OOTS #313 - The Discussion Thread

[The Giant]

Dedicated to everyone who thinks my strips have gotten too wordy.

[aegron]

Very nice! I really like Roys reaction ;)


Woot first! (Couldn't resist ;) )

[nirha]

!

[Swashbuckler]

Awesome, awesome, awesome!

Loved the second-to-last panel ... Roy is a happy man!! :D

[mack962289]

what a great comic. no word just right.

I also loved the second to last frame.

Woot...1st page.

[Silmarwen]

Dedicated to everyone who thinks my strips have gotten too wordy.

HA! :D

This situation is so cute :)

[Shlik]

Classy

[benuneko]

I'm happy for Roy, which really isn't necessary, because he's happy enough for himself. Woo hoo!

[Arian]

That's really, really nice. :-)

[SabreGuy]

Hooray for Roy having a good date!

lol, that reminds me of my first date with my fiancée. :D

though... when this comes crashing down... and it always does in these cases... it's gonna hurt THAT much worse. Ah well, this is why we love this comic.

[Sleffie]

Did anyone else think Roy was shouting: "I AM MAN! HEAR ME ROAR!" when he stood on the table?

[Vaniel]

Niceee

first page!

[Downtown]

I dont get it. What is the Roy happy about, dating Ceclia or seeing the waiter?

Until I saw the food on the table I thought he was happy just to get his food.

[Zargon]

So time to make guesses what stories he is telling her in the 3rd & 4th panel?
Finally Roy gets a decent date! (The origins showed that it didn't go so well before...)
Early comic! me happy!

[Grom]

Yay! First post, first page!

[Jonathan327]

Yay happy Roy.

[Dalcassius]

I saw the second last panel, Queen started playing in my head and I bust out laughing. Got more than a few glances from co-workers.

[KayJay]

Yay new strip- and I only just missed the first page :)

Edit: that was great; left me with a smile on my face :) A picture really is worth 1000 words ;)

And lol her dress is very transparent- that's quite obscene actually :)

[SabreGuy]

I hate to be the one to point this out... but the lower half of Celia's dress is transparent. :o

I must have looked at it 6 times wondering why she was now wearing a one-piece bathing suit, compared to that cool dress she had on before.

[Xiander]

I really like this one, i am espesially impressed with the way it is so extreemely telling, without any words :)

[Lo_aJeNo]

good strip.
Check Celia's dress, the skirt is transparent

[Sarahphina]

Very Nice. I love to see charaters happy.

[Arian]

Did anyone else think Roy was shouting: "I AM MAN! HEAR ME ROAR!" when he stood on the table?

No, no, no, anyone can see it's "wa-HOOOOO!" :D

[The Giant]

I hate to be the one to point this out... but the lower half of Celia's dress is transparent. :o

I must have looked at it 6 times wondering why she was now wearing a one-piece bathing suit, compared to that cool dress she had on before.


Fixed now. I noticed it as soon as I posted it, it just takes a few minutes to fix..

[Sleffie]

Yay! First post, first page!

Truly your life is now complete! *applaud*

You, sir, are my hero.



Ah, I was wondering why her dress was suddenly shorter... but I see it just got fixed. She looked a bit weird.

[The_GoldFish]

Great strip

And nice save ;)

However did Celia in a bathing suit end up there? What was the Giant thinking? >_> ::)

Oh well, all fixed now, heh...

[Lasombra]

damn :P did you have to fix it?

hehe

[Dark_Stalion]

good strip.
Check Celia's dress, the skirt is transparent
Hmm, oot's striptease. Not realy the immage that Giant's going for. I really loved the strip today. The expresion on the forground couples faces was wonderfull, but I didn't notice it untill the second time through.

Go Giant, go giant, go giant!

[Gary_Howard]

Aww - the candle effect is beautiful.

[GeekLordAragorn12]

I loved that one! It describes how everyone feels when they like someone alot. :)

[HOO]

Perhaps he was shouting "I'm the happiest core class in the book!" or sth like that.

It's fantastique - the quick change of scenery/pose and mimic of the characters. I always knew your style kicks ass but this was the ultimate prove (not that I ever needed one^^)


EDIT: yay! 1st on page 3 (my best result so far although I don't give a ~ about it)

[amorax_kaka]

SECOND PAGE!! SO CLOSE!! on the comic: I don't get it, what was Roy doing on that table?

EDIT: wha...what? no second page? FOURTH PAGE!! ARRRGGGHHH!! >:(

[Sparhawk]

Very nice. So are we back to Elan and Hayley next strip?

So long to get any closure :p

[Wntrrvn]

Must...have...insulin...

Comic...too...cute...

Going...into...sugar shock...

But hey, way to go Roy. You da man.

[Taren]

D'awwww....

Darn it, just when I thought these Roy/Celia strips couldn't get any cuter... this one forces me to make a fort check to avoid choking.

Eh, good to know that Roy's having fun. Still, I'd wonder how his dad would react to his dating a non-human. Not that I particularly think Roy'd care.

*Imagines Roy's Dad shouting "I WAS YOUR AGE ONCE! I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE UP TO!" and chuckles.*

[sniffles]

Rich, you're amazing.

Best comic ever. Made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. :)

[Ma3lstr0m]

Uhh... was the only one who thought at first that Roy was shouting "Yeeey, she's gone!"? It took me a while to realise that it's spontainous outburst of manly happienes ;D

Good strip, although still a bit to wordy for my tastes ;)

[RebelRogue]

How very cute :)

I also love the way the expressions on the faces of the people in the foreground changes ;D

[Supagoof]

Beautiful. Too wordy, not a chance, but it is most enjoyable to see a strip convey so much feeling with no words spoken. Fantastic.

[mdsoze]

I know the feeling.

Yay for Roy. Now, if he can just survive meeting Celia's mom, we're in business.

[Jacklu]

I think Roy spilt hot soup on his lap...

[Matuse]

At last The Giant's deceit and falsehood and trickseyness is unveiled. The comics haven't been getting later and later of...err..late... due to making 3 a week or conventions or hand injuries or 18th century hotels, or anything else..


It's all the dialogue he has to write.

[chibibar]

oh man.. now I'm wondering what were they talking about :) of course I can insert my own words but..... it just not the same :)

still cool stuff.

[Eva_of_Sirrion]

Roy goes Tom Cruise, jumping the table instead of the couch. Don't lose it on us Roy!

[a1057soul]

Dedicated to everyone who thinks my strips have gotten too wordy.

Strangely enough, I find myself at a loss for words as well. Excellent Giant! You make us jump with Roy!

:D
Dan

[Aiani]

That was awesome. Even with no words it was pretty expressive. How cute that Roy and Celia are having such a great first date. I think my favorite panel is the one with Roy waving his arms around. That must be some great story he's telling.

[shakes019]

I thought he was shouting "I'm the king of the world!"

Also, it appears that Roy has both good charisma AND wisdom, to be able to hold that in until she wasn't around.

[Stalan]

Very nicely done. Although I don't mind the "wordy" ones either...

And what's up with the two people in the foreground? They look a) disappointed, b) perturbed, or c) confused.

[Vaarsuvius_Prime]

Unwordy Classic!

[The Glyphstone]

Nice change...no words.

I'm personally rather confused...why exactly is Roy standing on the table?

Oh, and FOURTH PAGE.

[Wren]

He was shouting in joy because the server brought him some more food.

[Albion]

Cute. Which was surely the intention. Thank you, goodbye. :)

(stupid comment removed.)

[a1057soul]

Did anyone else think Roy was shouting: "I AM MAN! HEAR ME ROAR!" when he stood on the table?

I laughed out loud at that one. I love that commercial. And Roy would appreciat the comment I think...

;)
Dan

(and to eliminate 3 pages of "what's he talking aout?", here's a link to the Commercial (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1tpZFymL5o&search=man%20burger%20king) we're referring to.)

[UtherSRG]

He was shouting in joy because the server brought him some more food.

Nope... because he realized he has an ever-full glass of wine.

[thornir]

Very nicely done. Although I don't mind the "wordy" ones either...

And what's up with the two people in the foreground? They look a) disappointed, b) perturbed, or c) confused.

Looks to me like their own date was going well, then hit a rough spot. After Roy shouted out his enthusiasm they both realized their date just couldn't compare.

[Stalan]

Looks to me like their own date was going well, then hit a rough spot. After Roy shouted out his enthusiasm they both realized their date just couldn't compare.


Yep, that's what I thought too! Roy has one-upped their dating experience...

[aurickandrien]

Oooh... I love it. I love it so much. ;D

[Kanashimi]

wow. you have no idea how much this reminds me of my first date with my husband. endless laughter at each others stories.

Very well stick-animated love, Giant!

And wow, lots of art there!

I absolutely love the single tear, and can hear him shouting "I'm in LOVE!" while standing on the chair.

[Terrafire]

O_O I must be too young to get that one.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Thats definetely a strip that needs gone over several times to appreciate. My first go over was 'Err... oooookay...'. Second time round I snickered as imagined what Roy was shouting. Third time I noticed the raised eyebrows of the patrons and finally laughed ;)

[Peptuck]

The expression on the waiter's face was absolutely priceless.

