ZLM_MaleFeminist

Back me up, ladies.
Zero Like Me #174:
Male Feminist

Easter Eggs: "Yale" in panel 1. Jump Square Comics logo. Singapore airlines is pretty sweet. McDonalds ("McDnards")and KFC ("KFShi") with their Japanese names (unofficial). Today's setting is Narita Airport in Chokeyo. This comic goes out to that scum bag, jack kelly.

Fun Facts: I screwed up the coloring file as I was preparing the YDN version of this, so all versions of this comic are slightly smaller (YDN format). Hence the raw inks version is slightly taller, but the final versions are cropped.

Baa: I am something of a comedy snob. I can't stand "awesome" comedy, where things are "funny," for instance, just because the comedian references something familiar to the audience and then they Woo! rather than laugh. Can't stand it. That's why I prefer Colbert to Jon Stewart. Too much of The Daily Show is just "Woo," but hardly an episode of Colbert goes by where I don't absolutely fall in love with some piece of writing or performance, it's literally beautiful to behold. I slug through The Daily Show just to make getting to Colbert that much more sweeter, must like you trudge through the straight man to get to the comic's payoff. And yet, like Abbot getting paid more than Costello, Jon Stewart gets all the Emmies and hype.

Speaking of comedy snobbery, while coloring today's comic, I was listening to the Chris Hardwick interview on Marc Maron (only because I find he uncovers interesting sides of figures I am not crazy about), and I was shocked to hear the Nerdist pilot describe a similar comedic distaste for what I call "awesome comedy," but I couldn't help thinking, "Dude, you just described yourself, except rather than hack comedians referencing saying 'Hey, remember what it was like to have a sandwich when you were a kid?' you reference things that 'nerdy' people did/do when they were kids or in their protracted adolescences."

The line that got me the most from that interview was when Hardwick described hack tactics being that "they just remind people that things existed and people equate that with...oh, that's funny!" Cut to his constant references to "nerdy" things and generally flat wordplay as punchlines. Granted I'm basing my estimation of Hardwick's comedy on cringing my way though his podcast episodes whenever a particularly interesting guest is on, as well as some youtube clips of his (I hope) likely outdated stand up.

But I loved the Nerdist's Bill Burr interview because it exemplified exactly what I'm talking about. The sheer difference in class of comedy between what Hardwick and company do versus Bill Burr's school is made painfully apparent, particularly when the host betrays his weakness of performing abroad or in front of black crowds while marveling at Bill Burr's ability to do that very feat; and not to mention the host and co-host's largely futile attempts to make the Boston-bred comedian laugh.

I do not understand "my" generation's comedy, and in fact am a bit upset about the state of it.

Reuxben