Strange Tomato (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
strangetomato) wrote2009-03-09 05:53 pm
strangetomato) wrote2009-03-09 05:53 pm
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Thought for the day: Sim stories are like serial comics
Remember how I said I thought sim stories were more like graphic fiction than novels or movies? No? Well, I did. I think they're often sometimes like television shows too, in their serial nature, but the format speaks more to the comic medium (if we're talking about text and image sim stories, and I am).
The latest issue of Bitch magazine came in the mail today, and I was reading the review of Alison Bechdel's The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For (a GREAT read, in my opinion - you should check it out). At the end of the review, they quote her as saying, "A comic strip, like life, is a novel that never seems to get anywhere." It really reminded me of sim stories, especially mine. They just soldier on, perhaps with an end in mind, perhaps not, and that's just what I like about it. That's why I enjoyed DTWOF too. I came to really feel for the characters, and I was content to see them going through their day to day dramas, or even just cooking dinner (laced with politics, which makes it even more interesting). With sim storytelling, I'm writing (and playing) instead of reading, but I enjoy the feeling of following a set of characters as they gradually grow. Is it the same for you when you play and create? Or read, for that matter?
Of course, if I'm going to compare my story to a specific comic, I'd probably lean more towards Strangers in Paradise, which does have a plot, but it's really not nearly as important as the ongoing development of relationships between the characters. I love that series, but it's introspective to a fault, just like S,HWC is. It's obviously something I enjoy. In fact, when reading SiP, I often find myself going "yeah, yeah... crime stuff, plot... where's the next scene where the talk about that awkward kiss they shared?" Yeah, I may have a problem (I'll look into getting the help I need). SiP even ocassionally features pages and pages of lyrics, which is something a lot of us sim storytellers indulge ourselves in (it's super indulgent in the most teenagery kind of way - I know this, but still I just can't resist at times).
Anyway, I just wanted to share my musings. Feel free to add your own two cents or three.
(Is this what they call a meta? A baby meta, maybe?)
The latest issue of Bitch magazine came in the mail today, and I was reading the review of Alison Bechdel's The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For (a GREAT read, in my opinion - you should check it out). At the end of the review, they quote her as saying, "A comic strip, like life, is a novel that never seems to get anywhere." It really reminded me of sim stories, especially mine. They just soldier on, perhaps with an end in mind, perhaps not, and that's just what I like about it. That's why I enjoyed DTWOF too. I came to really feel for the characters, and I was content to see them going through their day to day dramas, or even just cooking dinner (laced with politics, which makes it even more interesting). With sim storytelling, I'm writing (and playing) instead of reading, but I enjoy the feeling of following a set of characters as they gradually grow. Is it the same for you when you play and create? Or read, for that matter?
Of course, if I'm going to compare my story to a specific comic, I'd probably lean more towards Strangers in Paradise, which does have a plot, but it's really not nearly as important as the ongoing development of relationships between the characters. I love that series, but it's introspective to a fault, just like S,HWC is. It's obviously something I enjoy. In fact, when reading SiP, I often find myself going "yeah, yeah... crime stuff, plot... where's the next scene where the talk about that awkward kiss they shared?" Yeah, I may have a problem (I'll look into getting the help I need). SiP even ocassionally features pages and pages of lyrics, which is something a lot of us sim storytellers indulge ourselves in (it's super indulgent in the most teenagery kind of way - I know this, but still I just can't resist at times).
Anyway, I just wanted to share my musings. Feel free to add your own two cents or three.
(Is this what they call a meta? A baby meta, maybe?)
no subject
I don't know that I agree with the description that a comic never gets anywhere. There are plenty like that, but there are also plenty that have set durations and end after they're done. It's all a matter of what the author/artist is looking to pull off.
no subject
Maybe not so much that it doesn't get anywhere (most comics eventually do), but they're often less goal-oriented. They follow story arcs and things evolve, but there's a very different sort of contract with the reader. You don't pick up the first issue and come out of it with a clear idea of how it will all end. You do that with both novels and movies.
Some also start out one way and completely transform before the end of the comic series. The Sandman was little more than a superhero comic when it started, and it quickly grew into something far richer and more rewarding (not to say that superhero stuff is never rich or rewarding). I love that ability for things to change as they go. I did have some goals in mind for my story, but many have completely transformed.
no subject
Most of my reading with sims stories is focused on legacies. They mix the visual storytelling with some of the best things I enjoy out of the game. There are plenty of them that have gone through the same metamorphasis - from random commentary on what's happening to a legitimate story with ongoing plot lines. It's an interesting change to see take place.
Sandman is one of my favorite comics, even if I came to it really late. :)
no subject
Websnark sounds interesting. I'll have to check it out.
I have mixed feelings about legacies. I do enjoy seeing the sim genetics play out, but the pace can feel a bit rushed to me. I think I'd rather follow just one character through their life than a whole multi-generational family saga. I do really like seeing those legacies that grow into stories naturally over time that way. It's very interesting to see a change like that take place, in any project.
I came to Sandman late too. It was a little before my time. I read it when it was compiled into books.