The Perry Bible Fellowship comics, created by Nicholas Gurewitch, are a unique and twisted take on the world of comics. With a mix of dark humor, absurdity, and satirical commentary, the PBF comics have amassed a devoted following since its debut in 2001. In this article, we will delve into the twisted mind of Nicholas Gurewitch and explore the fascinating and often controversial world of The Perry Bible Fellowship comics.
From its early days as a college strip to its current status as a cult classic, we will look at the impact and legacy of this one-of-a-kind comic strip. So, join us as we uncover the darkly hilarious world of The Perry Bible Fellowship.
From traditional to modern comics
Webtoons and webcomics are digital comics that are primarily read online. You can find them on various platforms, such as websites, mobile apps, and social media. The format of webtoons is vertical, which is different from traditional comics, which are read horizontally.
This allows for a more immersive reading experience on mobile devices. Webtoons and webcomics have become increasingly popular in recent years, particularly in Asia. Many popular webtoons are now being adapted into TV dramas, films, and even video games.
Diverse story-telling
One of the reasons for the popularity of webtoons and webcomics is the convenience of being able to read them on mobile devices, making them accessible to a wide range of readers.
Webtoons and webcomics also allow for more diverse story-telling as they are not limited by the traditional constraints of print comics. This has led to the emergence of a wide range of genres, including fantasy, romance, and horror.
Free to read
Webtoons and webcomics often feature diverse characters and perspectives, which appeals to readers looking for representation in the stories they read.
Another advantage of webtoons and webcomics is that they are often free to read, which makes them accessible to readers who may not have the financial means to purchase print comics.
Keeping readers engaged
Many webtoons and webcomics are also serialized, which means that new chapters are released on a regular basis, keeping readers engaged and invested in the story.
However, webtoons and webcomics also have their own set of challenges. One issue is the lack of copyright protection for webtoons and webcomics, which can lead to piracy and loss of revenue for creators.
Popularity continues to grow
Additionally, webtoons and webcomics often rely on advertisement and sponsorships for revenue, which can lead to a lack of creative freedom for creators.
Despite these challenges, the popularity of webtoons and webcomics continues to grow. Many creators have found success in self-publishing their comics online, and platforms such as Tapas, Webtoons, and Line Webtoon have emerged as popular destinations for readers to discover new comics.
A cultural phenomenon
In South Korea, webtoons have become a cultural phenomenon, with many popular webtoons being adapted into TV dramas, films, and even video games. In addition to this, the Korean government has recognized the potential of the webtoon industry. It has provided support for the development and export of webtoons.
Other countries in Asia, such as China, Japan, and Thailand, have also seen the rise of webtoons and webcomics, with many popular comics being translated and distributed internationally.
Looking ahead
In conclusion, webtoons and webcomics have become an important part of the comics industry, offering a new and exciting way for creators to tell stories and for readers to discover and enjoy comics.
While there are challenges that come with the digital format, the popularity and success of webtoons and webcomics continue to grow. It will be interesting to see how the industry will evolve in the future.
A blend of dark humor, satire, and surrealism
One great example to illustrate what you’ve read so far is The Perry Bible Fellowship (PBF), a popular webtoon created by American cartoonist Nicholas Gurewitch. The webtoon features a unique blend of dark humor, satire, and surrealism. It is known for its distinct art style and offbeat story-telling.
The Perry Bible Fellowship webtoon first began as a newspaper comic strip in 1999. It was later collected and published in book form in 2001.
Thought-provoking and entertaining
The online version of the webtoon truly brought it to a wider audience. The webtoon has been featured on various websites such as LiveJournal and MySpace before finally finding its home on the official PBF website.
The webtoon is known for its eclectic and often absurdist humor, which is often dark and satirical in nature. It often tackles serious topics such as death, religion, and politics. Still, it does so in a way that is both thought-provoking and entertaining.
Offbeat feel
The webtoon also features a wide range of characters and settings, from talking animals to mad scientists to alternate dimensions.
One of the distinctive features of The Perry Bible Fellowship is its art style. The webtoon is drawn in a minimalist, cartoonish, simple, and expressive style. The comic often features a limited color palette, which adds to the surreal and offbeat feel of the webtoon.
It won multiple awards
The Perry Bible Fellowship webtoon has been praised for its originality and creativity. The webtoon has won numerous awards, including the Eisner Award for Best Humor Publication in 2008.
The webtoon has also been featured in various publications, such as The New York Times, The Guardian, and The Huffington Post. Despite its popularity, the webtoon has been on hiatus since 2010, with the creator Nicholas Gurewitch stating that he wants to focus on other projects.
A devoted following
However, PBF remains available for readers to enjoy on the official website. It continues to be a cult classic among fans.
In conclusion, The Perry Bible Fellowship is a unique and innovative webtoon that has won critical acclaim and a devoted following. The webtoon’s blend of dark humor, satire, and surrealism, along with its distinctive art style and offbeat story-telling, make it a standout in the world of webcomics.
Most original cartoonists
Even though the webtoon is on hiatus, the comics remain available and continue to entertain readers with their absurd and thought-provoking humor.
Nicholas Gurewitch is an American cartoonist and artist best known for creating The Perry Bible Fellowship. Gurewitch began his career as a cartoonist in the late 1990s and has since established himself as one of his generation’s most original and talented cartoonists.
