Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2014 16:32:18 GMT -5
random dude: Hey everyone, it's time for some more Strong Bad Emails in this week's review. I know we say this almost every week, but this week's batch of emails show the Brothers Chaps continue to hone their craft, as the Strong Bad Email feature gets better and better. In these cartoons, there are even more extended scenes away from the computer, and other tweaks to the basic sbemail format. So yeah, any words before we begin, Raige?
Cypher Raige: Not much, except for the fact that, in reviewing some of the upcoming sbemails that we'll be getting to, I'd say that we are only about one or two more weeks out from when these sbemails started to reach classic status on an almost weekly basis. I do enjoy many of the ones we are reviewing this week and in previous weeks, and I am indeed impressed with the massive growth in quality that we have witnessed from the Brothers Chaps in the relatively small number of 30 web cartoons we've seen so far, but it's still a pleasure to state that the best is yet to come. Until then, enjoy these crappy ones, I guess. Just kidding. They are good too... I mean, I like 'em..
Strong Bad Email #26: CGNU
random dude: This isn't the best cartoon of the week; it reminds me a bit too much of earlier commercial-parodies such as the largely-forgettable "Strong Bad Sings". But the Brothers Chaps were a bit more polished when they made this email, and hence it's a bit funnier than their previous attempts to construct a cartoon around this format. It's also one of the most extended sequences away from Strong Bad's computer in a sbemail thus far. I like the idea of Crazy Go Nuts University, and the incredible sketchiness of Strong Bad's video. I also really wish "Total Spaceship Guy" were a major offered at my college.
Cypher Raige: I agree with random dude in that this is just an okay email, but I do like that the sketchiness of Strong Bad's commercial underlines the sketchiness of those actual correspondence college commercials from back in the day. I remember being a kid and looking at the extremely long and extremely varied list of associates degrees that those places offered and thinking, "Nope, all of those things sound dumb and boring! I'm gonna be a jet pilot!" And that's how yours truly became a jet pilot! Wait... oh, right, that didn't happen. What have I done with my life?! Anyhoo, I wish that Crazy Go Nuts University was a real institution of higher learning, because I would have already earned a PhD in Cutting Ones and possibly in Doing Some Other Things. Bonus points to you if you noticed that the word "principal" is misspelled on Stong Bad's desk placard, bringing Crazy Go Nuts University's academic credentials into further question.
Strong Bad Email #27: 3 Wishes
random dude: This one was kind of brief, and not terribly interesting. Strong Bad answers the question of what his second of three wishes would be with "horns." It's not a terribly funny premise. However, I did find it amusing that he actually considers the concept of being a mascot for a heavy metal band to be just about the coolest thing ever. Also funny was Strong Bad's continuing to get more annoyed with people using the word "crapfully" to sign their emails, which, like references to Homestar's lack of arms, is a running joke that never ceases to delight me.
Cypher Raige: Yeah, not too much going on here, but even the idea of a guy in a luchador's mask with a pair of giant horns springing forth from his forehead being the mascot for a heavy metal band is enough to sell me a ticket. Laser fights with the lead singer are just a bonus. Some 80's hair metal band really missed their shot here to have Strong Bad as their Eddie.
Strong Bad Email #28: 1 step ahead
random dude: And here we see the Brothers Chaps getting even more creative with the sbemail format, as Strong Bad answers a suggestion that he super-glue Strong Sad's hands to his face with a Choose Your Own Adventures-style set of choices. It's sort of like the Halloween episode we reviewed a few weeks back, but I like the Choose Your Own Adventure reference here. The first choice leads to Strong Bad with his hands super-glued to his face and a target drawn on his stomach being pummeled by dodgeballs. At the end of the email, if you click on the target you can play a simple "game" wherein you can throw dodgeballs at Strong Sad yourself. It's not anything great, but it's an interesting easter egg, and a harbinger of the much better, more prolific use of easter eggs that is to come. The second choice involves Strong Sad waking up in bed to discover that he can't see. He assumes that this means he's blind, making him happy, until he realizes that his hands are merely glued to his face, which is typical depressing-type Strong Sad stuff, and made me laugh. And the third choice leads to Strong Bad changing things up and gluing Strong Sad's hands to his butt, which is hilarious mostly because it leads to Homestar using the word "buttocks". Bubs' claim that Strong Sad isn't very ladylike seems like a kind of lame, dumb joke utilizing archaic ideas about masculinity, but it's such a random comment to make that it sort of works here. And of course, Coach Z is creepy as always, proud of the fact that Strong Sad appears to be holding his butt.
