Agreed! As to be constructive, I'd like to draw attention that the "rustic" and earthy subject matter seemed to be matched by the style. The parchment type background to simulate paper was a nice touch, and the color palette melded nicely with the subject matter. It might seem obvious in discussion, but I think most non-visual arts/verbal arts producers might just feel it works without drawing attention to itself.
Also, thanks for noting TheSkimm. It's exciting to see genuine passion for communication be able to carve out a niche on the web.
Yeah! Excellent points about those details. My not very artistic mind missed them altogether. But like you hint at, that could be a good thing when the art here serves more as a medium than the end product.
TheSkimm is solving a really interesting problem and taking a note from the Daily Show. Package the news into bite size segments and leverage comedy + everyday vernacular + cultural references to inform and hopefully educate people.
I don't use them (my girlfriend does). I wonder if they've explored a visual delivery mechanism like this article. Could be an interesting project either way.
Nice response and I genuinely feel like my outlook on things, as a writer and story teller, is to summarize in a way that either makes my audience think or smile or pushes a button that is uncomfortable!
The concept of TheSkimm reminds me of my buddy who does amateur political commentary on the US 2016 Presidential Election as WhoWinsIn2016 (YouTube) because he is adamant about not being on any side. He takes the "objective" outlook on the contest as just that - a game. He says the main influence was Hunter S. Thompson, who, when at his best, could be "the most truthful and least factual" guy in the room (quote: George McGovern).
There are a couple avenues using the visual plus verbal construction, and I'd give a hat-tip to the Uproxx contributor who does the NFL summaries with drawings. It's good stuff - funny, commentary, and quick to digest. A close second would be AV Club's "Block and Tackle" feature that uses video clips to great effect.
Long form journalism ain't what it used to be, but I love watching evolution happen!
You'll probably never see this, because it's a day late, but I can tell you that it's not simulated paper. The author frequently scans his comics and doesn't bother cleaning up the artifacts because he likes the way they look. See: cbcomic.com, "The Bins" - a series on the Rumpus, and "illustrated journals" - also on modern farmer.
Also, thanks for noting TheSkimm. It's exciting to see genuine passion for communication be able to carve out a niche on the web.