Tuesday May 12, 1998: Now they're really gonna play football

[nickspoon]

These strips predate DC by quite a way, so were probably never posted anyway. I expect if they were, though, that they would have been just as highly praised as current strips used to be. Seeing them again, much later on, is viewing them through a very different lens; I think it's more that than our attitude towards the strip or DCS changing.

[Maggot Brain]

Cribbage is actually pretty fun if you do it right.

[Muninn]

There wasn't as much scorn heaped in the comments for strips in the early years because they coincided with what a lot of people find to be the consistently good comics. Also, some of the more regular posters were nicer about things, but I don't think there was any shying away from criticism if it came to that. They didn't turn into attacks against the artist though.

One thing this retrospective re-read has with the strips posted in the early years (that the topics for newer strips lacked) is a much more thorough look into and lengthier explanations. Some people, I remember Tavis especially, loved to do that when they replied to newly posted strips. I think that's welcome.

[sad jazz cantaloupe]

We should hunt down Tavis and get him to reread with us

[Cactus Jack]

It seems like people on here now are alot more cynicle, although also more laid back. Years ago anybody who critisized the strips too harshly probably ended up banned.

[osprey]

I've noticed the whole, "This strip sucks" in almost every single thread too. I only went through the archive for the first time two and half years ago or so and I particularly enjoyed the earlier comics a lot (although, to be honest, I never finished the entire archive so I can't really say that the newer strips suck that much) and that was half the reason I joined DC. I other half was because Jason was on here ;P But really, do they suck that much?

I suppose I can't really say much about everyone's current opinions because I was never around five or seven years ago. I don't know how everyone was then. I can only go by what I've read so far and judging by that, it seems like everyone was far different five to seven years ago. Of course, I'm a firm believer that people grow and mature over time and I guess it's like rewatching childhood cartoons as an adult. Things just aren't the same as they were when you watched them years ago.

As for me, I think I can relate to this strip. I'm not much of a sports person so I find the punchline to be amusing.

I also think many people who've never really read O&M before (or at least these early strips) are coming into this re-read with preconceptions of DCS' work sucking, thanks to things like Raine Dog, and are therefore biased.