I didn't think it was based on anything that happened to him specifically. Wasn't his whole big post supposed to mean that because he had a popular medium already, that he wanted to continue the whole story of Lilah being pregnant? I don't even really know anymore. I haven't read the comic regularly for more than a year now. Either way, it really seems like a nosedive for the comic as a whole.
From reading the comic after this primary one, it looks like he says the abortion was caused by Rh disease. It's what happens when the mother's blood is negative for Rh while the baby is positive and the mothers anti-Rh antibodies actually attack the baby.
Problem is, this can only happen on the mother's second pregnancy because the first time she has a baby with a positive type, she doesn't have anti-Rh antibodies. The first pregnancy exposes her to it. Even still, this isn't something that comes out of nowhere; it's easy to diagnose and treat. If this did happen to Buckley in real life, it didn't happen like this.
I got the impression when I read through his newspost that he HAS gone through a miscarriage, but it was from a past relationship that he said was doomed from the start, and ultimately ended after the tragic loss.
I personally am really interested in where he's going with the plot, but then again, as a stereotypical girl, I'm bound to be interested by relationships in comic strips. It's the reason I like reading Questionable Content. I've gotten the impression that Buckley has been doing quite a bit of experimenting lately; he did those quick 'let-the-reader-choose' comics a while back that I actually enjoyed reading, and the cute little sub-series of dating/relationship problems are way different than I had ever expected coming from a type of comic like CAD. I'll still be reading the comic just as often as I have for the past few years, and maybe more often now since he's putting a pretty personal tone into the plotline. We'll see!
See, it's different with Questionable Content because Questionable Content is that kind of comic. Ctrl-Alt-Del is a comic about video games and nerdular nerdence. I'm having similar issues with PvP suddenly deciding everyone has to grow up (in some cases, quite literally) now that Brent and Jade got married. But I'll keep reading PvP, for reasons not entirely clear to me.
Hey wasn't I one of those guys who used to rag on you dudes for resurrecting threads? If it's any consolation I spent 20 minutes searching for a suitable thread to make a post in and this was the best I could find.
Anyway, on to the topic at hand:
Funniest group of art relating to CAD in years, and none of it's his.
Anyway I totally agree with the majority of what's been said, this kind of arc is going to be far too mature and far too... deep (assuming he does it better than he does his comedy. Tim Buckley has ham hands, he's ham handed) for a lot of his fanbase. The vast majority of those I've known who've really been into the comic are the typical dick and fart joke kinda guys. As a dick and fart joke kinda guy I can tell you that this kinda stuff will drive me bonkers while I wait for something to laugh at and not feel like a dick. Not only am I worried about what exactly is or is not meant to be funny, but I'm now self-conscious about feeling bad that I didn't get a laugh.
Don't get me wrong, everyone's got the right to make something they want to with their work, as everyone has pretty much agreed with, but in the world of webcomics you have the unfortunate need to do your best to bring about a level of comedy or drama or story that is expected based on past work. We're pleased as punch to see you do something new and funny with your work, but so help you if you take a drastic (blowdownzomg!) turn away from what we expect.
I'm sure he'll be fine, he's got that "I don't care neener neener" attitude that so infuriates me, but a guy like him will never lose, that's all there is to it. As far as how much truth there is to it; if it did, I'm sorry it did, that's not something that's very easy to deal with, I wouldn't, however, put it past him to do something like this for just this reason: posts on forums he doesn't get to sink his teeth into.
I have no doubt he'll move on past this story arc and get back to sentient Xbox controllers doing their best Bender/Marvin impressions. Maybe he already has, I haven't checked his site since I went looking for source art for panel 3 of my tasteless remix comic. I just know the change in subject matter and focus was enough to completely derail my until-then normal reading of the comic, and I no longer have much interest in it. Clearly his visions for the future of the series didn't have me in them, but I do hope he finds an audience for his changes in direction.
Comments
Problem is, this can only happen on the mother's second pregnancy because the first time she has a baby with a positive type, she doesn't have anti-Rh antibodies. The first pregnancy exposes her to it. Even still, this isn't something that comes out of nowhere; it's easy to diagnose and treat. If this did happen to Buckley in real life, it didn't happen like this.
Also, SCIENCE!
I personally am really interested in where he's going with the plot, but then again, as a stereotypical girl, I'm bound to be interested by relationships in comic strips. It's the reason I like reading Questionable Content. I've gotten the impression that Buckley has been doing quite a bit of experimenting lately; he did those quick 'let-the-reader-choose' comics a while back that I actually enjoyed reading, and the cute little sub-series of dating/relationship problems are way different than I had ever expected coming from a type of comic like CAD. I'll still be reading the comic just as often as I have for the past few years, and maybe more often now since he's putting a pretty personal tone into the plotline. We'll see!
Anyway, on to the topic at hand:
Funniest group of art relating to CAD in years, and none of it's his.
Anyway I totally agree with the majority of what's been said, this kind of arc is going to be far too mature and far too... deep (assuming he does it better than he does his comedy. Tim Buckley has ham hands, he's ham handed) for a lot of his fanbase. The vast majority of those I've known who've really been into the comic are the typical dick and fart joke kinda guys. As a dick and fart joke kinda guy I can tell you that this kinda stuff will drive me bonkers while I wait for something to laugh at and not feel like a dick. Not only am I worried about what exactly is or is not meant to be funny, but I'm now self-conscious about feeling bad that I didn't get a laugh.
Don't get me wrong, everyone's got the right to make something they want to with their work, as everyone has pretty much agreed with, but in the world of webcomics you have the unfortunate need to do your best to bring about a level of comedy or drama or story that is expected based on past work. We're pleased as punch to see you do something new and funny with your work, but so help you if you take a drastic (blowdownzomg!) turn away from what we expect.
I'm sure he'll be fine, he's got that "I don't care neener neener" attitude that so infuriates me, but a guy like him will never lose, that's all there is to it. As far as how much truth there is to it; if it did, I'm sorry it did, that's not something that's very easy to deal with, I wouldn't, however, put it past him to do something like this for just this reason: posts on forums he doesn't get to sink his teeth into.
Also, welcome to the forums! We missed you.