Is 8-Bit Theater really over? (May contain spoilers)

[Tempest Fennac]

Is it me, or was thast ending (if the comic is over) really dissapointing? http://www.nuklearpower.com/latest.php . I know the comic has largely been boring for the last 2 years, but I find it odd that it would end like this so quickly.

[Greep]

I personally think it's the perfect ending to this comic, if indeed it is over. The last like 40 comics have been almost entirely filler, and now we get an abortion of an ending rather than a finale. It's awesome, and it's just like Clevinger to do this.

[Revanmal]

I refuse to believe that's the end. No way in heck is Clevinger stupid enough to do something like this. Unless he WANTS to have large, spiky objects inserted into each of his orifices for such an anticlimax. In which case i think I can oblige.

[Tempest Fennac]

I think the comic on the whole would have been better if it ended around 2 years ago. Most of it throughout that time was just fuller, and I don't see how the apparent ending can be seen as funny (the only reason I didn't stop readon was because I was curious about how it was going to end).

[Trazoi]

I doubt it. Not unless he's doing the same thing with the news posting.

Then again, I did expect the comic to finish at the 1000 mark. I was only following the comic until then because I thought the end was nigh. I'm not entirely sure why I've been still following it, as nothing much has happened for as far back as I can remember.

[averagejoe]

Interesting. I smiled at this one.

[Yerocha]

This all just seems like a screwed up Take That at the fans. I doubt it's really over, as he wouldn't just end it like that.

[busterswd]

Feels like an anticlimax because he's been stretching the damn thing out so long with side characters and side plots in order to make it artificially longer.

Then again, I'm not sure it's a bad thing, as it's been a while since I actually chuckled at the comic. At the very least it's been a while since there was an arc like the dwarf kingdom. Those were good times.

[Evil DM Mark3]

I think that this is exactly the ending the series (if not the fan base) deserves.

[Tempest Fennac]

What do youmean by that, EvilDMMk3?

[Kurald Galain]

Interesting.

Yes, it's just like BC to end with a mind screw like that. However, it's also just like BC to want us to think that. He has pulled the unexpected anticlimax several times before.

[Nerd-o-rama]

I think that this is exactly the ending the series (if not the fan base) deserves.Trust me, the fanbase deserves it plenty.

I'm almost positive this is yet another fake ending (he really enjoyed doing those way back in the early days), but either way, it is a Legendary Troll.

[Tempest Fennac]

What do you mean about the fan base deserving that ending? I know I don't really class as a fan, but I'm still curious about what you mean.

[Justyn]

Something tells me that he's kidding. Look at the news post: he's saying that's he's working one three different Hollywood projects. I think that that's a tip off.

Anyway, I think that a decent way to keep the joke going, would be to skip Saturday's update. I would make it look like he really was canceling it, and then he gets the extra laugh when he updates on Tuesday...

Unless he really did end the series; in which case, something tells me that he will not be making any public appearances for a while.

[Evil DM Mark3]

What do youmean by that, EvilDMMk3?No fanbase has ever deserved such an ignominious end as "and it was all a dream", not even the followers of Lord Dominus, the mindless flock of the great Mookie. But as a web comic? 8-bit has a very apt name, because it has 8-bits that I found funny. And all where a long time ago!

[Tempest Fennac]

So you're saying the fans deserved that due to how poor the comic was?

[Evil DM Mark3]

No fanbase has ever deserved such an ignominious end as "and it was all a dream", not even the followers of Lord Dominus, the mindless flock of the great Mookie. But as a web comic? 8-bit has a very apt name, because it has 8-bits that I found funny. And all where a long time ago!See, I already answered your question!

[starburst98]

i wanted to see fighter fighting fighter, fighter, and fighter, in that four-way death-match with himself, and win.

[Winterwind]

We are talking about the guy who had Thief appear in red after his class change, and then in black in the comic following that, with only Black Mage commenting upon that and all instances where Thief was shown as ninja before redone to make him appear black, creating a meta-joke any newcomers wouldn't be able to understand.

