[Webcomic] PVP Discussion
- Thread starter Dei
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The character is ripped off of Jean-Ralphio from the show "Parks & Recreation", or at least was originally. Jean-Ralphio is a wannabe flashy business mogul who helped run Entertainment 720 (a "premiere, high-end, all-media entertainment conglomerate") into the ground by irresponsibly hemorrhaging money to the tune of millions of dollars. He looks like this:
Duck was introduced as Jean-Ralphio minus the failure. He's starting to develop into his own, character (by virtue of being successful, he's more of a bunny-ears lawyer than an un-savvy moron) but he still has the stink of rip-off on him. Take it from Green Arrow: no matter how much you develop into your own character, you still have to live down the Arrow Cave.
Duck was introduced as Jean-Ralphio minus the failure. He's starting to develop into his own, character (by virtue of being successful, he's more of a bunny-ears lawyer than an un-savvy moron) but he still has the stink of rip-off on him. Take it from Green Arrow: no matter how much you develop into your own character, you still have to live down the Arrow Cave.
Necronic
Staff member
Visually he looks a lot like him (at that point in the show). But I get the impression that he's more of a popped-collar/reads "The Game" and negs chicks kind of guy, and a bit of a desperate and condescending d-bag. The Duck character actually strikes me as one of those strangely asexual business types, and highly confident if a little oblivious. If there's a similarity it's that the P&R guy *wants* to be Duck.
Now, if I was going to compare him to a character it would be the boss from Grandma's Boy.
Now, if I was going to compare him to a character it would be the boss from Grandma's Boy.
My first thought upon reading the strip was "Man, people must really be getting on him about using a Parks & Recreation character. It's the only reason he's pointing out that a character that has acted nothing like Max Powers is exactly like Max Powers, so he can say 'See, I'm stealing from myself, not other people'". Which is bullshit.
Max did do things differently than the folks at PVP, but that's because he ran a professional office instead of a free-for-all. Employees had cubicles, standards of behavior, official responsibilities, and deadlines. He straightened out Robby and Jase and made them useful employees by not letting them do whatever they wanted.
That's the opposite of Duckfuckersheim.
Max did do things differently than the folks at PVP, but that's because he ran a professional office instead of a free-for-all. Employees had cubicles, standards of behavior, official responsibilities, and deadlines. He straightened out Robby and Jase and made them useful employees by not letting them do whatever they wanted.
That's the opposite of Duckfuckersheim.
Not really. From the very first mention of him, there was an established relationship with the main cast. Cole did a spit-take at the mere prospect of crossing paths with Max Powers again due to some (at the time) unknown incident in the past. Then when Cole told Brent, Brent did an identical spit take. So there was already a shared history and emotional reaction on the part of the characters. Then came the war of pranks. Cole's awkward lunch with Max that led Max to establish Power Play Magazine. Basically, from moment one, Max Powers had a direct role as a nemesis, or at least foil, for the cast of PVP.
Parkersheim however doesn't even really seem to have much of a relationship with the one guy who knows him, Jase. Are they friends, or just social connections due to their wealth? Kurtz doesn't care enough to create one more than "Hey, I know this guy, let me introduce (rip-off character)."
Stop. Seriously. Just stop.
He's a rip off character. Scott makes a strip to cover up his hypocricy. We all see through it. The end.
Moving on.
Has Marcy ever been anything other then Francis's love interest?
Marcy was writing a column for the magazine for awhile, and basically faded away when the level-up story line was finished.
Hit it and quit it, NAHMEAN??
Well, Speaking of Marcy -> Job Description
Necronic
Staff member
Fair point. I think Max was clearly going to be the primary foil as soon as he was introduced. And you're right, this guy probably won't be as fleshed out. But that kind of makes sense seeing as he was introduced through Jase, who has always been a "sidelines" character. How much sense would it make to flesh him out more than the guy who he is introduced through.
