In the spring, a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of Penny Arcade

So last week I attended a romance convention and did a signing with Amber Benson. Needless to say, I have some stories to tell.

But first I should deal with the current news: Kvothe got a mention in Penny Arcade today.

This fills me with a geeky joy which words can hardly express. I’m a long-time fan of Penny Arcade. When they called me this weekend to give me an early peek at the comic, I bolted upstairs to my hotel room in a most undignified manner. Then, when I saw it, I laughed uncontrollably for a solid minute.

Did they make fun of the book? Of course they did. That’s their job.

The more important question is, “Did they poke *legitimate* fun at the book.” Did they mock something that, viewed in the proper light, deserved to be mocked a little?

And the answer, again, is yes. That’s what makes them more than mere humorists. Mike and Jerry consistently stride the lofty realms of satire, where they harvest raw platonic truth, forge it in the white-hot fire of their anger, then hurl it down at the howling monkeys below.

I, for one, am honored to be their monkey.

Does it sting? Nah. Not really.

For one, I know them. They’re lovely people. And being gently mocked by skilled professionals is a treat. Like I said, they make a fair point.

But also, my best friends have always been very honest people. Mockery has always been the way we’ve shown each other love. I’d flatter a stranger. But if I’m making fun of you, you know that I like you.

So I guess what I’m saying is this: “Thanks Jerry. Thanks Mike. I love you too.”

Here’s a link to the strip. Be warned: there is some very mild spoilerage. If you’re a purist and haven’t read through Chapter 128 yet, you might want to wait before you check it out.

It’s getting late, and I’m still recovering from the convention. So I think I’ll tell my other stories in a day or two. If you want a teaser though, I’ll say this: The romance convention was a headtrip, and the reading with Amber Benson was, well, sexy.

More soon,

pat

This entry was posted in conventions, cool things, sexy, WebcomicsBy Pat37 Responses

37 Comments

  1. Late Bird
    Posted April 12, 2011 at 1:53 AM | Permalink

    Tara is always sexy. Done.

  2. katelyn
    Posted April 12, 2011 at 2:01 AM | Permalink

    YAY! Pat, you’re fabulous.

    • katelyn
      Posted April 12, 2011 at 2:03 AM | Permalink

      Also, the sex scene was hilarious. And… sexy.

  3. slimjim247
    Posted April 12, 2011 at 2:26 AM | Permalink

    Penny Arcade used “Ninjas”…

    I thought of the Adem as more of the “Samurai” types. Because of the strict rules about honor and combat and such.

    Less assassin, more warrior for hire. *shrug*

    • RforRangerDforDanger
      Posted April 12, 2011 at 2:40 AM | Permalink

      I kind of thought they were more like Buddhists. The Lethani really reminded me of the concept of dharma. Buddhist ninjas with a disproportionate amount of females and no problem with free love. Patrick Rothfuss. I mean, who didn’t see this coming?

      • Posted April 12, 2011 at 3:50 AM | Permalink

        You left out “socialist”. That was one of my favorite parts. Though, I guess it could be seen in a J’s Witness “tithing” light. Whatever. Supporting their homes with adventuring is right out of fairy tales. Loved it.

        P.S. Yes I’m a fan, but no, that’s actually my given name. Funny coincidence.

  4. slimjim247
    Posted April 12, 2011 at 2:27 AM | Permalink

    Of course “Primal Lust Goddess” was pretty spot on.

  5. RforRangerDforDanger
    Posted April 12, 2011 at 2:36 AM | Permalink

    Penny Arcade, I shrug at your attempted satire. OBVIOUSLY Kvothe must be a legendary handler of poontang. Seriously. That’s like Heroism 101. Duh and/or Hello.
    This awesome influx of vagina better not just be a phase, either. You have my full support, Pat. Not in a weird way. Don’t make this weird.

    • Late Bird
      Posted April 12, 2011 at 2:39 AM | Permalink

      @ RforRangerDforDanger
      I just lol’d big time. . . in my pants.

      • Posted April 12, 2011 at 6:40 AM | Permalink

        It just got weird.

        • Thomas Witherspoon
          Posted April 12, 2011 at 12:25 PM | Permalink

          Oh it’s been weird, just in a way everyone has come to know and accept. It’s almost like a 4th silence, but instead of making you feel uneasy it leads to wicked thoughts and wide smiles.

