Xane wrote:On the converse side the huge amount of focus on King and the cosmic nerds that really took off during Dog Days Of Summer made a lot of people feel like he changed a comic that was slice-of-life with a moderate amount of supernatural events into a completely different comic where everything was focused on the cosmic game and even storylines that didn't involve them had people constantly speculating as to who might be whose avatar or minion in disguise or how this was going to help Pete or Dragon or who to ship them with and basically made Peanut and Grape minor background characters a lot of the time.
I disagree to an extent. The supernatural elements of the story had always been apart of the foundations of the story. Pete's been a character close to the beginning of the comic for Pete's sake. (Pun intended. But seriously Pete's been apart of the story since November 2008, the comic started in June of 08.) And King/Joel has been apart of the story since the FIRST year of it's run. (Joel appeared in April of 2009 and was turned into a Dog in December of 2009.) It's been pretty clear from the start that something was brewing in the background. Dog Days of Summer merely brought this element closer to the forefront as the story had been slowly progressing to that point for a while. It's not as if the Cosmic Nerds and King/Joel were recent additions to the story, they've been apart of the story since it's early years and the Cosmic Game was probably planned in broad strokes since close to that point.
Slice of Life is awesome, Slice of Life can be relaxing and fun to read and follow...But at the same time it's not exactly a story. I like Housepets because Rick's shown he's capable of giving us REALLY good dramatic story arc's concerning the Cosmic Nerds, King/Joel and other moments, but then knows how to slow things back down for a while with Slice of Life fun. And while some of the Slice of Life stuff would sometimes go into elements of the more serious aspects of the story he still more or less kept things neat and orderly.
And the thing about Peanut and Grape? Well THAT'S to be expected. This is a story that's been going on for a good six years now and has developed a large cast of characters of interesting characters with varying levels of importance. Even IF the Cosmic Game and it's associated elements had been relegated to the background or had never been a thing to start with then they still would have wound up over shadowed eventually.
Xane wrote:
I never complained directly to Mr. Griffin because it's his comic to do what he wants with, but my personal dislike of the whole thing had much less to do with the above issues but more that I got really tired of seeing Pete bullying King over and over with barely any repercussions. In Dog Days all that happened was he couldn't keep pretending King was his avatar (King had never agreed to it, so even *if* his character had simply been a very grumpy dog rather than being transformed Pete was still skirting the rules) but he was still free to harass and threaten King, which is exactly what kept happening. I did, however, find this last storyline fun, and not because Pete lost - I kinda felt sorry for him in the end, but then, I've never felt that he was evil, just way too mean most of the time. The whole denouement has been quite fun to read but I'm glad it's over and hopefully King and Bailey will be back together without having to look over their shoulders for Pete to torment them again.
That's the POINT though. >.<
We've known since Dog Days of Summer that Pete's likely going to get hit with a huge heaping helping of Karma or suddenly realize he's been a monster and repent. The problem with repercussions is that Pete's a god, this sort of thing is actually rather normal in mythology and actually if you want to get technical, going by the usual standard Pete's actually better behaved then many Mythological Pantheons.
But in regards to the story the problem is that he's walking on a knifes edge when it comes to the rules dealing with Mortals and it's not portrayed as okay. He got in trouble with the other gods over his behavior and was being watched pretty closely. Kitsune's made it clear that Pete and Dragons behavior was unacceptable and even if they hadn't broken the rules from a moral standpoint they both had failed.
And mostly I'm worried that Pete and Dragon and the other Gods will no longer make appearances.
I LOVE those Characters. There interesting and fascinating and their actions have been a motivating force in the comic since the start. If Rick removes them from the comic completely. (Which is likely what would happen if they get sentenced to sixty years of mortality and made Tabula Rasa's.) Then the characters we know as Dragon and Pete no longer exist in the comics and this excision from the comic is even more jarring given the POSITIVE character development the two had received in the Mondays Update.
Removing those two from the comic would be like removing King,Fox, Tarot, Sabrina, Fido or Bailey from the comic. Hell, it'd be like removing Peanut or Grape in some ways. There important members of the cast and their removal would be sad in the extreme.
Xane wrote:
I also find forced TF incredibly creepy to the point that I couldn't stand reading It's A Wonderful Dog's Life the first time around but that's just me.
Forced TF is actually a rather common story telling mechanic.
Really King/Joels transformation reminds me of Circe from Greek Mythology. Writers have been fascinated with Circe for thousands of years.
Her ability to turn men into animals and whether the human consciousness changed at the same time, and even whether it was a change for the better. Plutarch took up the theme in a lively dialogue that was later to have several imitators. Contained in his Moralia is the Gryllus episode in which Circe allows Odysseus to interview a fellow Greek turned into a pig. There his interlocutor informs Odysseus that his present existence is preferable to the human. They then engage in a philosophical dialogue in which every human value is questioned and beasts are proved to be of superior wisdom and virtue.
My absolute FAVORITE story regarding this particular trope as it relates to Circe is La Fontaine’s late fable, “The Companions of Ulysses” , that also echoes Plutarchi. Once transformed, every animal (which include a lion, a bear, a wolf and a mole) protest that their lot is better and refuse to be restored to human shape.
Dear prince, a special favourite of the skies,
Pray let my incense from your altars rise.