I wouldn't trust anything he says or does if his life depended on being truthful.

I think it's a joke. (Though this ending would undeniably fit the comic's kind of humour; still, too much remains unresolved. And there still is this infamous strip #434 (http://www.nuklearpower.com/daily.php?date=040626)...)

[Magnax]

I think it's possible Clevinger just got bored with the series and decided to end it. For a while now its seemed like the story isn't going anywhere, and the humor of the strip has been draining away, so maybe he just wants it to be over so he can spend more time on his bigger projects.

Of course, the fans who've been following his comic for so long deserve an actual ending, so if this is his way of finishing the series then I'll never buy an issue of Atomic Robo.

I sure hope this isn't the end of the comic, anyway.

[Project_Mayhem]

This reminds me very much of Monty Python's Holy Grail.

Also


I think it's a joke. (Though this ending would undeniably fit the comic's kind of humour; still, too much remains unresolved. And there still is this infamous strip #434...)

I never got that one

[Kurald Galain]

if this is his way of finishing the series then I'll never buy an issue of Atomic Robo.
Well, I wouldn't do that anyway, because I found the short preview he posted of that Robo a few months ago seriously boring.

[someonenonotyou]

NNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:smallfrown::smallfrown::smallf rown:

its over i have nothing to live for

[Tempest Fennac]

I don't think it's quite that bad, someonenonotyou (there's plenty of better webcomics; it's sad about Ozy and Millie coming to an end soon as well, though). I know what you mean about AR being dull, Kurald.

[Winterwind]

I never got that oneNobody gets #434. I never participated in the 8bit-Theater forums, but I used to infrequently read them, and the discussions of this strip were just as reoccurring and polarizing there as discussions of Vaarsuvius' gender or the Monster in the Darkness' identity are on this board.

The usual assumption is that it's a discussion two of the characters (usually assumed to be Black Mage and Fighter) have at the very end of the strip, right before they face each other, the assumption being that this is the ultimate showdown between good and evil and Fighter has finally understood the vileness of Black Mage - and there are a lot of points indicating that this might be where the comic is heading, what with Darko and Swordopolis apparently preparing them to fight each other.

Some further interpretations are that such details as the fourth panel resemblance of the pattern of White Mage's robes with blood all over mean that the deed that made Fighter realize Black Mage's evil was the latter killing White Mage.


NNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:smallfrown::smallfrown::smallf rown:

its over i have nothing to live forI'd really wait and see what happens first, someonenonotyou. I really, really doubt this is the comic's end.

[someonenonotyou]

I don't think it's quite that bad, someonenonotyou (there's plenty of better webcomics; it's sad about Ozy and Millie coming to an end soon as well, though). I know what you mean about AR being dull, Kurald.

blasphemer

[Enlong]

Yeah, this ending is totally legit, right? (http://nuklearpower.com/daily.php?date=020401)

[Tempest Fennac]

I forgot about that one. To be fair, this apparent end is near to the end of FF1's story, so it would make slightly more sense for it to end there.

[Fangly]

Nobody gets #434.

The usual assumption is that it's a discussion two of the characters (usually assumed to be Black Mage and Fighter) have at the very end of the strip, right before they face each other, the assumption being that this is the ultimate showdown between good and evil and Fighter has finally understood the vileness of Black Mage - and there are a lot of points indicating that this might be where the comic is heading, what with Darko and Swordopolis apparently preparing them to fight each other.

Some further interpretations are that such details as the fourth panel resemblance of the pattern of White Mage's robes with blood all over mean that the deed that made Fighter realize Black Mage's evil was the latter killing White Mage.


Holy crap.


That's awesome. Thank you for sharing that theory with us.

[Winterwind]

You're welcome, it's not my theory though :smallwink:. It's what the fans on the 8-bit Theater forums came up with. However, I think it's (mostly) plausible (and would be a pretty awesome ending, too).

There are all sorts of variations of this theory, some of them pretty crazy; in fact, while it's fairly probable one of the speakers is Black Mage, the identity of the other is far less certain.

