MS Paint Adventures
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MS Paint Adventures
| MS Paint Adventures | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | Andrew Hussie |
| Website | mspaintadventures.com |
| Current status / schedule | Active. No fixed schedule; typically updates with several new pages per day. |
| Launch date | 2006 |
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure, puzzle, comedy-drama, science fiction |
MS Paint Adventures is a collection of webcomics written and illustrated by Andrew Hussie.[1] Because of the frequency with which the site is updated, MS Paint Adventures is estimated to be the longest comic on the Internet, with nearly 7000 pages total among its four series.[2][3]
The comics are written in serials, or "adventures", in a manner that parodies interactive fiction games.[3] The characters' actions were originally driven by commands suggested by fans in the comics' official forum, but fan suggestions were eventually abandoned due to the size of the fanbase and the author's desire to tell a more coherent story.[4] The comics tend to draw inspiration from video games, imitating and parodying genres such as RPGs and simulation games.[5] Despite its name, the comic is created primarily in Adobe Photoshop, not Microsoft Paint;[4] over time, the comic has evolved from simply using static images and captions to incorporate animations, music, and occasionally interactive games using Flash.[2]
The current adventure, Homestuck, has given rise to a large fan community as made evident by the increasing amount of fan art[6] and cosplay at comic book conventions.[7] The rapid rise in the popularity of Homestuck has led to its recognition at the Toronto Comics Art Festival two years running,[8] and it currently averages over 600,000 unique views daily.[3]
MS Paint Adventures is one of many webcomics which supports its author financially, by selling merchandise on the online store TopatoCo[9] as well the site's store and record label.[10]
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Contents
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Adventures
Early adventures
Jailbreak, the first adventure written by Andrew Hussie, was conceived as a forum game following an unnamed man as he attempts to escape from a prison cell.[3] It was only drawn to a vague conclusion, and Hussie views it to be unfinished, but also thinks that it is fine that way. The main issue with Jailbreak was that it was created entirely on a forum, before the real MSPA site was made, and the first suggestion anyone posted was taken, however ridiculous, and this led to a very rambling and haphazard story line. [11]
The second adventure, Bard Quest, featured multiple, branching paths rather than a single linear storyline. It was the first adventure to be hosted on its own website, but was ultimately left unfinished due to the difficulty Hussie faced in maintaining the complex web of branching storylines.[12] Bard Quest was updated from June 12, 2007 to July 6, 2007 upon which the site was left on hiatus.[13]
Problem Sleuth
A parody of interactive fiction games and the film noir genre, Problem Sleuth began by presenting three detectives who are attempting to escape from their respective offices, though the story quickly turned into a pastiche of video games and science fiction.[4] Unlike its predecessors, Problem Sleuth featured a complete story with a proper ending and ran from March 10, 2008 to April 7, 2009.[14]
Homestuck
Homestuck, the current adventure, began on April 13, 2009, and follows four kids as they play a reality-altering video game that brings about the end of the world.[2] As in Problem Sleuth, the adventure is characterised by time travel, mystery, and a complex fictional universe. Differences with previous stories include an emphasis on contemporary society, such as online gaming and Internet culture, which contrasts with the historical settings of Bard Quest and Problem Sleuth.[4] This comic also features characters known as "trolls", aliens whose designs are based on Greek Zodiac symbols.[7]
Unlike the previous adventures, which exclusively used GIF images for animation, this adventure introduced the use of complex Flash animations and games, many of them involving music provided by various artists.[15] Eight major soundtrack albums have been released under the comic's own record label What Pumpkin[10][3], with twelve side albums also having been produced.
Homestuck is by far the most popular comic in the MS Paint Adventures series. At times, the sheer volume of traffic the comic takes in can overwhelm the website's servers; in order to avoid this when uploading a particularly important Flash animation, Hussie asked another website, Newgrounds, to host it for him – however, that site was also crashed under the comic's traffic. Afterward, Hussie apologized using his Twitter and said that the animation would be available for download on the website Megaupload. Even then, the traffic to Megaupload crashed that website as well. [16] The comic brought the song I'm A Member Of The Midnight Crew by Eddie Morton to internet fame.
See also
References
- ^ Krell, Jason (September 22, 2010). "MS Paint Adventures provides online fun". Arizona Daily Wildcat. University of Arizona. http://www.wildcat.arizona.edu/index.php/article/2010/09/ms_paint_adventures_provides_online_fun. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
- ^ a b c McGown, Justin (October 17, 2011). "Homestuck fans prepare for webcomic release". The Tartan. Carnegie Mellon. http://thetartan.org/2011/10/17/pillbox/comics. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e Baio, Andy (November 9, 2011). "Arcade Improv: Humans Pretending to Be Videogames". Kotaku. http://kotaku.com/5858062/arcade-improv-humans-pretending-to-be-videogames. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
- ^ a b c d Meeks, Elijah (December 3, 2010). "Interview with Andrew Hussie, Creator of Homestuck". Digital Humanities Specialist. Stanford University Libraries & Academic Information Resources. https://dhs.stanford.edu/social-media-literacy/interview-with-andrew-hussie-creator-of-homestuck/. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
- ^ Weiler, Lance (January 25, 2009). "How Problem Sleuth Turns a Comic Into a Game". Culture Hacker. WorkBook Project. http://workbookproject.com/blog/2009/01/25/culture-hacker-how-problem-sleuth-turns-a-comic-into-a-game/. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
- ^ Price, Ada (October 19, 2011). "Manga at NYCC 2011: Viz, Yen Press, Kodansha, Vertical and 'Homestuck'". Publishers Weekly. http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/digital/content-and-e-books/article/49170-manga-at-nycc-2011-viz-yen-press-kodansha-vertical-and-homestuck-.html. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
- ^ a b Christodoulides, Alex (October 16, 2011). "Geeks in disguise: New York Comic Con enthusiasts take costumes to extreme ahead of Halloween". New York Daily News. Mortimer Zuckerman. http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011-10-16/local/30303666_1_costumes-dynamic-duo-proton-pack. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
- ^ "Update: New Exhibitors at TCAF, New Books, and some Cancellations!", Toronto Comics Art Festival website. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
- ^ Chen, Jialu (August 2, 2011). "See you in the funny pages". Boston.com. The New York Times Company. http://articles.boston.com/2011-08-02/lifestyle/29843469_1_comic-strip-creators-webcomics-diesel-sweeties/3. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
- ^ a b What Pumpkin
- ^ http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?viewpage=new
- ^ http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?viewpage=new
- ^ http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?viewlog=2
- ^ http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?viewlog=4
- ^ http://www.mspaintadventures.com/soundcredits.html
- ^ Scharfenstein, Ben (October 27, 2011). "Eager fans cause site to crash as they attempt to view webcomic". The Bulldog Bark. http://www.thebulldogbark.net/entertainment/2011/10/27/eager-fans-cause-site-to-crash-as-they-attempt-to-view-webcomic/. Retrieved April 21, 2012.
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