Comics UK

I visited the Comics UK site but not the forum before I was in my teens. How would the mod know pre-teens have been on the site? You dont need to create an account to read the forum and anyway lying about your age on the internet is simple and fun.

dwitefry wrote:I now do not feel comfortable posting and certainly not in a chatty or informal manner because at the moment I feel too embarrassed and am far too concerned with upsetting anymore members (or anyone), accidentally or otherwise, or reinforcing this negative image I seem to have given as, frankly, a rather unpleasant person.

Welcome to the Comics UK forum - where anybody can take offence at anything you say at any time without any warning, and if you're unlucky the result will be a flamewar.

Speaking from bitter experience here...

EDIT: "Offence", not "offense", dammit!

Tin Can Tommy wrote:I visited the Comics UK site but not the forum before I was in my teens. How would the mod know pre-teens have been on the site? You dont need to create an account to read the forum

You're right, of course. I just wondered if they know the demographics of actual members, and whether there is any policy about casual visitors to the forum.

...and anyway lying about your age on the internet is simple and fun.

Maybe, but it's not advisable.

- Phil R.

Wow, thanks for everyone who's been...reassuring, that's really nice of you all. I honestly wasn't looking for such posts so it's nice to get them, thanks.

Raven wrote: (ALTHOUGH YOUR INSULTING JIM FROM THE GHOSTLY GUARDIAN WAS ANOTHER MATTER ENTIRELY!)

But, really, don't be depressed or hung up about it. I think Phoenix's reaction may have been a little strong, and, I suspect, not representative of everyone. Your posts have been okay. And you introduced Peter to The Last Boys in the World.

Thank you, and as for Jim I should have clarified in that thread (I was being silly in that post) that I always assumed Jim was written intentionally to have personality flaws to allow for a better variety of situations for him to get into and thus for Firebrand to help him out of. Sort of like a less extreme version of Dennis the Menace or Minnie the Minx being naughty kids or Cheeky being lippy or such (who I have no problem with at all, I would have liked to have BEEN Cheeky as a kid, had i known about him then) not that that's much better but I did - and I was also like to clarify that I do like the Ghostly Guardian strip (I like most Valiant strips actually, that was a really good series) even when I am poking fun at the main character (co-main character?).

swirlythingy wrote:

dwitefry wrote:
EDIT: "Offence", not "offense", dammit!

I do this.

Tin Can Tommy wrote:I visited the Comics UK site but not the forum before I was in my teens. How would the mod know pre-teens have been on the site? You dont need to create an account to read the forum and anyway lying about your age on the internet is simple and fun.

I was reading this forum well before I entered my teens, and read it for about four years before actually joining - in my case I can remember the original site before the 2006 'relaunch'. I think I just stumbled upon it while looking for information on the Beano, nothing more than that, although I didn't actually consider becoming a member until around the time of the Beano Top 100 in July 2008.

I suppose the main con about joining this forum as a pre-teen is the likelihood of losing interest in comics (assuming they're mainly into the Beano, Dandy and similar comics) - I think there have been some people who've disappeared from the site due to loss of interest. If you get to the age I was when I joined (14) and you're still into those comics (as I still am), then it's less likely that you'll leave the forum.

Absolutely. I only know the age of one person on these forums, and that is me. We have no way of checking age.

AndyB wrote:We have no way of checking age.

Well, phpBB certainly seems to.

Dwitefry wrote:

Hi, I'm completely new

Hi , and I'm completely Captain Storm aka The Cap. Welcome to the site. I've read through your posts and to be honest can find nothing that would cause me upset. As everybody is aware , emotions and lateral thinking are extremely difficult to deduce from the typed word. So usually inserting a few smilies or LOLs can give a post a certain mood. Ditto if you're angry or upset. Also , your writing style is a bit loose which is a feature , not a criticism. It sets you apart. All in all , don't be put off from interacting here. New members are the lifeblood of this forum. Also if you check the members list , you will see a lot of us crusty oldtimers have our own sites. You mentioned Ghostly Guardian in another post. I featured this strip a number of times on my blog http://theyellowedpages.blogspot.ie/201 ... y-arc.html , http://theyellowedpages.blogspot.ie/201 ... -1972.html , http://theyellowedpages.blogspot.ie/201 ... -text.html , http://theyellowedpages.blogspot.ie/201 ... -1970.html and http://theyellowedpages.blogspot.ie/201 ... ummer.html So once again welcome and get back in the game ,son!

regards,

The Cap.

Captain Storm wrote: So usually inserting a few smilies or LOLs can give a post a certain mood.

However, please don't, as they give it the mood of a messageboard for ten year old girls!

