#modus operandi comic

[heysawbones]

*smokey and the bandit theme on the kazoo*

[heysawbones]

c   :;

[heysawbones]

it's my birthday so it's sort of their birthdays too

[heysawbones]

writing about reactions to Bob the other day inevitably made me think about people’s reactions to his dad. one of the things that makes him so fun to write (and it IS fun, when it’s not soul-crushing instead) is that it’s easy to take him at face value, and most people do. With Bob, I think there’s this implication that there is more there than what you see - he’s the loner, and that’s what we’ve been trained to expect from loners in stories. Steven, on the other hand, is just this larger-than-life meathead who seems to do well at parties and yells real loud sometimes. We aren’t expected to read much into a character like that. A reader - and a smart one, too - predicted that Steven was the kind of guy who had a woman “at every port” and was disgusted by his son’s lack of larger-than-life-meatheadiness. That was fascinating to me. I’m not sure if all readers will pick up on Bob’s evolution as a character as MO progresses, but I don’t think they’ll be able to ignore Steven being a very different character than what they likely anticipated.

[heysawbones]

I think there’s a lot of truth to this, but there’s a lot of different larger-than-lifes a person can project. Steven projects the essence of being human, even if it’s not the reality of being human. Someone like Allan, alternately, identifies entirely with the state. Allan is the state, and the state is Allan. He’s less a person than the embodiment of an abstract nationalist concept. Yet, someone would probably still interpret Allan as being larger-than-life - because he isn’t aping being an authoritarian head of state, he just IS one. He is the Platonic Form of The Emperor.

[heysawbones]

who it is???

[heysawbones]

I look forward to seeing how people feel about Bob, as he develops.

It’s interesting how he is the same character as he was in the roleplay universe he came from (albeit younger), but MO’s framing completely changed how he’s seen. People will interpret Bob through the lens of these first few chapters instead of through, say, him outsmarting his uncle or trying to steer his father away from some potentially disastrous gaffe (although Steven probably doesn’t require it).

Sometimes I wonder if I erred by being so explicit about Bob falling on his face in MO, but it was ultimately necessary.

People have long told me that Bob is the most difficult character to understand out of the lot; he just seems too driven and put together, if a little too tightly wound. He is the sort of character who requires a foil (a role often played by his father). By having Bob’s flaws laid out clearly from the beginning, I’m hoping he will be easier to understand, and perhaps more relatable.

I admit - commentary about Bob occasionally makes me think, oh, you’re not being fair. You aren’t giving him a chance. But I’m here for that. What is a fair reaction to Bob? I make a point of not telling people how to feel about the characters in MO. I hope people who like making fun of Bob, continue to do so. Maybe his later behavior will change their minds, and maybe it won’t. I’m here for all of that. I wouldn’t make this comic if I didn’t want that full, uncensored range of reactions - if I didn't love all of them.

[heysawbones]

If Bob had seen his actions in this format, he would’ve thought twice.

Thanks so much to @double-eagle-viii for this week’s guest strip. Seriously.

(MO readers: the best? the science says YES)