It began with a newspaper comic strip
Gurewitch first began his career as a cartoonist with the newspaper comic strip The Perry Bible Fellowship. The strip was later collected and published in book form in 2001. However, the online version of the webtoon truly brought it to a broader audience.
The webtoon has been featured on various websites such as LiveJournal and MySpace before finally finding its home on the official PBF website.
Inventiveness and imagination
One of the hallmarks of Gurewitch’s work is his unique blend of dark humor, satire, and surrealism. The webtoon often tackles serious topics such as death, religion, and politics. Still, it does so in a unique, thought-provoking, and amusing way. Gurewitch’s work has been praised for its inventiveness and imagination and has won many awards, including the Eisner Award for Best Humor Publication in 2008.
In addition to his work on The Perry Bible Fellowship, Gurewitch has also contributed to various other publications, such as The New York Times, The Guardian, and The Huffington Post.
Expanding Horizons of PBF
The Perry Bible Fellowship, while continuing its legacy of offbeat and darkly humorous comic strips, seems to be taking a multi-faceted approach to its future endeavors. Nicholas Gurewitch, the creator, has been involved in various creative projects outside of the comic world, including scriptwriting for TV shows and feature films.
Although there has been talk of new comic strips being posted “soonish,” the focus appears to be on quality over quantity, with a dedication to ensuring each piece is as special as possible.
Both simple and expressive
He has also released several other comic books, such as “The Trial of Colonel Sweeto and Other Stories” and “The Curse of the Umbrella.”
Gurewitch’s art style is also worth mentioning; his comic is drawn in a minimalist, cartoonish style that is both simple and expressive. The cartoon often features a narrow color palette, adding to the webtoon’s surreal and offbeat feel. Despite his success as a cartoonist, Gurewitch has remained a relatively private individual, shying away from publicity and interviews.
Influential figure
The Perry Bible Fellowship webtoon went on suspension in 2010. In conclusion, Nicholas Gurewitch is a talented and accomplished cartoonist and artist known for his unique mixture of shady humor, sarcasm, and surrealism.
His work on The Perry Bible Fellowship has won critical acclaim and a devoted following, making him one of his generation’s most original and innovative cartoonists. Even though the webtoon is on pause, Gurewitch continues to be an influential figure in the world of comics, and his comics remain unrestricted for readers to enjoy.
The Web Cartoonists’ Choice Awards
As we said earlier, PBF won 4 awards which we will introduce to you one by one. The first one is The Web Cartoonists’ Choice Awards, Also known as the WCCAs, which is an annual awards ceremony that honors the best in webcomics. The awards were established in 2005 by cartoonist Brad Guigar and are voted on by webcomic creators and fans. The awards are divided into several categories: Best Long Form, Best Short Form, Best Ongoing, and Best Newcomer.
There are also awards for Best Art, Best Writing, and Best Use of Color. The categories are designed to recognize a wide range of webcomics, from traditional comic strip formats to more experimental works.
Focuses on independent and alternative comics
One of the notable things about the WCCAs is that the awards are voted on by webcomic creators. This means that the awards are seen as a way for webcomic creators to recognize and honor their peers rather than being handed out by a panel of judges or industry experts.
The WCCAs have been held annually since their inception in 2005 and have grown in popularity over the years. Many well-known webcomic creators, including Scott Kurtz, Ryan North, and Kate Beaton, have received awards. The awards ceremony is held in conjunction with the Small Press Expo. This annual comics convention focuses on independent and alternative comics.
Grown in popularity
To conclude, the Web Cartoonists’ Choice Awards (WCCAs) is an annual ceremony that honors the best in webcomics. It was established in 2005 by cartoonist Brad Guigar and is voted on by webcomic creators and fans. The awards are divided into several categories: Best Long Form, Best Short Form, Best Ongoing, and Best Newcomer.
There are also awards for Best Art, Best Writing, and Best Use of Color; this way, the awards are seen as a way for webcomic creators to recognize and honor their peers. The WCCAs have been held annually since their inception in 2005. They have grown in popularity over the years, becoming a must-attend event for webcomic creators.
The Ignatz Awards
Ignatz Awards is an annual ceremony that honors the best in independent comics and is also awarded to PBF. The awards are named after George Herriman’s comic strip character Krazy Kat. They are presented at the Small Press Expo (SPX), an annual comics convention focusing on independent and alternative comics.
The awards were first established in 1997 and are voted on by a panel of five judges consisting of cartoonists, critics, and retailers. The awards are divided into several categories: Outstanding Artist, Outstanding Graphic Novel, Outstanding Story, and Promising New Talent. There is also an award for Outstanding Series, which recognizes a comic that has been consistently excellent over a while.
Creators and fans gather
One of the unique things about the Ignatz Awards is that they are presented as a brick about Krazy Kat’s recurring weapon of choice. The awards are seen as a way to recognize and honor the best in independent comics and have become a respected and sought-after accolade in the industry.
Many well-known independent comic creators have received Ignatz Awards over the years, including Alison Bechdel, Joe Sacco, and Gene Luen Yang. The awards ceremony is held in conjunction with the Small Press Expo. It is a highlight of the event, where creators and fans gather to celebrate the best in independent comics.
First established in 1997
In conclusion, the Ignatz Award is an annual ceremony that honors the best in independent comics. It is named after George Herriman’s comic strip character Krazy Kat and is presented at the Small Press Expo (SPX). The awards were first established in 1997 and voted on by a panel of five judges consisting of cartoonists, critics, and retailers. The awards are divided into several categories: Outstanding Artist, Outstanding Graphic Novel, Outstanding Story, and Promising New Talent.