[T-O-E]

I read the first 600 or so strips and thought it was very funny. Then archive-binging became a chore for me and I lost interest.

It does seem like Clevinger to do this, he did end a boss battle right after it started just to annoy the fanbase.

[Haven]

Re-reading 434 now, it really, really seems like it's Thief speaking to Black Mage.

Anyway, this couldn't possibly be the end...is what I would have thought if it weren't for Terror Island. =|

[T-O-E]

Another Terror Island fan? I thought that comic was extemely obscure!

[Haven]

Another Terror Island fan? I thought that comic was extemely obscure!

It is! But then someone pimped it on TVTropes, and, you can't buy better advertising than that! unless you use DOLLARS.

[Morty]

I think it might also be White Mage talking to Black Mage. Then again, she seems to belive in the fate and destiny and all that, which the speaker with red speech squares apparently doesn't care about.

[T-O-E]

Red Mage's speechbubble (http://www.nuklearpower.com/daily.php?date=060819)matches that of the red speaker.

[Enlong]

434 could also be a blissful, blissful daydream that Black Mage was having to stave off the EXCRUCIATING PAIN.

[FoE]

But ... but there's so m-much left unresolved ...

[T-O-E]

This is really annoying me now. I haven't read 8-bit in a year but I'm compelled to speculate. What the hell is a nexus? Who's speaking in red?

I need help.

[Morty]

But ... but there's so m-much left unresolved ...

Which might be the exact reason we're getting this... less than expected ending.


What the hell is a nexus?


From what's been said, I guess that Nexus is a point where magic is very powerful, as explained in BM's dream. And Black Mage is a nexus that didn't appear as a place, but as a person, which explains his enormous power and Darko's attempts to manipluate him.

[FoE]

I haven't been this disappointed since the finale of Seinfeld. :smallfrown:

[T-O-E]

From what's been said, I guess that Nexus is a point where magic is very powerful, as explained in BM's dream. And Black Mage is a nexus that didn't appear as a place, but as a person, which explains his enormous power and Darko's attempts to manipluate him.

I know that, it just isn't enough information. I want a resolution.

[MReav]

I think it's not going to really end at this moment, that this is akin to Fighter's earlier Transform and Engage cutaway.

[Mewtarthio]

It's still a better ending than what RPG World got.

[Tempest Fennac]

What was the ending for that?

[Enlong]

What was the ending for that?

None at all. The creator had a breakdown and abandoned the comic minutes before the Final Boss fight.

[Tempest Fennac]

That sounds bad.:smallfrown: Did the writer ever recover?

[Enlong]

Yes.

And he's moved on to other things.

Though he may be commissioning someone else to finish it for him.
Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaybe

[RPGuru1331]

I can b elieve it. His entire book was mech anically a single joke, all to make the punchline of the ending th at much more poignant.

[Tempest Fennac]

I'm pleased they recovered.:smallsmile: It would be good if someone finished it, though.

[Jayngfet]

If this iis real, I may have to steal vlad the impalers title for a while.

[Adderfield]

Everyone over there on that forum is speculating and arguing with each other over whether it's over or not. Whether Clevinger is playing a cruel practical joke with an anticlimatic end after 7+ years of webcomic, or whether Clevinger is playing a cruel practical joke by FAKING an end to the comic in this fashion, and trying to guess if/when he'll start back up, or not.

Everyone's guessing and arguing. Nobody knows. Except Clevinger, who's probably too busy laughing at it all.

The Joke is on The Reader.

Andy Kaufman would be proud.

[Neek]

I think I stopped reading the comic after there was a three strip-long discussion between Black Mage and Thief regarding Dr. Doom. Something clicked in me: Brian Clevinger has no care that maybe none of his readers actually care about his opinions, and'd rather see him make a comic. And that he thinks too highly of himself, considering that he scripted an 8-bit comic that has very little in the way of an original plot and gags taken from the desk of Groening... and apparently that he's more than happy to jerk around his fans... well, I did the responsible thing and I just stopped reading and never looked back.

