It’s also a reference of the 1970’s Ghostbusters tv series, Stephen King’s IT, 2GAG, all other webcomics, anything at all with a red brick wall in it, etc.
I’m not seeing the reference to be honest, though the humor of that page is very forced, and is not too different from quote gags that usually occupy IT help desks.
I got what it was going for. I’ve been in offices full of those sorts of hack managers, too.
The problem is that there’s no actual joke in the comic; no punchline. It’s just straight-up, mean-spirited mockery, and it never goes anywhere in the process of that mockery. There isn’t even anything approximating irony, just a dry delivery of the action-words in a contrived idiom.
The comment at the end, that the commissioner couldn’t understand a damned word of what Action Item was saying, is just a flat statement. There’s no twist or surprise. It was obvious from the fifth panel.
The delivery is very forced, too. If the comic properly conveyed the use of those action-words, it wouldn’t have needed to put every one of the words in bold. The writer apparently noticed that the use of the words wasn’t obvious in its own right, but he chose to shove them in the reader’s face, rather than fix the delivery.
Mind you, I’m not saying that the subject in question doesn’t deserve mean-spirited mockery. It does. The comic just isn’t at all clever about it.
In the author’s own words, “I’m not a comedy writer, satirist, illustrator, or even a cartoonist, really — though I’m interested in all those things.” For an amateur effort from an industry journalist, I’ll cut him some slack.
In any case, he was trying to parody the old Action Comics Superman strips; I searched for some and they did use such boldfacing for dramatic effect (though in lighter form). I also thought “not a damn word” as punch line worked to deflate Action Item. He’s fixated on process and terminology, yet fails totally at both; he fails to save the girl, fails to make anyone understand him, and fails to realize any of this.
Hmm, true. I’ve seen some comics from the 50’s and 60’s. They really freaking beat the readers over the head with the bold type. I guess that works within that particular style.
As for all of the references about him not having the skills on the artistic end of things, though …
Hell, I have nothing to critique about his art. That’s pretty damned good. The shading in the second panel on the third row and the middle panel in the bottom row is great. The inking is a little heavy, but that’s perfectly in keeping with the style that he was mimicking.
Guy in gorilla costume (as part of some bigger performance).
Action man thought it was a Supervillain.
Action man used laser vision. It wasnot very effective.
Action Man is a obbvious play on Clark Kent/Superman. Specifically one of the older Supermen versions.
Apparently he now needs his glasses both to see properly and focus his lasereyes.
I hadn’t even thought about the heat-vision not working properly without his glasses, until I read this comment of yours. I thought that it was just a joke about him not being able to identify that it was actually a guy in a gorilla suit. Good double layer, then.
Maybe Sausage could have made it more obvious that it was a gorilla suit, in the first two panels, but it still works. Hmm, of course I’m not sure why Actionsman would have tried to kill a real escaped gorilla with heat-vision, rather than capturing the poor thing. I dunno.
All things considering it’s a good job the gorilla wasn’t real, otherwise it was lobotomized by that heat vision. He’ll have PETA and facebook viral shares against him.
Either Actionsman vision is actually terrible (ironic given his laser accuracy) or that gorilla costume was one of the most life like prop costumes ever made…
I always like to think that the justice lord version of superman was SO sure of himself that he basically stopped limiting himself when fighting, while “normal” superman (the one that got offed by doomsday) never went full power except in the most dire of circumstances (like fighting doomsday after getting his ass handed to him). If he’d started with the laser lobotomy at full power/no restraints, he probably could have saved himself a whole lot of trouble (like the whole “getting killed, then reborn weaker, and with clones/doppelgängers/evil cyborgs to deal with”)
Well he’s not getting his deposit back.
I would think that added super-hero insurance would be factored into any rental, in Shitropolis. Rental cars must cost a fortune.
I’m surprise it wasn’t “forced neck chiropracty…”
In case you missed the reference: http://professionalsuperhero.com/
I don’t see it
You just got to focus.
I think it’s because both Superman parodies have names that begin with Action, and have large A’s on their chests.
You know, like, how Q is a reference to O because they’re both round and letters…
By that logic its also an Ashes to Ashes parody
Exactly.
It’s also a reference of the 1970’s Ghostbusters tv series, Stephen King’s IT, 2GAG, all other webcomics, anything at all with a red brick wall in it, etc.
I’m not seeing the reference to be honest, though the humor of that page is very forced, and is not too different from quote gags that usually occupy IT help desks.
Wait … what humor? I’m not following you.
Is something on that page supposed to be funny?
