Midtoon Releases Three Polls at One Time!

The Midtoon Herald, 6/17/2009

In an unprecedented move, the Creators of the MIDTOON Reality Comic Strip are running three polls this week. One of the polls is about feminine preferences between Mario and Erik. We took to the streets to ask people what they thought.

"We don't know exactly where they are trying to go with this," said Matt Rubhard, from Lakeview Street. "Readers are suppossed to choose one of the boys, but the poll doesn't say what it is for, so I'm very hesitant to cast a vote."

"I am not going to lie," added a female who asked us to keep her name private. "My favorite is Erik. I see him every day and I think he's handsome. It is a pity he's like 10 years younger than me."

"I don't like any of them," said a young mother from Pacifica Drive. "Both of them are losers."

Well, it appears that people have strong opinions about the issue. It is still to be seen if the opinions translate into votes.

"We are having less votes than usual," admitted Midtoon Executive Producer, Neftali Rivera from his office in Westfield Road. "We wish that more people would become aware of the fact that the strip will take the direction that the votes imply, but we guess that it may take time for people to get used to the idea that their choices DIRECT the comic."

The other two polls available on the site are more of a preference survey as to what matters most in a comic strip. One of the polls gives people the opportunity to select various items that matter to them, while the next asks them to select only one.

It is interesting that the two factors that seem to be winning on the multiple choice question are nowhere near the top when people have to choose only one.

"The indication is very unclear," said Dr. Nicholas Wyland, from the Midtoon Institute of Statistics and other Useless Facts (MISUF). "It appears that a couple of factors are very common for people, but are not usually their most important factor. When Asked to choose several, various people mention them, but when choosing ONE, they choose something else."

MISUF has been following trends in Midtoon Polls for quite a while now, so they probably know what they are talking about.

This reporter is glad to be back from vacation, Midtoon is not the same without her.

COPYRIGHT 2009 DISSASOCIATED PRESS, ALL RIGHT RESERVED

Voters Baffled by Economic Options

The Midtoon Herald, February 20, 2009

For the first time since Midtoon's inception, few voters are participating in this week's poll. We took to the street and asked some residents what reasons could be behind the marked reduction in participation.

"Midtoon sucks," said Mario, a teenager from Midtoon High, who says he is Erik's best friend. "Look, let's be honest about it. They got it all wrong. Erik is not a suitable main character for this strip. I am."

When asked why, if he is Erik's best friend, he has yet to appear on the strip, he simply said that "Maybe Erik is waiting to introduce me at the right time, or perhaps he is afraid I will take the spotlight from him."

Whatever the reason, it doesn't seem like Mario will be making an appearance any time soon, so we better get to the matter at hand.

"The people are burned out by this economic crisis," said Ann Lovely, and elementary school teacher. "They read comic strips to escape their harsh reality, at least for a few seconds. If the strip reminds them of their life problems, then it is not a real escape. What they have to do is make it less real."

Not everyone agreed with Ms. Lovely, though. Hashish Malik, an employee of City Hall, said that "If the story is not real, it does not resonate with the readers. The readers need to identify themselves with the characters, or they will go watch a movie or something instead of spending their precious time reading the strip. What they have to do is make it more realistic."

We took the liberty of presenting the suggestions to John Campos, who assured us that they will follow them. When asked which one they would follow, he responded "both of them. I do not see any contradiction in making the strip less realistic while making it more realistic. You see? It is so logical that it would make no sense to take time to explain it."

This reporter is also baffled... What do you think?

Disassociated Press