Buttercup Festival
Encyclopedia
Buttercup Festival is a webcomic
created by West Yorkshire
, England
-based poet and author David Troupes. The comic's first run, from February 17, 2000 to January 10, 2005, began as a feature in the University of Massachusetts
newspaper, The Daily Collegian, where Troupes was an editor during his college years. It was written under the pseudonym "Elliott G. Garbauskas." At various times during its first run it was published in the newspaper, on its own web site, and in other student newspaper
s and independent periodicals. The second series, which is ongoing, began on January 28, 2008.
Buttercup Festivals typical format is a strip of three or four panels, with the last often a non sequitur
. Early installments feature simple two-value illustrations; as the author's skills matured, he began drawing larger tableaus and events.
The comic's humor is marked by whimsy, pun
s, parody
, and a gentle, eccentric madness. However, not all strips are wholly humorous; many are intended simply to evoke a sense of beauty or wonderment at nature (especially Sunday issues, painted in watercolor and often lacking dialogue), somewhat reminiscent at times of Calvin and Hobbes
.
Individual strips were collected in three print editions: Buttercup Festival, Irony is Killing my Soul, and Buttercup Festival: Unsinkable Affection for the World. As of January 2005, all are out of print. The author's other works include a short poetic graphic story called An Island People Go To, likewise out of print, and another webcomic called Green Evening Stories.
from one strip to the next, and does not build on past strips, the same protagonist appears in every strip, and several other characters recur.
Friends,
It has been awhile.
But there is news.
See the website.
EGG
On that day, Troupes's front page at buttercupfestival.com featured a reference to "Buttercup Festival Series II" set to launch January 28, 2008. Buttercup Festival Series II currently updates on an unfixed schedule; typically, new comics appear on a Monday, about once every two weeks. This new series is generally more visually oriented, featuring elaborate outdoors backgrounds and neatly written, minimalist dialogue.
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....
created by West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
-based poet and author David Troupes. The comic's first run, from February 17, 2000 to January 10, 2005, began as a feature in the University of Massachusetts
University of Massachusetts
This article relates to the statewide university system. For the flagship campus often referred to as "UMass", see University of Massachusetts Amherst...
newspaper, The Daily Collegian, where Troupes was an editor during his college years. It was written under the pseudonym "Elliott G. Garbauskas." At various times during its first run it was published in the newspaper, on its own web site, and in other student newspaper
Student newspaper
A student newspaper is a newspaper run by students of a university, high school, middle school, or other school. These papers traditionally cover local and, primarily, school or university news....
s and independent periodicals. The second series, which is ongoing, began on January 28, 2008.
Buttercup Festivals typical format is a strip of three or four panels, with the last often a non sequitur
Non sequitur (absurdism)
A non sequitur is a conversational and literary device, often used for comedic purposes. It is a comment that, because of its apparent lack of meaning relative to what it follows, seems absurd to the point of being humorous or confusing....
. Early installments feature simple two-value illustrations; as the author's skills matured, he began drawing larger tableaus and events.
The comic's humor is marked by whimsy, pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
s, parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
, and a gentle, eccentric madness. However, not all strips are wholly humorous; many are intended simply to evoke a sense of beauty or wonderment at nature (especially Sunday issues, painted in watercolor and often lacking dialogue), somewhat reminiscent at times of Calvin and Hobbes
Calvin and Hobbes
Calvin and Hobbes is a syndicated daily comic strip that was written and illustrated by American cartoonist Bill Watterson, and syndicated from November 18, 1985, to December 31, 1995. It follows the humorous antics of Calvin, a precocious and adventurous six-year-old boy, and Hobbes, his...
.
Individual strips were collected in three print editions: Buttercup Festival, Irony is Killing my Soul, and Buttercup Festival: Unsinkable Affection for the World. As of January 2005, all are out of print. The author's other works include a short poetic graphic story called An Island People Go To, likewise out of print, and another webcomic called Green Evening Stories.
Characters
Though Buttercup Festival has little, if any continuityContinuity (fiction)
In fiction, continuity is consistency of the characteristics of persons, plot, objects, places and events seen by the reader or viewer over some period of time...
from one strip to the next, and does not build on past strips, the same protagonist appears in every strip, and several other characters recur.