I still don't see him as a ripoff though. Frankly I think you guys are just looking for something to bitch about. It's kind of sad that you have a 70 page thread where you just talk about how bad the comic is. I'm not going to begrudge you the comic being so-so, it's not great (although it fills a niche no other comic has done other than CAD.) I just don't get why you guys get off so much at looking for the most minor things to tear apart in the most sanctimoniously self-righteous way ever.
Because Kurt spent a good deal of post energy being sanctimonious and self-righteous about coming up with one's own characters instead of ripping off someone else's. None of us would have cared if there wasn't the brow-beating beforehand.
So, I guess the question to you is "Why are we not allowed to complain about a hypocritical self-righteous egomaniac?"
And?
Thanks for the pity?
There are ALOT of better webcomics out there, just don't have as much exposure.
About as much as you get off at telling us we're "sad" for "getting off" on it?
Necronic
Staff member
Do what you will, it just seems a bit childish past a certain point. I've always thought you guys went on a bit of a rampage against kurtz after the forums shut down, which struck me as punitive and disengenious. And it bothers me that it's still going on today. Nothing has really changed with his character. He is the exact same dude he was before the forums shut down.
Also, if you guys have such beef with him don't create so much publicity for him. I started re-reading his comic because of this thread. Yall are like the people who listen to Howard Stern to find things to complain about in his show, all the while realizing that they are actually supporting him.
I mean, I have nothing against criticism. Criticism is GREAT. But when I had to read back through 5 pages of the most petty bitching to find the "highly detailed explanation" of how duckersheim was a ripoff (which btw I have still never seen), ugh it made my skin craw. You guys aren't criticising. You're doing this because you enjoy it in some perverse way.
Necronic
Staff member
Yeah that's true.
Anyways it took me a bit to realize why I this bothers me so much (because I have a tendency to be a contrarian.) The reason this bothers me is that this whole thread sounds exactly like fanboism, albeit a reversed version of it, which is something that does more to denegrate geek culture than all the negative stereotypes of pocket protectors and mouthbreathers.
I mean, look at Shego's posting. Tell me that doesn't sound exactly like a rabid fanboy that is unwilling to accept the slightest criticism of their own view and yet is unwilling to respond with any real response other than sneering one liners.
Anyways it took me a bit to realize why I this bothers me so much (because I have a tendency to be a contrarian.) The reason this bothers me is that this whole thread sounds exactly like fanboism, albeit a reversed version of it, which is something that does more to denegrate geek culture than all the negative stereotypes of pocket protectors and mouthbreathers.
I mean, look at Shego's posting. Tell me that doesn't sound exactly like a rabid fanboy that is unwilling to accept the slightest criticism of their own view and yet is unwilling to respond with any real response other than sneering one liners.
as I scuttle off out of this thread for the time being.
Scott admitted that in his twitter feed, by the way. He just called it an homage who would pass thru and disappear. Right after he made a long blog post about how cartoonists need to stop being idiots and make their own characters.
I'd call that fair game.
S
Soliloquy
And now Marcy's here. Is it just me, or does it seem like the strip is reacting to what we're saying here?
GasBandit
Staff member
I dunno, I'd have expected less plot predictions to have come true if that were the case. Maybe somebody who knows scott reads the thread, and when they find something valid (Marcy's missing) instead of just derogatory (KURTZ IS A HAAAAACK) then maybe they mention it to him out of context.
I don't care if he's a hack or not, I just wish he didn't like loudly proclaiming that he's an artiste of some kind. David Willis is kind of a hack but ShortPacked is still pretty funny.
let's test it: Where's Shecky been lately?
I care more about what ever happened to Jase. After breaking up with his girlfriend and moving back in with Robbie he just... vanished. Did he get lost in the mansion? Did he move out again? Did Scott decide to retire him? Scott made such a big set-up showing how Robbie was lonely without him around.
S
Soliloquy
There was that one arc involving the brewing company. I don't know if he's been seen since then.