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skull_bearerI am a devoted reader of ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ursulav 's webcomic Digger, an excellent piece of work whose mammoth story arc is finally drawing to a close after many, many years. Unfortunately, in the latest strip, a very popular character died. There was massive outpourings of grief for the fallen character, and much reassurences that Ursula had doen a marvellous job.
Well, it was time for my Unpopular Fannish Opinion, because I thought that death was nothing but a cheap shot meant to get rid of a character who would have spoiled the story's happy ending had he lived. He was tragic character who could not have been 'fixed' through the story and his death felt like a cop-out, as predictable as people of colour dying in a disaster movie.
So I posted words to that effect, and braced myself for the seemingly inevitable flame-war as rabid fanpeeps slavishly defended a much beloved author.
Here are some of the responses I got:
Having him live would have also been conventional, and there would have been readers who were equally disappointed. When you have a point that's as demarcated as "die" or "live," a billion writers have already taken either step to the point that either choice is so well established as to be expected. At least expectable.
I expected Ed to die via these last few pages for one reason alone: having him cling for dear life off that chain would have been kind of an anticlimax. But anyway. There comes a point where you've read enough where everything has been done before by someone. Or at least it feels that way. The difference is in the execution.
And for me, the execution worked. Because Ed had a story and a personal arc and a personal development, and his sacrifice was not arbitrary. I honestly do think that Ursula could have gone either way or a sudden third way and told a resonant story, but I think the story she chose was told well.
In contrast, I am not usually very generous with disaster movies.
It may be a little conventional, but I find myself drawing a comparison to something else equally conventional. It's practically universal in worlds with magic that the oldest and most powerful kinds of magic are, sooner or later, about blood. In similar ways, whenever there's a great victory there has to be some kind of price paid. Lifeprice may be conventional, but it's not necessarily wrong.
My first thought: "Hmm. I can see the point, but I disagree." Then I tried to figure out why I disagreed.
I've come up with very interesting and slightly disgusting thoughts about invisible perceptions in modern storytelling, how pervasive it can be, how we can be manipulated and rarely really know how it can be perceived. So your comment was an excellent observation.
Except for that "disaster movie" part, because Digger has pretty much nothing in common with those story tropes. Which is why I disagreed. The surface may have similarities, but they came to it from completely different directions. Yes, the story might have been told different if the writer had a different historical background - but hey, that's pretty much true of any (good) writer, so... Ursula is not conventional, she researches, and she does her best to avoid traps and tropes. In disaster movies, the Token Characters are superficial, and if they have a Culture, it's only a few clichés repeated ad nauseam until they die. I have never felt Ed or the hyenas approached or handled this way.
I honestly don't know, but I wonder in how many cultures one can find a character like Ed. At various times in the last few years, I've been wondering exactly whose story is told here, Digger, or Ed...
... and more to that effect. I realised at the point when my jaw hit the table that I've been hanging around crazy fucking arseholes way too much when finding sensible, informed debate comes off as such a shock, and making a perfectly legitimate criticism carries with it the expectation that you're going to start a flame war.
Incidentally, the story as a whole is bloody marvellous, which is why I feel this death lets it down by touching the realm of predictable cliche. Consider this praising by faint damnation and remember that everything I haven't mentioned (ie, everything else) is brilliant. The art is excellent, the story is meandering but coherent, the characters are entrancing and issues are handled with a light touch which is a delight to read.
Oh, and it's very funny. Between soothsayer slugs, a wisecracking wombat and a shadow demon which is constantly asking if it is a bird, water sapphire, rock, tree deer and various kinds of fish, it's anything but a predictable ride.
