…please let this lead to a storyline about joyce getting laser eye surgery. That would be delightful in a decidedly schadenfreudian way.
Doctor_Who
If her insurance wouldn’t cover the fancy red frames Becky wanted her to get, I doubt it’ll stretch to the eye lasers.
Also, the doctors will take one look at the size of Joyce’s eyes and decide that the normal laser wouldn’t do the trick anyway, and they need to break out the big guns.
regina phalange
No insurance stretches to voluntary lasik. (And even good insurance also rarely covers much of the glasses frame cost; it’s better with covering lenses, but frames are an aesthetic preference that range from like $10 to $500+.)
Even so, I don’t see the girl who had to be talked down from puffs of air to the eye being totally cool with lasers in them.
Rowan
Eh, I’ve found that insurance is generally pretty good at covering frame costs. Maybe not the $500 frames… but most frames I’ve been fine with.
Yet_One_More_Idiot
Over here in the UK, those who are eligible get free eye-tests and (if necessary) vouchers towards the cost of buying glasses – of course you can choose more expensive frames or you may have a complex prescription anyway, both of which can push the end price up. “Eligible” is generally children, adults past state pension age (going up, currently 66, set to rise to 70 long before I get there), and unemployed/those on benefits.
On a separate note, going for my own eye-test today, so I hope the news remains good! (My only quirk thus far in my life was lazy eyes as a kid, which was fixed with a short stint in glasses and an eye-patch; as well as being stereoblind)
Needfuldoer
My vision plan covers basic lenses and a certain amount of the frame cost. If you want fancy lenses (thin plastic, anti-scratch, bifocals, Transitions, etc) or frames that cost more than they cover, you pay for it from an FSA or out of pocket.
Casi
My insurance will only pay for a specific range of frames. anything else and you’re paying for all of it, lenses and frames.
Svankensen
Huh, odd. In my country they do. At the end of the day it is cheaper than constantly dishing out for your glasses, so they go for it.
Stiney
My US vision insurance covered voluntary LASIK. Not all of the cost, but they did cover it. I had to pay out of pocket something like 2500 or 3600 per eye.
LiterallyJustSomeGuy
Now I want a Julia Gray story where she gets cybernetic eyes that shoot lasers
Deanatay
Actually, during her first test flight, Julia got shot in the eyes with Jewish Space Lasers, and developed super-sight as a result.
Needfuldoer
With a special guest appearance by Ethan Allen, laser rifleman?
Agemegos
Check what it says about eye surgery it the site Ana linked.
Orson Smelles
A friend of mine was in ROTC, and the Air Force paid for her to get PRK before she started pilot training, so it’s definitely within the realm of possibility.
Thanatos
Do you actually believe that Joyce, the same Joyce that freaked out when a puff of air entered her eye, would calmly sit, wide awake while someone inserted a plastic ring into her eye to keep it open and then point a laser into her eye? Do we really think she would sit there for that procedure? Because they can not knock you out for it since you have to focus the whole time on keeping your eye still and focused straight forward. Because if you are actually implying that Joyce would not have a massive freak-out at the very prospect, let alone the actual experience, you and I have been reading different comics.
Eyesight would be less important for flying a spaceship in my estimation, since you’re relying on the ship’s instruments to navigate rather than your own eyes
Jinx
The eyesight requirement for being a pilot is largely around being able to read the instruments clearly.
Needfuldoer
And Joyce is nearsighted, so that shouldn’t be an issue.
(At least until she’s so nearsighted she can’t focus on things at an arm’s length anymore.)
zee
Isn’t that the definition of near sighted?
Needfuldoer
That just means you can’t focus on the distance. Arm’s length and “mash your phone up against your nose” are just varying degrees of nearsightedness.
Joyce’s myopia is probably so slight, she sees without her glasses as well as I do with my three-year-old prescription.
jflb96
Depends on the sort of spacecraft. Apollo’s computer guidance systems were calibrated using sightings taken by the astronauts.
One one hand this is a pretty pathetic argument over a 5 dollar a day comic strip gig, but on the other hand it’s keeping this Sarah happiness dream alive soo I’m conflicted.
Joyce and Walky making a comic together would be extremely meta in a potentially fun way, but writing a webcomic and making someone else draw it is the lowest form of life and I think Joyce is better than that.
Delicious Taffy
Never collaborate on anything creative unless everyone involved is equally good at every single aspect of that project.
