Shock Value

[Lightknight]

Isn't the fact that the school-shooting joke on the last panel barely shocked me itself an interesting commentary on how we've become so desensitised to so many things because of the internet?

Whoa, as the other poster said, so meta....

 

[lacktheknack]

Isn't the fact that the school-shooting joke on the last panel barely shocked me itself an interesting commentary on how we've become so desensitised to so many things because of the internet?

+1

Have they been this overtly offensive for this long of a period in the past? If this is standard fare for Critical Miss then I'm just viewing the antics with ultra-jaded business glasses and that's my fault for dealing with PR for too long. But targeting people who don't like school shootings, people who own AMD cards, people who own consoles, that's a pretty wide net to just happen to coincide with the release of a new Patreon-funded series.

No, they've been attacking various targets forever, the only thing new here is the school-shooting part. People thought the comic was going to die after the WGDF, but it didn't happen, so this won't do it either.

 

[Hutzpah Chicken]

Playing with guns for so long, both real and virtual, the idea of being shot at isn't all too scary anymore. The idea of not being allowed to have my own gun with me is a little un-nerving, as I still can't master the Kamehameha...

 

[Timedraven 117]

I like the last line. I think it was implying he would have to pierce something lower than his chest. Although the shock value of trying to shoot up a school is both A tacky, and B insulting.

 

[warmachine]

The teenage son isn't very bright. The way to shock a 4chan reader is to be normal and emotionally well adjusted.

 

[GabeZhul]

But be warned, once you go there you're pretty much unable to top that unless you also want to depict Mohammad with his 9 year old wife Aisha (technically already married to him at around age 7 but not consummated until age 9 or 10). That way you can include pederasty to the list of shocking depictions. Just think about it, you could depict him playing with her in the park and someone telling him he has a cute daughter then him outraged that they talked about his wife that way.

That already exists. It's a "satirical" german OELVN that depicts the protagonist traveling back in time (or just hallucinating, or something... it was a bit of a fucked up story) and accidentally getting into an explicitly drawn threesome with Aisha and Mohamed. So yeah, the taboo train has already whistled by on that one (and yet it wasn't even the stupidest or most inflammatory part of that game, taken that it was advocating that pedophilia should be legalized because the kids really love it and that anyone who disagrees is either a hypocrite, fascist or a literal demon...)

Before you ask, I only read it because of a semi-professional obligation, and it was one of the most mind-numbing things I have ever seen, which says volumes taken that I routinely read obscure Japanese sex-romps for reviews already... -.-'

 

[Skeleon]

That's... not funny. Acting like spree murderers do it for attention... or something? It may sometimes be a factor, I guess, that's what the media keeps saying, but still... gee. Not exactly shocked, just... disappointed.

 

[Lightknight]

Have they been this overtly offensive for this long of a period in the past? If this is standard fare for Critical Miss then I'm just viewing the antics with ultra-jaded business glasses and that's my fault for dealing with PR for too long. But targeting people who don't like school shootings, people who own AMD cards, people who own consoles, that's a pretty wide net to just happen to coincide with the release of a new Patreon-funded series.

No, they've been attacking various targets forever, the only thing new here is the school-shooting part. People thought the comic was going to die after the WGDF, but it didn't happen, so this won't do it either.

I'm not referring to this comic as a one off. I'm referring to a series of offensive comics specifically targetting various groups. Console gamers -> Computer Gamers (also People who don't like gargantuan penis comics I suppose), -> More computer gamers and the poor -> People who don't like school shootings.

That's just the past couple weeks. Do their more "offensive" cycles usually target such a large swathe of people?

But be warned, once you go there you're pretty much unable to top that unless you also want to depict Mohammad with his 9 year old wife Aisha (technically already married to him at around age 7 but not consummated until age 9 or 10). That way you can include pederasty to the list of shocking depictions. Just think about it, you could depict him playing with her in the park and someone telling him he has a cute daughter then him outraged that they talked about his wife that way.

That already exists. It's a "satirical" german OELVN that depicts the protagonist traveling back in time (or just hallucinating, or something... it was a bit of a fucked up story) and accidentally getting into an explicitly drawn threesome with Aisha and Mohamed. So yeah, the taboo train has already whistled by on that one (and yet it wasn't even the stupidest or most inflammatory part of that game, taken that it was advocating that pedophilia should be legalized because the kids really love it and that anyone who disagrees is either a hypocrite, fascist or a literal demon...)

Before you ask, I only read it because of a semi-professional obligation, and it was one of the most mind-numbing things I have ever read, and I routinely read obscure Japanese sex-romps for reviews already... -.-'

Well, gross, didn't know that already existed.