[Elurindel]

Roy's gonna get some :P
Or, actually, they'll probably be about to get some, and then the moment will be ruined ;D

[Sabishii_Kouen]

This comic impressed me, I liked it. Roy's going to be a very happy man when this night is over, baring any runs of bad luck. He deserves to be happy for once.

[U2QueenBee]

Aww, how sweet!

Now to sit back and wait for the Lilly-squeeing to commence... ;)

[Dementist]

Great new comic, Giant.

You can practically see the cogs and gears working in Roy's mind as the panels progress. He takes a sip of wine while Celia's away, idly thinking that he's having a great time with her. Then, it suddenly hits him that he's having such a great time with an absolutely gorgeous date. Next panel: WOOHOO!!

[Deuce]

Unk, barbarian like strip with not so much talky stuff. Can read and not get all head-hurty!

[Frito_Butterbuns]

Run Roy! Run for the hills! Grab your gear and skedaddle.

[Maelstrom]

Yawn....

[rat_bastard]

Well, THat was amusing.

just wondering, since the dialoge probably keep you up all night, is there any chance for three strips this week? ;)

That said you bring happieness to thousands of people at least twice a week for free, take as much time as you need to do your important day job.

[terrainmonkey]

aww, roy's fallin in love. hoody hoo! Yay for roy!

now, can we see haley kiss the guy next time alread?!!

[DwaggieBard]

Wouldn't it be funny if it turned out that the restraunt was under a silence spell, and so they were having to mime everything?

:D

[Sc00by]

Wow, Charlie Chaplin eat your heart out! ;)

Very nice. Looks like the couple in the foreground's date isn't going quite so well though...

[Behold_the_Void]

That was a wonderfully done strip, I liked it a lot.

The second to the last panel is absolutely priceless.

[TheWanderingLlama]

WOW. It says so much in so little. Very cute comic. Now I'm even more imptient to find out about Haley and Elan.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Aural minimalism for the win.

Great comic.

[n11]

Anyone else make a connection between Roy's standing on chair pose here, and the one on page 34 of OtOoPCs? This is more than just excitement. There is likely a commitment to some action here (as was the case the first time around).

Or it could just be the wine speaking.

[Cyclone231]

I thought his line in the second-to-last panel was "I am free at last! Freeeeee oh I should get down before she comes back."

[Melnor]

Hahaha, no dialogue and you STILL rock, Giant.

[Talastius]

There is a special talent required to make a comic that works, and to produce that comic on a regular basis. Art and text must compliment each other and the dialogue and story must be engaging and compelling to the audience to keep them coming back.

We aready knew that The Giant has mastered that.

However there is an entirely different degree of skill required to pull off an entire scene with no dialogue or narration what so ever and make that work. In 12 panels The Giant managed to convey every aspect of a good date and a trully happy character, with not a text bubble in sight. Now that is talent.

[HypnoticMonk]

However there is an entirely different degree of skill required to pull off an entire scene with no dialogue or narration what so ever and make that work. In 12 panels The Giant managed to convey every aspect of a good date and a trully happy character, with not a text bubble in sight. Now that is talent.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

I think this is my favorite strip ever :)

[_JM_]

Loved Roy telling the story, my interpretation was he was talking about them defeating Xykon. Panel three being where Roy picked the skull up in one hand and the body up in the other, panel four being Xykon flying through the air into the gate.

I heard a "Wahooooooooooooooo!" in panel eleven, loved the reactions of the people around and the puzzled expressions on the pair in the foreground.

[Eriol]

This is the first comic with absolutely zero text isn't it? I don't mean just no speaking, but no "action text" (click, bang, etc) either. I think even if you count Origins, this is STILL the first with none.

Could be wrong on the origins part, but pretty damned sure if you're counting just the online one, this is the first text-less comic.

But still good. Better than putting the actual conversation IMO. Definitely the "right way" to do it.

[cyper]

it was very cute... BUT -
Am I the only one here that thinks that the Giant has proven himself to be too sarcastic, to keep this going for too long?
???
I feel like this must be going somewhere bad (for Roy)... I'm mostly concerned about Roy saying - "Looks like this could be the end for our hero, folks!" in 310... :-/

Hope I'm wrong! (please, anyone - reassure me, if you can...)

[Kruul]

I think Roy is singing a song from "West Side Story"... More precisely: "Toniiiiiiiiiiiiiight, toniiiiiiiiiiiiight!"
Go Roy, go go!

First post ever. *Rawr*

[mack962289]

I loved how in the seventh frame, Roy whips the tear from his eye from laughing so hard. Great detail Giant.

[Holy_Knight]

So time to make guesses what stories he is telling her in the 3rd & 4th panel?

I think he's telling about the time he fought the half-ogre with the spiked chain, with panel four being where the half-ogre sprung back 15 feet--right off the edge of a cliff!

I also thought that when he stood on the table he was shouting either "I love this woman!" or "I'm in love!" or maybe "I'm so happy!". It did remind me of "I'm the king of the world" too, but I don't think that's what Roy was saying.


I know the feeling.

Yay for Roy. Now, if he can just survive meeting Celia's mom, we're in business.
Nah, that's the easy part--if this is like most situations, it's Celia's father that he needs to worry about.

Nice strip, and like many, I really like the wordless presentation. It works well.

[Tryranus_Magus]

Umm... Very cool, but...

Hey Roy! Grow a pair! Dr. Love says, "Keep her interest level up. Don't go and on about yourself. Listen to what she has to say and keep her guessing about you. Celia wants a challenge, she doesn't want some girly man who cries over how much he is in love."

Anyway, that's what Dr. Love says, not me.

Good one Giant. Now let's see if Haley can grow a pair.

[m0rphling]

Thats definetely a strip that needs gone over several times to appreciate.

That is so true.
First time (and second) I read it i was like Umm...what?
Then I read it again and got it
The puzzled expression on the couple in the foreground was cool.

[avalon_redmoon]

Wordy or not, I love OotS either way:)

Speaking of love, I think poor Roy's got it bad...or good...(why, when someone is in love, do they say, "Oooohhhh...he's got it bad..." when anyone who's ever been in love knows that there's no better feeling ??? Go fig...)

Anyway...sometimes words just aren't enough for so strong an emotion! LOL

[tallyrand]

Roy's all:

"I'm the King of Somewhere!"

Go Roy!

[infiniteviking]

That's a really great comic. The lighting and color are superb, and I really like the way the conversation is going.

So does Roy, it seems. ;D

They look so cute, laughing together and telling such taaaaaall tales.

Everyone's said it already... but it's really, really sweet. Gives me that warm feeling, you know? Thanks for the uplift!

[Flak_Razorwill]

Didn't know he was THAT interested in her. Maybe he's just happy to have a girl.

Yep. Go, now, young man.

[warmachine]

This lack of dialogue doesn't work. Roy and Celia are laughing at something but the arm waving give no clue about what it is. I just can't see a joke anywhere. Also, Roy half standing on a table is not like him and the lack of dialogue offers no reason for this delirium.

[monkofawesome]

Good God, there's a new comic, and it's...

SLIGHTLY AFTER LUNCHTIME.


...I feel like I see new signs of the apocalypse every day.

oh, and warmachine^^^^, sometimes there doesn't have to be a PUNCHLINE. Jeez, grow at least one romantic bone in your body, please.

[DeathQuaker]

This lack of dialogue doesn't work. Roy and Celia are laughing at something but the arm waving give no clue about what it is. I just can't see a joke anywhere. Also, Roy half standing on a table is not like him and the lack of dialogue offers no reason for this delirium.

You serious?? In case you are...

The point is, it doesn't matter what they're saying. It's all datey small talk. The point is, they're having a good time, and as soon as Roy gets a chance to whoop about it, he does. I think we all do that when we've gone on a good date. :) It's not supposed to be "ha ha" funny, it's just an amusing, "yeah, I know that feeling" kind of thing.

[Aranamarunda]

This lack of dialogue doesn't work. Roy and Celia are laughing at something but the arm waving give no clue about what it is. I just can't see a joke anywhere. Also, Roy half standing on a table is not like him and the lack of dialogue offers no reason for this delirium.

...

He must be kidding. He can't be serious. This is one of the best scened ever! No joke? The whole thing is hilarious in all the right ways. Maybe warmachine only understands war and machines? :D

No, really. This one is sooooo cool! Page 7 :D

[Zann]

Giant? You forgot to put the text in.

[tjwitz]

I have to agree with warmachine. This comic seems to me to be a gigantic cliche that doesn't give us any information about what we care about most; the characters Celia & Roy, and their relationship. It feels like the crap that hollywood churns out. Probably filed under Date Scene #3a.

The suffering point in this strip is that it would work equally well with any two characters in it. The Giant has accurately captured "Generic Good Date", when as a regular reader, I'd much rather see "Roy & Celia's Good Date."

[Neopolis]

Didn't know he was THAT interested in her. Maybe he's just happy to have a girl without a stick up her ass.

Yep. Go, now, young man.
Post fixed for you.

As for the comic, I dunno, I don't like mimes.

[TinSoldier]

I liked the comic without words. I think that it does give us more insight than just your generic Hollywood date scene.

Roy has had so much go wrong for him, he deserves this little bit of happiness.

I think the only other time we've seen him happy is in strip #227 (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/GiantITP/ootscript?SK=227) when he was pretending to be the King of Nowhere.

