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[SolVanderlyn]

Personally, I fucking love it.

For the uninitiated, Penny Arcade is a gaming webcomic, and one of the progenitors of the medium. It's run by Jerry Holkins (alias Tycho) and Mike Krahulik (alias Gabe) and has been running three days a week since 1998. It's known for its off the walls use of profanity and satire.

Back in the internet's adolescence - basically in the 00's - Penny Arcade was a daily visit for me. I love the intelligent/immature dichotomy that Gabe and Tycho represent. Mike and Jerry don't give a damn what anyone thinks, and tend to say what they want regardless of consequences. Their humor can be so left field and wacky at times that it gives their strip a very distinct fingerprint. When webcomics were "the thing", Penny Arcade was king. Of all the comics I read back then - CAD, VGCats, PA, 8-bit Theater, PvP - I feel like PA's humor holds up best. Some don't hold up at all (CAD) and others are still decent (8-bit) and others are still good (PvP), but Classic PA stood the test of time the most. I own all of the books in print form and still laugh when I open to a random strip. Some of their best strips aren't related to gaming at all. Examples:

But their satire is just as funny:

And often comments on the business/media side of games as well as just games:

However, as good as the strip once was, I do think it's declined in quality in recent years, the art in particular. Gabe is like some weird Timmy Turner chipmunk and everyone has what I just heard referred to as "vegetable noses" in another thread:

Everyone looks super weird here. I can't get over it. Although it is still funny at times, especially when it goes for minimalist humor:

But the humor is less focused than it used to be, too. There are strange one shots (The Lookouts was one) that just aren't very appealing, and a lot of "dad humor" has been inserted into the comics of late. Which is fine, as Mike and Jerry have always used their lives as a basis for their strip, but it doesn't strike the right chords with me at all.

Their humor has never been perfect. Sometimes it gets too weird or just doesn't make any fucking sense. Sometimes the immaturity is grating. But I've loved them since day 1, and they might have declined in quality recently, but I still read them regularly and likely will for a long time.

PA has also become a business entity, and does videos and conventions and all sorts of other stuff now. I never really cared about all of that - I just check the strip. If others could comment on the quality of the other sides of PA's site, that would be cool.

 

[TI82]

Some of its funny, are the characters supposed to be the writers? Because they look pretty much nothing alike.

Also not sure how I feel when they get all preachy with their comic.

 

[popyea]

Right when you said the art got worse I was thinking how much better the art got.

 

[Lambtron]

I liked it when I was 18.

 

[Ferrio]

Used to enjoy it, the comics ranged from meh to great. The comics seemed to took a nose dive in quality awhile ago, and remind me more of comics that are trying to be penny arcade.

 

[Jintor]

I loved them for years. Around 2008 I think their quality began to go downhill slightly and it's never really gotten back there imho.

The whole dickwolves thing (not necessarily the initial event but their double-downing on it) kind of soured me on them for a while. Still not 100% on board with Gabe these days. Tycho's still boss though, except to the extent he doesn't really reign in Gabe.

Some of its funny, are the characters supposed to be the writers? Because they look pretty much nothing alike.

they stated off as totally separate characters until at some point they realised they were essentially just writing themselves

Oh yeah - Gabe's art definitely got weirder the more experimental he got.

 

[TI82]

they stated off as totally separate characters until at some point they realised they were essentially just writing themselves

Yeah, always figured it was that way and thought they would look like the characters but when I saw them I was very confused.

 

[pizzacat]

The stupid character looks like the scout from tf2 in that first img you put, art got more appealing tbh

 

[JordanN]

Right when you said the art got worse I was thinking how much better the art got.

This.

The new artstyle allows for much more expressive and individual characters. The original looks like something from newgrounds.

 

[PeakPointMatrix]

I still read every update, although it has certainly plateaued after its peak in the mid to late 2000's. Jerry's art has improved as much as it has because he has experimented and pushed himself to do so. However, I can't say I'm a fan of the latest direction his style has taken. But like before, he's simply keeping things interesting for himself by trying new things, as any artist should. Some attempts as more successful than others.

This is still my favorite strip, bar none:

 

[The Artisan]

ah, so are they the ones who made the nathan drake: mass murderer comic?

 

[SkyTurnsRed]

Art style improved, humor and quality of writing went down. Huge fan of Jerry, less of a fan of Mike.

I still read it daily, although it has certainly plateaued after its peak in the mid to late 2000's. Jerry's art has improved as much as it has because he has experimented and pushed himself to do so. However, I can't say I'm a fan of the latest direction his style has taken. But like before, he's simply keeping things interesting for himself by trying new things, as any artist should. Some attempts as more successful than others.

This is still my favorite strip, bar none:

Yes.

