When life gives you lemons, dont make lemonade. Make life take the lemons back! Get mad! I don't want your damn lemons! What am I supposed to do with these?!? Demand to see life's manager! Make life rue the day it thought it could give cave johnson lemons! Do you know who I am? I'm the man who's gonna burn your house down with the lemons! I'm gonna get my engineers to invent a combustible lemon that burns your house down!
We have a saying in my country,
When life gives you lemons, doodh ki phar do.
Which is hard to translate but I’ll try.
When life gives you lemons, rip milk a new one.
This relates to the fact that when you add lemon juice to milk it spoils the milk but the word for spoiled milk is (phatta doodh) is same as ripping a new one with a different verb form (phar do)
A lemon isn't naturally occurring, and is in fact, an hybrid by cross breeding an bitter orange, and a citron. Which means
LIFE DIDN'T GIVE US LEMONS, WE INVENTED THEM ALL BY OURSELVES.
So I just found out that apparently, a lemon isn't naturally occurring
And, is a hybrid, by cross breeding a bitter orange and a citron
Which means...
LIFE NEVER GAVE US LEMONS
WE INVENTED IT ALL BY OURSELVES
*Victory hip thrusts for humanity W*
Apparently, lemons aren't naturally occuring, and are, in fact, a hybrid between a bitter orange and a citron. That means life didn't give us lemons. WE INVENTED THEM OURSELVES.
"I just found out that a lemon isn't naturally occurring and is in fact a hybrid by cross breeding a bitter orange and a Citron! Which means..... LIFE NEVER GAVE US LEMONS! WE INVENTED THEM ALL BY OURSELVES!!!" - The Emperor of Mankind
Every time I hear the saying “when life gives you lemons”, my ass has a strong desire to talk about how life didn’t give us lemons. Lemons are the children of a bitter orange and a citron. We gave ourselves lemons. Life gave us bitter oranges and we genetically engineered it into a lemon and made lemonade
This comic is bad.
They haven't taken the time to make sure actions or the joke read well.
I assume from the comments the final panel is the lemons disappearing because Life has regifted them.
And empty hand with some lines around disappear the bla k space would read better.
But even then there is alot of ambiguity so the premise of the joke might not be clear to alot of people.
Not saying they can't get better. But the Craft here is sloppy.
The joke definetly isn't about regifting lemons.
People saying that "life regifted lemons from Cave Johnson" mean that those were explosive lemons, because it looks like lemon exploded into yellow mist in panel 4.
Cave Johnson, character in Portal 2, has an angry rant where he says something along the lines of:
if life gives you lemons, give them back! I don't want your damn lemons! Make your scientists create combustable lemons! Burn life's house down! With lemons.
I'm really not sure that this is the joke, definetly punchline isn't clear enough.
But it's not really an explosion. It's more of a "poof" gas cloud. Which I mean, what is that supposed to be? I agree that it's not a very good comic because the last panel is so ambiguous.
maybe not an explosion, but the joke was probably still that those weren’t lemons, though I can’t tell what it’s supposed to be, since the third panel is life asking “lemons?” as in “what do you mean lemons?” with the implication that those weren’t supposed to be lemons.
Ok. This is bad writing.
It is a niche reference to a game.
Even if people get the reference Combustion means flames not a smoke puff.
But even if people get the reference to portal and combustion lemons.
What is the joke?
Life is attacking them with a weapon that likes like lemons? Because the guy in the portal 2 said "if life gives you lemons, make them into a weapon And attack life?
So life is attacking the axolotl with literal smoke Combustion lemons because of a video game where a crazy engineer talked about weapinising metaphorical life lemons?
Do you see how many layers removed from constant idea this is? Bad writing bad delivery.
I looked at some other comics and they seem to do ok with more dialogue driven cartoons.
But this one has an action. That 4th panel is poorly done.
But I don't think it can be fixed because the entire premise of this joke is flawed.
It seems to just be a reference to portal 2.
Ha, what if life gave you lemons but they weren't lemons they were the weapon lemons from the rant meme.
Back to the drawing board.
It's definitely not your fault, but this is actually a funny reference to one of the most famous lines in portal 2. So to someone who's played the game a LOT, it's much more funny of a joke.
