Black Humor?

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AllFicGenresMJR1

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I'm writing this book where the bad guy turns to a good guys, but his humor is still kind of evil. I want to have him use black humor, but I can't seem to do that without having the audience think he's mean. Any tips?
 

colebooks

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i think if it can be done in a way when it works it doesn't matter,just make the MC likable
 

RookieWriter

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The key with black humor is to make sure the jokes are funny and smart, not just mean. If the jokes don't work then the comic comes across as an a-hole and the audience will hate him/her. There is a market for black comedy but it has to be done well because the risk of it failing is more dangerous than clean humor.
 

BoltzmannBrain

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I think the key is to go so over the top with the black humor that it becomes clear it must be meant as a joke. TvTropes calls this "Crossing the line twice".
 

Wilde_at_heart

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i think if it can be done in a way when it works it doesn't matter,just make the MC likable

An MC doesn't have to be likable so much as interesting. Of course, he or she can't be completely awful either and the trick sometimes is to make the 'victims' even more obnoxious.

The other thing to do is consider what you get away with when out with friends, if your humour is dark in real life as well. Do they mostly laugh at what you say, or are you usually met with awkward silences?
 
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Waldo

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Humor is tough. You need to develop your shorthand. A good place to go is tvtropes.com. On the downside it is easy to get lost there.
Is your problem regarding revenge? Revenge is a hot topic in movies.

How do you use other characters to frame the gags? A son and a daughter yelling expletives at each other isn't funny without the parent's jaws dropping as they realize that they have to watch what they say in front of the children.

Also, have you made an effort to develop sympathy for the antihero MC? Gotta to go...
 

Boris Alenin

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Black humor needs to be clever. What makes black humor funny is that it takes a moment for your brain to process it. Here's a rather extreme example. (sorry if this offends anyone)
Q. Where was the boy when his house exploded?
A. Everywhere.

It may be horrible, but I bet it got you to laugh.
 
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