27 comments - This was by far the largest reaction I'd ever received.

August 13, 2010 10:53 AM

Bringing It All Back Home. The relatively long-running (since 2006) webcomic Bellen! will come to a close in early September as its author goes on to other things (pdf). In preparation for the end of the series, the creator is taking "a longer eye-opening look into the origin of Bellen!" which dispenses with the strips regular old timey-yellowing paper style "because there are no more veneers in Bellen! it’s the pure unadulterated truth from here on out." An interesting look at the creative process in the digital age.
posted by ND¢ (11 comments total)

Same thing is happening with Cathy.
posted by ibmcginty at 11:02 AM on August 13, 2010

Can someone explain Bellen to me? I find myself looking blankly at the strips not in the "this is not funny" way but in the "I am missing why it is funny" way. Is it even supposed to be funny? Or is it meant to be a cutesier quotidian-comic like Pekar's work? I have never been confounded by a webcomic as I have by Bellen.

I have a particular fondness for this one, though.
posted by griphus at 11:13 AM on August 13, 2010 [1 favorite]

I wonder why stark black-and-white is more 'unadulterated truth' than yellowing newsprint. It's all artificial anyway, right? I kind of like the old timey effect. It's pretty well-done.
posted by echo target at 11:17 AM on August 13, 2010

I like Bellen! because it is like a slice of life. There isn't an overt punchline often, but it is a funny/whimsical/cute take on everyday life, and the main character reminds me of me.
posted by ND¢ at 11:20 AM on August 13, 2010 [1 favorite]

I've burrowed through most of the archives, and I'm on Team Griphus here. I can't even argue with the Cathy comparison, really. It's just a switch from an audience that identifies with "Ack! I hate trying on swimsuits too!" to "Hey, I'm part of a cutesy relationship too!"

I don't know. It might be part of the baggage that comes from being raised by meat-packing robots and never quite understanding hu-man emotions, but I never got the idea that if something reminds me of me, that makes it intrinsically entertaining. I find the whole "why it's like you have a camera in my home, that's amazing" gauge for entertainment to be kind of -- narcissistic? Navel-gazing? Validation-seeking?

Slice-of-life stuff just isn't my bag, I guess.
posted by Shepherd at 1:04 PM on August 13, 2010 [1 favorite]

I like Bellen!, but I will admit that it resonates a tiny bit less (sorry Box!) now that I know it was fictional. All the time I was reading it I thought it was a blog-comic.
posted by mendel at 1:08 PM on August 13, 2010

I think the "it reminds me of me" value of entertainment is laughing at yourself. I don't see myself in the main character and think "Oh yeah that's me. I am so awesome." I think "Wow that reminds me of me. I am such a jackass." Since I go around all the rest of the time thinking "I am so awesome" that is a nice change of pace.
posted by ND¢ at 1:33 PM on August 13, 2010

Box is awesome. He's a brand to follow and keep an eye on.
posted by zoogleplex at 3:10 PM on August 13, 2010

Oh, I remember this from LJ days. There was also where I discovered Pictures for Sad Children and a guy called, I think, cpn_journalcomic who drew a comic about his day - I remember him because he went from single guy to married with a baby really quickly, and the comics got happier.
posted by mippy at 3:25 PM on August 13, 2010 [1 favorite]

Anyway, I'd forgotten about it until now - I never get on with webcomics for some reason and always forget about them in a way I don't with terrible print ones - so thanks for the reminder.
posted by mippy at 3:29 PM on August 13, 2010

This is the final Bellen! ever.
posted by ND¢ at 6:13 AM on August 31, 2010