Something Positive - Setting and Storyline

Setting and Storyline

The main cast lives in some unspecified location in Boston, the MacIntire family lives in Bedford, Texas, and Monette has recently moved with Lisa to West Hollywood, California. The comic will often switch between these locations, with related story lines, as well as go back in time. This most often occurs with the MacIntires and the earlier life of Davan, but has happened to explain the circumstances that brought the main three characters together. S*P has done multiple crossovers with Queen of Wands, the first of which involved a baby-sitting mishap with Choo-Choo Bear, one with Scandal Sheet!, and more recently one with Girls With Slingshots. Milholland has been known to use his comic as a forum for responding to irritating email, and has more than once satirized his own comic in the process of making a point. Many targets and groups are mocked- opinions Milholland himself disrespects are usually derided in-comic.

S*P is largely based on the personal experiences of the cartoonist. All of the main cast has some real life basis: many of them are directly based on real people, while others combine qualities from multiple specific people. According to the FAQ, around 65-70% of the comic is based on real life experiences, although toward the beginning it was closer to 90%. However, Milholland has recently commented that the characters now have only the barest relation to the people they were once based on. Moreover, the character's opinions are not his own. He has stated "I find it funny when detractors claim Davan is who I think people should be and is "cool" - it proves they've never spoken to me or done a bit of research. Davan's an asshole and a lot of the misery he's gone through, he brought on himself."

Unlike many webcomics featuring players of role-playing games, it is not a gaming comic. The gamers that do appear are usually stereotypical D&D nerds (when Milholland does publish a gag D&D monster, it is in the 3rd edition format), who cannot function socially — but others do appear who are portrayed more positively.

Storylines revolving around low-budget or no-budget theater are also common, some drawing on Milholland's experiences in the Boston theater scene. Most notorious among these was the storyline about Nailed!, a musical about the crucifixion of Jesus in the vein of Jesus Christ Superstar, but done in a manner which is irreverent and highly offensive (including a scene where Mary Magdalene does a pole dance on the cross). Many of the secondary Boston characters are loosely based on people in Boston's improvisational theater and sketch comedy community.

S*P, unlike many comic strips with their episodic "gag-a-day" format, takes a linear, storyline-based approach. Subject matter ranges from the main characters' adventures (both present and past) to contemporary commentary to political statements, and often makes its points in scathing and offensive fashion: for instance, in the debut strip, the strip's main character offers his opinion of an ex-girlfriend by giving her a coat hanger as a baby shower present (alluding to its use as an instrument in back-street abortions). However, the strong friendships shared by the main characters inject occasional bouts of hope (and certainly have greater dramatic impact through their rarity).

A major theme in the comic is romance and relationships. The vast majority of the cast is either unlucky in love (particularly Davan, as his only 'good' relationship ended when Branwen moved away), in sometimes strained relationships (Monette and Lisa have had several trials and tribulations), or happy together in spite of each other (Fred and Faye had a wonderful, if sometimes sarcastic, relationship, and Aubrey and Jason have a marriage that seems similar to Fred and Faye's relationship). Most romantic dalliances, however, end badly.