Cypher Raige: I also like the Choose Your Own Adventure reference, complete with a drawing of Strong Bad wandering into a cave with a flashlight. When I was probably around ten years old or so, I used to get dragged to Sam's Club with my mom. While she was out searching for 100 count rolls of toilet paper and whatnot, she allowed me to peruse the books section, which has sadly shrunken a great deal in the years since. I would invariably end up buying a five pack of Choose Your Own Adventure books, taking them home and devouring them within the span of a few hours. For that reason, the interactivity of these Strong Bad emails is nostalgic for me, and I appreciate them on a much deeper level than you people. Also, I was totally into super gluing people's hands to their butts before it sold out and went all mainstream.
Strong Bad Email #29: superhero name
random dude: This is possibly my favorite cartoon of the week, as it introduces us to what will become the world's lamest supervillain Strong Badman, and his sidekick L'il Stiny. Strong Bad comes up with the idea of Strong Badman after mocking the name that the sender gives, Stiny. He then imagines Strong Badman demanding of his minion things like "Stiny! Get me a danish!!" This is a line which I've always found to be hilarious, so yeah, I really liked this one.
Cypher Raige: While the superhero stuff is definitely amusing, I get more of a kick out of the interaction between Strong Bad and the Cheat. After Strong Bad sarcastically offers the email author a chance to be his sidekick, the Cheat arrives in an adorable mask and cape and bitches at Strong Bad in his unintelligible squeak. The Cheat feels that he has been ousted as Strong Bad's sidekick, and he's having none of that, so he storms out, leaving behind a defeated Strong Bad. I like it when the characters bicker at each other as if they are in a relationship. Also, I was impressed with the detail captured in the Strong Badman comic that appears at the end. The little badge in the lower left corner with Strong Bad's head on it brought about a wave of nostalgia for old Marvel comics that would have Spiderman's head in that corner.
Strong Bad Email #30: 12:00
random dude: And our last email is probably the weakest of the bunch this week. After mocking the admittedly kinda-funny hyphenated name of the email sender, Strong Bad proceeds to ask Bubs to help him figure out how to get his VCR to tell the time. Bubs, being a complete hack, duct tapes a functioning alarm clock to the VCR, after his first plan (which was duct tape The Cheat to the VCR for enigmatic reasons) failed. It's a very dumb, mildly amusing solution.
Cypher Raige: This one is certainly a little weak, but they can't all be winners. It is mildly amusing that this email plays into the fact that Strong Bad is hopelessly out of date in terms of technology. He has a crappy computer, plays 8-bit video games, and still uses a VCR. Even the concept of someone wondering or not knowing how to set the time on a VCR was well-worn and fairly ancient territory at this point. I'm sure Jerry Seinfeld had a bit about this back in the late 80's to go along with his airplane food jokes. Anyway, the only other thing really worth mentioning here is another easter egg that is just slightly more elaborate than some of the others we have seen: if you push the eject button on the VCR, a tape will pop out with the name of some random 80's movie or TV show Sharpied onto the label. If you push the tape back in and then eject again, the name changes to some other 80's thing. There are a total of 13 titles, so make sure to collect 'em all! Also, it's kinda funny that the only title that pops up that is even remotely recent is The Commish, but even that was ten years old by the time this sbemail came out. Ah, nostalgia!