Demoted Oblivious
So…. never ever work together on anything? Not really how life works.
And yes, I will defend the position that *everything* uses creativity. I may have to pull in a team and get creative, but this position is unassailable.
Zippotricks McEdgelord
Yeah, really. Who ever heard of a comic having a dedicated artist and writer?
Can you imagine having as many as four people writing, drawing, inking, and lettering a work of fiction? What an absurd notion that would never happen in the professional sphere.
People who consume a lot of online media tend to romanticize the notion of the uncompromising solo auteur. Getting help doesn’t make you weak or lazy!
Nono
Joyce paid Mary in exposure, so…
He Who Abides
Mary could’ve gotten plenty of that on her own, but she kept getting dressed for class.
Plenty of comic strips, panels and books, including some good ones, were produced exactly that way.
Needfuldoer
Sometimes it’s best for everyone to concentrate on their strengths. Not everybody can do everything.
‘Member the time Jim Davis did a livestream and had a Google image search for “Garfield” up on another monitor? I guess he needed a reference for how his assistants have drawn him for the last 25+ years.
I think Lar draws at least a couple different webcomics other people write.
Queezle
why what is wrong with that? I read at least one web comic that is produced in that way. And it is pretty good.
Sirksome
There is nothing wrong with the artist/writer collaboration approach but it is very important that an artist gets paid and that’s my main peeve with this newspaper comic strip gig paying so little. Making even just a comic strip is not easy, even if you don’t have a high level of skill. And when splitting the work between art and writing, the art is usually the harder of the jobs. Writing even one sentence can translate to an entire page of work for an artist. That includes, sketching, inking, sometimes coloring, lettering, not to mention just figuring out the page composition and layout in the first place. And if you’re specifically trying to produce a comic you need art because comics are a visual medium. Otherwise just write a novel right? I could go on but the fact is if you’re trying to produce a comic as an artist/writer duo, you need to pay your artist. If you’re curious I recommend people read the manga Bakuman where a team of mangakas work in this exact way and the artist works himself so hard he ends up hospitalized. It’s really insightful and inspired by real experience in the manga industry.
thejeff
I don’t know as much about newspaper comics or webcomics, but I know in the print comics world, where most are done by collaboration, writers often are able to write multiple titles, while artists are rarely able to keep up with more than one at a time. OTOH, writers often burn out on a title faster than artists.
In terms of day to day work it certainly seems that drawing a strip takes more time mechanically – you have to sit there longer producing the finished product. Don’t neglect the difficulty of the writing side either though, even if there’s less time typing.
Sirksome
Well in most traditional American comics the division of labor id divided up. Someone does the lines, another the inking. sometimes someone else does the backgrounds, someone else the colors, and even sometimes another guy just for the lettering. Just for one book. They all get paid. In webcomics and newspaper comics which are often seen as less labor intensive *even though they’re not* that all falls on the artist.
But this situation is unique because it’s not Joyce writing a comic and Walky drawing it as independents which would require her to pay Walky for visualizing her ideas depending on the specifics of their collaboration, but it’s the newspaper underpaying both of them for the value of the work made worse by their potential team up since they’d both be paid less because of it.
thejeff
Well, they both get paid. It’s really the same situation – the paper pays them both. Poorly.
Not, the paper pays Joyce and she doesn’t pay or short changes Walky.
To be fair to the paper – it’s not exactly a big business raking in the profits. And while some have real promise, university paper comic strips are at best a mixed bunch.
Thag Simmons
I can’t say I’ve ever seen that specific take before. Not sure how two people working on different aspects of the project are the ‘lowest form of life’
Demoted Oblivious
I opposed the statement too, but on a little reflection, I suppose they’re only calling the writer the lowest form of life. And that is only if they *make* someone else draw it. So maybe it has less to do with the writing and more to do with compelling people. Or maybe even just compelling the drawer?
Besides, we all know the hierarchy of life goes: nothing, matter, lawyers, virus, cells+
Rabisch
Dunno. “The Meaning of Lila” was a good strip and I was really sad the day the author had to stop because paying the artist had become too expensive for him. I still wonder if Annie will be ok.
Demoted Oblivious
You got something against Penny Arcade?
And aren’t conventional comics produced by multiple people?
Spencer
This comment is hare raising
I think I’ll have some saffron tea to calm my nerves
Agemegos
Back when I was involved in making a comic we had a writer (in New York), a continuity editor (in Canberra), a pencils artist (in Rome), an inker (in Toronto), and a letters guy (New York again). And I thought that was pretty much standard for the industry.