Besides, there is also an award for Outstanding Series, which recognizes a comic that has been consistently excellent over some time. The awards are presented as a brick and have become a respected and sought-after accolade in the independent comics industry.
The Harvey Awards
The annual awards ceremony also honors the best in comics – but also sequential art. The awards were named after the American cartoonist Harvey Kurtzman and were established in 1988. They are presented at the Baltimore Comic-Con, an annual comics convention celebrating the comic medium in all its forms.
The awards are voted on by a panel of industry professionals, including editors, writers, artists, retailers, and educators. The awards are divided into several categories: Best Writer, Best Artist, Best Cartoonist, and Best New Series. There are awards for Best Graphic Album, Best Online Comics Work, and Best American Edition of Foreign Material, among others.
The most prestigious
The Harvey Awards is one of the most prestigious comic industry awards. They have been awarded to many well-known and respected creators, including Alan Moore, Frank Miller, and Scott Snyder. The awards ceremony highlights the Baltimore Comic-Con and allows creators, fans, and industry professionals to unite and celebrate the best in comics and sequential art.
One of the notable things about the Harvey Awards is that it’s one of the few comic industries awards that vote on by the industry professionals themselves. This gives the awards a unique and special significance, as it recognizes the excellence in the field by those working in it.
Presents at the Baltimore Comic-Con
To sum up, the Harvey Awards is an annual ceremony that honors the best in comics and sequential art. The awards were named after the American cartoonist Harvey Kurtzman and were established in 1988. The awards are presented at the Baltimore Comic-Con. This annual comics convention celebrates the comic medium in all its forms.
The awards are voted on by a panel of industry professionals and are considered one of the most prestigious awards in the comics industry. It’s one of the few comic industry awards voted on by the industry professionals themselves, giving the awards a unique and special significance.
The Eisner Awards
Also familiar as the “Oscars of the comics industry,” it is an annual awards ceremony that honors the best in comics and sequential art. The awards were named after the American cartoonist Will Eisner and were established in 1988. They are presented at the San Diego Comic-Con, an annual comics and pop culture convention that is one of the largest of its kind in the world.
The awards are voted on by a panel of industry professionals, including editors, writers, artists, retailers, and educators. They are divided into several categories: Best Writer, Best Artist, Best Graphic Album, and Best Continuing Series. There are also awards for Best New Series, Best Digital Comic, and Best Single Issue/Story, among others.
Wide range of comics
The Eisner Awards are among the most prestigious comic industry awards. They have been awarded to many well-known and respected creators, including Alan Moore, Frank Miller, Scott Snyder, and, of course, Nicholas Gurewitch. The awards ceremony is a highlight of the San Diego Comic-Con. It is an opportunity for creators, fans, and industry professionals to come together and celebrate the best in comics and sequential art.
One of the notable things about the Eisner Awards is that it covers a wide range of comics material, including graphic novels, comics for kids, newspaper strips, digital comics, and more, this way, it recognizes the excellence in all aspects of the medium. The awards are also notable for their diversity and inclusion, as they have categories that recognize the works of creators from diverse backgrounds and countries.
Diversity and inclusion
To make it short, The Eisner Awards is an annual ceremony that honors the best in comics and sequential art. The awards were named after the American cartoonist Will Eisner and were established in 1988. The awards are presented at the San Diego Comic-Con and are voted on by a panel of industry professionals.
The Eisner Awards is one of the most prestigious awards in the comics industry. It covers a wide range of comic material, recognizing excellence in all aspects of the medium. It’s also notable for its diversity and inclusion, as it has categories that recognize the works of creators from diverse backgrounds and countries.
The role of black humor in our lives
Because we talked about Webtoons with mostly witty and black humor, we may try to understand why these kinds of humor are so important in our lives. Black humor is a type of comedy that deals with dark or serious topics such as death, disease, and war in a humorous way. It is also known as grotesque, morbid, gallows, or sick humor.
It is used to highlight the absurdity and insensitivity of the world. Characters and situations are usually exaggerated in black humor, which can make it harder to understand the joke. Additionally, it often uses elements of tragedy and is sometimes compared to tragic farce. It can be perceived as twisted and funny at the same time.
Understanding humor
Humor often employs various categories and structures of thought that are organized into frames, which are accessed through certain images, ideas, or associations. In the process of understanding humor, these categories and structures of thought are frequently semantically reanalyzed and reorganized through the mapping of elements from one frame into a new one.
This “frame-shifting” process can often be seen as the foundation of humor processing, as it necessitates incorporating and integrating prior knowledge about the frames utilized in a joke.
Reinterpretation of words
For example, when reading the joke “I let my accountant do my taxes because it saves time. Last spring it saved me ten years!”, the first sentence evokes the image of a busy professional paying an accountant to do their taxes, as the reader draws on their knowledge about the relationship between businesspeople and their accountants.
However, the word “years” in the second sentence prompts a reinterpretation of the word “time” as time in prison, leading to a shift in the initial frame of “busy professional” to “crooked businessman.”
Frame blends
Another cognitive operation that underlies humor processing is “blending,” combining mental models from different domains to create new concepts.
As a result, humor is often based on “frame blends,” which require merging two distinct scenarios to create a humorous hybrid situation comprised of elements from each method. An example of this type of blending can be seen in a black humor cartoon by Stein, in which “the suicide of a husband who hangs himself” with a green tie is found by his wife and her friend.