That's it for this week, all. Next week, we'll review:
Strong Bad Email #31: sugarbob
Strong Bad Email #32: flag day
Strong Bad Email #33: gimmicks
Strong Bad Email #34: weird dream
Strong Bad Email #35: sisters
Cypher Raige: Not much, except for the fact that, in reviewing some of the upcoming sbemails that we'll be getting to, I'd say that we are only about one or two more weeks out from when these sbemails started to reach classic status on an almost weekly basis. I do enjoy many of the ones we are reviewing this week and in previous weeks, and I am indeed impressed with the massive growth in quality that we have witnessed from the Brothers Chaps in the relatively small number of 30 web cartoons we've seen so far, but it's still a pleasure to state that the best is yet to come. Until then, enjoy these crappy ones, I guess. Just kidding. They are good too... I mean, I like 'em..
Strong Bad Email #26: CGNU
random dude: This isn't the best cartoon of the week; it reminds me a bit too much of earlier commercial-parodies such as the largely-forgettable "Strong Bad Sings". But the Brothers Chaps were a bit more polished when they made this email, and hence it's a bit funnier than their previous attempts to construct a cartoon around this format. It's also one of the most extended sequences away from Strong Bad's computer in a sbemail thus far. I like the idea of Crazy Go Nuts University, and the incredible sketchiness of Strong Bad's video. I also really wish "Total Spaceship Guy" were a major offered at my college.
Cypher Raige: I agree with random dude in that this is just an okay email, but I do like that the sketchiness of Strong Bad's commercial underlines the sketchiness of those actual correspondence college commercials from back in the day. I remember being a kid and looking at the extremely long and extremely varied list of associates degrees that those places offered and thinking, "Nope, all of those things sound dumb and boring! I'm gonna be a jet pilot!" And that's how yours truly became a jet pilot! Wait... oh, right, that didn't happen. What have I done with my life?! Anyhoo, I wish that Crazy Go Nuts University was a real institution of higher learning, because I would have already earned a PhD in Cutting Ones and possibly in Doing Some Other Things. Bonus points to you if you noticed that the word "principal" is misspelled on Stong Bad's desk placard, bringing Crazy Go Nuts University's academic credentials into further question.
Strong Bad Email #27: 3 Wishes
random dude: This one was kind of brief, and not terribly interesting. Strong Bad answers the question of what his second of three wishes would be with "horns." It's not a terribly funny premise. However, I did find it amusing that he actually considers the concept of being a mascot for a heavy metal band to be just about the coolest thing ever. Also funny was Strong Bad's continuing to get more annoyed with people using the word "crapfully" to sign their emails, which, like references to Homestar's lack of arms, is a running joke that never ceases to delight me.
Cypher Raige: Yeah, not too much going on here, but even the idea of a guy in a luchador's mask with a pair of giant horns springing forth from his forehead being the mascot for a heavy metal band is enough to sell me a ticket. Laser fights with the lead singer are just a bonus. Some 80's hair metal band really missed their shot here to have Strong Bad as their Eddie.
Strong Bad Email #28: 1 step ahead
random dude: And here we see the Brothers Chaps getting even more creative with the sbemail format, as Strong Bad answers a suggestion that he super-glue Strong Sad's hands to his face with a Choose Your Own Adventures-style set of choices. It's sort of like the Halloween episode we reviewed a few weeks back, but I like the Choose Your Own Adventure reference here. The first choice leads to Strong Bad with his hands super-glued to his face and a target drawn on his stomach being pummeled by dodgeballs. At the end of the email, if you click on the target you can play a simple "game" wherein you can throw dodgeballs at Strong Sad yourself. It's not anything great, but it's an interesting easter egg, and a harbinger of the much better, more prolific use of easter eggs that is to come. The second choice involves Strong Sad waking up in bed to discover that he can't see. He assumes that this means he's blind, making him happy, until he realizes that his hands are merely glued to his face, which is typical depressing-type Strong Sad stuff, and made me laugh. And the third choice leads to Strong Bad changing things up and gluing Strong Sad's hands to his butt, which is hilarious mostly because it leads to Homestar using the word "buttocks". Bubs' claim that Strong Sad isn't very ladylike seems like a kind of lame, dumb joke utilizing archaic ideas about masculinity, but it's such a random comment to make that it sort of works here. And of course, Coach Z is creepy as always, proud of the fact that Strong Sad appears to be holding his butt.