 

[Tenebrous]

Didn't find any of the OPs examples remotely entertaining.

 

[erawsd]

USe to read it all the time in the PS2/Xbox days. These days the only time I see it is from random forum posts... like this.

 

[AwShucks]

Still enjoy it, but don't love it as much anymore. There are certainly strips that straight crack me up though.

 

[JumpJeff84]

I sometimes find the strip quite funny. I don't really follow it regularly these days though.

I have a book of their comics, rather enjoyed reading it. I've been to PAX prime a couple of times mostly because it's so geographically close, and I've always had a good time.

I played the first volume of their RPG, liked it.

 

[TI82]

I still read every update, although it has certainly plateaued after its peak in the mid to late 2000's. Jerry's art has improved as much as it has because he has experimented and pushed himself to do so. However, I can't say I'm a fan of the latest direction his style has taken. But like before, he's simply keeping things interesting for himself by trying new things, as any artist should. Some attempts as more successful than others.

This is still my favorite strip, bar none:

Is this a Warhammer reference because I really don't get it.

 

[Tohsaka]

I used to like it, I don't really follow it (or any web comics, for that matter) anymore though.

 

[guek]

Far more hit or miss these days but they're alright I guess. I used to read it a lot more regularly almost a decade ago...damn

 

[frontovik]

The art is nice to look at, but the "humour" and writing is terrible.

 

[Toxi]

Penny Arcade is every video game webcomic stereotype, probably because it invented half those stereotypes.

It can elicit a giggle occasionally, but it's overall just very meh and sometimes goes into cringe VGCats-level territory. There are so many better webcomics out there, or at the very least more interesting webcomics.

 

[Haly]

I assume it's because they're too old and spread thin from all their various business ventures to make good comics anymore, or if they're just getting out of touch/caring less. Maybe both!

This recent one made me laugh though:

 

[Dryk]

I remember an old comic where they were commenting on how soldiers in FPSes get sent to war with nothing but a knife and a side-arm and I've never been able to find it again.

Is this a Warhammer reference because I really don't get it.

Warhammer fans get really touchy when you mistake it for a rip-off of things that happened 10-20 years later. Especially Warcraft and Starcraft.

 

[SinCityAssassin]

I do still love me some penny arcade on occasion, but the current art style isn't for me, so I don't check up too often on new strips.

 

[TI82]

Warhammer fans get really touchy when you mistake it for a rip-off of things that happened 10-20 years later. Especially Warcraft and Starcraft.

Ah, yeah I don't like those table top figure painting games so went right over my head.

 

[Corpekata]

Is this a Warhammer reference because I really don't get it.

It's just him getting really angry someone is accusing Warhammer of ripping off Blizzard when Blizzard actually is heavily inspired by Warhammer.

 

[HyperZone<3]

they've been around for 15 years plus up to this point. That's practically an eternity in internet years, as such they've kinda become one of the most vested, authoritative gaming commentaries out there.

Hell, their convention presence is becoming bigger then their internet footprint. They might never have gotten to be mainstream (oh, like Garfield I suppose), but they darn sure got to be the kings of their niche.

 

[ShaggsMagoo]

I agree with OP regarding Mike's art shift. I was a much bigger fan when his art was simpler in the early 2000's than what it evolved (devolved?) to.

 

[xzeldax3]

"Vegetable noses" irrationally piss me off so much. I can't stand when comics use that style.

 

[TheSeks]

Is this a Warhammer reference because I really don't get it.

The joke is that Starcraft and Warcraft both copied pretty heavily from Warhammer and Warhammer fans (like Tycho) are extremely touchy about people saying "lol copied Blizzard" without knowing the reverse is true.

 

[Jintor]

This.

The new artstyle allows for much more expressive and individual characters. The original looks like something from newgrounds.

I dunno, it's a bit too zany for me these days. I know his influences but PA's usually slightly more droll humour isn't always best served by Ren and Stimpy-esque art.

I really think there was a perfect run back from 04-08 but that might just me first finding it then. You know, "First Final Fantasy" syndrome or whatever.

 

[Goro Majima]

I liked it better when the characters were bigger assholes basically.

I also wasn't a fan of when Gabe went all super artsy and dramatic for several strips with his stuff but artists do as they do. Talking about the cub scouts, robot detective, etc. stuff.

 

[Goldrush]

It's really interesting to see the evolution of the art. Mike regularly infused new styles into the strip to bring life to the characters and vibrancy to the environment. Once I tried to pinpoint exactly when he introduced new techniques, but it's such a natural evolution that it's really difficult.

 

[cosmicblizzard]

There's really not enough jokes that appeal to me since they tend to stick to games I don't play or know anything about.

