One Frame Gags
Original review author: | Long Tom |
Webcomic name: | One Frame Gags |
Author: | "Newuser", at least this is how the author refers to himself in the commentary section. |
Start Date: | September 10, 2012 |
End Date: | July 7, 2013; wiped off the face of the earth sometime later. |
Genre: | Quote from the website: "One panel (and occasionally two or more) gag cartoons featuring no main characters." |
Defining Flaw: | Ugly artwork that looks like it was drawn by a toddler; jokes that are unfunny or make no sense at all. |
Rating Summary
Art: | [no stars given]
I swear, it looks like the author gave the drawing duties for this webcomic to a three-year-old. |
Storyline: | Not applicable, as it is a series of gags. |
Characters: | Not applicable, since this webcomic has no actual characters. |
Miscellaneous Details: | [no stars given]
The author's artwork, though it never improves, occasionally mimics Jim Davis's style during the webcomic's run. It is probably not coincidence that the author's next project was Square Root Of Minus Garfield (TV Tropes mentions this in their listing for this webcomic). |
Overall: | [no stars given]
Hideous to look at, horrible jokes (for the comics that actually have jokes in them), absolutely, positively no redeeming qualities at all. |
Background
This webcomic was mentioned in the BWW forums. It is also mentioned in the TV Tropes list of horrible webcomics (link below). This webcomic isn't merely low-hanging fruit; it has put itself on the dinner table right in front of me!
Downfall
This thing was as low as it could possibly get from Day One.
Story and Plot
Not applicable, as this webcomic is a series of gags.
Art review
My God, the art literally looks like a toddler was playing with MS Paint! Perhaps that was the intended effect, but I get the idea that whoever did this was either simply very lazy or inept. I did say elsewhere that a webcomic might get by with bad art if it was funny, but the art here is just too awful. An example:
Stick figures would have looked far better. But hey, at least it delivers. As the name suggests, looking at one frame of this comic makes you gag.
Writing review
There is the old saying that if you try to make something serious and you fail, it can always be played for laughs. For example, the movie "Plan 9 From Outer Space" was meant to be a serious cautionary film about how humankind could sow its own destruction, but was so badly produced that it has become a staple of unintended comedy. On the other hand, a comedy that is not funny... well, what is to be done with it?
From the beginning this webcomic gets off on the wrong foot. It's just a picture of guy who's angry because he has so much work ahead of him. Even if it were drawn better, the idea just isn't funny.
What about afterward? The next one at least makes sense, but as we proceed further, the webcomic goes back and forth from strips with jokes that make no sense to ones that almost might have worked if done by better hands.
Some examples:
A car salesman contradicts himself. I have never heard any car salesman claim that a car they sell would last a lifetime.
A bird slams into a window. The joke?
The cartoon character is late to his own strip. Breaking the fourth wall, and not in a clever way.
A Christmas tree star wishes it were in the sky like other stars. A rare strip that has some level of cleverness.
"MAIL BOX" is misspelled "NAIL BOX" and thus is full of nails. One of the few strips to get any feedback from whatever audience there was.
This person is really losing weight fast with whatever diet he or she is on. But what is the actual joke?
The author tells us to read it twice. I read it several times and still don't get it.
"Play jurism". The old saying about puns being the lowest form of humor may be a lie, but by pun standards this is quite weak.
Someone is running on the grass. The author probably meant for the sign to say "Do not walk on the grass", which would have made a lot more sense.
Upside down room. Is this supposed to be the character's imagination, or did he arrange the room that way?
The last strip. And not soon enough.
And here is some feedback from one reader who was not impressed, though he gave this webcomic a better rating than I did. Also note that in the archives that most strips have received no comments, and the author confesses in one strip that his audience is not enjoying his webcomic. Which leads me to wonder if the webcomic actually got a lot of negative comments and the author deleted them all?
Author biography
This person did not even put his name either on the website or on any of the strips. What a surprise.
Conclusion
This is basically LOLsketch with far worse art.