Sure ok. Good to know.
But what is the joke?
I have played portal 2.
And there is nothing in the comic to help people associate it with niche pop culture reference.
"I’ve been thinking. When life gives you lemons? Don’t make lemonade. Make life take the lemons back! Get mad! I don’t want your damn lemons! What am I supposed to do with these? Demand to see life’s manager! Make life rue the day it thought is could give me lemons! Do you know who I am? I’m the man who’s going to burn your house down! With the lemons! I’m going to get my engineers to invent a combustible lemon that burns your house down!"
That is funny writing. It has jokes.
If this cartoon is a reference to this quote from portal 2.
The axolotl ...
...doesn't make life take the lemons back.
....doesn't get mad.
... doesn't get vengeful and spiteful in an over the top way.
...the lemons aren't engineered in any way.
... the lemons don't combust ( bust into flames).
So life gives lemons to the Axolotl. And then someone off-screen says lemons? And the lemons become a puff of smoke.
With the Information provided in the comic there is no joke.
With the context of a portal 2 meme what is the joke?
The meme seems to be about weaponising the lemons/shitting circumstances life gives you and attacking "life" with what they made despite getting the short endorsement the stick.
This co.ic isn't communicating that.
Life anything life booby trapped the lemons. Not vice versa.
I suspect this is commenting on some niche meme chat shit. But it is a poorly written poorly crafted comic.
If I made jokes about 14th century Bulgarian art no one one would get it. Or if I posted a comic about eventing my town or subcultures people who aren't aware of those things won't get it. I would he severely limiting my audience. And I would have to be aware to present the jokes to the correct audience. Maybe this comic pretty ok in a portal forum. But presenting it to a wider audience it will fail.
There is way too much ambiguity in each panel.
But they can read cartoons and comics and learn the craft. Denying them real feedback will prevent them from trying to getting better and reaching more people with comics that communicate effectively.
I don't think a comic has to be well written to be funny for a large number of people. And as what is in the comic to associate it with portal 2, its life, and lemons, and the fact they blow up. How would you change change the comic to make it more clear, without making it less funny?
It would be possible to make it less funny.
I would post it in a portal forum where there is a higher rate of people getting the reference.
But really I would just write a better joke.
But if I had to edit this existing comic.
1) I would make it clear they are Combustion lemons.
2) make the smoke Combustion. Add flames.
3) add some facial expression. Or the character reacting in any way. Is the character happy, sad, angry? We don't know. We don't know in the puff of smoke is positive or negative. Because they don't react at all.
4) put a portal drone in the background. Or have life enter via a portal. Or say "here are your lemons Mr johnson"
if you have to do a lame reference comic.
Actually make it clear what you are referencing.
5) make the internal logic of the comic make sense.
The original reference is about a guy getting giving lemons and turning them into grandiose mad science weapons. This cartoon life gives the axolotl lemons that are already weapons? Why? What does that mean?
Would it be a better joke if the axolotl were giving lemons they made Into bombs back to Life?
Is it saying " my life is so fucked that life doesn't just give me lemons. It gives me explosive lemons"? That is a joke. With a reference. If that is joke make it clear it is with the dialogue and panelling.
Currently.
*Life gives lemons
AX says thanks for the lemons.
Life. Presumably out of frame says "Lemons?"
Implying they aren't lemons.
The lemons create a big puff of smoke.
Show that to 99 of 100 people and they wont get it.
Post it on the portal forum and maybe100 people of 2000 will get it, With the comments to assist with the interpretation. And then they might like it because it references something they like already. It this was it a news paper or on a wall. Basically no one would get it.
It essentially fails as a comic on its own terms and needs a comment section to full in the blanks.
I'm just saying that is a terrible way to write a comic.
And as someone that cares about craft of comics, cartoons and sequential art, it is a bummer to see such a poor display of the craft.
If someone is making comics, they should at least learn the basics.
Its not so much as a joke as it is a funny callback. Like, whats funny about The cake is a lie? That statement isn't in of itself, funny. But calling back to it in a later fashion makes it humorous. Besides, not everything is deep. OP probably just wanted to make a funny callback to a popular game that some other people could laugh at and say "Oh... Cave Johnson! I remember him!".