  6. Harken
    Posted April 12, 2011 at 4:45 AM | Permalink

    You actually earned your Wanged achievement some time ago. This is the first comic they’ve done about the books but a quick Google search reveals a PA blog post back in March of 2010 titled The Name of the Wind.

    Just thought I’d point it out in case it escaped your notice.

    http://www.penny-arcade.com/2010/3/3/

  7. Flugenblarg
    Posted April 12, 2011 at 5:18 AM | Permalink

    My gut reaction to reading the comic was that the last panel was a joke at first but then my brain went “Oh shit he DID have sex with two ninjas.”, made the comic even funnier.

  8. Posted April 12, 2011 at 6:20 AM | Permalink

    My first reaction was that I had mentioned you in my webcomic, too. I should send Patrick a link I thought. I’m a huge fan. Don’t bother my friend Abby told me. She had already posted a link to my webcomic on your facebook page.

    And it was deleted immediately like a Nigerian money laundering scam.

    It was a tribute. Love the books. Thought you would enjoy it. I will make sure that none of my 5 fans ever post it on your wall again.

    Gary

  9. Marcus Cox
    Posted April 12, 2011 at 6:25 AM | Permalink

    Normally I’m not one to do this, but my god the first line of this blog is kind of redundant.

    Anyway, congrats on Kvothe showing up in PA (my phone has finally stopped auto-correcting Kvothe! I don’t know if that its a good or a bad thing but hurray anyway!). Also it felt strange sending a 5:30 am text warning my buddy who is still is reading the book to avoid the comic. It was already too late at that point.

    • spoonyspork
      Posted April 12, 2011 at 7:59 AM | Permalink

      My phone auto-completes ‘th’ to ‘thundercats’ and ‘pe’ to ‘penis’. I must be having some pretty epic text conversations in my sleep, because I have never actually used either of those words in a text as far as I know XD I wonder how long it would take to teach it Kvothe…

      As far as the comic… I’m really not prudish, but this one made me go ‘o.O’ … then my husband did the same thing and asked me what the heck kind of books I’ve started reading. Just as I had him almost convinced to read them, too :(

      • Thomas Witherspoon
        Posted April 12, 2011 at 12:21 PM | Permalink

        What husband wouldn’t want to read an adventure book with a primal lust goddess in it?

        • spoonyspork
          Posted April 12, 2011 at 12:39 PM | Permalink

          Husbands that don’t like trashy romance novels XD

          Probably doesn’t help that at one point while reading he tried to get all snuggly with me and I’m like ‘Gaaaah, not right now. Kvothe is taming a succubus – it’d be too weird’ … between that and the comic I’m sure he’s convinced I’m trying to make him read some kind of trashy fanfic-ish romance.

          He’s as big a reader as I, but for Sci-Fi instead of Fantasy. He’s only ever read a handful of fantasy and only actually enjoyed a couple of them. Convincing him to read these isn’t easy. >.<

          • Matt
            Posted April 12, 2011 at 8:25 PM | Permalink

            If it will help, tell him there’s at least one other guy out there who isn’t a fantasy fan, but loves the Kingkiller Chronicle. I read lots and lots of science fiction, but very little fantasy. In the bookstore I’ll occasionally pick up a fantasy novel, read the first few pages to get a sample of the writing, then put it back down with a bad taste in my mouth. The genre is brimming over with hacks recycling Tolkien’s themes in awkward, artificially archaic prose.

            But Patrick Rothfuss ain’t no hack. Pat’s work is original, subtle, beautiful. The surface layer is great fun, and all the hidden layers reward careful reading. The books are good enough to make this sci-fi snob forget that I’m supposed to hate fantasy.

          • spoonyspork
            Posted April 12, 2011 at 10:15 PM | Permalink

            @Matt

            That’s *exactly* what he thinks about fantasy. He likes Tolkien and ‘high’ fantasy (and is an avid D&D gamer) just fine but finds most of it to be cheap rip-offs at best. I somewhat agree, but love the genre anyway. I’m certain he’d love it if he’d give it a chance XD

  10. Widow Of Sirius
    Posted April 12, 2011 at 6:25 AM | Permalink

    Beautiful. I checked it out yesterday morning, and I had a good belly laugh.

  11. PiousMonk83
    Posted April 12, 2011 at 7:28 AM | Permalink

    bwahahahahaha! i’m pretty sure i extrapolated ‘thousand palms’ technique in the 10th grade, but i digress . . .

