-19, 12:27 AM
Issue 14, Panel 7, next to the Dunny.
I believe that is a zaku, but I don't know much about Gundam...:smallredface:
Also, in issue 14, panel 6, the door is a face. But I recognize that face from somewhere. I just can't place it at the moment.
Sky_Schemer
2007-01-19, 08:23 PM
Issue 2, panel 10: Stanley mis-spelled "somebody" as "smoebody"
pclips
2007-01-20, 06:39 PM
Need a new font, pclips? Don't you be delaying our Erfworld or there will be a ravenous crowd. Wavenous?
No, my problem is lettering with two different speech fonts on the same page, and their corresponding balloon templates. It was my idea, and when The Giant independently came up with the same suggestion, I decided to go for it. I'll probably regret it for years. *shrug*
teratorn
2007-01-20, 06:46 PM
I'll probably regret it for years. *shrug*
Years? Good news! Wasn't Erfworld supposed to finish sooner than that?
Darth Paradox
2007-01-23, 01:37 PM
Remember that this is "Erfworld: the Battle for Gobwin Knob". I seriously doubt that this'll be the last story told in Erfworld.
Issue 14, Panel 7, next to the Dunny.
I believe that is a zaku, but I don't know much about Gundam...:smallredface:
Also, in issue 14, panel 6, the door is a face. But I recognize that face from somewhere. I just can't place it at the moment.
Yup, it's a Zaku head!
pclips
2007-01-23, 02:02 PM
Years? Good news! Wasn't Erfworld supposed to finish sooner than that?
This story we're telling has a definite ending; we're aiming for Summer. The future of Erfworld after that has yet to be determined. Fan response has been pretty good, so I think that it is highly likely we will see more of Erfworld after that.
What form Erfworld would take after The Battle for Gobwin Knob has been completed is an open question. It could be a simple continuation of the comic here at GiantITP. But it could be a lot of other things, too. I can't comment on the likelihood of any given approach. Right now all we're promising is that we'll tell a whole story, and have a full-color graphic novel for purchase shortly after the story wraps up.
TheAnimal
2007-01-25, 02:41 AM
This story we're telling has a definite ending; we're aiming for Summer. The future of Erfworld after that has yet to be determined. Fan response has been pretty good, so I think that it is highly likely we will see more of Erfworld after that.
Yay, more Erfworld! :smallcool:
Daraken
2007-01-25, 02:42 AM
Hmm, I don't know if I'm seeing things but...
In page 7, panels 1-2 show the sun to be fairly high.
But after Prince Ansom orders the end of the turn, the sky grows dark, turning fairly quickly to dusk, as seen in panels 5-6. And once Jillian ends her turn, the sun sets almost immediately in panel 7. (But, to be fair, some time could have passed between panel 6 and 7)
Also, note the position of the shadows throughout the page. It might just be the clouds though...
First time post! :smallbiggrin:
Paul_Blue
2007-01-25, 07:56 AM
Page 14, panel 1, the lyric is from the song Loser, by artist Beck.
I also love the fact that Parson drinks a high energy drink the first thing in the morning!
Great list!
Xaspian
2007-01-25, 08:19 AM
Umm... First thing in the morning... At 5:18 PM...
Paul_Blue
2007-01-25, 08:37 AM
He he, I did not spot that.
Again, it's the little things...
Dr. Simon
2007-02-01, 09:19 AM
I've just been re-reading the strip from the start again, and noticed something that hadn't popped out before. In Part 17, when Stanley is listing the attributes that the ideal warlord should have, yeah there's the obvious ones like the eating marbits for breakfast, but he also mentions that the warlord should find everything "familiar and safe".
That would explain why many of the Erfworld "monsters" are more like soft toys, ornaments and other cultural references (in a backwards fashion). Whilst an Erfworlder might fear a mighty Cloth Golem, Parson would just see a Care Bear.
Xaspian
2007-02-02, 07:18 AM
Page 21 - the Eager Elf in the last panel is a Link-look-alike, complete with Master Sword.
Also, both the Arkentools we've seen so far (Hammer and Plier) are in nice, otherworldly 3d~ish-ness.
