Bruno (webcomic)
Encyclopedia
Bruno is a webcomic
written and drawn by Christopher Baldwin
from January 1, 1996 to February 14, 2007. Its storylines revolve around the life of an introspective young woman, set in the real world. Her unusual name comes from the Italian philosopher Giordano Bruno
. In 1998 Peter Zale and Baldwin created the "first Internet comics crossover" between their respective webcomics Helen, Sweetheart of the Internet
and Bruno.
, religion
, depression
, politics
and a traveling circus. The comic is characterized by a great deal of sometimes angst-ridden dialogue between the characters, occasionally punctuated by a single panel with a contemplative scene without words. The
storylines follow the life of Bruno (somewhat autobiographically) as she quits college, visits friends in various American towns, travels to Europe
, falls into and out of relationships, and publishes her novel. As the time line of the comic follows real time, we gradually see Bruno evolving from a free spirited college student into a more contemplative woman. Her quest to find her place in life changes but continues to be a main theme of the comic.
in the characters. The backgrounds are mostly of real-life places converted to black and white outlines penciled over and shaded with cross-hatching. Each character is drawn as a representation of a real person but with its own stylistic characteristic. Bruno's face is based roughly on a sketch of an angel's head by Leonardo da Vinci
.
Webcomic
Webcomics, online comics, or Internet comics are comics published on a website. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers or often in self-published books....
written and drawn by Christopher Baldwin
Christopher Baldwin
Christopher Baldwin is an American illustrator and author of several webcomics, the most significant being Bruno, a look at the life of an introspective young woman set in the real world....
from January 1, 1996 to February 14, 2007. Its storylines revolve around the life of an introspective young woman, set in the real world. Her unusual name comes from the Italian philosopher Giordano Bruno
Giordano Bruno
Giordano Bruno , born Filippo Bruno, was an Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, mathematician and astronomer. His cosmological theories went beyond the Copernican model in proposing that the Sun was essentially a star, and moreover, that the universe contained an infinite number of inhabited...
. In 1998 Peter Zale and Baldwin created the "first Internet comics crossover" between their respective webcomics Helen, Sweetheart of the Internet
Helen, Sweetheart of the Internet
Helen, Sweetheart of the Internet is a comic strip by Peter Zale about a technically adept young woman who works at a technology firm. It was the first comic strip to make the leap from the Internet to newspaper syndication...
and Bruno.
Themes and literary style
Bruno deals with various issues through the daily life of the main character and her friends. During the run of the comic, such issues have included topics such as homosexualityHomosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
, religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
, depression
Clinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
, politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
and a traveling circus. The comic is characterized by a great deal of sometimes angst-ridden dialogue between the characters, occasionally punctuated by a single panel with a contemplative scene without words. The
storylines follow the life of Bruno (somewhat autobiographically) as she quits college, visits friends in various American towns, travels to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, falls into and out of relationships, and publishes her novel. As the time line of the comic follows real time, we gradually see Bruno evolving from a free spirited college student into a more contemplative woman. Her quest to find her place in life changes but continues to be a main theme of the comic.
Artistic Style
The style of the drawings is mostly naturalistic and detailed, with a hint of caricatureCaricature
A caricature is a portrait that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person or thing to create an easily identifiable visual likeness. In literature, a caricature is a description of a person using exaggeration of some characteristics and oversimplification of others.Caricatures can be...
in the characters. The backgrounds are mostly of real-life places converted to black and white outlines penciled over and shaded with cross-hatching. Each character is drawn as a representation of a real person but with its own stylistic characteristic. Bruno's face is based roughly on a sketch of an angel's head by Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...
.