The Drunk Duck Quackcast

We're all back together this week and we're chatting about audience expectations for characters versus the intentions of the creator. Which is more important? Well it's a bit of a balancing act… You don't want to pander to your audience because that's not fun and they won't enjoy it anyway, but by the same token you shouldn't just do whatever you feel like regardless. As a creator you build up a contract between yourself and the audience; if you betray that by subverting their expectations with characters in ways that are very “OUT of character” just because you feel like it then you can start to lose their respect and attention. Killing off characters all of a sudden can be a big responsibility too, try not to take that lightly. Taking characters in unexpected directions is fine and can energise your audience, but you should try and set it up or give plausible reasons for it after the fact. As the creator it's tempting to just think of yourself as the absolute monarch-god-emperor of the world you've created, with license to make any changes and do whatever you want, but if you want people to read, follow along with, and enjoy your work then you have to take a little more care. Don't abuse your audience because without them, what's the point? This week Gunwallace has given us the theme to Froggtree Comics. Slip into the shadowy club, sidle into a booth and watch the action on the dancefloor. Quiet, subdued disco. This track wants to party but not be too obvious about it… till it gets up the courage to join the throng and strut its stuff! Topics and shownotes VIDEO exclusive! Only for Patrons who donate $5 or more, here: https://www.patreon.com/DrunkDuck Featured comic: The Muscle Corps - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/news/2018/nov/20/featured-comic-the-muscle-corps/ Links: From Mks monsters forum thread here - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/forum/topic/178044/ Mks monsters - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/mks_monsters/ Special thanks to: Gunwallace - http://www.virtuallycomics.com Tantz Aerine - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/Tantz_Aerine/ kawaiidaigakusei - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/kawaiidaigakusei/ Banes - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/banes Pitface - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/PIT_FACE/ Ozoneocean - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/ozoneocean Featured music: Froggtree Comics - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/Froggtree_Comics/, by Skreem, rated E.

This is Quackcast 401! Error, error! Pitface and Tantz were absent so Banes and myself were left to go quietly off the rails and expostulate all sorts of radical, half formed, badly articulated thoughts. This is an interesting one! We cover the death of the great Stan Lee, titan of the comics and superhero world. Then we sidestream into talking about comedians trying to be political commentators (re: Bill Maher)… I must apologise for my Ad Hominems. And lastly our focus is on a “new puritanism” in some aspects of pop-culture. It all ties together, if a little awkwardly.

Stan Lee was instrumental in creating a unified fantasy universe populated by a pantheon of godlike superheroes with very human thoughts and failings. Not only that but he helped elevate comics as a medium to the mainstream. No longer are comics seen as something just for children. Cartoons, fantasy, Scifi, and comics have been rightfully elevated to the mainstream where they belong as valid forms of artistic expression. People no longer have to apologise for or feel ashamed of liking them either. You're free to consume or create the media of your choice and Stan Lee was a massive part of that.

This is why the remarks by Mr Maher about Stan Lee are problematic and ill-judged. He said that the veneration shown for a creator of comics, which are “only meant for children”, shows how the US has been dumbed down and why someone like Donald Trump could have been elected.
I'd contend that the reason for “Trump” and people's idea of politics being dumbed down is that we now get most of our political commentary through comedians. They have helped turn complex subjects into simplistic black and white caricatures because that's how comedy works. It's great for breaking down ideas and giving you a simple primer to understand them, but when comedians and partisan talking heads are your main sources then things are going very, very wrong. Bill Maher IS the problem, not people liking comics. If anything, Stan Lee worked to do the opposite; his characters weren't simple 2D cut-outs (like Maher's version of political figures), they were complicated and human. These were A-political characters who strived to do what was right outside of mere party affiliations.

Then we transition into my idea of the “new puritans”.
There's a slow tide of people coming out against sexuality in art. It comes from both the left and right so there's no real political platform. I feel it's very much related to the same point of view that Bill Maher has about comics: this is media for children and we must protect them from anything grown up. When in reality all we end up doing is insulting and infantilising adults when we attack sexuality in media, whether in games, cartoons, books, comics or movies.
This is no more clearly shown than in the word these people use most often: “Sexualise”
They claim that characters are “sexualised”. You cannot sexualise an adult or teen. By biological, physical definition we are ALL sexual past puberty. That doesn't mean we have or even want sex, it means we have sexual traits and that's all it means. You can “sexualise” a non-sexual thing like a toaster or a car but it's impossible to do that to a teen or adult. Sexual traits in adult characters are healthy and normal. I contend that the need to remove them is a perversion.

