by AstralFire - 06/01/2010
For starters, Leslie outranks him. For a second course, Leslie and Osric pretty much grew up together, and there are just some times you don't argue with your big sister.
So, in other news, 8-Bit Theater has ended. I must admit that I am sorry to see it go, but only inasmuch as it's been a long runner since webcomics got big. As a big fan of Brian Clevinger's other major webcomic, How I Killed Your Master, I think Mr. Clevinger's definitely got writing chops - but they're not in 8-Bit Theater. Long stretches of the comic are very funny when read in rapid succession, but I feel it would have been much better as an episodic anthology format rather than actually having a long-running plot. I feel like Mr. Clevinger spent too much of the comic screwing around with anticlimaxes for a giggle; that's really funny for the author, but it's not quite as funny for the members of the audience who aren't particularly cynical.
The epilogue itself is kind of weak, too. By its own merits, it's not bad - but switching to drawn art just feels odd, for starters. One of the lessons that should be carried from 8-Bit Theater's success is that the value of art is in how well it conveys the essence of the scene, and not necessarily how realistic or 'cool' the characters look in a single, out of context panel. Suddenly switching to a merely suitable but uninspired piece of conventional art feels like a betrayal, and suddenly showing some measure of non-sociopathy in the main cast that late in the story life feels forced. As if the ending had been planned to a tee long before a suitable portion of the middle had - in essence, a similar issue as I had with Harry Potter 7's ending.
All criticism aside, 8BT has played a central part in the rise of webcomics. Mr. Clevinger is one of the most successful webcomic writers, making the jump to print more effectively than any other author I am aware of. It's paved the way for many of us, and it should not be forgotten.
Copyright 2005-2010 AstralFire and Team Anteheroes.