Talk:Shortpacked!

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[edit] Pull the tab

To the person who keeps adding this dictionary definition: I understand that this has been used as a joke in Shortpacked but this article is not the place to try and propel the phrase into popular speak.

If it going to be a term akin to "breaking the fourth wall" then it should have its own page and the Shortpacked page could have a link to it. --LukeSurl 11:07, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

I want to put in the heavily publicised conflicts (Ala websnark) of this comics struggle not to fall into the holes that the David Willis has on previous strips, over analysing plot failed cerebrus syndrome, particularly mentioning the recent plot where he is lampooning his own previous comics with the "Pulled the drama tag out" story arc. Reasons: Various other web comic articles include discussion/reference to ongoing plots and this article needs expansion, i'm not trying to get any terms coined Eric Burns is already ahead on that anyway. I don’t know all the details and im not sure if i have crossed the NPOV line so I hope it is expanded on by other users but since the article is on the needs expansion list i hope my entry isnt deleted altogether. I'm also considering starting a Cerebus Syndrome article to accompany it but will conult the NPOV article in more detail first. --Seth Turner 19:23, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

What's written now makes sense. I've placed it under a "critisism" subheading. Not being a reader of webcomic critisim myself I don't know whether this reflects the full scope of what people say about shortpacked, perhaps some further expansion with other critical opinions would help perfect this article. As far as a Cerebus Syndrome article is concerned, go ahead, webcomics on wikipedia need some serious attention. Cheers for helping out the article, sorry if my earlier tone was a little on the harsh side. --LukeSurl 19:43, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

The section was recently deleted by 212.241.231.52 ive reverted it and invited him to discuss the reasons for deleting it. This article is on the needs expansion list and the section was a valid reference to the comics current cultural position within the comunity, it is based on comentray by eric burns and informaton on the blog of the artist and i think it adds to the article. The section like most wasnt perfect but deleting an entire section in an article without discussion cant happen if we want to avoid edit wars. --Seth Turner 10:49, 24 February 2006 (UTC)

That was me. The basis of the deletion was an IRC conversation with David Willis himself in which he was very critical about that section, and I deleted it at his suggestion. I dislike it too, for a number of reasons:

• That storyline is over, and lasted barely more than a week.
• I don't think this is an aspect that shortpacked is notable for. It has been commented on by Burns, sure. But many things have been commented on by Burns, and a mention from him does not alone guarantee notability. Self-deprecation isn't unique, after all.
• The titling is totally wrong. The commentary, if any, was on a single unrepresentative storyline, not on the entirity of the comic.
• The idea that Willis has sworn off dramatic comics is pretty misleading. Willis has another comic, you know, and there is also no guarantees as to what projects or ideas he will work on later.

I see as much more preferable to talk in more general terms of the theme and structure and ideas of the comic as a whole, and bring up this particular storyline *only* as an example of that.--Fangz 22:05, 24 February 2006 (UTC)

Makes sense, section stays deleted. This article still needs more expansion however.--Seth Turner 03:02, 27 February 2006 (UTC)

A more important reason for deletion can be found at WP:OR.

[edit] Naming?

Does anyone know where the name of the comic comes from? Might be useful info to add, I'm assuming it's some toy-related terminology. Sockatume 20:38, 22 November 2006 (UTC)

Indeed it is! I'm not sure whether it's industry terminology or just fan terminology, but: Toys are generally sold in "assortments" by the manufacturer. (Depending on the type of toy line, there are often multiple assortments available at once (typically at different MSRPs), and the assortments typically change as the line goes on.) A toy is said to be shortpacked if it is underrepresented compared to the other toys in its assortment. For example, if a given assortment contains 2 each of toys A, B, C, and D and only one of toy E per case, then toy E is shortpacked. A toy that is shortpacked is typically harder to find than other toys from the same assortment, since there are fewer of it produced. This rarity also makes it attractive to scalpers. If a shortpacked toy is also a highly desirable one to fans and/or collectors (for instance, if it represents a popular character who is rarely produced as a toy), then it can become extremely difficult to obtain. --Andrusi 18:30, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Ah, having read the archives that makes a lot of sense. Sockatume 21:19, 6 December 2006 (UTC)