And knowing that it had ran this long... well, it depresses me.

Not saying that up until the point that I stopped reading it, it wasn't funny: It was hilarious. The first ten or so strips were gold. In the end, I just stopped caring about what Brian Clevinger had to say, had to produce in a comic, or anything he really does.

Whether or not this is a hoax is entirely beyond me: If it's dead, let it be. If it's not, well, let's hope he's less full of himself this round.

[Nevitan]

Nobody gets #434. I never participated in the 8bit-Theater forums, but I used to infrequently read them, and the discussions of this strip were just as reoccurring and polarizing there as discussions of Vaarsuvius' gender or the Monster in the Darkness' identity are on this board.

The usual assumption is that it's a discussion two of the characters (usually assumed to be Black Mage and Fighter) have at the very end of the strip, right before they face each other, the assumption being that this is the ultimate showdown between good and evil and Fighter has finally understood the vileness of Black Mage - and there are a lot of points indicating that this might be where the comic is heading, what with Darko and Swordopolis apparently preparing them to fight each other.

Some further interpretations are that such details as the fourth panel resemblance of the pattern of White Mage's robes with blood all over mean that the deed that made Fighter realize Black Mage's evil was the latter killing White Mage.


Gaa!
I was happy with 8-bit theater ending with the cop out dream ending, Until I read this!
And now I need see that battle!

[Alias]

I think it's possible Clevinger just got bored with the series and decided to end it. For a while now its seemed like the story isn't going anywhere, and the humor of the strip has been draining away, so maybe he just wants it to be over so he can spend more time on his bigger projects.

Of course, the fans who've been following his comic for so long deserve an actual ending, so if this is his way of finishing the series then I'll never buy an issue of Atomic Robo.

Agreed.


I sure hope this isn't the end of the comic, anyway.

I'm not so sure with the way Cleavinger's comics keep improving - each one is better than the next. He's too tied up in trying to be cute or do the unexpected that he seems unable to let the plot do what it needs to when it needs to be, well, mundane. When you build to a moment eventually you have to pay it off. Failing to do so is just plain cowardice.

[Greep]

hmm apparently Clevinger's girlfriend made a post on their forum that suggested Clevinger was just pulling our leg, so I actually don't think it's the end now. He's also made no comment in his "daily comments" bit.

[Lord Seth]

I think I stopped reading the comic after there was a three strip-long discussion between Black Mage and Thief regarding Dr. Doom. Something clicked in me: Brian Clevinger has no care that maybe none of his readers actually care about his opinions, and'd rather see him make a comic.I liked that discussion because it was funny. You might as well complain that there was no need for Seinfeld to make an episode that consisted of nothing more than them looking for a parked car.

If this is the actual end, though, all I have to say is that Bob and George pulled off the anticlimax ending far better than 8-Bit Theater did.

Still, speculation is honestly useless, best to wait until Saturday to see how it turns out.

[Jibar]

Ya know, reading this thread makes me feel like one of the few people here who actually likes 8-Bit Theater.

(And this is so not the end. Clevengir is a tricky man but even he wouldn't pull this.)

[Trazoi]

Ya know, reading this thread makes me feel like one of the few people here who actually likes 8-Bit Theater.
I liked 8-Bit Theater for quite a while, but roughly since after the Light Warriors found the water orb its been quite dull (i.e. the whole air orb arc and beyond). We've had loads and loads of the Light Warriors standing around doing nothing, and now we've got an arc where the majority of the reoccuring cast stand in a castle doing nothing. Fighter occasionally gives me a smile but everyone else is stale.

Currently 8-Bit Theater is the weakest of the comics I regularly check, and that's a bit surprising since most comics have RSS feeds now (does 8-Bit Theater have one? I can't find it), so I'm manually checking for updates. Like I wrote earlier, I'm only keeping tabs on it because I suspect it's nearly finished and I want to see how it ends.