  12. Posted April 12, 2011 at 8:09 AM | Permalink

    Dammit! Penny Arcade is blocked at work. I have to wait 9 hours to find out what it says! Bastards.

  13. jaepingsu
    Posted April 12, 2011 at 8:28 AM | Permalink

    Congrats, Pat! And thanks for linking–I haven’t read Penny Arcade for a few years, so I would have missed this gem!

  14. signalvsnoise
    Posted April 12, 2011 at 9:13 AM | Permalink

    I… I don’t understand. What part of that comic is satire or “making fun”? It’s just accurate. I read it as more of an advertisement for the series. “This is how awesome this character is written. Go read it now”

  15. Sedated2000
    Posted April 12, 2011 at 9:36 AM | Permalink

    @Pat Is the character “Benjamin” in there for Oot?

  16. Posted April 12, 2011 at 10:44 AM | Permalink

    Did anyone notice that Kvothe is a highschool aged kid? Teenaged hormones, Fairy Whore moans and impressive musical talent: even without the magical genius the boy would be jumping everything he could. Nothing satire worthy there.

    Becoming a statesman and leader of mercenaries so young? That might be a stretch. But this is fantasy.

  17. Constance
    Posted April 12, 2011 at 11:20 AM | Permalink

    After the LA reading, all I can imagine in the 3rd panel is Kvothe saying ‘Good Girl,’ in a southern drawl.

  18. Canfu
    Posted April 12, 2011 at 12:01 PM | Permalink

    Congratulations Pat!

    At the Seattle reading you mentioned that your editor asked you to expand on certain areas in book 2- While reading, I was pretty sure I could tell which areas those were (and Mike reminded me with his critique). The book felt a little like the “director’s cut,” which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Wish I could have gotten an ARC to see if I was right!

  19. beks
    Posted April 12, 2011 at 3:16 PM | Permalink

    I had the immense pleasure of attending the reading/debate at Skylight Books in LA last week. It was wonderful to meet you Pat! I’m afraid I was uncharacteristically shy and therefore unable to bring myself to adequately express how much I enjoy your writing. Not only do you create incredible stories, but your prose is a unique pleasure in itself. Thank you for writing! I look forward to many years of reading your words : )

    Beks

  20. AO_22
    Posted April 12, 2011 at 9:31 PM | Permalink

    I liked it, but think that it could have been even better with a few minor changes. I would have kept the same pics and much of the same dialogue, but titled it “Why you should learn the Lethani”. Here’s my revised dialogue.

    Pic 1: “Is learning sexomancy from a primal sex goddess of the Lethani”?

    Pic 2: ” Is emerging from the fae realm with explicit instructions to conquer all women, everywhere with a suite of supernatural “manuevers” beyond mortal imagining of the Lethani”?

    Pic 3: “Is having sex with two ninjas of the Lethani”?

    Cut to small pic of a smiling Kvothe: “Indeed it is”.

    The comic would end with a small caption: “The Lethani. What else do you need to know”?

  21. jurble
    Posted April 12, 2011 at 11:03 PM | Permalink

    Hey Mr. Rothfuss someone the ASoIaF forums discovered something:

    **Warning to peoples, there be spoilers in the thread, though this exact post, only sorta, since it’s speculation**
    http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/topic/48507-the-wise-mans-fear-iii-spoilers-and-speculation-within/page__view__findpost__p__2426911

  22. JBSC78
    Posted April 13, 2011 at 12:52 AM | Permalink

    Funny comic… but they are missing the underlining of it all.
    The much awaited betrayal.
    Her eyes are as dark as coffee…
    not all of the seven have been mentioned.

    cheers,
    delayed reaction

  23. Rien1034
    Posted April 14, 2011 at 12:37 PM | Permalink

    Pat,

    Not to be “that guy”…but…you’ve already unlocked that achievement.

    http://www.penny-arcade.com/2010/3/3/

    Still…it’s a mighty achievement to have unlocked. I think you’ve actually hit it 3 times. You should get a bonus round.

  24. ide
    Posted May 7, 2011 at 4:08 AM | Permalink

    Patrick, Enjoyed your “Name of the Wind” and “Wise Mans Fear” very much. When will your third book be available? Will there be a fourth?
    Best regards,
    Ide (France)

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