This is NOT to say that sexual traits in characters should be over-emphasised. What these people really mean when they focus on sexuality is “EROTICISM”, and that is a very important distinction. It has little to do with sexuality though so it's NOT a mistake that should be overlooked. There is a time and place for eroticism and we should never foist erotic depictions where they don't belong or onto audiences that should not be exposed to them. But we should also guard against hyper-vigilance or start attacking any depiction that shows sexual traits.
Ask yourself: Is the character sexual? If yes, then is the depiction erotic? Then is eroticism appropriate for the context of the work, its audience and where it is sold? Those are the questions to ask, not weather or not a male has a bulge or a girl has prominent breasts.

This week Gunwallace has given us the theme to Quixote Coyote… Let’s get a little chaotic with this quixotic jazz jam for Quixote Coyote! Let the organs fill your body (no, not those sorts of organs), let the drums be your heartbeat, and the trumpet will chase the electric, eclectic thoughts in your brain.

Topics and shownotes

VIDEO exclusive!
Only for Patrons who donate $5 or more, here:
https://www.patreon.com/DrunkDuck

Featured comic:
Belle Starr - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/news/2018/nov/12/featured-comic-belle-starr/

Special thanks to:
Gunwallace - http://www.virtuallycomics.com
Banes - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/banes
Ozoneocean - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/ozoneocean

Featured music:
Quixote Coyote - - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/Quixote_Coyote/, by cjoe1377, rated E.

This is Quackcast 401! Error, error! Pitface and Tantz were absent so Banes and myself were left to go quietly off the rails and expostulate all sorts of radical, half formed, badly articulated thoughts. This is an interesting one! We cover the death of the great Stan Lee, titan of the comics and superhero world. Then we sidestream into talking about comedians trying to be political commentators (re: Bill Maher)… I must apologise for my Ad Hominems. And lastly our focus is on a “new puritanism” in some aspects of pop-culture. It all ties together, if a little awkwardly. Stan Lee was instrumental in creating a unified fantasy universe populated by a pantheon of godlike superheroes with very human thoughts and failings. Not only that but he helped elevate comics as a medium to the mainstream. No longer are comics seen as something just for children. Cartoons, fantasy, Scifi, and comics have been rightfully elevated to the mainstream where they belong as valid forms of artistic expression. People no longer have to apologise for or feel ashamed of liking them either. You're free to consume or create the media of your choice and Stan Lee was a massive part of that. This is why the remarks by Mr Maher about Stan Lee are problematic and ill-judged. He said that the veneration shown for a creator of comics, which are “only meant for children”, shows how the US has been dumbed down and why someone like Donald Trump could have been elected. I'd contend that the reason for “Trump” and people's idea of politics being dumbed down is that we now get most of our political commentary through comedians. They have helped turn complex subjects into simplistic black and white caricatures because that's how comedy works. It's great for breaking down ideas and giving you a simple primer to understand them, but when comedians and partisan talking heads are your main sources then things are going very, very wrong. Bill Maher IS the problem, not people liking comics. If anything, Stan Lee worked to do the opposite; his characters weren't simple 2D cut-outs (like Maher's version of political figures), they were complicated and human. These were A-political characters who strived to do what was right outside of mere party affiliations. Then we transition into my idea of the “new puritans”. There's a slow tide of people coming out against sexuality in art. It comes from both the left and right so there's no real political platform. I feel it's very much related to the same point of view that Bill Maher has about comics: this is media for children and we must protect them from anything grown up. When in reality all we end up doing is insulting and infantilising adults when we attack sexuality in media, whether in games, cartoons, books, comics or movies. This is no more clearly shown than in the word these people use most often: “Sexualise” They claim that characters are “sexualised”. You cannot sexualise an adult or teen. By biological, physical definition we are ALL sexual past puberty. That doesn't mean we have or even want sex, it means we have sexual traits and that's all it means. You can “sexualise” a non-sexual thing like a toaster or a car but it's impossible to do that to a teen or adult. Sexual traits in adult characters are healthy and normal. I contend that the need to remove them is a perversion. This is NOT to say that sexual traits in characters should be over-emphasised. What these people really mean when they focus on sexuality is “EROTICISM”, and that is a very important distinction. It has little to do with sexuality though so it's NOT a mistake that should be overlooked. There is a time and place for eroticism and we should never foist erotic depictions where they don't belong or onto audiences that should not be exposed to them. But we should also guard against hyper-vigilance or start attacking any depiction that shows sexual traits. Ask yourself: Is the character sexual? If yes, then is the depiction erotic? Then is eroticism appropriate for the context of the work, its audience and where it is sold? Those are the questions to ask, not weather or not a male has a bulge or a girl has prominent breasts. This week Gunwallace has given us the theme to Quixote Coyote… Let’s get a little chaotic with this quixotic jazz jam for Quixote Coyote! Let the organs fill your body (no, not those sorts of organs), let the drums be your heartbeat, and the trumpet will chase the electric, eclectic thoughts in your brain. Topics and shownotes VIDEO exclusive! Only for Patrons who donate $5 or more, here: https://www.patreon.com/DrunkDuck Featured comic: Belle Starr - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/news/2018/nov/12/featured-comic-belle-starr/ Special thanks to: Gunwallace - http://www.virtuallycomics.com Banes - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/banes Ozoneocean - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/ozoneocean Featured music: Quixote Coyote - - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/Quixote_Coyote/, by cjoe1377, rated E.