[Kurald Galain]

Andy Kaufman would be proud.

That, indeed.

[Winterwind]

Ya know, reading this thread makes me feel like one of the few people here who actually likes 8-Bit Theater.I do like it.
I wished it moved on faster with the plot, but the gags are generally funny enough to allow me to see past the lack of plot advancement (and it's not like the plot never advances, either).

[JMobius]

I liked 8-Bit Theater for quite a while, but roughly since after the Light Warriors found the water orb its been quite dull (i.e. the whole air orb arc and beyond). We've had loads and loads of the Light Warriors standing around doing nothing, and now we've got an arc where the majority of the reoccuring cast stand in a castle doing nothing. Fighter occasionally gives me a smile but everyone else is stale.

That is about the point I felt it started going stale as well. I remember something about some arc where they detoured to go rob a town some where. And then it started making the same jokes, over, and over, and over... I still read it, but that if I've held on for this long, I'll see it to the end.

The comic hasn't ended, but I almost think it would be better if it did at this point. It seems very much like it has outlived the enthusiasm and interest of its creator.

[Neek]

I liked that discussion because it was funny. You might as well complain that there was no need for Seinfeld to make an episode that consisted of nothing more than them looking for a parked car.

If this is the actual end, though, all I have to say is that Bob and George pulled off the anticlimax ending far better than 8-Bit Theater did.

Still, speculation is honestly useless, best to wait until Saturday to see how it turns out.

I've never seen a Seinfeld episode that did not make me laugh...

That's neither here nor there, however. I'm not saying that other people found it funny, I just didn't find it funny, I didn't like Brian Clevinger, so I just stopped reading it. I didn't think about it until I saw this thread--which was, what? Six or so years--I can't remember.

[Lord Seth]

That is about the point I felt it started going stale as well. I remember something about some arc where they detoured to go rob a town some where. And then it started making the same jokes, over, and over, and over... I still read it, but that if I've held on for this long, I'll see it to the end.

The comic hasn't ended, but I almost think it would be better if it did at this point. It seems very much like it has outlived the enthusiasm and interest of its creator.I remember that as well. Did you read them as they came out, or when it was in the archives? I remember disliking it when it came out, but finding it a lot more funny when I read it in the archives.

[JeffreyToTheMax]

I would be very surprised if this turned out to be the real end for 8-Bit. Brian does jokes like this all the time. The only thing that tells me otherwise is the possibility the he expects everyone else to be expecting this to be a joke, so maybe he's double-subverting expectations. Which seems kinda unlikely.

As for the quality of 8-Bit Theater, there has definitely been a noticeable decline. It seems like Brian used to enjoy what he did and came up with some great stuff, but started getting sick of it around #600-ish and is just running on autopilot now. I do still enjoy it, but not on anywhere near the same level as I used to.

Also, for some reason, my web content filter declares nuklearpower.com to be "pornography", but happily allows sites like Penny Arcade full access.

[Jayngfet]

He asked before the update what unresolved plotlines there were. Given his reputation, I'd bet this is the end.

And I'm wondering why I even cared, the guy's a douche to his fanbase, is known to recycle gags, stretches the plot out with filler, leaves dozens of subplots unfufilled. I wonder why I expected him to have artistic integrity/

[Adderfield]

I've actually been reading 8-bit Theater almost since the beginning; I discovered it sometime in the summer of 01. So even though I just registered on that forum the other day (incidentally, a lot of new accounts seem to be registering at that forum in the wake of the final(?) strip, and a lot of the older guard seem to think/suspect some of them are sockpuppets created by Clevinger/the mods, to add to the confusion and fan both the "it is" and "it isn't" camps. Which makes this all even funnier!)

It's always been free and taken minimal effort on my part to keep up with, so, even though I haven't found it as funny recently as I did years ago (which could be me changing/getting older as well as the comic changing/Clevinger's enthusiasm for it changing), I guess I figured I'd see it through to the end, especially since anyone familiar with the basic plot of the first Final Fantasy game could always have a rough idea of how close to the end it was.

