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July 02, 2006
Make It Good
Boy, Stantis isn't making it easy for me this weekend. We get another throwaway strip, this time Winslow making a wet dog hair joke after a desert rain. I mean I guess that's kinda funny, at least for Prickly City. But I dunno - maybe I've become so disillusioned by how bad it is every day that I'm not even able to enjoy something that looks like it should be funny to me but isn't.
The only thing that struck me as odd: isn't the US Southwest in the middle of a horrible drought? Yup: just check out the map here. In fact, Arizona has been in one for eleven years now. Now I realize that it's not a huge deal and since the gang of two is in the desert it's just a joke based on Stantis's memory of living in there, but how would you feel if you cracked open the newspaper this morning and saw this? Probably nothing, since I doubt people even read this strip anymore unless it's to make fun of it.
Since I put on the Future Goggles yesterday, I'm kind of stuck as to how to pad today's entry. Maybe we should revisit the "How would YOU improve Prickly City?" It's been a few months, and somehow it's actually gotten worse. Here are a few suggestions:
- Stay on the path you're on now Stantis: Carmen is the straight man, Winslow is the goofball. That's right: REMOVE THEIR POLITICAL AFFILIATIONS. Otherwise you're going to have to make Carmen the fool since the Republicans are the ones that are acting foolish lately.
- Don't rely on the two week old stories. I know, I know - it takes that long to scribble this. But there are bigger stories that last months on end that you can tackle. The government is still spying on us - you're against that as a conservative, right Mr. Stantis? Things are still not going well in Iraq - oops, sorry, you can't go there anymore. The Republicans in Congress are still corrupt (I should have added William Jefferson and Dennis Hastert to yesterday's predictions, btw). Cheney is still calling the shots. So stop focusing on one tiny little story nobody cares about anymore and give us the big picture.
- Bring in another character. Carmen and Winslow can't carry the load anymore. They're boring. It's almost to the point where Winslow can ramble and act the fool while Carmen simply sighs. Don't bring back Dio, don't bring back that weird silent duck, for the love of god don't bring back Kevin. Come up with something new. Challenge yourself. Bring in an armadillo who represents the American people and their fear of everything (thanks to Bush) and how he just wants to hide in his shell and let W protect him. You can call him Artie. Or how about a foreigner - maybe kangaroo who keeps asking, "THIS is how you do it in America? I thought you guys were supposed to be cool."
- Start the mayoral campaign. Let it get down and dirty on both sides. Question the voting booths. Question the mudslinging. Question lobbyists and corporations and their "donations." Don't do it for just a week - make it last a month. Show how it can tear apart these characters, maybe with the new character pushing them apart. And then at the end, have them both realize that even though it was horrible and nearly tore them apart that they should still be friends.
Then they hug. And Carmen stabs Winslow in the back.
What are your thoughts on how to improve Prickly City?
Comments
Heh, I definatly agree with the third regular character.
Two Sunday strips ago, where Carmen planted flower, bothered me. I don't know about you, but Winslow was WAY too out of character. He was...how shall I say it...a jerk. If Scott's going to do that gag, at least introduce a character who's a resident jerk.
The only positive thing I can say about today's strip is that Winslow's pretty well drawn.
Posted by: Charles Brubaker at July 2, 2006 09:39 AM
The "wet dog" punchline has been used by Stantits on multiple other occasions. Maybe CJo can use his awesome archival skills to make a list of these tardrific punchlines.
Posted by: FredN. at July 2, 2006 02:17 PM
I agree with more characters... even if only more temporary characters so he doesn't have to stretch his own so much. Also, he forces jokes that he thinks are funny (and maybe could have been in another context), then trips all over himself. Knock it off, Scott.
I actually liked today's strip. Out here in the Arizona Sonoran Desert, we often get more than half of the rain in the year during the couple week long monsoon season. It just started last Friday, so he accidently had good timing (since the start of the season is unpredictable). And I love that smell.
Posted by: JB at July 3, 2006 08:06 AM
