5 Sept 11: Some other ideas

[magga_rae]

the eyes on this character are so unlike any eyes we've ever seen on any character in P&A before

Not so much. Remember that we only see her eyes in the last panel, and that she's smiling in that panel. Now look at the woman Fred is looking at in this strip. Or Lisa in this one. Could probably find a half a dozen other examples of the ^_^ look, if I tried, but two serves the purpose of illustrating that this isn't the first time Jason's gone with that look.

Speaking of Lisa, THERE's a character who looks like she's walked in from another strip. (Not quite 'how the hell did Aunt Fritzi and Nancy come from the same pen?' level, but I'm guessing the girl's a walking cartoon, even in-universe.)

Point taken, and after I posted I did think back to a lot of examples of the use of the ^_^ face in the comic, but I think the reason it's been validly problematic this time is because for me, upon first seeing it, there was a large degree of ambiguity as to whether or not this was an exaggerated ^_^ face-esque expression, or the character's actual facial features, mostly because we have no neutral frame of reference for this character, which is fair enough from T and Jason's perspective. Perhaps they just could have gone with a slightly more clear and establishing facial expression to introduce the character with.

[Mo]

On the other hand, the speech implies Jack more than Stan. But the appearance is more Stan than Jack. So I'm confused as to who we're seeing here.

Having looked at the comic again, I think what made me recognize him as Jack straight away - apart from the logic of the page - was his eyebrows. Stan is usually drawn with thicker eyebrows as seen here for example.

[Hasedoki]

Come on people. Sometimes people look like the race they are a part of. Sometimes they have mannerisms that are a part of their culture. Sometimes stereotypes exist because a lot of those people are that way and that's not necessarily a bad thing. But most of all sometimes it's just a picture of the upper half of a person's body in which she says and does nothing so you have no idea if these things you're saying are true at all.
The only thing you can tell is she's probably asian and seems to enjoy being with Duane.


Though . . .
The thing that DOES bother me with this strip is Katy Ann. If someone started spouting off that kind of nonsense to me I'd walk away from them. And of course I don't think this is some terrible lapse in judgement of the creators. Just a simple difference of opinion.

[Rowan Hawthorn]

Honestly, I don't get this piling on.

The story is about to end - it's a required phase these days. Were you ever around any of the "Buffy" websites from Season Five on?

[sgtrock]

Honestly, I don't get this piling on.

The story is about to end - it's a required phase these days. Were you ever around any of the "Buffy" websites from Season Five on?

I have to admit that, while being a big Buffy fan, I didn't frequent any of the various fora. I was too busy being a single dad at the time.

[Fruitbat44]

JIC anyone missed it Word of T is that Duane's date really is Min Jung. Yaaaaay!

Only it looks like Minjung was the name of the strip and the name of the character was actually Yun-Sung . . .

[mindstalk]

Put me in the "I know you guys didn't actually mean it that way, but the Duane's companion looks like a WWII-era Asian caricature." People draw stuff like this not intending any harm. It happens. But ignoring the protests of those who are harmed because some people are defending the drawings is where you're going wrong here. This isn't over a major storyline change like Cyndi and Charlotte. This is a one-shot background character who can either look like a "china doll" caricature or an actual human being. Just getting rid of the squint would make all the difference and actually have her look like the women you modeled her after.

Can she look like actual women with squinty eyes?

See, I'm not mad at Jason or T, and I haven't seen anyone in this thread put a gun up to either of their heads and demand that they change it. This is feedback. You know, one of the most valuable things any creator can receive? Just because this feedback is "this drawing is problematic and here's why" instead of "OMG DUANEBEARD SQUEEEEE" does not mean that anybody is bullying T.

Feedback can go both ways, though. "I hear that you are offended but 'niggardly' has nothing to do with 'nigger'." "People look like this, and this art style has been used by the comic before for non-Asian people and by Asian people for themselves."

Finding out that this is Yun Sung should have made me happy. I loved Minjung. But I can't quite swallow that the spirited free-thinker who expanded her mind in Korea grew up to be War Bride Barbie.

What makes you think she's War Bride Barbie? As opposed to, say, a current PhD student Duane met in college in the US and who dressed up for the reunion to a lower level of sexiness than Michelle, but happens to have big boobs? (Or maybe bra-enhanced boobs, to be at Michelle's level.)

[Louisa]

On a lighter note: it's possible to read the word balloons in the third panel in this order:

"Graphic design pays the bills, and I only fantasise about beating up clients twice a week these days."
"Let me know if you need help there. I might have some ideas."

...yep, Duane is now a hitman. His specialty is, of course, removing people's eyes.

[MudFlap33]

words

I don't have any intention of getting into the race debate at the moment, so I just want to combo break and tell you, Magga Rae, that I LOVE your avatar!

[Bardlp]

My friend has long, slanted eyes that I always envied, and thankfully she never had them "done" unlike a lot of other Asian women who get eyelid surgery to make their eyes rounder.

Jesus, that link makes me sad. I can't read the rest of the webpage but it looks like it's an advert for the procedure.

Just going to chime in here and agree that the eyes thing, although I see them as smiling-too-big eyes and not slanty-eyes, kind of catches for me.

Totally off topic: I can't tell if her posture in the last panel is "leaning in to hear better" or "OGOD A CHILD IS COMING AT ME FULL TILT, NEED TO ESCAAAAPE".

[snowmansam]

Anyone else find it interesting to note that Katy-Ann is catholic enough to wait until marriage for sex, but not catholic enough to fore-go use of birth control?

[Louisa]

Where has it ever been stated that Katy-Ann is a Catholic? There are plenty of Protestants who believe in waiting for marriage to have sex... and they, by and large, don't have issues with birth control usage.

[snowmansam]

Point. I made an assumption; I should know by now where those get me.

[NobodySpecial]

I think the important part is what Katy Ann hasn't told Michelle: They've seen that more and more people are showing up without eyes and are growing more for use if they're caught in the plague.

Speaking of which, Michelle is running around with a pre-med student in a third world country, and at one point she had no eyes either. That suggests somewhere in the path of that medical mission, that little kid who wanted to be a doctor now has a cane and a tin cup....

[nymosy]

awwww, duane is all grown up and cultivating a Professorial Beard

there's only one problem: i can't quite tell what race his date is supposed to be...