by Tym Godek

A long standing contention, started among the highbrow elite and filtered down into mass consciousness, is the belief that western culture as we know it is in decline. It may be referred to as the ascension of post-modernism, the mass assimilation of pop-culture or the dumbing down of America, but it all boils down to the loss of reliance on the rational humanistic tradition handed down through the western world since the ancient Greeks. Often the internet is held as evidence of this collapse. Instant gratification, decreased attention spans, and a disproportionate popular focus on the inane or sensationalistic are all commonly cited aspects of internet culture. Some contend a broad based cultural bias only highlighted and exacerbated by the web. Regardless, it is only natural that the art created in this environment (if I may be so bold to apply the term "art" to webcomics) should reflect this increasing disconnect from classical ideals and rhetoric. The negation of these ideals, a universal theme of nihilism, is precisely what I found in the survey into the state of webcomics known as the Triangulation Challenge.

A NOTE ON THE CHALLENGE

The Triangulation Challenge was introduced, by Joe Zabel, as an effort to inspire creative interpretations on the art of webcomics. Three comics were to be chosen from which to devise a universal theory of webcomics. The challenge is geared toward spontaneity and participants are given only two hour in which to create and explicate their hypothesis. Triangulation is hardly the most scientific process, nor does it seem likely to provide any accurate gauge of any trends. The idea is interesting only in its encouragement of spontaneous exposition and I originally undertook the challenge as a lighthearted attempt at creativity. It seemed proper to let the element of chance be my guide in choosing the three comics, reasoning it would be more fun to try to spot any thematic pattern in comics chosen by chance. Secretly, I also hoped for comics I was not familiar with to avoid any threat of preconceptions creeping in. To that end I asked Joe Zabel to assign me the comics, which he kindly obliged. The strips he chose - he assures me completely at random - provide an interesting narrative mix. Two are humor strips, self contained episodes updated frequently - fairly common on the web. The third is of a more naturalistic fiction. An anthology of stories played out in longer installments. What surprised me in this somewhat disparate mix was how quickly a thematic pattern jumped out at me. Perhaps there was more to this Triangulation Challenge than I previously thought. More than common elements, a thematic arc could be discerned. Before my eyes a chronicle of cultural and rational dissolution weaved its way throughout the three comics. Given the random method of abstraction, it's a chronicle with staggering implications on the state of the form and on our culture in general.

COMIC #1 - CITY YARNS

Of the three comics chosen, City Yarns is easily the most naturalistic and the closest to a rational humanistic ideal of art. It is an anthology of short stories sharing a common setting, a major industrialized city, possibly Detroit. The stories are about the people of the city, their relationships with each other and with the town. They are realistic records of realistic human beings and the stories have a lot of heart. The character's are often downtrodden and sometimes flawed but they are relatable, even likable in their imperfections. Despite some harsh conditions (a violent robbery, a betrayal of trust) there is a kindness in these stories, a warm humanity between the characters. But even here a nihilistic attitude plays a part, and a focus is the death of culture.

In City Yarns culture is mainly represented by music. Not the pre-processed profit driven American Idol pop of todays radio but real music. Sun-Ra, Zappa. The protagonists care about music more for it's lasting cultural value than the economy of trends. But these characters are also portrayed as aberrations. Cultural islands in a sea of mediocrity. Culture is dying out and the people who value it are paying the price. One story-line centers around a failing record store. It's a haven for music buffs and the people that appreciate the value of culture, but the store is under siege. The economy, dwindling interest, and large corporate conglomerates all work against the store. In another story music comes under physical attack as a jazz singer is violently robbed in her apartment. These are chronicles of nihilistic forces working against real humanity. The keen observations of a classicist.

There is an air of hope, however, to the stories as the characters mostly pull together. The message is we can beat back cultural entropy if we band together. If we relate to and help each other we can create a stronghold against the void. Unfortunately, the negating effect of popular culture seems to be winning, and this shown in the remaining two comics.

COMIC #2 - BOY ON A STICK AND SLITHER

It is said we live in an accelerated culture. Acceleration implies motion and this motion is exemplified in Boy on a Stick and Slither. Nothing in BOASAS stands still. Jittering characters, constantly shifting backgrounds and frequent non-sequiturs proliferate through the comic. There are essentially only two characters (though others play brief supporting parts). Boy on a Stick is the voice of innocence and possibility. Kind of a simplified and naive classicist, interested and upbeat. He is forever paired, however, with Slither. The snake is the voice of cynicism and negation. A nihilistic edge runs through both characters, and a cut off from true human nature is evident. Slither is the more obvious nihilist (Boy: "Would you rather be a ghost or an egg?" Snake: "A ghost if I could be a vigilante ghost. i would show no mercy.") but the boy (merely a head on a stick, really) is equally so, in a more cheerful manner ("I'm glad they cut down all the trees! Now we can see EVERYWHERE!").

Like City Yarns, This is a commentary on the state of society and culture. But where Yarns is the objective observer, BOASAS adopts the language and attitude of negation and becomes part of the culture it comments on. The character's, while perhaps witty, are less relatable, and there's very little of humanistic value of kindness in the strip. Yarns rails against the death of culture, Boy on a Sticks laughs at it on the way down. Down to a point reached by the third strip, Death to the Extremist.

COMIC #3 - DEATH TO THE EXTREMIST

Death to the Extremist is the near complete negation of humanity. Humanist tradition places value on communication and meaning. Death to the Extremist means nothing. The title alone is Dadaist nihilism at its core. The characters, if they can be called that, are formless, nameless voids (unless you count "1" and "2" as names) resembling nothing. Where BOSAS uses non-sequitur as a jarring humor, Death to the Extremist <i>is</i> non-sequitur in purest form. It's a humor comic and there are jokes, but it is a humor of disassociation ("If I were food, I'd be a prog-rock bagel."). The static panels, 2 circles side by side, reveal nothing of any human spirit. The mutable aspect of the strip, the obscured, mostly unrecognizable backgrounds, underscore the inherent chaos behind our post-modernist "society". This is not communication. This is disconnect. Is DTE funny? Sure it is. But at what cost does this humor come?

THE THEORY OF ENTROPIC NARRATIVE

City Yarns is the humanist principle where we have been. The anarchy of Boy on a Stick and Slither is perhaps where we are. The nihilist void of Death to the Extremist is a warning of where we may end up. These three comics were chosen at random, yet together they illustrate a common theme of cultural destruction. What's more, a narrative of entropy seems to run throughout webcomics in general. The sardonic surreal narrative of A Lesson Learned, the formal breakdown of House of Stairs, the hedonist sexual anarchy of Ghastly's Ghastly Comic. The list goes on. Whether a product of the internet itself or a reflection of society at large, a slow dissolution of humanist culture and values is evident throughout webcomics. If art is a reflection of mankind's spiritual life then the picture webcomics paints is very dark indeed.

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