Increased mind ability
The wife is expected to feel shocked, sad, or despair upon discovering her husband’s body. Still, the elements of the tragic “suicide” are blended with the aspects of the wife’s stereotypical complaints about her husband’s taste in clothing (“And once again the green tie with the blue suit.
What have I been nagging him about for all these years?”). It has been shown that these operations underlying humor processing depend on cognitive abilities and that increased mind ability is necessary to understand a joke.
Mood plays a significant role
Humor processing involves cognitive and emotional elements, and recent fMRI studies have supported this. Research has demonstrated that higher intelligence affects the mental aspects of humor processing and emotional components.
Furthermore, mood plays a significant role in the appreciation of humor. Studies have found that individuals with higher levels of depression tend to have greater difficulty using humor to cope with stressful events.
Response to humor
Additionally, research has shown that a person’s pre-existing mood can influence their subjective response to humor, amplifying emotions that align with the mood and diminishing those that do not. According to Ruch and Köhler, a person’s level of cheerfulness, seriousness, and moodiness serve as the temperamental basis of humor.
People with high levels of cheerfulness typically have a low threshold for laughter. At the same time, those with a tendency towards bad moods may struggle to engage with humor or may exhibit negative behavior in typically joyful situations.
Humor is a powerful tool
However, some researchers have suggested that a bad mood may facilitate the appreciation of certain forms of humor, such as “misanthropic” humor is a powerful tool that can be used to cope with difficult situations, reduce stress, and improve overall well-being. One form of humor that has been shown to have particular benefits is black or witty humor.
Black humor, also known as dark humor and sometimes witty humor, deals with taboo or sensitive subjects such as death, illness, or tragedy. It is often described as being “edgy” or “pushing the boundaries.” While some people may find black humor offensive, it has been shown to have several positive effects on mental health.
Black humor allows people to make light of difficult situations
One of the main benefits of black humor is its ability to help people cope with difficult situations. Research has shown that people who use black humor to deal with stress and adversity tend to have better mental health outcomes than those who don’t. This is because black humor allows people to make light of difficult situations, which can help to reduce feelings of stress and anxiety.
Black humor can also be used as a tool for self-expression. It allows people to express their feelings and opinions in a way that may be difficult to do in other ways. This can be particularly beneficial for people who may feel marginalized or oppressed in some way.
Engage in social bonding
Another benefit of black humor is its ability to foster social connections. When people share a black humor joke or meme, they engage in social bonding. This can be especially important for people who may feel isolated or lonely.
Witty humor, on the other hand, is a type of humor that is characterized by clever wordplay, puns, and double entendres. It is often considered more sophisticated than other forms of humor and is often used in literature and comedy.
Switch between different concepts
One of the benefits of witty humor is its ability to improve cognitive function. Research has shown that engaging in witty humor can enhance cognitive flexibility, which is the ability to switch between different concepts and tasks quickly. This is because witty humor requires people to think creatively and make connections between seemingly unrelated ideas.
Witty humor can also be used as a tool for persuasion. People who use witty humor in their communication tend to be more persuasive than those who don’t. This is because witty humor can make people feel more relaxed and open to new ideas.
The history of webcomics
The history of webcomics can be traced back to the mid-1980s, with the earliest comics predating the World Wide Web. The period from 1985 to 1992 is referred to as the “Stone Age” of webcomics, and it was during this time that the first online comics appeared.
Eric Monster Millikin, best known for the alternative strip FetusX, is credited as creating the first online comic, a Wizard of Oz parody called “Witches in Stitches,” that he distributed through CompuServe.
The internet’s first comic strip
Hans Bjordahl’s “Where the Buffalo Roam,” a gag strip published online through FTP and Usenet starting in 1991, was the first regularly updated online comic. It billed itself as “The Internet’s First Comic Strip.”
In 1993, “Doctor Fun,” a gag panel by David Farley, became the first comic published on the web, with its own website.
Distributed through mailing lists
During the Stone Age, comics were scarce, and the few that made it online were typically created by college students studying computer technology.
These comics were distributed through mailing lists or Usenet groups, and readers had to have the comics emailed to them.
Newspaper-style strips
The “Bronze Age” of webcomics, from 1993 to 1995, saw the arrival of the World Wide Web and the colonization of the internet by cartoonists. Many of these comics were college newspaper strips posted on student websites and often featured black-and-white, newspaper-style strips.
This era saw the rise of computer/technology strips, gaming strips, and general geek-interest strips. Penny Arcade started in 1998, and Scott Kurtz’s PvP, which also began in 1998, became popular comics in this era.
Experimental and avant-garde comics
The “Singularity” began around 1996, as the online population reached a critical mass and the number of webcomics exploded. This era saw the rise of webcomics as a viable source of income, with many cartoonists finding success through advertising and merchandise sales.
The popularity of newspaper-style strips continued, but this era also saw the emergence of more experimental and avant-garde comics, such as Charley Parker’s Argon Zark! and Cat Garza’s The Magic Inkwell. Additionally, this era saw the first webcomic published from outside the U.S. and the arrival of print cartoonists on the webcomics scene.
How PBF impacted the webcomic community
The Perry Bible Fellowship Comics has significantly impacted the webcomic community and the larger world of independent comics.
pbfcomicsThe series began in 2001 and is known for its unique blend of religious imagery and dark humor. It quickly gained a dedicated following and has been praised for its originality and wit.