I hope this is the end of it, not because I hate it OR Clevinger, not because I don't think it's funny (although I don't think it's as funny strip-to-strip as it used to be; really, it probably should have been ended already), but simply because it it were to continue, whatever eventual end it had could never top the punch of this abrupt, anticlimactic ending, and especially the chaos, confusion, and debate swirling around it. I certainly don't feel "screwed" or "cheated out of a satisfying ending" after reading it for all these years. The last few strips may not have been particularly funny, but the way it's going out (if it is) sure is. Besides, it's at the end of the FF1 plot now, and should be wrapping up anyway.

Of course, I should mention that I'm a big fan of Monty Python AND Andy Kaufman, so no wonder I like this ending. :smallsmile:

And even though I enjoyed it, and have gotten used to it being around forever, and it was the first webcomic I ever followed (and thus my gateway drug to other webcomics) I won't particularly miss it. I've got Order of the Stick now, which I enjoy as much if not more than I ever enjoyed 8BT.

[doliest]

I'm hoping that this isn't the end not only because I think the comic's been improving as it's gone along, but because I like the characters far to much and want to see some resolution for them....their character developement has been on par with order of the stick.

[Jayngfet]

8 bit character development? Please tell me you're joking, what lasting changes in the slightest manner have the characters gone under? They've got the same personality and same jokes as the beginning.

[Nerd-o-rama]

their character developement has been on par with order of the stick.Um...what? I mean, I like 8 Bit Theater, but have any of the characters actually changed from their first appearance in the comic? At all? Besides becoming more over-the-top, I mean.

[chiasaur11]

Um...what? I mean, I like 8 Bit Theater, but have any of the characters actually changed from their first appearance in the comic? At all? Besides becoming more over-the-top, I mean.

Gotta agree on this one. I like the comic a lot, sure, but if you look for character development, or read for the plot...

It's a bad idea.

Also, I was disappointed at first by the ending, but I can't think of a better way for it to end.

[doliest]

None of the main chracters have developed, it's the secondary characters who've seen more devlopement, white mage and garland for example.

[Nerd-o-rama]

I see. Yes, I guess WM has developed some out of necessity and the terrors visited upon her life and life's work. Not sure if I can say the same for Garland, but okay, one character has developed and I'd like to see the culmination of that character arc.

[doliest]

I see. Yes, I guess WM has developed some out of necessity and the terrors visited upon her life and life's work. Not sure if I can say the same for Garland, but okay, one character has developed and I'd like to see the culmination of that character arc.

Garland's developed into a cunning, but naive dark lord and I'd say king steve has gotten crazier and crazier. I'd also note I'd like to see what the fiends are up to....

[Gundato]

Not to interrupt the hate-fest we have going on here. Oh, wait, I am sorry, I mean "snarking", but quick question.

Anyone know what the pic of the woman was ripped out of? It is on the tip of my brain and kind of bothering me.

[Fawkes]

He should have gone with Victoria Principal.

[SurlySeraph]

I'm reasonably sure this isn't the end, but it's possible. We'll see soon enough.


Nobody gets #434. I never participated in the 8bit-Theater forums, but I used to infrequently read them, and the discussions of this strip were just as reoccurring and polarizing there as discussions of Vaarsuvius' gender or the Monster in the Darkness' identity are on this board.

*theory snipped

Huh, I never knew there was debate over that strip. I always thought it was Black Mage's evil side and Black Mages's really evil side having a discussion, as Black Mage's way of trying to understand his life before he died.

[JeffreyToTheMax]

A thought just occurred to me. I seem to recall Brian Clevinger saying that 8-Bit Theater would end sometime in 2008. Well, there's not much time left, so perhaps this was the only possibility. I'm starting to think that this could very well be the end. Either that or Brian just went to all that extra trouble to play a joke on the readers, which wouldn't actually surprise me. It's not like it would be anything new.