Cypher Raige: I also like the Choose Your Own Adventure reference, complete with a drawing of Strong Bad wandering into a cave with a flashlight. When I was probably around ten years old or so, I used to get dragged to Sam's Club with my mom. While she was out searching for 100 count rolls of toilet paper and whatnot, she allowed me to peruse the books section, which has sadly shrunken a great deal in the years since. I would invariably end up buying a five pack of Choose Your Own Adventure books, taking them home and devouring them within the span of a few hours. For that reason, the interactivity of these Strong Bad emails is nostalgic for me, and I appreciate them on a much deeper level than you people. Also, I was totally into super gluing people's hands to their butts before it sold out and went all mainstream.
Strong Bad Email #29: superhero name
random dude: This is possibly my favorite cartoon of the week, as it introduces us to what will become the world's lamest supervillain Strong Badman, and his sidekick L'il Stiny. Strong Bad comes up with the idea of Strong Badman after mocking the name that the sender gives, Stiny. He then imagines Strong Badman demanding of his minion things like "Stiny! Get me a danish!!" This is a line which I've always found to be hilarious, so yeah, I really liked this one.
Cypher Raige: While the superhero stuff is definitely amusing, I get more of a kick out of the interaction between Strong Bad and the Cheat. After Strong Bad sarcastically offers the email author a chance to be his sidekick, the Cheat arrives in an adorable mask and cape and bitches at Strong Bad in his unintelligible squeak. The Cheat feels that he has been ousted as Strong Bad's sidekick, and he's having none of that, so he storms out, leaving behind a defeated Strong Bad. I like it when the characters bicker at each other as if they are in a relationship. Also, I was impressed with the detail captured in the Strong Badman comic that appears at the end. The little badge in the lower left corner with Strong Bad's head on it brought about a wave of nostalgia for old Marvel comics that would have Spiderman's head in that corner.
Strong Bad Email #30: 12:00
random dude: And our last email is probably the weakest of the bunch this week. After mocking the admittedly kinda-funny hyphenated name of the email sender, Strong Bad proceeds to ask Bubs to help him figure out how to get his VCR to tell the time. Bubs, being a complete hack, duct tapes a functioning alarm clock to the VCR, after his first plan (which was duct tape The Cheat to the VCR for enigmatic reasons) failed. It's a very dumb, mildly amusing solution.
Cypher Raige: This one is certainly a little weak, but they can't all be winners. It is mildly amusing that this email plays into the fact that Strong Bad is hopelessly out of date in terms of technology. He has a crappy computer, plays 8-bit video games, and still uses a VCR. Even the concept of someone wondering or not knowing how to set the time on a VCR was well-worn and fairly ancient territory at this point. I'm sure Jerry Seinfeld had a bit about this back in the late 80's to go along with his airplane food jokes. Anyway, the only other thing really worth mentioning here is another easter egg that is just slightly more elaborate than some of the others we have seen: if you push the eject button on the VCR, a tape will pop out with the name of some random 80's movie or TV show Sharpied onto the label. If you push the tape back in and then eject again, the name changes to some other 80's thing. There are a total of 13 titles, so make sure to collect 'em all! Also, it's kinda funny that the only title that pops up that is even remotely recent is The Commish, but even that was ten years old by the time this sbemail came out. Ah, nostalgia!
That's it for this week, all. Next week, we'll review:
Strong Bad Email #31: sugarbob
Strong Bad Email #32: flag day
Strong Bad Email #33: gimmicks
Strong Bad Email #34: weird dream
Strong Bad Email #35: sisters