Most comic books are indeed handled that way (in fact multiple folks) writer, letterer, artist, inker, colorist, etc. A lot of multimedia art(movies, musicals, etc) are collaborative. Though not really a collaboration as a joint effort.
I miss when Walky was a frightening rage machine who was so bad at his alien fighting job that he once dropped his sister’s dead adoptive parents onto his boss.
It’s Walky!, one of the old comics Willis did before Dumbing of Age, which was about Walky as a member of a barely secret government organization dedicated to fighting the forces of the Head Alien.
Absolutely one of my all time favourite webcomics.
193 thoughts on “Doodlin’”
Ana Chronistic
ok I had to look it up for the well, actually
Ana Chronistic
(well, actuallying myself: air force is not space forceYEAH BUT WOULD THE REQUIREMENTS NOT BE FAIRLY SIMILAR)
Phil
Welakshuly laser eye surgery maybe?
…please let this lead to a storyline about joyce getting laser eye surgery. That would be delightful in a decidedly schadenfreudian way.
Doctor_Who
If her insurance wouldn’t cover the fancy red frames Becky wanted her to get, I doubt it’ll stretch to the eye lasers.
Also, the doctors will take one look at the size of Joyce’s eyes and decide that the normal laser wouldn’t do the trick anyway, and they need to break out the big guns.
regina phalange
No insurance stretches to voluntary lasik. (And even good insurance also rarely covers much of the glasses frame cost; it’s better with covering lenses, but frames are an aesthetic preference that range from like $10 to $500+.)
Even so, I don’t see the girl who had to be talked down from puffs of air to the eye being totally cool with lasers in them.
Rowan
Eh, I’ve found that insurance is generally pretty good at covering frame costs. Maybe not the $500 frames… but most frames I’ve been fine with.
Yet_One_More_Idiot
Over here in the UK, those who are eligible get free eye-tests and (if necessary) vouchers towards the cost of buying glasses – of course you can choose more expensive frames or you may have a complex prescription anyway, both of which can push the end price up. “Eligible” is generally children, adults past state pension age (going up, currently 66, set to rise to 70 long before I get there), and unemployed/those on benefits.
On a separate note, going for my own eye-test today, so I hope the news remains good! (My only quirk thus far in my life was lazy eyes as a kid, which was fixed with a short stint in glasses and an eye-patch; as well as being stereoblind)
Needfuldoer
My vision plan covers basic lenses and a certain amount of the frame cost. If you want fancy lenses (thin plastic, anti-scratch, bifocals, Transitions, etc) or frames that cost more than they cover, you pay for it from an FSA or out of pocket.
Casi
My insurance will only pay for a specific range of frames. anything else and you’re paying for all of it, lenses and frames.
Svankensen
Huh, odd. In my country they do. At the end of the day it is cheaper than constantly dishing out for your glasses, so they go for it.
Stiney
My US vision insurance covered voluntary LASIK. Not all of the cost, but they did cover it. I had to pay out of pocket something like 2500 or 3600 per eye.
LiterallyJustSomeGuy
Now I want a Julia Gray story where she gets cybernetic eyes that shoot lasers
Deanatay
Actually, during her first test flight, Julia got shot in the eyes with Jewish Space Lasers, and developed super-sight as a result.
Needfuldoer
With a special guest appearance by
EthanAllen, laser rifleman?Agemegos
Check what it says about eye surgery it the site Ana linked.
Orson Smelles
A friend of mine was in ROTC, and the Air Force paid for her to get PRK before she started pilot training, so it’s definitely within the realm of possibility.
Thanatos
Do you actually believe that Joyce, the same Joyce that freaked out when a puff of air entered her eye, would calmly sit, wide awake while someone inserted a plastic ring into her eye to keep it open and then point a laser into her eye? Do we really think she would sit there for that procedure? Because they can not knock you out for it since you have to focus the whole time on keeping your eye still and focused straight forward. Because if you are actually implying that Joyce would not have a massive freak-out at the very prospect, let alone the actual experience, you and I have been reading different comics.
Thag Simmons
Eyesight would be less important for flying a spaceship in my estimation, since you’re relying on the ship’s instruments to navigate rather than your own eyes
Jinx
The eyesight requirement for being a pilot is largely around being able to read the instruments clearly.