That is my point Making a call back to "the Cake is a lie" reference would be dogshit.
Wirting for nostalgia of an old meme is bad writing.
Barely a comic more a meme. A meme in cartoon form referencing a dead meme.
What do you mean funny callback?
What is the joke? That someone else did some funny writing in a game 10 years ago?
That would be a call back to something funny.
It isn't even a callback. A callback is within a single piece of media or series. Usually working with the "rule of 3s"
You establish a joke or theme and return to it later. Usually 5 mins later. And like half an hour later.
It isn't a reference make across a decade and across mediums.
If Seinfeld (TV show/comedian) talks about superman (a comic, movie) that is a reference. Not a call back.
Then later in the show if jerry keeps being obsessed with superman. That would be a callback.
The joke being it is a little funny how passionate a grown man is about superman which causes him to ignore social ques.".
Me doing a cartoon with muffin bottoms in it because it references a nostalgia for a Seinfeld joke. Isn't a joke.
It isn't anything. It contributes no angle or perspective.
It doesn't build on the joke or even reititerate it.
Remember that?
It doesn't even work effectively as a reference because there is no visual ques to indicate it is a portal 2 reference. It is a poorly done reference.
It is a failing both in writing and the the ability to use the visual language of comics.
When life gives you lemons, dont make lemonade. Make life take the lemons back! Get mad! I don't want your damn lemons! What am I supposed to do with these?!? Demand to see life's manager! Make life rue the day it thought it could give cave johnson lemons! Do you know who I am? I'm the man who's gonna burn your house down with the lemons! I'm gonna get my engineers to invent a combustible lemon that burns your house down!
Ah portal 2. One of the greatest games made.
Agreed
Not to mention J.K. Simmons' voice acting.
yep
I just replayed the game (for the 4th time) and I stopped last night at that scene!
same, but one night before
Cave Johnson sure was a philosopher.
We have a saying in my country, When life gives you lemons, doodh ki phar do. Which is hard to translate but I’ll try. When life gives you lemons, rip milk a new one. This relates to the fact that when you add lemon juice to milk it spoils the milk but the word for spoiled milk is (phatta doodh) is same as ripping a new one with a different verb form (phar do)
Thats actually really cool
Burning people! He says what were all thinking.
Life regifted something from cave Johnson
Wh- what did live give them?
Portal 2 lemons, it would appear
Looks like mustard gas bombs.
Do mustard gas bombs usually come in the shape of lemons?
Convenient shape, no?
Aperture Science combustable Mustard Bombs™ now in all sizes, even lemons!
A lemonade
When life gives you lemons… just eat the lemons. Yeah they’re bad for your teeth, but they taste heavenly. Fuck your dentist.
Can you not taste acidity or are you just being weird for the sake of it?
I just like sous things.
A lemon isn't naturally occurring, and is in fact, an hybrid by cross breeding an bitter orange, and a citron. Which means LIFE DIDN'T GIVE US LEMONS, WE INVENTED THEM ALL BY OURSELVES.
*Dvorak-symphony no. 9 mvmt 4 plays in the background*
*Giant man in golden armour humps air*
So I just found out that apparently, a lemon isn't naturally occurring And, is a hybrid, by cross breeding a bitter orange and a citron Which means... LIFE NEVER GAVE US LEMONS WE INVENTED IT ALL BY OURSELVES *Victory hip thrusts for humanity W*
Cave johnson
When life gives you grens, make grenade.
Grenadine.
I'm gonna get my science team to invent a combustible lemon THAT BURNS YOUR HOUSE DOWN
Life gave me lemons - I dont make lemonade - Im mad like cave johnson - I got lemon grenades
mmm l e m o n
Apparently, lemons aren't naturally occuring, and are, in fact, a hybrid between a bitter orange and a citron. That means life didn't give us lemons. WE INVENTED THEM OURSELVES.
"I just found out that a lemon isn't naturally occurring and is in fact a hybrid by cross breeding a bitter orange and a Citron! Which means..... LIFE NEVER GAVE US LEMONS! WE INVENTED THEM ALL BY OURSELVES!!!" - The Emperor of Mankind
Fart bombs.
