In Your X, Ying Your Z
So it seems that LOLBOTS may not be consuming 112% of the bandwidth of the internet at the moment; growing outward from originator Rich Stevens, it has now encompassed Jeph Jacques and Ryan North, the Twin Towers of webcomics (and between them the center of all crossovers and cross projects). Analysis continues to pour in from corners far and wide, with comic strip scholar Wendell Wittler kicking things off:
I was about to make a post bemoaning the fact that LOLCATS images are more popular than Webcomics, meaning that all the creative writing and drawing all over the web is being trumped by pictures of cats and captions in bad English, but now a couple of the sharpest writers in Webcomicdom have decided not to fight ‘em, but to join ‘em.
I’m talking about LOLBOTS, the instantaneously popular blog of LOL-pictures featuring robots, assembled by a team that includes one guy who really knows robots, Diesel Sweeties’ R. Stephens and another who knows a few robots, Questionable Content’s J. Jacques (both of whose work I have praised in this very blog) . In two days, they have assembled an impressive assortment of memes and macros starring some of the biggest mechanical stars of science fiction and some real-life robots too.
and LJ opinion-meister istametaketoshi adding:
The biggest problem with LOLcats is the way in which they divorce the phenomenon from the context. A lot of the funniest lolcats are impossible to understand without a fairly solid grounding in forum parlance and etiquette, but the concept itself has taken on a kind of life of its own in the hands of those who just think cats that talk are inherently cute.
Well, geek culture is striking back, RE-appropriating the lolcat phenomenon and returning it to its rightful place–in the hands of those who love cartoons, robots and video games. LOLBOTS is the next big craze–be sure to tell your neighbors about it.
As part of that geek culture, I couldn’t be more proud.
As a side note, work will be taking me to a place with very sparse internet during the day for the next two weeks, so expect updates that are old, pre-written, and/or sporadic. If any of you would care to send me advance notice of your forthcoming controversies, that would be a big help — I have a hole in my schedule for next Thursday, and either a Wikifight or a Logan/Jacques shitstorm should fill it nicely.
Next Thursday, both Jeph and I are going to be in Toronto! (Kicking the crap out of each other.)
By Sam Logan on 06.01.07 3:09 pm
and i’m just gonna stand there
WATCHING
By Ryan on 06.01.07 3:20 pm
Hobos.
By iamnotachicken on 06.01.07 4:54 pm
Sam we have to see if there is any way we could set up a Wii-boxing match at a panel in San Diego
IM IN UR DAYFREEZ
KICKIN UR AZZ
By J. Jacques on 06.01.07 10:43 pm
Are LOLcats really more popular than webcomics? Icanhascheezburger doesn’t look at popular as Penny Arcade, according to the not-entirely-reliable Alexa. They may be getting more play lately, but that’s kind of like saying those whales caught in the Sacramento river were more popular than Clint Eastwood. For a couple weeks, maybe.
By Lore on 06.04.07 2:17 pm
Lore-
I think as a whole, these weird image macros are being seen by TONS of people, perhaps more than webcomics. It probably won’t last, but I’d also wager that most of the people enjoying macros aren’t regular comics fans. The hope is to pull people in from macros to comics while macros still exist.
Penny-Arcade is a wonderful aberration. It will out-size and out-last us all, barring a volcanic eruption.
By rstevens on 06.05.07 11:20 am
The above comments are owned by whoever posted them. The staff of Fleen are not responsible for them in any way.