History YMMV / Shortpacked

** The strip [[http://www.shortpacked.com/index.php?id=1919 "David Willis: A slightly older cartoonist's advice"]] made fun of a ''Zen Pencils'' strip that [[http://zenpencils.com/comic/128-bill-watterson-a-cartoonists-advice/ was done in]] the ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' fashion (it's even ''tagged'' as "things that will get me in trouble"). The original strip was a commentary on artistic integrity and money. Some appreciate Willis's parody and see the original strip as a bunch of condescending platitudes about how artists "sell out" and feel that the strip devalues artists making money off their work. Others see Willis's strip as a condescending attack on a perfectly valid point about how artists struggle to balance what they want to make vs. what will allow them to stay solvent.

** And the comic's gotten some flak (it's even ''tagged'' as "things that will get me in trouble") for [[http://www.shortpacked.com/index.php?id=1919 making fun]] of a ''Zen Pencils'' strip that [[http://zenpencils.com/comic/128-bill-watterson-a-cartoonists-advice/ was done in]] the ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' fashion.

* InternetBackdraft: Mike and Amber's relationship, between those who think that if he didn't really want it (whether because it's the relationship itself he wants or because he's setting her up for a fall) there's no way she'd be able to keep a hold on him or that he's such a bastard that he deserves whatever he gets, and those who see Amber as using blackmail to rape him and think that she crossed the MoralEventHorizon when she forced him to start dating her and keeps going further over it the longer she keeps it up. [[LoveConfession Later events]] have not helped.
** Any strip dealing with real life behaviors, be they stupid toy arguments or social issues, will inevitably get a hostile reaction from people insisting that the situation described is either nonexistent or a non-issue and accusing Willis of somehow forcing his opinions on others.

* CrazyAwesome: '''Galasso.''' The man doesn't understand enough about biology to know the difference between a man and a woman, and yet he somehow managed to bring back Jesus Christ and Ronald Regan from the dead purely to generate free publicity for his toy store.

** Faz and Ninja Rick, because they're both absolutely [[CrowningMomentOfFunny hilarious]].

** And the comic's gotten some flak (it's even ''tagged'' as "[[GenreSavvy things that will get me in trouble]]") for [[http://www.shortpacked.com/index.php?id=1919 making fun]] of a ''Zen Pencils'' strip that [[http://zenpencils.com/comic/128-bill-watterson-a-cartoonists-advice/ was done in]] the ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' fashion.

** Manny, a one-off character who made a return much later to become Ethan's love-interest. Some like him for being an UnderstandingBoyfriend to Ethan as he encourages Ethan's hobbies and lets him be himself. Others feel Manny's a SatelliteLoveInterest brought in at the last minute to give Ethan a happy ending, and suffers from a lack of characterization.

** "[[FrankMiller whoreswhores]][[http://www.shortpacked.com/index.php?id=183 whores]]". So pervasive is this meme that as soon as the Miller-directed ''The Spirit'' teaser trailer came out, most of the comments on [=YouTube=] were along the lines of "whores". The teaser didn't feature any actual whorelike behavior, but the actual trailer did. By then everyone had used up all their ammo.

* BaseBreaker:

** Ken usually gets a lot of pity for his unrequited crush on Malaya. [[BaseBreaker When he's not getting slammed for it]].

* UnfortunateImplications: The famous "False Equivalence" strip has a female character putting a StrawMisogynist in his place. However, [[http://badwebcomicswiki.shoutwiki.com/wiki/Shortpacked#Downfall critics]] took umbrage with the fact that the strip generalized women to the point that it implied that all women prefer a certain body type. This is made worse by the fact that the mouthpiece for the strip used the phrase "female such as myself," which creates an air of "WhiteKnighting", considering the strip was penned by a straight male.

** [[http://www.shortpacked.com/2011/comic/book-13/05-the-death-of-snkrs/falseequivalence/ The False Equivalence comic]] has fans divided. Some think Amber makes a good point about how both male and female characters alike are drawn to appeal to men, others feel that the bias she's supposing is nonexistent, and still others have raised other objections over how accurate the Batman Amber draws is to women's desires.

** ''[[DeusAngstMachina Funky Cancercancer]]'' has become the accepted FanNickname for ''ComicStrip/FunkyWinkerbean'' following the [[http://shortpacked.com/comic/book-5/01-a-talking-car-joins-the-cast/cancer/ parody strip]].

