Lol at someone not being able to handle satire.
I mean seriously, the rest of your review is reasonable even though I disagree, but you really think that a parody of your own fandom is insulting? Really? Every Homestuck fan I know thought it was hilarious.
Also, the use of "carbon copies" instead of "caricatures". Poe's Law is strong here.
Personal experience time: I actually finished the comic pretty quickly - in fact, I actually liked having a lot to read. Of course, back then it was only at Act 6 Act 2, but still...
You'll have to watch each one multiple times to make sure you didn't miss something or understand it.
Odd, I'd consider that a plus, as it implies that there are details that you wouldn't notice the first time through. You know, a Rewatch Bonus?
Saying that nothing has happened...is self-evidently untrue - [S] Cascade, anyone?
I have no idea what you mean by "off the rails" - what were the rails again?
I mean, everyone's entitled to their opinion, but...okay, this I have a problem with:
Overall, if you want cool visuals, go for it, but if you're looking for something that's not style over substance, you're better off looking elsewhere.
Okay, I'm not going to tell you how to view the comic, but...lots of other people do, in fact, believe that Homestuck has substance. What do you say to them?
Oh God! Natural light!
Odd, I'd consider that a plus, as it implies that there are details that you wouldn't notice the first time through. You know, a Rewatch Bonus?
No. "Bonus", not "requirement". Homestuck videos tend to be pretty much incoherent the first time you watch them
Example? I've found that the later ones are usually easier to understand, because we know more by that point.
Oh God! Natural light!
I agree with everything in this review, thanks for writing it <33
"The characters are really forgettable" Were you you and i reading the same comic? I mean you're entitled to your opinion, but Homestuck has been fairly universally praised for its interesting and deep characters, It's one of my favorite parts to the thing.
Just decided to weigh in on this a bit. I first learned of Homestuck from one of the older reviews on here, and quickly decided to not touch it, at least not until it's truly complete. I had every intention of keeping things that way until I stumbled across Game Over, and instantly had to head over to the wiki to learn what was going on.
I've delved more into the actual comic too, since then, and I can kind of see both points. One one hand, it's hard to deny that when the consequences from all the plotlines do add together, like in said Game Over, the results are impressive. It's also silly to deny the merits of characterisation so all as chatlogs like this exist.
On the other hand, there really is too much filler, which is heavily intertwined with the overall tonal imbalance. I've read more of Acts 5 and 6, but then stopped again, because the actual, proper drama one can get invested in gets regularly intercut with barely-relevant and often inconsequential stuff happening elsewhere, or jokes forced in to neuter the stakes. It's as if Hussie is still afraid to let it get too proper and meaningful even after destroying ... how many universes by now? And of course, the characterisation also gets diluted as it's spread too thin through them all.
In a way, I think that the best thing that could now happen to Homestuck, is if it gets a proper adaptation (likely anime, perhaps something else) after it's done, one that cuts away all the filler and adds more weight to characters currently cut short in its wake. Ideally, it would do what GOT (some questionable decisions aside) managed for the books, especially later ones.
That 'style over substance' argument only makes sense because great works of art often have enormously obvious style, but unobvious substance. You could say that The Bible is style over substance just because it's so poetic, but that's wrong because if you strip away all the trappings you end up with a damn compelling story, I think Homestuck (which is also a Creation Myth) is the same way.
"insulting carbon copies of the people who fund his comic." haha Callie is hardly insulting, and Caliborn is a satire of trolls (the IRL kind)
Like 90% of the Bible is boring as sin, though.
Pun not intended.
^^ I suppose the comparison is valid "when it comes to "all the trappings" part. Just like how most (sane) people now ignore Leviticus and the commandments about shellfish and the like, same fate will likely befall considerable sections of Homestuck once it's done. (And of course, no-one ever adapts those commandments into anything as well.)
Also, from my reading experience, Caliborn actually satirises his imitators/competitors more (+ the worst of fan-ficcers, though that's pretty much the same thing.) The whole "Homosuck" segment was practically like Hussie just looked through one too many reddit feed one day, said "Oh, you think it's declining now? That's how you choose to call it? Well, go and see what real shitty webcomics are like!"
It's fine for a short outburst, but actually including it directly into the narrative just for the sake of showing one's superiority over most competition comes off self-indulgent to say the least. We already know that, or else we would be reading those shitty comics already, thank you very much. It's these sections, existing largely for meta, and not actual storytelling reasons, that feel like the biggest drain.
With something like Scratch, it at least clearly addresses the idea that everyone is a protagonist of their own story, and the "supporting characters" in any work or situation could've become the leads under different circumstances. It's something we are subconsciously aware of, but don't always take seriously, and the idea of addressing it head-on is worthwhile (though, the overall execution is still debatable.)
I hate Homestuck too. I'm amazed it's gotten as popular as it has.
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It's style over substance. Fuck Homestuck.
If you're here for a gripping plot, memorable characters, or good art, boy howdy you're in for a bad time. The plot is off-the-rails in the worst way imaginable, clocking in at over 5 years of... nothing. It's 2/10/15 when I'm writing this, and the end is finally in sight. Most of the characters are designed to be memorable, but typing quirks and catchphrases aren't a voucher for characterization. Hussie even admitted this himself.
Pros:
- It's really innovative at times. Not through narrative or character development or traditional narrative things, those are... mediocre, but through the sheer number of ways it can throw it at you. If you find other webcomics that present themselves in a single-panel form like Homestuck does, you can guarantee this is why.
- The outfits are neatly designed. Alchemized outfits are cool and unique, but they only get worn for a few panels at most before they switch into other outfits.
Cons: - It's long. It's really, REALLY fucking long. It's 5 years old and aside from lots of hiatuses, there are daily updates of massive size. There's hours of animation, which is confusingly paced. You'll have to watch each one multiple times to make sure you didn't miss something or understand it.
- The characters are really forgettable. Let's hope you can distinguish near-identical acronyms, because you'll see their userhandles more than their names. The art style doesn't lend itself towards this either, with a format for each character's appearance resulting in that Only Six Faces trope.
- The pacing is awful. Everything feels like padding, but it all matters. The format it presents itself doesn't lend itself towards that either. Dialogue is presented in walls of text, which can work in weird postmodern ways, which is the one thing Homestuck does well, but it's a pain to read.
- And honestly, the most painful thing is if you find yourself enjoying the comic, Hussie himself will create characters to make fun of you. Come Act 6 Act 6 Act 3 (yeah wrap your brain around that) all the characters introduced (yeah, introducing new characters in the 6th act, 4 years after it started) are insulting carbon copies of the people who fund his comic.
Overall, if you want cool visuals, go for it, but if you're looking for something that's not style over substance, you're better off looking elsewhere.