Dialogue printing question.

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Ice Cream Jonsey
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Dialogue printing question.

Post by Ice Cream Jonsey »

One thing that I've noticed in some comics written by Brian Bendis as of late, is the use of the parenthesis in mid-sentence. For instance, he might do something like this:

Code: Select all

Daredevil: I'm really surprised that you didn't want to help out Ka-Zar. 

Jessica: I'm sorry, I just couldn't do it. I -- I have no interest in getting in a goddamn plane and going to the Antarctic (regardless of how hot your friend is) and the thought of getting eaten by a dinosaur while doing it doesn't help either.
The stuff in parenthesis, I imagine, is supposed to be dialogue that is spoken underneath Jessica's breath. (I could be totally wrong, and it could be a way to display text which is being thought and not said aloud... but I don't think that's it.)

Anyway -- does this bug people? Is it annoying to have text written that way? I have a couple places where that very thing is going on in the game I am working on, but if it's a mimesis breaker or whatever, definitely let me know. I am wondering about this like the guy who invented the thought bubble is wondering about his use of that.
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Post by pinback »

Yes, that is horrible. Unless in the picture, the character saying it is making "hand parentheses". In which case, it's probably the comic itself that is horrible.

Of course, I wouldn't know, since comics are for children.

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Post by Ice Cream Jonsey »

OK, fair enough. Luckily, with written text in a format not, as you put it, "for children," we can put words around the dialogue and make it clearer that way. Another problem solved!

Jolt Country BBS.... We Create Worlds.
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Post by pinback »

Ice Cream Jonsey wrote:Jolt Country BBS.... We Create Worlds.
...Eventually.

Mamet

Parentheses

Post by Mamet »

I do this.

P.T. Anderson

Parentheticals

Post by P.T. Anderson »

Me, too.

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Post by pinback »

Can someone explain the previous two posts to me?

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