* {{Asspull}}: The resolution to Ultra Car and Malaya's relationship problems. Malaya wanted a sexual relationship whereas Ultra Car not only didn't feel sexual attraction but finds human sexuality discomforting and disgusting. After doing some soul-searching and ultimately refusing to change herself to be able to have sex; Ultra Car realizes she can use her third pie-throwing arm to finger Malaya and the problem is easily rectified in two comics.

** Despite making strips [[http://www.shortpacked.com/index.php?id=1861 mocking racism]], there is a lot of subtle racial bias. Malaya and Faz, both clearly asian, are a clear asshole and disturbing creep respectively, while the paler skinned Ken (Who even Willis joked looks like a weird version of Ethan) is a nicer person and takes over as the AuthorAvatar when Ethan leaves. Robin is immature [[http://www.shortpacked.com/index.php?id=39 and manipulative]] while [[http://www.shortpacked.com/index.php?id=1280 Roz forced her way into the house]] and took [[http://www.shortpacked.com/index.php?id=1297 advantage of an emotionally damaged Jacob]]. Also, while Ethan, Amber and Leslie being assistant managers is portrayed as them moving up in the world, Faz's ambitions are part of [[http://www.shortpacked.com/index.php?id=147 his negative traits]].

* JustHereForGodzilla: There are a few who only know of the comic's existence because it parodied Frank Miller and Batman (and that one of its Batman memes was subsequently acknowledged by one of the ''LEGO Batman'' games). They're often surprised that the comic has an actual plot and characters, and that most of the jokes in the strip ''aren't'' about Batman.

* {{Asspull}}: The resolution to Ultra Car and Malaya's relationship problems. Malaya wanted a sexual relationship whereas Ultra Car not only didn't feel sexual attraction but finds human sexuality discomforting and disgusting. After doing some soul-searching, and ultimately refusing to change herself to be able to have sex Ultra Car realizes she can use her third pie-throwing arm to finger Malaya and the problem is easily rectified in two comics.

* AssPull: Robin suddenly always being attracted to women, even though damn near everything before then made it very clear she was solely interested in men.

** ''[[DeusAngstMachina Funky Cancercancer]]'' has become the accepted FanNickname for ''FunkyWinkerbean'' following the [[http://shortpacked.com/comic/book-5/01-a-talking-car-joins-the-cast/cancer/ parody strip]].

* MemeticMutation: Though it's not from the "main" storyline: "[[BatmanCanBreatheInSpace I'm Batman]] [[http://www.shortpacked.com/index.php?id=7 and I can breathe in space.]]"

* VillainDecay: Though Mike was already showing a bit of a soft side in ''[[RoomiesItsWalkyJoyceAndWalky It's Walky!]]'', his relationship with Amber sanded off more than a few of his rougher edges. He hasn't stopped being a jerk by any means, but his more manipulative, soul-crushing tendencies have largely disappeared. Not only was last big gambit only to convince Amber he was too big of a dick for her to be romantically involved with so she could be happy without him, not only did he need to be drunk to do it because "normal" Mike loved her too much to give her up, but it ''didn't even work.''

* TheWoobie: Leslie, especially during the time before she and Robin got together and during their break-up.

* BaseBreaker:

** [[http://www.shortpacked.com/2011/comic/book-13/05-the-death-of-snkrs/falseequivalence/ The "False Equivalence" comic,]] while Willis' single most popular comic, has also attracted a fair share of hate. While some believe it perfectly encapsulated the issue, others think that Amber's opponent is a straw man and all it does is displace one generalization about what women like with another generalization.
*** Amber (a stand-in for Willis) has problem with a way superheroes are portrayed. A "male power fantasy", and not being attractive to her. Except the picture she draws in response to portrayal of males, is NOT what average woman would attractive, her drawing of Batman depicts him as incredibly feminine face, bordering parody. Does she have unique tastes in men? Alright, but then why would she complain, that media targeted at ''wide audience'' does not fit her ''niche tastes''.
**** Amber draws a specifically sexualized Batman to showcase what it's like for women to see balloon boobs and silly putty spines in comics. Her drawing isn't meant to show how Batman "should" be drawn, but highlight the unfair depiction of women in comics.
***** Amber explicitly says while drawing her "new" batman, that this is her type. She is free to buy media which she is comfortable with and enjoys, no matter what her tastes are, just like juvenile boys are free to buy comics with unrealistically depicted women.
***** The idea that women don't objectify men is blatantly false. One look at any romance novel cover (a genre written by women for women) shows half-naked men with ripped abs and huge pecs.
* BrokenBase:

* DontShootTheMessage: The messages and morals expressed in the strips aren't bad, they just seem delivered in a poor manner.