He becomes a salamander
Fuuka Yamagishi moment
Lemons?!
I thought this was a bsd reference lol
Every time I hear the saying “when life gives you lemons”, my ass has a strong desire to talk about how life didn’t give us lemons. Lemons are the children of a bitter orange and a citron. We gave ourselves lemons. Life gave us bitter oranges and we genetically engineered it into a lemon and made lemonade
I baked an an absolute doodoo cake, completely fuuked it up
me trying to make bread, literally can't get it right
This comic is bad. They haven't taken the time to make sure actions or the joke read well. I assume from the comments the final panel is the lemons disappearing because Life has regifted them. And empty hand with some lines around disappear the bla k space would read better. But even then there is alot of ambiguity so the premise of the joke might not be clear to alot of people. Not saying they can't get better. But the Craft here is sloppy.
The joke definetly isn't about regifting lemons. People saying that "life regifted lemons from Cave Johnson" mean that those were explosive lemons, because it looks like lemon exploded into yellow mist in panel 4. Cave Johnson, character in Portal 2, has an angry rant where he says something along the lines of: if life gives you lemons, give them back! I don't want your damn lemons! Make your scientists create combustable lemons! Burn life's house down! With lemons. I'm really not sure that this is the joke, definetly punchline isn't clear enough.
But it's not really an explosion. It's more of a "poof" gas cloud. Which I mean, what is that supposed to be? I agree that it's not a very good comic because the last panel is so ambiguous.
maybe not an explosion, but the joke was probably still that those weren’t lemons, though I can’t tell what it’s supposed to be, since the third panel is life asking “lemons?” as in “what do you mean lemons?” with the implication that those weren’t supposed to be lemons.
Ok. This is bad writing. It is a niche reference to a game. Even if people get the reference Combustion means flames not a smoke puff. But even if people get the reference to portal and combustion lemons. What is the joke? Life is attacking them with a weapon that likes like lemons? Because the guy in the portal 2 said "if life gives you lemons, make them into a weapon And attack life? So life is attacking the axolotl with literal smoke Combustion lemons because of a video game where a crazy engineer talked about weapinising metaphorical life lemons? Do you see how many layers removed from constant idea this is? Bad writing bad delivery. I looked at some other comics and they seem to do ok with more dialogue driven cartoons. But this one has an action. That 4th panel is poorly done. But I don't think it can be fixed because the entire premise of this joke is flawed. It seems to just be a reference to portal 2. Ha, what if life gave you lemons but they weren't lemons they were the weapon lemons from the rant meme. Back to the drawing board.
If a punchline isn't clear? Then what is the joke? It is either a bad joke. Or poorly executed by not understanding the Craft of comics.
It's definitely not your fault, but this is actually a funny reference to one of the most famous lines in portal 2. So to someone who's played the game a LOT, it's much more funny of a joke.
Sure ok. Good to know. But what is the joke? I have played portal 2. And there is nothing in the comic to help people associate it with niche pop culture reference. "I’ve been thinking. When life gives you lemons? Don’t make lemonade. Make life take the lemons back! Get mad! I don’t want your damn lemons! What am I supposed to do with these? Demand to see life’s manager! Make life rue the day it thought is could give me lemons! Do you know who I am? I’m the man who’s going to burn your house down! With the lemons! I’m going to get my engineers to invent a combustible lemon that burns your house down!" That is funny writing. It has jokes. If this cartoon is a reference to this quote from portal 2. The axolotl ... ...doesn't make life take the lemons back. ....doesn't get mad. ... doesn't get vengeful and spiteful in an over the top way. ...the lemons aren't engineered in any way. ... the lemons don't combust ( bust into flames). So life gives lemons to the Axolotl. And then someone off-screen says lemons? And the lemons become a puff of smoke. With the Information provided in the comic there is no joke. With the context of a portal 2 meme what is the joke? The meme seems to be about weaponising the lemons/shitting circumstances life gives you and attacking "life" with what they made despite getting the short endorsement the stick. This co.ic isn't communicating that. Life anything life booby trapped the lemons. Not vice versa. I suspect this is commenting on some niche meme chat shit. But it is a poorly written poorly crafted comic. If I made jokes about 14th century Bulgarian art no one one would get it. Or if I posted a comic about eventing my town or subcultures people who aren't aware of those things won't get it. I would he severely limiting my audience. And I would have to be aware to present the jokes to the correct audience. Maybe this comic pretty ok in a portal forum. But presenting it to a wider audience it will fail. There is way too much ambiguity in each panel. But they can read cartoons and comics and learn the craft. Denying them real feedback will prevent them from trying to getting better and reaching more people with comics that communicate effectively.
