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Did I hallucinate this?
Oct. 15th, 2010 10:27 pmIn the early-to-mid 90s, I remember reading a Jetsons comic where the evil animation studios are embracing CG and putting hard-working artists out of business. Elroy saves the day by making a bunch of art robots who bring back the hallowed tradition of hand-drawn animation. (I was unclear at the time why this was supposed to be any different, and still am.)
Assuming that this comic actually existed, it seems likely in retrospect that someone involved had lost their animation job! I always feel embarrassed for the author when I realize that their didactic story is teaching a lesson that's all about them. It's like realizing you're reading a Mary Sue. The webcomic Radioactive Panda - which I think that one might reasonably expect to be about radioactive pandas - once spent god knows how many months on a storyline about how newspaper comics were dying and the web was the best medium. There was a kids' movie in the 90s where the kids were trying to stop the bad guys from selling bootleg copies of a movie.
I vaguely suspect that this is a bigger thing in narratives aimed at adults than at kids. For kids, the biggest sub-genre of didactic literature is probably stories that teach really obvious lessons. Like, once in Christian Ed class, they had us read a pamphlet about a kid whose rich uncle had died and left him a million dollars. He bought an expensive stereo at the mall, but on the way home, he saw a homeless lady lying under a bridge. So he prayed and asked Jesus what he was supposed to be doing.
"YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE GIVING A PORTION OF YOUR MILLION DOLLARS TO YOUR LOCAL HOMELESS SHELTER," said Jesus. "I MEAN, KID. THIS ONE IS NOT HARD." Other difficult moral quandaries such stories might explore include, "Should I be mean to the adopted child?" "Stealing from old ladies on a fixed income - good or bad?" "Should I burn down my summer camp, or make delicious s'mores? I can only do one!"
Assuming that this comic actually existed, it seems likely in retrospect that someone involved had lost their animation job! I always feel embarrassed for the author when I realize that their didactic story is teaching a lesson that's all about them. It's like realizing you're reading a Mary Sue. The webcomic Radioactive Panda - which I think that one might reasonably expect to be about radioactive pandas - once spent god knows how many months on a storyline about how newspaper comics were dying and the web was the best medium. There was a kids' movie in the 90s where the kids were trying to stop the bad guys from selling bootleg copies of a movie.
I vaguely suspect that this is a bigger thing in narratives aimed at adults than at kids. For kids, the biggest sub-genre of didactic literature is probably stories that teach really obvious lessons. Like, once in Christian Ed class, they had us read a pamphlet about a kid whose rich uncle had died and left him a million dollars. He bought an expensive stereo at the mall, but on the way home, he saw a homeless lady lying under a bridge. So he prayed and asked Jesus what he was supposed to be doing.
"YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE GIVING A PORTION OF YOUR MILLION DOLLARS TO YOUR LOCAL HOMELESS SHELTER," said Jesus. "I MEAN, KID. THIS ONE IS NOT HARD." Other difficult moral quandaries such stories might explore include, "Should I be mean to the adopted child?" "Stealing from old ladies on a fixed income - good or bad?" "Should I burn down my summer camp, or make delicious s'mores? I can only do one!"