- The strip's protagonistProtagonistA protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
resembles the Grim Reaper, dressing in black robes and carrying a scytheScytheA scythe is an agricultural hand tool for mowing grass, or reaping crops. It was largely replaced by horse-drawn and then tractor machinery, but is still used in some areas of Europe and Asia. The Grim Reaper is often depicted carrying or wielding a scythe...
. However, he is not intended to be Death; rather, his appearance was a parody of the GothGoth subcultureThe goth subculture is a contemporary subculture found in many countries. It began in England during the early 1980s in the gothic rock scene, an offshoot of the post-punk genre. The goth subculture has survived much longer than others of the same era, and has continued to diversify...
sub-culture, and he never uses the scythe except occasionally to nudge things. On one occasion a cloaked figure with scythe was shown, his head a skull as death'sDeath (personification)The concept of death as a sentient entity has existed in many societies since the beginning of history. In English, Death is often given the name Grim Reaper and, from the 15th century onwards, came to be shown as a skeletal figure carrying a large scythe and clothed in a black cloak with a hood...
is traditionally portrayed, though it is unclear if this figure is indeed the main character. The protagonist's defining characteristics include limitless optimism (he once successfully built a hot air balloon out of cinder blocks, using his "unsinkable affection for the world" as fuel) and an idiosyncratic perception of reality (in one strip, for example, he thinks that his Game of LifeThe Game of LifeThe Game of Life, also known simply as LIFE, is a board game originally created in 1860 by Milton Bradley, as The Checkered Game of Life . The Game of Life was America's first popular parlor game...
board is a city map). He seems to play various musical instruments, including guitar, trumpet, tambourine, and banjo. It is also worth noting that the protagonist has been identified as 37 years old, and apparently has both a son with whom he plays "catch" and a daughter. In early strips, his actions are often highly destructive (both to his own well-being and to his surroundings). - The voice of an unseen and unnamed character comes from off-panel in many strips. This character is frequently a foilFoil (literature)In fiction, a foil is a character who contrasts with another character in order to highlight particular qualities of another character....
for the protagonist, questioning his actions and correcting his misperceptions. - Rodney the second-grade T-ball jockey is, as the name suggests, a second-grader with an aggressive attitude whose life revolves around tee ballTee BallTee Ball or T-Ball is a sport based on baseball and is intended as an introduction for children to develop baseball skills and have fun. The name Tee Ball is a registered trademark while T-Ball is the generic name, although many sources use Tee Ball as a generic title.- Description :In T-Ball, the...
. - Future Boy is a jet packJet packJet pack, rocket belt, rocket pack, and similar names are various types of devices, usually worn on the back, that are propelled by jets of escaping gases so as to allow a single user to fly....
-wearing boy who occasionally appears and reveals interesting facts about what happens in the futureFutureThe future is the indefinite time period after the present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the nature of the reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently exists and will exist is temporary and will come...
. - An alienExtraterrestrial lifeExtraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
being called 'Cosmic Protean Intelligence' is sometimes featured conversing with the protagonist in an alien language. The reader gathers an understanding of what the being says from the protagonist's replies in English. - A couple of strips feature a sentient balloonBalloonA balloon is an inflatable flexible bag filled with a gas, such as helium, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, oxygen, or air. Modern balloons can be made from materials such as rubber, latex, polychloroprene, or a nylon fabric, while some early balloons were made of dried animal bladders, such as the pig...
that believes itself to be human. - A caricature of the musician MobyMobyRichard Melville Hall , better known by his stage name Moby, is an American musician, DJ, and photographer. He is known mainly for his sample-based electronic music and his outspoken liberal political views, including his support of veganism and animal rights.Moby gained attention in the early...
has appeared in several strips.
Recent developments
On December 21, 2007, Troupes posted a three-line message to the Buttercup Festival mailing list apparently announcing a second Buttercup Festival series:Friends,
It has been awhile.
But there is news.
See the website.
EGG
On that day, Troupes's front page at buttercupfestival.com featured a reference to "Buttercup Festival Series II" set to launch January 28, 2008. Buttercup Festival Series II currently updates on an unfixed schedule; typically, new comics appear on a Monday, about once every two weeks. This new series is generally more visually oriented, featuring elaborate outdoors backgrounds and neatly written, minimalist dialogue.