Thursday, October 13, 2011

Mary Worth 1,144

The Big Game has started. The Santa Royale Soccer Players vs. the New York Blazes. As we approach the climactic scene of this remarkable story, I just want to take a moment to ponder the marvelous craftmanship employed by our story tellers.

This story has covered a ten-year period, and due to the remarkable talents of our author and artist, it has actually felt like ten years. That's not easy to pull off.

It all began when Mary "dodged a bullet," thus introducing us to Gina's deep emotional scars and her tendancy to over react to verbal cliches. The author then made excellent use of a writing technique called "telling," and deftly avoided making the common mistake made by most writers called "showing."

For example, we were told of Fate's cruel blow as it tore Gina from the arms of her 14-year-old lover (innocent). Fortunately, we never witnessed any reason for their love; we were trusted enough to use our own imaginations. Most writers don't trust their readers, but it is a wonderful compliment that Karen Moy trusts us so much. She allowed us to decide why these two children had such an unusual love for one another, rather than offering any reason in her writing such as a tender kindness or common cause.

Then Gina told us about her father having witnessed a gruesome mob killing. Moy made the dignified decision to avoid actually showing us any action related to the murder, thus sparing us the violence it would no doubt have portrayed.

Gina bore her cross as she sat by her mother's bed and watched her die. Fortunately, we never had to actually see her do anything for her mother, but we can trust Gina that when she bore her cross, it was heartbreaking and inspiring.

Moy also trusted our imaginations to determine what may have happened to Gina's father, the puppet on Fate's Cruel Hand.

Gina promised her dead mother that she would find Bobby Black, and then proceeded to talk about it at work with her customer, Mary Worth. We came to appreciate how challenging this decision must be in these modern days of social networking. Reuniniting with childhood friends is truly more difficult than any of us realized. Without that weeks-long conversation, we might have assumed based on our own experience that finding a lost friend is simply a few mouse clicks away, and not that big a deal. Fortunately, Gina's dialog corrected our misconceptions.

Then she went to a coffee shop, and we actually watched her use her laptop. Normally, one must go Anywhere on Earth to see such high action. It made sense when Bobby turned out to be a professional soccer player because we had seen him ride a skateboard as a child. Subtle, Karen Moy, very subtle.

Moy has never shied away from surprising her readers. We were surprised when Gina seemed to know so much about soccer, and big games. We were surprised when she took decisive steps to reach Bobby using her telephone over and over again. And we were surprised when Moy took shots against one of her own sponsors (Hilton Hotel) by portraying the staff and amenities as completely subpar.

And now today, she has surprised us once again by actually allowing us to watch Gina watch television.

So many writing devices in one story is truly mind altering. There ought to be a law against this type of writing.

No really. There ought to be a law.

Today's Full Strip

25 comments:

heydave said...

Great summary, Wanders, although you may have paid too little homage to the myriad eccentrics brought in to fill the "plot" and far too little attention to the marvelous artwork that encapsulated stunning period costumes and...

Oh Dear Kelk! What IS that girl eating??

Samuel K said...

Wanders, your tone is that of a man who is at the end of his rope.

tuffenuf said...

Aside from the excellent observations about the brilliance of the writing - all I can wonder is:

Is Gina eating macaroni and cheese with her left hand while her right hand holds a fork, OR is Gina eating popcorn with a fork, and took a break to stuff a handful into her mouth with just her hand?

And last time I checked, you do NOT have to have a ticket in order to "camp out" at the Arena, fan-style. I feel certain that there would be scalpers a-plenty at such a "Big Game".

KitKat said...

Gina watching the Big Game on TV?! My hopes have been dashed - we will never see Team Manager Chris Christie Hamfist again. I was so looking forward to the scene in which he peels Gina off "his guy" Bobby Black. Fate has struck all of us a cruel blow! BTW, my mother had toss pillows like Gina's in 1963. Maybe Giella's trying to cash in on the "Mad Men" influence.

Wanders, your secret message is spot on! Gina's snack (using the term very loosely) reminded me of something but I couldn't quite think what.

Gina said...

After all those efforts with letters and bellboys and snakeskins and messengers and what not, she's watching the game at HOME instead of camping by the arena? I'm disappointed in you, Hina Jiminez. Some groupie you are.

Elaine said...

