Mainstream vs Cult comics

Now we all like some things, but sometimes things get lost to a specific audiance and most people don't like it. So that brings me to this question, which is better? The thing that the majority of the world like? Or the comic that a particular group like?

It just seems odd to me, sociopath that I am, I like to know about people's thoughts on things. So discuss.

My vote goes for culty stuff, because everyone can't like Evil Dead, Wesly Willis,They Live, Madman, or Thunder Cats, and I think the people who do are one step ahead the people that like titanic and justin timberlakes music.

I like the mainstream stuff. Justin Timberlake is awesome.

I like the mainstream stuff. Justin Timberlake is awesome.

I liked him better when N sync was underground, there original look was the best.

I think it depends on the individual. Myself? I tend to lean towards the culty type stuff. But every once n a while, something "trendy" comes along that I'll like.

Related to webcomics, its a little hard to define what a general-audience comic might be. I suppose that the "slice-o-life" type genre would be the closest thing. Overall, I've never really gotten into these (but there are always a few exceptions. Die hard fan of The Waters Edge (http://www.dt3x.com/twev2/pages/home/home.php) right here).

I tend to go more for comics that do something with a storyline, which can be a turn off for some people. Story driven comics aren't exactly an instant gratification type deal, but in the end, I think the whole experience is a lot better.

Mainstream and cult are very different. It's almost bad to say one is better than the other. One could say that, if a cult hit is so good, how come it isn't mainstream? that's not saying it is better or worse, but you get what I mean.

Whenever something largely supported by "societal outcasts" becomes undeniably popular, many people tend to call it "a cult hit". Some of the generally accepted societal outcasts are (but not limited to): goths, freaks, and nerds.

is penny arcade or other gamer comics a cult strip?

No those are mainstream as hell.

Penny Arcade, Mall Monkeys, Reasons Why We Rule, Alt + Ctrl + Del, they're all mainstream. "Cult" strips would more likely be Queen of Wands and Overcaffeinated (even then I'm not sure if they're complete "cult hits").

i like both, usually. if it entertains, the hooray! something else to melt my brain.
i tend to lean towards underground stuff, though, i think. i love the coen brothers and kevin smith, and most tim burton stuff. but other stuff i perfer mainstream. i'd rather read batman then preacher.

to be honest, i skeptically eye ball people who are all about underground. it seems like those people try to hard to be non conformists. the irony is that non-conformists are all alike!

At most I'll say that I'd at least be curious about something with a cult following. Or I used to. Some small community of people jumping behind something that must have done poorly told me that there may be something decent there. However, like mainstream whatevers, they're crap just as often as they're not. So I don't really pay much mind to whether something is classified as "mainstream","cult" or "Larry".

Indie, because then you can complain when they start to suck, and you can claim they "sold out", then look really clever

So I don't really pay much mind to whether something is classified as "mainstream","cult" or "Larry".


Oh man, I love those Larry cartoons. Remember that one, where the guy, and he was all like "Fo' shizzle" and the other guy's like "What?" and then something happens and the bank robbery and then there was an explosion....

I label things as "worth my time" and "not worth my time". I use both cult and mainstream sources to make a best guess, but ultimately, it comes down to the quality of the product.

There is not, nor will there ever be, something that is good only because it is cult.

Oh man, I love those Larry cartoons. Remember that one, where the guy, and he was all like "Fo' shizzle" and the other guy's like "What?" and then something happens and the bank robbery and then there was an explosion....

No. I don't remember, because it doesn't exist. There are only two "Larry" type cartoons.

In the first, it is asked how Larry is doing, and Larry is doing fine. However, it turns out that Larry is not doing fine, and is in fact burning to his death in a sea of lava.

In the second, the question of how Larry is doing is posed once again, and this time -thankfully - it is revealed by Larry himself, after a peppy jaunt and a wink, that he is in fact truly doing fine. In the end, all is well.

I miss Larry.

i like both, usually. if it entertains, the hooray! something else to melt my brain.
i tend to lean towards underground stuff, though, i think. i love the coen brothers and kevin smith, and most tim burton stuff. but other stuff i perfer mainstream. i'd rather read batman then preacher.

to be honest, i skeptically eye ball people who are all about underground. it seems like those people try to hard to be non conformists. the irony is that non-conformists are all alike!

