admin
22 December 2023
You know, I\'m very aware that this three-disc DVD set doesn\'t need publicity from us for it to do well. If you\'ve been on the Internet at all in the last couple years, chances are you know about the world of Homestar Runner. And if you\'re familiar with the site, you\'re definitely aware of Strong Bad and his email answering... let\'s say, \"abilities\".
In the span of just a few years, The Brothers Chaps-- also known as Matt and Mike Chapman-- have gone from two art school graduates with a fun and clever idea to a creative wonder duo that have taken their amazing characters and hilarious dialogue and turned it into a full-fledged Homestar empire. And even though I\'ve seen some of their work a bunch of times, over and over, it still makes me laugh.
You should know the basic shtick of Strong Bad\'s character by now. If you\'re not familiar with it, I\'ll sum it up for you very quickly: Strong Bad wears a Mexican wrestling mask and boxing gloves, and answers actual emails he gets through the site. That\'s it. It\'s a very simple formula, but it works time and again. Or at least it has worked close to 120 times so far. And no matter how many times Strong Bad calls an emailer a \"crapface\", it\'s still funny each and every time. So, to me, this collection of Strong Bad\'s first 100 emails seems like a gift from the heavens.
There are two things that really stick out as being impressive about this collection of the first 100 emails. The first is that, from a creative standpoint, you get to see the progression and history of the character and the humor. Early emails are much different than emails further down the line. That\'s not to say they\'re not as funny, but rather they are more simple and rely less on other characters. As the emails roll on, though, Strong Bad\'s world and possibilities expand exponentially. And just when you think you\'ve seen it all, the Brothers throw another bizarre ingredient into the mix.
The second thing that really sticks out are the extras. You get some behind the scenes footage (including a \"making of\" the 100th email and a great skit on how the voices are done), some hilarious puppet skits with Homestar and Mike, music videos, and three previously unreleased emails.
And I didn\'t even mention the karaoke videos where you can sing along with four of your favorite Homestar Runner tunes, including \"Fhqwhgads\". And the videos are absolute gold. I don\'t want to give it all away, but just imagine three guys getting physical at a skate park... without skateboards.
Also, the crossover from the Web to DVD is flawless in this set. Every Easter egg, hidden scene, and secret is on the DVD, just as it is online.
So, from a creative dork\'s perspective, I love this set on two levels: an entertaining level and a historical/documentary level. The DVDs are entertaining, yes. But the story that they tell and the history that they show is just as cool as hearing Strong Bad tell all his viewers about how awesome he is.
If you\'re a fan of the site, own this set. And if you\'re not familiar with the site, hop on over and get schooled, dumpface.
In the span of just a few years, The Brothers Chaps-- also known as Matt and Mike Chapman-- have gone from two art school graduates with a fun and clever idea to a creative wonder duo that have taken their amazing characters and hilarious dialogue and turned it into a full-fledged Homestar empire. And even though I\'ve seen some of their work a bunch of times, over and over, it still makes me laugh.
You should know the basic shtick of Strong Bad\'s character by now. If you\'re not familiar with it, I\'ll sum it up for you very quickly: Strong Bad wears a Mexican wrestling mask and boxing gloves, and answers actual emails he gets through the site. That\'s it. It\'s a very simple formula, but it works time and again. Or at least it has worked close to 120 times so far. And no matter how many times Strong Bad calls an emailer a \"crapface\", it\'s still funny each and every time. So, to me, this collection of Strong Bad\'s first 100 emails seems like a gift from the heavens.
There are two things that really stick out as being impressive about this collection of the first 100 emails. The first is that, from a creative standpoint, you get to see the progression and history of the character and the humor. Early emails are much different than emails further down the line. That\'s not to say they\'re not as funny, but rather they are more simple and rely less on other characters. As the emails roll on, though, Strong Bad\'s world and possibilities expand exponentially. And just when you think you\'ve seen it all, the Brothers throw another bizarre ingredient into the mix.
The second thing that really sticks out are the extras. You get some behind the scenes footage (including a \"making of\" the 100th email and a great skit on how the voices are done), some hilarious puppet skits with Homestar and Mike, music videos, and three previously unreleased emails.
And I didn\'t even mention the karaoke videos where you can sing along with four of your favorite Homestar Runner tunes, including \"Fhqwhgads\". And the videos are absolute gold. I don\'t want to give it all away, but just imagine three guys getting physical at a skate park... without skateboards.
Also, the crossover from the Web to DVD is flawless in this set. Every Easter egg, hidden scene, and secret is on the DVD, just as it is online.
So, from a creative dork\'s perspective, I love this set on two levels: an entertaining level and a historical/documentary level. The DVDs are entertaining, yes. But the story that they tell and the history that they show is just as cool as hearing Strong Bad tell all his viewers about how awesome he is.
If you\'re a fan of the site, own this set. And if you\'re not familiar with the site, hop on over and get schooled, dumpface.
artid
2855
Old Image
7_4_strongbad.jpg
issue
vol 7 - issue 04 (dec 2004)
section
entertainmental