For the record, I think Brian is one of the most entertaining writers you can find on the Internet. Even though his webcomic has declined with age, I'm still a fan of his and intend to follow closely any and all of his other works. It just seems disappointing to me that all these huge, dramatic storylines may never be completed.

[Haven]

Well, that answers that question.

[Magnax]

Hooray! It's not really the end!

And now back to trying to remember where the plot has been going for the last few weeks. If anywhere.

[chiasaur11]

Hooray! It's not really the end!

And now back to trying to remember where the plot has been going for the last few weeks. If anywhere.

The Light Warriors and Dark warriors are planning on an epic showdown.

They are not very good at it.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Oddly, most folks seemed to think it was a horrible way to end the comic and therefore perfect.Brian Clevinger summarizes his work perfectly.

[Jibar]

Huh, I never knew there was debate over that strip. I always thought it was Black Mage's evil side and Black Mages's really evil side having a discussion, as Black Mage's way of trying to understand his life before he died.

Little too... structured for Black Mage's really evil side, though that is what I thought at first.

[Tempest Fennac]

I wonder how much longer it will get stretched out for now if it's due to end this year. I agree about the lack of character development and the fact that WM is the only one who has really developed (admittedly, she's prtty much a female version of me personality wise, so I would say that).

[T-O-E]

I guess now there's a possibility that we'll finally get to know what the hell 434 was about.

[Project_Mayhem]

Oh thank science.

[Winterwind]

Heh. Brian is becoming predictable in his inpredictability. :smallamused:

[konfeta]

I liked 8-Bit Theater for quite a while, but roughly since after the Light Warriors found the water orb its been quite dull (i.e. the whole air orb arc and beyond). We've had loads and loads of the Light Warriors standing around doing nothing, and now we've got an arc where the majority of the reoccuring cast stand in a castle doing nothing. Fighter occasionally gives me a smile but everyone else is stale.

People actually read this comic looking for a plot or character development?

:smallconfused:

Damn, the reason I read this comic is because it's composed of 80% of hilarious filler. Call me easily amused, but I find that nearly every strip has incredibly quotable moments that never cease to amaze me.

[Trazoi]

People actually read this comic looking for a plot or character development?
I didn't specifically mention the lack of plot or character development, however they are contributing factors. I've just found the comic to be very stale lately (well, since the water orb was found). I guess lack of character development is a prime factor, because there's only so much of Black Mage stabbing people, Thief being devious and Red Mage avoiding reality you can take without something else to mix it up. They seem to be stuck in a cycle of doing the same sorts of actions and reactions over and over.

Currently Fighter is the only main character I still enjoy, because I find his character allows a greater variety of actions (plus he's adorably likeable). (I like Garland too. Plus some of the extra heroes like Barbarian, but they're minor characters at best).

[Lord of Rapture]

I didn't specifically mention the lack of plot or character development, however they are contributing factors. I've just found the comic to be very stale lately (well, since the water orb was found). I guess lack of character development is a prime factor, because there's only so much of Black Mage stabbing people, Thief being devious and Red Mage avoiding reality you can take without something else to mix it up.

You speak blasphemously.:smalltongue:

[JMobius]

I didn't specifically mention the lack of plot or character development, however they are contributing factors. I've just found the comic to be very stale lately (well, since the water orb was found). I guess lack of character development is a prime factor, because there's only so much of Black Mage stabbing people, Thief being devious and Red Mage avoiding reality you can take without something else to mix it up. They seem to be stuck in a cycle of doing the same sorts of actions and reactions over and over.

This, pretty much. The general pattern for some time seems to have become "something happens, then we'll have a half dozen strips hashing and rehashing the same joke about that something". Recent examples might be Warmech's "I'm a human" gag, or the election.

[Sonar009]

The usual assumption is that it's a discussion two of the characters (usually assumed to be Black Mage and Fighter) have at the very end of the strip, right before they face each other, the assumption being that this is the ultimate showdown between good and evil and Fighter has finally understood the vileness of Black Mage - and there are a lot of points indicating that this might be where the comic is heading, what with Darko and Swordopolis apparently preparing them to fight each other.