Wanders, that was a great re-telling of the tale and woes of Gina! Too bad Moy didn't allow us to Watch Gina purchasing a Ticket. The Big Event - sold out?! Denied!! And did Gina just spill her popcorn-macaroni-kelk all over her sofa pillow? To be expected, as her Main Squeeze is running with the ball.

Chester the Dog said...

Dear Gina, you couldn't get tickets to the game because you have no money because you get no tips because you are a terrible waitress. But it must be nice to have a plasma TV in your bedroom.

heydave said...

Oh dear lord, I HAD to go and click for the full strip...

I think Gina's ecstasy pose surpasses the goofiness of double face touching, and I didn't think that was possible.

Anonymous said...

Go Moy!!! Really, please go.

Brick said...

A great summary indeed. I sort of laughed but ended up seriously wishing that Moy would read it and learn something about good writing.

My word verification is "coushin" as in:
"Today we see Gina's green sofa c(o)ushin." or:
"Unbeknownst to her, Bobby is Gina's first cous(h)in."

Charlie said...

My contacts at Pan American World Airways report that Ms. Moy has been absolutely reasonable in coordinated with the strip's sponsors, but Hilton Hotel was actually trying to bill her for using their name as a means to get more readers. I think what we are witnessing here is actually a game of "chicken." The winner? No one.

Maude Findlay said...

How can Gina afford such a big flat screen TV, if she's so broke? What is that enormous dome-shaped THING, draped in a blue tablecloth, off to Gina's left? Will Bobby ever get ANY of Gina's messages? What exactly did Gina send to Bobby in her last message? The suspense is killing me!

katyb said...

After Fate's cruel blow, years in Waitress protection, and Mary's blessing to face her "destiny," Gina finds it's only "too bad" that she couldn't get tickets to Big Game?
Eh!

James in North Dakota said...

In tomorrow's strip:

(first panel)
Gina: I just hope that my message gets to Bobby on time.

(second panel)
Dr. Drew Lookalike Courier is getting drunk in a seedy bar and makes a paper airplane out of the message to impress a waitress.

WV: "nonsnet", the Kelk version of nonsense.

Dave in Parma said...

Gina watches her TV in open- mouthed horror as Mary Worth hurdles the ad barriers surrounding the field, runs onto the pitch, hip checks Bobby to the ground, stealing the ball, and is immediately buried under a mound of security (all of whom look like Dr.Drew/Bobby in police uniforms).

The TV station abruptly cuts to a commercial; the plot development is delayed still longer.

meg said...

Never mind Bobby and Hina- I wanna know more about the one-legged soccer player. And also, what is that on Bobby's wrist? Could it possibly be the braided bracelet thingie that Hina sent him via SRMS?

Dave in Parma said...

Too bad (for some unknown reason) Gina's tip jar was running a little light, or she would have bee able to buy a ticket from a scalper (not that Santa Royale would tolerate them) or ticket agent.

KitKat said...

Dave in Parma @12:58 p.m. is right. Gina didn't have any extra cash remaining from that generous tip Mary gave her? I know that was months ago, but it was probably only a week in the Worthiverse. Did Gina waste all of it on her mother's medical bills?

WV is "aboom," which is what fans in Arena will hear when Bobby's errant shot on goal hits Team Manager in stomach.

MamaBlanks said...

I guess Gina spent so much money using the Santa Royalty Messenger Service that she couldn't afford a ticket to The Game...they could not possibly be sold out.

Thank goodness they're broadcasting it on public access so she can still stare at Bobby.

Anonymous said...

Why is Bobby Black kicking a volleyball?

Anonymous said...

Where's Hina's Vivuzela?

Anonymous said...

Why is she eating chickpeas during the big game? Why is her plasma TV on a bureau next to her sofa, which is next to her bed? Why is her ponytail so far from her head?

Anonymous said...

i thought for gina would be watching on a old rca victor or at least a tv with rabbit ears. i thought she was so broke maybe watching at marcys department store.looks like shes eating a old popcorn ball from last halloween.

hia5 said...

I'm trying to figure out whether Gina has a bed in her living room or a sofa in her bedroom. I suspect the latter, since Santa Royale is,indeed, at the very forefront of interior design.


By the way, is she eating dry dog food or dry cat food? Yum!

Anonymous said...

I believe the dresser drawers are completely stuffed with snake skins.