[indianajoe]

I liked it.

Silence speaks volumes

[LesserHellspawn]

I truly think you are all damn wrong.

Especially with the expression on Roy's face in the third to last panel, his outburst can have only been "A moment of silence at last !" and nothing else.

This isn't an outcry of happiness, its the man having to bear with what's so darn typical female (too many fricken words) and getting a short break.

[dragonfly83h]

I dont get it. What is the Roy happy about, dating Ceclia or seeing the waiter?

Until I saw the food on the table I thought he was happy just to get his food.

Made me laugh :D

"YES! THE FOOD IS HERE! WOOHOO!"

Thanks for making my day :)

[Hithrome]

Roy goes Tom Cruise, jumping the table instead of the couch. Don't lose it on us Roy!

Oh good. I'm glad I'm not the only one who had this (horrible) image pop into my head at Roy's outburst.

Also, for warmachine...

Also, Roy half standing on a table is not like him and
It is totally like him. He's even done it before (in On the Origin of PCs). In a freaking library. And that fact has even been pointed out in this thread before.

Me, I thought it was fine. Though I surely wouldn't want to make a steady diet of these. It was a nice warm-fuzzy. Can't wait for the Haley/Elan wrap-up.

[Wyrm]

I really liked it. However, and I may be alone on this one, but I was reminded of the infamous Tom Cruise couch jumping, announcing his love to the world.

It's funny that it seems so cute with Roy, and not so much with that Cruse fellow ;)

Great strip. A bit too wordy, though ;D

[edit: Oops, missed the previous post about Tom Cruise. So I'm not the only one :)

[theKOT]

The second straight Roy-Celia comic that I thought was a little to cutesy, which is really wierd because I normally love it when characters get together and are cutesy.... I dunno. Oh well.

[Chaos]

I liked it.

Silence speaks volumes

Yep... besides, if we´re already watching their date, we should at least not eavesdrop on it, as well ;)

[Ironers]

This is going to end badly in some way.

or...

This is going to end well in some way.

Meh, I'd rather see more Belkar stabbin' action....

[efi]

Hey, this time the strip is really international, and as allways stirring and skillfully crafted.

Thanks Giant!

[Crazy_Uncle_Doug]

I have to say I like this comic. It's nice to see Roy, at least for a little while, to be doing well and feeling good about things.

At least before everything goes downhill and fast.

[poptartmini]

As I tell a couple of my students (I'm a TA) again and again: Learn to appreciate the sound of silence.

Unfortunately, whenever I say that they generally just look at me funny....

*sigh*

[Gary_Howard]

Wait a minute.. is that gorgeous candle effect.. animated? It is! It's moving incredibly subtly! You can see it if you zoom in really far.. or if you stand very far away and try to observe the change as a whole.

This bit took my breath away.

[The_Kobold_Hero]

It so sweet. *tears of joy*

Nice work.

[saraswati]

Wait a minute.. is that gorgeous candle effect.. animated? It is! It's moving incredibly subtly! You can see it if you zoom in really far.. or if you stand very far away and try to observe the change as a whole.

This bit took my breath away.

You are trying to make my head explode, aren't you? I kept looking at the damn candle and then seeing it move, and then I was pretty sure I was just hallucinating. Too early in the morning for hallucinating :P

Although it is really pretty.

My take on panel 3-6 is that its not a story, its a little bit of humor to make Celia laugh.

Panel 3: Roy "Look I can fly too!" stretches arms out
Panel 4 Roy "Flap flap flap", flaps arms uselessly, looking very concentrated.
Panel 5 Celia "Yes! I can see your wings, there they are!" points to empty air.
Panel 6 both crack up.

Could still be a bragging sort of story, but that's how I saw it.

[Ronfar]

This lack of dialogue doesn't work. Roy and Celia are laughing at something but the arm waving give no clue about what it is. I just can't see a joke anywhere. Also, Roy half standing on a table is not like him and the lack of dialogue offers no reason for this delirium.

I sort of agree... the strip is cute and romantic, but not funny. ::shrugs::

[Kish]

I just can't see a joke anywhere.
You're not under the impression this is the first OotS strip without any jokes, or that OotS is more about jokes than plot, are you?

[Knight13]

Did anyone else think Roy was shouting: "I AM MAN! HEAR ME ROAR!" when he stood on the table?
Actually, I thought he was beginning a romantic musical fantasy skit. ;D

[Nutmegger]

Actually, with Celia away, Roy is looking at the TV screen in the bar off-panel. It's the Giants - Titans game and the Giants just scored a touchdown. Roy's got 1,000 gold and a girdle of m/f on the game, so he's just standing on the chair saying "touchdown".

[Bakta]

Giant? You forgot to put the text in.


okayyy. So i must spell it for you.

Highlight the whole page, hit CTRL+SHIFT+€ then the dialogs will appear.

I thought it a bit wordy, but the frontpage couple dialog reaction is nice, especially the 2nd to last comment "I want that dessert too", the Harry meet Sally thing ;D

[Eldhrin]

Amazing. So emotional.

I'm grinning like an idiot now.

[Kruul]

This is going to end badly in some way.

or...

This is going to end well in some way.

Meh, I'd rather see more Belkar stabbin' action....


If the former is the case: Dibs on Celia!!!!

[Nightbreeze]

I didn't quite get this comic. I can't read anything written in Latvian.

Will there be an English translation in the book release? ;)

[AmoDman]

Wtf was that? I'm gonna hafta be the voice of dissent here and say...huh? That was just odd. At least some people enjoyed it, I guess.

[mikoto]

Am I the only one to wonder if the giant is just building suspense?

[Kish]

Am I the only one to wonder if the giant is just building suspense?
Probably, yeah. Most people appear to be assuming that he is.

[Tyrasius]

well I liked it. Gave me a warm fuzzy feeling

and I'm 13 so age has nothing to do with it being enjoyable

[Brother_Hood]

Loved it.

Too wordy? What? People have problems reading? :D

[Ilaun_Undil]

That Joke that Roy said actually is really funny. GVGVGVGVGVGVGVGVGV
Ok not really I did fail my check to read lips. I kinda feel like stalker looking in a window. I say goi back to Belkar and the Imaginary parts of endangered speices

[Godhand]

Wtf was that? I'm gonna hafta be the voice of dissent here and say...huh? That was just odd. At least some people enjoyed it, I guess.

You dont need words to convey a nice scene. Adding in what they were saying would just subtract from the overall quality of the scene. You don't need to know what they are saying as long as you know they are happy.

In any case, when he's standing on the table I could here him just screaming about how happy he was. He finally meets a girl who likes him. Must be nice after all the stuff he's gone through.

[yuccadude]

dialogue is overrated anyways...

[Krytha]

I think Roy was shouting...

Alhambra, my turkish baby, you have cleaned the oven for the last time!

That or..

I just saved 50 dollars on my car insurance by switching to Geico!

-everyone else in the restaurant-
Liar! *frowny faces*

[The_Ducky_Ninja]

9 pages and no mention of the fact that:

A. The food on the plate never changed, yet the waiter came out to bring more. There was already food on the plate, then the waiter brings more, and the same amount is still on the plate.

B. Despite the fact that Roy took a sip of wine, the amount in the glass never went down. (actually, I think this was partially pointed out on page 3, but meh.)

For a dialogueless strip, I expected Giant's attention to detail to raise, not lower. Oh well, great comic anyway.

[Halrin]

Here' my thoughts,

the story Roy is telling is of the battle with the Linear guild. His raised hand indicates the wall of ice, and the flailing arms indicates Durkon's love interest falling away after V dispelled the fly spell. Celia would enjoy it because its a story that happened while she had been turned into stone, and would find nale and co. getting thumped as funny as roy.

and as for Roy on the chair, my guess is that Celia just said "hey, let's go back to my room at the inn, I just need to use the little girls room first" and his response is naturally the same response as many men when they thik they're going to score

[warmachine]

Everything about today's strip, that Roy and Celia are happy together in some unspecified way, could be conveyed in one panel. If there was dialogue, we could see why they liked each other. If the scene changed a lot more often, then it might be visually attractive. Instead, we have almost no story or character insight and an implausible jubilation.

Now, the romance between Durkon and Hilgya worked well. But it wouldn't work without the dialogue. Haley's brief seduction of the goblin teenager wouldn't have made sense without dialogue. The Durkon/Hilgya thread is my second favourite in Dungeon Crawling Fools, right after Roy's fight with Xykon.

The style of todays strip is such a jarring deviation from normal, and drop in quality, that I'm wondering if the author is suffering an intellectual panic. Maybe he's worried he's not an artist if he doesn't do something avant-garde. I really hope I'm wrong. It is the story, depth of character and insight, as well as the comedy, that make it art. That's why I bought the books. And believe me, I'm reluctant to spend money.

[The Glyphstone]

9 pages and no mention of the fact that:

A. The food on the plate never changed, yet the waiter came out to bring more. There was already food on the plate, then the waiter brings more, and the same amount is still on the plate.

Uh...maybe because they're in a RESTAURANT? The waiter is likely bringing that food to some other table and happy couple who's eating more than they're talking. ;D



B. Despite the fact that Roy took a sip of wine, the amount in the glass never went down. (actually, I think this was partially pointed out on page 3, but meh.)