Cultural trends
One of the most notable aspects of The Perry Bible Fellowship Comics is its ability to comment on societal issues and cultural trends subtly and nuancedly.
Gurewitch’s use of religious imagery allows him to address sensitive topics, such as mortality and faith, in a thought-provoking and humorous way. This approach has resonated with readers and helped establish comics as a staple in the webcomic community.
Inspired many other creators
The Perry Bible Fellowship Comics has also significantly impacted the larger world of independent comics. The series has been praised for its unique style and humor and has inspired many other creators in the independent comics scene.
Gurewitch’s use of religious imagery and dark humor has become a defining characteristic of the series and has been emulated by many other artists and cartoonists.
Wider audience
Another way “The Perry Bible Fellowship Comics” has had an impact is its ability to be published in different formats and mediums. The comics have been published online, in print, and as a book.
This has helped to reach a wider audience and has allowed the series to continue to grow in popularity. The comics have been translated into multiple languages, which helped to reach a global audience.
How does PBF comment on societal issues
We will analyze several specific comics and storylines from The Perry Bible Fellowship and explore how they comment on societal issues and cultural trends.
One of the recurring themes in The Perry Bible Fellowship is the commentary on the darker side of human nature. For example, the comic strip “The Trial” depicts a courtroom scene in which a group of animals is imprisoned for their actions.
The impact of technology on society
The strip satirizes the human tendency to blame others for our mistakes and justify our actions, regardless of their morality. It highlights the idea that humans often use moral relativism and the idea that “the end justifies the means” to justify their actions, even if they are immoral.
Another recurring theme in The Perry Bible Fellowship is the commentary on the impact of technology on society. In the comic strip “The Great One,” a robot is worshipped as a god by a group of humans.
Humans often put their faith in technology
The strip satirizes how humans often put their faith in technology and the idea that machines can solve all of our problems rather than taking responsibility for our actions.
This strip highlights the idea that humans often put their trust in technology and machines instead of recognizing the importance of human agency and free will.
The impact of religion on society
A third recurring theme in The Perry Bible Fellowship is the commentary on the impact of religion on society. The comic strip “The Good Book” depicts a group of people who are so obsessed with the Bible that they are unable to see the world around them.
The strip satirizes how religion can be used to justify oppressive ideologies and how religious faith can blind people to the reality of the world.
The darker side of human nature
This strip highlights the idea that religious faith can be used to justify oppressive ideologies and that people who are too deeply entrenched in their religious beliefs can be blind to the reality of the world around them.
In conclusion, through the use of satire, the strip highlights the darker side of human nature, the impact of technology on society, and the impact of religion on society.
27 Absurd Dark Humor Comics By ‘The Perry Bible Fellowship’
The clarity of obscurity: He started publishing the Perry Bible Fellowship in his undergraduate newspaper in 2001 after a short spell as a journalist for the same paper. The Jubilee and Spelling have been his most well-liked PBF comics online, though that may just be because they’re brand-new. It used to be “Atlantis” and “Nice Shirt” (Unicorn Power).
He calls his own brand “the clarity of obscurity.” To create the comics, he employs numerous different techniques. The recurring strategies are ink and paper, though it wouldn’t make sense to mention them all, he believes.
Changing styles
Before the blue fairy appears and transforms it into reality, nearly every comic spends a considerable amount of time as a sketch. The creation of Commander-Crisp took the longest, mostly because the character was painted and then given a dying computer’s final color adjustments. He had to wait several minutes between clicks.
He responds to the question of whether the chosen styles in a particular comic correspond to the themes it explores by saying, “I wouldn’t theorize on this matter. It’s different for every comic. More importantly, changing styles just gives me something to occupy my time with.”
Idealism colliding realism
His greatest inspirations are a bit hard to say. He sometimes perceives his work as representing the clash between his mother’s realism and his father’s romanticism. Or, he sees the idealism of his mom colliding with the realism of his dad. Numerous artists have given him the idea of the “actual” slamming into the “ideal.”
Most likely, Gary Larson is to blame for persuading him that a substantial quantity of actual backstory can be encapsulated in a single ludicrous image. The best at condensing a lengthy backstory (or a profound idea) into a concise panel or thought right before your eyes were Bill Watterson.
Unexpected ways
When he’s working on a comic, he collaborates with a lot of people, anyone nearby—whether it be family members, housemates, or roommates—as well as friends via email. He’s open to hearing other people’s ideas, especially if he senses that the partner can recognize his humorous weaknesses.
He would run everything by three of his friends as if it were an assembly line. Through that process, a lot of concepts are shot down, altered in unexpected ways, and then reborn as completely new ideas. He believes that some of the essential work is done when working with other people.
His opinion on advices
“Advice which is generic in nature- ascribed by one person to another – is not nearly so important as the advice you fashion for yourself out of necessity – based on an intimate knowledge of what makes you tick. Not sure where I heard that, but I feel in agreement with it.
If you can cultivate the addictions inside you to work for you, then you gotta notice that. If you can notice it, you gotta double it. Triple it. Quadruple it until good things happen”, Gurewitch said when asked about the best piece of advice he ever got.
Subtle yet terrible punchlines
The Perry Bible Fellowship Almanack’s 10th-anniversary edition, one of the web’s most cherished webcomics, is back with a new foreword from Michael Cera, previously unpublished comics and sketches, and strips that have been formatted to read like they would on a phone screen.