With these her gifts, if rather late my muse,
My age and labours must her fault excuse.
My spirit wanes, while yours beams on the sight
At every moment with augmented light:
It does not go — it runs, — it seems to fly;
And he from whom it draws its traits so high,
In war a hero, burns to do the same.
No lack of his that, with victorious force,
His giant strides mark not his glory’s course:
Some god retains: our sovereign I might name;
Himself no less than conqueror divine,
Whom one short month made master of the Rhine.
It needed then upon the foe to dash;
Perhaps, to-day, such generalship were rash.
But hush, — they say the Loves and Smiles
Abhor a speech spun out in miles;
And of such deities your court
Is constantly composed, in short.
Not but that other gods, as meet,
There hold the highest seat:
For, free and lawless as the rest may seem,
Good Sense and Reason bear a sway supreme.
Consult these last about the case
Of certain men of Grecian race,
Who, most unwise and indiscreet,
Imbibed such draughts of poison sweet,
As changed their form, and brutified.
Ten years the heroes at Ulysses’ side
Had been the sport of wind and tide.
At last those powers of water
The sea-worn wanderers bore
To that enchanted shore
Where Circe reign’d, Apollo’s daughter.
She press’d upon their thirsty lips
Delicious drink, but full of bane:
Their reason, at the first light sips,
Laid down the sceptre of its reign.
Then took their forms and features
The lineaments of various creatures.
To bears and lions some did pass,
Or elephants of ponderous mass;
While not a few, I ween,
In smaller forms were seen, —
In such, for instance, as the mole.
Of all, the sage Ulysses sole
Had wit to shun that treacherous bowl.
With wisdom and heroic mien,
And fine address, he caused the queen
To swallow, on her wizard throne,
A poison somewhat like her own.
A goddess, she to speak her wishes dared,
And hence, at once, her love declared.
Ulysses, truly too judicious
To lose a moment so propitious,
Besought that Circe would restore
His Greeks the shapes that first they wore.
Replied the nymph, ‘But will they take them back?
Go make the proffer to the motley pack.’
Ulysses ran, both glad and sure:
‘That poisonous cup,’ cried he ‘hath yet its cure;
And here I bring what ends your shame and pain.
Will you, dear friends, be men again?
Pray speak, for speech is now restored.’
‘No,’ said the lion, — and he roar’d, —
‘My head is not so void of brains!
Renounce shall I my royal gains?
I’ve claws and teeth to tear my foes to bits,
And, more than that, I’m king.
Am I such gifts away to fling,
To be but one of Ithaca’s mere cits?
In rank and file perhaps I might bear arms.
In such a change I see no charms.’ —
Ulysses passes to the bear:—
‘How changed, my friend, from what you were!
How sightly once! how ugly now!’
‘Humph! truly how?’
Growl’d Bruin in his way —
‘How else than as a bear should be, I pray?
Who taught your stilted highness to prefer
One form to every other, sir?
Doth yours possess peculiar powers
The merits to decide, of ours?
With all respect, I shall appeal my case
To some sweet beauty of the bearish race.
Please pass it by, if you dislike my face.
I live content, and free from care;
And, well remembering what we were,
I say it, plain and flat,
I’ll change to no such state as that.’
Next to the wolf the princely Greek
With flattering hope began to speak:—
‘Comrade, I blush, I must confess,
To hear a gentle shepherdess
Complaining to the echoing rocks
Of that outrageous appetite
Which drives you, night by night,
To prey upon her flocks.
You had been proud to guard her fold
In your more honest life of old.
Pray quit this wolfship, now you can,
And leave the woods an honest man.’
‘But is there one?’ the wolf replied:
‘Such man, I own, I never spied.
You treat me as a ravenous beast,
But what are you? To say the least,
You would yourself have eat the sheep,
Which, eat by me, the village weep.
Now, truly, on your faith confess,
Should I, as man, love flesh the less?
Why, man, not seldom, kills his very brother;
What, then, are you but wolves to one another?
Now, everything with care to scan,
And rogue with rogue to rate,
I’d better be a wolf than man,
And need not change my state.’
Thus all did wise Ulysses try,
And got from all the same reply,
As well from great as small.
Wild liberty was dear to all;
To follow lawless appetite
They counted their supreme delight.
All banish’d from their thought and care
The glorious praise of actions fair.
Where passion led, they thought their course was free;
Self-bound, their chains they could not see.
Prince, I had wish’d for you a theme to choose,
Where I might mingle pleasantry with use;
And I should meet with your approving voice,
No doubt, if I could make such choice.
At last, Ulysses’ crew
Were offer’d to my view.
And there are like them not a few,
Who may for penalty await
Your censure and your hate
When Mortals from the path of Honour stray,
And the strong passions over reason sway,
What are they then but Brutes?
‘Tis vice alone that constitutes
Th’enchanting wand and magic bowl,
The exterior form of Man they wear,
But are in fact both Wolf and Bear,
The transformation’s in the Soul."
King/Joel's position in the story is REALLY bizarre in it's similarity to the tales of Circe. o.o
What are they then but Brutes? ‘Tis vice alone that constitutes. Th’enchanting wand and magic bowl,
The exterior form of Man they wear,But are in fact both Wolf and Bear,
The transformation’s in the Soul.