Maybe the glass, from our point of view, is too small to visibly notice the amount of wine that's gone? Or maybe it's enchanted so that it automatically refills? Or a Wizard did it?




And in general...a good comic has people talking about it. The lack of dialogue here, everyone's giving their own theories as to what they're actually saying...hey, that gives me an idea... have an impromptu "What are they saying" contest, like they do in magazines!

[AyuVince]

Ninth Page! Woooo!

I love strips that give you a warm and fuzzy feeling. Roy deserves a happy date.

[potatocubed]

This is a very cool comic. Not only is it telling a story without words, but it's doing it with stick figures. 8)

[Gary_Howard]

You are trying to make my head explode, aren't you? I kept looking at the damn candle and then seeing it move, and then I was pretty sure I was just hallucinating.

It's oscillating slightly so that the main part of the light moves a little bit to the left of the flame, then comes back to the centre. At least, that's what I ended up seeing.

[Glorfindel]

Nice comic :D I am wondering who has cast Silence here ;)

And I offer to translate this comic into any language you like :P

[Thortok2000]

Heh, this is a great example of how stick-figure art is not sub-par.

Love the 'second conversation' in the foreground. I realize it adds to the strip but I had to squint a little to get all the details of the 'background' part. If I had a choice I would've wanted the background a little zoomed in. Then again, I /am/ nearsighted...

Anyway, great little surprise strip.

[siobharek]

Am I the only one who's waiting for the other shoe to drop? Hard?

[mossfoot]

:D

[Lightman]

Nice comic!

[Thief-Wizard101]

no wors can explain how great that comic was

[GM_West]

I truly hope the warm and fuzzy feeling endures. Roy deserves nothing less! But I've got a bad feeling...

And OOOH! I DO see the candle flame moving as someone mentioned!! That is just wicked... Is it some sort of java thing overlaid on top of the comic?

Awesome effect, however it was done.

[CompMage]

Nice, anyone who has ever gone on a good date will understand everything said.

I would say this is one of the best strips to date. This is one I will remember.

But this all is got to be setting up for something big.

[Nekkira]

Kinda reminds me of an old silent movie.

[Isnagur]

Sorry Rich,but i personally didnt like the Strip.
I dont think that this is funny at all.But maybe its not
supposed to be.How come that i am the only critical person in those comic threads.i mean all the uninformative yes-sayers dont contribute to the support of the author.I just think that you all just want to see your post
on the first pages of the thread.And let me tell you one thing:
ITS NOT COOL TO BE ON THE FIRST PAGE AND ALLTHE PEOPLE PUSHING THEIR EGO WITH THAT OR WHATSOEVER ARE JUST OVERSHADOWING POSSIBLE VALUABLE CONTRIBUTIONS


Dont get me wrong i love OOTS but that just had to be said

[HabbakukUnknown]

Kinda reminds me of an old silent movie.


cept Roy doesn't remind me off Charlie Chaplin. Doesn't have a bowler hat. And how can there be that many pages in such a short amount of time!!!

[TinSoldier]

Sorry Rich,but i personally didnt like the Strip.
I dont think that this is funny at all.But maybe its not
supposed to be.How come that i am the only critical person in those comic threads.i mean all the uninformative yes-sayers dont contribute to the support of the author.Huh? I saw quite a few posts saying they didn't care much for this strip.

Of course, I'm one of those 'yes-sayers' so I did have to mention how I did enjoy it. ;D

Welcome!

[Knightsavior]

Man, I loved the second last panel, everyone staring at him going "I'M THE KING OF THE WORLD" or something like that... My eyes hurt from staring to see if the fire moves or changes... At least I see it...

[LostOne]

Very interesting way of doing it. I guess the Giant is just exploring new territory in the art of stick figure comics. :P

I also found it very ironic that Haley's date was portrayed as a constant inner conservation despite the fact she can't talk while Roy's date was portrayed with no words at all even though they can both talk.

[Isnagur]

Huh? I saw quite a few posts saying they didn't care much for this strip.


Ever heard of exeggeration as a means to emphasize your Opinion.

:)

[TinSoldier]

Ever heard of exeggeration as a means to emphasize your Opinion.

:)
Maybe... ;D

You may be right that there are a lot more boosters than critics here, though. Either way it's a fun place to hang out.

[Kedrot]

I think after the panel where they are both laughing, there should have been a black screen that had that cheesy white border like in the silent movies just saying "Ha Ha Ha"

[Winged One]

Very nice, although I get the feeling that the Giant is showing off.

[Tawkis]

Every great man has to lose his cool once and awhile.

Go Roy Go...

[The Demented One]

Am I the only one getting the feeling that they're being watched? I don't think the next time we see Roy and Celia will be a very happy strip.

[afarrell]

Giant - you f**king rock.

soundtrack - The Streets, Could Well Be In

[Quirinus_Obsidian]

Whoohoo! 12th page! YAY!!

Back to the point.

Awesome comic. Loved the silence thing. Anyone that has been on an amazing first date knows exactly what they are saying.

WHAT THE BLEEP ARE THEY SAYING!?!??!

Just kidding. Amazing comic Giant. Classic as usual.

[Serina_Spellbinder]

Did anyone else think Roy was shouting: "I AM MAN! HEAR ME ROAR!" when he stood on the table?

Kind of reminded me of Tom Cruise jumping on the couch on Oprah.

EDIT: I'm the third poster to mention the Tom Cruise thing. IMO the Giant is parodying it.

[BigT]

I don't really think it matters what Roy is saying, the Giant portrays the feelings that things are going well very well. Roy is obviously pleased and it wouldn't matter if he had just burst into song, it's obvious how he's feeling right now.

[N_Tenshi]

You know, I really wasn't thinking about it going bad in any way until I started reading you guys' posts. Then it hit me. Xykon's heading with a HUGE-ASS army for Azure City. I suppose it'd take a while for them to actually get there but I don't know, could be it.

As for the candle-effect being animated, well I don't like breaking the magic but my guess is that the movement (yeah, I see it too) is an optical illusion provoked by the way the candlelight was drawn. I used to have a shirt with a similar effect on it.

Oh, and Giant? Great comic. I think I'm almost as thankful as Roy for that one... naaaah ;D

[tothecornfield]

If you could somehow combine strip 313 with strip 301 you would have the perfect comic that nobody could ever complain about. It would look something like this http://www.cs.cornell.edu/talc/images/popcorn.jpg

Great comic BTW

[Death, your friend the Reaper]

The dialogue was a tad to dense for me.....


Great work:P

[5tephen]

Awwww. Cute.

Nice to see Roy enjoying himself. Actually, selfishly, gloriously unconcerned for anything other than his happiness. He so rarely gets the chance.

<edit>WOOT! 1st post page 12!!!! I am teh R0x0r!!!!!!!!

[Sir_Banjo]

Hmmm, looks like tonights Roy's lucky night. Let's just hope Miko doesn't bust in and threaten to bludgeon anyone with that stick up her arse.

[Brasswatchman]

Something tells me that Roy's having a good time. I don't know where I picked that up from, I don't know, maybe it was subconscious or projectionism or something. :)

[SumGuy]

Two words:

GO ROY!

Now,Three words:

Awesomely Done, Giant

I havent laughed that hard at anything in the past week. Great, great Job. The look of delight on Roy's face was the cherry on top of the sundae.

[theswarm]

(everybody together now)
AWwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww (sigh)

[Darth_Cow]

I must confess that at first, I thought that Roy was glad Celia was gone at the moment, but I admit that the more popular response makes much more sense.

Awesome comic!

[Morchaint]

great comic. words or no words

[The Glitter Ninja]

Aw, what a great strip! I imagine Roy shouting "WOO HOO MAMA!!!" when he's standing on the table. It makes me happy to think these things.

Also, Darth_Cow, do I know you?

[RBloom0566]

Uh...ok.
That was it?

[Faramir]

Awww. I'm continually impressed at the Giant's ability to convey emotion and mood with stick figures.

The "personal time" strips have been a lot of fun but I'll admit that the suspense of wondering whether Xykon is going to arrive while they're still in the city or after they leave is starting to get to me.

[CatBoris]

First time poster (whoopee...), and the first thing I intend to do, is to burst peoples' bubbles about the alleged animated candle. Sorry folks, but you should either wipe the tears from your eyes, or polish your glasses/contacts/fish. I saved the .gif, and checking it out revealed that it was only one frame, so it cannot be animated. Also, checking the page itself shows that there is only one "comic image" or whatever, so the flickering candle is naught but a figment of your imaginations.

That said, nice comic for the "naaaaaw" factor, but that must be some date for Roy to go nuts like that...

[Nightfall]

Again, nicely done, Giant. One picture is worth a thousand words, they say. (So you were REALLY blabbing it up there, weren't you?? Heh heh heh!) Great strip, as usual. Gods, I love this comic! :D

[SPoD]

Everything about today's strip, that Roy and Celia are happy together in some unspecified way, could be conveyed in one panel. If there was dialogue, we could see why they liked each other. If the scene changed a lot more often, then it might be visually attractive. Instead, we have almost no story or character insight and an implausible jubilation.

Yeah, it's a real shame, since you pay him by the panel. You really should contact him for a refund.

