xkcd and Greek Myth

Intention

The purpose of this project was to mimic the methods of Warhol and M.B.W. by creating works using elements that are not my own. I had wanted to make a piece that didn't have a deep meaning, but instead was good for a laugh. In addition, the work would need to be able to be sold for money.

Context

I've always enjoyed the webcomic xkcd by Randall Munroe, so I decided I'd "steal" my favorite character from his comics and have him react to a situation of my creation. That character happens to be Beret Guy, who's only distinguishing visual characteristic in the stick figure comic is his white beret. He often introduces an element of whimsy and absurdity to comics, so I used him to ruin a particularly dire situation with humor. 

Process

Some of the most dire situations imaginable were created in Greek myths as punishments in the afterlife. I chose to take the myth of Sisyphus and have Beret Guy call the effectiveness of his punishment into question. The myth itself leaves much to be explained and many people have written about its ramifications in philosophy or psychology. However, few have bothered to ask why Sisyphus would even bother.

Product

Using Inkscape and a touch pad, I added the image of beret guy taken from several xkcd comics to some of my own crude drawings. Beret Guy questions why he would roll the rock up the mountain, seeing as he has no reason to believe this will help him. In addition, if his punishment will be a similar task, he has little reason to fear Hades at all. 

Critique

The comic is in no way visually appealing. The style of the "stolen" content does not mesh well with my mediocre scribbles. Looking back, Impact may not have been the best font for a silly character. However, I believe I captured Beret Guy's absurdity in his dialogue and actions. It got a small chuckle out of my roommate, so it was funny to at least one person. 

Reflection

I would definitely change the font I used for Beret Guy's speech into something that matches his personality better. Not quite Comic Sans, but something along those lines. I would also use a tablet to get neater drawings when adding my own content. Experience with a pencil does not translate to a laptop touch pad very well.

Given the nature of webcomics, many of which result in financial success without much technical artistic skill, I could conceivably make money with this work. I would need to create similar pieces almost daily, post them to a website of my own, and incorporate advertisements into that website in order to make money from this, but it could conceivably happen.