 

[mr jones]

Not a fan of the recent art, either. I stopped reading the strip about 4 years ago.

 

[jambo]

I think 2011 is where the art started to get a bit weirder, with crazy mouths and expressions. I still check it every few days, but I hardly get any big laughs out of it.

I have the collected volumes 1-9 and am looking forward to 10, but I'll probably stop once they have covered up to 2010.

I also think PATV lost a bit of its charm, especially the 4th panel episodes. The themed ones are pretty great still.

Also Strip Seach was awesome and I'm hoping for another season.

 

[KiraXD]

I like them... however i liked em better when they didnt give a shit about offending people. they pull their punches a little more to stay P.C. it seems.

eh...

As long a Cyanide and Happiness stays offensive... ill be fine.

 

[LaserHawk]

I read it for a while. At the time it felt like a good way to hear about what's going on the gaming world. However I wasn't very fond of the humor. I called it "Penis Arcade" because you were only ever a few strips away from a punchline that was penis-related. The whole comic banked too much on cheap shock value and wiener jokes.

What REALLY bugged me was Tycho's news posts. It felt like he was overcompensating for Gabe being the "talented artist", so he used overly-flowery language. It always felt like he was talking down to me in his posts as I stumbled through his smug purple prose. I wanted to just skip the news post, but too often the day's strip relied on it for context, which drove me nuts. Eventually I gave up on the comic. It wasn't making me laugh and there were better ways to find out what's happening in the gaming world.

 

[Tom Nook Sawyer]

Used to be a huge fan--went to every PAX for years, including the very first.

Now I haven't read a comic in years. The few I do see posted are rarely funny, and I find Gabe to be obnoxious. Tycho seems alright though.

 

[TheSeks]

Now I haven't read a comic in years. The few I do see posted are rarely funny, and I find Gabe to be obnoxious. Tycho seems alright though.

Gabe is only obnoxious because he's an unrepentant asshole. Tycho can be an asshole at times as well, but he seems mature enough to have that put in check/perspective before flying off the handle.

As it is, I've never read the comic with any regularity. I generally only read it if it's linked or collaborates with Ubisoft on Splinter Cell and that's about it.

 

[Toxi]

There's a decent review of the webcomic here that covers why the newer strips might feel so tired.

 

[ike_]

Post #2-#38 nailed it. Used to be the webcomic but I haven't checked back in quite a few years.

There are a lot of strips that are truely representative of them in their heyday but I couldn't find any good ones to mention on short notice. Instead I'll post some more Mario Party love/hate

 

[bengraven]

Their Linux on X-box strip is probably my favorite of all time. Every time someone whines about something gaming related, I always think of this. Including GamerGate.

Haven't read it in the last couple years. Just don't know how I feel about their personalities after their superstardom hit.

That said, I love their DnD podcasts.

 

[Jintor]

hat REALLY bugged me was Tycho's news posts. It felt like he was overcompensating for Gabe being the "talented artist", so he used overly-flowery language. It always felt like he was talking down to me in his posts as I stumbled through his smug purple prose. I wanted to just skip the news post, but too often the day's strip relied on it for context, which drove me nuts.

Exactly the opposite - I loved his news posts, probably for precisely the same reason it drove you nuts. Sometimes it's just fun to see someone fuck around with language for no particular reason other than it amuses them.

 

[ZiZ]

people don't like the new art style?

I've been following them since forever, and the art style has only gotten better.

as for the jokes, at their best they are great, and at their worst they are acceptable.

 

[Herne]

I used to be a massive fan for years, but like the OP I feel like the art has really dropped in quality, or at least moved in a direction I really don't like. And the nose thing... yeah, it's nitpicky, but it's also noticeable. They're still funny, but I don't visit them nearly as much as I used to. I was a member (still am, though I'm not active) of the Penny Arcade forums for years before I came to NeoGAF (mostly G&T). It seemed like the community had really changed by that time, so I moved onto NeoGAF and haven't looked back since.

Still love going through the old comics, sometimes. So many favourites.

 

[El Sloth]

To me it's a fun comic that still has its moments. I personally think its golden era is past, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. I do enjoy seeing how Gabe's art has evolved and changed.

 

[bengraven]

Also, their Minecraft comics convinced me to try the game out.

 

[ItsTheNew]

I've never found the comic to be that great or to be of any influence outside of their audience (PAX excluded).

 

[Zing]

One thing I have realized is that their gaming preferences are pretty much the opposite of mine. Anytime I had faith in their praise for a game, it resulted in me wasting time and money.

I was just wondering when the characters transformed into having those weird brown noses and ears. I definitely prefer the old look.

This was always one of my favourites. I suppose you have to be old enough to remember the planetquake, gamespy etc websites to get the joke.