Caltrops - Mac Hall Complaints Department





	[quote name="mark"]For some reason Onstad doesn't count a bunch of mini-arcs as arcs, like he previously did. I think this is considered one of the better periods of the comic. In general, even the parts that are terrible are surrounded by parts that are pretty good. <h3>2004</h3> <b>Hacking Yahoo</b> I didn't like this one at the time, but it's not actually that bad. The start is good, but it ends with a blatant attempt to sell a new Roast Beef shirt. <i>Meh!</i> <b>Barry Bass</b> These short "arcs" used to be come out so quickly, they just felt like that week's theme. Three, not bad comics that came out over the course of three days. These days it would be a 12 part tragicomic nightmare that took three months to resolve. <i>Positive!</i> <b>Philippe for America</b> The Philippe part is awful, but the parts where Ray used to be part of an underground break-dancing scene and Todd is considered for VP are really good. It occurs to me that it's not just that the characters have such different voices, it's that they each also exist in their own universe. Todd lives in a world where he could almost be executed for doing his taxes wrong, or end up in the hospital for yelling too loud. <i>Positive!</i> <b>Lazarus Loafer</b> If only the <a href="http://www.achewood.com/index.php?date=03032004">first strip</a> of this arc ran, it would have been genius. Not terrible. <i>Positive!</i> <b>Trip to Germany</b> Some good stuff, it just suddenly ends when Onstad gets bored with it. <i>Positive!</i> <b>Uncle Culpepper</b> Initially fine, but suddenly turns terrible with a baffling ending. <i>Negative!</i> <b>Beef in Heaven 3</b>The heaven part is very small, but it is maudlin horseshit. <i>Negative!</i> <b>Goth</b> Another not very good arc which involves Nice Pete. The ending is pretty good. <i>Meh!</i> <b>SaniTaco</b> This one is great. <i>Positive!</i> <b>Waterbury</b> Waterbury isn't that good, but most of the incidental strips in this arc are. A few awful concept strips, of course. <i>Positive!</i> <h3>2005</h3> <b>Ray's Toilet Party</b> A legitimately great arc that isn't actually about anything. <i>Positive!</i> <b>The Banjo</b> Not bad, not as great as what preceded it, though. <i>Positive!</i> <b>Volvo of Despair</b> There are good moments, but it has lots of concept strips and the parts with Cornelius are just an excuse for Onstad to write cranky "witticisms" <i>Meh!</i> <b>Cartilage Head</b> A mostly boring Victorian nightmare. <i>Negative!</i> <h3>Totals </h3> <b>Positive!</b> 8 <b>Meh!</b> 3 <b>Negative</b>3[/quote]