Needfuldoer
And Joyce is nearsighted, so that shouldn’t be an issue.
(At least until she’s so nearsighted she can’t focus on things at an arm’s length anymore.)
zee
Isn’t that the definition of near sighted?
Needfuldoer
That just means you can’t focus on the distance. Arm’s length and “mash your phone up against your nose” are just varying degrees of nearsightedness.
Joyce’s myopia is probably so slight, she sees without her glasses as well as I do with my three-year-old prescription.
jflb96
Depends on the sort of spacecraft. Apollo’s computer guidance systems were calibrated using sightings taken by the astronauts.
FacelessDeviant
http://public.media.smithsonianmag.com/legacy_blog/John-Young-glasses-400.jpg
Here, an astronaut, piloting a space ship while wearing glasses 🙂
Walky is talking nonsense.
King Daniel
And the guy in that photo, before flying the Space Shuttle (the spacecraft depicted in the image), walked on the freakin’ Moon!
Svankensen
All those requirement to bomb civilians.
Doctor_Who
Joyce: Ow, I think I just broke my toe again!
Sarah: (sudden unexplained orgasm)
Rose by Any Other Name
Yeah, really.
Just looking at that last panel makes the tune to “Jizz in my Pants” play in my head.
Oh, what horrible things live in my head now due to memes.
RowenMorland
Slipshine of a bunch of unfortunate things happening, like Walky faceplanting on a banana, and various cut scene panels of Sarah orgasming?
Suet
I smell snickerdoodles?
What level is this euphoria rn gah dang
Jude Deluca
Well at least Walky will be with Mike soon
Demoted Oblivious
May he rest in peace, if they can find enough pieces to lay Walky to rest.
Hartar Janabay
Only a few nachitos will remain
Sirksome
One one hand this is a pretty pathetic argument over a 5 dollar a day comic strip gig, but on the other hand it’s keeping this Sarah happiness dream alive soo I’m conflicted.
AbacusWizard
It’s not about the money; it’s about the prestige! And also the money!
Diner Kinetic
they *could* just team up for $2.50 a week each, since it sounds like Walky can’t write and Joyce can’t draw
or, maybe Sarah will attain enlightenment
missilentmurmur
She can draw dingdongs alright
missilentmurmur
Lol I haven’t really had anything to comment since the last grav pool change, but Joe is so accurate it’s killing me.
ESM
Joyce and Walky making a comic together would be extremely meta in a potentially fun way, but writing a webcomic and making someone else draw it is the lowest form of life and I think Joyce is better than that.
Delicious Taffy
Never collaborate on anything creative unless everyone involved is equally good at every single aspect of that project.
Demoted Oblivious
So…. never ever work together on anything? Not really how life works.
And yes, I will defend the position that *everything* uses creativity. I may have to pull in a team and get creative, but this position is unassailable.
Zippotricks McEdgelord
Yeah, really. Who ever heard of a comic having a dedicated artist and writer?
Can you imagine having as many as four people writing, drawing, inking, and lettering a work of fiction? What an absurd notion that would never happen in the professional sphere.
People who consume a lot of online media tend to romanticize the notion of the uncompromising solo auteur. Getting help doesn’t make you weak or lazy!
Nono
Joyce paid Mary in exposure, so…
He Who Abides
Mary could’ve gotten plenty of that on her own, but she kept getting dressed for class.
DSL
Plenty of comic strips, panels and books, including some good ones, were produced exactly that way.
Needfuldoer
Sometimes it’s best for everyone to concentrate on their strengths. Not everybody can do everything.
‘Member the time Jim Davis did a livestream and had a Google image search for “Garfield” up on another monitor? I guess he needed a reference for how his assistants have drawn him for the last 25+ years.
I think Lar draws at least a couple different webcomics other people write.
Queezle
why what is wrong with that? I read at least one web comic that is produced in that way. And it is pretty good.
