Homestuck...Can someone explain to me why this is so popular?

[CmdrRenegade]

I hadn't heard of the webcomic until I started going to conventions and seeing the 'trolls' everywhere.  Can someone explain to me why and how this webcomic became so popular that you seem to see it everywhere?

[Arohk]

I very much wish I knew. I'll be interested in hearing from someone who likes this too. I personally don't like it and am even tired of seeing it everywhere. It's not like I didn't try. Read it for a while and it was teeth-grittingly boring to me. It escapes me. I second asking about it! I'd prefer to at least understand.

[SinXAzgard21]

From what I've read through the use of Google-Fu, most had to skip a lot of the comic to get to the 'good' parts, some think that the artwork is awesome.   I honestly can't stand it. 

They recommend starting here I couldn't get past the 3rd 'page'.

[Oniya]

I'm not a reader, but the idea of getting transported into a video game is one that I enjoy tossing about sometimes.  I think the trolls are popular because it's a darn easy cosplay.  I saw a slew of them at the local anime convention and had to ask what they were from.

[Callie Del Noire]

I looked it over.. sorry.. don't see the appeal myself.

[SinXAzgard21]

Sakuracon had so effing many.  You couldn't go anywhere with out seeing them, it was a like a plague.  I really have nothing nice to say about this comic as it reminds me of Adventure Time, which I really cannot stand.

[Chris Brady]

Chalk me up as another person who doesn't get the appeal.  So dull.

[Remiel]

I admit to being a Homestuck fan.   Its appeal is mostly esoteric--it's one of those things where you either get it or you don't.     Part of what makes it so unique among all other webcomics is the fact that its creator, Andrew Hussie, heavily utilizes Flash animation throughout the series, which can make for some pretty epic animations.  Part it is that there are so many characters, each one a complex caricature with his or her own motivations, weaknesses, and idiosyncracies. 

It definitely relies on geek humor, especially in the first few months.  If you're not familiar with sorting algorithms, e.g. binary search trees, for example, you might be a little lost.  My advice is just to not try to understand it all, and just appreciate the other elements of the comic (the movie Con Air, for example, is a permanent running joke).

[Remiel]

From what I've read through the use of Google-Fu, most had to skip a lot of the comic to get to the 'good' parts, some think that the artwork is awesome.   I honestly can't stand it. 

They recommend starting here I couldn't get past the 3rd 'page'.

Also, that's not Homestuck.  That's Problem Sleuth, the precursor to Homestuck, and they are completely different comics (although there are, naturally, a few Problem Sleuth references sprinkled throughout the other).    They're both made by the same creator, though, under the banner of "M.S. Paint Adventures."

[Jefepato]

I find the jokes funny, the characters and worldbuilding interesting, and the emotional whiplash genuinely remarkable.  It does start a bit slow, but I didn't feel the need to skip any of it (and I'm pretty sure anyone who did would be missing quite a bit).  It helps to be familiar with the sort of games that Homestuck (and before it, Problem Sleuth) pokes fun at, and I suspect the widespread appeal has a lot to do with the extensive use of mixed media, which is something you don't often see done (much less done well).

Homestuck does have certain exaggerated elements (e.g. troll romance) that are exactly the sort of thing fandoms get weird over, but the comic itself seems pretty inoffensive if you just read it without paying too much attention to the weirdos.  (The only convention I've been to recently had like one other guy in a Homestuck shirt, and no, neither of us was wearing troll makeup.  I doubt anyone else even noticed.)

If you don't like it, that's cool.  I'm sure I don't understand the stuff you folks like either.

[Chris Brady]

I'll grant that the music is really nice and epic.  But the rest?  Not so much.

[Remiel]

@Jefepato: I'm beginning to think that the character of Nepeta is kind of a friendly jab at the fans.  She's a troll catgirl who is obsessed with shipping (matchmaking), whether the objects of her shipping want her to or not.  And, naturally, she gets killed off by Gamzee.

But yeah.  crazy Homestuck fans are crazy fans.

[SinXAzgard21]

Watched the whole vid and my opinion is the same, can't stand it.

[RedPhoenix]

I hadn't heard of the webcomic until I started going to conventions and seeing the 'trolls' everywhere.  Can someone explain to me why and how this webcomic became so popular that you seem to see it everywhere?

It's creator puts in a ton of time and effort, interacts a lot with his fans, and throws in a lot of pop culture and meta references. It's basically a perfect setup to attract people who are already enthusiastic fans of geek culture and it seems to suck them in permanently.