Actually, now that I think about it, I bet Rich could summarize the entire rest of the OOTS plotline for the next five years in a few paragraphs. That way, he wouldn't have to waste any more precious panels on evoking emotional responses from readers who care about the characters.


Now, the romance between Durkon and Hilgya worked well. But it wouldn't work without the dialogue. Haley's brief seduction of the goblin teenager wouldn't have made sense without dialogue.

No one is saying it would have. Are you suggesting that you would rather he retread the same ideas the same ways, over and over? Give the man credit for trying something new, even if you didn't like it.


The style of todays strip is such a jarring deviation from normal, and drop in quality, that I'm wondering if the author is suffering an intellectual panic. Maybe he's worried he's not an artist if he doesn't do something avant-garde. I really hope I'm wrong.

Right, because Rich has never experimented with (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/GiantITP/ootscript?SK=51) comic (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/GiantITP/ootscript?SK=242) format (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/GiantITP/ootscript?SK=242), or lack of dialogue (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/GiantITP/ootscript?SK=108). Nor has he ever done any (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/GiantITP/ootscript?SK=56) comics (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/GiantITP/ootscript?SK=56) without (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/GiantITP/ootscript?SK=113) punchlines (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/GiantITP/ootscript?SK=246).

C'mon. What comic have you been reading? Rich has ALWAYS played around with the format of OOTS. This is just one strip, why is it such a big deal if it isn't to your taste? Get over it, there's another on Wednesday. If Rich posts four word-free comics in a row, then yes, your fears are justified. But you KNOW he isn't going to do that, so you're just crying wolf.

I thought this strip was a wonderful contrast to Haley's date and her inability to speak. It proves that she's dodging the issue with Elan--one doesn't need words to express one's emotions, as illustrated here. We know what the date is like without words. It also reminded me of when I see a couple on a date in the restaurant, and I watch them, wondering if it's a good date or a bad date. I kinda liked that we respected Roy & Celia's privacy and didn't eavesdrop on their date.

[M.A.T.E.S5]

heh. Tom cruise did that on Leno. Yay Leno references!

[xyzchyx]

How old is Roy supposed to be?

I got the distinct impression that the guy has never had a good date before in his life.

[saraswati]

First time poster (whoopee...), and the first thing I intend to do, is to burst peoples' bubbles about the alleged animated candle. Sorry folks, but you should either wipe the tears from your eyes, or polish your glasses/contacts/fish. I saved the .gif, and checking it out revealed that it was only one frame, so it cannot be animated. Also, checking the page itself shows that there is only one "comic image" or whatever, so the flickering candle is naught but a figment of your imaginations.



You aren't bursting my bubble CatBoris, you are saving me from a lifetime of evil candle hallucinations. Thanks ;D

Not that I am picking on any one person but I have to agree with SPod's general analysis above. There are, what, 313 strips so far (not counting OOPCs and bonus whatever), and a lot of bizarre stuff goes on here at stick-central. Just because the giant does something wacky or different for a strip isn't any cause to generalize about where the strip is going in general.

Also, IMHO, we really don't know enough about Mr. Burlew to be psycho-analyzing him, even those of us with actual shrink-licenses and plaques and stuff :P Not that I'm saying speculating on the psyche of the author is a bannable offense. It just seems a little silly to me.

There's plenty of material in his work to speculate on without making base assumptions about his mental state {but if we do start doing that, I've got 5 bucks placed on "slightly unstable" :o, jk giant}

If Roy is standing on the table belting out a song, kicking it Fred Astaire style, what song is he singing?

[SPoD]

How old is Roy supposed to be?

I got the distinct impression that the guy has never had a good date before in his life.

I think I remember him being 28 or so, but that's probably true either way. In Origins, the girl he was interested in shows up in his room--making out with his roommate. Given his awkward attempts with Miko, it is very possible that he has NEVER had a decent date. It may even be that his time as a woman is the only thing that allows him to relate to Celia as anything but a sex object.

[DarkCloud]

A very sweet strip this week :D

[hardballer]

A funny, entertaining post. But, nonetheless a bit of a copout.

[teratorn]

I don't know, they look cute, but she's a lawyer!!!! He's the hero!

Ok, she defended the good guys, but the seed for evil is there.

[BlythraB]

I loved this comic.
even so, if a picture is worth 1000 words, a kiss would be worth 1000000000000000000000 or so. (I am incurably a romantic)

[mec]

Check out their chairs:

Roy sits with his butt firmly in place like a fighter should.

Celia sits far forward on the edge of her chair -- so that her wings won't get smooshed.

Nice detail!

[Hithrome]

I don't know, they look cute, but she's a lawyer!!!! He's the hero!

Ok, she defended the good guys, but the seed for evil is there.

OK, speaking for those of us who are or have close familial relationships with lawyers, I'd like to take issue with your implication that lawyers are on some level universally evil.

...I'd like to...

[Gary_Howard]

Oh, ok, fine. My friend had to put it into ImageReady for me to believe it, but it's one frame, and anyway, gifs don't go that fast. I have 20/15 vision - better than average, but I've been told that my left eye is a little bit stronger than my right, so that might explain why I see it moving to the left.

Well, it _might_....

[Kord]

Yes, indeed a wonderful strip. Darn...I didn't catch Celia's dress before it became untransparent... ;D

[DASLAYARGH]

Good, good. Can't wait till the next one. I don't think i can survive that long!

[Felinoid]

Am I the only one who's waiting for the other shoe to drop? Hard?
The whole time I was reading (well, not reading, per se ;) ) the strip, I was watching for the explosion. A pleasant surprise that the only explosion came from Roy. :D Woot for Roy!

Also, I'm glad to see the Giant using the "chewing" face again (female foreground, panel 3); it's a good one. :)

RE: Tom Cruise
You're giving the man far too much credit. Just because an actor jumps on the furniture once does not make every furniture-jump a "Tom Cruise". I've been consistently jumping on furniture since I could jump at all, so if anything, you should compare Roy's jump to me. ;D And I'm perfectly well-adjusted.
(... I am too. ... Shut up, Bill, I'm trying to post! Stupid voices... :P )

RE: No words = bad
It's a common literary practice to neglect dialogue or even a description, leaving the reader to fill in the blanks with imagination, usually with something that means more to each reader than any possible dialogue or description could have. A quick example would be on the occasion when two characters go off to be intimate. Nastier readers could imagine that they're [censored][censored][censored], though where they'd find what they needed for that in medieval times I don't know, while more conservative readers could imagine that they were sweetly...you know. ;) Even the previous sentence uses the same device, leaving the depravity and the "you know" up to readers' minds to invent and tailor to their own preferences.

You may have a point on it not needing to be quite as long as it is, but the length conveys just that: length. Rather than a static happy that could be conveyed by one panel, you see the story, and start imagining what it might be. This was clearly successful, given the many posts on the subject so far. Gear up your imagination and have a go at it, and I bet you'll start liking the strip a bit more.

RE: Roy's uncharacteristic behavior & no punchline
1 + 1 = That's the punchline. I laughed at Roy doing that; the happy-for-someone kind of laugh (if you know what that's like). Seeing him so happy that he's deliriously OoC makes a great punchline IMO, and him sitting quietly by the time she comes back seals the deal.

RE: Foreground couple
I don't see any problem with them, or them thinking that they don't "measure up" to Roy and Celia. Their expressions are puzzled, not sad; more of a "WTF was that all about?" It does look like the guy's giving her bad news or broaching a delicate subject in panel 7 (girl goes from smile to frown between 7 & 8 ), but I don't think it's really indicative of any deeper rift.

EDIT: Burfling 8) smiley!

[Lianae]

I know it's been said but...
Tom Cruise. ;D

[Acksiom]

Roy: "Tonight, I am a Loverand a Fighter!"

[Messenger]

I'm afraid that I'm with War Machine. I think the romance and "aww" factor of this episode would've been better with dialogue. I imagine them talking and laughing "seriously" the whole time, then Celia leaves and Roy goes "I'm King of the World!" while she's out.

That said, doesn't stop me from enjoying it anyway. ;)

[mipers]

??? :) :)
;) :) :)
:D :) :)
:) ;D :D

[tee_kay_one]

holy cow... it's tuesday morning over here in g.o.e. (good old europe) and ALREADY 14 PAGES??
Anyway, without reading through all the information I just say that I loved the strip. Giant, you prove your stick-figure-mastership again and again!

Unrelated comment: today I'm back in the forums after some super-stressful work weeks... ah, I feel home again! I like you all folks, it's a great community

[LostInBrittany]

Beautiful strip, Giant, very beautiful!

It seems that it touched almost everybody, as the number of comments is veeery big :D

[Aranamarunda]

The whole time I was reading...

...it's really indicative of any deeper rift.

EDIT: Burfling 8) smiley!

This post says it all. Warmachine has no imagination :D Can I say that? Hopefully you don't feel afronted by this comment. If so, please tell me and I'll edit :D

[carais]

I'm afraid that I'm with War Machine. I think the romance and "aww" factor of this episode would've been better with dialogue.

I have to disagree. In fact, I have to disagree so much I just had to register :D

Could Rich have put any text there that would not have sounded stale or boring or whatever by parts of the audience?

I really think that here it was much better to leave that part of the date to the reader's imagination. Personally, I don't even try to come up with text for them. I'm quite satisfied with getting the mood of the whole affair - it's really great for both of them. This is shown perfectly.