Sirksome
There is nothing wrong with the artist/writer collaboration approach but it is very important that an artist gets paid and that’s my main peeve with this newspaper comic strip gig paying so little. Making even just a comic strip is not easy, even if you don’t have a high level of skill. And when splitting the work between art and writing, the art is usually the harder of the jobs. Writing even one sentence can translate to an entire page of work for an artist. That includes, sketching, inking, sometimes coloring, lettering, not to mention just figuring out the page composition and layout in the first place. And if you’re specifically trying to produce a comic you need art because comics are a visual medium. Otherwise just write a novel right? I could go on but the fact is if you’re trying to produce a comic as an artist/writer duo, you need to pay your artist. If you’re curious I recommend people read the manga Bakuman where a team of mangakas work in this exact way and the artist works himself so hard he ends up hospitalized. It’s really insightful and inspired by real experience in the manga industry.
thejeff
I don’t know as much about newspaper comics or webcomics, but I know in the print comics world, where most are done by collaboration, writers often are able to write multiple titles, while artists are rarely able to keep up with more than one at a time. OTOH, writers often burn out on a title faster than artists.
In terms of day to day work it certainly seems that drawing a strip takes more time mechanically – you have to sit there longer producing the finished product. Don’t neglect the difficulty of the writing side either though, even if there’s less time typing.
Sirksome
Well in most traditional American comics the division of labor id divided up. Someone does the lines, another the inking. sometimes someone else does the backgrounds, someone else the colors, and even sometimes another guy just for the lettering. Just for one book. They all get paid. In webcomics and newspaper comics which are often seen as less labor intensive *even though they’re not* that all falls on the artist.
But this situation is unique because it’s not Joyce writing a comic and Walky drawing it as independents which would require her to pay Walky for visualizing her ideas depending on the specifics of their collaboration, but it’s the newspaper underpaying both of them for the value of the work made worse by their potential team up since they’d both be paid less because of it.
thejeff
Well, they both get paid. It’s really the same situation – the paper pays them both. Poorly.
Not, the paper pays Joyce and she doesn’t pay or short changes Walky.
To be fair to the paper – it’s not exactly a big business raking in the profits. And while some have real promise, university paper comic strips are at best a mixed bunch.
Thag Simmons
I can’t say I’ve ever seen that specific take before. Not sure how two people working on different aspects of the project are the ‘lowest form of life’
Demoted Oblivious
I opposed the statement too, but on a little reflection, I suppose they’re only calling the writer the lowest form of life. And that is only if they *make* someone else draw it. So maybe it has less to do with the writing and more to do with compelling people. Or maybe even just compelling the drawer?
Besides, we all know the hierarchy of life goes: nothing, matter, lawyers, virus, cells+
Rabisch
Dunno. “The Meaning of Lila” was a good strip and I was really sad the day the author had to stop because paying the artist had become too expensive for him. I still wonder if Annie will be ok.
Demoted Oblivious
You got something against Penny Arcade?
And aren’t conventional comics produced by multiple people?
Spencer
This comment is hare raising
I think I’ll have some saffron tea to calm my nerves
Agemegos
Back when I was involved in making a comic we had a writer (in New York), a continuity editor (in Canberra), a pencils artist (in Rome), an inker (in Toronto), and a letters guy (New York again). And I thought that was pretty much standard for the industry.
Fist_of_Life
My money is on this happening. And honestly I really hope it does too.
Paul Grant
Most comic books are indeed handled that way (in fact multiple folks) writer, letterer, artist, inker, colorist, etc. A lot of multimedia art(movies, musicals, etc) are collaborative. Though not really a collaboration as a joint effort.
Proto_Eevee
Dreams: shattered
Dara
Sarah is going to have the absolute biggest happiness hangover once things revert to normal, isn’t she? it’s gonna be brutal.
Dave
I’m…scared of what she might do to re-obtain that high…very scared.
Spencer
I miss when Walky was a frightening rage machine who was so bad at his alien fighting job that he once dropped his sister’s dead adoptive parents onto his boss.
Sirksome
What?
Johan
Walkyverse not dumbing of age
Spencer
It’s Walky!, one of the old comics Willis did before Dumbing of Age, which was about Walky as a member of a barely secret government organization dedicated to fighting the forces of the Head Alien.
Absolutely one of my all time favourite webcomics.
http://www.itswalky.com/
(the Joyce & Walky! strip linked today is kind of apropos)
timemonkey
At least this Walky never got anyone killed.
Spencer
Big Boss wasn’t anybody’s favourite character.
Thag Simmons
that we know of
Cattleprod
Joyce was definitely on track to be a spaceship pilot before this moment.
Demoted Oblivious
Are you implying that she’s now not? That she’s now even more locked in due to reaffirmation of her goal? Or just sarcasm?
Anyone remember which comic she listed the things she wants to be?
Blob
I think you’re referring to this one?
Passchendaele
and then walky was murdered
Hazel