One thing about the sporadic schedule of OotS...

[Presto2112]

While it's unfortunate that Rich has been having a string of health problems that has resulted in infrequent updates of my favorite webcomic, I appreciate the work he has been putting into his creation while he recuperates.

What I appreciate more is his unwillingness (or inability, whichever) to substitute Guest Artists to continue the comic. I read several webcomics, and there are a couple that for various reasons, are also taking some brief hiatus. And in the interim, are employing several guest artists to continue their webcomics. Most of these guests use the same characters in the comics, but offer their own interpretations of them or present a variety of "what if" scenarios, and they really bug the pants off me.

I've seen it done once or twice in Dragon, where they got Foglio to draw Nodwick, or Aaron Williams to draw Dork Tower, but that was largely done as a gag in the April issues, and I appreciate the humour, but for some reason, it's just different to me.

Granted some people are bound to read the guest strips and love them to pieces, but if I wanted to read strips by these other people, I'd read their strips. I'd personally rather wait for the original artist to get back and take in their interpretation of their own characters.

Of course, thata's just my opinion, I could be wrong. </DennisMiller>

 

[hexgrid]

I don't know if they're still up, but there was a string of Oots guest artist strips when Rich took some time off a while back.

They were all self-contained, and had nothing to do with overall Oots continuity.

 

[CharlesRyan]

I agree with Presto. When I go to a favorite web comic and find a guest strip, I'm inevitably disappointed--much more so than I would be if I met a blank screen with the words "on vacation--next strip in two weeks" or whatever.

Maybe the guest artists are enormously entertaining in their own space, but when they're playing around with characters that aren't theirs, they're just not amusing. In fact, they're genuinely annoying. At least, that's the case with 90% of the guest strips I've ever read.

 

[Gez]

*Cast smite guestcomicophobes*
Suffer, you nitpickers!

 

[Piratecat]

Actually, I've seen some guest artists who are funnier than the originals. for instance, Randy Milholland's take on questionable content this week was hilarious. But yes -- PvP's guest week has just been sort of embarrassing.

 

[Presto2112]

Actually, I've seen some guest artists who are funnier than the originals. for instance, Randy Milholland's take on questionable content this week was hilarious. But yes -- PvP's guest week has just been sort of embarrassing.

I didn't want to be specific, but yeah, QC was the one to which I was originally referring. I love that strip, but I have yet to laugh at or enjoy a single guest strip.

 

[Capellan]

PvP's guest week has just been sort of embarrassing.

I don't think there was any "sort of" about it - it's been dire.

 

[I'm A Banana]

I agree with Presto. When I go to a favorite web comic and find a guest strip, I'm inevitably disappointed--much more so than I would be if I met a blank screen with the words "on vacation--next strip in two weeks" or whatever.

Maybe the guest artists are enormously entertaining in their own space, but when they're playing around with characters that aren't theirs, they're just not amusing. In fact, they're genuinely annoying. At least, that's the case with 90% of the guest strips I've ever read.

I 100% disagree. Mediocre filler is better by far than nothing at all, and every once in a while it gets comic gold (or a fresh artistic angle) and that's when you not only get your 30 seconds worth, but also maybe find a new webcomic to waste time with.

I would have never discovered White Ninja or Doctor McNinja, or various other webcomics (some not even Ninja related!) had it not been for guest strips that have intrigued or amused me.

Seriously, guest weeks are at worst "something else," at most "something good," and neither of those are bad things.

 

[comrade raoul]

The guest strips to Dinosaur Comics were things of beauty.

 

[jdrakeh]

But yes -- PvP's guest week has just been sort of embarrassing.

Note that many PvP 'guest' strips are actually drawn by Scott, just in the style of the artists that he is parodying. Some of those same strips are much, much, funnier in that light