The book by Nicholas Gurewitch, a stunning compilation of each PBF comic released between 2004 and 2007, is a warm, sentimental look back at the “golden period of the internet.” The book perfectly combines hand-drawn elegance with subtle yet terrible punchlines that expose a heartbreaking truth about the world in order to capture the beauty of PBF.
His newest projects
Since PBF, Gurewitch has switched his attention to film and television. He also created a book on Kickstarter in honor of Edward Gorey called Notes on a Case of Melancholia, Or: A Little Death.
Due to the laborious process of creating each page from individual scratchboards, the book and commissions promised to backers as rewards were postponed by a number of years. Why it took so long is well-explained in the documentary Notes on a Case of Nicholas Gurewitch.
The Kickstarter
Gurewitch said he enjoyed working on the Kickstarter and agreed to participate because he liked the tactile nature of the process, but he believes it was too much work. It had 48 pages, but he made around 200 slates.
“I think Kickstarter to me was like a genie lamp. You get to make a wish, and your wish gets granted. But with such power comes complications. I found myself not burdened by the weight of expectations but adjusting to expectations as they came about. And so I think I ended up in a scenario where I didn’t have a proper relationship with time”, he said.
What he would have done different
He said about this: “One thing that’s probably missing from my life, ever since I’ve stopped doing the comic weekly, is deadlines. I sort of swore off deadlines because they seemed so hazardous to health. But in many ways, they’re helpful to mental health because you can be done with something. There’s so much power in the Kickstarter scenario because there’s so much trust, money, and time. If I were to do it again, I would just have to have some kind of stronger relationship with those things”.
He said he tried to make himself feel a little better by thinking about George R.R. Martin. “It sounds like time and expectation have crept into his process. I think it can be a confounding thing when you have that much power. Maybe creativity works in a way that relies on being powerless rather than being powerful”.
Conditions for publishing
Gurewitch had a terrific time creating the 30 original drawings he was required to produce for his Kickstarter. Dark Horse agreed to publish this book and the Almanack under the condition that they publish another PBF collection before the year is up, one that will be the same size but contains new content because the author finds it entertaining.
He has persuaded them to print the books on paper from the Forest Stewardship Council. Additionally, he promised to design the book and create the InDesign files, both of which require a lot of labor but are enjoyable for him.
The reason for the 10th anniversary edition
He said about the reason for publishing a 10th-anniversary edition: “It’s one of those things, like, I think they publish a new Harry Potter book every other year, but they need to do a new cover for it. It’s one of those money grabs.
But it had been 10 years since the Almanack came out, so it was as good a reason as any to republish it. I don’t know if the comics are still as good as they were because humor changes over the years”.
Content and format
Many comics in the Almanack are from 2004 to 2008 but also there are some from 2001 to 2004, which are his college comics, but he didn’t put them online until 2004. As far as the internet’s concerned, these are the 2004 to 2008 comics. But he’d been doing them in college for quite some time as a newspaper comic.
There was a French edition of the Almanack, and he liked the way it looked, so he formatted it so that readers could view it on the phone. Because most phones scroll up and down, it’s advantageous to position them this way.
His new path
Gurewitch claims he’s been hesitant to pursue film and television. He has worked on a lot of unproduced TV episodes, but taking that step has allowed him to change the comic from its original style.
Many of them already exist as scripts, and occasionally they get to the point where they have basic storyboards or animatics. However, he’s eager to work more in the production sector shortly because he believes that’s how his ideas should most likely develop.
Why TV has not happened yet
Many PBF comics rely heavily on really minute, subtle elements. And sometimes, it’s difficult for him to manage the specifics when he’s scripting. Therefore, he wants to work with the details a little further in the future. He believes that he develops a new TV show concept every two years.
Networks also seem to be realizing that the concept is maybe a little too strange at the exact same rate. Although they are all animated, he would be willing to perform any live-action role that he would perform in a cartoon.
A project that didn’t see the light
It would likely simply require a bit more effort. Some of them have less of a connection to PBF. He believes that this is yet another one of his issues since, occasionally, the thought will just be completely absurd. The Umbilicals was one of the concepts that gained some popularity with Cartoon Network.
These fetuses inside their mothers’ uteruses were the ones who, in a way, drove them like mechs using the umbilical cord. Moms would therefore be the mechs. He believes it to be a really bad idea.
Better this way
“We basically just had a theme song, and an intro figured out for what would either be short-form or half-hour. But I’m kind of glad it never got produced because I don’t know how you sustain that for a whole half hour, despite the fact that we had written out scripts that claimed to do it.
I don’t know if that was sustainable. In retrospect, it’s kind of embarrassing”, he said about The Umbilicals project. And he added: “Sometimes I can’t tell the difference between what’s funny and what’s funny because you made it”.
His social media presence
He joined Instagram not too long ago because he hadn’t had a smartphone until 2017. About this, he said: “I suppose I’m coming around to the idea that it’s really financially savvy to be able to connect with people through social media. But I do miss the days when you could have visitors to your website.
The way you’d have visitors is like back in the olden days when someone would knock on the door and say, “Can I come in and enjoy what you have?” I take pride in the fact that I have a website that people can visit”.
Instagram artists he likes
In some ways, he enjoys the direction that webcomics are headed. He particularly likes the comics by Nathan Pyle and Alex Norris. They share a lot of colors in common. He believes he appreciates the shift toward a kinder, sweeter, and more honest creation. Perhaps it is the path that they are all taking since life is becoming scarier.