Despite being a Yellowed Pages reader, I don't think I'd noticed that Summer Special Ghostly Guardian strip before. It'll take a few moments to adjust to the different artist - not as striking, but quite stylish nonetheless - but I'll look forward to reading that.

swirlythingy wrote:

AndyB wrote:We have no way of checking age.

Well, phpBB certainly seems to.

That was just bad settings on the forum concerned.

Raven wrote:

However, please don't

Hi Raven , it was precisely because of the absense of smilies that Dwitefry was misunderstood. I of course don't mean that he should saturate his post with them , but if he is being humorous to insert one , so anybody reading will know.

Believe it or not , it is today exactly 2 years since I posted that Ghostly Guardian Special story. How time flys! Some of my blog followers who have a particular favourite keep an eye on the labels part of the main page to see if there is a jump in the number of posts for an entry. That way they can then check out the newest post. Also , I think some posts may slip under the radar as I often publish a few posts at the one time. Some visitors only take notice of the first entry. Which is a shame as there are some gems at the Yellowed Pages now ( I am allowed one smilie! )

best,

The Cap.

Captain Storm wrote: Hi Raven , it was precisely because of the absense of smilies that Dwitefry was misunderstood.

I don't think he actually was misunderstood at any point. He obviously wrote in an informal, jocular style. The nature of it just wasn't to Phoenix's taste. But everyone has their own voice here, as long as it's civil and friendly.

Captain Storm wrote:I of course don't mean that he should saturate his post with them , but if he is being humorous to insert one , so anybody reading will know.

To me, that would be extremely patronising; it should be obvious. In my view, adults posting smiley faces and LOLs is a retreat into infantilism, and there's enough of that already in society. (Now, must go and read those 1970s Jack and Jill and Teddy Bear comics I recently procured ... )

Captain Storm wrote: Believe it or not , it is today exactly 2 years since I posted that Ghostly Guardian Special story. How time flys! Some of my blog followers who have a particular favourite keep an eye on the labels part of the main page to see if there is a jump in the number of posts for an entry. That way they can then check out the newest post.

I probably did see it, but forgot about it as it was two years ago; I think I do remember checking out the different art style. Don't worry, I do check your labels! You never know when you might find a Ye Haunted Lake or something just as unexpected ...

Hi Raven ,

I've been a member of this forum a long time , in fact back as far as 2000 when we had only a handful of contributors. And I can attest that a lot of online battles were fought over misinterpretation of words. That is the reason why smilies were introduced , so the likelihood of misunderstanding would be significantly reduced. I can read something and somebody else can read something and we can both come away with a different sense of the meaning or intent of the text. Is it sarcastic , funny , demeaning , nasty? Insert a smilie and we can tell immediately. I don't think it is infantile or patronising , but a worthwhile tool , once not overused.

regards,

The Cap.

p.s. Plenty more surprises coming to the Yellowed Pages soon.

Captain Storm wrote:Hi Raven ,

I've been a member of this forum a long time , in fact back as far as 2000 when we had only a handful of contributors. And I can attest that a lot of online battles were fought over misinterpretation of words.

Exactly, and a misunderstanding of tone. The most extreme being a couple of posters making accusations of bullying when no such thing took place.

Sorry for the late reply (though you both may have been hoping not to get one!).

Lew Stringer wrote:

Captain Storm wrote:Hi Raven ,

I've been a member of this forum a long time , in fact back as far as 2000 when we had only a handful of contributors. And I can attest that a lot of online battles were fought over misinterpretation of words.

Exactly, and a misunderstanding of tone. The most extreme being a couple of posters making accusations of bullying when no such thing took place.

"Flame wars" are, alas, usually due to those people you encounter on the good old internet who spend much time at their computers and little time developing social skills. I know lots of much bigger forums, and smilies make little difference: people often tend to post quickly without taking much care over their words, and others respond even faster; if they're prone to misinterpret or take offence, they do anyway.

Personally, I don't believe educated adults can't express themselves perfectly clearly without resorting to smiley faces like tweens on a Justin Bieber messageboard. The idea that you can't deduce emotions or tone from the typed word would surely be news to anyone who's read a book! The typed word is exquisitely good at expressing such things.

But I know some people just think they're fun. Irritating to some (Larry David in Curb Your Enthusiasm springs to mind: "I believe they refer to that as a smiley face. They're frequently used by idiots at the end of emails and text messages, such as "I miss you ...smiley face."), but that, to me, is the only legitimate reason to use them. If they somehow give you a cheery buzz. Not because they're necessary.

Anyway, hopefully dwitefry will return from a long bout of Valiant-reading and post as he wishes.