In this Quackcast DD members tell us about their history with us as well as the pros and cons of webcomicing. This is the 400th episode of the Quackcast! That means we've been doing these for over 8 years now. That's quite a milestone for a podcast. We have JustNoPoint over to help us out, he's a Patron at the $20 “Royal” level so he gets a few perks. JustNoPoint has been with us since 2006 with his comic The Devon Legacy. He managed the awards for many years and was crucial to us getting the site back online when we had our hard crash in August of 2013 that destroyed the site so thoroughly that it had to be rebuilt, a job which took us all TWO months! DD died that day in the early hours of the 15th of August 2013… …and came roaring back to life like a phoenix on the 10th of October of the same year. That's an eternity in terms of the internet. We were finished, and yet we STILL came back: sleeker, faster, bug free and community run! Other newer, slick, corporate sites like Tapas and Webtoons have stolen our thunder, but we'll claw our way back. We still do many things better than them and always will: more responsive to the community, more supportive, more crash proof, adult friendly, and more accepting to a wider range of content. This week Gunwallace has given us the theme to Detox Camp. Spread yourself out, settle right down and groove into this chill track. It slowly paces along, taking you with it, relaxing you, calming you, expanding your mind and senses… Topics and shownotes VIDEO exclusive! Only for Patrons who donate $5 or more, here: https://www.patreon.com/DrunkDuck Featured comic: The Sideshow - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/news/2018/nov/06/featured-comic-the-sideshow/ Links: Special guest JustNoPoint - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/JustNoPoint/ Creator contributions for the commenters here - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/news/2018/nov/08/the-good-and-the-bad-of-being-a-webcomic-creator/ And more contributions from the lovely people here too - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/forum/topic/178025/?page=1#latest Special thanks to: Gunwallace - http://www.virtuallycomics.com Tantz Aerine - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/Tantz_Aerine/ kawaiidaigakusei - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/kawaiidaigakusei/ Banes - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/banes Pitface - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/PIT_FACE/ Ozoneocean - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/ozoneocean Featured music: Detox Camp - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/Detox_Camp/, by Kootenie, rated T. Contributors: Rmccool - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/rmccool AmeliaP - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/AmeliaP Mishi Hime - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/mishi_hime JaymonRising - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/JaymonRising Unka John - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/Unka John Dragonaur - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/Dragonaur PaulEberhardt - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/PaulEberhardt Usedbooks - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/usedbooks/ Genejoke - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/Genejoke/ Rmccool - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/Anubis/ Anubis - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/rmccool Albino Ginger - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/Albino Ginger/ Bravo1102 - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/bravo1102/

This week in the Quackcast we were going to talk about fear in general. What are we afraid of? Why do we like or do not like media that may reflect these fears or lead us to new ones? How do such things inspire fear or similar reactions within us. DO we like horror because we like fear to an extent? It's that Halloween time of year once again so it's time to focus on such things. We had Emma Clare on board as well! Oh it was going to be so amazing and fun! Little did we know… But I won't spoil it. Do you remember Quackcast 99? That was the first time our whole team of me, Banes, Pit, and Tantz all got together to do a Halloween episode together. Good times. We were so young and naive then. Little did we know what would befall us… This week Gunwallace has given us the theme to Tales of Schlock. A wakka, wakka, wakka, wak… A slow, effortlessly pacing cool, building up step after step, with a little flourish and a dance step every so often. This is music to strut your fine stuff to! Slip on your snakeskin boots, your purple velvet suit with the flared legs. Straighten your wide brim purple hat with the long orange pheasant feather, adjust your big blue bow tie, pull out your fluffy shirt cuffs and get out on the town! Topics and shownotes Featured comic: Paladins - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/news/2018/oct/23/featured-comic-paladins/ Quackcast99 - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/quackcast/episode-99-halloweens-a-commin/ Special thanks to: Gunwallace - http://www.virtuallycomics.com Tantz Aerine - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/Tantz_Aerine/ kawaiidaigakusei - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/kawaiidaigakusei/ Banes - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/banes Emma Clare - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/Emma_Clare/ Pitface - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/PIT_FACE/ Ozoneocean - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/ozoneocean Featured music: Tales of Schlock - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/Tales_of_Schlock/, by Rampant404, rated A.