Issue 112 is a milestone in the sense that it is the first time we follow a character that is neither one of the Pixels nor the Smileys. Not only that, it follows characters who are not regulars. When we created the strip, we wanted to be very careful with pacing, to establish the characters and let our audience really get to know and care about them before branching off. At nearly the year mark we feel confident enough to do that now. That said, Bitmap World will always have the Pixels at the center, but the word “World” is not in the title for nothing. There is a lot more to see, and many more characters waiting in the wings.
In this strip, the security guards are shown holding pistols. I really lamented about this, and almost didn’t do it. The same went for the cigarette smoking joke in the last issue. This is a family-friendly comic, and we want to make it readable for everyone. I guess the difference with these two jokes is while they show smoking (which is considered bad) and guns (which are dangerous), neither is depicted in a manner which is complimentary. The security guards are obviously in the wrong and breaking the rules, and they get yelled out when they are smoking. With the guns, it’s clear they are acting like policemen, so there is a reason they have weapons. I think even small children understand that, since they see it on t.v. Individuals that are stealing large amounts of computers are usually not petty thieves, and very well could be dangerous. Of course, the guns are never used, which is an overall positive.
Oh, I just want to say that I am in no way poking fun at all security guards with these strips. One of my friends happens to be a security guard and loves it–and she’s very good at her job. That said, I have known a few very inept security guards in my time, and since it makes for good comedy, these guards are quite bumbling and idiotic. It’s always fun writing characters like that!
