About a month after September 11, many people were delighted, some shocked, and not a few offended to find someone had forwarded them the latest exponentially spreading Web phenomenon: an online comic strip starring a handful of savagely sarcastic office workers engaged in flippant and profane discussions about the current events of the time.
The first panels featured a clip art representation of a Dan Quayle-ish business executive intoning over the phone, "Oh yeah! Operation Enduring Freedom is in the house!" The response from his clip-art compatriot, an equally dapper African American on the other end of the line, repeats the line and adds some extra punch better not repeated here.
Thus the tone was set for "Get Your War On," a comic strip the New York Times has called "a textbook illustration of the viral reach of the Web." The vaunted paper titled the article, "Like Dilbert, but Subversive and Online." And in case you haven't already gotten the idea, we'd like to warn you: If you're uncomfortable with subversive and online, don't venture further.
"Get You War On" has since spawned two book collections, a regular run in "Rolling Stone," and a theatrical play. The satirist behind this Internet success story is 35-year old David Rees, a former temp worker who had created a pair of absurdist comic strips before September 11th jolted him into more controversial—and politically relevant—territory. David recently answered some questions for us over email. Read the full profile...
Filed under: Comics, Political Humor, Yahoo! Picks Profiles
A lot of amateur comic strips have emerged on the Web lo these cyber-years, but this one's especially clever. Sub-titled "Your all-inclusive guide to a well-lived life," Scott Meyer's simple paneled strips take the form of a "how-to." Meyer's expertise knows no limits, so you'll find advice for all of life's condundrums. From relationship tips, such as how to share a movie you love with the person you love, to health information, like how to quit drinking caffeine, to self-referential social pointers, such as how to make up to a friend you've insulted in your comic, you'll find everything you need to navigate existence in laugh-out-loud style. A few more gems:
Last week, The New York Times flung open the gates to its once restricted "Times Select" program. Since then, we've indulged in many excursions among the treasure contained within. One of our most cherished finds so far is Mixed Emotions, a comics blog from Israeli artist and illustrator Rutu Modan.
Rutu's blog launched in May and currently features just three entries—Queen of the Scottish Fairies, The Most Popular Girl in Warsaw, and A Family Bargain. (Shouldn't there be more?) The storytelling and drawings are so irresistible, though, and Rutu's use of the web format so intriguing, that we wanted to feature her in our Profiles series.
Unfortunately, we weren't able to get in touch with Rutu for an interview. However, there are things we know about her already. Her newest book, the graphic novel "Exit Wounds," follows a Tel Aviv cab driver in search of his father. (It's been met with glowing reviews.) She co-founded the Israeli comics collective Actus Tragicus, and once served as editor of the Israeli edition of MAD magazine. Read the full profile...
Filed under: Blogs, Comics, Humor, Drawing, Yahoo! Picks Profiles
When we discovered the web comic The Adventures of Dr. McNinja last year, writer and artist Chris Hastings had completed three installments. Now, another six episodes sit aside those early tales. When we checked in with Chris, he told us what's next for his sword-weilding surgeon (or podiatrist or dentist), what it's like to have a Wikipedia entry, and what he thinks of comics today...
Hi Chris. It sounds like a Dr. McNinja book is on the way. Who's publishing it and how did it come about?
I'm publishing it myself, and it came about just because people have been asking for it. I'm shocked how many people want to pay for what I'm giving them online for free.
How old are you anyway?
I just turned 24, but I came up with Dr. McNinja when I was 19.
Are you and your inker, Kent Archer, still roommates?
We sure are! Kent is upstairs, and I live in the basement.
Who wrote the Wikipedia entry, do you know?
I have no idea who wrote the Wikipedia entry. I know it was at least three or four people, but it could have been more. What weirds me out about the Wikipedia thing is that it mentions I named Dr. McNinja's brother after my brother, and I can't remember when I ever said this publicly. Read the full profile...
Filed under: Martial Arts, Comics, Yahoo! Picks Profiles
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