Rich Morris' Comics - YAFGC and The ComixBlog

Forgive me if this has already been covered, but i found it quite fitting to mention this considering todays comic:

http://yafgc.shipsinker.com/index.php?strip_id=1367

most noticably the two last panels.


Jone started out to fight for women who were treated badly and ended up the figurehead of a crusade to empower women.

this encounter with someone advocating more moderation and less violence shows a fun facet I've seen a few times in our world as well:

- the notion that not blindly supporting female empowerment (which does not mean equality...) is a bad thing, especially if you're a woman, because then you're a heretic/traitor

- that equality for women somehow means that while in the past men oppressed women, then now women should be allowed to oppress men instead

I know this last bit isn't directly covered in the comic, but i feel it is hinted through the rejection of a "voice of reason" or at least an attempt to halt the more violent uprising. It wouldn't surprise me if this is covered in a comic soon enough... or at least when jone's crusade finally meets proper armed opposition... regardless of why that opposition is there, since it looks like runtherd might send an army 'to quell the rebellion', not to directly thwart womens rights.

I'm all for equality, although i do recognize that there are things that men and women respectively are predispositioned to do more than the other. the particulars will vary, as a lot of the predispositions are culturally based just as much, if at all, biological. It doesn't mean everything is set in stone - and aside from childberth and impregnating others, then i'm sure that there is nothing a man can do that a women cant do just as well if given similar means and motivation.

thoughts on this?

Mostly this: Jone started killing people, and the only insight we have into her motivations are some of the expressions on her face and the ramblings of a kobold "seer" who may or may not be psychic, or lying.

Rather than any comparison with the feminist movement of the last 50 years (which, frankly, has not gone far enough or done enough, especially given the pressures being brought to bear by the objectification inherent in hyper-sexualized "third wave" or "post"feminism and the current evangelical anti-female theocracy coming up from the USA), I've been more impressed by these strips as an example of the dangers of misguided belief in extreme dogma of any form.

This is a great example of the problem from the very start of religion; Extremism. It exists in all forms on all fronts. Any ideology will eventualy find a militant streak that will eventualy become fanatic and uncompromising. This has been shown throughout history.
As far as Runtherd, I dont see him being a misogonyst. I see him as the kind to openly sponsor equality. Just seems to fit his personality.

I guess feminism did go to extremes as well, but as they say, you cannot have a bloodless or nonviolent revolution. While it gave food to critics, i think it was to be expected: sometimes to reach the 'golden section' one first has to go into extremes so they can properly severe ties with the old regime and show that things we took for granted are not cast in stone.

That said, i also have the feeling that the strip is more about dogma than anything else. Still, given the attitude YAFGC has towards (literally) ass kicking females i am very curious to see how the particular choice of dogma is to be handled.

Okay, I need to post an explanation, the same as I posted in Livejournal.
It was an unfortunate mistake on my part to use 'liberating women' as the assumed motivation for the "Cult of Jone" brewing up in the "Jone: Half-Orc" storyline.

I was *not* trying to make a comment about feminism.
It's meant to be a demonstration of extremist, fanatical anythingness.

You see, here's the concept for the Jone story:
Jone herself is a wildcard. Nobody knows her motives, her goals, her internal thoughts or feelings. And what's more, what external evidence she provides (her facial expressions, her actions, reactions, emotional expressions, etc.) make little or no cohesive sense. She's an enigma and a dangerously random one.

Everyone around her projects their own feelings onto her and interpret them in their own way.
Her mother thinks she's a sweet, downtrodden innocent who just wants a chance to live and be loved.
Glon thinks she's a little girl version of himself, frightened, misunderstood, just needing a chance to be nurtured and do her own thing.
Arachne thinks she's a blossiming supreme sadist who could provide hours of entertainment as well as possibly being useful politically for the Drow (and/or her own) purposes.
The Kobold, who believes herself to be a psychic (and probably is to a small degree) thought, at first, that she was a heroic figure sent to help women in need (because, after all, she saved her life!).
The disciples of Jone have glommed onto that thought and it has evolved so that now they see her as a female messiah on a crusade for female supremacy.

