zloi-medved:

Tom Preston’s recent comic, “Internet Prefaces”, has earned some (much-deserved) controversy. In case you don’t want to read it, which I understand, Preston makes a comic about the theatre shooting in Aurora, Colorado.

Let me repeat that.

Preston makes a comic about the theatre shooting in Aurora, Colorado.

To be exact, he uses the shooting as a tool to get up on his soapbox and complain about things that bother him. Which may be even worse.

If you feel like this comic isn’t a big deal, you need to think about the circumstances of this issue. We are talking about an event that happened a week ago. People are still recovering from this on a superficial level, but most who were directly involved may never recover. Simply bringing up the tragedy in a comic so soon after the event isn’t a problem, as long as it is handled with the due sensitivity and respect the issue deserves. Everything from the language to the art Preston has chosen to use in covering this topic, however, is grossly offensive.

The Nerdfighter reference of the internet being full of “giant squids of anger” is problematic. A massacre that happened a week ago isn’t the right subject to be breaking out in-jokes in. His Peanuts/chibi art style isn’t much better, since it brings a light-hearted brevity to the comic that isn’t remotely suitable considering the subject material.

Preston has been criticised for this comic, and his response is simple;

I guess I wasn’t clear enough in my message. I’m not surprised, but it does kinda defeat my point having to write a preface to explain it. The following post expresses it very clearly though:

yeah, it was a tragedy people, but it doesn’t represent the movie, and never should. it should just represent how messed up this world can be.

You wanna talk about the messed up world, go ahead, but the point being made is stop derailing the topic on hand because something has any relation to it whatsoever. not talking about recent events that occurred during a movie while talking about that same movie is not insensitive, why drag the negative into the conversation anyways? making jokes about the shooting, that would be insensitive. go after people doing that, not people who just don’t see the need to bring a conversation to something that really has nothing with the subject at hand, or dwell on the negative.

I am in NO WAY saying you shouldn’t feel bad about the tragic events that happened last week, nor suggesting, inferring, or recommending that you shouldn’t/don’t CARE about what happened. And I am most definitely not saying that you shouldn’t offer your help and support to those injured in the event.

The sad thing is, the point Preston makes in that response is a good one. The media coverage of the event has been problematic, at best. The way the media tends to over-publicise tragedies like this gives justification to the people responsible. For better or worse, it immortalises them.

Sadly, anything Preston has to say to that effect is moot after he makes a comic that specifically brings up the tragedy and then trivialises it by comparing it to movie and game events like:

• Emo-Parker in Spider-Man 3
• The “subliminal messages in Disney movies” conspiracy
• The lack of games for the PS3
• The CD-i Zelda games, and my personal favourite
• Jar-Jar Binks.

If Tom Preston cannot understand why putting an intentional massacre of a theatre of people on the same level as a badly designed character in a sputtering franchise, then we have a serious fucking problem on our hands. A serious problem.

At his worst, Preston has been a wailing man-child that gives bad advice to budding young artists. But this comic and fan response has catapulted him to a whole new level, from “bad artist” to “insensitive bastard” and it needs to be brought up.

Again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

Until he does three very important things:

1. Acknowledges that while he may not find what he has done offensive or problematic, there are people who have been offended and hurt by it.
2. Apologise for what he has done and to the people he hurt with this comic, publicly.
3. Seriously consider from now on what he decides puts on a public sphere (and when) to avoid making this exact same horrible mistake ever again.

Of course, this will never happen because of Preston’s largest problem - his Prestonites; his army of screaming sycophants that he actively encourages to attack naysayers. Because as long as there are people supporting him, supporting this comic, and, best of all, saying comments to the tune of (direct quote), “Totally! Who even cares?”, he will continue to justify his actions to himself.

A moment of silence for Tom Preston, who has transcended “shitty artist” and reached the fabled ranks of “shitty human being”.

(via bullshitcockroach-deactivated20)