Dick and Jane – Son of Stuck Funky

Hey folks, Banana Jr. 6000 here stepping in, with the second entry in my hopefully educational TBTropes series.

One of Tom Batiuk’s crazy blog posts, from a couple years ago, was about his decision not to use fourth wall breaks anymore after Act I ended. He said:

I stopped doing that because, while it’s funny, you lose the investment and involvement of the audience. They know the characters are going to be just fine, and they don’t really care about their fate. By breaking the fourth wall, I inject myself into the story to wink at the reader as we share the joke. Now, however, I began telling stories where my presence was less intrusive and less needed.
https://tombatiuk.com/komix-thoughts/match-to-flame-160/

Batiuk doesn’t seem to realize what he also lost when he made this decision. Continue reading “Monological Imperatives In Dick And Jane”