The Comic Villain Principle

The flipside to the hope principle relates to antagonists and is comprised of the following elements: a villain is impeded by a minor obstacle. He overreacts and is doubly punished as a result. The no-hoper principle complies with the law of inverse significance: comic characters attribute vast importance to trivial things, and treat important things…

COMIC ARCHETYPES

‘Just because it’s ancient doesn’t mean it’s old.’ If you’re not sure where to start with a certain character or combination of characters, comic archetypes may provide a base from which to build. Many of these tried-and-true characters populate comedies of all kinds. Archetypes are familiar, perhaps, but that can work for you. To avoid…