He believes that if he can just manage to look respectable, or in this case, pretty, he can say a lot of things. He thinks he can say something a little more brutal if he makes a comic incredibly pretty.
About starting something new
Gurewitch said about coming away from something he’s done for a long time in favor of starting something new that he’d love to start low on the ladder. “There’s a part of me that wants to endure something a little bit more difficult. I’ve always wanted to be a waiter. I just need a new experience.
And I think I definitely am excited about climbing down from the ladder and approaching an audience — maybe even anonymously — but approaching an audience from a fresh angle”.
About people who don’t think they can dedicate to art
Gurewitch asserts that people always have time at the end of the day in response to the question of whether he may have the luxury to start something new if sales of the book, comic strips, and other products can help them sustain themselves financially.
“I’m never certain how I feel about people who complain about not having time after their day job. If you really want to do something you’ll do it at night…I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes, but I just know if you’ve really got something to say, you’ll find a way to say it, eventually”.
Giving advices
In terms of advice, he suggests forcing their lives to take a creative route if they want to try to discover their passion. And he doesn’t mean it in the sense that it is required; rather, he says that they need to likely put themselves in a situation where they are compelled to speak up.
Instead of making work an act of labor, make it an act of relief. They should constantly be willing to consider the possibility that they shouldn’t be expressing themselves creatively if there is nothing to express.
From agony to ecstasy
“But the human psyche can only undergo so many challenges before it starts to do something really interesting that other people can enjoy. I think I’m a firm believer that if you go through enough agony, you’ll be able to provide enough ecstasy. I love it when people challenge themselves and reflect on that, and then make art from that.
There’s no shortage of brilliance to be had from reflecting upon life experience, and there’s no shortage of life experience to be had from failing. It’s a win-win situation, really. If you need more life experience, just hop in!”, Gurewitch said.
What his peers say of his work
The artist quotes top artists praising his work on the Perry Bible Fellowship’s official Facebook page. He shares what other cartoonists had to say about his body of work.
“Gurewitch jams three panels full of brilliant concepts and dark, twisted comedy so tightly that they almost burst. One of the all-time funniest comic strips is The Perry Bible Fellowship.” R. Bolling (Tom the Dancing Bug).
“He’s the finest new cartoonist since Bill Watterson, and I’ve been reading him since his first comic in The Guardian. Paper was created for this purpose. Now give him your cash.” — Mark Millar (The Ultimate X-Men).
Criticism
Speaking of criticism, over the years, The Perry Bible Fellowship has drawn fire for its dark humor. Gurewitch stated in an interview with ComicMix in 2008: “It’s ironic how a work’s intention may be obscured, but since people are reacting to something, they have the right to adopt any viewpoint they choose.
However, I do find it amusing that many people believe a comic is just over the top and hasn’t been thought through since I personally can see something I’ve been thinking about in the cartoon, or something on my mind, or one of my friends’ thoughts, every time I appreciate one of my comics. The comics always seem to me to be more profoundly important than they initially appear to be.”
Where it all began
“[The Almanack’s] got many dozens of comics that can’t be found online,” continued Gurewitch. “In some cases, gags have been too crude or offensive or simply haven’t aged well. I’ve included my best reasons for why certain comics didn’t make the cut while I was making them for newspapers.”
The Daily Orange student newspaper at Syracuse University was the first to publish the strip. It spread to The Guardian and Maxim, as well as other outlets. The mysterious name “Perry Bible Fellowship” is more complicated than you might think.
The Daily Orange
The first time he worked on a comic was in college. In an interview on Jeff Rubin’s podcast, he told Jeff that he published comics on the Daily Orange. The Independent student newspaper, The Daily Orange, sometimes known as The D.O., is published in Syracuse, New York. Throughout the academic year at Syracuse University, it is free and published every day.
However, it was Jeff Rubin, the first person outside the Daily Orange, that published his comic. Jeff says that it was because the work was very good, and it went beyond his peers creativity and content.
Named after a church
“Gosh, that it’s an in-joke that has far overstayed its welcome,” admitted Nicholas. “My buddy Albert recommended that because we didn’t have a name for the obscene scribble, we submitted it to The Daily Orange when I started the comic.”
“It’s the name of a church he connected to in the northernmost area of Maine. I’ve heard that the church has since changed its name.”
A theory of comedy
Although we can all agree the comics are very funny, Gurewitch does not describe his work as such. He says he does not believe in comedy. He has the theory that there is a drama that makes you laugh and drama that makes you cry. There is a way something is presented that makes it funny or serious.
He also does not like jokey jokes or easy comedy; he likes jokes in the middle of something super dramatic. The example he gives is finding gags in Schindler’s list. Gurewitch values more a gag that takes you by surprise than an easy joke.
Collaborative spirit
He dedicated the book to 3 people he worked with although he wrote it all himself. He sees himself as a very collaborative person. His first ever comic was, in fact, a collaboration with Dan Wrights. It was a mix and intermingling of two different comics: A Hue Life and Franken Worm Digger.
They started separately and slowly began to intermingle until they were one single comic. He says this experience inspired the Perry Bible Fellowship a lot. As for the strips, he says that you count on the story to be finished, to be complete, and that is usually laugh-inducing in the case of Perry Bible. These are dramatic comics.
Perfectionist artist
Nicholas believes that he can feel it in the vibrations when someone doesn’t like or laugh at a comic joke. When he sees the particular way they didn’t laugh, he would know what to change to make it work for them. He also works very hard on a joke for a long time until it is right.