On a side note - I do get the impression that for the pair in the foreground something went awfully wrong. I think she said/suggested something and he reacted in an unexpectedly negative way (by not reacting positive) and it just went downhill from there.

[CelestialStick]

I have to disagree. In fact, I have to disagree so much I just had to register :D

Could Rich have put any text there that would not have sounded stale or boring or whatever by parts of the audience?

I really think that here it was much better to leave that part of the date to the reader's imagination. Personally, I don't even try to come up with text for them. I'm quite satisfied with getting the mood of the whole affair - it's really great for both of them. This is shown perfectly.

On a side note - I do get the impression that for the pair in the foreground something went awfully wrong. I think she said/suggested something and he reacted in an unexpectedly negative way (by not reacting positive) and it just went downhill from there.

I'm sure that Rich could have put in good dialogue, but the strip works fine without the dialogue. It conveys a deliriously happy date, and more power to both of them for it!

[Delgarde]

I'm sure that Rich could have put in good dialogue, but the strip works fine without the dialogue. It conveys a deliriously happy date, and more power to both of them for it!

More than that - he could have put dialogue in, but then it would simply have been two people chatting. What he's done is show it from the point of view of someone on the other side of the restaurant, unable to hear the conversation.

And as you do in that situation, people on the forums are busy making up their own explanations as to what this rather animated conversation is about.


Great work, Giant. Not an approach to overuse, but this worked out wonderfully. Please, keep experimenting...

[fetfet]

I can understand body language, but not with stick figures. What are they saying? ???

[warmachine]

As I've said before, that the couple are happy could be conveyed in one panel. It the author simply wanted to leave it to our imagination, he'd skip the entire scene and we'd see them leaving the restaurant.

The author could be showing the view of someone on the other side of the restaurant but why would he think anyone's interested in that? It could be the view of someone spying on the happy couple but we get no indication of that. A view through a telescope or crystal ball would work though an entire strip is too much.

The strip simply looks like the lettering was lost. No narrative or artistic effect is achieved by its absense. If the author hadn't written that the words were meant to be missing, his inbox would be jammed with messages stating that he forgot the text. No one would be saying that it's a nice technique because no effect can be perceived other than a contradiction of the author's style.

The author has used different styles for obvious purpose and they didn't need explanation to avoid confusion because it flowed with the story. Though Haley's current speech needs subtitles. When the author gets this published, I reckon each publishing stage will stop and report an error. Heck, most customers will return the book and demand a corrected version.

[KayJay]

I think it's great that the strips are different- keeps things exciting and varied, just like a different panel layout or drawing style is somtimes used (the snarl stuff).
It possibly could have been made better with the correct text, but I'd say a lot of the strips could be made better, if the "magical" right words were said. That's not to say that it's not already good, but that there's always something conceivably better out there.

[GM_West]

"I find your lack of faith disturbing..."

Seriously though, I think that Warmachine's observations are a bit extreme, especially when he states that the publishers and customers would be presuming an error was made in this particular strip.

I found the lack of speech entirely appropriate when I first 'read' the comic. It didn't strike me as awkward or wrong in the least. Everything was conveyed through expression, which the Giant did in admirable fashion.

Was he trying to just show a happy couple? No! He was showing how the date progressed between Roy and Celia. Did we need to hear what they were saying? The small talk and re-living funny stories that were likely a part of their conversation? Again, heck no.

The punchline was Roy's sudden jump up onto the table after sitting quietly and calmly during the past several scenes, shouting "Woohoo!" to the heavens. Was this in response to something Celia said? Like an invitation back to her place? Or was it simply more of a reaction to a 'good date' in general? That question in our minds would be moot, if we could have heard their conversation. Instead, we're set up with yet another cliffhanger of sorts.

Though certainly everyone is entitled to their opinion, I think it's unfair to even imply that either the Giant is 'losing his touch' because of the lack of text in his latest comic, or that the publishers and/or customers of the book that this strip will inevitably be printed in would be seen as a greivous error of some kind.

And that's an interesting observation about the candle! I thought for sure the darn thing was animated somehow...

[LostInBrittany]

I didn't find anything missing, I liked a lot imagine all the dialogue between Roy and Celia, and also between the couple in front of the panels.

[Scubasteve0209]

I think it's the same effect from Comic 250, where Haley's only word was scrambled and four letters long. You *KNOW* it was derogatory, but without explicit knowledge you create the dialogue yourself (probably a lot meaner than what was intended too).

Same in this case. You're given enough nonverbal to give you an idea of the scenario and you fill in the rest given you're impression of the setting. That's why some of you are convinced it's romantic, others whimsical, etc.

Either way it's a fun strip, and I liked it.

~ Scubasteve

[LesserHellspawn]

I must confess that at first, I thought that Roy was glad Celia was gone at the moment
And I still stick with that opinion.

[Grazdreg]

Brilliant as always =)

[Kish]

The strip simply looks like the lettering was lost. No narrative or artistic effect is achieved by its absense. If the author hadn't written that the words were meant to be missing, his inbox would be jammed with messages stating that he forgot the text. No one would be saying that it's a nice technique because no effect can be perceived other than a contradiction of the author's style.
Isn't that a tidge presumptuous when a tiny, tiny minority of the readers who've posted in this thread think there's a "contradiction of the author's style"?

No other effect can be perceived? Then I guess most of the people here are hallucinating. Lucky we have you to tell us what we see.

[cyberchihuahua]

I think the effect was well done. I felt like I was in a resturant, listening to the background noise and seeing the many patrons as the dined. If there had been a conversation, it would have completely overidden their location and its importance.

As far as styles and losing touch, the Giant has tried new things all along, and they tend to be the most memerable. This only proves that hes getting better.

I felt more a part of this scene than any other comic thus far. Probably because I have been in that situation before.

Well, that and the one where they killed the dragon... ;D

[Evik]

:) :D ;D :)

[DraxtonSmitz]

I love it the way it is. Without the text you can imagine them telling some epic or very humerous story.

Where as if it had word bublesthey may not have had enough room for word or enough panels to get off the effect of a great story that would harbor the reactions they are showing.

[somatic]

Ya know, I don't think a strip has evoked more genuine affection for two characters since the early Haley/Elan strips. That was pretty well done, Giant =) I'm a cold-hearted bastard, and it's tough to make me love comic characters in a non-comicy way.

[K-man]

Great strip, excellent delivery, I especially like the couple in the foreground who start out happy and then go into an arguement near the end.


K-man

[CockroachTeaParty]

??? :o ;D :P

[Dawnstrider_Moogle]

That was really welldone.

[Eriol]

I think it's interesting to me the difference between the amount of time the guy's mouth is open vs the girl's in the foreground. Like 2/3 the time (or more) the guy's talking, but the girl isn't.

Some hint here, or just reading way too much into this comic?

[AzSteven]

Love the silent movie and the artistic lighting effects.

[Serina_Spellbinder]

The lack of visible dialogue did not detract from my enjoyment of the comic in the slightest bit. Rich conveyed what he wanted to convey and did it subtlely (sp?) and masterfully. It's a shame that some people are too obtuse to appreciate the subtlety of this episode.

[MrSeth]

This isn't just a good strip, it's... darst I say it... art. Art that happens to use elaborate stick figures in it's media, but art nonetheless. Kudos, Giantboy.

[Winged One]

Roy: "Tonight, I am a Loverand a Fighter!"
Ding ding ding! We have a winner! ;D

[HypnoticMonk]

The strip simply looks like the lettering was lost. No narrative or artistic effect is achieved by its absense. If the author hadn't written that the words were meant to be missing, his inbox would be jammed with messages stating that he forgot the text. No one would be saying that it's a nice technique because no effect can be perceived other than a contradiction of the author's style.

The author has used different styles for obvious purpose and they didn't need explanation to avoid confusion because it flowed with the story. Though Haley's current speech needs subtitles. When the author gets this published, I reckon each publishing stage will stop and report an error. Heck, most customers will return the book and demand a corrected version.

...sigh... I can't think of how incredibly and deeply wrong I perceive everyone of those statements.

But everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I just know that the perceptions and feelings previously expressed by the overwhelming majority of the fans who have posted about this strip kinda drain any possible level of validity from his statements.. in my opinion that is....

I said it before, and I will say it again.

This was my favorite strip ever in this series.

[SirDrake]

In the second to last panel, I thought Roy was saying something like "Woohoo! Natural 20 charisma check!"

[infiniteviking]

The strip simply looks like the lettering was lost. No narrative or artistic effect is achieved by its absense. If the author hadn't written that the words were meant to be missing, his inbox would be jammed with messages stating that he forgot the text.
*small voice* I understood the intent of the strip at first sight. And I didn't see no author's note.

So, tell you what: there's text, all right, but it's magical text. It can only be seen by really, really smart people. Go back and take another look. ::)

Once again: great comic, Giant, and I've just reread it so I know wherefore I write.

[Kylynara]

Okay, I just had to register and put in my two cents on this one.

