Comic:The Home World
From CGWiki
| The Home World | |
|---|---|
| |
| Artist: | Joe Clifford Faust |
| Writer: | Joe Clifford Faust |
| Characters: | Garrett, Speedy, The Smiths, Agent Sweckheimer, Rick, Dr. Kane Abelmann, J.J. Scranton |
| Updates: | Wednesdays |
| Began: | September 3, 2008 |
| Ended: | |
| Art style: | Comic strip |
| Rating: | Web-PG |
| Website | Website |
Contents |
The Strip
History
The Home World was started in September of 2008 by Joe Clifford Faust, best known as the author of seven science fiction novels including A Death of Honor, The Company Man, the Angel's Luck Trilogy, and the Pembroke Hall novels. Faust had drawn extensively in high school and college, and published a cartoon in a national magazine, but gave up on cartooning when his writing began selling more consistently than his artwork.
After joining Facebook, he reconnected with several school friends who asked him if he was still drawing. Thinking he should perhaps give art another shot, and "knowing that good writing can make up for bad art, but not the other way around," he started to brainstorm strip concepts. Originally, Garrett and Speedy were to live in a town where every Urban Legend was a true story, but when Faust came up with the alien storyline, he knew that he had come up something that he would enjoy doing.
Concept
Garrett leads a quiet life in the suburbs with his dog Speedy. Then one day the new neighbors show up. They have triangular shaped heads, almond shaped eyes, and have gray skin. Before long, Garrett's life becomes a series of trials and tribulations, dealing with federal agents, tabloid reporters, and other nuisances.
Format
The Home World is presented in a black and white comic strip format, proportionately sized to newspaper strips. While it primarily features extended story lines, at times it runs as a gag strip, with one-shot jokes not connected to a story.
Tone
While The Home World features elements of Science Fiction (such as the Smiths, who are Aliens), it is only marginally SF. This makes it similar in tone to Faust's science fiction novels, which were much more interested in social aspects of the future and the people who are products of their environment. Any Science Fiction tropes that appear in the strip are played for laughs. This makes the strip's tone most resemble Faust's Pembroke Hall novels, as does the strip's tendency to have events spin wildly out of control, leaving the protagonist as the only one who appears to be sane.
Buffer
Faust said that when he made the decision to create a web comic, he wanted to run it as much like a newspaper comic as possible, weekly publication schedule notwithstanding. Part of this was born when, during the research process, he found a great number of online strips that missed their deadlines or relied on guest artists to get them through crunches. "I don't suppose there's anything wrong with running your strip that way, but I found it frustrating. Doing things that way just isn't me. When I read Strip X by Artist Y, I'm reading it to see his or her work."
As a result, when The Home World started, it had a 12-strip (week) buffer in place. At times, the buffer has been as large as 15 strips. This buffer allowed Faust to take an extended break from the strip without down time when his mother became ill and passed away in November of 2008.
As of October of 2008, Faust said that strip was plotted with major and minor story lines and one-shot gags through April 2010.
The Cast
Major Characters
Garrett
The protagonist of the strip, Garrett is a bit of a naif. He thinks the best of everyone, usually until he is proven wrong, leaving him to express dismay at his own naivety. Garrett is also something of a geek, showing knowledge of things high in Geek Quotient, and self-admits to having trouble with women. His job is unknown, but it is apparent that keeping his dog under control takes up a lot of his time.
FIRST APPEARANCE: Strip #1, September 3, 2008
Speedy
Speedy is Garrett's dog, a Bull Terrier. Speedy is Garrett's foil and thinks he is smarter than his master, but deep down inside he remains a dog, and is therefore ruled by typical canine impulses. Although Garrett is loathe to admit it, Speedy has developed a reputation as being something of a terror in the neighborhood. He is often reminded of these embarrassing exploits by Garrett or one of the neighbors that he has victimized.
FIRST APPEARANCE: Strip #2, September 10, 2008
The Smiths
The Smiths are classic "Alien Grays" who live in the house next door to Garrett. Not much is known about them other than:
- They all have "American" names, such as John, Bob, and Bill,
- A large number of them appear to live communally in the house,
- They claim to have come from the state of Utah.
FIRST APPEARANCE: Strip #1, September 3, 2008
Minor Characters
Agent Sweckheimer
Sweckheimer is a United States Marshall who occasionally appears in Garrett's neighborhood. While he often appears to torment Garrett, he is actually sympathetic toward him, and has a sharp sense of humor. He also loves his job.
FIRST APPEARANCE: Strip #8, October 22, 2008
Rick
Rick is Garrett's other next-door neighbor. He is perpetually drunk, although he seems to know more than he lets on. This knowledge is highly selective, and often depends on his current blood alcohol level.
FIRST APPEARANCE: Strip #14, December 3, 2008
The Swedish Airline Hostesses
An undetermined number of Airline Hostesses from Sweden live in the house across the street from Garrett. They have yet to be seen, and are a continuing source of wonder and amusement for the other neighborhood residents.
FIRST APPEARANCE: The Swedish Airline Hostesses have not yet been seen. The first mention of their existence is Strip #8, October 22, 2008
Story Lines
"Meet the Neighbors"
RUN: Strip #1 (September 3, 2008 ) - (currently in progress)
NUMBER OF PANELS: Currently in progress. According to the author, this story arc will run through January of 2009.
CHARACTERS INTRODUCED: Garrett, The Aliens, Speedy, Agent Sweckheimer, the Swedish Airline Hostesses, Rick.
SYNOPSIS: In the first extended storyline, Garrett meets his new alien neighbors and the behavior of Speedy threatens an "International Incident."
Links
The Home World strip, hosted at Comic Genesis.
joecliffordfaust.com, the author's official web page.
Categories: Aliens | Animals | Comedic | Comic Strip | Dogs | English | Fixed Schedule | GIF | Geek | House | Humor | Modern Day(Present) | Multiple Panel Horizontal | North America | Ohio | Paranoid | Rated PG | Schedule | Science Fiction | Talking Animals | USA | Urban Legends | Wednesday | Weekly