I read it from the start up to "cascade" in a few sittings a year ago or so and I was pretty impressed by the complexity of the plot and characters. After that though it started this whole new storyline and I felt like I had already put more effort than was worth it into understanding what was going on and haven't read it since.

[Shjade]

Its appeal is mostly esoteric--it's one of those things where you either get it or you don't.

Or you get it and find it unappealing. Like most things, understanding isn't a guarantee of agreeing.

Personally I've never been able to even attempt to get into the guy's comics because the art is just so blugh that I can't stand it long enough to try reading the story around it. Folks have tried to show me pages they think demonstrate why people get into it and they're like "No seriously just look at this sequence" and I click the link and immediately say "Wow, this looks like shit."

Then they frown at me.

[Revelation]

Not a fan but I know plenty of people who love it. the enjoyment comes from many things. The flash animations, the music, the long runningness (Its been going on for a while, and it is is something you have to keep vested in because of how fast it updates). I've been told its the strange child of 90's era JRPG's, internet pop culture, science fiction, and a ton of other things and I can see it all. The world building is actually fairly detailed given that Hussie seems to go with a 'Yeah i'll figure that out later' style of world building and explaining detail. The combination of webcomic, reading, flash animations, music, and playable game sections are all fairly unique too.

Also, the Trolls are immensely popular due to their relationship spectrums and such.


I really have no interest in it after having tried to read it, but  its something of an interesting thing to read about.

[Plot Hooks]

Homestuck!

Ok, so I tried 3 times to get through the first chapter and failed, largely because I did not know what to expect from it, and the first chapter's pace is painfully slow.    It was only after someone told me what it was that I should expect that I pushed through, and I don't regret it now.

So at its core, Homestuck is a story about the end of one universe and the creation of another, and deals with things like fluid time, cause and effect paradoxes, and the nature of free will.   It contains within it Epic conflict, fun music and animation, like-able characters tasked with nearly impossible deeds, and it is presented in the style that resonanates with Internet users of a certain age (most dialog is reaveled through IM clients) and that harkened back to old adventure games of yore.  (Zork comes to mind.).  It also explores the nature of relationships in 'outside the box' sorts of terms and generally has great character development.

And then, it proceeds to subvert them all.

All of that said, there's a lot of chaff to sort from the wheat, and the pacing bugs me a little bit.    I haven't quiet gotten to where the comic is currently, but I think I'm going to let it run just a little bit more before picking it back up so that I'm not checking it every day obsessively and can get my fill of story in one nice hunk.

[Oniya]

Okay - now at least I can understand why some people might really like it.  I won't even discount the possibility of reading it myself one day - when I'm in a chaff-sorting kind of mood.  ;)

[CmdrRenegade]

I can see that. I tried reading but couldn't get through the first arc. All I saw was panel after panel of the kid dicking around his house. Maybe I'll try again but the length and pace are a huge obstacle.

[Plot Hooks]

Things unfortunately don't start to get really moving until the last quarter of the first chapter and the meteors start falling.

[Remiel]

Currently, the strip is in hiatus, while the author is working on his kickstarter project.  Which is a Homestuck video game, I believe.  The strip probably won't pick up again for a few more months.

[Plot Hooks]

Man, I'm super glad I'm not reading it, then.

[Remiel]

Homestuck!

Ok, so I tried 3 times to get through the first chapter and failed, largely because I did not know what to expect from it, and the first chapter's pace is painfully slow.    It was only after someone told me what it was that I should expect that I pushed through, and I don't regret it now.

So at its core, Homestuck is a story about the end of one universe and the creation of another, and deals with things like fluid time, cause and effect paradoxes, and the nature of free will.   It contains within it Epic conflict, fun music and animation, like-able characters tasked with nearly impossible deeds, and it is presented in the style that resonanates with Internet users of a certain age (most dialog is reaveled through IM clients) and that harkened back to old adventure games of yore.  (Zork comes to mind.).  It also explores the nature of relationships in 'outside the box' sorts of terms and generally has great character development.

And then, it proceeds to subvert them all.

All of that said, there's a lot of chaff to sort from the wheat, and the pacing bugs me a little bit.    I haven't quiet gotten to where the comic is currently, but I think I'm going to let it run just a little bit more before picking it back up so that I'm not checking it every day obsessively and can get my fill of story in one nice hunk.

And yeah, I would describe it as Twin Peaks meets Lost meets Back to the Future meets Tron, with a little bit of Tosh.0 thrown in.  Like I said before, completely esoteric appeal.