Addendum: It's my birthday on Sunday, I'll be 25, those of you who know me IRL (which is quite a lot of you, now I think about it) are all cordially invited. It'll probably be a food-and-drink jobby at one of my favourite restaurants (probably Souk in Covent Garden, but I'm willing to hear other suggestions), please comment or PM me (or phone if you have my number) if you'd like to come.
ursulav 's webcomic Digger, an excellent piece of work whose mammoth story arc is finally drawing to a close after many, many years. Unfortunately, in the latest strip, a very popular character died. There was massive outpourings of grief for the fallen character, and much reassurences that Ursula had doen a marvellous job.Well, it was time for my Unpopular Fannish Opinion, because I thought that death was nothing but a cheap shot meant to get rid of a character who would have spoiled the story's happy ending had he lived. He was tragic character who could not have been 'fixed' through the story and his death felt like a cop-out, as predictable as people of colour dying in a disaster movie.
So I posted words to that effect, and braced myself for the seemingly inevitable flame-war as rabid fanpeeps slavishly defended a much beloved author.
Here are some of the responses I got:
Having him live would have also been conventional, and there would have been readers who were equally disappointed. When you have a point that's as demarcated as "die" or "live," a billion writers have already taken either step to the point that either choice is so well established as to be expected. At least expectable.
I expected Ed to die via these last few pages for one reason alone: having him cling for dear life off that chain would have been kind of an anticlimax. But anyway. There comes a point where you've read enough where everything has been done before by someone. Or at least it feels that way. The difference is in the execution.
And for me, the execution worked. Because Ed had a story and a personal arc and a personal development, and his sacrifice was not arbitrary. I honestly do think that Ursula could have gone either way or a sudden third way and told a resonant story, but I think the story she chose was told well.
In contrast, I am not usually very generous with disaster movies.
It may be a little conventional, but I find myself drawing a comparison to something else equally conventional. It's practically universal in worlds with magic that the oldest and most powerful kinds of magic are, sooner or later, about blood. In similar ways, whenever there's a great victory there has to be some kind of price paid. Lifeprice may be conventional, but it's not necessarily wrong.
My first thought: "Hmm. I can see the point, but I disagree." Then I tried to figure out why I disagreed.
I've come up with very interesting and slightly disgusting thoughts about invisible perceptions in modern storytelling, how pervasive it can be, how we can be manipulated and rarely really know how it can be perceived. So your comment was an excellent observation.
Except for that "disaster movie" part, because Digger has pretty much nothing in common with those story tropes. Which is why I disagreed. The surface may have similarities, but they came to it from completely different directions. Yes, the story might have been told different if the writer had a different historical background - but hey, that's pretty much true of any (good) writer, so... Ursula is not conventional, she researches, and she does her best to avoid traps and tropes. In disaster movies, the Token Characters are superficial, and if they have a Culture, it's only a few clichés repeated ad nauseam until they die. I have never felt Ed or the hyenas approached or handled this way.
I honestly don't know, but I wonder in how many cultures one can find a character like Ed. At various times in the last few years, I've been wondering exactly whose story is told here, Digger, or Ed...
... and more to that effect. I realised at the point when my jaw hit the table that I've been hanging around crazy fucking arseholes way too much when finding sensible, informed debate comes off as such a shock, and making a perfectly legitimate criticism carries with it the expectation that you're going to start a flame war.
Incidentally, the story as a whole is bloody marvellous, which is why I feel this death lets it down by touching the realm of predictable cliche. Consider this praising by faint damnation and remember that everything I haven't mentioned (ie, everything else) is brilliant. The art is excellent, the story is meandering but coherent, the characters are entrancing and issues are handled with a light touch which is a delight to read.
Oh, and it's very funny. Between soothsayer slugs, a wisecracking wombat and a shadow demon which is constantly asking if it is a bird, water sapphire, rock, tree deer and various kinds of fish, it's anything but a predictable ride.
Addendum: It's my birthday on Sunday, I'll be 25, those of you who know me IRL (which is quite a lot of you, now I think about it) are all cordially invited. It'll probably be a food-and-drink jobby at one of my favourite restaurants (probably Souk in Covent Garden, but I'm willing to hear other suggestions), please comment or PM me (or phone if you have my number) if you'd like to come.
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Date: 2010-11-03 11:07 pm (UTC)Went and had a look at Digger, btw, and it's great. I'm now sad in advance that Ed dies...