The story is more akin to Monty Python's "The Live of Brian", the idea being that here's this figure who the fanatics have elevated to a mythical and totally fictional level.

If you can believe it, it never occurred to me that it would be interpereted as a commentary on feminism. After all, the rest of the comic features some liberated, able female characters (who I would consider 'strong').

So, in short, I have no problem with feminists. I support equality of the sexes wholeheartedly. I think extreme fanaticism of anything needs a slap.

beholder king - i am humbled by your presence....

but i meant to compare your current story to a militant female empowerment movement - not say that it is...

as you say yourself, jone has never stated what or why she is doing anything. only other people have labeled her and her followers actions.

i merely compared them to misguided empowerment schemes and whatnot :p

Ooh. Livejournal? Personal account, or YAFGC community?

Madar: personal accounts, though Rich puts notices up there on occasion when the website goes down for a longer span than usual.

Either way you look at this it is a great metaphor about extreme fanaticism, a lesson that is so needed in this day and age I might add. Mr. Morris you are a true master at the craft of the story.

I am reminded of the story about this sage who wanted to test how religions are made, so he started an attractive preaching and gathered followers. These followers multiplied soon, and his name was spoken in awe. After a while, since he had gotten all the clues he wanted, he gathered the herd and explained that the whole thing was just an experiment to him. There was no truth in his words, no revelation, no meaning.
So the followers stoned him, and kept on believing in his religion.

This is the story that comes in my head every time we wee Jone and her followers. I wonder when they will turn against her, for not being the one they want her to be.

This will be an unpopular angle to take, I know, but to me, this arc in some way smacks of validation of the age-old (and false) idea that feminism is an inherently militant, extremist, man-hating movement. It may not be intended as such, but this arc seems to me to have some of that flavor to it ... and that's not a good sort of flavor at all.

It's particularly puzzling, though, in the world setting in question. What oppression? Real women in the real world sure have a lot to complain about, but these fantasy women in this fantasy world tend to be as powerful as men in every way as far as I can tell, from political and social power all the way to even physical power.

I can't quite work out what they're rebelling against.

Jone's at least sort of entertaining to watch, in a "watch the random chaos" sort of way, but aside from that, this is becoming easily my least favorite arc so far.

nowhere - i dont think your angle is unpopular, and indeed i can see how the story arc could be interpreted in that way

but as i said, it more so shows how it can twisted from a battle for female equality (which i am all for) to a battle for female empowerment (which i dont see the point in, any more than male empowerment)

and with todays comic - showing that the god is just screwing with everyone, prooving that its the stupid kobold that just interprets jones actions to give them the feminist empowerment theme, then fecal matter should start hitting the rotary air displacement devices soon enough

I guess if it was the first story arc in the comic we could be suspicious about the choice of extremism (after all BK just picked a cause to show how fanaticism develops if i understood him correctly), but given all the previous story arcs, characters etc, i doubt any YAFGC strip would pound on feminism.
On the other hand while the women in this world are definitely better off than the real medieval women, there were enough examples of maltreatment to create a need for a movement -not one as violent as that, of course.
That being said, i see where Nowhere is coming from but i feel confident that the story has many more twists to show us.

Sorry for the thread necromancy, this is just something I wanted to say on the topic-

I think it might have helped to have more than one group taking up Jone as their leader, putting their words in her mouth. You have the psychotic extreme of the female empowerment group, but perhaps a group of 'stunties and half-breed' types could also have taken up 'Jone's' crusade, the two factions both showing the dangers of extremity but also keeping the onus of 'bad guy' spread out.

That's a good point. I should have thought of that. I was, however, concentrating on the development of Jone as a monster's monster rather than thinking about how the all-female empowerment army would be recieved. By the time the fecal matter struck the ventilation system, it was far too late.