Some further interpretations are that such details as the fourth panel resemblance of the pattern of White Mage's robes with blood all over mean that the deed that made Fighter realize Black Mage's evil was the latter killing White Mage.

What if you reverse the roles? Fighter snaps and kills white mage, black mage is possesed by some spirit of light or something? Just a weird thought.

[Rutskarn]

Perhaps I'm just deranged, but I'd say the quality of 8-bit Theater has barely dipped at all. Some sequences, such as the Running the Mob and Muffin's a Dragon series, were the most hilarious things the comic has produced so far. I even like the recent election series.

Most of 8-bit Theater's humor comes from taking immensely flawed characters and using them to construct progressively more absurd situations, carrying the whole thing with a certain arch writing style that few but Clevinger can pull off as well. I don't see that he's gotten any worse at doing that.

[Greep]

well this isn't too off topic, and I'd rather not make a new thread... but does anyone else remember that there's a Stoned blackbelt still alive somewhere? Way back in the 100s comics black belt got cloned from some weird time warp, and black belt just disposed of him by turning him into stone and throwing him into a lake near the temple of fiends.

The comic's end takes them right back to the temple of fiends... dun dun dun?

[Destro_Yersul]

Nah. Brian got tired of people pointing that out and had white mage try to revive him. But the water had eaten away the top of his stone head, so he died again. Horribly, I might add.

[Greep]

Nah. Brian got tired of people pointing that out and had white mage try to revive him. But the water had eaten away the top of his stone head, so he died again. Horribly, I might add.

Oh wait, the stone one was the temple of fiends one? I thought white mage did that at gurgu? Maybe I've got it wrong.

Edit: Oh bum you're right. :( Ah well.

[Nerd-o-rama]

This, pretty much. The general pattern for some time seems to have become "something happens, then we'll have a half dozen strips hashing and rehashing the same joke about that something". Recent examples might be Warmech's "I'm a human" gag, or the election.If "BEHOLD MY HUMAN LASER!" is the result of hashing and rehashing, then I have no objections to it.

[T-O-E]

Indeed. I think repetition can be funny, if done well.

[starburst98]

fighter seems to be so super sane at the moment that he broke space and actually became all four versions of himself simultaneously.

[Greep]

If "BEHOLD MY HUMAN LASER!" is the result of hashing and rehashing, then I have no objections to it.

I'd object and say a lot of the repititions to the comic really ARE pretty dumb, but then I still read the comic so... apparently my subconscious needs it's fighter stupidity fix and its black mage explosive stupidity fix.

[Tempest Fennac]

As far as repitition goes, I'd say that the occasional running gag (such as Akbar's shops) are fine, but all it seems to be most of the time is the same stuff being repeated (it's pretty much the webcomic equivalent to WCW Nitro in that sense). I'm reading it solely to see how it ends.

[AmberVael]

I'm reading it solely to see how it ends.

I'm guessing it will end the same way the Wheel of Time series ended.
With the author's death. :smallyuk:

[Tempest Fennac]

It can't have that much longer to go (at least I'm hoping it won't get draged out for much longer due to how it has been dragged out needlessly for so long).

[T-O-E]

Well, the game's storyline's nearly finished (Clevinger said the comic wouldn't feature time-travel like in FF) so as long as he's planning on following it fairly closely, it shouldn't be long now. And he said he'd finish the comic in 2008, a lie or a mis-estimation?

[Tempest Fennac]

I'd guess at mis-estimation, unless he really is going to have it go to a non-finish. (By this point, a real ending would just be hopelessly rushed.)

[Lord Seth]

Well, the game's storyline's nearly finished (Clevinger said the comic wouldn't feature time-travel like in FF) so as long as he's planning on following it fairly closely, it shouldn't be long now. And he said he'd finish the comic in 2008, a lie or a mis-estimation?Depends, when did he say it?

[T-O-E]

Depends, when did he say it?

I don't know. I found out whilst browsing another forum.