I was making the recommendation satirically rather than really recommending it. As they stated in this comic, their intent is to rile and so my point was that this is small potatoes compared to what they could be doing.

 

[flying_whimsy]

I guess I just don't frequent those dark places of the internet: I'm shocked.

This reminds me of that thread the other day about whether it bothered people to see videos of real death and one guy just did not give a shit. It bugs the hell out of me.

Then again, I've always been called 'sensitive'.

Edit: I'm offended, but in way do I want the comic or the makers of it to be penalized. It's art, and like all art, it doesn't hurt to be provocative.

 

[Combustion Kevin]

Fear the future...

 

[MCerberus]

EDA is handling the plot, meaning Critical Miss has free reign to go into a gutter and snipe at people.

Also, so meta it evolves into a Hipster Butterfree

 

[Lightknight]

EDA is handling the plot, meaning Critical Miss has free reign to go into a gutter and snipe at people.

Also, so meta it evolves into a Hipster Butterfree

As their patreon page discusses, the Escapist has rights to critical Miss and could fire the creators if they so desired and have Critical Miss continued via different artists and writers.

This is the entire reason for why they created "Erin dies alone" and had it funded through Patreon so they could produce a work that isn't Escapist own should they leave the Escapist.

Basically, they are using the Escapist to publicize a second series as a means to keep on going.

The problem is that this creates a conflict of interest. They are minimally invested in keeping Critical Miss going and are motivated to have viewers migrate to their own series.

The only problem I'd point out is that Erin could be considered a Critical Miss character and this spin off could be considered part of the franchize that the Escapist already has rights to. This would be like the creator of Transformers selling his IP and then creating a series of movies called "Optimus dies alone". I don't know that the Escapist would give a rats ass about an of this though.

 

[ForumSafari]

OK that did make me laugh, it's going to be rather difficult for our kids to shock us.

 

[Skatologist]

My only question is...who reads a physical newspaper after 15 years on the internet? Shouldn't the dad just be on a laptop or something? Why haven't we evolved this cliché?

 

[88chaz88]

My only question is...who reads a physical newspaper after 15 years on the internet? Shouldn't the dad just be on a laptop or something? Why haven't we evolved this cliché?

Because it's funnier. The fact he's sat there stereotypically with a newspaper while claiming he's from the internet not creates a surreal image. It makes the statement funnier as it's unexpected. It's also reminiscent of a well known internet meme itself.

It's as if a guy with a CAD avatar started explaining webcomic humour. It's ridiculous.

 

[Andy Shandy]

EDA is handling the plot, meaning Critical Miss has free reign to go into a gutter and snipe at people.

Also, so meta it evolves into a Hipster Butterfree

As their patreon page discusses, the Escapist has rights to critical Miss and could fire the creators if they so desired and have Critical Miss continued via different artists and writers.

This is the entire reason for why they created "Erin dies alone" and had it funded through Patreon so they could produce a work that isn't Escapist own should they leave the Escapist.

Basically, they are using the Escapist to publicize a second series as a means to keep on going.

The problem is that this creates a conflict of interest. They are minimally invested in keeping Critical Miss going and are motivated to have viewers migrate to their own series.

The only problem I'd point out is that Erin could be considered a Critical Miss character and this spin off could be considered part of the franchize that the Escapist already has rights to. This would be like the creator of Transformers selling his IP and then creating a series of movies called "Optimus dies alone". I don't know that the Escapist would give a rats ass about an of this though.

Let me get this straight, if I've read this correctly you honestly believe that Grey and Cory are purposely tanking their successful comic as some sort of pseudo-promotion of their new comic?

I mean, this wasn't my favourite CM, but come on.

 

[Darth_Payn]

Swing and a miss.

A CRITICAL Miss! Thanks for reading! Ah ha, ah ha, ah ha, ah who am I kidding? That wan awful pun.
Still funnier than today's strip, IMO. That last panel feels like a punch line to Family Guy joke from one of the bad seasons. Is that what you guys want? To be compared to FAMILY GUY?!

 

[FPLOON]

Aw man... All this comic did was make me want some Subway-branded undergarments...

Other than that, did the teen pierce his genitalia yet? If not, then he's just jumping the gun in this situation...

 

[Monoclebear]

snip

About that Paedophilia game, just for those don't know, it was made by people from the german version of 4chan and has actually a kind of funky Soundtrack https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dE3aOlNQy84
A buddy made me play cause he finds it to be at some point genious level satire. I did not completly agree with him but find it hard to deny that it was quite witty at some points.
If anyone actually wants to play it, just google "Unteralterbach" and it should pop up. The game also has an english option.

On topic: Jeez guys, I mean I get the joke, but dam that's dark.