Warmachine: I have to argue that not everyone will think it's an error when they see the comic with no dialog. I also argue that people do not need the giant to tell them that no dialog was intended. I argue this because I "read" the comic BEFORE checking out the forum (as I always do). I understood perfectly that no dialog was needed. Like several others I wondered a bit what stories they were telling (indeed I checked out the forum to see other people guesses). But I fully understood the scene. I did however have to look at the second to last panel again to figure out why Roy stood up. Upon my second look I realized he was standing on the table and chair in the "Captain Morgan" pose.

Also you said the Giant showed a lack of attention to detail, but I'm not sure that he did. I saw the scene as the two of them having so much fun talking that their food was getting cold, as they ignored it. As for the amout of wine in the glass not going down, that might have been an error, but as I know that I can make a drink last two hours or more, I don't think it's a given that one sip would make the wine glass go down a noticible amount. As the for waiter, (yes someone else mentioned this) They are in a restaurant. He might have been simply passing by and had to stop and stare at Roy's sudden jubilation. I think the tear from laughing so hard, the faces of the secondary couple in the forground, the faces of the waiter and customer to the right when Roy stood on the table, the fact that we only see the face of the customer on the right while Roy is on the table, (as someone else mentioned) the way each is sitting, Scene 8 where Celia holds up one finger to indicate her return, scene 9 showing she's a little ways away, scene 10 with Roy looking to be sure she's out of earshot, scene 11 with him reacting to his elation in a way he certainly would not want her to see, and scene 12 where he is sitting quietly waiting for her return all contradict that.

As for the candlelight, it's not a hallucination per se, but an optical illusion. Several people have spotted it so it must be there, but as people have proven it's a static image, that's the only possibility. The real question is whether or not the Giant put the illusion there intentionally.

LesserHellspawn: Look close, She only speaks in panels 2, 5, and 8. She's laughing in 4 and 6.

[Holy_Knight]

And I still stick with that opinion.
Of course, because every man hates it when a beautiful woman approaches him and asks him out on a date, shows up wearing an elegant, flattering dress, makes innuendo on the way there, pays him lots of attention, laughs at his stories, and seems to really enjoy his company. I know I hate when that happens to me... ::)

[Krytha]

I think its nice the way Rich did it, not because it wouldve been better or worse either way, but it allows the individual reader to become part of the date. Everyone imagines Roy telling her a different story, and what he shouts at the end could range from "Oh God, deliver unto me mudpuppies and their unborn young in food format!" to "I LOVE CELIA!"

If Rich had put in text, I still wouldve loved it, but its still nice to allow your readers to interpret on their own sometimes.

[CaptN]

First of all, great love to the strip, G.

Second of all, I think the overly verbose jeremiads concerning use of the static medium equivalent of a "White Noise" scene is a manifestation of our cultures sycophantic reaction to the role of the Critic and the anonymity of the infobahn to thereby luxuriate in that self-same role.

In other words, the use of big words don't give you more hit dice and not "getting it" dosn't preclude it from being good.

[Gary_Howard]

First of all, great love to the strip, G.

Second of all, I think the overly verbose jeremiads concerning use of the static medium equivalent of a "White Noise" scene is a manifestation of our cultures sycophantic reaction to the role of the Critic and the anonymity of the infobahn to thereby luxuriate in that self-same role.

In other words, the use of big words don't give you more hit dice and not "getting it" dosn't preclude it from being good.

Well circumloquted and said, respectively, Kapp'n! (Yes, I know it's CaptN, but I've got Animal Crossing going right now)

[warmachine]

Also you said the Giant showed a lack of attention to detail, but I'm not sure that he did.
I wrote no such thing. Someone else did that. I'm the kind of person that notices plotholes and out of character behaviour, not continuity mistakes. Actually, I notice continuity mistakes but I only care about the plot.

I'm also the kind of person that, upon seeing lips moving on TV without sound and no indication why, such as view through a telescope sight, would try to fix the local equipment then regard it as a broadcast failure that spoils the film. Many engineers think like that. Any indicator would be fine.

And I really love storyline and characterisation. I don't care about visual effects because the art is too simple. The writing's briliant and more than make's up for it. Did I tell you I only care about the plot?

[U2QueenBee]

I know no-one probably cares but you can add mine to the list of voices of people who had no trouble following what was meant to be going on without words. I wasn't even confused by Roy standing on the table, I 'got' right away that he was just jubilant that the date was going well. I don't think I'm particularly smarter than other people (not much, anyway) so I don't think it can be that unintelligible a strip. :)

[CelestialStick]

I know no-one probably cares but you can add mine to the list of voices of people who had no trouble following what was meant to be going on without words. I wasn't even confused by Roy standing on the table, I 'got' right away that he was just jubilant that the date was going well. I don't think I'm particularly smarter than other people (not much, anyway) so I don't think it can be that unintelligible a strip. :)


Considering that the majority of the posters seem to have followed the strip without any problem, I have to agree with you.

[dragon95046]

Meh...BORED! It's like we were invited to join them for dinner and then they just ignored us while we were there. I found myself staring out the window around the 6th panel waiting for it to be over, but, unfortunately, when I looked back, it was right where I had left it.

Oh well. Given that the other 99+ percent were good, I figure the chances are good for the upcoming ones.

[Arian]

No other effect can be perceived? Then I guess most of the people here are hallucinating..
This comment reminded me of the descriptions of "Neurotypical Syndrome" at http://isnt.autistics.org/, where it is claimed (as a parody of the way autism is often presented) that non-autistic people's belief that they can understand other people's thinking/feelings, and correctly interpret each other's facial expressions and body language, is abnormal and deluded.

War Machine's apparent trouble in deciphering (or at least, appreciating) the non-verbal content of the comic, along with a few of his other remarks, makes me wonder if he's ever been tested for Asperger's Syndrome, because he's sounding rather Asperger-y from where I sit.

[warmachine]

War Machine's apparent trouble in deciphering (or at least, appreciating) the non-verbal content of the comic, along with a few of his other remarks, makes me wonder if he's ever been tested for Asperger's Syndrome, because he's sounding rather Asperger-y from where I sit.
Did I write that I didn't understand what was going on? No. I wrote that we have almost no story or character insight, an implausible jubilation and that they're happy together without knowing exactly why.

The couple are happy and laughing at each other's stories. Cute but what do they see in each other? After interactions between them, we know why Haley loves Elan but won't say so. Roy and Celia have barely met.

Roy's half standing on the restaurant table needs explanation. He's in a classy restaurant. He's blunt but not out-and-out rude. And he's supposed to be lawful. What's he doing? Making a vow on a date but not in front of his girlfriend? Exclaiming that he's going to score in a classy restaurant?

Perhaps the author only wishes to reveal little at this stage. So little content for an entire strip? Not even a joke? Perhaps he's going for beautiful, visual effects. The drawing is simple, cartoon style as usual.

In a web comic of mediocre art, the author drops the lynchpin aspect: the writing. His writing can even make animated snacks funny. The non-written aspects simply can't make up for it.

[KayJay]

I don't see what words could be said that would have made it much better- in ways, it would make it worse. When there are words, less attention is paid to the emotions annd mannerisms of the character.
no story or character insight? I'd say there was as much in this as a lot of the other strips, and it doesn't lose anything simply from the lack of knowing EXACTLY what they're saying, which would most likely have been small talk anyway (which we'd already had a strip of when the two first met to leave for the restaurant).



The couple are happy and laughing at each other's stories. Cute but what do they see in each other? After interactions between them, we know why Haley loves Elan but won't say so. Roy and Celia have barely met.
Again, you think that this would've been what they were discussing if there was text? Doubt it.



Roy's half standing on the restaurant table needs explanation. He's in a classy restaurant. He's blunt but not out-and-out rude. And he's supposed to be lawful. What's he doing? Making a vow on a date but not in front of his girlfriend? Exclaiming that he's going to score in a classy restaurant?
It wasn't that rude. Looking at the people's faces, they were more surprised and confused than anything else. It's just a jump of happiness, you're reading far too deeply into it. We know there's chemistry from the first strip when they set out- this is just a simple reaction. I could easily imagine Roy doing it, than say, V, Belkar or Durkon.



Perhaps the author only wishes to reveal little at this stage. So little content for an entire strip? Not even a joke? Perhaps he's going for beautiful, visual effects. The drawing is simple, cartoon style as usual.
Not all jokes are meant to be laugh out loud funny, a satisfied feeling is enough. I read a lot of comics for that reason, it doesn't need to be funny to be good, but if you really need a joke, then the jumping up in the air would be it- that certainly gave me a smile.


In a web comic of mediocre art, the author drops the lynchpin aspect: the writing. His writing can even make animated snacks funny. The non-written aspects simply can't make up for it.
A lot of comics have done the "silent thing". TV shows too. These media also depend on "the writing" and yet, I don't look down on the silent offerings in the least. If it's done well then the imagination can fill in things easily enough without needing words, which would no doubt fall short for some people anyway. This one was done well enough, I didn't find myself needing words at all.

[Alfryd]

Dedicated to everyone who thinks my strips have gotten too wordy.
While I'm happy for Roy, and wish Celia all the best, I'll have to give it a 4.1 on the ol' hilarometer.

[HypnoticMonk]

In a web comic of mediocre art, the author drops the lynchpin aspect: the writing. His writing can even make animated snacks funny. The non-written aspects simply can't make up for it.

ummm... this strip WAS written.Totally. From beginning to end. This strip was no more or less "non-written" than any other strip.

