Some characters are hilarious. They're crazy, they're goofy, they make jokes all the time...
And then there are the ones to whom this blog post is dedicated. The ones who are serious enough that just putting them into a comedic situation automatically makes it funnier.
Something about their stony stare only heightens the absurdity of a situation that contrasts their stern demeanor, and if they're genuinely dangerous, so much the better.
In some cases, their intense seriousness can make even mundane and normal situations strangely hilarious.
Just imagine Batman in a maid outfit. Or Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer being surrounded by a food fight. Or the scariest and most serious villain you can think of going shopping for socks.
And now you know what I mean.
It's a dynamic I like to play with sometimes, and I used it a lot in Heroic Lies. Zorei is calm, suave and intelligent... and I stuck him in a room with Alexandra, who's an ongoing comedy act full of brash humor and playful sarcasm.
The resulting banter still makes me grin sometimes when I read it. If you haven't ordered your copy yet, you can do so by clicking the button below.
And then there are the ones to whom this blog post is dedicated. The ones who are serious enough that just putting them into a comedic situation automatically makes it funnier.
Something about their stony stare only heightens the absurdity of a situation that contrasts their stern demeanor, and if they're genuinely dangerous, so much the better.
In some cases, their intense seriousness can make even mundane and normal situations strangely hilarious.
Just imagine Batman in a maid outfit. Or Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer being surrounded by a food fight. Or the scariest and most serious villain you can think of going shopping for socks.
And now you know what I mean.
It's a dynamic I like to play with sometimes, and I used it a lot in Heroic Lies. Zorei is calm, suave and intelligent... and I stuck him in a room with Alexandra, who's an ongoing comedy act full of brash humor and playful sarcasm.
The resulting banter still makes me grin sometimes when I read it. If you haven't ordered your copy yet, you can do so by clicking the button below.
In the meantime, I've also been playing with this trope in my free materials, like my latest music video. In it, the protagonist of Farscape squares off against his formidable archnemesis... in a 3-minute musical pissing match set to "Anything You Can Do".
It's one of a very few among my music videos that doesn't need a knowledge of the series to enjoy, so if you've watched Farscape, or if you haven't but you don't mind spoilers, take a few minutes to enjoy the comedy of a serious sci-fi antagonist trying to establish his dominance through a goofy song.
It's one of a very few among my music videos that doesn't need a knowledge of the series to enjoy, so if you've watched Farscape, or if you haven't but you don't mind spoilers, take a few minutes to enjoy the comedy of a serious sci-fi antagonist trying to establish his dominance through a goofy song.
Do you have a favorite example of a 'comically serious' character? If so, who is (s)he, and which story is the character from?
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