Gnu Comments!
It’s been a while since the last Top Comments, due to a combination of pat leave and conventions. I won’t be able to go back through all of the comments over the past month, but it would be remiss of me not to acknowledge a trend in the comments of the latest NPC storyline, The Accessory, that can only be described as “The Gnu Sensation”.
- “You are all weirdos” – Sam Eagle.
- I love you all, you beautiful weirdos.
For those who missed it, the first page of The Accessory features a pack of wildebeests, also known as gnus. At no point in the story do the gnus rise above minor importance, but a dedicated and talented group of punsters made sure at least one gnu pun made it into each page’s comments. The early comments were pretty straightforward:
safyrejet
Oh goody, it’s a gnu story.Speedy Marsh
But, is it a new gnu story, or are these gnus old gnews?
Soon commenters found less obvious variations on the same pun:
Flavourius
Gnu bastards! Gnu gonna pay for that!Garioki
Better him than Gnu :pTxSonofLiberty
That was a gnuoob moosesteak.LaughingTarget
Good to see that his spirit wasn’t completely gnutered.
It’s wonderful watching something innocuous take on a life of its own. Like when the gnu that the dragon snatched up -whose story was done for all intents and purposes by page 4– made a surprise but brief reappearance on page 6, we got comments like:
LaughingTarget
My lunch! GNUUUUUUUUUUUUU!safyrejet
Alas poor lunch, I barely gnu him.
This is an example of the ouroboros effect that can happen between creative collaborators, in this case, collaboration between writer, artist, and the audience. At first blush, this may appear to just be a group of pun enthusiasts beating a dead wildebeest. To me, it is a reflection of the best that the comment section has to offer.
I can’t say for certain that the gnu reappearing on page 6 was a direct response to the gnu puns, but I can say that it could very well have been. Sohmer may have seen that the gnu was getting a good response and decided to ride it out. Illustrator Sarah Anne Davis may have seen an opportunity to add one more gnu to her panels and threw the commenters a bone. Or it may have all played out exactly this way whether the comments section cared about the gnu or not. It’s impossible to follow where inspiration begins and ends sometimes, and I love that we all get to watch it unfold in real time.
Someday NPC volume 2 or 3 will be sitting on fans’ shelves, and they’ll cherish their copy of The Accessory, completely unaware that as this story was first published online, they were missing out on the Gnu Sensation.
Enough about gnus. Let’s check out the top comments from September 4th-10th.
NPC part 16, page 11
For Pony
That is the single most ominous hyphen in the history of-
Geoffrey Knox
“I can show myself the world
Lots of food widespread in panic
Tell myself dragon when was the last time
How many was what i had to decide
A WHOLE NEW WORLD
A FANTASTIC SOLDIER RIDDEN VIEW
NOW THAT I AM FREE IT’S GOING TO BE
“I’m Richard””
LFG 911
crowmanhunter
“I feel like the Dragon Elder’s first words to Cale should’ve been “”KETHNECIA IS SENDING ASSASSINS AFTER YOU!””
Not, “”Hey, can we talk?”” Somehow the latter just lacks a certain sense of . . . urgency.”
Crestlinger
Fitting for #911 that it’s in a prison.
safyrejet
To all those stuck on the prison doors having moved relative to each other between panels 5 & 7: Dragon dude stayed there long enough to be upgraded to the deluxe corner suite. He has two doors. One across from Benny’s, one around the corner.
NPC part 16, page 12
Lily Kusatsu
Well if the dragon’s not free then how much IS it?
Mad Hatter
Well…that de-escalated quickly.
Rick
I woulda gotten away with it if it weren’t for you meddlin’ kids!
TDA 82
LaughingTarget
I like how the one tank’s turret barrel is crossing panel breaks. Putin is now telling physics to go F- itself.
LFG 912
Mark
Wait? What? Cale’anon is a guy????
CaJaske
In the last panel I thought he was offering himself.
Be excellent gnu each other.
-Costello