Now if you want to talk about the non-Verbal aspects of the strip, fine. If you want to complain that the typical wordplay and banter that you love so much is missing, I can buy that. But "non-written"? ummm, not so much...

Our dear friend, the Giant, wrote a story and he told it. He just did so without explicitly giving us conversation to read.

[humanpylon]

Ok first of all warmachine is entitled to his opinion. We can disagree with it but comments like suggesting he get tested for Asperger's syndrome I can do without. Having said that:




In a web comic of mediocre art, the author drops the lynchpin aspect: the writing. His writing can even make animated snacks funny. The non-written aspects simply can't make up for it.

I agree his writing is brilliant. However I would not call the comic art mediocre. He has chosen the stick figure medium because of the humor aspects of it. Given that he has restricted himself to stick figures I think he's done a good job of portraying different characters, emotions, settings etc.

Also I just read that the Giant is going to a funeral. My condolences :(

[stevec]

Wow. I think I am the third person who has registered to comment about this strip.

I'm a long-time reader of OotS, and I think this was one of the neatest things Rich has done yet.

The thing is, I have been in Roy's situation. I have been on that date with that person in the candle lit room when everything went right and everything was perfect.

I can't remember ANYTHING that we said that evening, but I remember the look and feel of the place perfectly.

I also believe that there are no words that Rich could have written that would have been more appropriate than what he did here. This is largely because you the reader can fill in your own words as to what was said and was going on.

Sometimes I am accused of being too much of a curmudgeon and a cynic, but when I see a strip like this one, I can see that I am not.

Two other points: this strip is, to my mind, designed to show a "payoff" for Roy for all of the bad things that have happened to him and everything he has gone through in the strip.

Second, I must echo what some other posters have said and comment that as a framing technique, this sets up having something very bad happen in the near future. We need to see what our hero had that made him so happy before it gets taken away from him, after all.

--Steve

[HypnoticMonk]

I think back to the end of the movie Lost in Translation. We'll never know what exactly was whispered between them. But everyone who watched the film filled in the scene with their own words...and those words were perfect for each individual in the audience.

[divine]

I'm a long-time fan and a not-often poster, and I agree with the people loving this strip, (because to some degree I love them all) but it seems that the giant has (over a substantial period of time now) let this comic "go to the fans" .. that is, he spends more time on character nuances in the strips than on any action (compare the last 150 strips to the 150 or so before that and you'll see what I mean) they're still funny, usually, but the drawn out plots for the sake of character build-up is really just for all the people that insist on having it - and not for the sake of the true "spirit" of the original order of the stick.

[AzSteven]

Our dear friend, the Giant, wrote a story and he told it. He just did so without explicitly giving us conversation to read.

And that is a mark of an artist, as opposed to a drawer, scribbler or jokester. Our beloved Giant is growing up on us... sniff

Coming back to this strip after a couple of days, I have to say this is probably in my top 5 OOTS comics. It truly satisfies on the story level, on the plot level and in the satisfaction level (at least for me) - but others will feel differently.

[snelson66]

...not for the sake of the true "spirit" of the original order of the stick.
Uh... it's the Giant's comic. Whatever he decides he wants in it is the "spirit" for which the comic was intended.

Nice departure from the norm, Giant. Though I wish Roy was gallant enough to stand up for the lady when she left and when she returned.

[Bakta]

Call me an old fart, but the whole stroip reminded me of a Capra movie.

There is that scene where words were drowned by music, usually either with a funny or romantic undertone. The giant, being the critter he is, has to add a tarzan-like Roy; trust me, Celia knew what he was going to say the whole time when she wasn't around.

Now, if I was Roy's friend, I'd grab Celia, tie her up while urging the poor fella to run for his life or face fate worse than death (otherwise known as meaningul relatiohnship or marriage),yet Belkar isn't around to either tease or help him.

...

Pity

[Solmage]

I seldomly post. I don't always enjoy every single comic ever made (a couple from after the "railroad plot" didn't do anything for me) but this is only mentioned to emphasize that I liked this comic quite a bit. Then again, I liked the previous wordy comic too.

I personally find it bothersome, perhaps even offensive, to call the giant's art "mediocre", seeing how it is an art that I so enjoy.

If you don't like a comic without words because your mind can't or won't fill in the 'correct' dialog to go with the excellent, not mediocre, imagery provided, it's your prerrogative to not like it, but I think you're going a bit too far, to the point where others like myself are beginning to also feel at least bothered by you stressing your point of view.

[Penwarrior]

Everything in my post is just my opinion. I love this strip, but loving it does not cover up its weak points, so here I go.

I think we are missing a key point here - The silent approach was definately an interesting tactic to take, but was this, or was it not, an effective comic overall?

I came away thinking, "No, it wasn't." It's well done as far as a silent comic, with lots of subtle details and more emotion than you could expect from stick figures. But in the wider context of the story, it really wasn't that effective, and I think it's the combination of several factors that robs it of its effectiveness, despite the fact that it was well done.

The story of late has frankly been lagging. I'm bored; I'm ready to move on. The previous strip was the first good laugh I've had since the trial ended. Some of this is natural end-of-major-story-arc let down, and it was present at the end of the Xykon arc, though not so strongly. Some of it is because there are now too many groups of characters doing too many separate things. ANY story with a cast this size published in a periodic medium like this suffers badly when the group splits into X subgroups, because it takes X times as many installments to advance the plot an equal amount. When you already have to wait days, weeks, or months between installments, the story seems to slow to an absolute crawl. The most successful episodic stories, it seems to me, are those where the reader is given some satisfaction, in the form of humor or a punch line or some sort of resolution or new plot twist or forward motion, in EACH installment - or at the very least, every other or every third installment. The more often the episodes occur, the more lattitude you have, but when you are only publishing two or three times a week you just can't go to long without giving your readers something, or they will lose interest. I lost interest several strips ago - the reason I am still reading is because the strip has been so consistently good for so long that I consider the evidence to be overwhelming that eventually it will pick up once the transition period is over. But MAN I'm tired of waiting for that to happen.

So, there's that to consider. This silent strip is not a break in a long line of fast-paced, clever, or dialogue-heavy strips. It's just another strip where the story doesn't go anywhere.

But it was a sweet, romantic moment, right? It was a quiet moment between two characters to establish a relationship, right? Everyone likes to see their favorite characters get together, right?

Yeah, except I'm not at all invested in this Celia/Roy relationship because it did seem to come out of nowhere. Other people think it's been hinted at but I didn't really see it, and I think there are quite a number of people who also were very confused. I'll buy a flirty, hormonal type episode like 310, but the quiet, romantic dinner doesn't ring true with me at all. Because though one could make an argument for Celia having interest, Roy showed none at all prior to her showing up in a slinky dress.

Could he just be jumping on the table because he's going to score? I'm not sure. It seems wierd - it's not like they're in a club leaning close over drinks and flirting outrageously. They're having a candlelit dinner at a lovely restaurant, and while they certainly seem to be enjoying the conversation, they're not leaned in suggestively, there are no flirty eyebrows, and no coy banter. If she whispered in his ear and his eyes widened and then she slipped off to the lady's room with a coy look over her shoulder at him, I'd totally buy the 'gonna score' cheer, but I just don't think that's happening. Yet the setup has not been for a love relationship - not the kind that would make you stand up on a table in elation like you were totally in love and walking on air. I don't think there's anything that could have been done in just one strip to convey that - it needed to happen gradually over many strips. Some think it did, and maybe if you went back and pored over every detail then it would seem obvious - however I open the comic, read it once or twice, laugh, and go on with my day, and I just didn't see it.

The inconsistency leaves me confused at the end of the strip, with a kind of "...that's it? I don't get it. Is he happy because it's going well? I guess that must be it. Well, that's kind of disappointing."

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the strip itself, and I can certainly appreciate it as an excellent individual installment - but it is not so genius that, as an individual installment, it would convince me to start or continue reading. OotS has really never been about the individual installment, it has always been about an excellent individual installment's place in an excellent overall story, and in that context, the strip - the story - is somewhat lacking here.

I think improvements could have been made if the strips were grouped differently. Rather than rotating between settings in turn, go ahead and group two or three strips featuring the same characters together. I think the flow would be much better this way, even if you have to sacrifice some sense of the passage of time by doing that.

On an only slightly related note, I was really disappointed with the last Haley strip. The audience did not need to have all that explained to them - a good chunk of the audience had already guessed based on the forum posts. I admit that I have no idea where the story is going, but it seems to me that if the final panel in the previous Haley strip had been her leaping across the table and kissing Elan, or knocking him out of the screen, or whatever, then the suspense would have been much more elevated than it currently is, and this Celia/Roy strip would have been much more effective, followed perhaps by one more strip featuring them before the joke with the other three, to give us the feeling that we are on all fronts poised above a precipice - before Xykon's army invades or whatever should be happening next.

I certainly don't say all this to be critical of the artist or the work, which I greatly appreciate as a whole. I have a lot of respect for someone who publishes in a medium like this, where someone is there the instant you make your product public. I honestly think this strip does better that most novels that undergo dozens of editor's revisions. I think it's natural that sometimes things don't come out quite right. I applaud the artist for being willing to try something different.

[warmachine]

Hurrah! I was wondering if I was the only reader who cared about the storytelling.