This is why the weebook comic took a while to finish; he spent an entire summer working in it when he was at Syracuse. Nicholas is a perfectionist because he wants his jokes to be well though and he takes it personally if you don’t like them, as a personal failure.
Taking breaks
Gurewitch thinks the best creative process is when you work on your project, but then take a break. He also is of the opinion that if you have friends that you trust to take a look at your work, do so, because they bring in a fresh perspective.
He has taken breaks from PPF, because of this and also because he is working on other things. His partners and him are trying to get Cartoon Network interested in his new project. He has been in LA for a week pitching TV shows to networks. His humor opens a lot of doors to him but it also closes them.
TV shows
He is of the thought that it spoils an artist to have complete creative control in TV endeavors. Nevertheless, he assures he must be a bit tough to work with in that regard, because when he undertakes something he wants to control the actors as he would a character that he is drawing.
However, he has learned a lot since then on how to generate performances and to work with people. To him, working alone on his comics is not as exciting as working with people. He wants to write these shows and also direct them, since he is a film major.
Filmmaking
Gurewitch really wants to make movies. He admits that what is stopping him is courage, and also he would need a little bit of money. He would like to be a very good director for when it comes the time. He likes Pixar, he thinks they are the most responsible filmmakers on the planet, since they tell complete stories, and the type of character transformations and reveal of truth are among the finest in the market.
He has worked on possible TV show projects over the years, but at the end of the day they are said to be too weird. He has hope that TV will be able to embrace the weirdness at some point.
The Trial of Colonel Sweeto and Other Stories
About the book The Trial of Colonel Sweeto and Other Stories, he spent a lot of time doing the cover and the first interior pages. He put a lot of detail into it. He named the book after one particular comic character because it was very fun to draw. He scanned and colored all the comics himself.
However, Hasbro took offense to the candyland theme and sent him a cease and desist letter. Nicholas and his team were compelled to take all the books off the shelves. A few of the books sold are being sold on eBay, because it has now become a collector’s item.
Second book
Nicholas prefers books rather than online as a method to enjoy a comic. Seeing it on a page is nicer to him. His second book was the Perry Bible Fellowship Almanack. it came with a red bookmark, so you can highlight your favorite comic and it can look like a bible.
At the end of the book, he added rejected comics and gave explanations as to why. He does have a number of comics he published but he ended up regretting and others that did not make the cut for the deleted material bonus. Some of those comics were misogynistic according to some people.
Trails of Tarnation
Nicholas loves acting and has participated in an episode of Trails of Tarnation. He has also done stand-up once in Syracuse, but he made the mistake of only doing one joke at the beginning and thinking he could wing the rest of it, but it went poorly. He also has done improv.
Trails of Tarnation is a web series he does with Derek Wallborne, also a SY grad. Not only is it a web series, it is also a movie. They are going to shoot all these standalone parts and then put them together. He is shooting it on film and then putting it up on the internet. Although it looks random, there is a substantial plot that binds these three parts together.
Out-of-the-box artistic
PBF has been described as a traitorous candy bar, a rebellious electric socket, and a woodshop teacher with a long backstory about his missing hand. It is one of the most innovative and creative artistic ventures ever hitting the internet.
These three are just a small selection of the many things Nicholas has done over time. He is the webcomic we recommend you follow regularly. Every time a new comic is published, we feel excited about the masterpiece he has created.
Mystery of the world
“I think I’m most inspired when I can share the confusion I feel about the world,” Gurewitch says. “I think that’s my base emotion. Confusion. So if there’s a way I can make other people feel confused by posing questions or pointing to the mystery of the world, that’s great … It comes down to having fun.”
“If I feel like trying something new, I usually do. Drawing in different styles is just like dressing up or making an impression. You just feel out what’s funny.”
Never been published
Dark Horse will release a unique Almanack collection featuring Nicholas’s comics to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of PBF. The book contains all his work and scrapped panels that have never been published on the main website.
“There’s only a couple of comics in the book I’m ashamed of,” said the artist. “A lot of the comics have been shared so many times over the years, there’s a risk it will have a dusty museum vibe. But this edition also has a lot of comics that have never seen the light of day, so I’m expecting to feel brand new kinds of shame.”
Plenty of options
There are over 250 pages in the Dark Horse-published Almanack. This gives you plenty of options for your favorite comics. It’s not easy to provide preferential treatment to their creators.
“It’s tempting to like the ones that no one else likes. Or under-appreciated ones,” he said. “I guess I’ll mention Bip, the painting Orangutan. He stars in a comic where his art show is negatively reviewed in a magazine, and he freaks out. It’s an unpopular comic, but those that appreciate it tend to notice the feces he’s thrown about in the background of the last frame.”
Will PBF be back?
Sometimes Nicholas uploads a comic strip to the Perry Bible Fellowship, and fans think it is coming back. However, that is not the case, according to him, because he doesn’t think it is going to be back and on a regular upload schedule. He says he uploads when he and Jordan get an idea that it’s too short for a film but good enough for a cartoon.
They work on it a lot and produce many drafts and comics, but only the little story makes it. Nevertheless, there is still a lot of traffic on the website, people still read the old Perry bible fellowship. It never goes out of style.
The next era
So what can we anticipate from the next era of Perry Bible Fellowship content?
“All I can promise is that I will do my best to try new things. Expand. Or at least delude me into thinking I’m trying new things. Yeah, that sounds right,” concluded Gurewitch.