Speaking for myself, it's not a matter of noncomformature for it's own sake so much as boredom. Mainstream things can be good, but more often than not, it's something that's repackaged, watered down, dumbed down or otherwise dull. There's a small window of things that please everyone, but if you can look outside it there's a richer total experience. Life's too short to get sold the same bill of goods over and over.

"Say something once/Why say it again?"
Talking Heads

Speaking for myself, it's not a matter of noncomformature for it's own sake so much as boredom. Mainstream things can be good, but more often than not, it's something that's repackaged, watered down, dumbed down or otherwise dull. There's a small window of things that please everyone, but if you can look outside it there's a richer total experience. Life's too short to get sold the same bill of goods over and over.

"Say something once/Why say it again?"
Talking Heads
i agree that its the smaller, more unknown things that make life more interesting.

i'm not saying in any way that ALL people who would be considered a 'non-conformist', are such because they desire to be different.
but at the same time, there are a lot of people who DO follow underground trends and such just to stand out.

maybe i've just met to many people who say, "i love bizet! carmen kicks ass!" and then can't even tell me who wrote the habanera.

Well, I believe this resembles the discussion of creating a different comic compared to others.

If you look at some of these comics that have a quality that many others try to follow to appeal to many, then this particular comic, as most have experienced, will not gain many readers. So, I believe creating something using a different idea will contribute to more success. I mean, it will be different from viewing the same style of a comic because they believe by using these appealing ideas it will gather more readers.

I'll take an example to elucidate on this. If there is one comic that uses the business life and various events that occur and create humor using this and this comic gains readers, it will qualify as one of these. But, wouldn't you instead want to see something different instead of the same thing because it seemed to appeal to everyone? I don't believe you would.

This also applies to maybe adding humor related to this, even only an individual comic. By conforming to this subject that appeals to many, there will still be people that will percieve this as taking that idea.

So, for me, and I believe many other people, these other styles will be more appealing then.

Penny Arcade, Mall Monkeys, Reasons Why We Rule, Alt + Ctrl + Del, they're all mainstream. "Cult" strips would more likely be Queen of Wands and Overcaffeinated (even then I'm not sure if they're complete "cult hits").


See, and this is why it's all about perspective. Because what typically (aka in the "mainstream") gets defined as "mainstream America", is a large group of people who don't read webcomics. Hell, they barely read comics period.
Then everything sort of divides into subcultures or "cults"-and what is "sold out" and what is "underground" all becomes relative.

To Joe Public, "Garfield" "Peanuts" and "Family Circus" are mainstream comics. And that's probably about it.

I guess if I had to stretch the definition, I *might* classify Penny Arcade, PvP, and Sluggy Freelance as "mainstream", just based on their popularity. Then you have the more newspaper -like strips, such as Dead Air, but that's not necessarily a household name. Not yet anyway.

My taste in webcomics works just as it does with anything else. I like what I like.

And would everyone just please drop the act and admit they like Justin Timberlake. Come on people, let the healing begin.

Go up to some teeny bop who's all into pop music and boy banda, and ask her if she caught yesterdays Penny arcade.

Watch the blank start (yes blanker than the one she already had) cover her face
"Penny arcade? How can they profit from pennies?"

Untill we get an answer other than something resembling this, we're going to have to face the fact that even the "top dog" of our "industry" is not a house hold name, and that is the definition of main stream.

Sure it's the top of the top in a cult classic craving sub culture, but it is still only top in a subculture. I myself prefer the company of you subcultarians.

Mainstream is just a really big cult following. It means the in-jokes are widely understood (say, by most American English speakers). Comics like Penny Arcade seem mainstream to webcomic afficianados because the in-jokes apply to a wider audience (gamers) than webcomics in general. Meanwhile, there are folks like me (I've installed a total of one game on my computer this year) who don't always get Penny Arcade jokes, like the majority of the world's population (hell, they don't even necessarily speak English...or have computers). To us, Penny Arcade seems more cult than mainstream. So basically, it's relative to the person from whose culture you're viewing it from.

And I don't listen to Justin, I'm too old for that. Although I do have a Hootie and the Blowfish cd lying around somewhere.

i agree that its the smaller, more unknown things that make life more interesting.

Some mainstream things are good. I don't have bad things to say about the Beatles, the first two Godfather films or the Simpsons for instance. I just mean that for every good mainstream things there's about 10 lame knockoffs. Casting your cultural net as wide and far as possible is always to an artist's benefit.

You know whats sad, those girls that love boy bands, we'd kill to be able to make out with, and the guys that fuck them regularly, beat them.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!