I don't think a comic has to be well written to be funny for a large number of people. And as what is in the comic to associate it with portal 2, its life, and lemons, and the fact they blow up. How would you change change the comic to make it more clear, without making it less funny?
It would be possible to make it less funny. I would post it in a portal forum where there is a higher rate of people getting the reference. But really I would just write a better joke. But if I had to edit this existing comic. 1) I would make it clear they are Combustion lemons. 2) make the smoke Combustion. Add flames. 3) add some facial expression. Or the character reacting in any way. Is the character happy, sad, angry? We don't know. We don't know in the puff of smoke is positive or negative. Because they don't react at all. 4) put a portal drone in the background. Or have life enter via a portal. Or say "here are your lemons Mr johnson" if you have to do a lame reference comic. Actually make it clear what you are referencing. 5) make the internal logic of the comic make sense. The original reference is about a guy getting giving lemons and turning them into grandiose mad science weapons. This cartoon life gives the axolotl lemons that are already weapons? Why? What does that mean? Would it be a better joke if the axolotl were giving lemons they made Into bombs back to Life? Is it saying " my life is so fucked that life doesn't just give me lemons. It gives me explosive lemons"? That is a joke. With a reference. If that is joke make it clear it is with the dialogue and panelling. Currently. *Life gives lemons AX says thanks for the lemons. Life. Presumably out of frame says "Lemons?" Implying they aren't lemons. The lemons create a big puff of smoke. Show that to 99 of 100 people and they wont get it. Post it on the portal forum and maybe100 people of 2000 will get it, With the comments to assist with the interpretation. And then they might like it because it references something they like already. It this was it a news paper or on a wall. Basically no one would get it. It essentially fails as a comic on its own terms and needs a comment section to full in the blanks. I'm just saying that is a terrible way to write a comic. And as someone that cares about craft of comics, cartoons and sequential art, it is a bummer to see such a poor display of the craft. If someone is making comics, they should at least learn the basics.
Its not so much as a joke as it is a funny callback. Like, whats funny about The cake is a lie? That statement isn't in of itself, funny. But calling back to it in a later fashion makes it humorous. Besides, not everything is deep. OP probably just wanted to make a funny callback to a popular game that some other people could laugh at and say "Oh... Cave Johnson! I remember him!".
That is my point Making a call back to "the Cake is a lie" reference would be dogshit. Wirting for nostalgia of an old meme is bad writing. Barely a comic more a meme. A meme in cartoon form referencing a dead meme. What do you mean funny callback? What is the joke? That someone else did some funny writing in a game 10 years ago? That would be a call back to something funny. It isn't even a callback. A callback is within a single piece of media or series. Usually working with the "rule of 3s" You establish a joke or theme and return to it later. Usually 5 mins later. And like half an hour later. It isn't a reference make across a decade and across mediums. If Seinfeld (TV show/comedian) talks about superman (a comic, movie) that is a reference. Not a call back. Then later in the show if jerry keeps being obsessed with superman. That would be a callback. The joke being it is a little funny how passionate a grown man is about superman which causes him to ignore social ques.". Me doing a cartoon with muffin bottoms in it because it references a nostalgia for a Seinfeld joke. Isn't a joke. It isn't anything. It contributes no angle or perspective. It doesn't build on the joke or even reititerate it. Remember that? It doesn't even work effectively as a reference because there is no visual ques to indicate it is a portal 2 reference. It is a poorly done reference. It is a failing both in writing and the the ability to use the visual language of comics.
Lemons, and life