Heliomance
2007-02-02, 08:00 AM
Another one I spotted -
Comic 2, Panels 3 and 4. Lord Manpower the Temporary's chest insignia is, quite clearly, a bullseye.
No wonder someone shot him.
And not really a sight gag but a detail that only just 'clicked' for me now: The thing on page 2 panel 7 and the scenery on page 3, panel 3 - it's the mountain on Parson's game map, clealry seen on page 16, panel 6.
I think that kinda shoots down the idea that Erfworld isn't Parson's game. It ain't a computer game people, it's a turn-based pencil and paper.
Andiamo
2007-02-02, 10:40 AM
The song playing that wakes Parson up is Loser by Beck.
Hilary Moon Murphy
2007-02-02, 02:53 PM
http://www.sff.net/people/hmm/images/clapping.gif
I love this thread. Thanks to all who are compiling it, because it only enhances my enjoyment of this comic.
Hmm
i couldn't find it anywhere so here's another little thing...
Nr. 5, panel 2: the cracked nut makes the same sound ("Coo!!") as the pigeons in Nr. 4, even though it didn't turn into one.
mixmastermind
2007-02-05, 10:24 PM
One of the animals on page ten, panel 13, one of the animals (looks like a cat) seems to be either invisible or made of bubbles.
On page 10, panel 9, the magic word to send the information is "Hoffa", which could be a reference to Jimmy Hoffa, a Union leader who dissapeared in the mid-70s. Dissapearing scroll=Dissapearing person.
The reply magic word is "Livingston", perhaps a reference Dr. David Livingston, who was found after completely losing contact to the outside world in Africa by Henry Morton Stanley, which rose the popular quote "Dr. Livingston I presume?" Found Scroll=Found Person
The spell Wanda holds in page 13, panel 6 looks alot like a battery.
There seems to be an Apple Corporation logo on Page 14, panel 6.
Girls Gone Feral on Page 14, panel 8 is a pun on Girls Gone Wild.
The peeps featured on Page 15 resemble the birds flown by Jillian (Obvious, but still.)
On Page 18, panel 6, there's some funky-lookin' thing behind Wanda and Stanley. Can't make out what it is.
The Eager elves on Page 21, panel 9 are basically exact copies of Link from The Legend of Zelda.
The creature on page 22, panel 1, is in fact a literal battering ram. A ram (male goat) used for battering.
chionophile
2007-02-05, 11:04 PM
One of the animals on page ten, panel 13, one of the animals (looks like a cat) seems to be either invisible or made of bubbles.
two are made of glass (the unicorn and the cat - the tcochtkes)
Most of the stuff you posted has been brought up in multiple threads before. Surprised no one put that stuff here when it happened.
And that thing behind Stanley and Wanda on page 18 is the door. It's shaped something like an angry face. A lot of Stanley's stuff is shaped like faces.
Azukar
2007-02-05, 11:26 PM
So... I'm guessing nobody here has a problem with a thread that literally explains all of the gags in the strip?
bdh5533
2007-02-05, 11:54 PM
Issue 4, Panel 6: Stanley's desk, throne, and guest chair are all hideous faces.
also in the next panel you can see that the opening to lord stanley's lair is also indeed a face.
:D good list.
bdh5533
2007-02-05, 11:55 PM
Issue 4, Panel 6: Stanley's desk, throne, and guest chair are all hideous faces.
also in the next panel you can see that the opening to lord stanley's lair is also indeed a face.
also "lord manpower the temporary" is a reference to manpower professional - a professional temporary service company
:D good list.
charles
2007-02-06, 08:46 AM
Comic 13 Panel 8
The tower that Wanda must cast the spell in is called
"Efdup"
translation: sounded out it is "f*cked up"
Radar
2007-02-07, 11:03 AM
Page 23 panel 8:
Stanley has a small podium (or pedestal - whatever the name of this thing with stairs is) to look down on his city from the tower.
One Skunk Todd
2007-02-08, 09:49 AM
I could be wrong but I think the cooing on page 5 panel 2 is from the pigeon he swept off his desk along with the broken shells.
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