The Biff Reaction

[MagicParakeet]

This is a odd phenomenom that is happening dealing with our little web comic we all love so much. It seems everyone, or close enough, either love it or hate it. Responses I've seen usually deal with "I don't get it". This makes me think about the reader demographs. I know Chris made a survey a while back to find out what the demographs are, but he didn't post them from what I remember. So I must resurface this question, what is Biff's audience? I know alot of web comic writers and artist like Biff. Does this mean Biff is more appealing to creative types or is more complex than what the one panel seems?

Discuss.

[Ziggy Stardust]

Biff is somewhat complex, and if you don't get a couple of his jokes then you probably won't get most of them. Or so it appears to me.
Our long-eyebrowed friend is a smidgen inside-jokey, but mostly his doings are fairly easy to understand as they are more of a physical joke.

[the Scarf]

I disagree...I think that they usually work on many levels, and not understanding a couple is perfectly normal as far as biff goes.
There's the humor in the image, the humor in the text, and then the oddness of how they work together.
The thing is, there is a lot of the humor that is rather subtle, or just very strange, and not everyone 'gets' it. It's the type of humor, so it's cool.

[MagicParakeet]

I'm really thinking it's Biffs format. It gives it a big fault and charm. Most jokes follow a set-up and a punchline. Check out some other comics, especially newspaper ones, to know what I mean. Biff is limited in space and must compress the joke into a combination of the two. It also makes the humor dry. It's not as much gut busting laugh riot, it's more of a chuckle. It also seems a bit sophisticated too. The jokes are subtle at times and far from manic or phalic like other more popular comics.

[Torg]

I know Chris made a survey a while back to find out what the demographs are, but he didn't post them from what I remember.

He did, but I'm not digging up the link.

I think that the problem (or the part of the problem we can help with, anyway) is that forum-based ads generally do little to prepare the victimsreaders for how weird Biff is, or even really how the comics are written. Probably a lot of people are distracted from the jokes by the eyebrows, but that can't be helped (short of Chris toning down Biff's eyebrows to human length, but that would ultimately be bad for Biff as it would become less unique, so those who read it would not be as enthusiastic about it). Those trying to advertise on their own should try to present some idea of the nature of Biff's humor, or at the very least add a mention of the format and an eyebrow-related disclaimer. Maybe put a sample.
Or, even better, use the Biff banner ads; in reading Biff, I have found that he is best in large doses.

Good; now that all that's been written down, I should have an easier time remembering it. Maybe I'll actually try these suggestions some time.



Another possibility is that the quality of the ads is irrelevant: Biff is just weird, and is most appreciated by those who are perpetually in a mental state akin to that which most only experience while smoking weed. This theory is supported by the facts that one of the most-referenced comics is the green invisible car and that the forumers are forming a religion based around a toaster/snake hybrid.

[goldielocks]

I can honestly say he definitely appeals to weird people. Yay for us!

[Chris Hallbeck]

Ah, you must be talking about the explosm thread that I just found. 

Don't be offended if you run into a bunch of people that don't like the comic. Humor is very subjective. I'm sure you can think of many popular "humorous" things that you dislike.

[goldielocks]

Ah, you must be talking about the explosm thread that I just found. 

Don't be offended if you run into a bunch of people that don't like the comic. Humor is very subjective. I'm sure you can think of many popular "humorous" things that you dislike.

Yeah, for me that'd be AFV. Well AFV nowadays.

[Ziggy Stardust]

Pardon if I say so, but most Explosmers are complete douchebags.
Chris is right, of course. You tell one person a joke, they'll be in stitches for three minutes, but another will sort of smile and say, "Was that meant as a joke?"

[Torg]

You tell one person a joke, they'll be in stitches for three minutes, but another will sort of smile and say, "Was that meant as a joke?"

And another person will find a reason to be offended.

[Silfedac]

Everything is offensive to somebody. If they have a relevant objection, I'll apologize. If they have a stupid objection, I'll either ignore them or beat them up, whichever is appropriate in context.

[Chris Hallbeck]

Here's my favorite comment:

"There's not even any joke to most of them, I like it."

[Silfedac]

Yeah, people are weird.

[Ziggy Stardust]

Ha, Niki called me an assface. My nickname used to be 'assface emo' instead of 'asphyxiated emu'.
Explosm- people are hilarious there... or they think they are.

[Silfedac]

I have to say, it was negative, but I enjoyed that one jerk's Biff parody.

[the Scarf]

Arg. People who think they're funny are usually not. This is why I like Monty Python. They do ridiculous things, but remain completely serious about the situation. That's why it works. If they spent the entire time going 'oh look, aren't we witty' and cracking up at themselves, they would not be nearly as funny.

It's why I like Demitri Martin. He's so calm and polite, and then he's saying things that absosmurfly rock.
Demitri Martin = love.
Ladies.

[Silfedac]

ON the other hand, people who know they're funny, now that's where the humor's at.

[the Scarf]

....like Monty Python. Yes.

[Silfedac]

And me, yes?

[Torg]

And me, yes?

Not so much.

Everything is offensive to somebody. If they have a relevant objection, I'll apologize. If they have a stupid objection, I'll either ignore them or beat them up, whichever is appropriate in context.

If someone has a stupid objection, I take what they say and give them a sentence-by-sentence explanation of why their argument fails and exactly how much it slurps. If someone has a relevant objection, I'll take what they say and give them a sentence-by-sentence explanation of why their argument is weak despite good intentions and/or the occasional good point. If anyone accuses me of being sexist, racist, homophobic, or arrogant, I explain how doing so makes them sexist, racist, paranoid, and jealous, respectively. Basically I'm an overly logical donkey butt.

Here's my favorite comment:

"There's not even any joke to most of them, I like it."

I like Niki's reaction to my pointing out that MS Paint Adventures is better at no-arm gags than him/her:

"Because that is an honest effort to be funny, and not a shitty example made in literally less than a minute in ms paint."

I appreciate the irony.

[Chris Hallbeck]

I like this comment as well:

"It's really not that horrible."

 

[Orangey]

I just can't bring myself to read it; the explosm forums are unpleasant; they feel mentally sticky.

[Silfedac]

There are myriad reasons for that, each more disturbing than the last.

[Pieman]

Everything is offensive to somebody.

All jokes are a combination of Offensive, a reference or A pun.

Here's one that's a combo of the last two:

How many ears does Captain Kirk have?

Three; a left ear, a right ear, and a final front ear.

[Silfedac]

Awesome.

[Ziggy Stardust]

I just can't bring myself to read it; the explosm forums are unpleasant; they feel mentally sticky.

I know what you mean; I used to go there every day for three months, but now I hate even reading the comics.

[the Scarf]

I've never ventured into the forums, myself. The comics are insulting enough of the time that the people who genuinely think they're funny really can't be all that nice.
I do like the occasional cyanide and happieness, though.

[Silfedac]

Cyanide and Happiness is funny. I haven't had much experience with the other explosm comics, but the forums are terrible, from what I've seen of them.

[Chris Hallbeck]

All jokes are a combination of Offensive, a reference or A pun.

Hardly.

[Orangey]

It neglects absurdity, randomness, and humorous juxtaposition.

As well as visual humor.