Oh, I dunno. I work among a disturbing number of people who speak/write/think like that. I thought the idea, and the strip, were both hilarious.
I got what it was going for. I’ve been in offices full of those sorts of hack managers, too.
The problem is that there’s no actual joke in the comic; no punchline. It’s just straight-up, mean-spirited mockery, and it never goes anywhere in the process of that mockery. There isn’t even anything approximating irony, just a dry delivery of the action-words in a contrived idiom.
The comment at the end, that the commissioner couldn’t understand a damned word of what Action Item was saying, is just a flat statement. There’s no twist or surprise. It was obvious from the fifth panel.
The delivery is very forced, too. If the comic properly conveyed the use of those action-words, it wouldn’t have needed to put every one of the words in bold. The writer apparently noticed that the use of the words wasn’t obvious in its own right, but he chose to shove them in the reader’s face, rather than fix the delivery.
Mind you, I’m not saying that the subject in question doesn’t deserve mean-spirited mockery. It does. The comic just isn’t at all clever about it.
Maybe. But I was able to enjoy it anyway.
In the author’s own words, “I’m not a comedy writer, satirist, illustrator, or even a cartoonist, really — though I’m interested in all those things.” For an amateur effort from an industry journalist, I’ll cut him some slack.
In any case, he was trying to parody the old Action Comics Superman strips; I searched for some and they did use such boldfacing for dramatic effect (though in lighter form). I also thought “not a damn word” as punch line worked to deflate Action Item. He’s fixated on process and terminology, yet fails totally at both; he fails to save the girl, fails to make anyone understand him, and fails to realize any of this.
Hmm, true. I’ve seen some comics from the 50’s and 60’s. They really freaking beat the readers over the head with the bold type. I guess that works within that particular style.
As for all of the references about him not having the skills on the artistic end of things, though …
Hell, I have nothing to critique about his art. That’s pretty damned good. The shading in the second panel on the third row and the middle panel in the bottom row is great. The inking is a little heavy, but that’s perfectly in keeping with the style that he was mimicking.
Oh, I dunno. I work among a disturbing number of people who speak/write/think like that. I thought the idea, and the strip, were both hilarious.
Double-Post… my bad… I apologize…
It’s cool. You get hiccups like that. It’s usually a result of a page-load failing, after someone posts a comment.
The comment-send almost always goes through, but it’s the page-load after that which fails, for some reason. So, the person hits send again.
The blog-management software is supposed to catch stuff like that, but it seems to have failed.
Took me a while to get this.
Is this the first JSA parody in LoSRH?
I don’t get it
Guy in gorilla costume (as part of some bigger performance).
Action man thought it was a Supervillain.
Action man used laser vision. It wasnot very effective.
Action Man is a obbvious play on Clark Kent/Superman. Specifically one of the older Supermen versions.
Apparently he now needs his glasses both to see properly and focus his lasereyes.
I hadn’t even thought about the heat-vision not working properly without his glasses, until I read this comment of yours. I thought that it was just a joke about him not being able to identify that it was actually a guy in a gorilla suit. Good double layer, then.
Maybe Sausage could have made it more obvious that it was a gorilla suit, in the first two panels, but it still works. Hmm, of course I’m not sure why Actionsman would have tried to kill a real escaped gorilla with heat-vision, rather than capturing the poor thing. I dunno.
All things considering it’s a good job the gorilla wasn’t real, otherwise it was lobotomized by that heat vision. He’ll have PETA and facebook viral shares against him.
Either Actionsman vision is actually terrible (ironic given his laser accuracy) or that gorilla costume was one of the most life like prop costumes ever made…
PETA? Nah, furries against him.
That strip gave me flashbacks of JLU Superman “disabling” Doomsday.
*shudders* good thing this comic isn’t rated R.
Though that was Justice Lord version
The main version tried it too though, he just failed because Doomsday had adapted to his evil counterpart doing it previously.
How did Doomsday fit into that episode (then how did he fit into batman fighting superman
And a cheese way out too. The version that killed Superman in comics/novel would have shrugged the attack off
I always like to think that the justice lord version of superman was SO sure of himself that he basically stopped limiting himself when fighting, while “normal” superman (the one that got offed by doomsday) never went full power except in the most dire of circumstances (like fighting doomsday after getting his ass handed to him). If he’d started with the laser lobotomy at full power/no restraints, he probably could have saved himself a whole lot of trouble (like the whole “getting killed, then reborn weaker, and with clones/doppelgängers/evil cyborgs to deal with”)
At first I thought the clown guy was smiling. It took me seeing this strip several times to realize that was just his makeup. :I
He’s only laughing on the outside.